Another slowish chapter, I promise more action in the next! Thanks again to everyone following this. Makes me happy : )
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The Stuff of Legends- chapter 4
The Doctor and Sarah Jane were wary as they followed the road to Glisand. There was nothing on either side of them but the flat meadow, dropping off eventually on the left into the valley the storm had decimated, and rolling away on the right until it reached the foot of a looming mountain range. Sarah was acutely aware that they were terribly exposed; sitting ducks in the middle of a huge unrippled pond. She was glad when the grass on either side of them gradually started to become taller, hiding them from view.
The Doctor was on high alert. Sarah could tell - even with her eyes trained on the back of his head - that he was taking everything around them in; his mind focused on the task at hand, his ears attuned to the slightest noises around them. The grass became higher and higher on either side of them, the path darkening as it blocked the sunlight. The Doctor reached a hand behind him and took one of Sarah's, pulling her to walk in front of him. Touching as it was, it unnerved her thoroughly knowing that he was concerned enough about their situation to want her in sight.
As they approached Glisand it became apparent that all was not well. The faint glint Sarah had spied when they had stepped out of the TARDIS was stronger now, the sunlight reflecting off the gemstones inlaid in the tallest spire. However the rest of the city told a different story. Sarah instinctively knew how this place was supposed to look. She'd read the book and seen the film that it had inspired, after all, and she knew it was supposed to be a grand, glittering place; smooth walls enclosing the inner fortress-like collection of buildings that were big enough for hundreds, perhaps thousands of people to live and work within. Instead the outer walls had been obliterated. Not ruined by age, but rather destroyed as though they'd been blasted outwards by some huge explosive force. The inner buildings themselves, with the exception of the spire, were grimy and uncared for. Plants were growing from cracks in the walls, the walls themselves beginning to crumble away; everything had an air of decay and neglect.
As they reached the edge of the field they paused, keeping under cover of the long grass that was now tall enough the hide even the Doctor from view. The ground sloped away in front of them, the road widening until it reached what was left of two gateposts, the remains of the city wall stretching away on either side. The city had been built into an old hillside, the ground behind it rising rapidly until it was level with some of the higher buildings.
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The creature spoke without tearing its gaze from its glass.
"Bring them to me" it hissed. "And do not fail!"
The halfbeing in the corner of the room bowed and exited without a word, gesturing for its kin to join him.
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"Keep low, Sarah." The Doctor muttered into her ear, pulling her by the hand off to the right, pushing carefully through the long grass so as not to disturb it too much and draw attention to their position. They moved in a wide circle, following the natural rise of the land as it curved upwards behind the city, gradually moving closer until they reached a vantage point from where they could peer down into an enclosed courtyard at the rear of the buildings. Sarah's mouth felt open at what she saw.
Down below them, a procession of creatures moved slowly across the weed-ridden yard and into a doorway that lead into the side of the building nearest the spire. They were shackled together by their left ankles, a chain gang unlike anything Sarah had seen before. They were an odd assortment of fantastic features; covered in fur of all different colours, tall and walking on two legs, up on their hoof-like toes of which there were four on each foot. Their faces resembled dogs, with long snouts and pointed ears, and on their backs they had wings which, Sarah thought, would look quite spectacular when outstretched. Currently though each creature's wings were strapped down and hidden behind huge baskets attached to either side of their bodies. Each of the creatures was bent double under the weight of gemstones which filled the baskets. Sarah craned her neck downwards to see where they were coming from; it appeared to be within the hillside itself.
"What are they, Doctor?" Sarah breathed. In spite of the awful scene she felt utterly entranced; the creatures were undoubtedly beautiful but there was something else about them – a sort of calm, a kindness that made her feel they could instantly be trusted. Sarah glanced up at the Doctor who was standing at her shoulder, watching the enslaved creatures with a grave expression.
"They're the Mir, Sarah" the Doctor answered sadly. He closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to be straining to listen to something, his brow creased. He opened his eyes and caught her questioning gaze.
"Can you hear anything, Sarah?"
Sarah shook her head.
"No. Should I be able to?"
The Doctor reached up to press his fingers against her temples.
"How about now?"
Sarah concentrated, eyes closed.
"No," she answered, confused. "Now I feel…sad. But I can't hear anything."
"Exactly" the Doctor confirmed, removing his hands. Sarah felt suddenly lighter as he let her go.
"There's nothing to hear. Normally the Mir project so strongly at these close quarters that it's a cacophony; I usually have to put up some mental defences to avoid being overwhelmed. And you would certainly have been able to 'hear' them too, even without my help. That's what felt so wrong when we landed, it was too quiet. I should have realised."
"So why….?" Sarah let the question tail off as she understood what the Doctor was about to say.
The Doctor looked terribly sad.
"They're starving and desperate. They no longer have the strength to project."
Sarah looked back at the Mir. Their situation had been awful enough at first glance but somehow the confirmation that they had lost all hope seemed even worse.
"Doctor, we must help them." She almost pleaded.
"And we will, Sarah." The Doctor replied. "But in order to do so we need to find out what's going on here."
"However," he continued after a beat, "we may have another detour first."
Sarah glanced over her shoulder, confused. The Doctor was standing very still, his hands palm up at his shoulders. Then she felt a prod between her shoulder blades and it became clear what the problem was. In a matter of moments the guards who'd apprehended them seem to multiply, emerging from the long grass on all sides until the Doctor and Sarah were surrounded. They were no more than about three feet tall, but armed as they were with spears almost twice as long as their bodies they were threatening enough.
"You will come with us," one of them stated.
"Ah, yes, of course." The Doctor replied agreeably.
They resembled the Mir, Sarah considered, as they picked their way through the bushes along the crest of the hillside, but they were of a sort of shrunken, shrivelled variety. Their hair was short and balding, their skin wrinkled and dry. If the Mir were grapes, these creatures would be raisins, she thought. At this comparison she could not help but smirk to herself and received another prod in the back as a result.
"Those thoughts are not acceptable," her guard informed her.
"Unacceptable thoughts, eh?" the Doctor's loud voice called from in front of them, "you're going in for that sort of thing now?"
"Quiet!" snapped the guard leading the way. They climbed further, the vegetation becoming thicker and thornier until they reached a rickety looking rope bridge leading across to one of the buildings; a tall, round tower to which it appeared the only access was a window high up on one side to which the other end of the rope bridge was attached. Sarah felt instantly queasy at the thought of crossing it, but she knew that was what they would be expected to do. As the Doctor reached the bridge he stood back and gestured for her to step in front of him. The guards started to protest but he cut them off with a sharp word.
"My friend is my responsibility. You will not prevent me from keeping her safe."
One of the guards considered him for a moment and then nodded at the one behind Sarah who began to push her forwards.
"Alright, alright, I can manage," she snapped, throwing a grateful look at the Doctor who put a hand on her elbow to steady her as she stepped onto the bridge. Sarah threw a last look over her shoulder at the guards who had formed a semicircle at the end of the bridge, their spears pointing at their prisoners. The Doctor squeezed her arm and she took a shaky step forward towards the tower.
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Thanks for reading this far, please leave a comment if you're so inclined. Thanks!