Doctor Who_ Bunker Soldiers Part 23

Mongke sent one of the nearby soldiers to establish what was happening and find out why, seemingly, the people of Kiev were catapulting themselves over the walls rather than risk the Mongol attack.

As they waited patiently for the reply, another sound carried across the Russian landscape, this time from the east. A great pounding noise came from somewhere in the bulk of the army behind them. It was like an army of devils stamping their feet on the earth; in fact, it was drumming to herald the arrival of Batu Khan.

The Doctor turned to watch in awe. First came row upon row of camels, each carrying a huge naqara naqara drum. Then came a unit of riders, sweeping across the landscape with awful precision. Then came Batu and his entourage. drum. Then came a unit of riders, sweeping across the landscape with awful precision. Then came Batu and his entourage.

The Khan, resplendent in robes of gold, swept up to Mongke on a horse the colour of snow, and dismounted expertly before the animal had halted. The two men embraced each other warmly and, finally, the drums ceased their pounding.

Batu's face seemed crueller than Mongke's and an aura of perpetual bloodshed surrounded him. He was clearly the senior tactician here and, the Doctor swiftly surmised, even less likely to show mercy than his cousin.

And yet Batu's first words surprised the Doctor. 'Have we decided the fate of this miserable city?'

Mongke shook his head. 'There may still be reason to save it,' he said, shooting the Doctor a glance before indicating Vasil.

'This man is the senior cleric. He has come with word of a treaty, a pact. The Church wishes to introduce us to a common enemy.'

Batu nodded, taking this in. 'And the civilian authorities?

Have they made entreaties? Have they grovelled at the feet of the Great Khan?'

'I have a trusted man there,' said Mongke, 'though it is clear that they still prepare for battle, for siege.'

Batu nodded, almost appreciative. 'It is wise that they do so,'

he said.

Mongke indicated the Doctor. 'And they have sent this man, a pract.i.tioner and scientist called Doctor. He is no Russian...'

'I can see that,' interjected Batu with a smile.

'... but still he pleads for Kiev.'

'I am merely a traveller,' said the Doctor. 'I hope only to save the lives of the citizens.'

'He also tells a good tale, and his words are full of symbols and hidden meaning,' continued Mongke. 'I am convinced he walks among the stars!'

'Then he shall entertain us when the work is done,' said Batu. He turned to Vasil. 'Whatever form that work might take.'

Vasil bowed, and for the first time the Doctor sensed his fear. The bishop had recognised the darkness of his heart mirrored in the form of Batu, and it seemed to disturb him. 'My lord, the enemy of which I speak '

Suddenly a soldier pushed through into the circle of talking men, leaving Vasil unable to complete his entreaty. It was the soldier Mongke had sent to investigate the strange activity down below.

'Dead bodies, my lords,' said the man, bowing low. 'They are hurling corpses over the city walls corpses riddled with some infection.'

'They hope to spread the sickness of their sin to us?'

exclaimed Batu. 'How dare they slight the holiness of our endeavour!'

'It is worse,' continued the soldier. 'Among the bodies we saw the emissary sent to the Church, and the Arab interpreter.

They have both been executed.'

The Doctor shook his head slowly, remembering Abd N-Nun Ayyub's honesty and integrity. He watched as Batu snarled in fury.

'They shall pay!' the khan exclaimed. 'They shall pay for this insult with the blood of their virgins and children and mothers!'

Even Mongke's face had hardened at this insult. 'The khans are not used to such poor treatment,' he added quietly.

'Please, my lords,' said the Doctor. 'The men and women, the children... they are not responsible for the actions of their leaders.' His face clouded; he could not imagine the sane and sensible governor he had left behind ordering so brutal an action as this. Perhaps Yevhen was now in charge.

Batu made no reply, but turned instead to the still-cowering bishop. 'You were about to tell me of a pact... And yet your people have killed the very representative sent to investigate such a possibility.'

'But, my lord...' Vasil wiped the sweat from his brow. 'It is as the traveller has said. The secular leaders are blind fools. But the people of G.o.d still wish to welcome you with open arms, as an ally.' 'You lie!' spat Batu. 'Any treaty you wish to make with us is prompted by fear, not respect!' He grabbed the bishop by the shoulders, almost dragging him to his feet. 'Is there anything you can say that will stop me from stamping this city into the dust?'

Vasil shook his head, desperate then suddenly exclaimed: 'There is a weapon that might be used against you!'

'Be quiet, man!' snapped the Doctor.

Batu raised a hand and a nearby soldier drew his sword, moving towards the Doctor to ensure his silence. Then the Khan turned back to Vasil, an awful smile on his lips.

'A weapon?' Batu asked, his eyes bright. 'Tell me more.'

'It is rumoured, my lord, that something resides in the catacombs under the cathedral. A weapon or a beast, the tales are unclear.'

'And it resides there still?'

'What little I know of the angel comes from one of the governor's advisers. He may already have already unleashed the weapon. Indeed, I... I may have encouraged him to do so.' Vasil glanced at the Khan, expecting a furious response.

Instead, Batu threw back his head and laughed. 'There is no weapon that can stop us! Instead, we shall use this creature to our own ends.'

Mongke nodded. 'Kiev will be destroyed but perhaps we should spare the cathedral, in case there is some truth in this.'

