To avoidmaking my head hurt too much I gingerly moved it to look around andjumped (as far as the ropes permitted) at seeing several skeletonshanging against the wall to my right. There also seemed to be anawful lot of candles, shrunken heads, and books piled on tables. Athought came to me – was I in Mistress Velda’s Arcane Emporium ofthe Arts? Or somesuch combination of words (my memory still beingslightly addled).
Thefaint sound of breathing came from my left and I slowly turned myhead towards it, wondering if it was my jailer.
A verytall domed birdcage contained a sleeping woman wearing a plainwhite dress sitting in a chair. Her head lolled forwards and herhair obscured her face. But with a thump of my heart I instantlyknew it was Katherine! But looking like nothing I’d ever seenbefore - a strange purple glow seemed to emanate from withinher.
Justwhat on earth was going on?
Continuing my survey of my surroundings I saw there were twodoors, one either side of me. The one to my right looked like ithad long strings of beads hanging down in front of it. The roomreminded me of those where séances took place and fortune tellersfleeced the unsuspecting. I realised the sphere on the table was acrystal ball!
WasKatherine being used as some sort of prop for Mistress Velda’sotherworldly shenanigans?
Thesound of movement came from behind the right-hand door and Iquickly closed my eyes and shook my head to try and cover my faceso I could maybe catch a glimpse of who it was. Regrettably thisaction didn’t play well with my sore head and it set the painpounding again.
I heardthe door opening, the beads clicking as someone walked throughthem, the scratch of a lucifer sparking to life, and the glassagainst metal scrape of a gas lamp as it was lit. Slowly I made outthat the room was getting brighter. Carefully I opened my eyes to aslit and saw my entire torso was secured by a rope bound around me.The sound of steps came towards me and I heard the asymmetry of alimp. Was it the man on the train I’d recently kicked in theshin?
Thefootsteps got closer and stopped. I heard breathing and felt theywere observing me. My hair was grabbed making me cry out at thepain and open my eyes, then my head was forced back at an angle.The man on the train looked down at me. He still wore a brown suitbut not his bowler hat, which unfortunately meant I saw his greasyhair.
“Tricky little devil, aincha,” he said in the same strongcockney accent.
“Let us go.”
Hebarked a laugh at my presumption.
“No chance of that, dearie.”
He letgo of my hair and my head fell forwards. Then he limped off tolight a gas lamp to my left. After he’d performed that task hewalked over to have a closer look at Katherine in the human-sizedbirdcage. I felt glad to have injured him, howeverslightly.
Heturned to look back at me. “What’s she to you?”
Therewas no chance I’d tell him – I didn’t want to give him any holdover us, and possibly make life even more difficult forKatherine.
Realising I’d not tell him he shrugged and turned back tolook at her. Reaching through the bars he poked her arm as iftrying to make a captured animal perform. A banked purple firewithin me glowed with heat.
Katherine didn’t react to his actions and he turned away tolook around the room.
“Like to know what’s going to happen to you?” he asked,off-handedly.
“Nothing is going to happen to us because you’re going to letus go.”
Stoppingby a skeleton he took its arm and waved it at me, “Nice try, butyou won’t mesmerise me.”
Whywould he think that?
To myright I caught a glimpse of movement and turned to see a short, butwide, middle-aged lady walked through the bead curtain. Her blackvelvet, bustled dress brushed against the sides of the door; herhair was slate grey and looked like it was made of the stone aswell. Her face was so pale I doubted it ever saw the sun. A thoughtcame to me – was she another vampire? I listened for my innerwarning, but nothing.
Hersharp blue eyes examined me, “Is this the one you told me about,Micawber?” she asked in a similarly cockney accent.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said while limping back to the roundtable.
The ladywalked up to me, the only way to describe it would be like a duck’swaddle. Even though I was bound to my chair she was barely a head’sheight above me. She reached a short arm out and brushed a purplesatin glove through my hair.
“Interesting,” she said musingly.
I triedagain, “Let us go.”
I caughther smile at Micawber.
“Yeah, she tried that with me,” he replied.
“Do you think she has any idea who I am?”
“I don’t care. Let us go.”
“Hmm,” she mused to herself. “You don’t look like sisters;although the pink hair does rather confuse the issue.”
Shewaddled over to Katherine’s cage, her bustle jerking from side toside, and reached in to grab her hair and pull her head back. Ijerked in surprise anger at seeing bruises on Katherine’s face. Thepurple fire inside of me grew hotter.
Shemoved Katherine’s head to and fro to compare it againstmine.
Ihissed, “Let us go and I won’t kill the two of you.”
That caught the old lady’s attention and she glanced atMicawber with a smile on her face. “Feisty,” she said withrelish.
“Yeah, and handy with her boots.”
IfKatherine was sleeping she should have awoken when her hair wasgrabbed. With her mouth now hanging open I got the feeling she’dbeen given a dose of laudanum.
I turnedmy attention back to the old lady, knowing I’d do my best todestroy her and whatever she was doing.
She letgo of Katherine’s hair and waddled back to the round table andwaited for something. Micawber suddenly seemed to realise what shewas after and hurriedly pulled a chair out for her to siton.
Whenshe’d sat and gotten her black dress comfortable she lookeddirectly at me. It was like being stared at by a paleprune.
“Let’s see what we shall see, dear.”
Like awell-trained assistant Micawber leant over, leering at me, andmoved the
