14.
Katherine looked around the devastated room, tears welling up in her eyes. She had led a sheltered, gentle life and had never before been exposed to such violence and destruction. "Why did those things attack us?" she cried. "And the Captain, he helped them!"
The Doctor knelt by the fallen figure of Lavallier and then reached down and plucked a small rag doll dressed like a soldier from inside Lavallier's tunic. It had a strands of human hair wrapped around it; clearly Lavallier's own. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he closed the dead man's sightless eyes. "I'm so sorry." He straightened up, his face hard. "He was their puppet I'm afraid! The Carrionites are mistresses of charm and deceit. They must've known every move we made!"
Katherine was distraught. "They were witches! We have been cursed by their black magic!"
The Doctor shook his head. "No, they're not witches. They're called Carronites; creatures from eons ago."
Katherine looked at the Doctor in alarm. "And who are you to talk of this?"
The Doctor put his hand on her arm. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly, "I'm here to help."
Jack was checking that the remaining soldiers were coping with the supernatural attack, but they waved away his assistance with grim faces. "What do these Carrionites want Doctor?"
The Doctor scratched his head and looked about. "I don't know Jack." He noticed the crystal that had been dropped by the fallen Carrionite and picked it up, hefting it in his hand. "I wonder?" he mused, before putting it in his coat pocket. He turned to Katherine. "You said your husband mentioned the solstice? When's that?"
Katherine wiped her eyes. "Tomorrow night."
The Doctor was taken aback. "Tomorrow? That's no time at all! An important night if you want to harness psychic energy!" He started speaking to himself as he wandered about the room, his hands in his coat pocket. "But you'd need a lot of people to generate enough to do something spectacular," he took a breath, "and I'm sure it will be spectacular!" He reached a table. "So what are they planning?" He paused and reached down to pick up a small piece of paper with impressive handwriting and wax seal. "What's this?"
Katherine crossed the room to stand next to him. "It's our invitation," she explained with a shrug. "The Vicomte is holding his annual summer ball at his palace."
15.
The Doctor groaned. "Why didn't you tell me!" he shouted.
Katherine took a step backwards, shocked at the Doctor's sudden outburst. "I didn't think it was important," she replied defensively.
The Doctor turned to Jack with exasperation. "You knew?"
Jack nodded sheepishly and shrugged. "I guess I didn't think they were connected!"
The Doctor sighed. "Of course they were connected, everything here is connected!" He began to pace around the room thinking furiously. "The Carrionites are an ancient race from Rexel. They were banished from this universe by the Eternals eons ago. The lights you saw in the sky……of course!" He turned to face Jack and Katherine. "It must've been a dimensional portal. Some Carrionites have found a way back into our dimension! Why? What do they want here?"
Jack and Katherine glanced at each other and Jack shrugged "I don't know." Then his face cleared. "But the Time Agency must know - that's why they sent me!"
The Doctor nodded. "Then whatever's at stake here must be incredibly important." He started towards the door. "Come on, we've got to get back to the chateau!"
*******************
The ruined windmill that stood alone on the hill had remained empty for nearly ten years. A terrible fire had ravaged it one night, killing the miller and his young family. The villagers of Dabarre had found their poor smoking bodies the next morning and had ever since avoided the windmill thinking it accursed. Local rumours and whispers of it being haunted had given the local children plenty of nightmares, so it had made the perfect place for the Carrionites to hide and hatch their demonic plot
In their dark chamber in the mill's cellar, the cauldron bubbled and steamed as usual. Morgwyn, the leader of the Carrionites, paced angrily up and down whilst the other two that had escaped the battle wailed and sobbed. "Our sister has been destroyed!" one of them cried.
Morgwyn turned to face the other alien. "Be quiet!" she snarled. "This Doctor is more dangerous than we thought. And he smells…….different as well! I sense a time dweller!"
Both the other Carrionites eyes widened in fear. "But they were all destroyed!" they whispered in unison.
Morgwyn nodded but gave an evil smile. "I know, perhaps it is time he joined the rest of his race. Never fear, nothing can stop us now. We will be avenged!" She turned to the motionless figure of Remy de Gallois sitting in a nearby chair. "Come my sweet, it is time for you to perform!"
16.
The Vicomte de Gallois sat at a magnificent mahogany desk as he put the finishing touches to his speech for the summer ball. He put the quill back in the ink holder and sat back in his chair, picking up the paper to read it back. The Vicomte smiled in anticipation; he hoped it would be as well received as last year!
He had always loved the summer ball as a child, ever since his late father had started it over thirty years ago. He remembered the important visitors that had visited the chateau; royalty amongst them. They always told such amazing stories that had fascinated and excited him as a boy.
His gaze wandered to the window and he watched the birds whirl in the summer sky. Ever since his wife Marie had died from fever during pregnancy twelve short summers ago, he had been denied both a spouse and an heir. What it would have been to have his own son attend the ball as he had done?
