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Chapter 2: Dead End
The Doctor raced ahead at full tilt. He knew heading back toward the palace was dangerous, but there's nothing more effective than 'hiding in plain sight'.
"The closer you are to danger," grunted the Time Lord under his breath, "The farther you are from harm." 'At least in most cases.'
He was looking for any discreet avenue in which to hide until he could find a way over the wall. In doing so, he ran right up to the foundations of the palace.
Quickly scanning the area, the Doctor saw a tiny alley that curved away out of sight. He unconsciously took a deep breath, and hastened down the passage. It curved left and right, and went on for quite a ways 'til the Doctor feared he had hopelessly trapped himself in an passage without an exit.
But suddenly, a draft of fresh cool air came into his lungs. The avenue opened wide and the Doctor came to a stop; he was a little taken aback to find himself standing in something of a secret garden.
Ancient trees, a crystal pond, flowers of fragrance, and an air so still not a sound broke the silence. . .
The Doctor stared, so in awe for a moment that he wondered if he had been pulled to another world yet again. 'I haven't been magically transported off Hemlokon, have I?'
-Doctor-
The Doctor's brow creased as he heard his name echo faintly around him. He saw something shift out of the corner of his eye. He spun to face it, only to jerk back, for it was a figure swathed in a great mantel of white. The Doctor was shocked he hadn't noticed it 'til that very moment.
The figure stood just a little ways away, atop a short hill; its face was hidden in the shade of a large white hood. And all around, it seemed to be glowing with an ethereal light.
Tentatively the Time Lord approached, for the warmth of that light felt very familiar. "White Guardian?" he whispered. The glow faded, and the Doctor stared as the figure pulled the hood backward. The Time Lord's eyes widened — a blonde-haired girl was staring back.
"Hello," she said, looking at him most curiously. Her short wavy locks were illuminated by the sun rays, granting her a golden crow around her head.
"Hello." answered the Doctor, still frowning confusedly. 'But, that was the White Guardian's aura! Wasn't it? Unless. . .'
The girl smiled, brow creased with puzzlement. "You look around as if there's something you've missed. Who are you, stranger?"
The Doctor's eyes settled on the girl. "I," he hesitated, "I'm the Doctor."
There was a wide stone bench behind the girl, and she took a step towards it. "Well, what on Hemlokon are you doing here? Ithought I was the only one who got up at this hour."
The Doctor's eyes dulled as he sighed through his nose. "As a matter of fact I—"
He was cut off as a volley of clomping guard feet sounded through the alley behind him. "This way!" shouted a distant voice.
The Doctor jerked 'round, and the girl was surprised by the stark agitation that had come into his body. 'He looks like coiled metal!' thought she, 'Ready to spring away at a moment's notice!'
Indeed, the Doctor jumped away from the garden threshold, tearing up the short hill to the girl. "Is there another way out of here?" he asked, eyes darting all around the ancient garden.
"No." answered the girl, a light blue tunic showing through now that she was allowing the white mantel to slip from her shoulders. "Why? Are those the palace guards?"
"Yes!" called the Time Lord, darting towards the nearest tree. He glanced up toward the verdant bows, wondering if they were leafy enough to conceal him. He suddenly glanced back at the girl. 'Of course that won't do me any good if she tells them where I am!'
"They're after you?" asked the girl, her tone level and calm, "Why? What have you done?"
Doctor's eyes were sharp as he 'rounded on the girl. "Nothing!" he snapped, his hearts pounding.
The girl studied his amber eyes, and her expression became one of wonderment. 'His eyes are so clear. . ! Even at a distance I can see it! '
The Doctor's gaze jerked back toward the inlet: the guards were just beyond the last curve. His innards tightened, sickeningly so. 'They're going to find me! I've got to–!'
"Here!" called the girl. The Doctor looked towards her, and saw she'd called to him. She was also pointing toward the stone bench, over which she had draped her large white cloak; she was holding up the edge and indicating the Doctor should hide underneath.
