Doctor Who: The Legends of Ashildr Read online

  ‘Do you think those creatures, the ones who attacked us, do you think they could have made something like this?’ asked Ash.

  Garcia shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I like to think myself a man of reason, but the things we have seen here… Truly, we are beyond the edges of the world…’

  Then, from the jungle came a crackling sound, and in the fading light Ash saw two shadowy forms moving through the trees. She and Garcia bunched together, their backs against the sea. The only weapon they had between them was Ash’s dagger, and it would be a poor match against a hundred arrows.

  ‘Ahoy, there!’

  The voice was instantly familiar: Captain Lopez, with Piero of Lodi following close behind.

  As they came down onto the beach, the Captain said, ‘So it wasn’t you who took the boats?’

  Garcia shook his head.

  ‘Damnedest thing,’ said Lopez. ‘Must have been Diego and Rodrigo, the selfish swine.’

  ‘It wasn’t them,’ said Ash. ‘Both dead. Killed one another over the gold.’

  ‘Then who took our boats?’

  Piero of Lodi peered out to sea and scratched at his chin. ‘Maybe,’ he said, ‘maybe they were taken not by men, or by those savage beasts who attacked us, but by the sea.’

  ‘Really?’ said Garcia, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘The currents,’ said Piero. ‘They move around the island in a clockwise motion. We felt it, as we were rowing across, did we not?’

  Captain Lopez nodded.

  ‘Then if the tide came in further than anticipated, taking our boats with it, the currents may have carried them to another part of the island.’

  ‘Or further out to sea,’ said Garcia.

  ‘But as the tide recedes on this side, it will come in on the other,’ said Piero.

  Ash’s face brightened. ‘He’s right,’ she said. ‘If we can get across the island, the boats may have washed ashore again.’

  ‘And how will we get there?’ said Garcia. ‘The interior of the island is treacherous, and it’s dark. We wouldn’t last an hour in that jungle.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ said Piero. ‘But what if we were to walk not over the island but under it? See for yourself.’ He pointed across the bay, to a distant cove. ‘There may be caves and tunnels that’ll take us through to the other side.’

  ‘Exactly,’ said Garcia. ‘May be caves and tunnels. Alternatively, those caves and tunnels may lead nowhere.’

  ‘And what is your plan, Doctor?’ said Captain Lopez. ‘That we wait here, on the beach, for our boats to wash ashore again. How long might that take? I say we try the caves.’

  Garcia turned to Ash. ‘What do you think?’

  She thought for a moment. The idea of death, of danger, held little mystery or threat for her. She’d survived too many injuries that would have killed anyone else, lived through too many wars, massacres and plagues. There was nothing on this island that scared her quite as much as it should have, but the thought of spending an eternity here, watching these men die and living out her days entirely alone, was terrifying.

  Now she looked at Piero, without whom they would never have come here. She could tell Garcia didn’t trust him, that he still considered him a stranger. She had almost forgotten what those emotions were like. Getting to know someone, getting to trust them – it took days, weeks and months, sometimes even years, which must feel like an eternity to those whose lives come and go in decades. For Ash, a stranger was no less trustworthy than any other person. The time she had to judge them, to measure their character, seemed every bit as fleeting.

  ‘I say we try the caves,’ she said, and off they went, across the beach, each carrying a flaming torch, and leaving the remains of that strange mechanical bird far behind them.

  XI

  The light was fading fast, its final traces dying out in the west like embers but, around a low and rocky headland, they found the open mouth of a cave.

  Crouching on his haunches, Piero of Lodi pointed into the darkness and said, ‘Do you see? There is a light at the far end. This should bring us out on the other side of the island.’

  ‘That’s assuming there is a beach,’ said Garcia. ‘And that our boats have washed ashore. And that we won’t encounter any more of our dog-faced friends in there.’

  ‘Shut your trap,’ said Lopez. ‘Right now, this is the best chance we have of getting off this island.’

