7.
The Doctor groaned under his breath at Jack's avoidance of answering his questions, but his curiosity was piqued at the mention of the strange lights. At least he now knew why the Vicomte was expecting him and had greeted him so well – Jack Harkness had told him.
Jack looked over to the Vicomte. "Perhaps we should return to the chateau?"
The French aristocrat nodded. "But of course." He kicked his heels into the flanks of his mount and with Jack still grinning at a still moody Doctor, the three men galloped back down the hill towards the opulent buildings.
As they approached the chateau, the Doctor noticed some horses standing on the long path close to the main entrance. Sitting on the horses, or waiting nearby, were soldiers, their breastplates and helmets gleaming in the morning sunshine. "It looks like you have company Vicomte?" asked the Doctor loudly over the sound of the horse's hooves as they galloped nearer.
De Gallois pulled a face. "It is, no doubt, Lavallier, come to ask for my aid again!"
The Doctor glanced across to Jack. "Local politics?" he ventured.
Jack nodded. "Trouble at one of the villages!"
The Doctor frowned. He hated getting involved in the petty disagreements of humans. It usually ended in bloodshed.
The Doctor, Jack and the Vicomte reached the chateau and dismounted from their horses as servants came out to meet them and take the horses back to the stables.
De Gallois strode towards the house, taking off his riding gloves as he walked. The Doctor and Jack followed a respectful distance behind as they entered the main hallway. Standing in the hall was a soldier with his helmet under his arm. He turned and gave a short bow as the Vicomte entered.
The Vicomte gave a polite nod in return and then gestured to the Doctor and Jack. "Captain Gaston Lavallier, may I introduce Captain Jack Harkness and the Doctor."
Lavallier was a handsome man in his late twenties with clear blue eyes that were filled with the arrogance of youth. He spared the Doctor and Jack only the briefest of glances before turning directly to De Gallois. "Vicomte, I must speak with you urgently!"
8.
De Gallois sighed impatiently. It was clear he had little time for Lavallier, but his aristocratic background meant that he managed a façade of god manners. "Very well, Captain, walk with me into the study. I know what you want, but I can't promise you my help for much longer, as well you know."
Jack cleared his throat and looked meaningfully at the Vicomte. "I'll have to get going as well your Grace. I'll just fetch what I need from my room."
The Vicomte nodded. "Very well Captain Harkness. I hope you are successful in your mission." He paused, his eyes full of concern. "It is very important to me that you succeed."
Jack inclined his head with respect. "Of course, I'll do my best."
The Doctor looked from De Gallois to Jack in both confusion and irritation. "But Jack," he began angrily, "you still haven't answered any of my questions!"
Jack looked a little sheepish. "Sorry Doctor, I'll explain everything when I get back. I shouldn't be too long." He hesitated. "Hope not anyway!" With a cheery wave, Jack ran up the long staircase and was gone.
The Vicomte put his hand reassuringly on the Doctor's shoulder and started to guide him with Lavallier towards the study. "Perhaps you can help us instead mon ami?" he asked the Doctor.
The Doctor looked up the stairs after Jack. He hated not knowing all the facts and being in control of a situation. "Looks like I don't have a choice" he said peevishly, pursing his lips. Then he took a breath and smiled, remembering his manners. "Of course I will, your Grace."
As soon as the three men had entered the study, Lavallier, who had been impatiently biding his time, could not hold back any longer. "Vicomte," he implored urgently, "I insist you give us funding from the estate to hire more men, or at the very least intervene personally!"
De Gallois, his face impassive, held up a hand to silence the soldier's outburst. "Perhaps we should explain Captain," he said tersely. "The Doctor here knows nothing of our little 'rebellion' in the village, let alone the role my nephew has played!"
9.
The Doctor rode on a dappled grey stallion next to Lavallier as they left the Vicomte's chateau and onto a rough track that led to the village of Dabarre. Lavallier's troops, also on horses, followed a short distance behind them.
"So all this trouble is really down to a dispute over land taxes?" asked the Doctor brightly.
Lavallier grunted dismissively in return. "The King has raised taxes and the Dabarre refuses to pay – they say they're paying too much already! That shouldn't be a problem; usually the troops should just ride in and take them out, but the Vicomte's young nephew Remy is a large land owner there; he has a chateau and vineyard, and also a few farms. Remy is representing Dabarre and De Gallois is a good friend and ally to the King."
The Doctor started to understand the politics. He ducked as his mount passed under a tree. "So his Majesty left it to you – the local sheriff!" he taunted Lavallier.
