Menagerie - Martin Day [9]
It was stealing, but it might bring a change in her fortunes. And the room, like most of the house that she had seen, was so untidy that it wouldn't be missed for days, until long after she had gone. And Cosmae's master could surely make another.
She pulled the loop of leather around her neck, and let the glassy box hang between her breasts. As she moved the talisman glittered like a jewel, and she felt its power spreading through her body.
She pulled on her rough brown skirt, and was just tightening her belt when she heard a noise from towards the back of the house. Instinctively, her hands went to the knot behind her neck, but it had already become too tight. Still only half-dressed she ran towards the door, fear pounding through her body like the great pistons in the Furnace. She tried pulling the talisman over her head, but the string caught in her hair.
There was another noise, and she stopped struggling against the glass charm. She walked towards the corridor, tightening her belt. It sounded as though someone had come into the house through a back entrance. Her ears strained to hear the footsteps, but she was only aware of a shuffling sound, like the wind through autumn leaves. It was much too dark in here: far better to confront the returning mystic in the light. She pulled a thin dagger from its place on the belt, and held the finger-long silver spike tightly.
Still attempting to button her blouse over the talisman, she stepped into the corridor.
Facing her was a creature taller and broader than any man. Its dull grey robes seemed to merge straight into its green face and hands. Bright points of orange light stared down at her from either side of a squashed nose. The rest of the face was featureless, lacking ears and hair, a terrible approximation of humanity.
The creature stank of corpses and clay.
The girl screamed.
Two
The Doctor fussed at the console, searching for the switch which raised the shutter from the TARDIS scanner. He wasn't looking at what he was doing, but instead fixed Zoe and Jamie with his most affable, charming gaze. 'After all that to-ing and fro-ing in space,' he said, 'it's time for a little stability.'
'Aye,' said Jamie, 'I'm glad to see the back of the LIZ. I swear I'll never criticize the TARDIS again.'
'I'll remind you of that,' said Zoe.
'I know you can't stand the TARDIS food machine, Jamie, so I thought we'd have a little bite to eat here.' The Doctor scratched his head distantly. 'Wherever here is . . .'
The scanner opened to reveal a drizzling grey landscape of flattened brick buildings. Jamie's face fell, but he said nothing.
Zoe couldn't hide her disappointment. 'What a terrible place,' she announced.
'Oh, I don't know,' said the Doctor. 'There's always something to engage the brain, stimulate the imagination, fan the fires of artistic yearning.'
'It's a bit primitive,' continued Zoe, sniffily.
'That may be true,' said the Doctor, 'but I've always felt that great learning should make us feel privileged rather than smug. Don't you agree?'
'But what can I possibly learn from that?' asked Zoe, indicating the windswept scene.
'Tell me, Zoe, what do you know of . . . What was the fellow's name . . .? Hoddrigg . . . Heddreiger . . . '
'Heddeigé?' suggested Zoe helpfully. 'Best known for his anthropological approach to the discrete development of non-contiguous equivalent cultures?'
The Doctor's eyes sparkled. 'Quite right. Oh, Zoe, you would make any tutor proud.'
'I appreciate what you're trying to do, Doctor,' Zoe said, as graciously as she could. 'I'm sure I could learn a lot from that culture. But does it all have to be so wet? '
Jamie snorted. 'Looks fine to me. You've never seen the Highlands, have you, Zoe?'
'I must say, I think it looks rather . . .' The Doctor struggled for words.
'Grim? Foreboding? Spectral?' Zoe showed no such hesitation.
'Bracing,' said Jamie firmly.
'Bracing,' agreed the Doctor. 'With a hint of the resilience of the human spirit.'
'So what did this man say?' asked Jamie.
'Refresh my memory, please, Zoe,' said the Doctor.