Doctor Who: Virgin New Adventures [037] - Sanctuary

Author:David A. McIntee
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426204398
Publisher: Doctor Who Books
Published: 1995-06-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The night was mercifully free of incident, now that the truce was in effect, and only the clouds moved through the darkness as Guy de Carnac made his way to the small sleeping quarters adjacent to the hospital. Bernice had been allowed to rest in here after her long day’s work, and Guy had taken some minutes to find the shadowed door to it. ‘Are you prepa–’ Guy began, falling silent as he noticed that Bernice had donned a leather jerkin over her padded armour, and had tucked a dagger into her belt. She was brave enough – you had to grant her that. How much good a dagger was against the sword, of course, was more of a concern, and he was concerned.

‘Well, I can’t seem to find a parrot or an eyepatch, but I suppose I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.’

‘Bernice,’ he pointed out cautiously, not wanting to offend her by casting doubts on her abilities, ‘we will be facing armoured men with swords and polearms. Are you quite certain that you are suitably equipped?’

‘Ask those bandits we met the other day.’

‘Please, Lady Bernice. I could not countenance being responsible for any harm that may befall you. I would be happier if you remained here.’

She gave him a withering look. ‘Don’t give me any more of this machismo; it’s too early in the morning for me to deal with it. I can look after myself, and – unlike some people I know – I’m not likely to single-handedly charge a whole platoon. Besides, I want to keep an eye on you.’

‘Only an eye?’ He smiled. ‘Very well, the others are waiting at the tunnel entrance.’

Although this end of the tunnel that led up from the riverside was illuminated with the dancing flames of flambeaux, Benny didn’t see the small group of men whom Guy had picked out until they stepped from the shadows to greet them, the undulating light briefly turning them into the images of demonic trolls. Guy indicated the nearest man, small and ferret-like, but with a ready smile. ‘This is Hubert. He used to be a gamekeeper of the Trencavel lands. This,’ he said, pointing to a dark-skinned man in faded greens, ‘is Ibrahim, who became separated from the rest of his raiding party, and used to be in cavalry. You already know Edouard, of course.’

He gathered the others round, the gamekeeper and the Moor armed with hunting bows, while Edouard carried an axe. ‘The village is close, so we will travel on foot. Hopefully we will be in position before sunrise, and can then recover the Doctor while the night watch are tired and the day watch not yet fully awake. Hubert and Ibrahim, go and scout ahead for us – you know the route I have chosen. Once we are in the village, Edouard, Bernice and I will find and free the Doctor, while you find good hiding places from which to pick off any soldiers who arrive.’ The two men nodded with faint smiles, and vanished down the damp stone tunnel.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.