Chapter Two; No Escape
Ten minutes later, the Doctor, Donna and the unknown thief were shoved into a dank room. The guard gave them a candle to light the room, and then they were plunged into darkness as the stone door ground shut.
The Doctor pulled out his sonic and used it to light the candle. Now with a regular source of light, they looked around the room.
It was stifling hot.
The thief was the first to speak. "This is one of their high-security cells." He immediately walked to one of the stone walls and began to search for a crack or crevice.
The Doctor, meanwhile, had located a straw bed and sat down, inviting Donna to sit with him. "So, we seem like we're going to be here for a while," he said to the thief. "What's your name?"
The thief said nothing. He drew out another long knife from his robe and stuck it into a crack in the wall, using it as a foothold to check the roof.
His red robe got in the way, so he shrugged it off, revealing a plain white tunic underneath, ragged with years of wear.
The Doctor shrugged. "Fair enough. Don't tell me. I'm the Doctor, by the way, and this-" He indicated his companion- "Is Donna. Say hello, Donna."
Donna raised her hand. "Hi."
The thief jumped down from the wall and retrieved his knife. He turned around, revealing what looked like a leather bandolier strapped across his chest, holding at least half a dozen knives.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Quite a collection."
"I need them. And don't look at me like that; they're not all for killing."
"Or threatening innocent women?" Donna butted in, glaring at him.
He stared coolly back at her. "That was a necessity. If I threatened you, they would definitely arrest me."
"Why would you want to be arrested?" The Doctor was leaning forward now, elbows on his knees, giving the thief his piercing look.
"The best takings are in the palace. Their cells are woefully inadequate, and I can break out of one with ease; then it is only a matter of deciding what to take."
"Why?" Donna looked slightly horrified. "I mean, doesn't that increase your sentence?"
"The only sentence is the Millennium Trial, for people like me. So I take the risk. The Palace is too rich and the people are poor. I share a part of what I take with the people."
Donna laughed. "Like an Egyptian Robin Hood!"
The Doctor frowned at her. "Donna… Spoilers, remember?"
"Oops…" Donna grinned. "But he is!"
The Doctor turned back to the thief. "So, what is your name? I can't keep calling you 'the Thief' in my head for ever."
"For as long as you have left, you mean." A small smile twitched the corner of the thief's mouth. For the first time, they noticed his long, jagged scar, straddling his left eye and stretching down his cheek. "And are you not called the Doctor?"
"Well, that's different. So. Your name?"
"Bakura."
The Doctor nodded. "Well, Bakura… Nice to meet you!"
Bakura nodded curtly and returned to searching the walls. A few minutes passed, and then Donna spoke up; "What did he mean, a 'Daughter of Set'?"
Bakura laughed harshly. "The Evil God – Set – had red hair in legend. It was said that he dyed it with blood.
So people with copper hair are known as 'Children of Set'. And it is commonly known that god spawn have strong Ka. Which is why you are here now."
Donna raised an eyebrow. "Wait… They mistook me for a goddess?"
"A demigod. Child of a god."
The Doctor shook his head. "What is Ka?"
Bakura looked incredulously at him. "You don't know? You really are not from around here, are you?"
"Nope," said the Doctor, truthfully.
Bakura frowned. "Ka are monster spirits, contained within our souls. Only the chosen few can summon them, with the aid of a magical item."
"Magic?" The Doctor frowned too. However, his thoughts he kept to himself.
Donna looked from one to the other. The candle flickered slightly.
Silence reigned, for a while. Bakura completed his search of the room, and sat himself down on top of his blood-red robe. "There is no way out. Unless I get hold of a Spirit Summoner, we must wait for the guards to arrive."
A few more minutes stretched into silence.
Donna suddenly piped up; "What's the Millennium Trial?"
Bakura scowled. "The Millennium Trial is the fate that awaits all thieves and breakers of the law. Your Ka is tested, and if it is found to be evil it is extracted and sealed away, for use at the Priests' leisure."
He shifted his position and leant against the wall, shrugging his robe back on. "It's usually several hours until they come. You should get some sleep."
The Doctor nodded and stood, offering Donna the straw bed. He also leant against the wall, and closed his eyes.
The candle slowly died.
Just filler, this one. I hope you enjoy it, though. ^^
Donna: Review? Or... Uh... I'll tell the Daleks where you live!