  Bracing themselves for the worst, the four of them entered the cave, and what struck Ash was how almost immediately they were engulfed by the dark. Living things crawled and scuttled about in the shadows, their clicking, clacking footsteps multiplied by echoes, and the torches were only bright enough to light the ground two or three yards ahead. Beneath their feet, the ground was rocky, uneven, and punctuated with shallow rock pools or slimy patches of seaweed.

  Then, so suddenly it made the others – even Captain Lopez – jump, Piero of Lodi shouted, ‘Look!’

  He was pointing to the tunnel wall, but only as they gathered closer, the light of their torches coming together, could they see what he was pointing at. There, only a few yards away, fixed into the stone, was a door. Most curiously of all, it wasn’t some mighty doorway carved from oak and studded with black metal, but a small grey rectangle, not much bigger than a man, with a plain silver handle to one side.

  ‘I must be seeing things,’ said Captain Lopez. ‘Tell me, Garcia. Do I have my patch on the wrong eye?’

  ‘You’re not seeing things,’ said the physician. ‘That’s a door.’

  ‘But how is that even possible?’ asked Ash.

  Lopez went forward with cautious, tentative footsteps, as if approaching not a door handle but a venomous snake.

  ‘Are you sure that’s wise?’ said Garcia.

  Lopez glanced back at them, and for the first time Ash thought she saw in his expression not only trepidation but fear.

  ‘Signor Piero?’ he said.

  ‘The choice is yours, Captain,’ said Piero of Lodi. ‘The choice must be yours.’

  The Captain looked at Ash.

  ‘And you, girl?’ he said. ‘What do you think?’

  Ash nodded. ‘Do it,’ she replied, and Captain Lopez turned the handle.

  XII

  No sooner were they through the door than it slammed shut behind them, and they were wrestled to the ground by a band of assailants. Their torches fell, and in the dim and dying light Ash saw the faces of their attackers: the dog men from the plain, snarling and growling and gnashing their teeth. They were fiercely powerful, and had Ash, Garcia and even Captain Lopez pinned to the ground in a second. The only person they hadn’t attacked was Piero of Lodi.

  ‘What is the meaning of this?’ roared Lopez, struggling and failing in the creatures’ grasp.

  ‘You remember the Caniforms?’ said Piero, his voice different, his accent, his whole manner having changed in the time it took for him to cross the threshold. ‘Human DNA spliced with that of a Rottweiler. Not that that’ll mean much to you, of course. But it really is pointless putting up a fight, Captain. You’ll only end up doing yourself a mischief. Now, I’ll take these…’ He grabbed first the Captain’s dagger and then Ash’s. ‘And if you could just follow me.’

  Not that they had much choice. Piero clicked his fingers, and the three of them were lifted off their feet and carried along by the creatures, the Caniforms, as if they were little more than marionettes. They were moving – or being moved – along a narrow passage, its walls flat, grey and featureless, and at the end of that corridor was a light so brilliant, after the darkness of the caves, that they could barely see what lay beyond.

  From somewhere within the light they heard people cheering and clapping, like some carnival or festival, and music, loud and thunderous, but unlike any melody Ash had heard before. Then, emerging from the passageway they found themselves in the centre of a vast amphitheatre, like the arenas of ancient Rome, surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of people; men, women and children dressed in
curious clothes, waving banners and flags:

  GO ASH!

  CAPTAIN LOPEZ – OUR HERO!

  WE ♥ GARCIA!

  Above the crowds, six colossal screens flickered with bright colours and flashing images, words that neither Ash, nor Garcia, nor Lopez could possibly understand:

  WELCOME TO BET-ZONE!

  THE C-FISH FINESSE: LET’S CONNECTIFY.

  FOR ICE-WHITE TEETH, CHOOSE DENTIFROST.

  MCLINTOCK CANDY BURGERS! A BIG ROCK

  CANDY MOUNTAIN OF FUN!

  The heart of the arena was a vast, circus-like ring, with three corridors leading off it, and in its centre three towering columns, each encircled by a spiral staircase.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ said Piero, his voice amplified and echoing. ‘May I introduce our finalists: Francisco Lopez! Juan Luis Garcia! And Ash!’