The Time Lord didn't argue. He ducked beneath the bench as several armed guards barged onto the scene. The girl calmly seated herself and, folding her arms, looked towards the men.
Nervous expressions came over the guards' faces when they saw who she was; quickly they bowed. "Forgive us for the intrusion, Majesty."
Hidden in the cloak shadow, the Doctor raised his head. 'Majesty?'
"What do you want?" asked the girl, looking on them somewhat critically.
"We are looking for a man in dark blue. Do forgive us, but, have you seen him?"
The girl smiled. "As a matter of fact I have." said she, and stood.
The Doctor held his breath.'You can't tell them!' he called from his mind, 'Why hide me just to give me away?' He grit his teeth, blood thumping against his temples.
"Where?" asked the guards eagerly.
The young majesty took a step away from the bench, shaking her head. "No, no." shesaid, "He is no longer any of your concern. I don't want you to pursue him anymore. Is that understood?"
The guards looked at one another. "But," began the lead man, "What do we tell the Queen's servants?"
The girl's eyes widened. "The Queen's servants? They're the ones who've ordered you to capture this man?"
"Yes." responded the guards, fidgeting uneasily.
"Well that stops right now!" sounded the girl, "The Festival of the Equinox is tomorrow, yes? Therefore, I'm ordering you to take the rest of the day off – ALL of you. Go to your families, be merry and prepare for the celebration ahead."
Surprised smiles spread across the guards' faces. "Oh thank you Majesty!" they called.
"And one more thing!" ordered the girl, stopping the men before they could even turn to leave, "And I want you to make sure all your fellow guardsmen know this: None of you are to take orders from the Queen's servants until after the Festival is over. Edict of the Princess of Fohenn."
The men's smiles were bolstered by this last command. "Yes Majesty!" they cheered, and raced away shouting heartily.
The girl smiled, sighing quietly. She turned as the Doctor lifted the edge of the cloak. He leaned out, looking at her with curiosity, intrigue, and a measure of relief. "Th-thanks," he said, as he got to his feet. She moved towards him, smiling pleasantly. The Doctor glanced briefly at the inlet, before returning his gaze to her. "You're the, Princess of Fohenn?"
The girl laughed, a light-hearted sound. "Oh!" she said, "Now I know you're a stranger! Not just to me, but to Fohenn itself. Indeed I am." shecleared her throat, "How came you here, eh–Doctor wasn't it?"
The Time Lord nodded. "To be honest, I came here rather unexpectedly. Actually I've only been here since dawn. And, as a matter of fact, this is my first time coming to Hemlokon— Oh, hold on," Taking a backward step, the Time Lord faced the girl fully, and, standing straight and regal, he bowed; his smile was brilliant. "I want to thank you for saving my life, Princess— eh– Sorry, what is your name?"
The Princess giggled. "That's right, in all the bedlam I didn't have time to share my title." She composed herself properly and, taking an equal step backward, she curtsied. "I am Princess Celadus en Ci, of the Kingdom Fohenn." She straightened up again, her body relaxing as she stood at ease. "But my father calls me Cecél. You're welcome to do so as well, if you like."
"I would like." grinned the Time Lord, warmly. "Now Cecél, can—"
"Saved your life?" asked the Princess suddenly, "What do you mean? You didn't do anything wrong, surely the guards weren't intending to kill you!"
"Well that's just it! I–"
"Princess! Oh Princess!" came an overwrought voice. Doctor and Cecél turned to see an old woman scrambling out of the depths of the passage.
"Marssa!" Cecél looked to the Doctor, "It's my handmaid."
"Oh Princess," gasped the woman, trying to catch her breath, "The Folibirds are budding! You said you always wanted see—"
"The Folibirds!" gasped Cecél, with realization, "Oh!" She darted toward the inlet, followed by the exhausted old woman. The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, wondering whether or not he had cause to follow.
Cecél paused abruptly on the garden threshold. "The Folibirds only bud once every three seasons! And I've never been able to watch it happen! Come Doctor! You must see them!" The Princess and her handmaid vanished down the passage, and the Time Lord concluded he could do little else but follow.
