Doctor Who_ St. Anthony's Fire - Mark Gatiss [18]
He passed his claw over the freshly restored St John’s Ambulance badge and then straightened up.
The Doctor could see the alien looking curiously at him but was too woozy to make any sense of the situation. The reptile picked up the Doctor’s hat with the Doctor’s umbrella and peered at both unfamiliar items. Then he dropped them with a shrug, gave a little jerk of his head and walked off into the jungle.
The soldiers relaxed.
The Doctor found himself being lifted again and this time the flames danced closer before his eyes.
The image of the TARDIS swooped before him, shimmering in the haze from the fire. He seemed to be swooning in and out of consciousness, the darkness of the jungle, the heat of the flames and the animal stench of his captors assaulting his befuddled senses. He struggled weakly with his bonds and felt them biting agonizingly into his exposed wrists. The heat increased steadily.
The hem of the Doctor’s coat flapped into the flames as the two soldiers hoisted him onto a spit. He screwed his eyes tightly shut and struggled feverishly with the coarse twine which bound him. If he could only shout out, convince these creatures he was more than just a dumb animal. But his voice seemed to die in his throat as waves of heat pounded at his skin. His eyes stung with sweat, and hot rising air burnt the insides of his nose and throat. It felt like he was breathing fire. Panting desperately, the Doctor made one last effort to pull himself away and then the night closed in around him.
* * *
Bernice stuck out her tongue. The tall reptilian creature guarding her didn’t react. Instead, it looked away, as though embarrassed. Bernice rested her head on one hand and sighed, looking around bleakly at the bare walls of the room.
‘How long do you intend to keep me here?’
The guard’s turreted eyes widened in surprise and what looked like fear. He shuffled a little and then straightened up at a noise from the doorway.
A smaller, older reptile came into the room, his brown uniform covering a full, round frame, his squarish head covered in slicked‐back grey bristles.
The guard saluted his superior and then said, in a disbelieving whisper, ‘Do you… do you think it just mimicks us, sir?’
The older man smoothed back his greasy spines over his stunted crest. ‘No, no, Utreh. I think it can talk.’
‘What, really talk, sir?’
Bernice shot to her feet, her fists rising confrontationally. ‘Of course I can talk. What do you take me for, you bloody iguana?’
Both men stepped back in shock, then the elder one burst out laughing.
Eventually, a little shamefacedly, Bernice sank back into her chair.
‘You will forgive us, I’m sure,’ said the officer with mock graciousness. ‘We’re not used to talking… er… creatures here. My name is Imalgahite. You are…?’
Bernice looked straight into his lively blue eyes. ‘Professor Bernice Summerfield.’
Imalgahite rolled the unfamiliar name around on his small black tongue and then huffed contentedly. ‘Are you… are you a male or a female of the species?’
Bernice tried to remain calm. ‘Female. What about you?’
‘I am commander of the Cutch forces in this part of the jungle. What are you doing here?’
‘I’m… I’m just visiting.’
‘Is that all?’
‘I’m tired, wet and very annoyed, too,’ said Bernice testily.
Imalgahite seemed to consider this in the same ruminative fashion. ‘Dear me, you are a curiosity, aren’t you? I wonder what we should do with you?’
‘I’d be ever so grateful if you could let me out of here. I have this thing about confined spaces.’
Imalgahite looked up with interest. ‘You are afraid?’
‘I’m not afraid of anything,’ said Bernice in a voice which didn’t even convince herself.
Imalgahite clapped his claws together delightedly. ‘Excellent! What a brave little ape she is!’
Bernice rolled her eyes. This wasn’t getting her anywhere.
‘Look, if you’ll just let me go I can find the Doctor and we’ll leave you in peace. We only came here to look at the rings anyway.’
‘Rings?’ said Utreh, nervously fingering his rifle.
‘You know, the rings