  The crowd began cheering and stamping their feet, so much so that the ground beneath them shook.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ said Ash. ‘What is this place?’

  ‘This,’ said Piero, his tone warm but patronising, ‘is the Makaron, the largest in Bet-Zone’s fleet of time ships.’

  ‘Time… ships?’ said Garcia.

  ‘This is no ship!’ said Lopez. ‘It’s an island!’

  ‘The illusion is rather convincing,’ said Piero. ‘But no expense was spared in transforming the Makaron into a subtropical island. Though, I must say, young Ash here is the first person to try eating any of our animatronic wildlife.’

  ‘And those creatures, the dog-faced men?’ asked Ash.

  ‘Genetically engineered plot twists!’ said Piero. ‘We tend to find they get things moving along.’ Adding, under his breath: ‘Plus, they make great merchandise. Action figures, stuffed toys… The kids love ’em.’

  ‘But why? What’s any of this for?’

  ‘Let me show you!’

  Piero pointed at the screens, and looking up Ash saw the events of the last few weeks played out for them, each moment seen from Piero’s point of view: their discovery of the San Giorgio, their voyage to this island, their journey into the jungle…

  ‘You see, the people here have been following your adventures very closely, haven’t we, ladies and gentlemen?’

  Another raucous cheer.

  ‘We’ve given them exclusive odds on every choice you’ve made along the way. Will our intrepid heroes sail for the Fortunate Isles, or continue west? Which crew members will go to the island? Who will die in the first attack? Which ones will turn on one another? Right now, you are the stars of the galaxy’s most popular intertemporal gambling experience!’

  ‘Is that so?’ growled Captain Lopez, though it was doubtful he’d understood a word Piero said. ‘So what happens to us now?’

  ‘Well,’ said Piero. ‘I’m very glad you asked.’

  XIII

  The three of them – Ash, Garcia and Captain Lopez – now stood on top of the three columns, twenty feet above the ground. In front of them was a kind of lectern, crafted of glass, with two buttons – one red, one green – in its slanted top.

  When the cheering of the audience had died down, Piero explained everything:

  ‘The game is simple. In a moment, each of you will press either one of those buttons. If all three of you press green, you’re free to go. No questions asked. No further trials or tribulations. Your rowing boat awaits you, just outside this very theatre…’

  To the far side of the arena, the iron gates in one of the passages swung open to reveal a flight of steps leading down to a beach and one of the two boats they had brought over from the Galgo.

  ‘If one of you presses red,’ he went on, ‘they go through into the grand finale, and the chance to win a million ducats’ worth of treasure…’

  Another, even more deafening cheer from the audience.

  ‘… Where they’ll be joined by whoever pressed green first. The last player to press their button, or the only player to press green, will face instant elimination.’

  ‘Elimination?’ asked Ash.

  ‘Courtesy of our friends at Artemis Lasers!’ said Piero, pointing up to an array of cannon-like devices that were aimed directly at Ash, Garcia and Captain Lopez.

  ‘However,’ he continued, his tone now ominous, ‘if all three of you press the red button, you will die.’

  ‘This is monstrous!’ shouted Garcia. ‘You can’t do this!’

  ‘Oh, I think you’ll find we can,’ said Piero. ‘And non-participation is not an option.’

  From all sides of the arena, as if on cue, the Caniforms snarled at them, saliva dripping from their fangs.

  Ash looked across at Garcia and Captain Lopez. The decision was simple. Three green buttons, and they were free. They’d leave without any treasure, but they’d escape with their lives. There wasn’t any question of pressing the red button, was there? Not when if all of them did so, they would die.

  Piero turned to the audience. ‘You know what to do now, ladies and gentlemen. A million ducats is a lot of money in the world of 1485. Whoever presses the red button could walk out of here one of the wealthiest people on Earth. Will it be Ash, the young woman with a mysterious past? Or Dr Garcia, the enigmatic physician? Or how about Captain Lopez, the bellicose old seadog?’

  ‘Who are you calling bellicose?’ roared Captain Lopez. ‘I’ll have your guts for garters!’

