The King's Dragon by Una Mccormack

Author:Una Mccormack [Mccormack, Una]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Fiction
ISBN: 9781409071273
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2010-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

8

Beol strode across the chamber towards them. Four of his knights followed him, and behind them came a

fraught-looking Teller.

'It is most strange!' said the King. 'Only a few

short hours ago my guests were shown to their

rooms - the best rooms that I can offer! - and yet

here they are, in the dead of night, skulking round

the council chamber... What, I wonder, could have

brought them here?'

'Yes.' The Doctor jerked his thumb at the dragon.

'Well, that, obviously. And your Teller has already

done that joke. Very good, though. Did you think of

it yourself?'

Beol glanced at Hilthe. 'I confess that I'm

137

DOCTOR WHO

surprised to find you here, Mother. I thought you

held Geath's interests at heart.' Hilthe opened her

mouth to protest, but Beol turned away from her to

speak to his knights. 'Take them away.'

'Now hold on a moment!' The Doctor ran to

take cover behind the dragon, dragging Rory after

him. 'Beol, I don't know what you think is going on

here, but I can absolutely one hundred per cent

guarantee that you're wrong. You're so wrong

that right now whole new scales of wrongness are

being calibrated simply to encompass the sheer

magnitude of wrong... This isn't winning you

over, is it?'

'Beol,' said the Teller. 'He's a clown but I think

you should listen to him—'

Beol raised his hand. 'I know already what you

have to say, Doctor. I admit I do not understand how

you have conjured up these strange apparitions,

but my Teller has already explained that they are

not demons or monsters, but simply mechanical. If

men have made them, I can master them.'

'No, no, no!' The Teller clutched his hands to his

head. 'That's not what I was saying! That's the

opposite of what I was saying! Beol, you can't defeat these ships! Not alone!'

'I am the King of Geath, not you!' Beol replied.

Shocked, the Teller took a step back.

'Oh, marvellous, just what my life needs,'

138

THE KING’S DRAGON

muttered the Doctor. 'Another power-hungry

megalomaniac.'

'It falls to me to protect this city,' Beol said

regally. 'As we promised.' He put his hand upon

the Teller's shoulder. 'You are very dear to me. But I

shall not allow you to make me break my word. I

have enjoyed all the riches and honours that the

people of this city could lavish upon me. Now I

shall play the part that they expect from me. I shall do what we promised. What I promised.'

'Doctor,' Rory whispered. 'He doesn't sound

power-hungry. He sounds honest.'

'They're the worst kind,' the Doctor said. 'The

ones who believe everything they're saying. Next

it'll be the special destiny or "I did what I thought was right."'

As he spoke, the dome darkened and the

unmistakable shadows of the dragon-ships were

visible again through the gold.

'Beol,' said the Doctor firmly. 'This is an enemy

that you do not understand. You can't defeat it,

not without my help and no matter how much you

strut around in a gold hat saying that you can. People

will die if you don't let me help - the same people

that you claim to be protecting.'

Beol ignored him. 'Take them and lock them

up,' he said to his knights. 'Then you two - find

the girl. You two - come and join me outside.

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