‘Hello everyone, my name is Annie Deacon and this is my Vulmessian, Hawthorne. As you know, he is one of only two in existence. He is able to carry the weight of two adults whilst flying and is extremely intelligent. He is self-sufficient, catching all of his own food-’
I talked and talked until my mouth was dry and got a modest round of applause once I was done. Martinez watched me closely as I slinked back into the crowd by Jack’s side. Hawthorne continued to stare at Emilija.
~
As the evening wore on, the number of guests dwindled like the afternoon sun against the horizon. The sky was a deep pink by the time there was only ten people left, all of whom were quite elderly. It was at this point that Jack and I decided to initiate our plan.
Some of the manor staff were beginning to clean up the mess the guests had left behind, but we knew there were few enough people for R?ven to handle. Martinez was deep in conversation with an old man when we put our plan into action. I had noticed that he had been trying to catch my eye for some time, perhaps to ask us to leave, but I had been avoiding him for the entirety of the afternoon.
When Martinez finally broke away from the old gentleman and made his way towards us, Jack gave R?ven the signal.
‘Mrs. Deacon, I wondered if we might have a word-’ Martinez began, before he was cut short.
Many people gasped when R?ven the ‘spirit’ transformed into a girl. The old couples may have had a heart attack if it wasn’t for what came next.
Jack and I stuffed the plugs into our ears, cancelling out all noise around us. R?ven saw that we were safe and opened her mouth to sing.
I was grateful I could not hear the song she sang, because the effect was instantaneous. Staff collapsed to the ground, the trays of chardonnay in their hands smashing on the floor. Couples slumped over in their seats, passing out instantly. Martinez was by far the most resistant. It took several seconds for the effect of the song to sink in. At first he appeared to be alarmed, but a moment later his eyes drooped and he too fell to the ground. It was as though the entire party had been drugged. Hawthorne looked around nervously, but R?ven’s voice didn’t seem to affect him at all.
Jack indicated for R?ven and I to follow him. He led us to the manor whilst R?ven continued singing. Staff came outside to see what all the commotion was, but stopped dead in their tracks when the sound reached their ears.
I saw Jack’s lips form the words, ‘Keep singing!’
We entered the manor. Guards, guests and staff dropped like stones as we passed through the halls.
I knew my family would be at the gate, waiting until it was safe to enter and it would only be safe once R?ven had lulled all the manors residents into a deep sleep.
Upon reaching the front of the house we found the two guards already slumped against the walls, apparently unconscious. Hawthorne sniffed their bodies suspiciously.
‘They must have heard her coming.’ Jack yelled, unable to hear the volume of his own voice because of the earplugs. I put a finger to my lips, indicating that he needed to be quiet. I didn’t want anyone to wake up.
Part one of the plan had gone down without a hiccup. Jack and I removed our earplugs and listened carefully for any sounds within the house. It was eerily silent. R?ven’s voice had reverberated throughout the manor.
‘Great work,’ I beamed at R?ven, who smiled wistfully.
‘That went better than I expected,’ said Jack, nudging one of the guards with the tip of his shoe.
We stepped through the front doors to find the path empty. My family and the rest of H.E.L.E.N.A was nowhere to be seen.
‘Where are they?’ I asked.
‘Oh!’ Jack seemed to remember something. He put his fingers into his mouth and gave a sharp, loud, whistle.
‘Shh!’ I hissed.
‘It’s the signal,’ Jack explained. ‘To let them know the coast is clear.’
From amongst the bushes, figures began to emerge. Darkness was falling now and it took me a moment to recognise the silhouettes of my mother, father, Elise and Bran Stalk and Maria and Robert Scotland. They hurried up the path towards the manor, hunched low in the hopes that they would not be spotted. It was an unnecessary precaution however because everyone was out cold.
When they ascended the steps, my mother pulled me into a tight embrace.
‘Oh, Avalon, you look beautiful,’ she said.
‘Th-thanks,’ I muttered.
‘You did it,’ said my father. He seemed surprised. ‘Has everyone been taken care of?’
‘Everyone is unconscious,’ I confirmed. ‘Thanks to R?ven.’
My father gave me a congratulatory pat on the back before letting himself into the manor.
‘I brought this for you,’ my mother said, handing me a midnight blue cloak. ‘I thought you might feel more comfortable in it.’
‘Thank you,’ I said, relieved. I was glad to cover my cleavage.
‘Where’s Penny and Tom?’ asked Bran.
‘They went to find the dungeon,’ said Jack.
Together, the ten of us made our way towards the kitchen, where the blueprints had shown a path to lead us to the dungeons. We were pleasantly surprised, however, when we ran into Penny and Tom in the hall.