Part 36 (2/2)

the residents of Crook Marsham filed from the vault, Ace frowned.

blinking bemusedly.

Jill ran straight over to Lowc.o.c.k. 'Are you sure?'

The night was warm and balmy. Campfires glowed Lowc.o.c.k held up his hand. 'Listen.'

distantly.

Jill p.r.i.c.ked up her ears, expecting the tinkle of breaking 'Captain!'

gla.s.s. But a gentle sound was struggling to make itself Phillip Jackson turned to the soldier behind him. The heard at the edge of her awareness. A low, repeated hoot.

fellow was pointing towards the castle.

'It's an owl,' she whispered.

'What is it?'

Lowc.o.c.k smiled.

'There's someone there, sir. I swear it. Down there, by the gates.'

The Doctor patted the TARDIS affectionately and pushed the key into the lock.

The Doctor stepped from the TARDIS and looked around.

'Have you back in two shakes,' he said to Ace, pus.h.i.+ng The night was pleasant, the air sweet. This was more like it.

open the door. Then he looked at her. 'Thank you for Ace emerged behind him. 'Where are we?'

coming with me.'

'I told you. Crook Marsham.'

She smiled. 'Least I could do.'

Ace looked at the imposing castle next to which the They went inside.

TARDIS had materialised. 'When?'

'Sixteen forty-four,' said the Doctor.

Ace laughed in surprise.

294.

295.

The Doctor gazed up at the battlements. 'The light from 'The castle was destroyed by a mysterious fire!' shouted the exploding star has taken three hundred and twenty-four the Doctor above the rising din.

years to get to Earth. Which means?'

'This is it?'

'Which means that it actually went nova in 1644!' cried The Doctor nodded, beginning to run back to the TARDIS.

Ace delightedly. 'You are devious, Doctor.'

A few moments later, Jackson dashed from the gates, The Doctor shrugged and smiled. 'I aim to please.'

mounted his horse and galloped away.

He strolled over to the cold stone walls. 'My guess is that Ace could feel the heat blasting against her as the castle the Sentience will follow the fossil radiation back to when it became virtually transparent. Halos of blistering fire roared was new, by going back through Time. To this evening.'

through the masonry.

'But how can you be so exact?'

'This is it!' cried the Doctor. 'The Sentience leaving Earth 'Another guess. This is Marsham Castle, in which our to find its star. Come on!'

friendly local Cavaliers are currently being frightened out of He pushed open the doors of the TARDIS and ushered their wits. Ah, there they go!'

Ace inside. Seconds later, the old s.h.i.+p protested out of solid The castle gates burst open and the Royalists ran out, existence.

screaming in terror.

The castle reached optimum brightness and then erupted The Doctor pointed up at the battlements, where a ball of into an immense fireball with a sound like planets colliding.

fiery light was forming. Ralph Grey looked over, his face a mask of horror, and then threw himself into s.p.a.ce. Ace The Doctor fussed over the console, mumbling to himself.

grimaced.

He glanced at the scanner and then whooped with delight.

'It must've returned to its normal state now,' said the 'There!'

Doctor. 'And remained undisturbed as its future self They were in s.p.a.ce now, and the roundel screen was arrives.'

dominated by an incredible outpouring of light and energy.

He looked about. There was silence. The Doctor checked The Bellatrix double comprised a white dwarf star and its his pocket watch.

companion. In the course of time, the companion star had Phillip Jackson rode up to the gateway, dismounted, grown enormously, but its evolution had been halted by the stepped over Grey's body and disappeared inside the castle.

proximity of the white dwarf.

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