Linx was stung by the contempt in the Doctor"s voice. "I have only one concern, Doctor, to complete the repairs to my s.p.a.ce ship and return to the glorious war that is my destiny. Nothing must interfere with that-nothing and n.o.body!"
Linx raised his weapon and fired. A red glow flickered round the Doctor"s body. He twisted for a moment in its glare, and crashed to the ground.
10.
Irongron"s Wizard Sarah finished her bread and cheese and washed it down with the last of the wine. She gave a sigh of content, and looked up at her host and hostess. "Thanks. I really needed that."
"Now, child," said Lady Eleanor firmly. "Tell us who you are, and where you are from."
This was the moment Sarah had been dreading. After their escape from Irongron"s castle, Hal had led her on a long forced march through the woods, keeping well away from all the roads. They had come at last to this other castle, and Hal had taken her before his lord and lady.
They had treated her kindly enough, but she knew they were expecting explanations. "I don"t think I can," said Sarah helplessly. "It"s all too complicated."
Hal was standing respectfully behind Sir Edward"s chair. "I can vouch for her, my lord. Without her help I would not be here."
"Her manner of dress is strange," said Edward thoughtfully. "And her manner of speech."
"There is much that is strange at Irongron"s castle, my lord. I told you of the knight that fought on when he should have been dead. And while I was held captive, one of the guards boasted that Irongron has a wizard from the stars who makes magic weapons for him."
Sir Edward nodded. "It does not surprise me that one so evil seeks the aid of devils and magicians."
Sarah couldn"t keep quiet any longer. "I can tell you who"s helping him-and it"s no magician. It"s an eccentric scientist called the Doctor."
Lady Eleanor said sharply. "Who is this Doctor? What do you know of him?"
"You won"t find it easy to believe this-I can hardly believe it myself. I come from another place and another time-a time where they have a kind of knowledge that would seem like magic to you."
"And who brought you here?"
"The Doctor did-though he didn"t mean to. I was suspicious of him, and stowed away-hid, in a kind of machine. Irongron"s men caught me and took me to his castle."
Sir Edward buried his face in his hands. "Madness!
Sorcery and witchcraft!"
Sarah stumbled on with her explanation. "Scientists, wizards if you like, are being brought here from the place I come from. I believe the Doctor is handing them over to Irongron. He came straight here-and I saw him wandering round Irongron"s castle."
Lady Eleanor was struggling to understand. "What does Irongron want with these stolen wizards?"
It was Hal who answered. "He will force them to make him strange weapons, lady, like the knight that cannot be killed. Irongron thinks only of wars and conquest."
"True enough, Hal," said Sir Edward. "And anything that makes Irongron strong can work only to our harm. Who knows what sorceries he may now have at his command?"
Sarah was thinking aloud. "I"m sure the Doctor is the key to it all. He was there when the scientists were taken, and he has a machine that travels through time. It must he him. Somehow we"ve got to stop him."
Sir Edward shook his head. "If he is Irongron"s ally, he is safe in Irongron"s castle. There is nothing we can do."
"Nonsense. There"s always something you can do. It"s just a matter of working out what it is! The first thing to do is get the Doctor away from Irongron."
Sir Edward looked up. "And force him to make his magic for me? A good thought, but how could it be done?"
"All it needs is a sort of commando raid. Wait till it gets dark, then knock out the sentries, rush into the castle, grab the Doctor and away. You"ve got soldiers here, haven"t you?"
Sir Edward sighed. "No more than a handful. Old men and boys for the most part."
"I"ll go, my lord," said Hal eagerly. "I have scores to settle with Irongron."
As always when faced with a difficult decision, Sir Edward turned to his wife. "It is a bold plan, Edward," she said gently. "And this is a time for boldness."
"Perhaps so... if it is not a trap. Can we trust this witch-maiden?"
"I"m not a witch," said Sarah indignantly. "And I"m on your side."
"Could you tell Hal what this Doctor looks like?" asked Lady Eleanor.
"Tell him? I"ll show him. You don"t think I"m staying behind do you?"
Lady Eleanor smiled tolerantly. "This is men"s work, my dear. It is a woman"s place to wait."
"Not any more," said Sarah firmly. "Not where I come from. I"m going on the raid, and that"s that." She looked down at her bedraggled clothes. "Do you think you could lend me something to wear? I think men"s clothes would be best."
Lady Eleanor was too shocked to reply.
The Doctor opened his eyes and saw the ogreish face of Linx staring down at him. Painfully he got to his feet. Linx watched him, ray gun in hand. "You recover quickly, Doctor." He gestured with the stubby weapon. "I could easily have killed you by using full power."
"Why didn"t you?"
"I require you alive. A brain of your capacity can be of use to me."
The Doctor rubbed his aching head, reflecting that at the moment his brain wouldn"t be much use to anybody.
"Thank you," he said politely.
The little red eyes studied him. "You are not of this planet, I think. How came you to be here?"
"Just a tourist. I quite like it here, actually."
"This mud-speck in s.p.a.ce?"
The Doctor smiled. "Perhaps you haven"t seen it at its best."
"It is primitive," said the Sontaran dismissively. "It has no military value, no strategic significance. Therefore it is worthless."
"More Sontaran philosophy? You are a Sontaran warrior, aren"t you?"
"I am Commander Linx, Fifth Sontaran Army s.p.a.ce Corps."
"And why are you here? What has the perpetual war between Sontarans and Rutans to do with Earth?"