  Piero continued: ‘Perhaps two or even three of them may have their eyes on those jewels, but if all three chase after the fortune, they will surely die! Which will it be? Ladies and gentlemen… Place! Your! Bets!’

  Ash gestured to the others, to the Captain and Garcia, to get their attention.

  ‘Listen,’ she said. ‘We have to all press green. It’s the only thing that makes sense.’

  Garcia nodded, but Captain Lopez remained almost expressionless.

  ‘Captain?’ said Ash. ‘We could be free.’

  But Captain Lopez said nothing.

  ‘OK!’ shouted Piero. ‘The bets are now closed. It’s time for our contestants to make their decision. They have thirty seconds… starting… now!’

  On the six gigantic screens appeared identical clock faces, the narrow hand sweeping anticlockwise and counting down.

  ‘Captain!’ said Ash. ‘Please. Think about this.’

  Lopez closed his eyes, as if he thought it might stop her from seeing what he would do next. He took in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and in what Ash read as a gesture of remorse, he shook his head. Then he slammed his fist against the red button, and all around them the arena shook with the sound of cheering.

  ‘No!’ cried Ash. In that one move, the Captain had condemned at least one of them to death. But then a thought occurred to her, something she should have known from the start. What could they possibly do to harm her? What could their weapon, this ‘laser’, do to her that countless swords and knives and firearms had failed to do over the centuries?

  ‘Dr Garcia!’ she said. ‘Press the red button.’

  ‘I can’t,’ said the physician. ‘If I do, they’ll kill you.’

  ‘It’s all right. Trust me. I’ll be all right. Look, if I press green, you have to press red, or you’ll die.’

  Garcia shook his head.

  ‘Please. You have to.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Ash. But I won’t play their game.’

  Angrily, Ash pressed her hand against the green button. Now Garcia had no choice. It was a case of pressing red, or certain death. But instead the physician simply smiled at her, and as casually as if he were pushing away an empty dinner plate, he pressed his hand on green.

  ‘No!’ said Ash, her voice drowned out by the crowds.

  ‘We have a result!’ shouted Piero. ‘Captain Lopez chose red, which means he’s automatically secured a place in the grand finale, while Ash and Dr Garcia both chose green, bringing it down to a question of who pressed their button first. And I can reveal that it… was… Ash!’

  More cheering, more stamping of feet. Ash closed her
eyes, fighting back tears.

  ‘Sadly that means we have to say goodbye to one of our contestants. Dr Garcia. Have you had fun on board the Makaron?’

  Garcia didn’t speak, but Ash’s eyes met his, and in those last few seconds something unsaid passed between them. Then, from high above came a deep and sinister hum, followed by an intense beam of red light that cut across the arena. In the time it took Ash to blink, the physician had vanished in a blizzard of black dust.

  XIV

  No sooner had the latest wave of cheering and stamping died down, than the Caniforms were on them again, shackling Ash and Captain Lopez and marching them down from the platforms. They led them across the arena and through the third corridor, into another vast, almost cathedral-like space.

  In the centre of this room there stood what looked like a colossal iron cauldron, in the side of which was an opening. The Caniforms marched them forward, undid their restraints, and pushed Ash and Captain Lopez through the door, closing it behind them with a sonorous clang. They were alone.

  ‘What is this place?’ asked the Captain.

  ‘How should I know?’ snapped Ash. She glowered at him and shook her head. ‘We’d be free now if it wasn’t for you. And Garcia would be alive.’

  ‘You think I came all this way to go home with nothing?’ said Lopez.

  Ash looked around, searching for a way out. To one side of the chamber, its end suspended an unreachable height above the ground, was a ladder, leading up to an aperture in the ceiling. To either side of the ladder were two circular metal handles, like ships’ wheels.

  ‘Welcome to the Grand Finale!’ the voice of Piero came booming down from somewhere high above. ‘If you look up, you’ll see an outlet. In thirty seconds, water will start filling the tank. It takes the average human one hundred and fifteen seconds to climb the ladder, but only ninety seconds for the tank to fill with water. Each of those two valves will stop the flow in two minutes, but if both are turned at the same time, they will turn the water off in one.’