Menagerie Part 25

'I think we both knew, however, that the man's life was forfeit long before the trial commenced.' forfeit long before the trial commenced.'

Extract from Trial of the Pendulum Scientist Trial of the Pendulum Scientist by Grand Knight Himesor. by Grand Knight Himesor.

Sixteen.

Cosmae and Kaquaan walked slowly through the castle, marvelling at how quickly the authority of the knights had turned to dust. There seemed to be as many guards patrolling the corridors and hallways as followers of Kuabris. The knights had given up without a fight, many of them perhaps having sensed for a long time that something was profoundly wrong. Zaitabor's name was whispered in banqueting halls and servants' quarters, but no one even challenged the couple as they approached Araboam's room.

Kaquaan had told her tale of recent events with great vigour, embellishing a little, making jokes at Jamie's expense, nudging Cosmae in the ribs every time she mentioned his recent predicament. Cosmae's story on the other hand had been short and muted, as there was little to say and his head hurt. He had been taken by the knights to a set of cells far beneath the castle. He instinctively knew that he was in the hands of the Brotherhood of Rexulon. There was no guard outside his strong cell door, and only very occasionally did a knight bring him food. He had been told that he could shout for as long as he liked, but he would never be heard. He believed this to be quite true.

From further down the corridor there had come an intermittent sound that reminded him of gra.s.shoppers on a summer's day. This he now knew to be the native language of the Taculbain Queen, and the dismal brotherhood cells had been her sad abode for a number of years.

Cosmae continued his recollections. 'I was given some sort of herb to eat,' he said. 'The leaves were bright yellow. I was determined not to eat the stuff, so I chewed and pretended to swallow. When no one was looking I spat it out again.'

'Perhaps that's what I was given,' said Kaquaan. 'Perhaps that's what made me sleep, ready for the sacrifice.' She shivered.

'How much further is it?' ask Cosmae.

'Not far,' she said.

'Well, I think . . .' Cosmae stopped walking, and rubbed his head. 'I'm really not feeling too well,' he explained.

Kaquaan placed her hands on his cheeks and stared into his eyes. 'You look poorly,' she said. 'You'd better go home.

I'll meet you there when I've checked up on our friend with the wandering hands.'

'But I can't leave you - just in case he's still in there.'

Do not worry,' said Kaquaan, resting a finger on his lips.

'I've still got his sword. And I'm sure the City Guard will help, if it comes to that.' She raised the blade to the light.

'You know,' she smiled, 'I am quite enjoying this.'

'Very well,' said Cosmae. He turned to leave. 'A few days ago I could think of few things worse than being rescued by a woman. But it's different with you.'

Kaquaan smiled. 'I know. I'll catch you up before you're even home. You'll see.'

She watched the young man walk back down the corridor and past a pair of chattering guards, staring in awe at the rich designs patterned along the ceiling. Then she moved away in search of Araboam's quarters.

'I wouldn't have thought it possible,' said Jamie, 'but this place is worse than the city. At least there I can see where I'm going.'

'If you have always lived somewhere you get used to it,'

said the Dugraq scout. 'It takes me a long time to adjust to the bright light on the surface.'

Defrabax followed behind at a distance, his eyes wide to capture every element of what he saw. Before him, and beneath an oppressive solid sky of rock, sat the old city he had seen previously only in his dreams. Even in the dim light he found the place magical and tantalising.

'Magnificent,' he said at last. 'The men that produced such a place must have walked amongst the G.o.ds.'

The Dugraq snorted. 'From what we know of the people here they probably came from the other place.'

'To finally be able to see what before I could only imagine,' continued Defrabax. 'To be able to walk the streets I thought that only my homunculus would ever walk.'

'Our worker,' corrected the Dugraq.

The man threw his arms into the air. 'Oh, this is wondrous!'

'It's dark and unpleasant,' said Jamie. 'And the sooner we can get away from here, the better. How much further is it?'

'Not far,' replied the scout. 'No, not very far.'

'You know,' said Jamie, swinging a boot at some litter, frozen solid by the years, 'the Doctor said he'd explain what the brotherhood did to my memories, but he didn't.'

'He seemed very preoccupied on the way down,'

commented Defrabax. 'His mind was elsewhere. But there is one thing we can be sure of: Zaitabor knew a lot more about science than he ever let on to his fellow knights.'

'So you think he used some sort of mind-control device?'

asked Jamie.

Defrabax seemed to weigh up the options, disguising the fact that he had no idea what Jamie was talking about. 'It's possible, I suppose.'

'More likely,' said the Dugraq, 'that he used some of the plants grown down here by the Taculbain.'

'Plants?' said Jamie. 'Here? I thought plants needed light to photosomething.'