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It wasn't until they had reached a small hanging garden somewhere in the outer palace uppers that the Doctor found out what Folibirds were. To his amazement, they were actual birds born from the buds of flowers!
There were magnificently large flowers all around, and the trio watched as their petals spread in the morning light, revealing small green bundles that suddenly fluttered their leafy wings and took flight. Soon the air was full of lively chirping as the budded birds began to sing, songs of life, as if they had always been part of the living world.
The Doctor was gaping in awe, as was the Princess. "Oh, they're beautiful." said she.
"In all my lives," said the Doctor, watching the creatures flit about the hanging foliage, "I've never seen Folibirds. They're magnificent! Creatures created entirely from plant fiber," he mused, "Fed on water, energized by photosynthesis, and – well I can only assume they nest in the earth."
"Photosynthesis?" asked Cecél curiously. The little birds were darting all around them now, almost in the manner of hummingbirds.
"Yes," began the Doctor, "Means the suns here shine on them like any other plant, creating energy and vitality in their little bodies like food. You know, about the same as eating a hearty meal does for you and me."
"Oh, I see." simpered the Princess. One of the verdant little birds alighted suddenly on her shoulder. Cecél gave a surprised giggle, her face flushing with excitement.
As the Doctor glanced at the Princess, he suddenly noticed something very odd about her. "Your eyes. . !" he said.
"What about them?" asked Princess Celadus.
"They're two different colours."
The girl looked at him quickly, only to dip her head down in embarrassment. "Oh, they've changed color again?" she shook hear head, sighing, "They always do that when I get excited. I hate it really."
The Doctor's mind mulled over why such a change would happen in a person. "They're not actually all that bad." he said, encouragingly.
"You're just being nice." answered the Princess.
"Hilo Cecél!" rang a deep voice from above,"Hilo!"
The trio in the garden looked up, passed the fluttering Folibirds to a large balcony high overhead; a bearded man was leaning over the stony edge and waving at them with great enthusiasm.
"Oh! Good morning father!" yelled Cecél, waving in return.
"Father?" asked a startled Doctor.
The handmaid looked critically at the Gallifreyan as the Princess nodded to him. "Yes. Why?"
The Doctor didn't hear her; he'd looked back at the King. "So," he breathed, "That's the King of Fohenn. . ."
"Who is that with you?" came the King's shout.
Celadus en Ci looked toward the bearded visage of her father. "I'm with Marssa, and uh–" she glanced at the Doctor, "A new friend!"
"A new friend?" quizzed the King, still shouting; he was smiling with amusement, "That's good!" he chuckled lightly,"I've never seen you in the east garden this early, is there a reason?"
"Well," called Celadus, "We're looking at the Folibirds! I've never had a chance to see them bloom before!"
"Oh yes, that's right. They are marvelous aren't they?"
"Yes!" Cecél suddenly squeaked as several more birds alighted on her. "Oh my! I–Oh! Uh!"
"Are you wearing some kind of perfume, or something?" asked the Time Lord, watching the leafy birds flutter around the Princess.
"No actually, I'm not." replied Cecél, trying to keep her voice from vanishing into another squeak.
Good King Érkhart looked down, grinning. A woman moved up beside him, smiling exaggeratedly. "What are you looking at luv?"
The King turned a delighted smiled on her. "Aw, good morning my dear Valix! I was looking at Cecél." he pointed downward briefly, "She's down there playing with Folibirds."
"Folibirds?" Valix leaned over the edge, and her eyes suddenly widened. 'It can't be—!' Every muscle in her body constricted; she thought she was going to choke. 'The man in the blue! It can't be!'
"Yes," said Érkhart, "Incidentally, how do you feel? When I left you sleeping, I wondered if you hadn't had a bad night."
"Bad night," blurted Valix under her breath, "Bad night?" She was backing away from the edge of the balcony.
The King frowned. "What ever is the matter?"
"N-nothing! I just thought, I'd – go see the Folibirds too."
"Ah," the King nodded understandingly. Valix dashed back into the interior of the castle, and Érkhart leaned back over the edge, watching the Doctor shooing the Folibirds from Celadus.
