CHAPTER 4

UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS

In spite of the Doctor's protestations, Jason postponed the journey to Krystos until the following day. When they arrived in the city, they found it just as Aaron described; the streets jammed with visitors, the buildings colorfully decorated. Flags and banners seemed to flap in the breeze from every conceivable location in celebration of King Terran's coronation.

The Doctor was surprised when he learned they would be staying in the Royal Palace, having been given on indication just how high in rank his unassuming hosts truly were. Since Aaron had backed out, his room was turned over to the Doctor who, as a Time Lord, was considered of equal rank with the Alterran nobility.

"There won't be too much going on this afternoon," Jason was saying as they entered their suite. "There'll be a buffet set up all day in the Gathering Hall, and then there's a dress ball this evening."

Kyska was ecstatic "Really? A dress ball! I've never been to one. Oh, Jason, what do I do? What should I wear?"

The Doctor and Jason exchanged an amused look. "Why don't you cross that bridge when you come to it?" the Doctor suggested practically.

Jason glanced out a window in time to see a handsome, sandy-haired youth below that he thought he recognized. "Kyska, look. Isn't that the boy you went to school with? What was his name? Aggie…Eggie…or something?"

"His name is Agamemnon, as if you don't remember," she said firmly following his gaze out the window.

"You're joking," said the Doctor amusedly.

Kyska shook her head. "No, that's his name, poor thing. We all call him Anon for short."

"A wise move."

Before Kyska could stop him, Jason leaned out the window and called down to Anon, telling him to stay where he was. He then turned to his cousin and practically picked her up and carried her to the door. "Go on, now, off you go and enjoy yourself," he said briskly.

Kyska tried to protest but her cousin suddenly seemed to be stone deaf. "Go, on! Anon's waiting for you. I'll see you tonight. And don't worry!" Jason called after her. Turning to the Doctor, he sighed, "Oh my, but she's such a child."

"Unlike yourself?" the Doctor grinned.

Catching his eye, Jason laughed. "Unlike myself, Kyska's very close to the age she appears to be. Twenty, to be precise."

The Doctor's smile broadened. "Well, since we're on our own, how about a tour of the Palace?"

Rubbing his hands together, the Alterran Lord grinned mischievously. In his short acquaintanceship with the Doctor, he had already come to realize the Time Lord was as unorthodox as he was himself. "Alright, Doctor, which tour would you like? The authorized, or the unauthorized?"

To Kyska's relief, Anon was delighted to see her and told her that he was on his way to the Gathering Hall to meet up with some mutual friends. When they arrived, Kyska stayed by one of the doors while Anon went off to find them. She took in the room and concluded that this would be impossible. The Gathering Hall was an enormous circular room with a sunken center; a landing running around the entire outside wall with numerous stairways leading down into the center. It was on this landing that Kyska stood, and all she could see when she leaned over the railing was an ocean of people.

"My dear Lady Kyska, what a pleasure it is to see you again," a rich voice purred from behind her.

Turning in the hope that it was one of Anon's friends, her face fell when she saw who it was. Lord Masters, a typically self-serving bureaucrat. She had met him a short time before, and taken an immediate dislike to him. It wasn't that he was an unpleasant sort of man, she thought, in fact he was rather charming; what with his strong, dark handsome features and that voice like warm honey. Yet, there was something very disquieting about him. Something…evil.

Putting on her best social smile, Kyska said, "Why, Lord Masters, what a surprise to see you here."

"Are you alone, my dear?"

"NO!" Kyska laughed nervously when she realized she had answered too quickly. "No, I'm with…well, I'm with an old boyfriend, you see. And I'm a bit…"

"Ah, yes. A bit nervous, perhaps?" Lord Masters crooned understandingly.

"Yes." Kyska was now frantically searching for Anon while trying to remain polite.

"Your other young man won't be jealous?"

The young woman turned to him in bewilderment. "What other young man?"

Lord Masters thought a moment. "I'm afraid I don't recall his first name at the moment. He's the Marquis Krystovan, and was with you at—"

"Oh! You mean Jason," she giggled. "He's not my boyfriend, Lord Masters, he's my cousin."

"Oh dear, now I am embarrassed."

Kyska smiled with difficulty, hoping this was the end of it. She was sorely disappointed.

"Then that would make the Duke your uncle," he said as if it were a major revelation. "Tell me something. I was told that the Duke and the Emperor are related. Is that true? Or is it just another one of the stories one hears at these functions?"

The exasperated young woman sighed, wishing this insufferable man would go away. She could not excuse herself, however, or Anon would never find her. "Everyone of the Royal Bloodline is related, my Lord. The Duke is my Great Uncle a few times over. He and the Emperor are…well, sort of related. In-laws, actually. Jason's the one who's directly related. Through his mother, the late Duchess of Starbridge."

"This is all sounding a bit too complicated for a paper pusher like myself," Lord Masters sighed. "Now I'm sure you'll forgive me, my Lady. I have some people to see. Good day." He bowed and kissed her hand, turning to vanish into the crush of people.

Kyska was still marveling at this extraordinary exit when Anon arrived with a group of others.

"What's up, Kyss?" he asked. "Who was that?"

Wiping her hand on her dress, she said simply, "Someone to avoid."

The Doctor and Jason were making their way through the corridors of the Royal Palace and arrived outside the Gathering Hall only minutes after Kyska had gone. They were just about to enter when the Doctor came to an abrupt halt, looked around quickly and then grabbed his companion, pulling him back around the corner, a hand clamped firmly over his mouth.

"What the devil do you think you're doing?" Jason demanded angrily the moment he pulled the hand away.

"Isn't it obvious?" the Doctor snapped impatiently. "I'm hiding. And keep your voice down. I don't want him to see me."

"You don't want who to see you?"

"Take a look around the corner. You'll see a rather distinguished looking, bearded man in a black suit."

Jason looked at the Doctor as if he had just lost his mind, and, indeed, this thought had crossed his mind. "Doctor, are you feeling…?"

"Look!" the Time Lord commanded.

This was spoken with such authority that the puzzled Healer found himself obediently looking around the corner. "That's Lord Masters," he said in a disappointed tone, half expecting to have seen the devil himself, which, as far as the Doctor was concerned, was not very far from the truth. "I met him a couple of weeks ago," Jason went on to say. He thought a moment and frowned. "Y'know, now that I think of it, it's odd his being here at all. He keeps to himself, mostly, and only comes to the official stuff. I've never heard tell of him coming to any of these social functions."

"Perhaps he's waiting for someone," the Doctor commented darkly, not realizing how accurate his guess truly was. "Well, well, well. So he's calling himself Lord Masters, is he? He has come up in the world."

"I take it you don't like him."

"Like him! He's my sworn enemy. And he usually calls himself the Master." A group of people passed noisily by and the Doctor took his companion by the arm. "Come on. Let's go somewhere where we can talk."

Unbeknownst to either of them, their conversation had been witnessed by one of the score of servants swarming the hall. He watched as the Doctor and Jason disappeared down the corridor, going over to the Master and whispering in his ear. A smile came to the evil Time Lord's face and he promptly excused himself from the knot of individuals surrounding him and departed.