Part 11 (1/2)

They turned to run - but there was another bodyguard behind them.

'Oh no,' gasped Chela.

The Doctor raised his hands. 'All right, all right, we give in.'

Lon came around the corner. 'Give in? You talk as though you had a choice, Doctor.'

Lon clicked his fingers and the bodyguards drew their huge, curved swords.

Lon paused, savouring the moment. 'Kill them!' he said.

10.

The Escape

The bodyguards raised their swords.

An imperious voice called, 'No!'

Lady Tanha was standing at the end of the corridor. 'You cannot do this Lon.'

There was new firmness in her voice, and for the moment Lon seemed reduced to a sulky child.

'Why not?' he demanded petulantly.

'It is preposterous to think that anyone is plotting against you. Least of all these people.'

The Doctor gave a sigh of relief. 'Your mother is quite right!'

'Naturally you deny everything,' said Lon morosely. 'That is only to be expected.'

'My only concern is for my companion Tegan - and to see that the Great Crystal is not misused.'

At this moment Ambril came along the corridor, clutching a small carved chest. 'Why should the Great Crystal concern you, Doctor?'

The Doctor indicated the sword still close to his throat. 'If I'm allowed to live long enough, I'll explain.'

In the market-place, preparations for the ceremony were well under way. Children looked on wide-eyed as the long painted cloth body of the ceremonial snake was unfurled by cat-faced demons in scarlet robes.

The Doctor looked in fascinated horror at the little carved chest in Ambril's hands. 'Use the real Great Crystal in the Ceremony? No, you mustn't do it.'

'And why not?' asked Tanha calmly.

'Mother -' began Lon impatiently.

She waved him to silence. 'No! Let the man have his say, however preposterous.' She turned to the Doctor and said reasonably. 'Of course we can do this if we wish. The Director has agreed.' She glanced at Ambril. 'Haven't you?'

Ambril clasped the chest tighter. 'I have. The Great Crystal will be returned to its rightful place during the ceremony.'

The Doctor looked hard at Ambril. 'But why? Why?'

'Why what?' asked Lon idly.

'Why did you make this request? And why did the Director agree to it?'

'Why not?' said Tanha reasonably. 'Call it the indulging of a whim. It is, you might say, one of the few advantages of being a member of the Federator's family.'

Chela could keep silent no longer. 'But it is forbidden. It's forbidden by a tradition going back five hundred years.'

'Is that why you proposed to a.s.sa.s.sinate me?' accused Lon swiftly. 'For interfering with your precious traditions?'

'I thought we'd cleared that up,' said Lady Tanha wearily.

The Doctor looked at Lon in disbelief. 'Whoever said we wanted to a.s.sa.s.sinate you?'

Lon was forced to take refuge in bl.u.s.ter. 'I am not here to be questioned by you, Doctor.'

He tugged uneasily at the gauntlet that covered his left arm, pulling it higher to make sure the snake design was concealed.

The Doctor noticed the gesture, and his eyes widened. 'No of course not. How foolish of me. Yes, I've been very stupid, haven't I?' He turned to Nyssa. 'You remember me telling you about the Mark of the Mara, Nyssa, on the Kinda world? I should have realised.'

Lon smiled. 'They'd never believe you, Doctor,' he said softly.

Lady Tanha looked from one to the other. 'What are you two talking about?'

The Doctor ignored her, addressing only Lon. 'Where is Tegan? What have you done with her?'

'Tegan?' said Tanha. 'Lon, who is this Tegan?'

'One of the Doctor's companions. Apparently he's managed to lose her.'

'Why is he asking you about her?'

'How should I know, Mother? That man is a complete and utter fool.'

The Doctor was still looking at Lon. 'You won't succeed in the end, you know. Evil never does.'

'Lon what does he mean?' asked Tanha uneasily. 'Evil? Who is evil?'

Lon gestured extravagantly. 'Oh I am, Mother, of course. Isn't it obvious? Your son is evil. Why else would they want to kill me? Don't you see?'

Anv threat to her son made Lady Tanha both angry and defensive.

Something about the Doctor's words to Lon had made her very uneasy.

'I most certainly do.' She waved to the guards. 'Take them away. Take them all away!'