"Cecél!" called he to his daughter, "Your mother's coming down! She wants to see the Folibirds too!"
The Doctor stopped at these words; he looked up, as did Cecél. "Alright!" responded the Princess.
"Your mother?" asked the Doctor quickly, feeling an icy chill at the back of his neck, "Do you mean Valix?"
"Yes." said Cecél grimly, "Though I really wish father wouldn't call her that. After all she isn't my mother." She frowned abruptly. "How do you know her name?"
"Sooo, she's the King's second wife. . ." breathed the Doctor, his jaw dropping slightly as cognizance alighted; he smiled wryly. "A wicked ol' step-mother up to no good . . . that sounds about right. Now I know where I am, I'm in a distorted fairytale!" he shook his head somewhat jocosely, "And in this version of the tale, it appears the Queen's poison apple has taken the form of a ritual dagger."
Celadus looked completely confused. "What ARE you talking about Doctor?"
"Ooh nothing Cecél. No wonder you were so eager to command the guards not to obey her servants. I assume you two don't get along?"
"Indubitably," replied the Princess, searching the Time Lord's eyes, "I'm civil to her, of course. But on the whole I prefer not to be around her."
"My Princess," scolded Marssa, shaking her head meaningfully; she looked about to make sure no one else had heard the bluntness of Celadus' comment.
"True," said Cecél, "I shouldn't say it out loud. Twas very rude of me. But, as everyone in Fohenn knows, my words know only truth. Besides," she refocused her attention on the Doctor, "Ordering the guards to leave you alone was a trifle. We're always countermanding each others orders. It's the rule in Fohenn that our authority prevails only in our presence. "
The Doctor looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"
Cecél didn't have the opportunity to explain. The sudden rough sound of metal on stone sounded through the garden, frightening away the remaining Folibirds. The group looked over to the far end of the garden wall, where a large metal door was swinging open.
The Doctor felt a thrill of fear. "I'm an idiot!" He spun instantly, darting for the stairs up which he, Cecél and the handmaid had come.
"Doctor!" shouted Cecél.
"I'm sorry!" called the Time Lord, "You can't help me!" He raced on, disappearing beyond the line of sight.
Cecél looked wide-eyed at her handmaid. "What does he mean? Why is he running?"
Marssa shrugged as her Majesty the Queen hurried forward from the doorway; two burly guards were close behind her. The handmaid backed away, bowing as the Queen met Cecél.
"Good morning!" said Valix, then glancing upward to see if her husband was still watching; he wasn't. Her pretend excitement faded along with her cartoonish smile.
"Hello." said Princess Cecél, "Come to see the Folibirds?"
"I saw them fly away." answered the Queen, scanning the garden with a shrewd gaze.
Celadus observed her, and her brow furrowed. "They've all departed. Is there something else you were looking for?"
Valix's eyes narrowed as she smiled. "What ever gave you that idea?" She signalled to her guards with a jerk from her hand, and they followed her toward the stairs.
"Have a good day." said Celadus, out of polite duty. Valix went on, offering something like a wave in acknowledgment. The Princess frowned with understanding. "Something very strange is going on."
"How so, Princess?" entreated Marssa.
"I'm not entirely sure. But it's got something to do with my new friend." She looked to the old woman. "Wicked step-mother . . . that was the term he used wasn't it?"
"Indeed." snuffed Marssa, raising her nose slightly, "His manners are unforgivable. The nerve, referring to the Queen in such a way. Surely he speaks lies!"
Cecél's expression became very astute. "He is not a bearer of falsehood, Marssa. I looked into his eyes, and saw no deception."
Marssa looked surprised. "You used the Sight?"
Celadus nodded. "His eyes were so clear it didn't take any effort at all. No, something is going on and I would like very much to know what."
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The Doctor was racing through the palace byways, hopelessly lost. He thought he'd memorized the path they'd taken from the secret garden, but the way kept becoming confused.
