CHAPTER 6

Rose was dragged down into the bowels of the mine, deeper and deeper. Rose's eyes went through the stages in each level of darkness, momentarily blind until her eyes became accustomed. The light fixtures became few and far between. The group came to an intersection in the tunnel ways. One leading to the left, the other leading on into the darkness. She could now hear the rasping breath, the deep hiss intake and growling exhale. Dumah turned to the two guards that had been following him so far, as Rose looked at them she could see them sending fearful glances into the dark.

"You two are dismissed. I'll take her on from here"

"Yes Warden" they made their escape as quick as they could without running, leaving down the left tunnel. Rose heard the warden laugh at this.

"Cowards"

"What they scared of?" Rose dared to ask as he began to pull her down the dark tunnel, he pulled out a lamp to illuminate the area better.

"Oh you'll find out soon enough my dear" he replied darkly. He yanked her further on until the tracks ended in the darkness, and she had the feeling of being in a huge cavernous space. The breathing was by this time very loud. Rose knew they weren't alone in here. But all she could see was pitch black.

Rose was brought painfully to the moment as she was pushed to the floor, the lamp placed on the side to light the little spot they were in.

"Get Off Me!" she screamed trying to kick Dumah as he started to paw at her.

"No my pretty one" he replied in his slimy voice. "I will have you before the Master does" he ripped at her jacket tearing it off her. She started fighting, clawing, and scratching at Dumah. But she cried out in pain as he cut her arm with a knife. He then held her hands above her head while straddling her. She couldn't move, tears flowing down her face as his lips descended to hers..

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He had been digging all night, not able to find the sleep his body had cried out for. Something was different; he always felt the presence of his kin. They were near, never leaving this system. This planet shielded him somewhat. But they knew know that he was somewhere here. That was why he dare not leave, for they would find him. That presence that should be a comfort had long since become a dull ache behind his eyes as they poured their hatred of him through the link.
But now there was something knew, something familiar yet alien. So he had continued to dig, blocking out these feelings by destroying the rock before him. But now his body could give no more, he would need to sleep and venture the nightmares alone once more. He has crawled to his cove, chains clinking as he did so and curled up, red irises hidden by dirt-covered lids.

He did not know how long he slumbered, but shouting followed by a voice he knew all to well disturbed him. He opened his eye a slit, to see a lantern and Dumah assaulting a young woman. He watched a moment. It was not one of the orphans, and she was old enough to look after herself. He could not interfere, she was over 16 and the master now had the right of her. He tried to block out the sound as he closed his eyes once more, and he tried not to growl. She whimpered and cried out, his eyes snapped open. He could not let this happen, not again.

"Leave her be Dumah!" he growled low, eyes opening as he rose to his four claws.

"Shut up, can't you see I'm busy pet?"

"I won't tell you again Dumah, she is mine. I hunger" he moved forward, Dumah got up and Rose scrabbled back until she came into contact with the back wall, looking now at both Dumah and the red eyes in the dark.

"And you'll do what? Don't make me laugh" Dumah decided to ignore him and advance on the girl. She whimpered once more, and he acted. His tail lashed out, the sharp sides that normally would flay out to control direction in flight, much like a birds tail, slashed him across the face. He cried out, clutching his left eye. Then pulled out his blade. He moved towards they eyes with a growl, blade glinting in the light from the lamp.
Rose watched as the red eyes that had been small circles, flashed as if the red spread from the pupil and covered the entire eyeball. There was a loud snarl and the tail struck again, cutting across Dumah's chest. Not fatal, but enough that it would have to be seen to. He fell to the floor, clutching his chest. He grabbed the ripped and bloodied jacket that had been Rose's, placing it against the wound to stop the bleeding. He then ran for the entranceway, then pressing a button, steal bars fell to block any escape.

"You will pay for this Sultarrvec! The Master will punish you" Snarled Dumah, then he limped away up the tunnel.
Sultarrvec watched him go a moment, then turned his dulled gaze back to the girl quivering by the lamp. He smiled; he could see still the defiance highlighted in her eyes.

"Do not fear me young one, I will not harm you," he said calmingly, letting some of his natural lilt fall into the voice. He looked down, seeing she was holding her arm gingerly, and blood flowing down the forearm from the ragged cut Dumah had given her.

"Seems he's hurt your arm pretty well. Not don't move young one, I cannot come to you as I am bound. And I don't want you to come to me in this darkness, as it is none to safe a path. You will feel something coil round your middle, but don't be afraid it will be my tail" she nodded to him, eyes never leaving his. It was in this glace he got the first sense that he knew her, but the lamp was messing with his night eyes, so he was using his normal spectrum. He could not see her clearly from the light the lamp gave.
He moved his tail round her waist, but he had a thought before he picked her up.

"Oh, grab the lamp so you will be able to see" he waited so she could grasp it, and then lifted her. He felt her involuntary grab of the tail about her, to steady herself. He placed her before him and removed his tail, letting it come to rest coiled about him. He looked at her, in the lamplight…. and knew her.

"I know you"
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She had almost cried out in joy as the voice interrupted Dumah. She had scrabbled back against the wall as something in the dark lashed out, hurting Dumah. Dumah had fled swearing revenge. She had stayed there a moment, her eyes never leaving the red orbs of the creature. The stories of the Sultarrvec playing through her mind of he was this killer. Then thoughts of that this was actually the gold dragon that had saved her and the Doctor came to the fore. But from where she was she couldn't see him, only the red pupil's. Then he spoke to her, telling her not to fear him and that he was going to pick her up.
Now she was standing before him, the lamp before her, illuminating the chest of a large beast. Scales a dull yellow covered in the black soot and grime of this place. She looked up into those eyes as they narrowed and he spoke again.

"I know you" the deep lilt comforting.

