Gemmi ran through the darkness and hoped to avoid her pursuers. It wasn't far now and she would be safe; safe and warm by the fire. Her foot caught something and she tripped. Her head hit something hard, a rock, and she passed out. Her last thought was for her husband and her children; she hoped they could manage without her.
She woke up and she was somewhere else. The landscape was a large plain of upright monolithic stones and clumps of dark green grass. There was a strong breeze whipping at her torn clothes. There were two voices whispering, suggesting.
One seemed to be a single point of gold and silver light. It pulsed at it spoke. "Do not fear daughter. We will protect you from harm. This place is a not exactly real, it is a dream state, a place where reality and the dreams can mix freely." The voice was cool and pleasant and seemed to speak with the voice of her grandpa Will. "We sense in you a great opportunity to help us in the everlasting conflict. You are with child, yes?"
Gemmi squirmed. She hadn't even told Brakkar yet. "I think so. I have had the sickness for the last few mornings."
"This child is a key, he can unlock great powers for the betterment of all or he can release a malaise that will plague this universe for all time.
Now it was the turn of the second voice to speak. It seemed to be a dark carrion bird with eyes of burning coals. "We will not lie to you mortal, you are nothing in yourself, we will not deceive you with kind words and flatter you with pleasantries. Your child is part of the great order of things and you must let him decide for himself what to do. We will not ask but we will interfere if necessary. The balance of all should not be entrusted to a single being but what is to be must be what is to come." The bird ruffled it's feathers and squawked. "This child was born to die, but death is not always the end of life only a change of circumstance."
Gemmi awoke; she had a headache and vague memories of a strange dream. It was now morning; she must have been out of it for the whole night. Her head was still reeling from the bump and she was sure there was a bruise.
CHAPTER ONE
Brakkar paced outside the room. He could hear the rapid, heavy breathing of his wife and the occasional grunt of pain. He wanted to hold her hand, he wanted to mop her brow, he wanted to do something rather than just pace up and down. It was the waiting, the mind numbing waiting. Not knowing what to do or what to say.
There were frantic muffled voices and the sound of a new life announcing itself to the world.
Brakkar listened to the sound as if it was the most heavenly chorus.
The midwife emerged sweating with the babe wrapped in a blanket and passed in to the beaming father. "It's a boy, a perfect boy." She led father and son back inside to join the exhausted mother.
"Oh Gemmi, you are so wonderful." Brakkar bent down and put the child in her arms before kissing her head gently. "He's so tiny and precious."
***
Outside the house, beyond the sight of mortal eyes the Good and the Evil watched over the whole ceremony of life. Here was the chosen one, the seventh son. The good took it as a sign of purity and innocence for the world. The evil saw it as a sign that corruption and decadence would rise up and seize the world. Whatever happened neither side was content to let this child go over to the other side. So it shall be written, so it shall be done.
***
The prophet Abass looked deep into his scrying bowl. The quicksilver seemed dark tonight and there were no visions. He sighed and began to pack up his equipment. A red light formed in front of his face and it shone beams of light into his eyes. "What manner of demon is this?" His question was unanswered at first but there was a sound of waves crashing a distant shoreline and suddenly he knew what he had become. "So the prophecy of Lignet is coming true? I am the dark sorcerer, the tempter?"
"Yes Abass, we have gifted you great powers of the mind. Use them to secure the child's loyalties."
"I shall go now to the child's house."
"The child is too young and we must wait until the time of the blood moon before he is of sufficient power."
"The blood moon is many years away, what shall I do until then?"
"You must learn all that there is to know because they will also have an agent ready to defeat you."
"The one they call The Oncoming Storm?"
"He will be a most challenging foe; prepare well Abass."
The voice faded from his mind. This was truly a day of wonders; now to business. The old tomes in the forbidden library would be an excellent starting point. Perhaps he would find an ally or two among the monks there.
***
It was new morning and the newborn child's brothers greeted their tiny sibling with great reverence. The naming ceremony was a modest affair. Brakkar held his child aloft and called out his new name. "Baril is his name and he is my son." He handed Baril to Gemmi.
"Baril is his name and he is my son." She repeated her husband's words.
***
For many years, life as simple and prosperous, the small farm grew into a large business and all of the sons took their share in its success. Even Baril took his turn once he was old enough. He was fortunate to be schooled due to the large income and twice a week he was sent to a nearby monastery to be taught reading and mathematics. He was a gifted student and he was given further studies in philosophy and the sciences.
