Doctor Who: Ultimate Treasure (14 page)

'Either they think they're going to need extra help at some point along the way, or they've taken them as hostages to use against me when this is all over,' Myra speculated. "They'd probably have knocked us on the heads or slit our throats while they were at it if they'd had the chance, only we put up more of a fight than they were expecting.'

'But are we not going to attempt to rescue them?'

Myra did not comment on the 'we'. 'I doubt if blundering around in the dark would help, and I haven't got the right equipment anyway. They've had time to prepare this, and could be hiding anywhere along this boarder zone, or else already setting off down into the valley to get a head start. Besides, I don't think the Doctor and Peri are in any immediate danger.

Unless we can catch them unawares along the way, the best thing we can do is find this treasure first and let them come to us. Then we'll have something to bargain with. Otherwise, if they get there first, they won't need hostages any more.'

She realised that the DAVE drone that had been relentlessly trailing after them had moved closer as she had been speaking.

The cursed things were so easy to forget, and she wondered if the Gelsandoran influence would prevent her shooting it down. Wait a minute: surely it and its fellows must have seen everything.

'Dynes,' she said, addressing the flying camera 'I am making an official request for press cooperation, with the usual benefits for a successful outcome. Have you still got a drone with Qwaid's party? What have they done with the Doctor and Ms Brown?

Where have they taken them?'

Dynes's voice came back clearly from the device's speaker grille. 'Inspector, you know better than to ask that. You have no jurisdiction here, so any deal you offer is worthless. Besides I want my subjects to know they can act perfectly naturally without fear of any interference from me. The impartiality of the press is sacrosanct, you know.'

The drone fell silent again, leaving Myra swishing her tail angrily across the grass. Sometimes she felt the press valued its independence a little too highly. In ancient times it had been different, she understood. She turned back to Falstaff. 'It looks like we're going to have to do it the hard way after all.'

'Just the two of us?'

'Believe me, it's not my ideal partnership either, but there's no other choice. Why, are you scared?'

'Old Jack does not flinch from danger. It is only that the Doctor seemed to have a certain facility for overcoming the hazards of our journey. Without him we may not proceed fast enough to effect a rescue. Perhaps it would be better if I returned to -'

'Quiet! Listen...'

Footsteps were approaching along the edge of the plain. A dim figure came into view around one of the fern bushes, and a circle of torchlight danced across the ground towards them.

'Hello? Are you all right? We heard the noise and I thought I'd better come over,' said Willis Brockwell.

Arnella sat on her bedroll with her chin on her knees and arms folded across her shins, awaiting Brockwell's return. Her uncle and Thorrin sat with their backs to the camp portafire, which they had switched on to drive the chill of the night away. They each held their guns ready.

She knew the camp had to be guarded, but Brockwell shouldn't have had to go on his own. Actually, when they had been roused by the distant commotion from the Doctor's camp, neither her uncle nor Thorrin had wanted any of them to risk investigating the cause. But to her surprise Brockwell had insisted he at least should go, claiming that, if it was the result of some indigenous danger, they had better be forewarned. She had not expected such defiance from him, and had to admit that he had more courage than she had previously given him credit for. But why couldn't he speak to her as forthrightly?

She was still brooding over this half an hour later when Brockwell returned with Falstaff and Jaharnus. The inspector explained what had happened and her theory of the criminal's motivations, then announced that she and her companion would be joining them. Her uncle and Thorrin looked unhappily at each other.

'Ah, I'm not so sure that will be a good idea,' said Thorrin slowly.

'We really cannot afford to be delayed,' the Marquis added.

'Besides, this is not our responsibility.' Thorrin continued. 'Better if we do not get involved.'

'What have you against cooperating with the police?' Jaharnus asked.

'Nothing at all, but, as Speaker Shalvis pointed out, you have no authority here.'

'Look, I don't care about any treasure. I just want to reach it before those scum, so we certainly won't delay you. My sole interest is catching a gang of killers and the safety of witnesses in my charge. Don't innocent lives count for anything?'

'I'm sure you're just doing your job, and your impartiality is beyond question, Inspector,' allowed the Marquis, 'but what about him?' He looked at Falstaff. 'He claims a knighthood, yet I am dubious as to his entitlement.'