He found stairs where there weren't supposed to be any, and even a long tunnel that lead only to a dead end. 'This wasn't here!' he cried from his mind, 'Unless I'm so old I can't remember how to get back to the start anymore.' He grumbled and went back, retracing his steps.
Ducking under archways and sweeping 'round corners, Doctor soon realized he wasn't getting anywhere at all, only going 'round in circles. "This is impossible," he groaned, leaning against the wall, "This architecture doesn't make any sense." A bead of sweat slid down his forehead.
More than once he had passed a horizontal opening in a wall that overlooked the Courtyards. It was long and wide, and appeared to have been made so one could observe the goings-on below.
Quite vexed, the Doctor went to it and leaned heavily against the stone sill. He looked down to the Courtyards more than 100 feet below; he could see the citizens of Fohenn busily moving to and fro.
Doctor sighed. "My kingdom for a rope." He looked out toward the horizon. "Or better yet, a pair of wings. A pity I'm not on Tenshi."
The Doctor shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Oh, why do I feel like I'm back in Castrovalva. . ?" He paused suddenly, thinking about what he'd just said. "Recursive occlusion. . ."
He turned, only to find himself face-to-face with the Necromancer. The Doctor almost jumped out of his skin; he reeled back, his hands balling into fists. A rush of anger swelled against his beating hearts. "YOU," he growled.
The disheveled Necromancer smiled. "You won't escape this time, stranger. Already you're trapped in this illusory maze."
The Doctor's eyes darted 'round before refocusing on his antagonist. "Oh I knew something was wrong when I couldn't find a way out of this place. I should've guessed it was your stupid magic."
The bedraggled man sneered at the Time Lord's revilement. "When I woke from the shock of your counterattack in the village, I knew immediately that you were a stronger wizard than I. Therefore I laid plans wherein I would trap you as I have done, and let you wear yourself into a figure of exhaustion."
Doctor rolled his shoulders back as he straightened up. "Takes a lot to wear down someone with two hearts mate." said he, smiling meanly, "And I'm not impressed."
The Necromancer squinted with wrath. "Not yet you aren't." He immediately lunged forward, striking out at the Doctor's face with a left and a right. Doctor sprang back as the man advanced, expertly avoiding each blow as it barreled toward his face.
The man came on, swinging again and again, snarling at his inability to hit the Time Lord. The sorcerer's heart began to pound with rage, and as it did so, shades of darkness began rising all around them; the Doctor's eyes widened.
At once the man's attacks came harder, faster. And though the Doctor was successfully blocking each one, it was taking more effort than he expected. 'This is bad!' he thought, 'The black-magic he's using is actually a part of him, not just in the words he uses!'
The Doctor's head suddenly jerked to the side as the Necromancer clipped his chin; the sorcerer grinned. But the Doctor came back instantly, driving his fist straight into the man's face. The sorcerer stumbled with the force of the blow, but caught himself, awkwardly.
Doctor frowned worriedly, backing away as an unsettling chuckle came from the man's throat. He couldn't see it, but the Necromancer was smiling, smiling behind his crown of dirty tangled hair.
The man raised his eyes towards the Time Lord, amusement written across his haggard features. "Oh stranger, how I loath you. And yet, if you were not opposed to my queen's will, I should call you my brother."
The Doctor glowered with insult. "Brother." he snorted. "Your queen's will doesn't interest me Necromancer. I mean, how could I NOT be opposed to it? She wants to kill me! As far as I'm concerned that Valix can go suck lemons. Then her face will match her disposition!"
The Necromancer snarled with bitter fury. At once a vile incantation sprang from his tongue. The Gallifreyan countered, bending the laws of physics with the force of the sounds springing from his lips. The air thickened into a shield to protect him, and the magics collided. A bantam explosion ruptured forth, throwing both contenders to the floor.
Far below, the people in the Courtyards paused, looking skyward for the source of the thundering boom. A woman blinked. "Do you 'spose a storm is coming?" asked she.
The Doctor shuddered, and groaning, pushed himself up onto his knees. 'Something's— wrong!' he realized, gasping for breath, 'I can't–!'