When his brother had given his son Remy some land near Dabarre, and had asked the Vicomte to keep a watchful eye over him, the Vicomte had been quietly pleased. He had always liked his nephew, and saw many of the same qualities in him that he thought he had possessed at that age – a strong will, a hint of stubbornness and great passion for life. Then Remy had married his beloved Katherine, a clever and thoughtful girl and the daughter of the squire of Dabarre. The Vicomte had known Katherine since she had been an infant. The squire managed his vineyard there and was as a true a friend as any. With Katherine at his side, Remy was maturing into a fine nobleman.
The Vicomte frowned, a shadow passing over his face as he thought over recent events. It wasn't like Remy to act like this at all. There had never been an angry word between them in the past.
A sudden and urgent knocking on the study door shook the Vicomte from his thoughts as Henri entered and bowed respectfully. "Sir, you must come at once," he said, barely containing obvious excitement. "Your nephew has arrived!"
17.
The Doctor led the other riders at a gallop as they returned to Chateau de Gallois. Behind him on his grey stallion rode Jack, and next to Jack rode a very worried Katherine on a dappled grey mare. Katherine had spent much of her life around horses and could easily keep up with them. Lavallier's two remaining troops had been persuaded to accompany them out of loyalty to their deceased captain and rode grimly side by side at the rear of the group.
It had taken longer than expected to get their horses from Katherine's estate. Katherine had also insisted, much to the Doctor's frustration, that they make the dead soldiers at least decent before they left.
The long journey from Dabarre to the chateau also meant that it was just getting dark as they approached the valley that led down to the magnificent building. Jack rode up closer to the Doctor. "Any idea how to stop these things Doctor?" he asked quietly.
The Doctor bit his lip in thought. He needed to harness and focus the energy correctly. "The Carrionites use language the way humans use mathematics; to construct, to model behaviour and so on. If I get the words right I just may be able……." He paused and looked at Jack, a worried expression on his face. "It's a chance anyway!"
The riders galloped up to the main entrance of the Vicomte's chateau and dismounted as quickly as possible. Lavallier's two troops gathered the horses and pulled them to the stables as the Doctor, Jack and Katherine approached the main entrance.
The Doctor was delighted as the familiar figure of Henri, opened the large wooden doors. Henri smiled as he recognised the Doctor and stood back to let them enter the large hallway. "Ah monsieur," he said respectfully, "you were successful! You have returned the Vicomte's nephew to him!"
The Doctor was on his guard immediately. "What do you mean Henri?" he asked urgently, a dreadful suspicion crossing his mind.
Henri looked slightly confused at the Doctor's tone. "The Vicomte's nephew Remy arrived earlier this afternoon with three maidservants. They are in the library with the Vicomte now."
18.
The Doctor started running quickly through the hallway towards the library. "Come on," he shouted, "it could be too late!"
Jack and Katherine exchanged a worried look before dashing after him.
The Doctor skidded to a halt as he entered the library, Jack and Katherine just behind him. Katherine screamed at the terrifying scene inside the room. The Vicomte de Gallois floated helpless and twisted in the air, suspended by the Carrionite's power as the three hags cackled and laughed around him. Standing besides them, his face twisted into a demonic leer, although his eyes were still glazed and unfocussed, was her beloved husband Remy.
Katherine started to run into the room screaming for her husband, but Jack grabbed her arm and held her back. "No, it's not how it looks!" he shouted.
Morgwyn turned to face the Doctor, her pointed teeth showing in a terrible smile. "You're too late Doctor!" she laughed. "We have the Vicomte! With him under our power we can complete our plans!"
The other two Carrionites hissed and cackled with glee, their clawed hands twitching in anticipation.
The Doctor put his hands into his coat pockets. "Oh really," he said nonchalantly. "You mean use the summer ball, on the eve of the solstice, to generate sufficient psychic energy?
Morgwyn's smile faltered. "How would you know what we want?" she hissed.
The Doctor sauntered towards her. "Oh, just guessing – but it was fairly easy to work out. But what do you want all that psychic energy for anyway?"
Morgwyn evil smile returned. "This place is cursed Doctor. Millennia ago, a portal to our dimension was sealed here by the Eternals."
The Doctor frowned, realisation dawning. "Ah, and with all the psychic energy you can open it up again?"
Morgwyn nodded and advanced towards the Doctor. "Exactly. An open portal to our dimension is much better than the crack that we four managed to escape through. With the portal open, the Carrionite race can swarm through and devour this planet!" She raised her clawed hands and licked her lips. "But first I want my revenge! You killed my sister Doctor; now it is time for you to die!"
19.
The Doctor shook his head. "Oh I don't think so ……... Carrionite!" He shouted the name of the alien race into Morgwyn's face as he produced the fallen Carrionite's crystal that he had picked up at Katherine's chateau. Morgwyn shrank back, fear on her ugly face as the Doctor shouted an incantation. "Hag, I banish thee from this place; Thy gate is closed, upon your face. From Rexel you came and now you return; stay here now and I watch you burn!" As he yelled the final words, the Doctor threw the crystal to the floor where it shattered into thousands of tiny fragments.
