Doctor Who_ The Myth Makers - Donald Cotton [43]
‘Stuff and silly nonsense!’ shouted Priam. ‘Go and feed the sacred serpents, or something! If you can’t behave pleasantly at a time like this, then I’d rather you didn’t infest the festivities at all! Now look – I don’t want to be hard on you – why don’t you dance with that nice Diomede – he’s all on his own? Caper about a bit like the rest of us – enjoy yourself for once – it’ll do you good!’
To Steven’s wan relief, she didn’t seem much taken with the idea, and retired to the outskirts of the proceedings in a marked manner. He beckoned me over to him.
‘Don’t you think, Cyclops, it’s time you were on your way?’
This puzzled me. ‘I wasn’t thinking of going on anywhere just yet,’ I said, ‘it looks like rather a good party, don’t you think?’
‘You’re not using your head,’ he snapped. I liked that! I’d done all the constructive thinking, so far! ‘You’ve got to go and tell the Doctor that we’re quite all right now, so he doesn’t need to rescue us after all. Tell him to forget about that fool horse, and just meet us at the TARDIS later. Tell him where it is, and suggest we rendezvous there at... say... nine-thirty tomorrow morning. That should give us time to get over the celebrations.’
I couldn’t believe my ears! And I was about to explain to him that I didn’t think, somehow, it was in the Doctor’s gift to cancel the operation, when there.was an interruption.
‘Ah, here comes Paris,’ said Priam, happy to see him for once. ‘Well, my boy – have the Greeks really gone?’
‘As far as I could tell from a distance,’ said Paris, not wishing to commit himself. ‘As a matter of fact, I didn’t like to go right up to the actual camp-site.’
‘Why on earth not? Upon my soul there’s nothing to be nervous of now – Achilles will have disappeared with the rest of them! Go back at once, and have a proper look!’
‘Well the point is that there does seem to be something there; and, I don’t really know how to put this, but I think it may be the Great Horse of Asia!’
Not the sort of remark, you may think, to contribute much to the party spirit; and, if so, you are right! There was what is known as a rapt silence; and even the hips of the dancing girls bumped and ground to a standstill.
‘You think it’s what?’ asked Priam, incredulously.
‘Well, if it isn’t, it’s first cousin to it. Standing all by itself, just this side of the Graecian lines. Look, you should be able to see it from here – it’s enormous!’
So the meeting adjourned to one of the watch-towers. Yes, there it was all right, the Doctor’s brain-child – or mine! And, I must say, even at that distance, it looked formidable – ominous, you know, and somehow sinister. Just a wooden horse, after all...
but no – there was more to it than that. I tell you, my hackles rose at the sight of it! Odd – very! Even Priam was speechless for once.
Vicki was first off the mark: ‘So that’s the Trojan Horse,’ she sighed. ‘Oh, dear...’
‘That’s the what, did you say?’ asked Troilus.
Cassandra zoomed in, on the instant. ‘Yes, ask her, you besotted young fool! She knows very well what it is! It is our doom – it is the death of Troy, brought upon us by the cursed witch!’
Paris turned on her: ‘Now understand me, Cassandra – I will not have one word said against that horse! It’s mine – I found it!’
‘And I won’t hear one word against Cressida,’ said Troilus.
‘She’s mine – now that I’ve found her!’
Two brothers, shoulder to shoulder against the world! Jolly impressive – if it hadn’t been so tragic.
‘Will you not, you pair of degenerate simpletons?’ Cassandra said, as if washing her hands of the whole affair. She’d done all she could – and somehow she knew, d’you see?
‘Then woe to the House of Priam! Woe to the Trojans! And woe to the world, as we’ve known it!’
Paris looked at her wearily. I think he may have known, even then, that she was right – but he’d had enough, and the game was over.
‘Well,’ he said, ‘at any rate, I’m glad you’re too late to say
“Whoa” to the horse! I’ve given orders to have it brought into the city!