Winged: A Novella (Of Two Girls) (9 page)

Their hotel rooms were sumptuously
appointed, with fine upholstery and Ming vases with the signature
blue designs. Soft goose-down beds and hot-water facilities were
amply provided. They would rest. It would be a long day
tomorrow.

~*~

Early morning saw the Gathering begin in
earnest with the airships and blimps taking to the air like large
and small animals, be it cetacean or avian. There was an audible
drumming as their impellers and rotor-blades churned the air and
the ships made their way slowly to the central meeting point in
regal wedge formations.

Spectators had gathered to watch the Great
Gathering. Soaring in the sky were the lion-faced golden Japanese
ships waving flags with the chrysanthemum emblem of the Meiji
Emperor. They were close to the Chinese dragon-ships fitted with
twin rotor-blades, sending blackish smoke into the sky as if the
dragons were alive and roaring; the Chinese ships tried to jockey
for position and there was constant shifting as the ships did their
mid-air dance of power with the other groups. The most eye-catching
were the ones designed by the Austrian contingent – large polished
carracks with stag antlers for mastheads, exuding an oddly charming
medieval flavor. The smaller British protectorate ships, mainly the
ones from Malaya, appeared like stiletto-shaped vessels,
sharp-bowed and built obviously for speed. Compared to the larger
ships, they resembled more like a shoal of mackerel, swimming
beside bigger marine animals. The other nations straggled behind,
either by prudent choice or lack of engine capabilities; smaller
flying yachts competed with steam-powered schooners for position.
All the ships also took the opportunity to drop gifts and souvenirs
to the awed crowds who reached out to grab them as they fell. Fresh
red and pink roses, light-weight children’s toys (in the shape of
tops and kites, even simple bamboo flutes) and pamphlets boasting
the greatness of their country. It was a multi-sensory experience
and the Londoners soaked the atmosphere up with immense enthusiasm
and aplomb, adding to the carnival spirit in colorful and vivid
gowns and handsome coats.

The Academy’s own contingent lifted off soon
after the larger nations launched their vessels. They had to wait
for the signal so that the
Aerial Fleet
could assemble.
Katherine could only watch from the ground, together with the rest
of the repair crews. It was still an awe-inspiring sight with all
the air-ships congregating in the sky above her. As a precaution,
they kept one blimp-fin on the ground and she guarded it closely.
It was her blimp-fin, the one she often used for training flights
and runs. Pilotmaster Lee was aloft with the rest of the chosen
Academy pilots and handlers.

Then, there was the sound of a cannon firing
close to Buckingham Palace: their signal. Everyone started pointing
to the sky, chatting excitedly. The sounds rushed over Katherine
like a huge tidal wave. The onlookers started cheering.

They had appeared.
The new vessels.
There were five of them and they were exceedingly intimidating
monsters. Pointed horns protruding from heads shaped like sharks’,
long bodies in which batteries of weapons lined the flanges. They
even had teeth, pointed and menacing. Rumor had it that they were
designed with a type of shark –
goblin shark
, they were
saying – in mind.

“Good God, what are those things?” Someone
swore next to her. He sounded shocked.

“The new air-ships,” Katherine came to a
startling realization, half-awed and half-disturbed by the
undisguised
aggression
in the form of the ships. The
half-moon leers. The teeth.

The Union Jack flew proudly on these new
shark ships, beside the leo-fins and the blimp-fins who were then
joined by the merchant crafts. The Aerial Fleet was now fully
present, dwarfing the rest of the Gathering. The cheering grew
louder.

The Queen herself was in one of the shark
vessels and Katherine noticed that the leo-fins were crowded around
one particular vessel, seemingly larger than the rest of its
ghastly brethren, looking as if they were acting as bodyguards.

It was indeed a grand occasion, filled with
the desired pageantry Londoners so loved. Her Majesty got to see
her Fleet as well as the gathered nations. It was something
everyone would remember for a long time.

There was a loud boom: somewhere a cannon
had fired.

