a quick update :O
that's so rare for me!
anways guys, I've got a six week break, three for uh, "studying" but that's not gonna happen much so I can use that time to get more Chapters finished for this! Yay!
Thank you so, so much for all the reviews! You guys honestly made my day!
ok, so the Title of this Chapter comes from one of my favourite Movies of the same name. :)
also, please note that this chapter does delve a little into things discussed in one of the Doctor Who novels
(Forever Autumn by Mark Morris)
slight spoilers if you haven't read that. I myself haven't read it and only looked at the summary so perhaps this is completely different to the book. sorry if it is,but I wanted an existing alien for this chapter and that was the closest I could find to what I had in mind. Look out fot the reference to "the Shakespeare Code" aswell! If this is making no sense just ignore it and read on guys, It'll make sense later :)
Chapter Nine: Practical Magic
The following is the part of the only remaining file from the Written Record Of Time (WROT.) All electronic records belonging to this organization were wiped clean by the BadWolf virus. For those who do not know, the organization headquarters were burnt to the ground following the end of the Time Agency in the early 52nd century. WROT's purpose was to keep a record of events which, according to senior Time Agents, had shaped the universe. The file that remains details battles engaged by ancient species before time itself. This section in particular details the war between the Carrionites and their enemies, the Hervoken, before a species known as the Eternals banished them into the Deep Darkness. Only a single unknown Time Agent was there to witness the events that took place, as recorded here.
The battle raged on all around me, the savage cries of death somehow heard over the clash of these two formidable opponents. There would be no end to this war just as there had been no beginning. The Carrionites had despised the Hervoken for eons, jealous of their superior 'magical' ability. The only thing stopping the Hervoken from triumphing was their lack of strategy, as I noticed. Watching them communicate through their strange rituals of chanting and praying I came to realise that they expected that their 'magic' alone would help them to succeed. Arrogance it seemed, had stemmed from the ancient times.
St Petersburg, Soviet Headquarters. December 1905.
"Well, this is suitably creepy" River said with a shiver as they entered the deserted soviet headquarters.
Moonlight shone in through the large windows, throwing shadows on the opposite walls while upturned tables and pieces of paper left scattered on the ground gave the room the appearance of a crime scene. The warning sign attached to the wall with the Tsar's signature under it didn't exactly help either.
"All occupants of this building have been arrested for crimes against the crown and country. Any occupants who chose to enter hereafter shall meet the same fate. This order has been issued by the Tsar Nicholas himself." The Doctor read, frowning as he did so, "well it's no use telling us after we've entered the building now is it?' he said, shaking his head as he turned to the nearest table.
He crouched down under the table and ran his hand along the ground hurriedly, hoping that his fingers would stumble across something vaguely sonic –like.
"It's odd that there were no guards here though" River commented from somewhere up above him.
"Yes, well, you'd know all about the ins and outs of guarding now wouldn't you" The Doctor muttered under breath in an annoyed tone.
He had rather thought she spent too much time kissing her guards in Stormcage and not enough time kissing him. Thank heavens she didn't have to go back there anymore.
"well" River drawled in a tone that almost sent shivers of delight up his spine before she finished her sentence, "It was them doing the uh, ins and outs"
The Doctor thought both of his hearts had stopped beating for a second there, his eyes wide as he looked up at her, "WHAT?" he yelped and River laughed in response, "Just kidding dear" she replied as she patted him on the shoulder affectionately.
"I'm pretty sure they were all terrified of me by the third week in anyway"
The Doctor laughed half-heartedly, still recovering from shock as he bent his head towards the floor again in order to look for the sonic. His hands scrambled erratically along the wooden floor, occasionally knocking against the table legs until he came across something. It didn't seem like the sonic, in fact, it was a most unusual shape indeed. Soft and squishy up the top but with some sort of leather encasing.
"Riverr! Move your foot!" The Doctor cried in irritation, only to hear her voice answer hesitantly from somewhere behind him, "Sweetie... I'm standing over here"
The Doctor gulped, slowly lifting his head higher. He could see now why they hadn't noticed the person before, their black robes blended in perfectly with the dark interior. An equally dark coloured and ragged looking beard followed the robes until finally the Doctor landed on a face. One look at those blazing hypnotic eyes and he knew exactly who it was.