The big man replied haughtily: 'Doubt me, do you sir? Why, I am as valiant as Hercules - a lion among men. Any expedition should be proud to number Falstaff amongst its muster. It is not thirty minutes past since I was disputing with cold steel against those villains, and making them pay dearly for their impudence.

Were it not for their rascally vapours that did half blind me I would have filleted them all there and then.'

Jaharnus sighed. 'I'll vouch for his conduct. Just remember: Qwaid's taken two hostages already. Do you want him to try for another?' Her gaze passed meaningfully over Arnella. 'One of you, perhaps? You need as much help as you can get, and leave arguing over who gets what shares in the treasure until after you've found it, assuming Qwaid's men don't get there first.'

'It would make sense,' Brockwell said. 'Safety in numbers, and so on.'

'Yes, let them come with us, Uncle.' Arnella said, trying not to sound too eager.

Thorrin and the Marquis looked thoughtful, then nodded.

'Good,' said the inspector. Now let's get some sleep. We'd better make an early start.'

Peri's gag and blindfold were not removed until she had been dragged for what seemed like miles through damp fern thickets and over ground studded with mounds of tussock grass. When at last she could see again through her smarting eyes, it was only to squint into the glare of a hand torch shone full in her face.

'Are you all right, Peri?' came the Doctor's voice, and her heart gave a little jump of relief. She had thought they had brought another prisoner with them, but hadn't been certain who. Most of the time she could only hear two of the thugs complaining about the minor injuries they'd received during their raid on the camp.

'Sure she's OK,' came a rough mocking voice, before she could answer for herself.

The torch beam swung away, and by its reflected light she began to make out dim forms. They were in a hollow surrounded on three sides by rounded boulders and roofed by overhanging branches of the heart-leaf tree she was becoming familiar with.

Various items of camping gear were piled in one corner. The Doctor stood at her side, while before them were the three crooks, two of whom were fumbling in their camping packs for a first-aid box. Unconsciously, she tugged at the strap that bound her hands behind her back, but it remained fast.

'Now the question is,' continued the speaker, the smallest and apparently uninjured one of the three, whom she now recognised as Qwaid, 'do you want her to stay that way?'

'Can we take the usual threats as read?' the Doctor said coolly.

'Just tell me what you want.'

'That's very sensible of you, Doctor,' said Qwaid. 'It's very simple. You'll help us keep up with the others, solving any more of these skewheaded tricks we run into, until we're ready to get ahead at the best moment.'

'Letting them break the ground for you, in case there are any more unpleasant surprises in store for us? So that's why your attack on our camp was so restrained.'

'Didn't I tell you he was the smartest one of the lot, boys?'

Qwaid asked his companions rhetorically as they treated their wounds. 'You got it right, Doc, that's just what we're going to do.'

'And what about Peri?'

'Your friend goes back to our ship with Gribbs, just in case you get any ideas about being a hero. He'll keep in touch with us over the comm link.' - he tapped a device like a bulky wristwatch -

'and you'll be able to talk to your friend regular to see she's being looked after. But don't think of getting away from us or trying anything cleaver. If Gribbs gets the wrong word from me, or doesn't hear from me on time...' He gave Peri an unpleasant smile.'Well, we may not be able to use guns on each other here, but there must be plenty of other ways to make things unpleasant for someone. And if your friend the Doctor here steps out of line, I'll give Gribbs the go-ahead to start trying a few of them out on you.'

Peri shivered and tried not to let her fear show.

They were up with the dawn, as Inspector Jaharnus had suggested, striking camp and setting off through the strip of fern forest before the sun had cleared the horizon. Arnella was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as they went.

She had not slept well after their interrupted night. The newly realised menace of the three criminals had been one reason, the behaviour of her uncle and Professor Thorrin another. She had been a little surprised by their initial reluctance to investigate the disturbance at the Doctor's camp, then to allow the inspector and Falstaff to accompany them. Thorrin, she had already decided, could be thoughtlessly inconsiderate at times, but her uncle normally never let circumstances prevent him from showing the proper sensibilities. As she had learnt from her youngest days, it was the duty of those in positions of power and responsibility to aid those less fortunate than themselves. That their own circumstances were temporarily reduced should be no excuse for ignoring such obligations. Could the prospect of what lay ahead be influencing their judgement? In fact only Brockwell had behaved well, and that was probably due to his apparent liking for that Brown girl. Still, at least he'd made the effort.

