'Eppur si Muove'
6. Through a Dark Labyrinth
Dawn lit the sky over Siena in brilliant hues of gold and orange, tinged with pink; already, the newborn day was warming up, promising another typical day of Tuscan summer. The house belonging to the Jewish carpet trader came awake slowly; from his position in a nearby empty house, Guido kept a watch on it. He knew where the four people inside were located; the father and his daughter on the lower floor, the visitor and Guido's new target, whom the Priestess had called Sophie Freeman, one the upper floor.
His fingers curled around the dagger, and he reached up to touch the mask that clung to his face. He had spent the night awake, watching the house for any sign of motion on the part of the inhabitants. He would wait. He would wait for his opportunity to strike, to take the women, hypnotise them using the powers of the mask and drag them back to the Sepulchre.
He imagined dragging the knife across the lily-white throat of the girl he'd attacked the day before. He imagined her blood flowing from her severed carotid, feeding the Altar of the Master.
Sophie's sleep had been disturbed by dreams of the man that had attacked her. Whenever she shut her eyes, whenever sleep came upon her, she saw his black-masked face, his wicked blade; she heard the sizzling of her flesh as the brand was pressed into her skin. Worse still she saw the image of the Vrigillian, a raw-fleshed demon rearing up, roaring, spittle dripping from its fangs as it loomed over her.
When she finally, properly woke up, early morning sunlight streaming in through the window of the room she'd been given by Luigi and Francesca, she resigned herself to being weary for the rest of the day. She was wearing a simple white night dress leant to her by Francesca, and her room was a simple affair, with a bed, an empty dresser and a small cabinet. The bed was surprisingly comfortable, actually, and Sophie reckoned that it must have been used by travelling merchants that had been guests of Luigi, back when he ran his import business.
Dawn over Siena was every bit as spectacular as she would have expected. The city, stone spires and church steeples, spread out around her as solid and real as anything. The Doctor hadn't told her much more about the Vrigillian, besides giving her a basic rundown of its appearance, and she was desperate to learn more; the Doctor seemed reasonably confident that the alien energy signatures he'd detected were linked both to the murders and the attack on Francesca she'd managed to thwart, and she wanted to know what they'd be doing to solve the problem.
She slipped from her room, and moved down the hall to the room that the Doctor had been given. She rapped gently on the wood.
"Come in, Sophie," he said from the other side, and she was surprised he'd been able to identify her as she stepped inside. He was sitting in a chair facing the room's sole window, which offered a view similar to Sophie's; his bed appeared untouched, and Sophie realised that he must not have slept.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked, and she went to sit on the bed.
"Who else would it have been?" the Doctor said, and he turned to her. Frustratingly, despite his obvious lack of sleep, he looked just as fresh as he had yesterday.
Sophie was about to mention Luigi and Francesca, but she decided to drop it. "Fine."
"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked her, meaning the question genuinely.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sophie said, "just confused. I need you to explain this to me, all right?"
"Explain what?" the Doctor asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Explain to me what's happening here, in Siena. Explain the Vrigillians to me, the killings, how it all links together," Sophie said. "I mean, I know you've figured it out. So, go on. Explain away."
"In a big clump of expositional dialogue?" the Doctor teased. "You're no fun."
"People have died, Doctor," Sophie said, deadly serious. "Francesca very nearly joined them. Explain to me exactly what's happening here. Please."
The Doctor sighed, his shoulders slouching ever so slightly. "The Vrigillians were an ancient warrior species, right? When they were overthrown, they fled. Their very best soldiers and commanders were put into pods and sent speeding out across the universe. One of these pods must have landed here, in Siena, millions of years ago."
"Before it was Siena, you mean," Sophie corrected.
"Before humanity was anything but a future possibility written into the genes of a few forest-floor dwelling proto mammals," the Doctor said.
"How could anything live that long?"
The Doctor smiled. "Ah, well. That's where it gets interesting. The Vrigillians that loaded themselves into the pods weren't actually alive."
"I'm sorry?" Sophie asked, blinking.
"Well, they were. Only, they weren't. You see, they knew that certain of their enemies could track down their organic forms to anywhere in the universe. Instead, they transferred their consciousness into stone."
"Stone?" Sophie asked.
The Doctor's grin widened; he was beaming now ear to ear. "It's genius. They'd figured out how to overlay their minds into a crystalline matrix, and then wrap that matrix in stone. Moving, active stone."
"Black stone?"
"How did you know?"
