Prologue
The flickering torch cast dancing shadows over the stone walls as the high priest descended the steps. Ancient hieroglyphs that were carved into the rock were briefly illuminated as he passed. He reached the bottom of the steps and turned to face the assembled cult in the underground temple.
"It is time my brothers."
There were about a dozen figures standing in a circle around a dark pit that was edged with more hieroglyphs. Like the high priest, they all wore white tabards tied at the waist with hemp rope, and had bare feet. Hoods of white and good cloth obscured their faces.
The temple was circular in shape and shrouded in smoke from burning braziers and torches that hung from ornate brackets on the walls. The pungent smell of incense filled the air as the high priest walked towards the massive stone statue of an enormous beetle that dominated the temple.
In front of the beetle, stretched out on a low altar was a dark haired and olive skinned young woman. Dressed in a white shroud, she struggled against the bonds that held her arms and legs, but to no avail. Her elaborately made up eyes were wide with fear as the high priest approached.
Kneeling before the altar and the statue, the high priest lowered his head, stretched out his arms and breathed in slowly. Then, after a moment's pause, he threw his head back and got to his feet again. Reaching down, he took a powder from a golden platter next to the woman's head and cast it into a stone basin in front of him. The powder ignited with a brilliant yellow flame as the priest turned.
"Take her!" he commanded, and two of the figures moved forwards, picking up the struggling captive who squealed in terror. One carrying her feet, the other her shoulders, they brought her to the edge of the pit as the other members of the cult knelt at the edges.
"Cast her in!"
The two men threw the woman forward and she disappeared into the blackness with a lingering scream.
From the bottom of the pit came the sound of a dreadful clicking and chittering as she was ripped apart and devoured by something in the darkness.
The high priest raised his hands in supplication to the stone statue, his eyes blazing with feverish triumph. "The Cult of Khepri will be reborn!"
1.
In the twisting miasma that was the Time Vortex, the TARDIS appeared in a flash of blue light, tumbling over and over in the dark. It spun for a moment as if getting its bearings, and then, with a swirling kaleidoscope of shimmering colour flaring around it, vanished again.
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor was hunched over the central console, idly flicking switches, his chin resting in his hand. Above him the huge crystal and glass time rotor rose and fell steadily like the beat of a heart. The lights in the console were dim and low, the huge curving walls in shadow, the indented roundels glowing softly with emerald light. It was strange how the TARDIS instinctively knew the mood of the Doctor and his companions.
The inner door opened and Katherine de Gallois entered. She had changed out of her normal fashionable attire and was dressed simply yet elegantly in a gold and blue silk tunic and wore gold sandals on her feet. Her hair was braided with gold and she wore intricate golden bracelets on her forearms. Her naturally beauty was accentuated with elaborate dark make up that made her brown eyes seem like dusky pools.
Yet her face was sad.
The Doctor turned to Katherine and grinned appreciatively. "You look incredible!"
Katherine returned his grin with a much smaller smile. "Thank you," she said simply as she came to stand next to the Doctor by the console. "I know just you're trying to take my mind off Zoe."
The Doctor nodded gently. "Guilty as charged. We won't forget her Katherine. Her bravery saved both our lives and probably every living Cheem in the colony. She was brilliant."
There was a slight pause. "You haven't even told me where we're going," said Katherine lightly.
"I know," replied the Doctor with a grin, "but trust me, you'll love it!"
He had hardly finished speaking when the central column of light gently slowed to a halt accompanied by the familiar wheezing and groaning of the TARDIS materialising.
The Doctor checked the controls and then with a grin pulled a lever and the TARDIS doors opened.
Katherine stepped from the TARDIS into a market square and a wave of heat. In the far distance on the horizon were massive stone pyramids that stood from the sandy desert.
The Doctor stood besides her and threw his arms wide. "Welcome to Ancient Egypt!"
2.
Katherine gasped at the incredible vista before her.
The TARDIS has landed in the shadows of a canopy just next to a market square that was teeming and bustling with all kinds of Egyptian life. Hawkers and traders competed with each other to sell their wares to anyone that passed their stalls. Older men sat and smoked and drank on huge cushions under a billowing canvas that shaded them from the Sun's oppressive heat. Children ran and laughed amongst the adults. Dogs barked, chickens clucked, and cattle lowed as they were gently nudged through the market.
Then there were the smells: cooked meats, sweat, animals, perfumes and spices that were mixed together to form a strong and exotic aroma that Katherine would never forget.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Alexandria in the time of the Pharaohs," smiled the Doctor looking around him with interest.
"That explains why you wanted me to change into this," said Katherine indicating her gold and blue tunic. Katherine had loved history, and fashion was a particular interest of hers.
"Absolutely. Don't want to stand out do we?"