CHAPTER TWO
It was a warm, sunny day the clouds floated easily and slowly on the winds. The sky was a rich shade of blue and everything seemed just right. Baril made a decision; he was not a good shepherd. In fact if he thought hard about it, he was a very poor shepherd indeed. It had taken him almost ten minutes to realise this. He just could not get to grips with having to watch a field of dumb sheep all day. We longed to swim in the river, climb the large tree, or even listen to the words of his ageing teacher Abass, but he obeyed his father and tried to be the best shepherd he could be. He was fast approaching his seventeenth year and wished to see something of the world before he was tied to the farm like his older brothers.
***
Abass checked the charts again; tonight was the time of the blood moon. Finally the prophecy could take effect. He had turned the monastery into his personal castle, turning the monks to worshipping Yog Sothoth and serving his needs. He had even managed to get close to the child by becoming his teacher. "Soon now, soon." He had quite forgotten about his adversary.
***
The TARDIS materialised on the leeward side of a particularly craggy mountain. It's noisy arrival almost caused an avalanche but by chance catastrophe was averted. In many respects it looked like a blue 1960's police box, but appearances can be deceptive because it was in fact a time travelling machine from an alien world called Gallifrey.
The first occupant emerged, dressed in an expensive skiing outfit of yellow and pink along with a pair of large reflective sunglasses. She put the skis on and took in the deep mountain air. "Oi Professor, get a move on, take a look at this view."
The other occupant emerged, from the TARDIS. He was dressed in a dark brown jacket, a woolly jumper with a question mark pattern and baggy check trousers. He had a slightly battered panama hat pushed onto his head and he carried an umbrella in his hand, the handle of which was shaped like a question mark. "This doesn't look like Grenoble, Ace."
"France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy it doesn't make any difference, here be snow Doctor." Ace gave a test push with the stick to prove her point.
"Be careful Ace, this snow doesn't look very stable."
"Relax Professor, you worry too much. I promise I won't do any off piste skiing but I do fancy trying some snowboarding."
***
Baril felt light headed and he lurched forward. His vision swam and blurred. He saw a beautiful young woman and an older man. She was getting closer and closer to a patch of loose snow. Was this another of his visions he wondered. He knew where they were, further up the mountainside. If he hurried he might be in time.
***
Ace laughed and bent down to make a snowball. "Lets see how good you are against an off spinner." Suddenly the ground fell out from under her feet.
"Ace!" the Doctor shouted as he rushed forward to see Ace's brightly coloured clothing amongst the avalanche of white death. He set off slowly in the wake of the snowfall. Would he be in time, he wondered. He couldn't let it end like this, not this. He still had so many worlds to show her, many treasures of the Universe still for her to enjoy. "I'm coming Ace."
***
The fall hadn't been that bad really. There had been a few small stones but nothing major, nothing painful. Now here she was pinned down under god knows how much snow with a rapidly diminishing air supply.
***
Baril found the spot and hurriedly began to dig the snow away. He increased his pace and soon was rewarded by a piece of yellow and pink fabric. He traced along the outline of her body until he found her face. Her mouth was filled with snow and he had to pull it out with his fingers. She tried to speak but her words were garbled and he hushed her gently.
The Doctor rushed up and found that Ace's live had been saved. "Thank you, we should have seen the danger but Ace has a way of walking into harms way." The Doctor helped to dig Ace out of the snow.
"Cor, somebody get me a blanket it's freezing."
***
Somehow they managed to transport Ace to Baril's house without causing too much distress to Ace. The Doctor noted that she was deeply in shock and there could be a psychological edge to it as well.
They made her comfortable and kept her chatting away about anything. "She shouldn't be left alone until she recovers fully." The Doctor and Baril fussed over Ace making her a cup of tea by committee, five sugars, triple strength and way too much milk.
***
Abass looked on as his charge fussed over that wretched girl. Somehow she had avoided the avalanche he had caused. He just knew that if Baril fell in love with her it would be the end of all this plans. Somehow he must separate them, but how? "No, no, no. Don't talk to her, don't look at her." His words were for naught however as the boy kept on twittering away.
***
"Doctor, do you believe in magic?"
"It depends, sometimes somethings can seem magical but there is usually an explanation if you look hard enough."
"What about visions?"
"Most species have an underdeveloped sixth sense, my own people for instance used to have great psychic gifts. Have you had visions, Baril?"
"I..." He paused, could he share his secret with this stranger. They had only talked for a few minutes but he already felt like he had known him for years. "I saw Ace fall, but it was before it happened."
"Clairvoyance? Well that could explain why you knew where to look. Have you had other similar visions?" He leaned forward resting his weight on the umbrella.
"A few but no one listened to me. They just thought I was making it all up and then when the dam did burst and all those people died many people just put it down to coincidence."
"It wasn't though, was it?"