"Rasputin" He said in a not at all pleasant tone as he slowly got to his feet, fixing his bowtie as if it would make him look more intimidating. Behind him, he heard a rustle of movement and knew that River was now standing to his right, no doubt with her hand already reaching for the gun she kept at all times.
If Rasputin noticed them, he gave no indication, staring directly ahead at the door as if he were trying to burn a hole through the oak wood with his glare alone.
Frowning at this lack of acknowledgment the Doctor used this opportunity to glance over the other man, mentally assessing him. Druidic like clothes, check. Creepy eyes, check. Glowy green thingy in his arm...
"Wait a second!" He cried out loud in outrage"He's got the sonic, my sonic!" He turned to River and yelped once more, "River he's got my sonic!"
His wife rolled her eyes, "Yes dear I heard you the first time"
"SILENCE!" Rasputin cried suddenly in such a commanding way that the other two immediately quietened down and spun back to face him, not really understanding why they were obeying him.
"That is the name of the creatures who haunt you, haunt your memories, your dreams" Rasputin went on, his voice rising now as he held out trembling hand, pointing to River in an accusing way. "I have seen their ways and I declare them mediocre. And yet they rule your lives. Humans, weak as you are."
River froze, a stunned expression on her face. The Doctor in contrast crossed his arms and began to study the other man once more, "What are you? No, don't tell me" He corrected himself, gesturing with his hand for everyone to forget that he had said that, "I'll work it out, just give me a second"
Rasputin ignored him once more, addressing River instead, "Why would you come here when it is not your place to do so?" he asked, taking a step towards her, his eyes burning into her very soul.
"I heard about what happened this morning and thought I would come here and see the traitors quarters for myself" River replied without hesitation, slipping back into her Lady Dominika persona smoothly as if she were a born liar, which, the Doctor reminded himself, she was.
"Not this establishment" Rasputin cried angrily, his arms waving about the air like a giant bat flapping its wings. "This land, why would you come here, burdened with the truth as you are?"
He eyes widened in shock at that. The last time they had met she had assumed that Rasputin's "mysticism" consisted of a bag of tricks and what was known as cold reading. This was something else however, River Song couldn't be read, not if she wished it so. She took a step away from him, her heels hitting the back of something very solid.
River turned briefly to glimpse the wooden box that was the TARDIS, left there from this morning, it had remained unnoticed by the guards, and even, she thought with surprise, by them.
Upon seeing the ancient blue box Rasputin's eyes glowed a fierce red, cowering back in fear, "My enemies reside in there" he cried, dropping the sonic screwdriver to the floor and shielding his face with the sleeve of his robes.
"aha!" The Doctor cried triumphantly, bending down to scoop up the sonic and deposit it safely back in his pocket. "Yes Rasputin, we do live in there!" he cried, rapping a knuckle on the side of the TARDIS which hummed softly in reply.
"No!' Rasputin cried, his voice muffled by his sleeves. "You are not my enemy Timelord, they are"
A frown settled on River's forehead and she turned to look at the Doctor who was now jumping up and down on the spot excitedly, pointing to Rasputin, "I know who he is!" he cried, bounding past her and opening the TARDIS doors, warm orange light flooded the patch of ground they were standing on and River sighed, feeling a sense of ease wash over her.
"Give me a second" She heard him cry from inside as she leaned against the TARDIS. "Magic, strange chanting, a bit of praying from what I've heard, oh I can't believe I didn't see it before"
He was back in less then a minute, shutting the door with a snap of his fingers. She still didn't understand how he did that.
"What in the name of sanity is that?" she scoffed, pointing to the crystal ball in his hands.
He beckoned her closer, pointing to the globe in his hands and curious, she obeyed. As she edged closer she could see a large number of what appeared to be robes, swirling about inside of the crystal in shades of red and black. As soon as she was overlooking the globe she could see more clearly now and realised that they were in fact, twig coloured aliens whose faces looked peculiarly like skeletal ravens. Their elongated limbs hung uselessly in front of them like the legs of a bird, which they occasionally used to snatch at another alien that crossed their path.
