Doctor Who_ Wolfsbane - Jac Rayner [24]
It would help if she knew who exactly he thought he was.
King of England? Some illegitimate offspring - or that old chestnut, a descendant of a „rightful‟ king, like an escaped Prince from the Tower. Or perhaps he believed himself to be a changeling, swapped by his nurse, or his enemies, or the faeries. Then a spark of inspiration hit her. Edward VIII had gone to France, they said, never to set foot on English soil again. For a second, she considered that it was all a plot, a conspiracy, that the government had locked him up in a loony bin instead. But no, that didn‟t work. It didn‟t fit in with attacking trees, or not realising who he was, or his mother having a secret identity. But perhaps he thought he should be the new king, instead of George VI - or, as he was still potentially at the moment, Albert I. Perhaps you could tell me how you found out who you really were,‟ she suggested.
He half smiled. For a moment she thought he wouldn‟t answer, would run on about spikes again instead. But then he spoke, „It was the on the last day,‟ he said. „The day before my mother... left. She told me who she was, and who I was, and that I would be king, when it was all over. But we had to give the Earth a final blood offering. The lieutenant was guarding her, but I hit him with a sandbag. I led her on a silver lead. They would attack her and she would attack them. We would have our blood. Then my mother would gain the power and I would be king.‟ He began humming - a nursery tune: „Hey dilly dilly dilly, come and be killed.‟
It took a second for it to register; it wasn‟t how she thought of him.
„The lieutenant?‟ said Sarah, heart leaping to her throat.
Lieutenant Sullivan, do you mean? Tell me! You must tell me!
You said you hit him. Did you kill him?‟
„ I didn‟t kill him. Don‟t know who killed him. Didn‟t see it.‟
„But he did die - didn‟t he? Or didn‟t he? Please tell me!‟
But George Stanton just sat there humming with a smile on his face, and she couldn‟t get him to say another word.
„I say, Doctor!‟
„George,‟ said the Doctor, returning the greeting.
„I was just looking for you. Mother sent me, you know.
Thought you might be able to shed some light on this disturbing affair. All seems a bit deep, if you know what I mean.‟
„Deep‟ seemed a slightly inadequate description of what had been going on, but Harry and the Doctor acknowledged that they knew what he meant.
„We‟re looking into it now,‟ the Doctor added.
George seemed unsure of what to say next. „Well,‟ he decided upon at last. „Good luck, and all that. Break a leg, as they say. Er, perhaps you‟d pop in later, let us know the sitch? Have a spot of grub with us? All welcome,‟ he added, with a nod at Godric. „Lieutenant Sullivan will be staying with us still, I hope?‟ Then to the Doctor, in explanation, „Your cottage isn‟t as big as it could be, I know.‟
„Very kind of you, George,‟ said the Doctor. „I‟m afraid Godric and I have a prior engagement, but I know Lieutenant Sullivan will be happy to accept your invitation.‟ Harry wondered how the Doctor knew that. Lieutenant Sullivan himself wasn‟t half so sure.
„Right-ho,‟ said George, and wandered off.
„Doctor,‟ Harry began, but was interrupted.
„We need someone to keep an eye on him,‟ the Doctor said.
„Is that the natural way for a man to behave when his fiancée was murdered last night?‟
„Shock?‟ suggested Harry, who found it plausible that everyone he met at the moment could be suffering thus.
Godric‟s eyes were wide open. „That was the man of whom you were speaking, whose betrothed was foully slain by a creature of the night?‟
„That‟s the one,‟ said Harry.
„Perchance he is setting forth to seek vengeance on the vile perpetrator.‟
„No,‟ said Harry, glancing over his shoulder, „he‟s going to the pub.‟
* * *
Walking through the village, with its paved streets and brick houses, it was easy to almost forget the strangeness that had been occurring. In the daylight, the idea of malevolent vegetation seemed bizarre