Placing the key into the hole, the Doctor twisted it around & listened with satisfaction to the metal "Click" as the lock opened. A sudden shuddering beneath his feet caused him to stand up & leap away. A stony grinding sounded from around the keyhole &, as the two men looked on, the various stone slabs began to pull away or sink into the ground. After several seconds, the rumbling ceased & a set of stone steps had appeared.
"Where do you think it leads?" inquired Martin.
"To the Baron, I hope." answered the Doctor.
Looking about him, the Doctor walked back over to the entrance of the back hall. It was another few seconds of waiting for Martin when the little man returned, holding a lantern in his right hand. The snow billowed & whirled as the Doctor made his way back, white vapour pouring from his nose & shivering as he did.
"I wonder if my duffle coat is still hanging on the hat stand?" he thought to himself.
"Let's see what the Baron's got hidden." he said aloud.
The Doctor & Martin took each step slowly & carefully. The stairs which had formed were initially straight, but they quickly began to bend round into a spiral form the further the Doctor & Martin descended. Though they were not slippery with ice, the rungs were large & the two explorers were occasionally forced to jump to the next step. For five minutes, the only sound either of the two heard was of the wind which followed them, whistling & howling in intervals, until they found themselves in a tight stone corridor which soon widened out into a large chamber. About them were many other entrances, some openings lit slightly by burning torches, whilst others remained dark & desolate.
"Some sort of cave system?" suggested Martin.
"No...it's just a thought, but they may be tunnels leading from other entrances to this place."
"You mean there may be more entrances to this place?" said Martin. "This place must be very important then."
"Could be, could also be that the Baron didn't want to find himself trapped in here in case of the first entrances collapse." replied the Doctor, lifting the lantern & examining the area. "That said, the Baron's notes state outright that the Castle was built to protect where Gor-Crow was entombed, which I also believe to be his original landing area...or perhaps crash zone would be more appropriate."
Martin followed behind the Doctor as he spoke, keeping his eyes peeled as they tramped through the stony darkness. At the end of the wide chamber stood a large, smooth stone door, though no handle nor keyhole could he see. It was as they reached it that Martin gave voice to a thought.
"I understand that the Baron needed seclusion to awaken the Necromancer, but what importance would such a place hold when the creature is out and about?"
The Doctor placed the lantern on the ground near the door & began to examine the surface of the obstacle, speaking in halting tones as he did.
"Gor-Crow was apparently still weak upon waking up, so this place would serve as a safe haven in the early years...but, as you say, once he was strong enough, he'd have no need of protection or sanctuary...the woods were perfectly adequate as cover...a door without handle or keyhole...sounds like it should be a riddle of some kind..."
The Doctor continued to examine the door, passing his hands carefully & gently across the surface. After a minute or so, a soft "aha!" briefly echoed in the chamber. Moving up to the Timelord, Martin saw that, near the level of his waist, the Doctor had pressed a small protrusion inward. A gentle rumbling increased in volume as the door shuddered & began to raise upwards. With a heavy thud, the door finished rising & disappeared into the roof above.
The chamber that met both men's eyes was vast & circular. The stone slabs that made up the floor stretched out before them, leading to a small altar-like area at the centre. From a small hole in the ceiling far, far above, a shaft of light shone through, landing on the figures atop the altar. One lay prone, whilst the other sat with their head bowed upon the others chest. The only sound that could be heard was the soft, muffled weeping of a man.
Martin made to move forward, but was halted by the outstretched arm of the Doctor. Looking for explanation, the hunter saw a dark, serious expression fall over the little man's face.
"Stay here, out of sight." he said, a steely, authoritative tone in his voice.
"But-"
"Stay. Here." he said, glancing at Martin.
The hunter watched, unsure & slightly worried, as the Doctor began to walk across the chamber, his umbrella tapping on the stone slabs as he did.
As he drew closer, the Doctor was mildly surprised by the features of the figure who lay supine upon a stone slab atop the altar. Everything that they had discovered suggested that the Baron's goal was to resurrect his lost love, but the Doctor had not expected to see Anastasia Barbu, untouched by time or decay, in the flesh. The painter of the portrait in the Long Gallery had captured her likeness to perfection, though the figure the Doctor now observed was deathly pale & her dark hair far longer. So long was her hair, the various strands spilled out over the edge of the slab & touched the top step of the altar. The other figure, the Baron, wept, his shoulders jerking back as he did so.
The Doctor stood for some time, his umbrella held before him, both hands grasping the cherry red question mark handle firmly. He soon realised that the Baron was either unaware of his presence or uncaring. Raising a balled hand, the Doctor cleared his throat loudly.
"Good evening, or perhaps it's morning now, Baron Rau." he said, not a hint of a smile on his face. "I shan't thank you for the meal the other day, it quite put me to sleep."
The weeping ceased, but the Baron did not lift his head. A minute or so later, his head raised slightly, but he did not deign to look at the Doctor as he spoke.
"Have you come here to babble inanities to me, physician?" came the trembling, deep voice. "If so, you may leave, I have no desire for a mediocre court jester."
"You know why I have come." said the Doctor, his voice hard.
"To murder me." replied the Baron, still refusing to look at the Doctor.