"Carrionites" The Doctor cried triumphantly, ignoring Rasputin's moan of terror as he juggled the crystal ball between his hands. "Escaped from the Deep Darkness"
There was a sharp intake of breath from River, "I thought they were just legends, fairytales"
The Doctor sighed, shaking his head, "aren't we all?" he grinned back, quoting her.
"Oh no, you're a nightmare sweetie" she sniggered in reply, and he shot her an annoyed expression before turning back to Rasputin.
"You my friend are a Hervoken, arch enemy of the Carrionites" As he stated this, The Doctor began to casually walk towards the other man who backed away in fear. "But, it's a bit more then that now isn't it?" he asked in a low voice, crossing the floor quickly so that he was now standing directly behind the man. Rasputin hissed at him, walking back towards the exit now.
"Oh no you don't, we want the whole story" The Doctor said in a mocking voice before he looked up at River and said in his normal tone, "catch!" throwing the crystal ball over Rasputin's head.
She caught it expertly in one hand, spinning it like it was a basketball as she took a step towards Rasputin, "To be honest, I've had enough magical mumbo-jumbo" River said in sardonic tone, smiling sinisterly at Rasputin.
If the legends were true then the Hervoken were a terrible species, capable of great power, and destruction. But River Song wasn't one to judge one on according to their species, she also knew of Rasputin's involvement in the Revolution, he was a man who would help to bring about the death of the Romanovs.
"Mumbo-jumbo" she heard The Doctor say thoughtfully from across the room, "Oho I like that word, that's a brilliant word." He snapped back suddenly to the other alien, his eyes narrowed as he spoke, "You've been using your 'magic' to worm your way into the Royal Family oh, very clever. But whatever you're up to, it ends here!"
If Rasputin heard a word he had said, it didn't appear that he cared all that much. Instead he cried out, "How could they have escaped as well? None but I was spared when the Eternals banished us" He began to walk towards the Doctor, his glowing eyes searching the Time Lord's for some kind of explanation, "New words" He cried, positively hysteric now, "they found new words"
"Easy there!" The Doctor cried, backing away from him and holding out his hands so that River could throw the globe over to him once more.
She did so with such force that he nearly dropped it, catching it with the mere tips of his fingers and quickly drawing it up to his chest so that it did not break. He held it out in front of him and Rasputin instantly shrunk back, covering his eyes once more.
"Right" The Doctor said in a serious tone, taking a step forwards which the other man countered with a step back. "The truth, now!" He finished with another step forwards, reaching out and lightly pushing Rasputin onto one of the chairs that had been left unturned.
The Doctor motioned for River to stand next to him. She instead lifted up one of the other chairs and sat down in a relaxed manner, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand as if waiting for a bedtime story.
Rasputin glared angrily at her, spitting on the ground and crossing his arms defiantly, forcing the Doctor to wave the crystal ball in his face. The other man flinched violently and immediately began to speak, "I was abandoned by my mother during the great Hervoken-Carrionite War. She was ashamed of what she had created and so left me to my father's people"
The Doctor let out a low whistle, dropping the globe away from the alien's face, "You're not pure Hervoken then?"
Rasputin shook his head sadly, "Indeed, I am not" he paused, sighing heavily in a way that almost made River pity him before he went on, "You said Doctor, that we are both the last of our kind. That is not strictly true for I am not the last, but the only Half Hervoken-Half Carrionite in existence"
"An entirely new species conceived together despite the hate they had for each other" River said softly, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.
"My mother was a Carrionite yes, My Father a Hervoken. They fell in love, but when I was born she became ashamed, I was tainted with Hervoken blood, and the other Carrionites would not accept me. Carrionites did not marry; they did not usually give birth either. They murdered my father during the war in revenge for corrupting one of their own" He added.
"So you were raised by the Hervoken, raised to hate your mother's people" The Doctor finished for him sympathetically as he turned over the nearest chair and sat down next to River.
