Doctor Who - The Underwater Menace by Nigel Robinson

Author:Nigel Robinson [Robinson, Nigel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2011-02-05T06:48:05.561765+00:00

At that very moment the Doctor was preening himself in front of a full-length mirror in the robing room of the priests of Atlantis – a small room just off the temple and adjoining the Council Chamber. Ramo had provided him with the traditional robes of a minor priest in the service of Amdo. The Doctor thought he cut a very dashing figure indeed in the saffron robes; he had drawn the line at wearing the elaborate head-dress however and held this underneath his arm.

‘With these robes you will pass unchallenged,’ explained Ramo. ‘Normally only those who are in the service of Amdo are allowed into the Council Chamber.’

‘Is the Council Chamber denied to Zaroff then?’ asked the Doctor.

Ramo shook his head. ‘No doors are barred to Zaroff.

He is a law unto himself.’

‘Yes, I rather thought he might be... Well, how do I look?’ The Doctor waited expectantly for Ramo’s vote of approval.

‘What?’

The Doctor sighed, bemoaning the priest’s lack of sartorial appreciation. ‘I just thought that I looked rather...

oh, never mind. Lead the way, Ramo.’

Ramo took him out of the robing room and to the doors of the Council Chamber, beside which stood two guards dressed in the traditional style similar to that worn by the temple guards. Ramo was known to them and his request for an audience with King Thous was immediately granted. The double doors were opened for them and the Doctor and Ramo were ushered inside.

The Council Chamber, the Doctor noted, seemed much more like a throne room. The walls were covered with splendid tapestries and the finely carved pillars were encrusted with dazzling jewels mined from the sea bed.

The floor was a finely patterned mosaic, depicting scenes from Atlantean myth and history, dominated once again by the great fish motif. Golden goblets and pitchers lay on long marble tables. The Council Chamber was a reminder of the glory of Atlantis before it sank beneath the waves.

Sitting on an elaborate golden throne in the centre of the chamber was Thous, the King of Atlantis. He was an old man who nevertheless retained some of the vigour of his youth. He had reigned over Atlantis for the past forty years, Ramo had told the Doctor, and owed his life to Zaroff. When the scientist had arrived in Atlantis Thous had been dying of what, to the Atlanteans, had been an incurable illness; Zaroff had saved him and now Thous considered himself to be eternally in his debt. It was a situation which Zaroff had continued to use to his best advantage.

Thous bowed his head and greeted Ramo and a man he took to be one of his fellow priests; he indicated that they should sit down. ‘Now, Brothers of the Temple, what is this important business you wish to discuss with me?’ he asked cordially.

‘Most Excellent Thous, this is a matter of life or death,’

Ramo began. ‘In no other circumstances would I have brought a stranger to you in temple garb.’

Thous started and stared at the little figure of the Doctor.

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.