Part 22 (1/2)

'And how do you do that?'

Dok-Ter jumped up. 'Easily, Ben. I give them Frowline Thor-Sun on a plate.'

Frowline Thor-Sun came cras.h.i.+ng towards them at that moment, chased by Lotuss and two night-demons.

' Et voila Et voila,' said Dok-Ter. He stood directly in front of her and pulled her down into their hideaway behind the bazaar stall. He put his fingers to his lips and although she gave him a murderous look, she nodded. The demons ran on by and when they sounded safely far away Thor-Sun relaxed.

'Loathsome as you are, Dok-Ter, I offer you my congratulations. A brilliant ploy. I don't know how . . She stopped, seeing Adoon for the first time. He felt her eyes bore into him, he could almost see the hatred in her as if it were a stick poking at him. 'Of course,' she continued. 'The clumsy boy - and you were on the roof as well. I should have recognized you. So now we all have Aysha and her stupid cats chasing us. Any suggestions, Dok-Ter?'

'Yes. Escape.'

'Oh, great. I mean, even Ben might have thought of that one. How?'

Adoon suddenly thought of something. 'Great Djinn DokTer.'

'Yes, Adoon?'

'Can you make a carpet fly?'

171.

Dok-Ter smiled. 'Alas, I can't.'

'But,' Ben-Jak said, 'I know someone who can.'

Dok-Ter frowned, and then nodded. Together they turned and looked at Thor-Sun. Dok-Ter shrugged. 'You are, after all, a demon, Frowline Thor-Sun.'

Thor-Sun quietly pulled at the back of the bazaar stall, revealing a lot of carpets. She picked a large one. 'This big enough? Are we taking your young friend?'

'Yes.' Adoon was determined to come along. A flying carpet . . . He tugged at Dok-Ter's sleeve and put on his best 'oh, pleeeeeese' face.

Dok-Ter shrugged. 'All right. Adoon can come too.'

Thor-Sun grimaced. 'I'm not taking any responsibility for the child. Or, for that matter, either of you. Where are we going?'

'Back to the shuttle. I trust you can pilot it without Aysha's cronies?'

'Of course.'

Dok-Ter,' began Ben-Jak, 'you can't consider leaving the Cat-People in this time? I mean, they could rewrite history.'

Dok-Ter was stroking the carpet, letting the ta.s.sels on one corner fall through his fingers. 'Oh, I think Adoon's people would swiftly make mincemeat of them.'

'Oh, the compa.s.sion. The concern for life overwhelms me,' said Thor-Sun. 'I thought you loved life in all its myriad forms. Or is that so much hogwash to disguise your true, selfish side?'

Dok-Ter slowly raised his head and stared at her, his eyes the same bright green as the night-demons Adoon had seen earlier (but his eyes were blue moments ago?). 'A few savages are a price worth paying to save the planet from their rapacious greed, don't you think?'

'Wouldn't know, mon cheri mon cheri. I'm more than happy to see Earth reduced to molten slag, just for the h.e.l.l of it.

Watching it grow and expand over the last forty thousand years has been about as interesting as counting Aysha's fleas. I don't care if it survives or not. So long as I don't have to stay here much longer.' She sat down on the carpet, 172 laid out on the cobbled ground. 'All aboard the Flying Carpet Express. First stop, the Cat-People shuttle. Hold tight. Fasten your seat belts and -'

'Get on with it,' growled Ben-Jak.

'Miserable human.' Thor-Sun leaned towards Dok-Ter.

'Still, if you only lived three score years and ten, you'd be grumpy too. Lucky, aren't we.'

Dok-Ter pointed upwards. 'Don't even try to suggest we are similar, Thor-Sun. The concept makes my stomach turn.'

Thor-Sun began to hum quietly to herself, a rhythmic pattern which Adoon found pleasant. It reminded him of the songs his mother would sing when scrubbing the family clothes. Suddenly he realized he was moving. The carpet was rising up.

'Blimey,' said Ben-Jak. 'It's working.'

'Of course it's working, Ben. Euterpians are very clever.

Let's hope Aysha doesn't spot us though.'

Adoon decided to take a look at Baghdad from the air - and literally found his breath taken away by the spectacle.

They were only a few man-heights from the ground but it was enough to give him a perspective he knew he would never forget. The wind was stronger but cooler and his ears felt slightly funny. He tried rubbing them, but it did not do anything much.

'Air pressure, mate. They'll get back to normal after a few minutes back on the ground.' Prince Ben-Jak knew everything. If he said it would be all right, Adoon knew it would.

Dok-Ter pointed down. 'OK, Thor-Sun. Take us down.'

Still humming quietly, she nodded and the carpet gently began to descend. Seconds later it was flat beside the silver tent.

'How do we get in?' asked Ben-Jak.

Without waiting for an answer, Thor-Sun whistled and a gap appeared in the side. Adoon stroked the tent - it was cold and metallic. He decided that he would not want to live in it. Dok-Ter smiled at him and Adoon was positive he could read his thoughts. Then again, he was a Great Djinn.

173.

'It's all right, Adoon. You don't need to come in.' He waved at Ben-Jak and pointed. Unseen by Thor-Sun, Ben-Jak nodded and slipped into the tent, coming back out with two silver clubs. Thor-Sun was looking for the night-demons but with little success. 'Now, Adoon, I have a job for you,' DokTer was saying. 'I want you to go back home and raise your family. Get them to tell everyone about the demons and to come and chase them away. And thank you for everything you've done. You are a very brave boy.'

Adoon wanted to tell Dok-Ter that he was staying, that he wanted to travel in the silver tent and fly on another magic carpet. But Dok-Ter's eyes stared at him (his eyes were blue - or green - but not grey) and Adoon knew he had to do as he was told. With a bow of thanks he headed for the parapet and climbed back on to the roof from which he had first set eyes on Dok-Ter, Prince Ben-Jak, Thor-Sun and the demons. There, he would go down the stairs and back home.

He gave a last look, preparing to wave goodbye. And stopped.

Dok-Ter and Prince Ben-Jak were aiming silver clubs at a protesting Thor-Sun. Dok-Ter called out, 'Queen Aysha, this is the Dok-Ter. I have Thorgarsuunela - she's yours if you take us back home.' What Dok-Ter had not seen were the night-demons, led by Lotuss coming up behind them. There was nothing he could do as the demons jumped them, and the leader stepped out of the shadows. 'Thank you, Dok-Ter.

Your usefulness has not ended. Unlike Thorgarsuunela's.'

Thor-Sun stood upright, angrily. 'Stuff and nonsense. You still need me to -'

'We need nothing from you. We now know what we are looking for. We also know that you are ignorant as to the whereabouts of the beacon. The Dok-Ter will help us or we will kill his companion.' She turned to Dok-Ter. 'Which, if I remember correctly, was your suggestion.'