Part 24 (1/2)

'Indubitably,' agreed Sarah, as she sucked in the fresh night air. Then there was a barrage of firing as Fulbright and his men let the three attacking dogs have the full force of their guns. The animals howled in pain, but went down.

The Doctor dropped to the ground beside Sarah. For once he looked as if he had been through the wars, too. There was a gash down one cheek, and his deerstalker was missing. His scarf fluttered in the breeze, and there was a happy gleam in his eyes. 'Three cheers for the Seventh Cavalry,' he joked.

'Is it over?' Sarah asked. There was a ringing in her ears as Fulbright and his men fired a second time. All sounds and movements from the dogs ceased.

'No,' the Doctor informed her. 'It's far from over. But the war is done. Now we have the peace to negotiate. I have to stop Ross from doing anything foolish which isn't likely to be very easy.'

Coda arah stood on the stony beach as the sun began to rise. There was a chill in the air, but less of one in her heart now. It Shad been a long night, but the dawn promised to wipe a great deal of the pain and loss away. She glanced around as Alice came to join her in staring out over the choppy waters.

'Father says that the underground pa.s.sageways have flooded,' she said softly. 'They found the body of the last dog in the water there.'

'But not Doctor Ross or Breckinridge?'

'No,' Alice sighed. 'But Edmund Colonel Ross has finally explained everything to my father.' She shook her head.

'If only he'd told us some of this earlier.'

Sarah couldn't resist a smile. 'What did your father say when Ross told him he'd been the chief suspect for a while?'

Alice laughed. 'He was about ready to challenge him to a duel, I think. Then he saw the funny side of things, and they're getting along rather well now.'

'He's not such a bad person, is he?'

'Edmund?' Alice shook her head. 'Only he's so secretive, even when it's not needed.'

'I guess it comes with the job,' Sarah replied. 'He's a little like the Doctor in some ways, you know. They both keep secrets, sometimes too well.'

'I've been meaning to ask you,' Alice said, 'where is your friend? n.o.body's seen him for a while, and everyone has questions that they want answered.'

Laughing, Sarah said, 'That's why he's not around. He hates explaining things. Besides, he's gone to fetch the TARDIS.'

'The TARDIS?' Alice frowned. 'Is that your carriage?'

'Something like that,' Sarah agreed. She just hoped that the Doctor was right, and that he really could make the short hop from Dartmoor to the beach. He'd probably have to go via Mars to make it, though. She'd had to trust him, because she had been too worn out from her adventures to accompany him back to the s.h.i.+p.

Another figure stumbled down the path from the town towards them. Sarah winced as she realized it was Kipling. She couldn't help liking the boy, but sometimes he could be such a nuisance. 'How are you feeling?' she asked him.

'Like I've got a hangover,' he admitted. 'I missed out on all the fun, I gather.'

'You were almost a part of it,' she told him. 'Breckinridge had a change in mind for you. Luckily, it didn't come about.'

She smiled at him. 'Do you recall anything about last night?'

'After the graveyard?' He shrugged. 'All I know is that I dreamed of wolves, howling all about me.' He shook his head.

'Odd. Oh well.' He looked up at her. 'Will you be going now?'

'Soon,' Sarah admitted.

'Pity.' Kipling suddenly leaned forward and kissed her cheek. 'It's been fun, though. I won't forget you, Sarah Jane Smith.'

'Nor I you, Rudyard Kipling.' She laughed. 'You're going to make lots of people proud of you.'

He waved, nodded at Alice and then started back up the path. 'School's going to be ruddy dull after this,' he muttered.

'Wolves, graveyards, mermaids . . .' He disappeared, still muttering to himself.

'Not a bad sort, really,' Sarah said. She glanced at Alice. 'You're going to hear a lot more about him, you know. I'm glad I got to know him.'

Alice stared at her uncertainly. 'Are you . . .' she began. Then she screwed up her courage: 'Are you really from the future? The others were talking, and . . .' She gave a quick gesture of uncertainty with her hands.

'Yes,' Sarah admitted. 'I am.'

'Then you know what becomes of us all?' asked Alice.

'Not all,' Sarah admitted. 'Just a few of you, the ones I happen to have heard about for one reason or another in my time.'

'Oh.' Alice stood quietly beside Sarah, staring out to sea.

It was pleasant, standing here, with nothing much to think about. Sarah felt happy, just watching the sun rise and hearing the sound of the seagulls wheeling overhead. In the distance she could see several small boats. 'The fis.h.i.+ng fleet's coming back,' she murmured.

There was a roaring, cras.h.i.+ng, grinding sound that slowly began to fill the air. It appeared to be coming from a spot about ten feet down the beach. Alice went white and clutched at Sarah's arm.

'It's okay,' Sarah rea.s.sured her. 'I think that's my cab arriving.'

The air s.h.i.+mmered as the familiar outlines of the TARDIS formed and then solidified. There was a final thump and the sound died away, then the door was flung open and the Doctor stormed out. He was back in his usual costume, his hat rammed down over his curls, and the scarf trailing free once more instead of being tucked inside a cape coat.

'Right,' he said briskly. 'Time to finish things. Come along, Sarah, don't dawdle.'

Pulling a face at his retreating back, Sarah followed him up the pathway and back to the factory. Alice, fighting down the questions she obviously wanted to ask, struggled to keep up with them.

The factory had been closed for the time being, until decisions could be made about its future. There was a small knot of men there, talking in animated fas.h.i.+on. Sarah recognized most of them: Colonel Ross and Abercrombie, Sir Edward Fulbright and Roger Bridewell, Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Alexander Cromwell, Constable Faversham and Doctor Martinson, and the one-armed fisherman, Brackley.

'Ah,' Fulbright growled as they joined the party. 'Glad you're back.'

'So am I.' The Doctor turned to Ross. 'Now, I a.s.sume the main problem left is the children?'

'Yes,' he agreed. 'We've agreed that everything else can be kept quiet. There's certainly no need for any of this to come out. The salve is destroyed, I hope?'

'I believe so,' the Doctor answered. 'It doesn't mix too well with salt water. Even if it's not gone, it's so diluted now as to be useless.'