The soldier's expression darkened considerably. "I'm a Captain in his Majesty's army. This petty bickering is beneath me. The Vicomte himself should have accompanied me. Why he sent you is ludicrous!"
The Doctor chuckled. "Never mind, I'm quite good at persuading people. Anyway, De Gallois is smart enough to realise that its' far better politically for him not to get involved directly." The Doctor clicked his tongue in thought. "Besides, this doesn't feel right somehow?" He spurred on his horse "And then there's Jack……" He thought for a moment. "I wonder if that's where they saw the lights."
As the Doctor galloped away down the country track, Lavallier shot him a terrible look. He reached briefly inside his tunic for a moment, clutched at something that was hidden beneath it, and then gave a grim smile.
The village of Dabarre was less than a mile away. It would soon be time.
*******************
Dabarre was a beautiful village that had existed for centuries amidst the rolling fields and hills of the French countryside. The population of farmers and labourers was still less than three hundred and were all fiercely loyal to the De Gallois estate that was just over a mile away to the south. Most of the buildings were a mixture of stone and wood, each with a wonderful thatched roof. The centre of the village was a small square of mud and stone with a traditional well and wooden pump in the middle and a small coaching inn that sat on one side of the square.
But Dabarre also held a terrible secret.
10.
As they entered Dabarre, the Doctor could feel the tension in the air. Some villagers had gathered to meet them in the square with expressions on their faces ranging from obvious anger to nervous concern. Lavallier and his troops however almost totally ignored the men and women that clustered around them.
The Captain looked down from his horse with disdain. He hated peasants and had clear ideas how they should be dealt with. "We'll escort you to Remy de Gallois' estate and then see if the Vicomte's trust in you is well placed," he sneered.
The Doctor looked around at the villagers with both interest and worry. "Alright, but something has happened here Lavallier I can feel it."
They rode out of the village and towards an estate that was lined with small trees. As they did so, they could see another horse riding towards them. It was Jack. Behind him in the saddle was a beautiful young woman with curly dark hair, dressed in elegant riding clothes.
The Doctor held up his hand to stop Lavallier and his troops as Jack rode to meet them. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the young woman. "Urgent mission, was it Jack?"
Jack gave the Doctor a sarcastic grin. "It's not what you think Doctor. This is Katherine de Gallois, the wife of Remy de Gallois, the Vicomte's nephew."
Katherine looked absolutely distraught. "You must help me monsieur Doctor," she implored. "My husband has vanished!"
"Vanished?" Lavallier snorted. "Run from justice is more likely!"
Katherine gave the Captain a filthy look. "How would you know Captain?" She turned to the Doctor. "Please Doctor, Captain Harkness has told me how you have been sent to help us. Remy has been acting strangely for weeks. Now he has left me."
The Doctor smiled reassuringly at Katherine. "I'll do whatever I can. Did your husband leave any clue as to where he would have gone?"
Katherine shrugged. "No, not really." She thought for a moment. "He did mention the summer solstice as if it were important?"
The Doctor glanced at Jack. "Mysterious lights in the sky, the summer solstice. What's happening here?"
Jack glanced awkwardly around at Lavallier and the troops and the Doctor realised what he meant. He cleared his throat and addressed Katherine. "Let's return to your estate, perhaps we can find any clues to your husband's disappearance?" He turned to Lavallier. "Are you staying in Dabarre, Captain?"
Lavallier gave him a slightly odd look. "No," he replied evenly, "we'll accompany you."
The Doctor spurred his horse on, kicking his heels into its flanks. "To the chateau then!"
11.
In an elegant hallway of the chateau, Lavallier strode back and forth impatiently, watched by a worried Katherine. He gestured to a closed door. "You trust them?" he asked.
Katherine raised a delicate eyebrow. "More than I trust you captain!" Lavallier snorted disdainfully, his hand on the hilt of his sword. A young maid entered the hallway. "Christina," Katherine called, "fetch some refreshments for our," she paused, "guests."
The maid curtseyed and smiled. "Yes Madame."
*******************
In the chateau's library, the Doctor leant against the closed door, folded his arms and looked pointedly at Jack. "Well?" he asked.
Jack shrugged and wandered over to look out of the large windows. "I get contacted by the Time Agency, out of the blue," he added indignantly, "and they give me a time bracelet and send me here. I arrived a few days before you did, guessed that if there was a problem here you might arrive." He smiled. "You usually do. Anyway, I got talking to the Vicomte."
"Just talking?" asked the Doctor innocently.
Jack grinned but shook his head. "He's a catch isn't he, but I just haven't had the time. He told me about the strange lights and the problems here. He doesn't trust our Captain friend out there so he told me to make sure Katherine was safe."
