It seemed like a long time to be walking with a distant TARDIS behind us, fading away in the deep blackness of this vast cave until it was just a speck. I kept glancing back it every few minutes, and I caught both Amy and Rory doing the same thing. Damon limped on ahead of us, his bare, green feet barely making a sound on the smooth stone floor. I could hear water dripping somewhere.
All at once, we stopped. Damon crouched down a little, and I realized that we'd come to a high wall. It seemed colder and damper in the cave than ever. The green alien moved one slender hand across the surface of the rock. I blinked as a faint echo of red light passed over the rock just where his hand had been. The light was hardly anything to worry about, however, as more interesting things began to happen; there was a faint clicking noise and a small door seemed to sink open in the wall, creating an even deeper shadow. Damon gestured to us to follow, then disappeared into the wall. After a moment, Amy crouched down and followed the alien. Rory nodded to me to go next. I also found that I had to bend slightly to fit into the opening. It was pitch black. Raising my hands cautiously in front of me, I shuffled forward, Rory right behind me. There was another click as the door slid shut behind him.
I experienced a momentary wave of panic as I contemplated our current position trapped inside a wall. Trying to steady my breathing, I swore quietly under by breath and continued forward, feeling along the invisible walls on either side.
"Okay, Amy?" Rory asked from behind me.
"Uh huh," she replied several feet ahead of me. I quickened my pace slightly before gasping as I gently bumped into her. We'd stopped. Rory must have heard our soft collision since he didn't crash into me, just stood with his hand on my shoulder to keep track of me. I could feel him fumbling for Amy.
"One moment," Damon called ahead of us, and there was a scratching noise, "Let me open the inner door, it's all right..."
After a moment, he added, "You may want to close your eyes for a moment..."
Hastily I shut my eyes, and just in time; a blaze of light straight ahead illuminated our narrow passage. My eyelids glowed red and I slowly inched them open, trying to see ahead of me.
Another door had opened, and this was where the light was coming from.
"This way," Damon continued. His eyes seemed to have adjusted much quicker than ours; the three of us stumbled forward, blinking and squinting against the glare. We arrived in a large cavern, one that seemed much like the one with the TARDIS, but this one was full of light. There were small camps set up everywhere, metal cans with fire burning in them, laundry hanging out, people... aliens like Damon. I hadn't had the experience of being in a group of aliens before, and I paused a moment, staring around me. Amy and Rory, however, seemed more comfortable with the situation, and the strode forward.
"This way," Damon said, gesturing us toward the nearest set of small tents. These seemed unoccupied for the moment, though there was a fire burning here with a tea kettle (of sorts) beside it. "Please, take a seat, I will explain everything," he continued.
There were some sort of low stools handy, so we each took one and slowly sat. Damon followed suit.
He regarded us silently for one moment before speaking again.
"So... You three are companions of the Doctor. And he is missing." We nodded. "I'm am terribly sorry, again, that I couldn't be there to step in," he continued, "You see, we are at war on this planet." This seemed fairly obvious to me, considering all the sneaking around in the darkness and all that.
"So, do you know where we might find him?" Amy asked, leaning forward, "the Doctor?"
"Not precisely, no," Damon replied, looking sadly at the three of us, "You see, I'm unsure what exactly he has done to insult our... enemy... so I can't be certain how they will imprison him."
"Imprison?" Rory coughed, looking stricken.
"Indeed, that is their usual way. Usually following up with some sort of ritual death or something. Which may not occur!" he hastily added as Amy and I both made gaspy sounds. The Doctor... killed... It was too horrid to think about.
"There may be a way," Damon went on, quietly, "to rescue him... but they won't see it that way. You see, our enemy, the DakTar, they're a highly ritualized species, relying on the give and take of honor and ceremony. This is why even the smallest of offenses can upset them. The Doctor is most likely innocent of any crime according to our laws, but the DakTar consider any sort of slight an act of war. Personal war."
Damon paused to let this sink in.
"So... sorry, but... Why are the... DakTar... at war with you?" I asked.
"Ah..." he replied, folding his hands together, "ours is a strange form of war. You see, lately the DakTar have been weak... They require energy and supplies to survive. They came upon our world many seasons ago, seeking amounts we could not possibly give. They saw this as an act of war against them, us denying them assistance, so they felt justified in settling over us, taking supplies and members of our people as they saw fit. Justice, you see, for our sin of greed."
We thought about this a moment, then Damon continued, "There are some of their people who will speak with me, provided I give them something in return. Perhaps... we could arrange for a ceremony to release the Doctor, to grant him a pardon. If such a thing is possible. It may yet be impossible, or the challenge set to free him may be the end of you all."
"We have to try!" I burst out, unable to hide the emotion in my voice. The others looked at me. I lowered my voice, "I-I mean... I only just met the Doctor yesterday... or maybe it's been longer, it's hard to tell with him, but I've learned already that we can't just leave without having tried... We need him."
"She's right," Rory added, "The universe needs the Doctor, so if there's a chance we can save him, I think he'll be able to work out the other details later after we do what we can."
Amy nodded, her face pale. I met her eyes briefly, recognizing the same pain I felt burning inside me in her eyes.
"Very well," Damon said, stretching his hands before him, "In the next turn I shall see what can be done. Also, please... forgive me if they do not even wish to speak with me. I shall gather what I can... I owe this much and more for my friend." he paused, looking each of us in the eyes. His eyes met mine last, and lingered, his deep green irises glinting in the firelight. "You are... all... good friends of the Doctor, I'm sure he will feel our attempts in spirit. Come, let me arrange food and beds for the three of you... The dark time is still upon us."
Realizing that he meant that it was night, I followed him and the two others as we rose and moved toward the nearest tent.
I closed my eyes briefly before entering, wishing I could reach out and find the Doctor with my mind, anything. Come on, you floppy-haired idiot, where the hell are you... I jumped slightly as I felt something brush against my mind, like the touch of a feather, then the sensation quickly faded as I heard Rory calling my name. Frowning slightly, I shook my head and stooped into the tent.