“That was absolutely stunning! Delicious!” Psychic Sue moved her empty bowl away from her.
Lycralad dipped a final chunk of bread into a little gravy he had left in his bowl, and mumbled “Oh yes. I can’t eat another mouthful”, although he did.
“I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, dear…” Beryl looked longingly into Lycralad’s piercing blue eyes, which appeared all the more blue through his mask. “It took me all day yesterday to prepare it. Time very well spent.” She smiled and gently licked her lips as Lycralad hurriedly looked away.
“She’s messing with you!” Invisible Charlie patted Lycra’s back, in an attempt to relieve some of his tension.
“As I you, you think?” Merrell caressed Charlie’s shoulder.
“I… er… ah.” Charlie was lost for words.
“OK, ladies, please tell us why you called us here. We have to get back to headquarters tomorrow morning, so we cannot stay too long and must get on with our mission.”
“Very well, Sue. Spoil our fun if you must, but we understand” Cheryl Olive stood and cleared away the bowls from the round table they were all sat around. “Come with us into the parlour, and we will explain our predicament to you.”
The candlelight in the parlour wasn’t as bright as it had been in the kitchen area where they’d all eaten dinner. Merrell held aloft her left hand and waved it in a figure of eight movement toward the candles. “Igbon!” she declared, and the light from the candles intensified immensely.
“Woah! That’s a good trick!” Invisible Charlie said, impressed.
“Why thank you, Charlie! I can work wonders with my hands…” Merrell winked as she gestured he sit on a sofa. She then offered the next seat to Firetop and a single chair in the corner to Lycralad. She sat herself next to Invisible Charlie. Psychic Sue stood in the corner opposite Lycralad, with Beryl sitting on a chair next to her. Cheryl Olive stood in the centre of the room.
“Rallek!” Declared Cheryl Olive, and the room became circular around them, with the candles forming a circle around the edge of the room. The floorboards became the shape of a star beneath Cheryl Olive, and the windows slammed themselves shut. Iron gates slammed down over the front and back doors, locking the seven inside the new-look room.
Deep red smoke started to curl upwards from the flames on the candles, and then weave around the party in the room before encasing Cheryl Olive on the star. The smoke appeared to solidify around Cheryl Olive before taking on the appearance of the face of one of the Elite Force of Britain’s most powerful foes: the demon, Ganthenex.
Lycralad jumped to his feet in surprise, but before he could move Beryl held up her hand and declared “Fallah!” Lycralad gently returned to his seat, and found that, apart from his head, he could no longer move.
Psychic Sue, Firetop and Charlie found themselves in the same situation. Psychic Sue glared toward Merrell, who she could just about see around the head of Ganthenex.
Merrell held out her right hand, and saying nothing, Sue nodded.
The Mansionic Perspective 
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