Doctor Who_ Bunker Soldiers - Martin Day [73]
Even Yevhen seemed a little disturbed by his words. ‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
‘Route the men,’ Dmitri replied. ‘Issue arms, encourage them with words of our forthcoming victory.’ He turned his attention to Abd N-Nun Ayyub and the silent Mongol soldier at the foot of the table. ‘And take these devils from my sight and have them executed.’
‘But, my lord!’ exclaimed Isaac. ‘You will only magnify the Tartar fury against us!’
The governor smiled. ‘So be it.’
‘You’ll be condemning your people to death!’ I exclaimed.
‘Think about what you’re doing,’ I added in a quieter voice, desperate to appeal to the person I had come to respect, even admire.
It was clear that person was gone. Dmitri gestured to one of the soldiers. ‘Do it now, or I shall kill them myself.’
I took one look at the absolute terror that gripped the Arab’s noble face, and could stand no more. I knew further argument was pointless. I got to my feet, and walked from the room.
I found Isaac’s son, Nahum, waiting just outside. ‘Is the governor well?’ he asked.
I shook my head.
‘I had heard as much,’ he continued. ‘The attack seems to have disturbed him greatly.’
I led Nahum away from the room. I did not even want to think about what was going on in there. ‘Have you seen Dodo?’
I asked.
‘No – but I was about to see her. I am concerned by the abduction of Lesia.’
We walked to Dodo’s room, and banged on the door. She had just finished getting dressed. She complained of feeling a little dizzy, but other than that she seemed well. Both Nahum and I were keen to hear what had happened.
‘I was in Lesia’s room – I’d been there all day. I heard voices outside the window – they sounded anxious.’
‘The Mongols are close,’ I said.’We saw their advance scouts on the hillside last night. The city was in uproar.’
‘Anyway, I’d just gone back to Lesia when I noticed that she was starting to wake up. I went to get help.’ Dodo shook her head, as if trying to re-establish a faulty connection. ‘The next thing I remember is someone helping me up from the floor.
Lesia was gone.’
‘Are you sure you’re all right now?’ I asked.
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I was hit so much as..
pushed.’
‘Did you hear anyone enter the room?’ asked Nahum.
Dodo shook her head. ‘I reckon whoever went off with Lesia had been hiding in the room.’
I thought such concealment unlikely, if only for the simple fact that most of the rooms in the governor’s residence were spartan at best, but said nothing.
‘We must find Lesia!’ exclaimed Nahum.
‘If we find her, talk to her, we might understand more about the creature,’ I agreed. ‘Maybe there’s still some way of turning this thing against the Mongols.’
‘Where shall we begin?’ asked Nahum.
The governor’s men still patrol these buildings regularly,’ I said. ‘Perhaps the creature has fled back into the catacombs.’
Nahum looked concerned. ‘But the fire... That part of the building is no longer safe.’
‘The perfect place to hide, then,’ observed Dodo. ‘Come on, let’s go!’ Her excitement was infectious.
I nodded. ‘Right now, I want to be as far from Dmitri as possible.’
I was more familiar with the layout of the governor’s residence now and, with Nahum’s help, we proceeded swiftly through the building towards the fire-damaged corridors and rooms at the rear. No soldiers followed. I was not quite sure when our de facto liberty had been granted to us, but it was welcome all the same.
With the Mongols so close, I imagine Dmitri had decided that the soldiers assigned to observe us could be better used elsewhere.
The corridors were blackened shells now, stretching around us like the bones of some great cremated animal. The air was still rich with the aroma of fire damage, and our feet scuffed up ash and cloying dust as we walked. We approached the storeroom in silence; there was little light there, and we concentrated instead on moving forward without