The Doctor bit his lip in thought. "I know how he feels. There's something strange…" He broke off and pulled out his glasses from his pocket. "Let's look around, perhaps we can find something here?"
There was a knock at the library door before it opened to reveal Katherine and Lavallier. They walked into the room followed behind by Christina the maid who carried a tray of fruit juice and small biscuits.
"Have you found anything Doctor?" asked Katherine with concern.
The Doctor sighed, picking up a biscuit from the tray. "Oh Katherine, if only I had!"
Suddenly, the large French windows that led to the gardens blew open and a gust of wind swept through the room blowing maps and books alike into the air.
Jack looked around, shielding his eyes from the gale. "What the Hell is that?"
Two figures, both dressed in black robes, flew into the room. They landed in the centre of the library, cackling with malevolent laughter as they threw back the hoods of their robes to reveal ugly old hags with hooked noses.
Christina screamed, not in terror, but in malice. Suddenly her face was transformed from that of a pretty young girl, to that of a hideous old crone, cackling with glee! Whilst the other two hags swooped to attack she turned to Lavallier. "Captain Lavallier," she cackled, "you are our pet, now do our bidding!"
12.
Lavallier's eyes glazed over and controlled by the hags' foul enchantment, he drew his sword and with a fierce cry lunged towards the Doctor, Jack and Katherine.
Katherine screamed with fright as Jack also drew a rapier and held it before him, readying himself for the inevitable attack.
One of the hags that floated in the air laughed with contempt at Jack. "You poor boy, do you think you can hurt us with that?" She pointed to the weapon and it suddenly began to glow red hot. Jack dropped it to the floor with a gasp and the crone cackled with malicious glee as he grabbed his hand in pain..
The Doctor dodged Lavallier's clumsy charge and then noticed a pair of rapiers above a fireplace. He pushed Katherine behind him and turned to defend her, grabbing one of the rapiers from the wall and flicking it expertly upwards.
The hag that had worn the face of Christina the maid hissed at the Doctor as she pulled a crystal from her robes. "You cannot stand against us Doctor. Now you will die!"
With a stroke of luck however, Lavallier's troops who had been waiting outside the chateau, had heard the noise from within and came crashing to the rescue through the open French windows. One of them screamed in terror at the witches and cowered in abject fear, but the remaining four took up their weapons, even against their former captain, and charged into the battle.
Lavallier turned and charged into his men as if possessed, and cut down one instantly with a vicious stroke of his sword. One of the hags laughed as she impaled another of the troops on a wicked looking dagger after casting a glimmering haze upon him.
The other hag that floated in the air also produced a small crystal from her robes. She muttered a strange incantation and the globe glowed with an unearthly purple light. The hag pointed a finger at one of the troops, and the purple glow grew in intensity and shot towards the man like a lightning bolt. The soldier collapsed to the ground as she cackled with malicious glee.
13.
But then, the hag's luck began to turn sour. The hag that advanced on the Doctor and Katherine paused as she saw the way he expertly held the rapier in defence. Their eyes met and the hag saw the resolve within him. "Leave now!" was all that he uttered, his face as hard as stone.
Jack looked around for another weapon and saw a heavy vase on a nearby table. He picked it up and flung it at one of the hovering witches. It caught her on the temple and she crashed to the ground with a cry as one of the troopers thrust a sword into her chest. The crystal that she carried rolled across the floor and beneath a cabinet. She gave a terrible scream and then with a red glow that grew brighter and brighter around her, she vanished into nothingness.
The other two hags screamed in anger at the death of their comrade, and cursed their assailants with strange incantations. Then they rose into the air and flew from the room and through the open windows with a gust of unnatural wind.
Lavallier however was not daunted by the rout of the hags and continued to press the attack like a demon, almost not drawing breath as he fought with the one of the remaining troops. The young soldier was being forced back and back, until there he finally stumbled to the ground.
Lavallier raised his sword with a yell but Jack, his face set, picked up a fallen sword next to one of the dead soldiers and ran to help.
Before the Doctor could raise his hands to protest, Jack cut Lavallier down with a series of skilled thrusts. The soldier crashed to the ground like a felled tree. Panting with exertion, and wiping the sweat from his brow, Jack threw the bloodied sword to the ground and turned away in disgust.
The Doctor helped a terrified Katherine to her feet. "What were those things Doctor?" she whispered.
The Doctor looked grimly at the study that had become a battlefield around him. "Creatures that I thought were banished from the Dawn of Time - Carrionites!"