"I went there at the exact time on that day and it was exactly as I saw it in my mind. The wind in the trees, the birds in the sky, everything."
"There were a few who whispered about dark magic though I imagine, those who wanted someone to blame for it?"
"Yes, when they heard about my vision they tried to say I was an evil magician. Luckily everyone around here knows me better than that."
"Accusations are slow to die, people need to point the finger because it makes them safe and they don't want to be wrong. Pride and stubbornness is a dangerous combination sometimes."
"Thanks for listening to me Doctor, for years I thought I was going mad or something. My family doesn't want to talk about it and there's only been my tutor Abass who has listened to me. He lives at the nearby monastery. I sometimes think it's more of a burden to him rather than a kindness on his part. He listens to what I say but doesn't listen to how I feel. Not like you Doctor, I can see the sadness in your eyes for brief moments."
"You needed to talk to someone and I wanted to hear, not just because you saved Ace's life but perhaps I could do something to help you in return. The heart can only hold so much sadness and misery before you begin to suffer."
"I can sense much the same in you Doctor, how do you cope?"
"I have two hearts Baril, I have two hearts. Now I think we should dispense with the melancholy and see how Ace is. I think her coughing is a sign she wants some attention."
CHAPTER THREE
Abass strode purposefully towards the farm. He intended to drag the boy away by force if necessary. Why were things suddenly going so wrong now? What could possibly be causing events to spiral out of his control? It would take someone with enormous power to reshape events; only an agent of the other side could do this. Oh no, he thought; he had quite forgotten that they might also intervene in this manner. "So, this Doctor is working for them is he? The girl must be his way of manipulating the boy's emotions. "Perhaps he is too late, perhaps not." He hurried his pace.
***
"Ooh my head feels like it's been grated raw, Professor." Ace tried to sit up and finally managed it on the third attempt. "Anyone catch the number of that snowplough?"
"Try not to move too much Ace, you've had a terrible ordeal. You had an argument with a mountain and lost."
"I was wondering where I was. This isn't a set from Heidi, is it?"
"Hush Ace, just relax and take it easy for a while."
There was a knock at the door and Abass entered. "Baril, Baril ah, there you are. Those animals of yours have escaped and are eating all the crops."
"Oh no, I left the sheep unguarded, pop will kill me for sure this time Abass."
The Doctor looked at Baril and Abass for a second. "It's too much work for one person, you stay here and look after Ace and I will go along with the nice Mr. Abass and see to the sheep he is so worried about."
Before he could mount any form of protest he was half escorted, half manhandled outside. The trek up to the pasture was slow but pleasant, he tried to wheedle snippets of information but the man was either too clever or a fool. He couldn't be sure which and was actually beginning to suspect both theories were true.
"They seem to have returned to their field. Rather an extraordinary event, don't you agree Abass?"
"Yes Doctor, without a shepherd the sheep tend to stray and get lost."
"Sometimes I find it pays dividends to go on trust. What use is a shepherd then?"
"Drop the melodrama Doctor, we both know what we mean. The prophecy of Lignet shall come to pass this very night."
"Prophecy?"
"You do not know? Truly? Well then, perhaps you are not the one sent to hamper the great work."
"Perhaps I'm not, but then again what if I am? How can you tell? How can you be sure of anything?"
The sky began to cloud over and it got darker by the second.
"The boy has seen glimpses of his destiny. Oh I've tried to ground his mind in the present but it all seems to be going wrong. He's such a nice boy too despite the potential he possesses. If only he would pay more attention."
"Attention to you? Do as you command? Obey your will?"
Dark thunderclouds swelled up and lightning flashed across the sky.
"Of course Doctor, even our gods must obey us eventually."
A clap of thunder rolled ominously down the mountainside.
"How can you be sure he will obey you?"
"I had hoped my position, his trust in me as a teacher, an authority figure would be enough. Until you arrived with your harlot."
"Ace is my friend and I will thank you never to speak like that of her again."
The rain came, hard and painful. The ground became muddy and the sheep ran towards their covered shelter.
"Leave Doctor, take her with you and do not interfere anymore than you already have."
"Interfering is what I do best as some people have informed me over the years." The Doctor turned and left, his scowl matched the weather.
CHAPTER FOUR
"The Professor is a really great bloke for someone so old. He knows everything about everything and doesn't go around telling people what's best for them. He says people should work things out for themselves."
"What if they can't?"
"Then he usually brings down a government or two. One time tricked these silver guys into destroying themselves. That was well devious, I thought. Imagine what if things went wrong?"
"That's a decision I never want to have to make. To be able to control things on that scale would scare the hell out of me Ace."
