Doctor Who_ Bunker Soldiers - Martin Day [42]
‘Little learning is needed to see that this fellow died at the hands of the beast that attacked Taras,’ announced Isaac. ‘And my son.’
‘But your son was attacked by a woman,’ said Dmitri.
Thudding footsteps heralded the arrival of Yevhen. ‘We know of creatures like this. The cook and the beast may be the same.’ He turned to Isaac, an awful smirk etched on his face.
‘Your son survived the attack. I wonder why.’
‘Where have you been?’ snapped the governor. ‘The men have been trying to find you.’
Isaac was pleased to see a momentary look of guilt cross Yevhen’s face, though unfortunately it was short-lived. Soon the self-satisfied grimace was back. ‘I was... I was in the kitchens, my lord. I needed some water. I could not sleep.’
‘While you were in the kitchens,’ said Isaac, ‘did you see Taras’s widow? I believe she is a cook there.’
‘But it is night. Why should she be there?’ Yevhen looked evasive as he replied, but Isaac could not tell if this reflected a specific uncertainty or merely a naturally duplicitous nature.
‘You heard that Nahum was attacked by Elisabet. And a beast has killed this boy.’
Yevhen laughed. ‘Are there not monsters enough outside the city?’
‘Answer the question,’ snapped Dmitri, clearly tiring of Yevhen’s theatrics.
‘No, I did not see Taras’s widow in the kitchens,’ his adviser replied through gritted teeth. ‘There was no one else there.’
Isaac nodded his head. Of course, if there was no one else there, there was no one to prove or disprove that Yevhen had been getting himself some water. But where else could he have been?
Dmitri, however, seemed satisfied with Yevhen’s words. ‘Let us all return to sleep, if we can,’ he said. ‘There is nothing more to be gained here tonight.We shall resume our deliberations in the morning.’
With that, the governor and the majority of the guards swept away, leaving an uncomfortable Isaac standing shoulder to shoulder with Yevhen.
‘Your son,’ began Yevhen, adopting a more conciliatory tone. ‘He is unharmed?’
‘A few scratches, nothing more,’ replied Isaac. ‘Whatever really happened tonight, he will be shocked to hear of another death. I should return to him.’
As Isaac walked away, he glanced back over his shoulder at Yevhen, who was standing motionless, looking down at the dead soldier.
Yevhen’s tight feature seemed to soften, his shoulders falling as if an invisible burden had been placed there.
Isaac wondered if the burden was guilt.
IX
Terra firma
With the door shut and locked, and even the faint light that had come through it extinguished, I was once again plunged into an inky darkness that left me utterly blind. Almost immediately, my eyes began playing tricks, flashing random shapes and patterns. I blinked a few times to clear them of the phantom images.
I resumed my slow and careful descent, all the while hoping I would soon hear the sound of Olexander’s progress some distance below me. I decided I would far rather encounter him, even if he was plotting with Yevhen, than tumble to my death from a broken step or patch of mould that I could not see.
I seemed to spend an eternity shuffling down the column of steps. I wondered, fancifully, if I was descending into hell (though, if anything, it became colder the further I went) or if the stairs ended at all. Perhaps I was doomed to remain on the staircase for ever, stuck in some sort of loop, wondering always whether to head back for the door or carry on to a floor I had never seen.
A feeling of absolute relief washed over me when I noticed that I only had a few more steps to go.
It took a moment for me to realise the importance of this –
not only was I nearing the floor, but I could see it. I stopped