"An emergency landing. I was on a reconnaissance mission when I was attacked by a squadron of Rutan fighters." Linx didn"t care to dwell on his near-defeat. "So, Doctor, you have heard of my race?"
"Unfortunately."
"I overlook the insult-for the moment. What is your native planet?"
"Gallifrey. I am a Time Lord."
"Ah yes. A race of great technical achievement, lacking the morale to withstand a really determined a.s.sault."
The Doctor said angrily. "Oh you think so, do you?
Well, just let me tell you-"
"I am only a lowly field commander, Doctor, I quote from the reports of our military intelligence."
"You"d be well advised never to put that particular evaluation to the test," warned the Doctor grimly.
"My ambition at the moment, Doctor, is limited to rejoining my squadron. You can be of great value to me.
You can help to rebuild my ship."
The Doctor looked at the toiling figures all around.
"You seem to have acquired a lot of help already."
"Primitives," said Linx contemptuously. "I only had enough osmic power to reach the Twentieth Century."
"Where you stole the materials and the skilled helpers you couldn"t find here?"
"I took what I could find. The work goes slowly, Doctor, slowly."
Linx raised the ray gun menacingly. "Now take that seat, there before the computer console." The Doctor obeyed.
Projecting from the computer was a flexible arm, with a gleaming metal helmet on the end. "Everything is ready for you, Doctor," said Linx sardonically. He swung the helmet down, fitted it over the Doctor"s head and began adjusting controls on the computer keyboard.
"You"re interfering with human history," said the Doctor desperately. "You"re going to do their culture incalculable damage."
Linx went on with his work. "I have no interest in human culture."
"These humans have got to be allowed to develop at their own pace. At this period they"re only a few steps away from barbarism."
Linx ignored him. "Your task is to monitor progress rates on the input circuits and adjust the programme accordingly. It is concentrated and monotonous work." He flicked a switch and stepped back. "Now I must leave you for a time. Later I will have more complex tasks for you."
The Doctor raised his voice in a final appeal. "This is a warlike species, Linx, like your own. Give them breech-loading rifles now and they"ll have atomic weapons by the seventeenth century. They"ll have the capability to destroy their own planet before they"re civilised enough to handle it..."
Blue sparks crackled around the helmet and a stab of pain lanced through the Doctor"s brain.
Linx smiled. "I omitted to tell you, Doctor, there is a built-in punishment circuit. You will find it pays to concentrate on the task I have given you."
The Doctor read the symbols flashing across the screen in front of him, made a rapid calculation and punched out his reply on the keyboard. The crackling ceased, and the pain died down.
"Excellent, Doctor. You need not suffer-as long as you work. Oh and one final warning. Do not attempt to leave the console-or the helmet will deliver a shock severe enough to kill you." Linx gathered up an armful of rifles from the table, climbed the stairs and disappeared.
The sentry strolled slowly along the torch-lit walkway, and paused to peer down at the dark forest. Everything was quiet. No reason why it shouldn"t be, of course. Sir Edward was the only enemy within range, and he would never dare to attack... He was about to resume his patrol when Hal sprang suddenly over the battlements and bore him to the ground.
Hal checked that the rope and the grappling hook were still holding firmly, then leaned over the battlements and waved to Sarah, who began climbing quickly up the rope.
She was wearing boy"s clothes now-a doublet and hose that had belonged to Sir Edward"s missing squire. Hal helped her over the battlements. "I still say this is no work for womenfolk," he whispered.
"I"rn the only one who knows what the Doctor looks like," said Sarah. "Besides, I wouldn"t have missed this for anything." She winced as Hal grabbed the body of the sentry and heaved it over the battlements.
Hal straightened up. "Come then, let us go and look for Irongron"s wizard."
Sarah nodded towards the keep, the square tower that held most of the castle"s rooms. "He"ll probably be in the main hall with Irongron. If we work our way along the outside, we can look in through the windows."
Quietly they moved away.
Irongron looked exultantly at the pile of rifles on the table.
He s.n.a.t.c.hed one up and weighed it in his hands. "By heaven, these are more to my taste than your murderous iron man, good Linx."
Linx resented the implication that his robot had been a total failure. "That was a preliminary experimental model.
Now I will make you a better fighting robot for your armies."
Irongron turned to Bloodaxe. "Take these rifles to the men. I will come soon and teach their use."
"Aye, Captain." Bloodaxe, began gathering up the guns.
"At dawn tomorrow, we march on Sir Edward"s castle,"
said Irongron happily. "By sunset, he and his men will be feeding the crows!"
(Outside the great hall, Hal and Sarah were clinging to the c.h.i.n.ks in the rough stonework just below the window.
They peered over the window-ledge just in time to see Bloodaxe gather up the rifles, and to hear Irongron"s threat. Hal looked at Sarah, and gestured urgently downwards. Quickly they began climbing down to the ground.) The Doctor sat at the keyboard, controlling the flow of work through the computer. In response to each flow of symbols he punched in new instructions, which were transmitted directly to the brains of Linx"s slaves. Thanks to the capacity of his Time Lord brain he could handle this complicated task with only a small part of his attention- the rest was directed to finding some means of escape.
Unfortunately, he couldn"t seem to think of one. He couldn"t leave the keyboard without being electrocuted by the helmet-unless, that is, he could switch off the mind-link. But the control switch was out of his reach, unless he left the keyboard. And he couldn"t leave the keyboard without getting electrocuted...