"Do I know you?" she asked tentatively, but she was sure now. It was the dragon…it was Galen

"No..I must be mistaken"

"You do know me, you saved me. And I'm not talking just now. You save me and the Doctor" she heard the creature sigh.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you…Galen" she saw his eyes narrow.

" I have not been called that in a long time. But you shouldn't have come….I told you not to" his voice lost the lilt and became a growl. She shrank back a little, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"You didn't exactly tell me, and I've never been good at charades" then her vision blurred as she felt dizzy. She put her hand to her head."Whoa"

"Tell me friend of the Doctor, did Dumah or one of the guards give you a green pill. It's very important young one" Galen asked her, his tone taking on a hard edge.

"No, and my name is Rose" she heard him growl.

"Right Rose, the radiation from the ore is starting to kill you. Now I want you to eat something. It's not going to be nice, if I remember human reactions. But you have to eat it. Do you understand me?"
Rose nodded to indicate she did. She saw one of his front limbs move and reach out into the dark, grasping on what she had thought to be glowing green stone…it was in fact some kind of insect, almost like and ant crossed with a firefly. He had it gingerly in-between his taloned thumb and forefinger. The insect now dead, being impaled I the large grasp. It would be as if she herself picked up and ant, though in fact it was the size of a rat. He passed it to her after making a small hole in the rear of the insect, the part that was glowing

"I need you to drink all of that Rose, shut your eyes and do it….think of it like a smoothie"

"You've been to earth?"

"I have, a few times. As have my race. Now drink it," his voice commanded. She made a face, and then did as she was told. He was right, its consistency was akin to a smoothie..but it tasted foul

"Yuk!"

"Yeah, I know it's not pleasant, but you just had the pill in liquid form. It is what they are made from. They process the ore, and have so built a resistance to the radiation" she felt a soft touch on her arm with the wound. "We need to bind that…"
She heard a rustle, then he had part of her torn jacket in his grasp. He took some of the liquid from the ant and placed it on the wound, the cleaned it with part of the jacket. She was surprised at how gentle he could be, seeing as he had huge paws…if paws were the right word. They looked how she would expect dragon's limbs to look, like hands almost. He had a thumb, but like a bird had three fingers. But unlike a bird the thumb as to the side, not facing to the rear, as if it was joined to the base of the wrist and palm joint. She could not see how big he was, his head was bigger than an Elephants head, so he must be bigger than that in size. She giggled as she thought of the movie Dragonheart…..he was about the same size.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing….oh bugger" at this point the lamp decided to die, and she was plunged into darkness, intersected by green glows. She also now became aware of the cold and she shivered.

"Night is falling" she heard his head move, as he sniffed the air.

"But don't the caves freeze? I'll die"

"Don't worry, hang on a moment" she felt the tail once more coil round her, and she was lifted from the floor and placed on something warm. She realized he had just placed her on his back. Then he began to glow, not the bright gold. But a very sickly yellow. She almost wanted to cry for him. She knew from the Doctor that he once would have shined like gold….what had they done to him?

"Haven't done this for a while. You see my wings? Climb into the folds. You'll stay warm in there" she looked over, and gasped as she saw the chains crossing his back, restraining his wings and ending in cruel spikes thrust into his hide.

"I don't want to hurt you"

"You won't they have been there a long time. Only hurt now if you tried to pull them out. It's just a dull ache to me now."

Rose crawled into the fold; it felt like hiding in a fluffy quilt. The skin wings were so soft and smooth. The heat coming from Galen's body warming the air in-between the folds. She lay so she was flush against his body. He back resting against his hide, her front to the wings. She was just behind the joint from wing to body. She began to hear the cracking sound as water fast freezed. Then felt Galen move; she assumed he was getting comfortable, like he had curled round. The voice beside her confirmed that, she could also just make out his eye glow.

"Galen?"

"Hum?" he growled

"Why does the Doctor hate you so?"

"Probably because he thinks I betrayed him"

"But didn't you?"

"Never!" he exclaimed, anger showing through the growl, then he gave a heavy sigh. "But it's not simple"

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll go where he wants, take the Doctor home….then they can do what they want with me"

"What do you mean take him home? His home and his people were destroyed"

"What? No they weren't…you mean he doesn't know?

"Know what?"

"That Gallifrey lives"

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Galen sat a moment…well that explained why he never looked for him before….if he thought Gallifrey was dead, then gone to his home planet and finding nothing but space. He must have thought both races dead. But then the taint in him rose. The Doctor knew nothing of what he has had to endure. The pain, the anger, the shame. None of it. His people still live, just about. Why should the Time Lords live and not his race?

"You have to tell him," Rose was saying.

"I can't, not yet. I have to wait till they leave"

"Who?"

"You wouldn't understand!" he growled, the pain of memory too close to the surface.

"Now you sound like the Doctor"

"Well I bet he'll be thrilled" he replied sarcastically, as part of him shouted in his mind that he was being unfair to her.

"Rose, let me ask you a question. What would the British do if one of the British say, blew up the entire little island?"

"They would probably hunt them till the end of time, and bring them to justice."

"Ah, but what if there were no courts left? What kind of justice. I mean. You and one other were the last; everyone else on that little country was dead. What would happen then?" his voice dark.

"They would probably kill them…" she waited for him to continue, although she felt sleepy.

"Sleep Rose" Rose saw the red glow go out, which must mean he closed his eyes. She rested her head against his side, hearing the great lungs fill with air as he breathed, it lulled her to slumber. But as she drifted off, she understood what he meant.

"Those of you that are left, want to kill you don't they?"

"Yes," came the sad reply. "But I can't die, not yet….he won't let me" but Rose missed this as sleep claimed her.

TBC...

KITG: bit of a long chapter. Oh well. Hope it's ok?