Doctor Who_ Cats Cradle_ Witch Mark - Andrew Hunt [25]
‘Well that's very interesting,' Ace said, clearly bored, but what’s it got to do with me being shot at?'
‘Be quiet, Ace. Is there anything else, Janet?'
‘No, not really, only ... oh yes, here’s something. The disappearance of the cooperative was not the first to happen on the site of Dinorben. According to Gildas, a Roman villa somewhere in the vicinity was deserted by its inhabitants with no trace as to where they went.”’
‘This is fascinating,' the Doctor told the others. Ace, I think you and I should pay Dinorben a visit.'
‘But what about this Emrys bloke?'
‘Yes, Doctor. He's a dangerous man, isn't he, Hugh-bach?'
‘Oh, I shouldn't think we'll have any problems. How about something to eat first?'
Feet squelching, Jack followed the road down the valley into Llanfer Ceiriog. Every time his feet hit the ground, water oozed up between his toes, trickling unpleasantly into the fibres of his thick woollen socks. And then, like a sponge, the sole reabsorbed the water in preparation for another outflow. It was a form of water torture which Jack had not expected to encounter during the summer months, but had he really expected to be spending those months in the British Isles?
He trudged on and wondered how he was going to persuade a vet to come and minister to a centaur -
and was it really a vet they wanted? After all, half of a centaur is human. Maybe he should get a doctor?
Maybe he should call the police? Maybe even get them all? No, he decided, a vet first as it was the leg that was broken and, once somebody with authority was involved, the rest would become easier.
Jack looked at his watch and his eyes widened. Good grief. It was coming up to five o'clock - they had spent four hours wandering around Llanfer Ceiriog and its environs. A thick bank of grey cloud was beginning to settle on the tops of the hills and was giving every impression that it would sink further. He hoped that David would be all right by himself.
When he finally reached the road junction Jack hurried to the unusual phone booth by the post office.
He tugged at the door but it wouldn't open. When at last he managed to open the small panel and found the phone, the dialling tone was absent there didn't appear to be any point in trying to use it. Apart from that, he had no idea what number he should be ringing. In disgust he slammed the blue panel closed and turned to look around himself. Being a student, his attention immediately focused on the pub; there would almost certainly be a phone there.
When he entered, everything was quiet. It didn't go quiet - there weren't surly natives glaring at him and muttering dark things about going up to the castle after dark - it was just quiet, except for a luridly flashing fruit machine which trilled noisily to itself once in a while. Jack searched in his pockets for his few remaining coins and then made his way over to the bar. He stood drumming his fingers and looking about the place and was just on the verge of coughing loudly to himself when the barman appeared, heralded by a triumphant whoop from the fruit machine.
'Um ... a half of mild, please ... and do you have a phone I could use?'
'Half of mild, sir, very good. And what are you doing in these parts?'
'Oh, you know, just passing through. Hiking.'
'Hiking, eh? Good thing for a lad your age. See the world while you still can, before you get tied down to one place with a boring job, wife and kids. American, aren't you?'
'Yeah, you noticed, huh? Do you have a ... '
'I went to America a few years back. Didn't like it one bit. The only thing louder than Americans is their shirts. Bloody awful place if you don't mind me saying so.' He handed over