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Always looking. Look for the opening. Look for your opponent’s fear. If you cannot find fear look for desire. Both are weaknesses that can be used against them. What good was that to her here in this fight? This warrior had no fear, no desire. Unrelenting aggression. Nothing except to kill her. To kill her for no clear understandable reason.

Then she saw it. He wants to kill me. That was his desire.

That was his weakness. How much of a weakness was it?

How badly did he want to kill her?

The Doctor realised he’d have to help Leela by himself.

These people weren’t up to it. The danger was that if he distracted her without slowing the warrior up there was a good chance of getting her killed, but he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. The fight was fast, as Leela and the warrior circled and struck at one another, and already they were moving out across the open ground.

The Doctor went after them.

The warrior had been driving Leela back steadily into the grass arena. She was giving ground faster than necessary because she wanted to be sure that none of the survivors got in the way. The warrior tried a variation on the feint and kick –

this time both came from the right. She parried the spear with her knife and stepped inside the kick, punching at his throat with the stiffened fingers of her free hand. He dodged the blow and she ducked under his shield arm and, skipping round behind him, slashed her knife at the back of his neck.

He leapt forward to avoid the pass and whirled to face her, and they were circling again. Leela’s confidence was coming back. He was quick but not as quick as she was. He was stronger, but he was not clever. She was convinced now that part of the reason he showed nothing was because there was little to show. As they circled, she glimpsed the Doctor hurrying towards them carrying his coat like a hunting net.

She knew she could not wait any longer. She had to finish this. She half turned away and caught her foot in the rough grass and stumbled. The warrior saw the weakness he had been waiting for. His reaction was stunningly fast. Committed completely to the kill, he launched himself at Leela. Powerful lunge and fierce spear thrust were part of the same fluid action. The ferocious speed and strength of the attack were irresistible.

The Doctor was running. He was still some distance away from them when he saw the warrior suddenly overwhelm Leela.

‘No!’ he bellowed helplessly. ‘Leave her alone!’

Leela had guessed the warrior could not resist the stumble.

That was the weakness she had probed for and prepared for.

She was sure he would go all out for the kill then, because the kill was all he desired. Time the stumble right and she would know the moment and the direction of the attack – and she would know he was unbalanced and she would know there was no way back for him.

So, although the warrior’s response was blindingly quick, Leela was fractionally quicker. She was balanced and turning and already inside the line of the spear thrust. This time she made no attempt to parry it, but chopped straight at the wrist with her knife. The hand was severed and it hit the ground still gripping the spear. The warrior’s momentum carried him crashing into Leela and they both fell heavily. Defeated but still lethally determined, the warrior tried to stab his spines into Leela’s throat as he smashed at her head with his shield.

Without hesitation. Leela drove the blade of her knife into the back of his chin and up into his brain.

‘Are you all right, Leela?’ The Doctor examined the warrior’s corpse, then pulled it away. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘I do not think so,’ she said, closing her eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths before sitting up slowly. ‘He was strong, though.’

‘What a mess,’ the Doctor sighed.’ What a cruel and unnecessary mess.’

‘Where did he come from?’ Leela asked.

The Doctor helped her to her feet. ‘There’s an access shaft over there.’ He nodded towards the rocks.

‘I know where he came from,’ she