"Deduction," Sophie said, flashing a grin of her own. "I mean, I didn't get a good look at that guy's mask yesterday, but from the sounds of it that theory just kind of, you know, fit in with the whole thing."
The Doctor shook his head, but carried on with his explanation. "My current theory is that the black stone craft crash landed here on Earth, millions of years ago. Slowly, rock and sediment built up around it, and it remained buried until the inhabitants of Siena built their catacombs. They unearthed the ship, or part of it, and then Vrigillian aboard would have begun communicating telepathically with certain people."
"Which people?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Most human beings have some limited psychic potential. Maybe the Vrigillian would have summoned a particularly psychically astute to it… maybe one just stumbled upon it."
"And the killings?"
"Ah," he said, raising a finger. "Now that's where it gets really interesting. Part of what made the Vrigillians so effective as warriors was their rather impressive ability to draw strength from the blood of their opponents."
"Like vampires?"
"Not really," the Doctor said. "Vampires hunt their prey, and actually feed off the blood. The Vrigillians absorb the psychic energy in the blood, rather than the blood itself."
"Like, draining the life force or something?" Sophie asked for clarification.
"Yes," the Doctor said, nodding and smiling, "except not at all. But that explains the killings, doesn't it? Forget the fact that they're all young women. That's just incidental on the part of the killers, I think. No doubt the Vrigillian psychically transmits the identity of the victims it feels would be the tastiest to whoever's orchestrating these killings, and they just pick the easiest."
"Then why young women?"
The Doctor stood, and walked to the window. "Virgins have magical powers, didn't you know?"
Sophie snorted. "I guess I'm safe then."
"Don't be so sure," the Doctor said before he turned back to her, raising his eyebrow as though he were about to ask her a question, but for whatever reason he decided better. "There's a man in a house not far away. The door has been boarded up, most of the windows are shuttered. My guess is that he's a spy working for either the Archbishop or Father Alessandro."
"Where is he?" Sophie asked, about to head for the window to see what the Doctor was talking about.
He waved her away. "No, no, I don't want him to know that I've noticed him. It wasn't hard to make out movement in the shadows of a house that's supposed to be empty."
"Why would the Archbishop or Alessandro want to spy on us?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Maybe they suspect us. Maybe they fear us. There is another alternative, though."
"Oh?"
The Doctor's expression grew dark. "He's the same man that attacked Francesca yesterday. If he is, that means he'll try and attack her again. I want you to stay here and look after her. And her father, for that matter."
"Me? What about you?"
The Doctor, who Sophie noticed was still wearing his trademark dark coat, stood. "I'm going to see Galileo again. He seems to have noticed a lot from his cosy little jail cell in the Archbishop's house. Maybe he's noticed something."
"And then?"
"I'm going to find Ferdinando here, and have him help you keep an eye on Francesca and Luigi," the Doctor said, heading now for the door to his room. "And then I'm going after the Vrigillian,"
"You know where it is?" Sophie asked, standing and going to follow him.
"Yesterday, I managed to track down the source of the Vrigillian energy emissions to somewhere underneath the Piazza del Campo," he explained.
"You're not going alone," Sophie insisted.
The Doctor smiled, and reached out to her, pulling her into a bear hug. "Oh, Sophie Freeman. Thank you."
"For what?" she asked, somewhat bemused as she hugged him back.
He let her go, and just smiled at her again. "For you."
With that, he turned and left, the door to his room slamming behind, and despite the warm embrace they'd just shared, Sophie felt something cold pricking at the skin on the back of her neck. She had the distinct feeling that she was being watched.
It didn't take the Doctor long to find his way to the taverna Ferdinando had nominated as his current place of residence. The hearth in the taverna itself was cold, the hall empty, but the Doctor let himself in with the help of his sonic screwdriver and climbed two dark staircases up to where Ferdinando's room was located. Knocking on the door, the Doctor found the man was already awake and dressed.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded, and the Doctor merely lifted an eyebrow, fixing the man with his most intense gaze.
"Does that matter?"
Ferdinando blinked. "I suppose not. Do you have something to report?"
The Doctor grinned. "That I do, Ferdinando. You see, someone spent the entire night watching Luigi and Francesca's house. I have left Sophie there to watch over them, but I'd rather she not remain there alone."
"You want me to go and join her?" Ferdinando asked, somewhat taken aback by the request.
"If you wouldn't mind," the Doctor said, lightly.
"Whatever for?" Ferdinando demanded. "You said you would aid me, Doctor, and I refuse utterly to submit to your orders."
