Doctor Who_ Beyond the Sun - Matthew Jones [119]
‘Welcome, brother,’ he said.
Sunless moved out of the shadows, flanking him on either side.
Bernice had stared after Scott’s retreating back for a moment, before the sound of the approaching Sunless goaded her into action. Kitzinger had led her up through a curved tunnel which opened out to become a gallery, about thirty feet above the ground of a large chamber.
They had a clear view of the small figures standing in the centre of the room.
They were just in time to see Jason’s girlfriend take the female figurine from Scott.
‘I said we should have stayed together,’ Bernice hissed.
Kitzinger shrugged. ‘Scott might still be free or – ’
‘Or we might all be down there enjoying my successor’s hospitality,’ Bernice finished. ‘I take your point.’
The older woman turned to her, her weathered face creasing up into a frown. ‘Your successor?’
‘Oh, don’t worry about it.’
She shrugged. ‘I’m not worried about it. You look a little distressed, that’s all.’
Bernice had forgotten all about Ursulan honesty. ‘I’m OK, really.’
‘You’re a profiteer, aren’t you? From the companies.’
Bernice couldn’t be bothered to argue. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘I am.’
They watched as Iranda moved to a disc of patterned stone in the very centre of the room.
‘She’s putting Scott’s figurine in place.’
Bernice gasped as half of the crystal lattice above them silently blossomed with tiny sparkling lights. It looked like a chandelier, but – and she grinned at the thought – one with only half its lights working. Bernice had to blink rapidly as she adjusted to the change in brightness. A rectangular outline appeared in the stone disc. A section dropped away to reveal a grave-shaped hole in the circle. Bernice recognized it from the images recorded by the survey team which she had bought from the Butler Project back on Apollox 4, but her attention was drawn back to the transformation taking place above them.
The bright lights above her moved in almost regular patterns, like a repeating firework display.
She chased individual lights across the ceiling with her eyes, losing them and picking up the trails of others. For a moment, she allowed herself just to enjoy the beauty of it, terribly relieved to be out of the depressing, all-pervasive, pale-pink sunlight.
And then her mood suddenly plummeted like a rock. She had been wrong. There was something here. Ever since Jason had first told her that the small statues were part of something ancient and powerful she had scoffed at the idea. She had been so sure that she had known better. Her view was supported by centuries of knowledge. Her view came from a discipline which had spent its long life laughing at all the treasure-seekers and grail-chasers.
She had gone along with Jason and Scott. But she hadn’t actually considered the outcome if the Sunless did get their hands on a weapon with power beyond a sun, because, if she were honest with herself, she hadn’t really believed them.
The lights reflected on the crystal walls like summer sunlight on a lake. She had been so arrogant, so certain. And, if there was one thing she should have learnt by now, it was that there were no certainties in the universe.
All she did know for sure was that she was going to have to work out a way to prevent the completion of the device.
‘Nikolas is putting the male figurine in place now.’
‘What?’ Bernice exclaimed. ‘But I thought you had the other figurine!’
Kitzinger nodded, not taking her eyes from the scene below them. ‘That’s right. He’s only got the replica I carved with my dinner knife.’
Bernice laughed. ‘Do you know? That is exactly the sort of thing I would have tried to do.’
Kitzinger continued to observe the scene for a moment before turning to grin at Bernice. ‘What clever people we are.’
The figurine was in place now, but of course the ceiling above that side of the circle remained in darkness. They heard Nikolas’s voice roar in anger. They saw him throw something – presumably the fake statue – against the chamber wall. He