Katherine rolled her eyes. "No, of course not," she replied, her tongue firmly in her cheek.
The Doctor had left his usual long brown coat and his suit jacket in the TARDIS and just sported an open necked cream shirt with his trousers and white sneakers. He never really seemed to be affected by the different climates, which was more than could be said for her. Even though she had only stood in the marketplace for a minute, the Sun beat down on her, making her feel like she was wrapped in a warm blanket. A trickle of sweat ran down her back and she breathed slowly through her mouth, feeling the hot air in her lungs. She was amazed how all these people could stand it, but, of course, they were used to it.
"Fancy taking a look around?" the Doctor asked, and Katherine nodded eagerly.
They walked slowly through the marketplace, the Doctor holding Katherine's hand tightly and all too aware of the appreciative looks she was getting from many of the men that they passed.
But it wasn't the appreciative gazes of the market traders that should have concerned the Doctor.
They were being watched from the shadows by a beady pair of eyes - a pair of eyes that had witnessed the arrival of a blue box from the Gods.
3.
The Doctor paused at one of the market stalls and picked up two palm leaves that were folded to contain a mixture of dates and figs. He dug around in his pocket before finding a coin, examined it briefly and then with a surprised expression on his face, tossed it to the market trader. He handed a leaf to Katherine and they walked away. "I suppose a Euro could be worth a fortune in a few hundred years," mused the Doctor a little guiltily, munching on a fig.
Katherine smiled mischievously as she unfolded the palm leaf, popped a date into her mouth and chewed appreciatively. "These are delicious."
The Doctor still had a mouthful of figs so nodded and mumbled a reply, red juice trickling down his chin.
Suddenly there was the sound of a brass trumpet. Ahead of them Katherine could see that the crowd had parted as a platoon of bare-chested Egyptian troops marched through the street surrounding an expensive litter that was borne aloft by six black skinned slaves. The litter was contained by a purple silk curtain, hiding the occupant within.
The Doctor suddenly grinned from ear to ear. "Oh fantastic!" he cried and started to move towards the litter, absent-mindedly giving the palm leaf of food to an old beggar who sat dejectedly at the side of the street.
Katherine looked on worriedly as he approached. The soldiers instantly barred his way with long, vicious looking spears, but the Doctor seemed totally unabashed. "I beg an audience with the Queen!"
One of the guards raised his spear threateningly. "Move aside dog," he snarled, "or we'll feed your gizzard to the vultures!"
The Doctor didn't flinch, but after a moment, and much to Katherine's amazement, the curtain of the litter was drawn back. She heard a regal female voice exclaim delightedly from within. "Doctor, is it you?"
The Doctor grinned and bowed. "It is your Majesty." He stepped back and Katherine peered inside the litter. Stretched out on purple silk cushions was a stunningly beautiful woman, perhaps in her early thirties, with olive skin, long braided dark hair and elaborate make-up. She was dressed in a shimmering and brilliant gold white gown that left her right shoulder bare and was slit up the side to reveal shapely legs.
The Doctor turned to Katherine. "Katherine, may I present Queen Cleopatra of all Egypt and the Nile!"
4.
Hasan hurried through the sweltering marketplace and then down some smaller, quieter streets that were more shaded by the tall stone and mud buildings on each side. He paused to check that he was not being observed as he slipped into a covered alley. He had to find one of the tunnels that led to the temple.
He knew that his master would want to know of the messengers from the Heavens.
The Doctor chuckled as he took another appreciative sip of his wine. He relaxed back on the enormous silk cushion and popped another grape into his mouth. Close to him, Katherine lounged on another cushion and talked and laughed with Cleopatra who reclined gracefully on more cushions on a raised regal couch.
He watched them with amusement. The two women, both elegant and beautiful, talked animatedly like two sisters or best friends who were catching up on news and gossip. They had taken to each other at once, Katherine immediately recovering some of her aristocratic graces from her own upbringing.
The Palace at Alexandria was truly magnificent and the large chamber where they sat, covered with marble and gold, was equally as breathtaking. Huge and ornate pillars reached up to the ceiling whilst bass relief and exquisitely decorated images of hieroglyphs and pharaohs decorated the walls. In the corner of the chamber and recessed into the floor surrounded by mosaic, was a warm bath of water and milk.
Several Nubian slaves waved large ostrich-feathered fans whilst others stood a respectable distance away, ready to offer any assistance their Queen required. Two bald and well-muscled guards stood at the chambers only doorway.
Cleopatra raised an eyebrow, a suggestive smile on her lips and a twinkle in her beautiful dark eyes. "Your companion does you great credit Doctor."
The Doctor inclined his head. "Thank you your Majesty." He had visited Ancient Egypt many times of course, but this was his third meeting with Cleopatra. After their last encounter, the Doctor considered the Queen one of his 'more important' friends.
