Doctor Who_ Bunker Soldiers - Martin Day [79]
‘But, my lord...’ Vasil wiped the sweat from his brow. ‘It is as the traveller has said. The secular leaders are blind fools. But the people of God still wish to welcome you with open arms, as an ally.’ ‘You lie!’ spat Batu. ‘Any treaty you wish to make with us is prompted by fear, not respect!’ He grabbed the bishop by the shoulders, almost dragging him to his feet. ‘Is there anything you can say that will stop me from stamping this city into the dust?’
Vasil shook his head, desperate – then suddenly exclaimed:
‘There is a weapon that might be used against you!’
‘Be quiet, man!’ snapped the Doctor.
Batu raised a hand and a nearby soldier drew his sword, moving towards the Doctor to ensure his silence. Then the Khan turned back to Vasil, an awful smile on his lips.
‘A weapon?’ Batu asked, his eyes bright. ‘Tell me more.’
‘It is rumoured, my lord, that something resides in the catacombs under the cathedral. A weapon or a beast, the tales are unclear.’
‘And it resides there still?’
‘What little I know of the angel comes from one of the governor’s advisers. He may already have already unleashed the weapon. Indeed, I... I may have encouraged him to do so.’ Vasil glanced at the Khan, expecting a furious response.
Instead, Batu threw back his head and laughed. ‘There is no weapon that can stop us! Instead, we shall use this creature to our own ends.’
Mongke nodded. ‘Kiev will be destroyed – but perhaps we should spare the cathedral, in case there is some truth in this.’
The Doctor was about to interject, but he resisted the temptation. The more he said, the more he risked intriguing Batu further.
‘Please, my lord,’ he said quietly. ‘I beg for mercy on behalf of the people of Kiev.’
‘They are already dead,’ said Batu with grim finality. ‘It is a noble thing, to plead for those who are not your own people.
But I cannot show them mercy, or we would be the laughing stock of the civilised world. I cannot let this insult go unpunished.’
‘Then please,’ said the Doctor, knowing his mission to the Mongols had failed, ‘let me return to the city, where I might die, with dignity, with the people I have tried to save.’
Batu nodded. ‘Of course.You are a man of honour. Were that all in this awful land were so!’
He turned, and strode towards Vasil. ‘But you... a supposed man of God! Is there a single reason why I should not cut you in two here and now?’ He drew his sword, hefting it from hand to hand.
‘Don’t kill me,’ Vasil whimpered, throwing himself at the khan’s feet.
Batu shook his head. ‘You are a dog – I should have you executed for cowardice, if nothing else!’
‘Please,’ cried Vasil in alarm. ‘I’ll do anything you want!
Anything!’
‘You fear death?’ asked Batu. ‘But does it not say in your scriptures...’ He paused, trying to recollect. ‘That you men of God count life a loss, and death a great gain when you are reunited with your Christ?’
Vasil, sobbing, said nothing. He raised his pitifully weak hands against the expected execution.
‘Run,’ said Batu in a low whisper. ‘Run away from me. Run away to Hungary, or wherever your flight takes you. Run to the cities and churches we have not yet conquered. Run, and tell them of the coming apocalypse, and tell them not to insult us as this governor of Kiev has done. And tell them that there will be no pacts – not yet, not until it is right for the Mongol Empire, for the Great Khan who rules the world.’ Batu pushed the disgraced cleric on to his back with a boot. ‘And if I ever see you again, I shall kill you with my own bare hands. Remember that.’
Still crying with fear, Vasil got to his feet and ran, stumbling, into the distance.
Batu did not watch him go. Instead, he sheathed his weapon and turned his eyes back to the city. The catapulting had long since stopped, and units of Mongol soldiers were beginning to assemble around the city walls.
‘Now, let us destroy this place,’ he said.