The Doctor sighed. "Ferdinando, please. This is bigger than you can possibly imagine. Just go and help my friend. Make sure she is safe. I promise you, the people behind the killings will be brought to justice, and even more importantly, the killings will be stopped. Today."
Ferdinando agreed, and as they descended to the ground floor of the taverna, they agreed to meet again at Francesca and Luigi's house within a few hours, once the Doctor had consulted with Galileo. With that, Ferdinando set off to join Sophie and the Doctor travelled through the slowly waking city streets to the grand house of the Archbishop.
This time, he didn't bother trying to con the guards at the gate, but instead slipped around to the back of the stately manor, where the small stables were located, beneath the servants' quarters. Again using his sonic screwdriver, he managed to slip inside, and made his way to the small set of rooms in which Galileo was living out his days in exile.
"Doctor," came a voice from down the hall. The Doctor turned to see Father Antonio peering out of his library. "What are you doing here?"
"I just need to ask Signor Galilei some follow up questions," the Doctor assured him. "Although, come to think of it, Father Antonio, has any of your research pointed towards the Piazza del Campo?"
Antonio looked stricken for a moment. "No. Should it have?"
"Yes," was all the Doctor said, before quickly adding "but don't worry about it. Just a hunch I'm operating on at the moment. Listen, don't tell Father Alessandro I'm here."
"Of course not, Doctor," Antonio said, nodding once as the Doctor slipped up the hall towards the rooms where the Archbishop's houseguest lived. Antonio watched him go, before quickly heading out of the house, not bothering to conceal the glee on his features.
Finally, the Doctor reached Galileo's rooms. There was no guard stationed there now; perhaps the man was still asleep, and the Archbishop saw no reason to keep an old man under guard over night. Again, with a quick zap of his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor opened the door, and was surprised to find Galileo was also awake.
The old man sat bolt upright in his chair as the Doctor entered. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded, his voice loud.
The Doctor motioned for him to be quiet and shut the door behind him. He went over to Galileo, and sat in the chair across from him. The old man watched him intently, clearly concerned by his appearance. "This will perhaps come as no shock to you, Signor, but I am not an agent of the Pope. Far from it. He doesn't like me much at all. Not many of them have."
Galileo gaped. "What are you talking about?"
The Doctor sighed, wondering how he should explain it. "I'm a… traveller. I go to places and I meet people, and I came to Siena to meet you. I didn't know anything about the killings until you told me about them, and I think there's a reason you told me. I think you suspected that I'd be able to help."
"Of course I did," Galileo said, "because I thought you were an investigator sent by Urban!"
"Does it make any difference whether or not I was sent here?" the Doctor insisted. "I'm here to help, Signor, and you know that. You can see that."
"I thought myself a good judge of character," Galileo said, "long ago. Before I was betrayed by a man I counted amongst my friends and relegated to the dust pile of history, a forgotten man of forgotten works."
The Doctor sighed; he heard the resignation in the Pisan's voice. "You don't need to be forgotten, Signor. You have a chance to help me today. You have a chance to help put a stop to these murders."
Galileo blinked. He paused, before saying "How?"
"I need to know if you've heard of anything, well, odd in the city, centred around the Piazza del Campo," the Doctor asked, modulating his tone to emphasise the urgency.
"The Piazza del Campo?" Galileo repeated. "It's the largest of Siena's piazzas, the centre of the city's social, religious and commercial life. Lots of things happen there."
"I know, I know," the Doctor said, "but there are catacombs beneath the city, correct?"
"Yes," Galileo said, slowly. "I haven't lived in Siena long, Doctor, and I am not a native of this city."
"No," the Doctor agreed, "you're not. But you've read about it, surely? Most of the books in this room are histories of this city. You've been reading them, I'm sure, and your mind, Galileo, is incredible. If there was something in there, you would have picked up on it. So tell me. Was a strange type of black rock ever found beneath the city while the catacombs were being excavated?"
Galileo thought for a moment, before saying "Yes, I believe so."
Instantly, he was on his feet, and his knees creaked as he crossed the room and removed an old, hand-lettered leather bound tome from the shelves. "Here is a record of the construction of the catacombs."
He placed it on a crate and flicked it open, as the Doctor joined him. Galileo ran his finger down a marked page, reading the cramped letters, his mouth moving silently beneath his bushy beard. "Here!"
The Doctor gently nudged him aside, and read the passage he'd pointed out. A pyramidal black stone had been found in a naturally occurring cavern deep beneath the Piazza del Campo. "Oh, perfect," the Doctor said, grinning. He was already heading for the door, when Galileo stretched out his hand.
