The Essential Terrance Dicks Volume 2 by Terrance Dicks

Author:Terrance Dicks [Dicks, Terrance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473532977
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

7

THE LAIR OF WENG-CHIANG

Leela covered the distance to the dining table in a single backwards leap. Snatching up a carving knife she turned to the attack.

The manikin was still moving forward. Leela hefted the knife to judge the balance, shifted her grip to the blade then threw with all her strength. The knife spun in the air and thudded into the manikin’s throat.

The manikin stopped for a moment, then shuffled forward again. Leela felt a chill of superstitious terror. She feared no living enemy—but now she was being hunted by something that could not be killed.’

Knife in hand, the sinister little figure shuffled forward.

Just inside the open doorway of the house, Chang stood waiting for Mr Sin to complete his work. In his hand he held Litefoot’s revolver, and the Professor’s unconscious body lay at his feet. Suddenly Chang heard the crunch of footsteps on the gravel path. He ducked back into the doorway and peered out. The Doctor was strolling up the front path towards the house. Chang raised the revolver …

Step by step the manikin backed Leela into a corner. She could retreat no further. One more step and it would be close enough to use the knife.

Tensing her muscles, Leela took a flying leap forward, clean over the manikin’s head. It slashed up at her, but missed. She rolled on to the dining table and jumped to her feet. The manikin had swung round to resume its remorseless pursuit.

Leela ran the length of the dining table and dived head-first for the curtained window …

Leela exploded through the window with a crash of shattered glass. The Doctor swung round and Chang fired—and missed.

The Doctor ran to Leela, and yanked her into the cover of the shrubbery. The revolver boomed again, and a shot whistled over their heads. The Doctor and Leela instinctively dropped to the ground, and wriggled backwards into deeper cover.

Revolver raised, Chang crouched by the door. He peered into the darkness, but there was nothing to be seen. ‘Sin,’ he called, and the manikin stalked out of the dining-room towards him.

‘Where’s Litefoot?’ whispered the Doctor.

‘In the hall, I think. He went out to look for an enemy outside the window. They must have ambushed him when he got back.’

‘And then you jumped through the window?’

‘I had to. There was this—thing …’

Before Leela could explain, the Doctor whispered, ‘Stay here.’ He slipped away through the shrubbery.

As soon as Mr Sin was near enough, Chang snatched him up and began backing away from the house.

The Doctor forced the kitchen window and climbed swiftly through.

Crouching in the shrubbery, Leela heard the clatter of hooves in the road. A carriage came tearing along and stopped outside the house. Chang ran down the front path, Mr Sin in his arms. He jumped into the carriage and it sped away.

Unable to bear the thought of their enemy escaping, Leela acted purely by instinct. She dashed after the carriage and leaped for the back step, clinging on as the carriage rattled away. It vanished from sight just as the Doctor ran through the house and out on to the front step.

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