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'Doctor,' Stuart asked, 'who is this person? No, what is this person? He makes my flesh crawl.'

'Why, this is Goibhnie,' Bathsheba said bitterly. She pulled away from Stuart and sat on a section of thick, concertinaed piping that snaked across the grey concrete floor. 'Goibhnie who I believed in.

Goibhnie who could cure me.'

'Sometimes it's best not to believe in something too strongly. We're often disappointed by high expectations unfulfilled,' the Doctor advised her.

'How do you know so much about this creature?' Stuart asked him.

'I suspected that a Troifran might be involved ever since I saw the marks on the Firbolg. Troifran numerals are widespread in the galactic scientific community. The Troifrans themselves are terribly efficient about keeping tabs on everything they do, so everything he has created exhibits a Troifran numeral to show which experiment it was and whether or not it was a success.’

'The Troifrans,' he continued, 'are quite infamous in certain quarters, you see. They consider themselves to be a scholarly people - over a half of the surface area of their home planet Troifres is covered by a university complex - but they're terribly vulgar, always trying to do things bigger and better than the next species. I remember when they set out to prove that the universal gravity constant could vary, they built a massive gravitometer that stretched for several light years. Played havoc with numerous solar systems when they lost control of it. This whole set-up had the feel of being an enormous experiment the Troifrans.'

Stuart shook his head. 'I'm trying to take this all in, but … you’re saying that this whole world is just a guinea-pig sociological test?'

'Yes.'

The arc lamps suspended from the vaulted ceiling flickered momentarily and then were restored.

Stuart looked up at the convoluted mess of dully gleaming pipes and conduits amongst which the light wires became hopelessly entangled. The whine of power being generated elsewhere in the building rose slightly higher pitch. 'What was that?' he asked.

'By the sound of it and considering the energy consumption of matter transmission, I would imagine it was a matter transmitter being used.'

‘You mean Goibhnie's left us here? Gone to Earth?'

‘Why would he hide? He has nothing to fear from us. We are nothing.’ Bathsheba said.

'Don't denigrate yourself, Bathsheba. But I doubt he's left us, I doubt it very much. No, I should think he has considered my suggestion and decided to take it up.'

***

'My lords,' Caeryon burst through the doors of the council chamber. His face was flushed and a beatific smile brightened the whole of his visage.

‘What do you mean, Caeryon, by coming in like this?'

‘My apologies, my Lord Barras, but it is a miracle. The Land Mother has answered all our prayers.

We have been delivered from the darkness.'

'Stop babbling and tell us what you want us to know' Dryfid commanded the druid.

'My lord, Dagda's Wheel has been restored to us.'

'What?' Nuada turned on him. A wild fury blazed in his coalpit eyes.

'I was standing on the wall when suddenly all was light again and I looked to the sky and Dagda's Wheel shone as brightly as ever before.'

‘Are you sure about this?' Rhys asked sceptically. 'You haven't been taking one of your druidic potions, have you’

'Of course not, Captain Rhys! Come up and see.'

‘Yes, I think we should. And Dagda be praised if it is true,’ Dryfid said.

Nuada added 'And I'll feed your head to Arawn if it isn’t.’

'Come, come!' Caeryon beckoned. The entire council left the room and made their way up through the wall. They. commented excitedly as they passed windows through which bright sunlight streamed.

At each window they left behind someone basking in the warmth, hardly believing that such a sensation could be real.

Ignored, the four Earth people followed, not wanting to be left out of the action. Stevens supported Ace, still weak from her collapse.

'Did you notice,' Ace said, 'that Caeryon's lisp has gone? It must be the excitement.'

'Yes. What happened to you back