Part 22 (2/2)

s...o...b..ld blew out a long breath. He could see now why the Doctor had been interested. 'You're saying we need a sudden, vast body of water to douse the flames. To put out the fire.'

The Doctor beamed, nodding his head with furious excitement. 'That's exactly right.'

s...o...b..ld found himself also nodding, caught up in the Doctor's sudden enthusiasm. 'Just one other thing, Doctor?' he said when they had both finished grinning and nodding. 'About the myth?'

'Yes?'

'Who actually won?'

The Doctor's face fell. 'Really,' he admonished. 'Have a little faith. It can move mountains, you know.'

'I did know that, actually, Doctor. Yes.'

'Then you won't be surprised to hear that Pariacaca, water, won the battle. The fire of Huallallo was quenched, and Pariacaca built a presumably symbolic dam and created a huge artificial lake. Again that's symbolic, I suppose.'

s...o...b..ld nodded. That made sense. It also echoed similar myths and stories from other parts of the world. 'We have an artificial lake,' he said. 'The reservoir. But it's not very near the fissure. I still don't see how this helps, I'm afraid. I don't see us being able to lure this huge ma.s.s of ' He shrugged. 'Of whatever it is, I don't see us luring it into the lake. And even if we did, there's still Nepath to deal with. And his sister.'

'True,' the Doctor admitted. He tapped his fingers against his teeth as he considered. 'Very true. But this reminds us that we need a ma.s.s a veritable torrent of water even to begin to deal with such a huge body of fire.'

'Faith may move mountains, Doctor. But I think we need something more worldly and physical to move this creature and deposit it in the reservoir.'

'Even a.s.suming that would do the trick,' the Doctor said slowly. Then his face brightened. 'But there is another proverb about mountains which you should know.'

'Should I?'

'Well,' the Doctor said as he picked his way across the room, waving impatiently to s...o...b..ld to follow, 'it does concern the prophet Mohamed. I a.s.sume you've heard of him.'

Chapter Eighteen.

Doctor's Orders It seemed as if the very ground was alive. It heaved and bubbled around them as the Doctor and s...o...b..ld plunged through the choking air. Trees waved and dipped, not because of the wind, but because their roots were moving with the ground. When they reached it, the moor seemed to tremble beneath their feet. Steam escaped from splits and holes in the ground. Pools of molten rock were oozing their way up to the surface. The fumes and the smoke thickened the air still further.

'Where are we going going, Doctor?' s...o...b..ld choked out. It was not the first time he had asked.

'We need to get to higher ground, above this.'

'Smoke rises, surely?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'Not this smoke. It's heavier than air. It will roll along the ground. We might clear the top of it if we can rise high enough.'

They continued in silence for a while. The air was yellow and seemed to condense on s...o...b..ld's skin and clothes. He pressed a handkerchief over his face, trying to keep the stench out of his nostrils and throat. He was completely lost. The Doctor seemed to be heading in a deliberate, specific direction, but s...o...b..ld had no idea what it was or where they would eventually land up. 'We don't have any mountains, you know, Doctor,' he said through the handkerchief. But even as he said it he realised that they were walking uphill.

'Nearly there,' the Doctor a.s.sured him. 'I think.' He paused, licked his finger and held it up. Then he set off again, striding confidently into the swirling sulphur*laden fog.

There were figures approaching them. s...o...b..ld could see their shapes, coalescing out of dark patches of mist. All walking in unison, all uniform in shape.

'Doctor,' he said, 'look.'

'We have company,' the Doctor agreed, his voice low and wary.

The nearest figure emerged into sight in front of them, the mist seeming to part as it marched towards them.

s...o...b..ld recognised him at once. 'Captain Brookes thank heavens.'

'Who is it?' a voice called from the gloom. A moment later Colonel Wilson appeared. 'Ah, Reverend. And Doctor. It's good to see you.'

'And you,' s...o...b..ld a.s.sured them, though he was concerned at the state of both men. Their uniforms were scorched and torn. Their faces were almost black with soot and dirt and they looked exhausted. One side of Wilson's face was caked in dried blood.

'I fear we may have lost our way a little. We were making for the higher ground. By the reservoir.' Behind him a dozen other soldiers were now visible. They were in a similar state. Several of them were easing the straps of the large rucksacks on their backs.

'Then follow us,' the Doctor said and set off once more through the mist. 'I'm glad you found us, Colonel,' his voice floated back. 'It saves me having to come and find you. I have a little job you can help with.'

It was like emerging from a cloud. For several yards the air seemed to thin and become less noxious. Then, quite suddenly, they were out into milky sunlight. The air was cooler, and s...o...b..ld felt the fresh breeze on his face. He looked around and saw that they were on the steep slope that led up the sides of the reservoir. The dam was only fifty yards away.

Below them, back the way they had come, the world was swathed in a blanket of yellow*orange mist. There were few features visible beneath or within it. s...o...b..ld fancied he could make out the top of the church tower in the distance, but it was impossible to he sure.

The only feature that was definitely recognisable was the fissure. A ragged line of fire traced through the mist below them. Other pale, glowing lines stretched out from it. Even from a different vantage point and with no other references within the landscape, s...o...b..ld could see that these lines traced the paths of the lines of melted snow the Doctor had shown him from the church tower.

'We should be safe here for a while,' Wilson said to his men. He turned to the Doctor. 'Shouldn't we?'

The Doctor nodded. He was standing looking out over the misty world. He turned slowly in an arc to survey the entire landscape, ending up facing the dam.

'Get some rest while you can,' Wilson continued. 'Captain Brookes, organise a watch rota.'

'No.' The Doctor's voice was firm. 'There's no time for that.' He swung round to face Wilson. 'Your men have work to do.'

'Really, Doctor?' Wilson sighed and looked round. 'What can can we do?' we do?'

The Doctor's expression was grave. He fixed on Wilson with steely blue eyes. 'I want you to blow up the dam.'

s...o...b..ld was shocked, and he had at least had some inkling of the Doctor's plan. Wilson and Brookes plainly could not believe their ears.

'You want us to what?' Wilson demanded.

'You heard correctly,' the Doctor said. 'I a.s.sume it is feasible.'

Wilson looked to Brookes.

'We've got some explosives with us,' the captain confirmed. 'You need demolition charges really, not grenades and ammunition salvaged from the field guns. But yes, it's possible.'

'Would you mind telling us why?' Wilson asked.

'Because I think water is the only way to stop that thing,' the Doctor told him. 'Vast quant.i.ties of icy cold water. In a sudden rush. It might just be a sufficient shock to put out the fire.'

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