That was close indeed. After tracing the now-invisible signs for some more minutes, the Doctor and Jamie found themselves in a vast round hall, the atmosphere in which was strangely familiar, like a long-lost memory (no matter if it belonged to past or future). Above their heads there was a circle of torches burning with the same golden white "fire", and below, in the very center of the place, was some kind of an altar under a translucent hemisphere cover, which somehow was similar to a giant closed eye. Six metal beams began at this "eye", rising up to the walls so that their other ends touched the ring of torches, so this all looked like an enormous and phantasmagoric image of a star.

"The Temple of Nobility, huh?" the Doctor muttered and approached to the "eye". Upon closer observing the half-see-through walls of the cover indicated a small human-like creature lying inside. "There she is, Miss Temple..."

"Can't you just open this cover, get her out of here and..." Jamie's mouth snapped shut when the Doctor glared daggers at him - he understood that direct action wouldn't be the best option here. The Doctor sighed and went on in a calm voice, but this made the contents of his speech even sharper:

"Jamie, look around. Doesn't this place remind you of anything? Or you got so used that you do not notice it anymore?"

Jamie walked a small circle around the place, attempting to step soundlessly - the echo could play a nasty joke at them. Six beams, round shape, object in the center... The guess blazed in his head, and he covered his mouth with his hand, so the next word was a suppressed yelp, luckily not louder than whisper.

"TARDIS!"

"Exactly", the Doctor nodded. "Someone was trying to build a giant TARDIS, using our lost girl as the Eye of Harmony".

"As... what?"

"The main energy source in the TARDIS - any real and true TARDIS grown on Gallifrey - is the eternally fading star", the Doctor explained. "It's blocked in one single point of time".

"So here energy is simply drained from... from this girl?"

"I'm afraid so. And I guess I know why. Hybrids have always been curious creatures, partly because they could develop abilities that pure-bloods couldn't - combinations of both parts. Here it's the inborn time-related element plus human life energy... and not only that... If we just rip her out of there, it can cost a whole world".

"Hai?"

"The course of history was changed thanks to her", the Doctor continued, walking around the "altar". "Fine, not to her, but to that Frey Laureus man... Oh..."

"Doctor?"

"There's nothing more puzzling than an obvious fact. Or I'm just a bonehead! Any TARDIS would function only when symbiotically connected to a Timelord's biology, so... Frey Laureus! Gallifrey - Baccalaureus!"

"Bacca-what?!"

"It's a scientific title, as well as..."

"Master!" Jamie exclaimed. "Frey Laureus is the Master!"

"Absolutely his style... Do you remember the words of the villagers? No one who came here ever returned. And here goes the approval".

The Doctor pointed at the circle of torches, and Jamie spotted an oddity - all of them were "burning" with time energy, but there and here its color was out of the row. Sometimes sea green, lilac, scarlet streams dashed out of the background of golden white.

"See? That's all which remained from daredevils who came here. Everyone's life energy has a unique shade... Hey, hold on a second". The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the torches. "Jamie, can you watch out for danger? I have an idea. But I warn you: it's risky".

And it's me who doesn't know it, Jamie thought to himself and obeyed. Meanwhile, the Doctor sat down onto the floor and began digging in his bottomless pockets.

In about ten minutes Jamie began worrying against his will. It was too quiet, apart from the sound of glass clanking from the side where the Doctor was. And no matter how many times Jamie used the trick his father had taught him (it was going deaf to usual sounds and listening out to those which could be suspicious) - nothing worked. Only when the hissing sound broke the total silence, Jamie returned from his position.

Indeed, there was a human (okay, humanoid) girl of about ten supine on the altar underneath the cover. She was skinny and very pale (must've been because of power loss), which was increased by locks of straight, but thick jet-black hair covering her shoulders and half of her face, but pinkish shade began adding to it in two or three seconds. No wonder: she was wearing a well-worn robe, and it wasn't the best protection from the cold.

"Alive", the Doctor diagnosed. "No, don't touch her! Allow me..."

Another moment appeared in sight: long beige wires were attached to the girl's fingers and toes (they sometimes draw and paint mermaids or other mythical water beasts with such limbs). The Doctor set to work with accuracy and speed: he began de-attaching the wires from the girl's appendages and fixing tiny sparkling vials onto the empty tips one by one. And when the twentieth one was filled, the girl's eyes - as black as her hair - shot open.

"Ah!"

"Shhhhhh! Remain quiet, please!" the Doctor warned. But this didn't work.

"What? Where am I? What the heck is going on here?!" the girl demanded.

"I'll explain it later... When I say run, run".

"Why would I?"

"RUN!"

This didn't work, so Jamie decided to act straightly: he just grabbed her into his grasp and darted after the Doctor, trying not to pay attention to squeaking and yelling right over his ear:

"Where are you taking me, you stinker?! Let me go! NOW!"

Jamie only hoped that the Doctor had explanations for this all. And that they would come right on time.