The forest ended suddenly at the edge of a cliff, running away in a wavering line on either side. Before them, tinted pink by the low rays of the sun, was a sea of softly swirling mist, broken only close to by the crowns of a few high trees. On the far side of this insubstantial mass, perhaps eight or ten kilometres away, was another ragged cliff face, cut through by the threads of several waterfalls.

Peering cautiously over the edge, they found there was a shelf of rock only a few metres below, with the dim outline of a second ledge beyond that, suggesting a series of terraces that faded away into the misty depths of the shrouded valley. They walked along the clifftop for a short distance and came to a narrow fault in the rock, which would make a workable stairway down to the next level. As they were examining this a muted snorting sound rose up out of the valley, accompanied by a medley of barking cries.

'Clearly there are creatures of some kind down there,' Thorrin stated, 'and we must assume they are dangerous, otherwise traversing the valley would not be a challenge.'

'Jack Falstaff is as loath to refuse a challenge as the next man,'

said their new companion, 'but I have neither the horns nor legs of Pan. Might we not exercise a modicum of discretion and attempt to circumvent this obstacle rather than needlessly plumb unknown depths?'

Thorrin shook his head. 'This cleft seems to reach as far as the main valley walls. It might take days to find a way round, assuming any existed, and we can't risk the delay.' He took out his compass and examined it carefully. 'It seems to have settled down now,' he remarked, taking a bearing on the opposite cliff.

Arnella saw her uncle sneer at Falstaff, even as he slid his sporting rifle from his pack and checked its charge gauge.

'Perhaps you are afraid, Sir John? If you would rather stay behind after all, that is your privilege.'

'I merely counselled caution,' Falstaff replied. 'Knowing the difference between bravery and foolhardiness is no cause to gird at me.'

'We're going down,' Inspector Jaharnus said firmly. She checked her own side arm, then led the way down the sloping cleft to the first terrace.

'You can come last, if you wish,' said the Marquis to Falstaff.

'just make sure you do not fall on top of us.'

As they started down, Arnella noticed the DAVE unit that had shadowed Jaharnus and Falstaff from their old camp suddenly turn and speed away, leaving their drone to continue following them alone. Briefly she wondered why Dynes had recalled it.

Gribbs returned to the camp in the hollow a little after dawn.

'They're all gone,' he reported to Qwaid. 'Set off for the valley, the cop and the fat one as well.'

'Good,' said Qwaid, finishing off a self-heating can of soup and tossing it aside. 'Now it's our turn.'

Drorgon pulled the Doctor and Peri, who had been sitting together on a boulder, to their feet. The Doctor's hands were released and he was given his pack.

'Don't worry about me, Doctor,' Peri said, trying to sound reassuring. 'I'm just sorry I talked you into all this. You just be careful out there.'

'I'll be all right, Peri. I'm sure these gentlemen don't intent to take any unnecessary risks,' he said lightly.

'That's right,' said Qwaid cheerfully, 'specially as we've go you along for insurance.' He turned to Gribbs, who was gathering up his own pack. 'Now you get back to the
Falcon
as fast as you can and wait for my call if we need and reconnaissance. Once we find the stash, you bring her across so we can load up.' He nodded at Peri. 'And don't let her give you the slip.'

'No chance,' said Gribbs, taking hold of Peri's arm an twisting her about. The strap about her wrist was released so that she could put on her backpack, then replaced. Then she felt a rope being tied about the strap. 'A jerk on this'll soo teach her to behave.'

Her last sight of the Doctor was as he, Qwaid, and Drorgo disappeared between the ferns. Then Gribbs gave her a shove and they set off back towards the tiled plain. As the grass gave way to stone, Gribbs said, 'You go first. Walk on the cracks between the big slabs.'