The Doctor was about to interject, but he resisted the temptation. The more he said, the more he risked intriguing Batu further.

'Please, my lord,' he said quietly. 'I beg for mercy on behalf of the people of Kiev.'

'They are already dead,' said Batu with grim finality. 'It is a n.o.ble thing, to plead for those who are not your own people.

But I cannot show them mercy, or we would be the laughing stock of the civilised world. I cannot let this insult go unpunished.'

'Then please,' said the Doctor, knowing his mission to the Mongols had failed, 'let me return to the city, where I might die, with dignity, with the people I have tried to save.'

Batu nodded. 'Of course.You are a man of honour. Were that all in this awful land were so!'

He turned, and strode towards Vasil. 'But you... a supposed man of G.o.d! Is there a single reason why I should not cut you in two here and now?' He drew his sword, hefting it from hand to hand.

'Don't kill me,' Vasil whimpered, throwing himself at the khan's feet.

Batu shook his head. 'You are a dog I should have you executed for cowardice, if nothing else!'

'Please,' cried Vasil in alarm. 'I'll do anything you want!

Anything!'

'You fear death?' asked Batu. 'But does it not say in your scriptures...' He paused, trying to recollect. 'That you men of G.o.d count life a loss, and death a great gain when you are reunited with your Christ?'

Vasil, sobbing, said nothing. He raised his pitifully weak hands against the expected execution.

'Run,' said Batu in a low whisper. 'Run away from me. Run away to Hungary, or wherever your flight takes you. Run to the cities and churches we have not yet conquered. Run, and tell them of the coming apocalypse, and tell them not to insult us as this governor of Kiev has done. And tell them that there will be no pacts not yet, not until it is right for the Mongol Empire, for the Great Khan who rules the world.' Batu pushed the disgraced cleric on to his back with a boot. 'And if I ever see you again, I shall kill you with my own bare hands. Remember that.'

Still crying with fear, Vasil got to his feet and ran, stumbling, into the distance.

Batu did not watch him go. Instead, he sheathed his weapon and turned his eyes back to the city. The catapulting had long since stopped, and units of Mongol soldiers were beginning to a.s.semble around the city walls.

'Now, let us destroy this place,' he said.

XIX.

Pestilentia Dmitri was mad.

We had left a man struggling in the midst of a barbaric dilemma, and seemingly on the verge of barbarism himself, and returned to find a drooling idiot with every last vestige of sanity gone.

I watched the poor man as he sat in the corner, brooding, dribbling, spouting rubbish. 'How long has he been like this?' I asked, hardly believing that his decline could have been so sudden.

'Only a few minutes,' said Dodo.

I turned to Yevhen, who was preening himself at the head of the great table. 'Long enough for you to take charge?'

'Naturally,' said Yevhen with a lopsided smile. 'We need strong leaders.h.i.+p at a time like this.'

'And Isaac agreed?'

Isaac shuffled uncomfortably. 'My lord Yevhen has been an adviser for longer than I.'

I turned my attention back to Yevhen. 'I notice you did not intercede until after the execution of the Mongol envoys.'

'That was perhaps the governor's last sane act. It was certainly one I did not disagree with.'

I stooped in front of Dmitri, staring into his eyes. He barely seemed to know I was there.

'The pressure of authority is a terrible thing to behold,' said Isaac softly at my shoulder. 'The burden has proved too great for this poor fellow.'

'Unless it's a side effect of the monster's attack,' I noted, observing the cuts and lacerations still visible on the former governor's face.

'We have seen it!' Nahum blurted out, reminding me why we had returned so swiftly to the others.

'Is that so?' queried Isaac. I saw that we also had Yevhen's undivided attention now.

'We were searching for...' I noticed Nahum's warning look, a look I was sure Isaac shared. 'We were searching for someone.

We thought we had found them, but it was a creature, a beast.'

'What did it look like?' asked Dodo nervously, doubtless remembering the attack she had suffered.

'It looked like a human, but not quite finished,' said Nahum.

'A golem, father?'

'I have read of such things,' said Isaac. 'But my thoughts on legends and fables are, I think, known to all.' He shot Yevhen a glance, but the new governor was looking the other way.

'It can impersonate people,' I said, remembering what had happened to its face. I s.h.i.+vered at the memory it had been like watching an invisible child creating a face from clay. I turned to Dodo. 'All that time you were tending Lesia... I'm not sure it was her at all.'

'Then where is my daughter?' asked Yevhen.

'We don't know,' I said.

'But why impersonate her, and then do nothing but attack this poor child?' asked Isaac, looking at Dodo. 'And why kill some, but leave others untouched?' He turned to Nahum. 'Did the beast make an attempt to attack you?'

'No, father. None at all.'

'It seems travellers and Jews are safe from this succubus,'

muttered Yevhen.

I rounded on him. 'So much for this dark angel of yours! So much for the defender of Kiev!'

'What do you know of the dark angel?'

'Enough,' I said simply. 'Enough to know that you've released some monster, and you don't have the slightest idea how to control it!'

'Bickering will not help us,' interjected Isaac. 'We must prepare for the Tartar attack and deal with this creature, if it attacks again.' He turned to Nahum. 'Where is the beast now?'

'It came back into the building,' he replied.