"What is it, Doctor? What does it mean?"
"It means I can solve this mystery right now," the Doctor said with a grin. "I can save Siena."
"Save it from what?"
"From a monster lurking in that cabin that I think is about to wake up," the Doctor said, but at Galileo's bemused, disbelieving expression the Doctor came up short. "Listen, I know you're a man of science. I know that what I've just said sounds incredible. I also know that you trust me."
"Excuse me?" Galileo said, blinking. "And how would you know that, young man?"
"I'm older than I look," the Doctor said, motioning towards the far side of the room. "That's how I know."
Galileo followed the Doctor's pointing finger, and saw the brass model of the solar system that had been made for him by one of the greatest metalworkers in Rome.
"You left it out after Sophie and I had visited you yesterday," the Doctor said. "You've got bags under your eyes. You haven't slept. I think you've been staring at that, a model of the heliocentric solar system all night. I think you've been re-evaluating your thoughts, questioning the morality of your imprisonment. Tell me I'm wrong."
Galileo looked to the Doctor then, and he saw the tears glinting in the corners of the old man's eyes. "I cannot."
The Doctor smiled. "You're a great man, Galileo Galilei. Come with me. Come with me and help me stop the killings."
"I can't leave this house!" Galileo protested.
"You can," the Doctor said. "You're just not allowed to."
Galileo blinked, wiping away the tears with the corner of his crinkled dark robe. He took one step towards the Doctor and nodded resolutely. "Let's go," he said simply, and the Doctor grinned. They turned towards the door leading from Galileo's small suite of rooms, only to find their way blocked by Father Alessandro.
The Vatican priest, wearing a purple robe, was holding a small, wicked-looking blade, and he grinned at them with a tight, wolfish smile.
"How much do you know?" the Doctor asked.
"All of it," Alessandro said. "I know that the killer lurks in the catacombs beneath the Piazza del Campo. I know that you are not a representative of His Holiness. I know that Signor Galilei is not truly repentant, as many of my fellows have suspected."
Galileo tensed beside the Doctor, but the Time Lord remained unconcerned. "And what are you going to do with all that information, Father?"
Alessandro sniffed. "Why, I'm going to throw the two of you into a cell. Then I'm going to deal with the murderer personally. Finally, I'm going to see that Signor Galilei returns to the inquisition to suffer the consequences of his impiety."
"And me?"
"That's quite simple Doctor," Alessandro said, his smile glinting. "You'll never leave Siena alive."
Ferdinando had almost returned to Luigi and Francesca's house when he saw a familiar face on the early morning, and still largely deserted streets. Only the bakers and the early rising merchants stirred, but Ferdinando recognised the old priest moving before him immediately.
"Father Antonio?" Ferdinando said, rushing forward to greet the old man.
"Ferdinando!" the man said by way of greeting, and Ferdinando instantly recognised the expression of surprise that crossed his face. "What brings you here this morning?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Ferdinando said. "We're quite some way from your church."
"I've been working with the Archbishop," Antonio said, beckoning Ferdinando away from the slowly thickening crowd. They began to walk down an alley which, Ferdinando noted, was the exact way they needed to travel if they were going to get to Luigi and Francesca's home.
"He sent you here?" Ferdinando asked.
"Not exactly," Antonio said, and looked both ways down the alley. Ferdinando followed his gaze in each direction, but saw no one. "I answer to a higher power than the Archbishop of Siena."
Ferdinando was about to ask what he meant, but he never got a chance. He felt the sharp, rending pain as the knife was plunged into his chest. His eyes followed the priests arms from the hilt of the blade embedded in his body up to man's frail, ageing body; finally their eyes met, and the last thing Ferdinando heard before he died was Antonio's mocking words.
"My Master will rise, Ferdinando. And this city will fall."
There was a sharp knock at the front door of Luigi and Francesca's house. Sophie told the two of them to wait where they were, assuring them that it would only be Ferdinando come to help her watch over them.
Sophie pulled the locking bolt back, as Luigi stepped into the hall behind her. "No," he said, "use the hatch. Check who it is first."
It was too late, though; Sophie had already unbolted the door.
It was all Guido and Antonio, who were waiting on the other side, needed. They burst through, Guido first, and he clobbered Sophie before she had a chance to react. She fell, hard, and as the two men, both members of the Priestess' Cult, stormed the house, easily incapacitating Luigi and capturing Francesca.