Part 3 (1/2)

Tegan was backing away, her face filled with terror.

Nyssa tugged at the Doctor's sleeve. 'Look, Doctor. Look at Tegan.'

The Doctor looked. 'This must be the cave from her dream.' He leaned forward. 'It's all right, Tegan, there's nothing to be frightened of.' He took her arm and tried to lead her up the steps.

Tegan pulled away.

'It's all right, Tegan,' said the Doctor again. 'There's nothing to be afraid of.'

Tegan backed away.

Nyssa said, 'Doctor, she can't hear you-remember?'

'Nevertheless, my dear Ambril,' Lon was saying, 'Your predecessor apparently believed in the Legend.'

'Yes, so he did!' said Tanha. 'Now what was the man's name?'

'His name was Dojjen, my lady,' said Ambril stiffly.

'Dojjen! Of course, that was it!' Tanha was delighted. 'Dojjen!'

'I am afraid Dojjen came to believe in so many things,' said Ambril sadly. 'He became very erratic towards the end.

Here in the cave system the real work was sadly neglected.'

'The real work?' asked Lon idly. 'Oh, I see. You mean poking about in the ruins. Digging for trinkets?'

'I mean archaeology, my Lord,' protested Ambril. 'I have tried to re-establish our work here on a scientific basis.'

'And I'm sure we are all very grateful,' said Tanha soothingly.

Ambril beamed. 'Shall we proceed into the Chamber of the Mara?'

Tegan was sitting on the top step of the flight that led up to the cave mouth, her back to the entrance of the cave. She was hunched forwards, her arms about her knees. It had taken all the Doctor's urgings to get her this far, and she would go no further.

'What are we going to do?' asked Nyssa. 'She can't go in. She's too frightened.'

'Well, you'll just have to stay with her. I'll go into the cave alone.'

The Doctor went up to the cave mouth, turned and gave them a rea.s.suring wave and then went inside.

The most famous exhibit in the caves was the carving known as the Great Snake. It occupied almost the whole of one wall of the Chamber of the Mara. Immense, malevolent, terrifying, the huge serpent seemed about to spring out of the solid rock into which it was carved. Between the open jaws was an empty socket.

Ambril peered up at it. 'Exquisite is it not?'

Lon nodded towards the empty socket. 'What was in its mouth?'

'The Great Crystal, my Lord. Purely decorative.'

'Where is it now? Is it lost?'

'Oh no, my Lord. It was removed from its socket when the Mara was destroyed. Traditionally, the safe keeping of the Great Crystal is the responsibility of the Director of Historical Research.'

'You, in other words?'

'At present I have that honour, my Lord,' And if anxious to change the subject, Ambril went on with his lecture. 'As you see, the image of the Mara is sculpted out of solid rock . . .'

Moving along the tunnel, the Doctor heard what sounded like the voice of some kind of tour guide. 'This imagery of the rearing snake is consistent throughout the mid-Sumaran period, with only insignificant variations . . .'

'Someone's very well-informed,' thought the Doctor. He headed towards the voice.

In the Chamber of the Mara, Ambril was still droning on. 'In the Sumaran Three period the head has a tendency to be marginally less p.r.o.nounced, but in general. . .'

By now even Tanha was losing patience. 'Oh, do be quiet, Director,' she pleaded. 'Just for a moment!'

Ambril fell silent.

For a long moment they all stared up at the great carved snake. So realistic were the stone coils that they seemed to writhe and twist, as if trying to break free.

The Doctor came quietly into the chamber and stood watching the little group.

Tanha shuddered. 'It really is horrible. I'm so glad the Legend of the Return is just a story.' She turned appealingly to Ambril. 'It is just a story, isn't it? You're quite sure?'

The Doctor stepped into view. 'No, I'm afraid it's not!'

Lady Tanha jumped, and gave a little scream. A huge helmeted figure stepped out of the shadows by the door and clamped a ma.s.sive forearm across the Doctor's throat.

The Federation bodyguards were never far away.

Tegan still sat hunched up at the top of the steps outside the cave, watched anxiously by Nyssa.

A pa.s.sing hawker decided that they were a couple of likely prospects and came ambling over with his tray.

Not surprisingly he was selling snakes, garishly-painted articulated toys that wriggled convincingly with the aid of a stick. 'Look here, ladies,' he called. 'Souvenir snakes, very nice, very good!'

Nyssa looked at the tray and waved him away. 'No thank you, not now.'

The hawker turned his attention to Tegan. Picking up a snake from the tray, he leaned over and wriggled the snake in her face. 'Souvenir snake, lady?'

Tegan couldn't hear his words of course, only the silent rus.h.i.+ng sound of the Doctor's device. She looked up and saw the grimacing snake, the mouthing face of the hawker and behind him the snake-mouth entrance of the cave. Suddenly Tegan leaped to her feet. She thrust the hawker aside and ran down the steps, disappearing down the narrow street that led to the market quarter.

'Tegan, come back!' called Nyssa. Then, realising that shouting was useless, she ran down the steps after Tegan.

The hawker shrugged his shoulders and wandered off.

The Doctor wriggled frantically, trying to keep his feet on the ground.

'There's really no need for this,' he gasped.

'This is a private view,' said Ambril indignantly. 'You have no business to be here.' He waved the bodyguard. 'Throw him out!'