An unearthly red fire began to surround Morgwyn and the other Carrionites. They screamed in pain as it rose higher and higher. "Doctor, you shall die for this!" spat Morgwyn, but the Carrionites began to fade away. As the light surrounding them burnt brighter, with a final wail, they vanished completely.
The Vicomte and Remy collapsed to the floor. Katherine rushed over to her husband and cradled his head in her lap whilst the troops helped a shaken Vicomte de Gallois to his feet.
Jack turned to the Doctor. "You got rid of them with a magic spell?" he asked sarcastically.
The Doctor shook his head but grinned. "No, not really - there was a huge amount of psychic energy here already, and that crystal could focus a lot of it for me. I told you, the Carionite's science is based on words. Get the right words and you can fool them into believing you can do what you say you can do!" He smiled. "I didn't kill them, they just thought I could banish then – so that's what happened; belief is a strong concept!" He took a deep breath his eyes distant. "Where they were banished to though……"
A smiling Vicomte de Gallois strode up to them and embraced the Doctor and Jack, planting a kiss on their cheeks. "My friends, how can I ever thank you?" Jack grinned and winked at the Doctor.
A sob from Katherine halted their bonhomie. "He's dead!" she cried, holding Remy's head in her hands. "They murdered him!"
The Doctor crossed the library to kneel next to her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, taking her hands in his. "He was their puppet. I imagine he died instantly when they found him." Katherine's face crumpled and the Doctor held her to him as she wept.
20.
Early the next morning, the Doctor and Jack stood next to the TARDIS. The Doctor had woken Jack after only a few hours sleep and had insisted that they leave before, as the Doctor had put it, 'things got messy'. The sun was now just rising over the horizon and it was going to be a glorious summer's day.
"Want a lift?" the Doctor asked nonchalantly as he turned the key in the lock and opened the TARDIS door.
Jack looked closely at the teleport bracelet on his arm and shook it a little ruefully. "Yeah, I'm not sure where this thing would take me anyway!" He looked to the horizon, his eyes avoiding the Doctor's. "And I don't trust the Time Agency either – they could send me anywhere!"
The Doctor gave a small smile. He used to think like that about his own people. But that was before…
The sound of a horse approaching shook the Doctor from his thoughts. Katherine rode a dappled grey mare that galloped towards them. She expertly reined the horse to a halt and jumped down, giving the TARDIS an odd look as she walked towards the Doctor and Jack.
"I've been looking for you everywhere – the Vicomte has too!" she gasped. "I had to ask Henri where you were, and he said you were leaving!"
The Doctor nodded and smiled. "We are. Goodbye Katherine."
"But where are your horses?" she asked in amazement. "And what's this old blue box doing here?"
Jack laughed at the Doctor's indignant expression. "Want to take a look inside?" Jack said mischievously, holding the door open for Katherine as she peered inside.
"Jack!" warned the Doctor, but it was too late, Katherine had entered the ship and both of them heard a gasp of shock.
"Looks like you've got two new passengers Doctor," grinned Jack.
The Doctor sighed and frowned. He hadn't wanted company, not after Rose had been torn from him so recently. But he had grown quite fond of the brave young French woman. He smiled as he thought back to the end of his previous adventure and a conversation in the snow. Perhaps it was just what Donna had meant!
Next Time: The Doctor, Jack and Katherine visit the frozen world of Callis IV in 'Prison of Ice'.
Time of the Witch – Confidential
I have to confess that when I originally wrote this story there was no real plan to do a 'season' of stories at all. I just wanted to write some fiction, a chapter at a time, without too much planning or forethought, but just to see where the story would take me.
Hmm. That didn't last!
It is fair to say that this story has undergone an almost complete transformation since it was first written in September 2007. For a start the chapters were shorter and there were only sixteen of them.
As I found the best way of handling the stories however, plus some helpful comments from beta readers early on that started to shape the way I approached the writing. This meant that, on several occasions, I have gone back and extended scenes and put in new scenes altogether to give some texture and depth to the characters and situations.
For example, there was no initial thought to have Katherine join the TARDIS. Incredible isn't it, but that's the truth! But I admit that when I was writing for her, she seemed to jump out as companion material. So I went back, wrote a prologue for her that would set up the story nicely and introduce her to the audience a lot quicker and with a lot more background. In the original draft she doesn't appear to almost halfway through. I also had fun casting her and ended up choosing Nadine Lewington from BBC's 'Holby City'.
I also wrote some more scenes for the Carrionites and their lair, the village of Dabarre and the poor old Vicomte de Gallois as well. None of these featured in the original and now they are my favourite scenes of the story!
All this rewriting and revision pushed up the word count from an original 5400 to now 8000. That's one heck of an extended cut!
Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing and each time I've gone back over it, I manage to put in a little bit of background continuity that may feature, or has featured, later in the season. Katherine's love of horses is a good example of this retro-fixing!
So the season starts off and a new companion is introduced.
Hold onto your hats, only twelve more stories to go!