~*~

Lee performed immediate evasive maneuvers
the moment the cannonball impacted one of the shark ships and it
started to list dangerously to the left.
Not the Queen’s
, he
thought thankfully and his leo-fin shuddered spasmodically,
resisting, protesting at the unfamiliar movement.

“Protect Her Majesty!” He shouted into the
vox, unsure if the students could hear him. Everywhere, ships were
in disarray, breaking their formations as they tried to evade the
danger. The sky was too crowded. His heart hammered in his chest.
The letter spoke true.

He fancied hearing startled and shocked
screams and shouts coming from the leo-fins and blimp-fins around
him.
Poor students. Thick in the deep of things. Now it is up to
you now, to survive as true pilots would!

He swerved his leo-fin to the right and it
creaked alarmingly. Then, out of nowhere, he spied a blimp-fin,
nondescript in color, coming up to the shark ship carrying Her
Majesty. He recognized it from his own Flight Academy.

~*~

In the resulting chaos that followed the
cannon shot, Katherine could remember running to the blimp-fin and
powering it up. Its hydraulics thrummed beneath her booted feet as
it lifted vertically. All she knew she was piloting it towards the
larger shark-shaped vessel.

When she neared the ship, she could see
turmoil in the ship as people tried to protect themselves and a
matronly-looking woman dressed in state regalia, gleaming with
jewelry and medals. The door to the vessel was flung wide open
–
a bad mistake
, she thought – and piloted the blimp-fin
alongside the faltering vessel. The air was rushing in, stirring
everything – dresses, gowns, and coats – into frantic flapping.

“Climb onboard if you want to live,” she
shouted or thought she shouted. Wind was whipping into the
blimp-fin, ripping her words away. The woman in the finery looked
at her carefully; she appeared unperturbed and unafraid by the
turmoil around her. Her bearing was haughty and she looked as if
she could never smile.

“Of course, I want to live, child,” she said
with a tone of slight irritation and made her way into the
blimp-fin, surprisingly nimble-footed for her apparent physical
age. Her followers flooded in after her, looking faint and drained
of blood. They sounded like a gaggle of confused geese.

The blimp-fin protested with the extra
weight and flew stoically before landing on an empty area vacated
by panicking onlookers who fled the moment they heard the cannon
and saw that the ships were in trouble.

Katherine panted for air and leaned against
the controls. The adrenaline rush left her system then, leaving her
weak. Behind her was a babble of confused and worried adult voices.
She turned back and saw the older woman gazing at her intently.

“What is your name, child?” The woman’s
voice was deep, patrician. Careful modulated and dry but now
hinting of humor.

“Katherine. Katherine Riley from the Flight
Academy, madam.”

“You showed immense courage, Katherine
Riley.” This time, the woman smiled a brief warm smile, nodded and
stepped out of the blimp-fin, surrounded by her courtly retinue. It
was then Katherine realized that the woman was Her Majesty, the
Queen.

She sank to her knees, trembling and sobbing
into her hands. Her head spun. Her ankle was throbbing once more.
Was still throbbing when Lee had to lift her bodily up from the
floor and bring her back to the hotel room.

~*~

“You saved Her Majesty, fancy that!” Alethia
commented cheerfully, unscathed by the ordeal. All the ships, big
and small, had managed to regain their balance and go back into
formation with some measure of fortitude. The Great Gathering was
not a failure, Her Majesty had declared proudly in a safe place. It
must go on. The perpetrators had already been caught and now
awaiting her mercy.

Outside their hotel room, fire works
blossomed in the sky like giant flowers. The boom-boom-boom shook
the window-frame of the hotel room. There were the sounds of
singing and music; there was rejoicing in the streets.

Katherine sank deeper into her bed, buried
under the blankets. She was still amazed at her own temerity. Her
ankle had ceased its throbbing after Lee had administered a cooling
ointment on it.

“You did something good, Katherine!” Alethia
was saying. “But you wallowing in your bed is not good.”

