Doctor Who_ The Room With No Doors - Kate Orman [34]
‘I have an invitation from Gufuu Kocho, daimyo of Han, Daini and Sanban Districts,’ said Aoi’s father. He presented the scroll with both hands. The Doctor took it in both hands and bowed. He opened the message and read.
69
Aoi watched the strange little man. He remembered those odd eyes, changing colour as they lulled him. If there was devilry anywhere here, it was in those eyes.
‘Can I bring a friend?’ said the Doctor.
Penelope had been out of the trunk for half an hour now. She didn’t feel as if she was free. She felt walled in, trapped in the dark.
Perhaps part of it came from the events that had taken place during their confinement: Mr Cwej had given them a quick precis. She was surrounded on all sides by the bewildering, with no way back to her own ordinary world.
Now she, a stiff-necked Mr Mintz and a frowning Mr Cwej were waiting outside the shrine, eyes on the gate, while the Doctor concluded his negotiations.
Kame the samurai was practising sword strokes in the village square, watched by an assortment of small children and young men. He seemed filled with vigour, even electricity. With new life.
Penelope shook her head. ‘He cannot have been resurrected,’ she said aloud.
‘It is impossible. He must not have been as badly injured as you thought.’
Mr Cwej shrugged. ‘He was very dead. And now he’s alive.’
‘Psychic healing?’ said Mr Mintz. ‘Possession? Alien symbiotes?’
‘No,’ said Mr Cwej. ‘I think he just came back to life.’
The three of them turned to look at the shrine.
‘What is that thing? Whatever can it be?’ breathed Penelope.
‘Whatever it is,’ said Mr Mintz, ‘I think it likes us.’
Penelope shivered. ‘Think about it,’ Joel said. ‘It saved the Doctor, it scared off the samurai, it somehow healed Kame. . . The villagers are right. It is protecting us.’
‘But why?’ said Mr Cwej, his frown deepening.
The gate creaked open again, and the Doctor slipped back into the village.
The headman had been waiting for him. They conferred for a few moments.
The Doctor came up the hill towards the other time travellers, navigating around Kame and his small crowd of admirers.
‘Right,’ said the Doctor. ‘Gufuu Kocho has had a bit of a change of heart.
Now he wants us round for tea.’
‘Ah,’ said Mr Mintz. ‘The honeymoon phase.’
‘Are we going?’ said Mr Cwej
‘I am,’ said the Doctor. ‘I want you to stay here, in charge of things.’
‘Oh no!’ said Mr Cwej.
‘Oh yes,’ said the Doctor. ‘I’m to pop over to Gufuu’s court for a friendly chat about local politics and not meddling in things one does not understand.
I need you here to keep an eye on Schrödinger’s Cat.’ He nodded at the shrine.
70
Mr Mintz said, ‘Doctor, can I come with you?’
The Doctor peered up at him with such intensity that Mr Mintz almost jumped. ‘All right,’ he said, after a moment. ‘Get your things together – we’re off in ten minutes.’
Mr Mintz beamed and ran up towards the house. Mr Cwej watched him go, looking forlorn.
Chris put his head around the door of the house. The Doctor was fishing through his little satchel of packages.
‘Listen,’ said the Adjudicator. ‘Is this really a good idea?’
‘Gufuu Kocho wants more information about the so-called kami,’ said the Doctor. ‘If I tell him the right things, he might lose interest in it.’
‘No, I meant leaving me here in charge.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I don’t think I can do this.’
‘Nonsense,’ said the Doctor. ‘You’ve handled far wore difficult situations than this.’
‘That was before.’
‘Before what?’
‘Look,’ said Chris, ‘I don’t want to let you down. Why don’t you take me with you? Penelope and Joel can keep an eye on things here, and the village is pretty well protected.’
‘One of us should be with the pod at all times,’ said the Doctor. ‘The headman has far too much faith in the thing. Joel’s very experienced with the uncanny, but only in one small area and time. And Penelope’s overwhelmed.
It has to be you.’
‘What if I freeze up again?’
‘I wouldn’t leave you behind if I didn’t think you could manage.’ The Doctor tucked a small packet into his pocket and headed