Doctor Who_ Island of Death - Barry Letts [68]
„But she said...‟
„She goes the way the wind blows. Once he get to work on her...‟
Dafydd was still frowning.
Alex had brought him here, outside the temple wall, ostensibly so that there could be no chance of their being overheard; but more to the point, the rim of the crater, on the side where the rock had fallen away, was the place to which he needed Dafydd to lure his victim.
„Dafydd, my old friend...‟ Just a light touch on the arm...
mustn‟t frighten him off. „I knew from that first meeting in Rome that you were the one. The incisive mind, the indomitable will...‟ - the susceptibility to flattery - „Ultimately, to achieve the purpose of the Skang, this planet must be held in a grip of iron. I recognised at once that you are the one I need. You are the one who has the strength to make it happen. Would you let the mouse go free after it had eaten the cheese, and hope that you‟d manage to catch it again?
Mother Hilda‟s way is not only weak, it‟s inefficient. Don‟t you agree?‟
„You know I do. But... but murder...‟
Alex held up his hands in mock surrender. „Okay, okay!
You win! My dear Dafydd, believe me when I tell you that I‟m full of admiration for the integrity of your morals. I promise you, you won‟t be involved. Just bring him here. Bring him here - and then go and have your breakfast. That‟s all I‟m asking of you!‟
Dafydd opened his mouth to speak; and closed it again.
Got him! „Good man! I knew I could count on you!‟
Dafydd shook his head, still worried. „What do you want me to tell him?‟ he said.
After he‟d left, Alex found a good place to hide, and settled down to wait. He was back on course. Though he‟d have to watch Dafydd afterwards. It might be a good idea to get rid of him too, before his squeamishness really screwed things up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The journey through the jungle seemed interminable. Every few feet the Doctor would stop. For a moment or two he would be as still as if he were made of stone, listening.
Nodding to Sarah, he‟d set off again, with only a soft rustle, which merged into the background noise of the birds and the squeaks and grunts of unidentifiable animals.
Sarah found it difficult not to add a few squeaks of her own. Something very odd was going on. Although they were crawling over a soft carpet of leaves and powdery sand, her bare legs and arms were objecting strongly, as if they were being scratched. When she had an opportunity to take a quick look, she saw that her limbs were covered in a network of marks, and some of them were oozing blood. Yet, when they stopped again, and she snatched another glimpse, her skin was as clear as it ever was.
She tried to catch the Doctor‟s attention, but he didn‟t even notice.
At last, they arrived at the edge of the greenery, just beyond the tables with the remains of yesterday‟s feast, where the golden sand led up to the beginning of the two rows of little white villas each side of their shady avenue of flowers and palms. By now the sun had risen, and the red-gold light and the low defining shadows gave the scene before them a dimension of fairy-tale charm, and yet it was too aesthetically satisfying to be chocolate-box sentimental.
The Doctor held up his hand in warning. Down by the edge of the beach, next to the rock where they had landed the day before, stood one of the tall guards. As he shaded his eyes against the eastern sun, he was gazing across the still blue water of the lagoon at the anchored Hallaton and speaking into a walkie-talkie. He was too far away for them to make out his words, but he could have been doing nothing else than reporting on the few early birds who were now moving about the deck. Just as well that they‟d set off in the near-darkness before the dawn.
The Doctor beckoned her over to him, and held a finger up to his lips.
She inched over, and saw that there was another guard, walking slowly down the yellow road, glancing from side to side as if checking that the inhabitants of the chalets were still abed, and scanning the edges of the beach.
„Got your camera?‟ the Doctor breathed