Part 6 (2/2)

For a moment Tegan took no notice of him.

'Well?' said Lon impatiently. 'What happens now?'

Tegan turned slowly towards him. He saw there was a reddening about her eyes and mouth. She held out her hand. Lon smiled. It was just as he had expected. 'Yes . . . after all, why not?'

He took Tegan's hand - and was immediately transfixed as a current of energy flowed between them. Frightened, he tried to pull away, but Tegan's grip held him powerless. In the mirror behind him, there appeared the snake-skull of the Mara.

Suddenly Lon relaxed. He looked wonderingly down at his hand, the one Tegan was holding. On the back of his forearm, as on Tegan's, was the design of the snake. The Mara had marked another follower.

6

Dinner with Ambril

Very delicately and un.o.btrusively, the Lady Tanha stifled a yawn.

Ambril's little dinner party had just begun. Various local dignitaries had paid their respects and withdrawn to a discreet distance. Now she was trapped with her host, who was launched into yet another interminable lecture on his favourite, and indeed only, topic of conversation.

Ambril droned on. 'And, then, you see, my Lady, we draw a complete blank. It's quite clear that the Ma.n.u.ssan's of the Pre-Sumaran era were a highly civilised people. Their technology, in some respects, was considerably in advance of our own. And suddenly, almost overnight, the Ma.n.u.ssan civilisation simply disappeared. Evidently it was subjected to a cultural catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.'

By now Tanha was hungry as well as bored. 'Shall we eat?' she suggested brightly.

Ambril was too absorbed to hear her. 'Yes indeed, to such an extent that when the Federation records begin, some six hundred years later, they speak of the Ma.n.u.ssans as a primitive people, in thrall to the Mara, sunk in barbarity, degredation and cruelty.'

Lady Tanha stifled another yawn, a big one this time.

Ambril peered worriedly at her. 'Are you all right, my Lady?'

Lady Tanha smiled and nodded. 'Yes, yes of course, do go on.'

'What a shame your son was indisposed this evening.'

Lady Tanha sighed. 'Yes indeed. I'm sure he would have found it all most illuminating.'

Lon was striding up and down the Hall of Mirrors, staring at the distorted reflections, and laughing hysterically.

'Silence,' said Tegan.

The laughter stopped, as if cut off by a switch.

Tegan turned and walked stiffly out of the door.

Instantly Lon followed her.

By now, Dugdale was wondering what the devil he was getting himself into. Whatever it was, it was too late to draw back now. Miserably he trailed after them.

The Doctor sat cross-legged on the floor of the TARDIS control room holding the Snakedancer crystal between finger and thumb.

Nyssa sat cross-legged opposite him. 'Doctor, I'm not at all clear what we're supposed to be doing.'

'Just think about it!'

'About what? What are we doing?'

'A simple test. If the Great Crystal focuses thought in some way, if this is the same sort of crystal it should exhibit some of the same properties.

So, we must direct our thoughts at it, and see what happens.'

'All right, Doctor, if you say so. Now?'

'Yes. Now!'

Nothing happened.

After several minutes Nyssa opened her eyes, and stood up. 'I'm sorry, Doctor, I just can't seem to concentrate hard enough. I feel so foolish.'

The Doctor was thinking hard. 'Never mind. We'll try another way.'

He fished the anti-dreaming device out of his pocket and began making careful adjustments.

Nyssa watched him puzzled. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm adjusting the frequency - as an aid to concentration. There!' The Doctor slipped the device over his head and slipped in the earpieces.

'Right, let's try again. Now then, you just stay there. Watch the crystal closely and observe any changes. Are you ready?'

Nyssa nodded.

'Right,' said the Doctor. He closed his eyes frowning in concentration.

Nyssa stared fixedly at the crystal. For a moment it seemed as if this experiment too would be a failure. But suddenly the little crystal began to glow, brighter and brighter. . .

Nyssa gasped. 'That's impossible!'

The Doctor opened his eyes and the glow faded.

'What happened?' he asked.

Nyssa told him.

The Doctor looked thoughtfully at the crystal. 'It's only small, of course, but the potential power . . .'

Nyssa couldn't see what the Doctor was so excited about. 'All it did was glow with a blue light.'

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