The Doctor started to
understand the politics. He ducked as his mount passed under a tree. 'So his
Majesty left it to you – the local sheriff'” he taunted Lavallier.
The soldier’s
expression darkened considerably. 'I’m a Captain in his Majesty’s army. This
petty bickering is beneath me. The Vicomte himself should have accompanied me.
Why he sent you is ludicrous!'
The Doctor chuckled. 'Never mind, I’m quite good at persuading people. Anyway, De Gallois is smart
enough to realise that its far better politically for him not to get involved
directly.' The Doctor clicked his tongue in thought. 'Besides, this dosen't feel right somehow?' He spurred on his horse 'And then there’s Jack...' He
thought for a moment. 'I wonder if that’s where they saw the lights.'
As the Doctor
galloped away down the country track, Lavallier shot him a terrible look. He
reached briefly inside his tunic for a moment, clutched at something that was
hidden beneath it, and then gave a grim smile.
The village of
Dabarre was less than a mile away. It would soon be time.
~~
Dabarre was a
beautiful village that had existed for centuries amidst the rolling fields and
hills of the French countryside. The population of farmers and labourers was
still less than three hundred and were all fiercely loyal to the De Gallois
estate that was just over a mile away to the south. Most of the buildings were
a mixture of stone and wood, each with a wonderful thatched roof. The centre of
the village was a small square of mud and stone with a traditional well and
wooden pump in the middle and a small coaching inn that sat on one side of the
square.
But Dabarre also held
a terrible secret.
~~~
As they entered
Dabarre, the Doctor could feel the tension in the air. Some villagers had
gathered to meet them in the square with expressions on their faces ranging
from obvious anger to nervous concern. Lavallier and his troops however almost
totally ignored the men and women that clustered around them.
The Captain looked
down from his horse with disdain. He hated peasants and had clear ideas how
they should be dealt with. “We’ll escort you to Remy de Gallois’ estate and
then see if the Vicomte’s trust in you is well placed,” he sneered.
The Doctor looked
around at the villagers with both interest and worry. 'Alright, but something
has happened here Lavallier I can feel it.'
They rode out of the
village and towards an estate that was lined with small trees. As they did so,
they could see another horse riding towards them. It was Jack. Behind him in
the saddle was a beautiful young woman with curly dark hair, dressed in elegant
riding clothes.
The Doctor held up
his hand to stop Lavallier and his troops as Jack rode to meet them. He raised
an eyebrow as he looked at the young woman. 'Urgent mission, was it Jack?'
Jack gave the Doctor
a sarcastic grin. 'It’s not what you think Doctor. This is Katherine de
Gallois, the wife of Remy de Gallois, the Vicomte’s nephew.'
Katherine looked
absolutely distraught. 'You must help me monsieur Doctor,' she implored. 'My
husband has vanished!'
'Vanished?' Lavallier
snorted. 'Run from justice is more likely!'
Katherine gave the
Captain a filthy look. 'How would you know Captain?' She turned to the Doctor. 'Please Doctor, Captain Harkness has told me how you have been sent to help us.
Remy has been acting strangely for weeks. Now he has left me.'
The Doctor smiled
reassuringly at Katherine. 'I’ll do whatever I can. Did your husband leave any
clue as to where he would have gone?'
Katherine shrugged. 'No, not really.' She thought for a moment. 'He did mention the summer solstice
as if it were important?'
The Doctor glanced at
Jack. 'Mysterious lights in the sky, the summer solstice. What’s happening
here?'
Jack glanced awkwardly
around at Lavallier and the troops and the Doctor realised what he meant. He
cleared his throat and addressed Katherine. 'Let’s return to your estate,
perhaps we can find any clues to your husband’s disappearance?' He turned to
Lavallier. 'Are you staying in Dabarre, Captain?'
Lavallier gave him a
slightly odd look. 'No,' he replied evenly, 'we’ll accompany you.'
The Doctor spurred
his horse on, kicking his heels into its flanks. 'To the chateau then!'
~~~
In an elegant hallway
of the chateau, Lavallier strode back and forth impatiently, watched by a
worried Katherine. He gestured to a closed door. 'You trust them?' he asked.
Katherine raised a
delicate eyebrow. 'More than I trust you captain!' Lavallier snorted
disdainfully, his hand on the hilt of his sword. A young maid entered the
hallway. 'Christina,' Katherine called, 'fetch some refreshments for our,' she
paused, 'guests.'
The maid curtseyed
and smiled. 'Yes Madame.'
~~
In the chateau’s
library, the Doctor leant against the closed door, folded his arms and looked
pointedly at Jack. 'Well?' he asked.
Jack shrugged and
wandered over to look out of the large windows. 'I get contacted by the Time
Agency, out of the blue,' he added indignantly, 'and they give me a time
bracelet and send me here. I arrived a few days before you did, guessed that if
there was a problem here you might arrive.' He smiled. 'You usually do. Anyway,
I got talking to the Vicomte.'
'Just talking?' asked
the Doctor innocently.
Jack grinned but
shook his head. 'He’s a catch isn’t he, but I just haven’t had the time. He
told me about the strange lights and the problems here. He doesn’t trust our
Captain friend out there so he told me to make sure Katherine was safe.'
The Doctor bit his
lip in thought. ;I know how he feels. There’s something strange…' He broke off
and pulled out his glasses from his pocket. 'Let’s look around, perhaps we can
find something here?'
There was a knock at
the library door before it opened to reveal Katherine and Lavallier. They
walked into the room followed behind by Christina the maid who carried a tray
of fruit juice and small biscuits.
'Have you found
anything Doctor?' asked Katherine with concern.
The Doctor sighed,
picking up a biscuit from the tray. 'Oh Katherine, if only I had!'
Suddenly, the large
French windows that led to the gardens blew open and a gust of wind swept
through the room blowing maps and books alike into the air.
Jack looked around,
shielding his eyes from the gale. 'What the Hell is that?'
Two figures, both
dressed in black robes, flew into the room. They landed in the centre of the
library, cackling with malevolent laughter as they threw back the hoods of
their robes to reveal ugly old hags with hooked noses.
Christina screamed,
not in terror, but in malice. Suddenly her face was transformed from that of a
pretty young girl, to that of a hideous old crone, cackling with glee! Whilst
the other two hags swooped to attack she turned to Lavallier. 'Captain Lavallier,' she cackled, 'you are our pet, now do our bidding!'
END OF PART ONE
written by
SIMON COGAN
SIMON COGAN
copyright 2009
artwork by
DRAGONCYMRU
copyright 2009