The hotel door opened to admit Pilotmaster
Lee in formal wear.

“Get dressed in your best uniform, Pilot,”
he said briskly. “The Queen desires an audience with you.”

~*~

She was ushered into a private chamber, one
that was lavishly adorned with ornate tapestries and Persian
carpets. An exquisitely made chandelier hung from the ceiling,
casting myriad diamonds on the wall. Somewhere, there was chamber
music and sounds of an on-going party. Genteel laughter, from men
and womens. The clink of glasses.

“Come in, Katherine.” The familiar voice
greeted her. The Queen was seated comfortably on a small throne,
beside the window. A young lady-in-waiting stood close to her,
watching attentively. Her Majesty was wearing more subdued colors
this time, navy-blue trimmed with white fur. Sapphires glittered on
her neck. Her be-ringed hands were busy crocheting.

“Majesty,” Katherine curtsied, feeling her
ankle almost give. She stood up stiffly and waited for the Queen’s
response.

“Your bravery is really heartening, child,”
the Queen placed whatever she was making into a quaint little
basket next to her. “A bright thing, out of the dark smear and
disgrace the assassins tried to make of today’s celebrations.”

“Thank you, your Majesty,” Katherine looked
at her boots shyly.

“Look up, child. I am not in your boots.”
The Queen’s voice had a tinge of humor and annoyance. Katherine
tilted up her head hurriedly, only to look into Her Majesty’s
bright and intent eyes.

“You are hampered by something in your
mind,” Her Majesty continued, signaling her lady-in-waiting with a
gloved hand; the woman then slipped out quietly via a side-door.
“Whatever it is, child, you need to get rid of this obstacle. Look
at you. You are standing with your shoulders hunched. There you go,
looking at your feet again.”

Katherine swallowed and forced herself to
look at the Queen whose face bore – surprisingly – sadness.

“You have a lioness’s heart. But it is
sorely hidden by fear at the moment. Be strong, child. This advice
is all I can give you.”

The lady-in-waiting returned swiftly with a
small mahogany box, which she handed to the Queen gracefully with a
curtsy.

“I am presenting you this gift, as a token
of my appreciation. Without your timely intervention, I would have
been killed and the assassins achieved their evil goal.” The Queen
beckoned Katherine forward and the young woman knelt, accepting the
gift. “Wear it well.”

The Queen gathered her gown and got up from
her chair carefully. The lady-in-waiting opened the side-door and
the sounds of the party grew louder. “Take care, young Katherine.”
She nodded graciously, inclined her head once and was led into the
other chamber by her escort.

It was only back in the privacy of the
carriage Katherine plucked up enough courage to open the box.
Inside, nestled on fine red velvet cloth, was a diamond brooch in
the shape of a butterfly.

~*~

The next day, the Queen rode down the
streets triumphantly, to the accolades and adoration of her
subjects who waved flags and were pleased that their Queen was
safe. The broadsheet commentators had already given a name to the
Great Gathering:
The Jubilee Plot
. She had once again become
a popular monarch, having risen like a brilliant phoenix from the
dark ashes of attempted assassination and possible death. As she
rode in her carriage, waving to her subjects, she thought of one
young girl and prayed, privately, in her heart of hearts.

The delegations were feted extravagantly and
had their own parades, showcasing their smaller ships and crafts.
Some of the delegations stoutly pledged their allegiance to the
Queen and had selected ships join her Aerial Fleet. It was a
glorious and memorable end to the Great Gathering, with the crowds
swelling the banks of the Thames to watch the cavalcade of ships
and other vessels take to the sky once more. The fireworks lit the
skies once more, in the evening, marking the end of the Golden
Jubilee. People could now speculate who the anarchists were and had
great discussions about the Gathering and politics.

Katherine and the rest of the Academy
delegates returned back to the Academy. The Great Gathering was
over. She wore the diamond brooch on her uniform, a reminder of her
lioness’s heart and her desire to fly.