Cleopatra leant across to Katherine and whispered something into her ear, never taking her eyes from the Doctor's face.
Katherine looked at the Doctor, then back to Cleopatra, before both women exploded into giggles. The Doctor sighed good-naturedly. It was all too clear that he was being teased.
Suddenly, the door to the chamber opened and a man entered. He was in his late fifties, completely bald and had a serious, almost intense, face. He clutched at his dark robe as he approached Cleopatra and bowed deeply. "My Queen, I honour thee."
Cleopatra gave a little sigh. "Doctor, Katherine, this is Merritet - advisor to my court."
5.
Merritet bowed before the Doctor and Katherine, his hand over his chest. "My lord; my lady," he said with a rich, deep voice
Katherine nodded graciously in return and the Doctor smiled. "Nice to meet you Merritet."
The court advisor studied the two time travellers closely and the Doctor saw at once that the man was no fool. A keen intelligence burned behind those intense, dark eyes. "You have travelled far Doctor?"
"You could say that," replied the Doctor casually.
"From Rome?"
"Oh, much, much further."
"The Doctor is an old friend to us Merritet," interrupted Cleopatra, "and this time he has brought the lovely lady Katherine to Alexandria."
Merritet turned to regard Katherine. "You are a stranger to our city my lady?"
Katherine nodded. "Yes."
Meritet paused. "Then, with my Queen's leave, perhaps I suggest you take a tour of the Alexandria?" he said slowly. "Our city is the most beautiful in all the civilised world."
"Oh could we?" Katherine gasped with delight.
"What a wonderful idea," said Cleopatra, clapping her hands with glee.
Merritet cleared his throat and looked at the ground, something clearly on his mind. "My Queen," he began, "if I could speak with you?"
Cleopatra rolled her eyes. "Really Merritet! You suggest something marvellous and then want me to stay here and talk to you!"
"I'm truly sorry my Queen."
The Doctor had been watching Merritet closely and realised what he had intended by the suggestion. He suddenly got to his feet. "Yes, well," he said breezily, "why don't we wait outside for a moment?" He pulled a surprised Katherine to her feet. "Come on my lady."
Cleopatra raised an eyebrow as the Doctor and Katherine, two Nubian slaves behind them, walked out of the door. As it closed behind them, she turned back to Merritet petulantly, her hands on her hips. "Well?"
Merritet paused before replying. "I need more slaves for the site my Queen."
Outside the door, the Doctor stooped down to tie his shoe laces and pulled a surprised Katherine down to crouch on the marble floor next to him.
He grinned up at the two Nubian slaves that stood a respectable distance behind them. "Sorry, sorry." Then he lowered his voice and leant in towards Katherine who looked at him in bemusedly. "Go with Cleopatra," he hissed, "you'll be safe with her."
"Why? What about you?"
"I noticed something back there. I'm going to stay and do some snooping around!"
6.
Katherine leant back on the soft cushions inside the litter and smiled. This was definitely the way to see the city. The silk drapes that surrounded the compartment kept away the harsh heat of the Sun and periodically they would stop so that the slaves carrying the litter could be changed. When this happened, another two slaves would hurry forward and cool them with enormous feathered fans.
The tour of Alexandria had taken them at least two hours and Katherine had marvelled at the amazing architecture, from intricate mosaics to tall stone turrets. Now they were heading across to the docks for a final stop before returning to the Palace.
Katherine glanced across at Cleopatra. The Queen had seemed a little distracted when they had first started off and her usual charm and warm smile were absent. It hadn't taken her long to regain it however, and the two women were soon laughing again as they toured Alexandria.
Cleopatra noticed Katherine's glance and smiled wickedly as she sipped at a goblet of wine. "A pity the Doctor was taken suddenly ill?"
"Oh, sometimes he can be a poor traveller," Katherine replied airily before smiling demurely at the Queen.
Cleopatra laughed mischievously and nodded. "Indeed! Men often are!"
The Doctor poked his head around the corner carefully to check that Merritet was still in sight and then ducked back again to wait for a few moments. Trailing the advisor through the palace had been difficult to say the least. Slaves and other servants had not given him a second glance and just bowed or stood respectfully as he had passed. Other attendees had given him curious glances that he had returned with his usual confident smile.
But there were others, including some palace guards, which had given him more suspicious glances. So much, he mused, for using his psychic paper in Ancient Egypt. He glanced down at it as he waited for Merritet to go a little further. "I wonder if they see hieroglyphs?" he muttered.
He stowed the paper away in his pocket - time for him to follow Merritet again.
The Doctor turned the corner and almost bumped into the four palace guards that stood in front of him. "Excuse me," he grinned, "I was just….."
He went to walk past them and they moved to block his way again.
The Doctor looked at the hostile faces of the guards as they drew their swords