Doctor Who by Steve Cole

Author:Steve Cole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

Chapter 20

The Doctor had made a study of the tent with the sonic. ‘Found that back way we were talking about, Kason.’

The guard glowered and said nothing.

‘Guess what? There’s evidence of molecular excitation in the local area on multiple wavelengths. Or, in other words, a spell of teleportation. Perhaps the golden glow in the sky is evidence of the real Tenctrama lair, concealed up there among the clouds? It could operate the same way as a ceiling grid at the dodgems provides power to the vehicles below …’ She gasped, her voice rising with her enthusiasm. ‘Yeah, vehicles. What if the Tenctrama are only vehicles for some kind of motivating force – an energy, or animus. Physical projections of an alien will.’ She started dancing from foot to foot. ‘Yeah, if you split open the flesh, the body unravels with the animus, and both are conducted back up to the Tenctrama ship, ready to be transported back down to Earth whenever! What do you reckon to that?’

‘Work,’ Kason said.

‘Yes,’ came a rasping whisper behind her. ‘Work.’

The Doctor felt a sharp stab of foreboding and knew before she turned, from the sour, rotting stink in the air, that Inkri was back. Kason’s resting bitch face was now a resting blank face; he showed no reaction at all – the same as Yaz and Attila in the war tent.

‘By work, d’you mean the noble and exacting work of an unexpected escape?’ The Doctor turned her sunniest face on the cadaverous crone. ‘Thanks for switching off Kason, I’ll be away now.’

Inkri seized her by the shoulder. ‘You will stop seeking our secrets, Doctor. You will do as Attila asks, use your technology to make his weapons.’

‘Of course, you’re well up for that,’ the Doctor said, ‘cos it’ll make the slaughter worse. Like you did when you separated Attila from his army and directed thousands more to their death going out in search of him. Why are you interfering in human wars? What do you stand to gain from this senseless killing?’

‘Life,’ Inkri hissed. ‘The life of Yasmin Khan is now in our hands, not those of the Huns. And we will deliver on his threats so much more … unkindly than Attila ever could.’

The Doctor went cold to see Yasmin’s pained and pleading expression staring out from the fire in the Tenctrama’s ancient eyes. ‘Let her go.’

Now the toothless smile returned. ‘When you have finished your work.’ With that, she crossed to Kason, who’d already drawn his sword. The Doctor looked away but heard Inkri’s deranged screech as she exploded into vapour trails of light once more.

‘Good getaway.’ The Doctor checked the sonic with a smile. ‘But maybe not as clean as you think.’

‘Work,’ said Kason, and the Doctor got busy doing just that.

Graham sat in Aetius’s personal tent, still dressed in the big, fur robe, with his wrists tied. Watching over him was Consus the slave and between them both stood the big brass’s big brass bathtub. What Graham wouldn’t give for

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