"No, it doesn't have to come to that."
At this, the Baron twitched his head around. Thanks to the small chink of light cast upon the woman, the Baron's face was slightly obscured, though the Doctor could just make out his leathery features. The look on his face appeared to be a mixture of disdain & suspicion.
"Oh, what have you in mind?"
The Doctor took a step forward & stopped just short of the first altar step. Looking up, a combination of his closer proximity & his eyes adjusting gave him a better look at the Baron. Perhaps because of his sorrow, he looked the old man that he was. No longer did the Doctor have the impression that he was looking at an young man masquerading as an elderly one.
"The Sanguis Plestia, Gor-Crow, he has to be stopped Rau." said the Doctor, a pleading tone softening the harder one as he spoke. "You can help us."
At this, the Baron sneered. His eyes took on a malicious gleam as he stood & towered over the Doctor at the bottom of the steps.
"Though I have no desire to aid you, I would be a liar to say I was not intrigued."
"Gor-Crow is using you, using you as an extra energy source for his undead army. You can cut that link at anytime & upon doing so, would weaken him tremendously." said the Doctor.
"Do you know why I bound myself to the creature, physician?" said the Baron, his tone now cold as winter.
"Though the original intention was to give her eternal life, you now seek to bring Anastasia Barbu back." said the Doctor, his eyes locking with the man above. "But why? Did she not choose death over being bound to a creature like Gor-Crow?"
At this, a spasm of animal fury passed over the Baron's features & for a moment, the Doctor believed the man would fly at him. The moment passed, however, and he turned his head & regarded the body behind him.
"She did, despite all I had done to achieve that aim." said the Baron, his voice breaking as he spoke. "But with the creatures powers, his knowledge, we will discover a way to bring her back. His power has already halted the decay that should have consumed her centuries ago, think of what we could do if given the time & power to bring her back. Not as a mindless thrall like the creatures ""Puppets"", as he calls them, but as she was, as I remember."
"But no such power exists in this world or in any other, Rau." said the Doctor, shaking his head. "Gor-Crow is just leading you along, all the while you provide the perfect energy source until he can find something more permanent. But this is irrelevant, what about her, Rau?"
As the Doctor finished, he pointed a finger at the beautiful corpse laying above him. The Baron watched the Timelord, his hands clenched at his sides.
"Would she have wanted this, any of this?" said the Doctor, spreading his arms out as he spoke. "Death & misery for the unwary traveller, fear & terror for the villagers of Singur, eternal, empty life for the man she loved. Wasting away the extra life given to him at the beck & call of a monster who would see us all dead or worse. Do you think that even if you brought her back, that she would be happy to know just what you sacrificed to do so?"
Turning, the Baron flung himself upon the body of his lover & let loose a howl of agony.
"No!" he said, disbelievingly. "She would understand, she would forgive!"
"You're fooling no-one but yourself, Baron." said the Doctor, the hard-edge coming back to his voice. "You've spent centuries locked up in this castle telling yourself what you wanted to believe & somewhere along the line, you've come to believe it."
The Doctor checked himself, he was becoming too harsh. If he pushed the Baron too far, his efforts would be in vain.
"You must help us, if not for the world, then for the memory of Anastasia." he said, softening his tone.
"And what would become of me if I did help you?" inquired the Baron, his gaze still fixed upon the pale features of Anastasia.
The Doctor had to stop himself, biting back a bitter retort. He had wanted to rage at the man for thinking of himself, but was that not what he was doing? Trying desperately to persuade a man to sacrifice his life willingly so that he wouldn't have to take it, violently?
Averting his gaze for a moment, the Doctor returned to lock eyes once more with the Baron.
"If you were to sever your link, you would loose the immortality provided to you by Gor-Crow. Whether this would mean your life would resume as it did for a time, however long or short that may be, or immediately result in your death, I do not know."
"Then your offer is inadequate." replied the Baron.
"The only thing I can offer you is the chance that you may be reunited with her again." continued the Doctor, resisting the urge to grit his teeth."A better reunion than attempting to bring her back through the deaths of others. Even I don't know what lies beyond death, but isn't a chance better than nothing?"
For the briefest of moments, the Doctor saw the Baron's features crumple & a deep look of longing fell upon the body of Anastasia Barbu. For that small moment, the Doctor hoped he had gotten through to the man the Baron had once been, but the moment passed & the Baron's features hardened. Reaching into his flowing cloak, he retrieved a large knife & gazed upon it as he spoke.
"No...no, I've come to far to go back now. I cannot!" he shouted, now turning an ominous look upon the Doctor. "I am sorry, Doctor, but I must continue, I must go on, if only for her sake!"
At this, the Baron launched himself from the altar top & collided with the Doctor. At the moment of the Baron's lunge, the Doctor raised his umbrella defensively &, as the awkward dance ensued, the Baron slashed & swung at the Doctor as he desperately tried to keep the man at bay. The tearing of fabric, somewhere by his wrist, made the Doctor jump backwards & trip over a slightly raised stone slab. Hitting the floor hard, the Doctor's umbrella jumped from his hand & spun out wildly away from him. Looking up, he watched in horror as the Baron lunged one final time toward him...