Doctor Who_ Bunker Soldiers - Martin Day [62]
When the sun touched the horizon the great army at last came to rest. A Mongol soldier offered a hand to help the Doctor dismount, for which he was grateful. He spent a few moments walking up and down, trying to ease a multitude of aches and pains from his body. ‘I’m far too old for this sort of thing,’ he muttered, catching the soldier’s eye.
The Mongol said nothing in reply, but grinned happily.
‘I do not believe what I am seeing.’
The Doctor turned to find Mykola at his side. The young captain looked only a little less pale than when they had first seen the Mongol hordes stretched out like a blanket over the valley floor.
The Doctor was silent, unable to come up with any words that would not compound Mykola’s pessimism.
Moments later, the air rang to the sound of a single horseman galloping at speed towards them. The dust cleared to reveal a tall, slender man atop a great white horse. His robes, and the turban of sorts that he wore, were pale cream and a curved sword rested in his lap.
He did not dismount, but nodded respectfully towards the Doctor and Mykola. When he spoke his voice was dignified but bland, seeming to contain every accent in the world, and none at all.
‘Prince Mongke – cousin of Batu Khan, leader of the Mongol army on behalf of the Great Khan Ogedei, the power of God on Earth and Emperor of Mankind – wishes to see you.’
After another ride across the valley, the Doctor found himself standing before an enormous tent of such grace and beauty it was difficult to believe that, somehow, it was portable. Great swathes of silk and cotton formed porticoes, doorways and myriad chambers; flags fluttered from spike-topped spears; rugs and carpets covered the ground. Mongol soldiers stood at each entrance; women went in and out with bowls and pitchers.
The Doctor turned to their escort, extending a hand in greeting. ‘I am the Doctor,’ he said. ‘We haven’t been properly introduced.’
‘I am Abd N-Nun Ayyub,’ said the man, gripping his hand tightly. ‘I am an interpreter in the court of Ogedei Khan.’
‘You speak many languages?’ queried the Doctor.
‘All that are known to the Mongol Empire.’ He turned an inquiring eye towards Mykola.
‘Mykola, a brave soldier of Kiev,’ said the Doctor, for Mykola himself seemed barely able to speak.
‘You are a traveller?’ queried Abd N-Nun Ayyub.
The Doctor nodded. ‘My home is very far away.’
‘Then we have one thing in common,’ said Abd N-Nun Ayyub with a smile. ‘Come, let us meet the lord Mongke.’
The Doctor stepped into a tented corridor, with Mykola following nervously behind. The fabric walls billowed gently in the wind, glowing an organic orange with the light of the setting sun. Tiny lanterns hung like twinkling fruit from the poles that formed the structure.
Beyond the corridor was a great room, brightly lit and pleasantly warm. Tapestries from myriad cultures hung on the walls, trophies won in battle and offered in meek surrender. The entire floor was covered with layer upon layer of fine carpets and rugs held down by fine gilt-encrusted statues of gods and monsters. It was, the Doctor considered, at least the equal of anything he had seen in Kiev – and they were thousands of miles from the Mongol capital.
At the far end of the room, on a commander’s stool that better resembled a kingly throne, sat Mongke Khan. In common with most of his people, he was not a tall man, but his broad features, dominated by piercing dark eyes, exuded a haughty authority. His moustache was neatly trimmed, but his thin beard spread in disarray over his white kimono-like robes. He held his hands in his lap, like some religious thinker, though his strong leather boots and the sheathed and curved sword at his side spoke eloquently of his true nature.
‘Mongke greets you on behalf of the Great Khan of God,’
Mongke said in a surprisingly quiet voice.
The Doctor bowed. ‘I stand before you as a friend and servant of the people of Kiev.’
Mongke turned his attention to Mykola. ‘And you?’
‘A soldier,’ the young man said simply.
‘The captain of the Russian party,’ interjected