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'Noble sentiments. I once believed the world to be black and white. Since becoming Grand Knight I've been less sure.'

Uninvited, the Doctor sat down at the table. He nodded sadly. 'I know.'

Himesor looked out of the window. Dawn was not too far off, but the shroud of sleep felt far from his body now. 'Of course, I still believe in the ultimate evil and the ultimate good. But we people are made grey by our struggles towards the light and the ropes that bind us to the dark.'

'I once had a friend,' said the Doctor, his own eyes far away. 'We had everything in common — everything. But he enjoyed being scared of the dark a little too much. It swallowed him. I doubt that I shall ever see him again.' The Doctor stared at the sketch of the homunculus. 'I keep reminding myself that we're still the same man. We took different roads from the same junction, that's all.'

'Ultimately we gain nothing from the past,' stated Himesor dogmatically. 'I must rid these phantoms from my mind. My dedication is unchanging.' He returned to the table. 'You recognize this creature?'

'No,' said the Doctor. 'I've seen something similar in an old work of fiction, but —'

'I assume that you are in our city to investigate the Menagerie of Ukkazaal?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'I tend to wander without knowledge of my destination. But please tell me about it.'

'I do not place any faith in legends,' said Himesor with a note of steel in his voice. 'But it is said by some that this city rests over the great menagerie. Men who felt tempted to meddle in science were cursed and turned into beasts. A warning hangs over our heads: if we also meddle, the beasts will emerge to slay us.'

'I must say,' observed the Doctor, 'that from what I have seen your people seem in little danger of that. Science is feared, reviled. I can't help but think of the chains that await me in my cell.'

'It is right that the evils of science are opposed,' said Himesor. 'It is science that leads us into thinking about the problems of yesterday and the improvements that can be reached tomorrow. It is a fickle fantasy!'

'And yet I see that you have some sort of power station on the far side of the city.'

'The Furnace is a solitary exception!' spat Himesor. 'With the authority that rests in my status as Grand Knight I sanctioned limited experimentation. Scientists from various cities collaborated for a brief period. To my shame such stations now exist in the cities beyond our influence.'

'Shame?'

'I regret my decision.'

'Then why —'

'Our people were crying out for relief from their drudgery. I had to act. But now they have seen a glimpse of the seeming glory of science they will thirst for more.'

Himesor closed his eyes for a moment. 'My time is short.'

'I must say,' said the Doctor, 'I was expecting torture and inquisitions. I wasn't expecting such honesty and —'

'It does not matter,' said Himesor flatly. 'My admissions will not go beyond these walls. You will help us penetrate the Menagerie of Ukkazaal. And, if I have betrayed faith to science, then we will all die at the hands of the beasts that wait there.'

The man soon found Xaelobran's fish stall. Without coming too close he attracted the stallholder's attention.

Xaelobran nodded quickly, and said something to the boy at his side. A few moments later the two men shook hands warmly, their voices almost lost under the noise of the crowds.

'Argaabil!' exclaimed the stallholder. 'Good to see you away from the Furnace for once.'

The fat man brushed some soot from his overalls. 'Always a pleasure to breath good air,' he said. 'Now, I seem to remember a friend of yours being interested in esoteric and unusual creatures.'

'I'm expecting him any day now,' said Xaelobran. 'What have you got?'

'A dead animal in a case has come into my possession. I don't suppose I should have accepted it, but it seemed a fair stake at the time.'

'No one with any sense would gamble with you,' said Xaelobran. 'What's this beast look like?'

'It's like a huge insect,' came the reply.