Doctor Who_ Bunker Soldiers - Martin Day [72]
‘A bump to the head, nothing more,’ said Isaac.
‘Why was I not told?’
‘She insisted that you not be disturbed. She will join us presently.’
I glanced at Yevhen, and saw that the fragility he had shown yesterday was long gone. ‘The creature came for me also,’ he said. ‘I was saved by the soldiers. But I fear my daughter is dead.’
‘It’s interesting, isn’t it?’ I said, thinking out loud. ‘First the creature seemed to attack anyone it came into contact with; now it seems to concentrate on the leaders of Kiev, and those under their protection.’
Isaac nodded. ‘I have been puzzling over its behaviour myself. Why does it hide for so long? Why does it allow some to live, kill others, and merely attack still more?’ He rubbed his chin. ‘Perhaps it has reason to –’
‘It matters not!’ interjected Dmitri. ‘What matters now is that the devils are at our door. The attack could begin within hours!’
I nodded, accepting his prioritisation. Even so, I found his manner less stately than usual. I saw what I thought was tiredness clouding his eyes – after his attack, it was quite possible that he had not slept.
The governor turned to one of the soldiers who stood at his side. ‘You may bring them in now.’
Moments later the door opened to admit two very different men: the Mongol spy I had already seen, now surrounded by guards, and a tall, dignified man who seemed of Middle Eastern origin. The Mongol stood at the bottom of the table between two soldiers; the taller man swept towards Dmitri.
He stopped, bowing low. ‘I am Abd N-Nun Ayyub. I bring greetings from Prince Mongke – cousin of Batu Khan, leader of the Mongol army on behalf of the Great Khan Ogedei who rules the world.’
I imagined that courtesy demanded a response from Dmitri, but none was forthcoming. Instead, he stared coldly at the envoy. ‘You do not resemble this spy.’
Abd N-Nun Ayyub smiled. ‘We are both emissaries,’ he said.
‘This fellow is a true Mongol. I, on the other hand, hail from a land now ruled over by Ogedei Khan.’
‘Why are you here?’ Dmitri asked.
‘Mongke Khan is mindful not to crush this city – as he surely will if you resist the power of the Mongol army.’
‘I believe our defences are strong,’ countered Dmitri.
Abd N-Nun Ayyub did not rise to the challenge. ‘A complete surrender will save much bloodshed. Once you have sworn allegiance to the Great Khan things can continue much as before.’
Dmitri shook his head furiously. ‘I know the barbarism of the Tartars!’ he exclaimed. ‘I have heard such tales.. ’
‘Heard, not seen with your own eyes,’ said Abd N-Nun Ayyub gently.
‘You feast on the still-beating hearts of young children; you rape virgins until they die of exhaustion and shame.’
Abd N-Nun Ayyub shook his head. ‘I am no defender of Mongol atrocity,’ he said. ‘But this is not how the great army that sweeps towards you will behave – if you surrender.’
‘We cannot surrender.’
‘The offer is a genuine one,’ said Abd N-Nun Ayyub. ‘The Doctor, who I believe is known to you, recommends that you accept, and agree to disarm.’
I could not hide my delight at hearing the Doctor’s name.
‘You’ve seen the Doctor?’ I asked. ‘Is he all right?’
‘The Doctor is being treated with great honour, as will all the leaders of this city when they throw open the gates of Kiev!’
‘We cannot trust the Tartars to honour any agreement,’ said Dmitri with a chilling edge to his voice.
I could not believe what I was hearing. ‘But this is everything you’ve wanted – the chance of survival!’
‘I had a dream last night,’ said Dmitri suddenly. ‘A vision.
Things that seem full of grace and virtue can be riddled with rottenness and deceit.’
‘But, my lord,’ said Isaac. ‘I must recommend that we at least hear what the envoy has to say. To do otherwise –’
‘Would you recommend that we sit here while the devils inch ever closer?’ shouted Dmitri. ‘That we welcome with open arms the army that weeks ago was feasting on the bones of Russian children?’
I noticed that he looked pale. His forehead prickled with sweat. ‘Are you all right?’ I asked, suspecting that the great burden