'I believe the word is photosynthesize,' said the Dugraq.

'You're right, but some plants can survive in the dimmest of light. The Taculbain are great herbalists. They rely on particular leaves to trigger bodily transformations. If they want more soldiers, they feed certain of their number a particular type of dried leaf. There's a plant to change gender, another precipitates the transformation into a Queen in the rarest of individuals. It's a very useful system. I would imagine that these herbs would have very unusual effects on humans. Perhaps, centuries ago, such drugs were another area of research in this city. Who knows?'

'I'll not turn into one of those moth-creatures, will I?' said Jamie.

The Dugraq laughed. 'I don't think so. But if you start sprouting wings, I'll be the first to tell you.'

'How do you know where we're going?' asked Zoe, as they came to a halt before yet another fence topped with razor wire.

The Doctor pa.s.sed a torch to the twins and asked them to hold it in position. He pulled out a pin and began to stab experimentally at the padlock that held shut a small gate.

The thing was red with rust and Zoe rated the Doctor's chances of success at less than zero.

'It's very simple, Zoe,' he said through gritted teeth. 'We're looking for the main military bunker, the place where they conducted the nastiest and most dangerous experiments.

You know what the military mind is like. The place is bound to be right at the heart of their best-protected area.'

He waved his arms around him. 'This place is smack bang in the middle of the city. When everything was working it was better protected than Fort Knox.'

'Fort what?' asked Reisaz.

The Doctor pointed at the grey building just visible through the lines of fence and wire. 'I think that looks like the place, don't you?'

'I wouldn't dare to speculate, Doctor.'

The Doctor threw the pin to the floor in exasperation. 'Oh, dash it! The lock's rusted solid.'

'I could have told you that,' said Zoe.

'Sometimes,' said the Doctor, grasping his lapels in a most uncharacteristic action, 'I wonder why I bother . . .' He looked along the length of the fence in both directions.

'Wire cutters would do the trick, I'm sure, but we'll have to make do with what we've got. Now, our friend the Dugraq seemed to indicate that they occasionally come to this place to seek out information. And I dare say that this is the android's "home" as well. So there must be some way in.

Perhaps there's a hole in the fence somewhere.' With that, the Doctor strode off in the direction of the nearest lookout tower.

'And scree beasts might levitate,' said Raitak contemptuously.

Kaquaan crept up to the door that led to Araboam's quarters, although it was clear that the young knight had long since departed. The door had been kicked open from within with such force that the lock had sheared away from the wood. The floor was covered with splinters and dust, scuffed into patterns by footsteps.

She stepped inside, noting that the huge wardrobe in which they had locked Araboam had received similar treatment. The door had come away from the hinges and lay on the floor. Kaquaan stepped over it and towards a mound of paperwork that Araboam seemed to have thrown to the floor in disgust. She recognized some of the sketches as being Cosmae's. A number had been slashed with a blade.

The symbolism was obvious enough. She ran from the room.

'This is the realm of the Rocarbies,' announced the Dugraq as they descended a large metal stairway.

'I feel like I'm being watched,' said Jamie, looking around in the darkness nervously.

'You almost certainly are,' said the Dugraq. 'The Rocarbies are very territorial creatures. They've probably been tracking us since we crossed the main thoroughfare.'

'I can't say I'm looking forward to this meeting,' admitted Defrabax, at the rear of the party.

They stepped off the stairs and into a small tunnel which led to a long, gently curved slab of concrete. One side ran to the curved walls, the other touched only shadows.

The Dugraq paused in the centre of the expanse, staring mournfully at the redundant video screens that lined the far wall. 'Doubtless they once encouraged the purchasing of products,' said the little creature quietly 'Products to take away the fear of death and disguise age beneath layers of rubbish. And where are those people now? Where are the items that once promised everything short of immortality?'

'You're very philosophical,' muttered Defrabax sourly.

'Perhaps we should apply our intellects to the -'

'Such scorn makes you almost indiscernible from the Rocarbies,' retorted the Dugraq. 'No wonder you got on so well.'

'This is not the time for arguments,' said Jamie.

'No?' said Defrabax. 'Tell me when it is, and I'll give that little rat a clip around the nose.'

'You human human!' shouted the Dugraq, his lips curling around the insulting word. 'There is no beauty in your mind!'

Defrabax's intended reply was cut short as the wide tunnel resounded to the sound of creatures roaring. Jamie glanced quickly both ways and saw ape-like creatures coming towards them, heads thrown back, teeth bared.

Large numbers of the creatures were pulling themselves on to the platform from the darkness with their huge arms. As the first group approached them on all fours Jamie realized that escape was futile. 'I presume these are the creatures we're here to see?' he asked.