"The Hervoken did not notice that I was tainted, they we too busy fighting the war." Rasputin went on, tapping his foot on the ground nervously. "But then the Eternals came, descending on the battle and manipulating matter as they did. A great void appeared in the heart of the fighting and one by one, the Hervoken and Carrionites alike disappeared from the universe."
"How did you escape?" River asked curiously, leaning forwards in interest.
Rasputin answered her unwillingly, pausing between words as if unsure whether he should go on or not, "The Eternals, they couldn't decide my fate. The Hervoken were cast into one side of the void and The Carrionites to the other. I was considered both and they lacked the imagination to see the truth. They left me alone. For centuries I drifted through space, watching as civilisations were created and destroyed. Until finally, I landed on this planet many years ago, when they still believed in magic. I was worshipped by some of these humans." He finished with a sneer. "And then I heard the cry of another group of god-like creatures who looked so much like my father's kind" Here he sat up straighter, his eyes alight as he continued, "I attempted to travel forward in Time to find them Doctor, can you imagine, such a magic has never been attempted before I don't think" He cried and the Doctor rolled his eyes, "yes, completely new. Never been done before" The Timelord replied sarcastically, but Rasputin was too lost in his memories to bother reading his mind.
"But alas, I arrived too late; my father's people had been thwarted once more. Disappointed, I tried to return to the time when man worshipped me, but instead I found myself here." Rasputin's face fell at this, his expression unreadable as he stared at the ground.
The Doctor meanwhile, cleared his throat awkwardly, fiddling with his collar as he determinedly looked away from the other man. River stared at him suspiciously, "Doctor," she began slowly, "You wouldn't know anything about that now would you?" The Doctor said nothing, but his actions were making it more and more obvious by the second, "Doctor!" River cried once more, her voice a few decibels louder now.
"They were going to ruin Halloween!" The Doctor snapped back defensively. "And destroy innocent people!" he added when River gave him an unconvinced look.
Rasputin looked up in wonder, his eyes settling on the Doctor."My People died-be-because of you!" Rasputin cried ferociously, spit flying form his mouth.
"Oops, Time to go!" The Doctor cried, quickly standing up and grabbing River's wrist so that she followed him.
Rasputin on the other hand rose more slowly, deliberately, his eyes burning once more, as the Doctor, juggling the Carrionite globe in one hand and tugging River along with the other, turned back to glance at him. The other man raised his hand, pointing at them both as he chanted unrecognisable words under his breath.
"Salt, I should always carry salt!' The Doctor cried angrily as he broke into a run, River following close behind.
"What the hell is salt going to do?" River yelled back in reply.
"Salt repels Hervoken 'magic'!"
They both ducked as something excruciatingly hot flew over their heads and collided with the door. When they looked up it was to see a large smoking hole which had cut through the width of the wood so that they could see the night sky outside perfectly.
"And to think I actually felt sorry for the little bastard!' River spat angrily, reaching for the gun strapped to her thigh. Without bothering to turn she lifted the gun behind her and fired twice, cursing when she didn't hear the cry of pain she was so accustomed to when she whipped out her weapon.
"Into the TARDIS now!" The Doctor cried, reaching backwards and snatching her gun out of her hands. He ignored her protests and ducked again as another one of Rasputin's 'spells' flew past them. The Doctor somehow managed to click his fingers together, despite his hands being full and watched as the Tardis doors creaked open.
Hastily he flung River's gun into the doors, and cried out "Fetch!" to her with a cheeky smile though he knew that would earn him some sort of punishment later.
River growled fiercely, bounding ahead of him inside the TARDIS in order to retrieve her gun and the Doctor followed soon after, shutting the doors and leaning against it.
"Well" He panted, trying to regain his breath as he heard the sound of things breaking from somewhere inside the TARDIS. "That was eventful"
"How far did you throw the damn thing?" River cried from the next room, her voice accompanied by the sound of something else falling to the floor.
The Doctor shrugged, leaning off the door and ambling over to the console.
He laughed silently, patting the console as he tossed the Carrionite globe onto the chair behind him. It was going to take her an age to find it again.
Hope you all liked it :)
feel free to hit that review button and leave a comment, I welcome every peice of advice :D