Wings of Shadow

Chapter 2: On the Origin of Species

A heavy wooden door with a large metal knocker stood at the end of the corridor, illuminated by the yellow glow of the gas lamp. Kiernan banged the knocker three times, then tapped it two additional times.

“Is that the secret knock to get into this mysterious club?” Meghan joked.

Kiernan winked, and then the door opened. A strange man stood in front of them. Looking as though he stepped out of a story from one hundred years ago, he was dressed in gray trousers, a lavender button-down shirt, and a purple silk vest. On his head sat a gray top hat. Even odder, protruding from his back were thick silver wires that swirled into spiraling wings. The man raised a monocle to his eye and peered through it. Meghan stared. She was crossing that obscure boundary into rudeness, but she wasn’t able to stop herself. The man was one of the oddest people she’d ever seen.

Still looking through his little glass, the man cleared his throat. “Yes, yes. Master Kiernan, welcome back. You are bringing one guest tonight, my young lord?”

Kiernan grimaced. “Yes, Barnaby. The lovely Meghan will be my guest tonight.”

“Very good, sir. Enjoy the evening.” The man turned from them and resumed his post at the door.

“Kiernan, who was that man? He was rather odd. And why was he calling you ‘lord’ and ‘master’?

“Barnaby is our door man. He’s eccentric, but he’s also loyal and dedicated, which is more than you can say about many employees, right?” Kiernan led her through a narrow stone hallway.

It wasn’t lost on Meghan that he had evaded another question. As she attempted to rephrase it, Kiernan brought her to a narrow stone staircase that wound up a stone turret reminiscent of a castle. The top stair opened onto a small, private balcony overlooking a massive stone chamber.

She gasped. Below, hundreds of people filled the chamber, dancing to live band music.

“Welcome to the Underground,” Kiernan whispered.

“This is amazing! Who would have imagined that there would be a club all the way down here? How do people even know about it?"

“Most people have forgotten these old Tube tunnels and chambers even exist. Entry is by invitation only. We try to keep it rather private.” He took her hand. “Do you want to go down to the floor? We could dance.”

They made their way down the narrow stone steps, and Kiernan led her through a hallway that opened up to the dance chamber. As they entered, Meghan was struck by the immensity of the room. Aside from the unique location, the manner of dress of the dancers was also quite different. In fact, she and Kiernan, in their jeans and t-shirts, stood out among the crowd.

Some people dressed in old-fashioned clothing in a style similar to Barnaby’s. Who would have imagined he was being trendy? Another group dressed entirely in black, with prominent piercings and tattoos. Everyone wore wings, but not the typical angel or butterfly wings that little kids wore on Halloween. No, the wings were creative, made of wire, metal, fabric, leather, and other materials.

Meghan looked around, eyes wide. She felt as though she had just fallen down Alice’s rabbit hole. The anxiety she had experienced in the tunnel was gone, replaced with intrigue and wonder.

“Kiernan, we’re out of place here. We forgot to wear our wings,” she joked.

He stiffened and didn’t respond. She glanced at him. His normal carefree manner had disappeared.

Leading her through the crowd, Kiernan said, “Let’s dance.”

The music was fast and unfamiliar. Meghan had never been very graceful or even very coordinated, but the music was haunting and intoxicating, and she danced without remembering to feel self-conscious. She tried to pay attention to the lyrics, but soon realized they were in a different language.