The sorcerer leaned up, grinning vilely. In two leaps, he was on the Doctor, knocking him to the ground with a quick kick. Before the Time Lord could react, the Necromancer dropped into his chest, slapping a filthy hand down over his mouth. The Doctor cringed as the man's fingernails dug into his face. "Mmmgh!"
The Necromancer laughed as the Queen's sacrifice struggled beneath him; the Doctor glared up. "No more fancy dimension-bending sounds from your lips, stranger." The man leered down with a savage glint in his eye. "Well, aren't you impressed yet? Can't you feel the toll my illusory maze is having on you? For you see, each time you parry my Black Craft, the more your body is drained of strength."
A monstrous growl issued from the Doctor's throat. With one arm pinned hopelessly by the Necromancer, the Time Lord lashed out with is free hand, ramming it closed-fist into the man's ear. The sorcerer gasped in pain.
Not wasting a moment, Doctor grabbed the madman and flung him hard to the side. The Gallifreyan scrambled to his feet and bolted from the scene.
His abhorrent adversary stood, still clutching his ear; his eyes were lit with a wild malice. "You will not escape!" he roared.
The Doctor felt the shadows surge up behind him as he sped down the curving corridor. In desperation he clicked his tongue, clapped his hands and hurled a volley of sounds at the encroaching darkness.
Instantly the shadows' molecules crystalized, and shattered, falling like glass along the wayside. But the Doctor, he suddenly stumbled, and had to grasp at the wall to keep from pitching forward. He gasped for breath, realizing, with horror, that what the Necromancer said was true: every time he defeated an assault from the Black Craft, it weakened him — severely.
He heard the footfalls of the Necromancer coming up the corridor behind him. Jaded though he was, he started forward only to be yanked to a halt. The Doctor's gaze spun downward, eyes widening as he saw still more shadows grasping his leg.
Doctor clenched his teeth, jerking at his trapped limb. He pulled and kicked, struggling desperately, all to no avail; the shadows would not relent. His eyes darted up: the Necromancer was there, fast approaching and glaring murderously. Doctor shook his head wildly, crying forth the same sound sequence that had broken the shadows in the village.
The sorcerer shielded his face as his Craft exploded into blackened tatters. The thunder died away, and the Doctor gasped, breathlessly. With eyes wide, he fell, collapsing forward against the floor as all vitality and strength was sapped from his body.
The Doctor was in veritable shock: he couldn't be the one lying undefended on the floor, he couldn't be! His face tightened as he tried to get up, but his muscles were burning with exhaustion. 'This can't be happening!' he wailed in his mind. He leaned up with his elbows, only to feel the Necromancer plant a heavy foot hard between his shoulders; he was shoved back against the floor with a grunt.
"You are the property of the Queen now." the man sneered.
Doctor looked up out of the corner of his eye. "You cheated." he hissed, "You cheated!"
"Oh of course I cheated." said the unkempt sorcerer, "How else do you defeat someone who's stronger than you?" He paused, as if waiting for the Time Lord to respond. "Anyway, I am relieved you shall no longer be able to resist my Queen's will." he was raising his hand, "The destiny she has chosen for you is now secure."
"What're you doing?" demanded the Doctor, his voice loud and trimmed with fear. The sorcerer had begun muttering his next malicious incantation, and as he swung down his hand, he drove the shadows straight into the Time Lord's body. A terrible gasp strangled in the Doctor's throat— he jerked with a scream and went dead limp.
The Necromancer stood over the unconscious figure of the Queen's sacrifice, and frowned with a curling lip. "You snapped my mind, stranger. Now I've snapped yours."
With only a little effort, the vile man hefted the Doctor up onto his back, and carried him away down the corridor, all remnant of the illusory maze vanishing around him like mist.
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Oh dear, the Doctor's in for it now. So don't go too far, Chapter 3 is already written!
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Claimer: I DO own planets Hemlokon and Psyandorr, kingdom Fohenn, the galaxy of Denshian and all the weird characters in this story! (In case there was any doubt. . .)