"Yeah, me too. But when the universes pushes you in a certain direction you can either give up or do what I do."
Baril laughed gently "What's that Ace?"
"Take two cans of Nitro-9 and add a large portion of attitude."
The door opened and the Doctor entered. "Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. You can never resolve things with violence."
"What about that Dalek then?"
"Unless a Dalek is involved. Does the weather often turn like that?"
"No, not usually."
"But sometimes it does?"
"Only when I had that vision about the dam. It was all the extra rainwater you see. It was the height of summer and no-one believed there would be a huge rainstorm, but it happened and people died. Lots of people."
"You family should be back shortly?"
"They're at the market getting the supplies for next month. They should be...oh my." Baril's vision swum again and he could see them crossing Millar's bridge; there was a mudslide and the bridge was destroyed while they were crossing it. "No, no, no. Mudslide, the bridge, destroyed. No. Got to stop it."
He was out of the door and running before the Doctor could react. "Come back, you'll get a chill."
"Doctor, I can't believe you just said that."
"I cannot interfere Ace, events are out of my control."
"Use the TARDIS, Doctor."
"I can't travel back in time and stop them from crossing the bridge Ace."
"No but you can arrive in time to rescue them before it's destroyed."
"I can't Ace."
"Is it a vision of what might happen or what will happen? Perhaps only you can save their lives."
"Don't you think I want to Ace? How I wish I could stop these tragedies, correct all my mistakes. I can't though, I can't. If I did then I'm no better than the Master or the Rani. If I changed history to save even one life then I would have betrayed everything I have pledged to protect. Life isn't always easy Ace it's how we deal with it that characterises us. If we take the easy way out all the time then what does that say about us?"
"Not a lot I guess, but we still have to try Professor."
"Yes Ace, we do. Do you feel up to a mad dash through muddy fields?"
"Yeah, last one there is a Zygon." Ace leapt up and ran out of the door.
"Young people, so full of life." The Doctor closed the door behind him before running to catch up.
***
High on a hill Abass stroked his long grey beard thoughtfully. The coach should be along here any second now. The storm was building nicely just like it had done so long ago. The boy was becoming isolated and alone just as he had planned and now this was to be the final act to make Baril turn to him for support. Now that girl threatened things, the way they looked at each other. She really would have to die and the Doctor along with her.
***
Brakkar hurried the horses onwards. If they could reach the farm before this storm really broke then it would truly be a blessing. "Ha, ha." He urged them again, trying to find every last fraction of speed.
***
The bridge was still there and they waited until there was sight of the coach. They waved but the coach did not respond.
"It's too dark, they can't see us. If I shine my torch onto Ace's jacket it could be enough. The material has good reflective properties." Fumbling through his pockets the Doctor pulled out many items that he handed to Baril.
Baril took the items in his arms. A small rubber covered bat, a small white ball with dimples in it, a rosy fruit of some kind and a small frog made of a hard green material he had never seen before.
"Ah here it is." Proudly he held it up for a second before switching it on. He shone it at the jacket, which immediately grew twice as bright. "Now move your arms about Ace; no don't wave, like a windmill."
***
Brakkar gasped as he saw the ghostly figure on the hillside. It spooked the horses and they panicked. It was almost impossible to rein them back and they thundered blindly onwards towards the bridge.
***
"What's happening, why haven't they stopped?"
"The horses have bolted. They must have gotten scared or something Professor."
"If their speed is increased then they may make it across before the bridge is destroyed."
***
Abass looked down, they were going to survive. This could not and would not be allowed. Quickly he caused the muddy area to one side of the bridge to loosen and give way. It may just be enough.
***
Everyone watched on helplessly as the mudslide hit the bridge supports and tore the sturdy wood into fragments. The bridge fell away and dragged the horses and cart down into the valley with it.
Baril screamed, Ace screamed even the Doctor shouted out to the heavens in sorrow and anger.
Abass smiled. Things were very much going his way for a change.
CHAPTER FIVE
The Doctor and Ace somehow managed to drag Baril away and they carried him home. He refused all offers of food and company saying he just wanted to be alone for a while. Ace too was tired out and she settled down on the floor by the fire. The Doctor watched over both of them, they had been through so much and there was still so much to do. The worst of the storm had now passed and the view outside was getting better. There were a few stars shining brightly and instinctively he searched for home. "
No, that isn't home anymore. Just the TARDIS now, and Ace. I'm not even sure now for much longer that will be." His gaze returned to the stars now and the brightly-lit moon. There was going to be a lunar eclipse tonight. The foreshadow was already nibbling at it's edge. Soon it would be dark or even red. He stopped musing and stood up quickly. "A blood moon, tonight."
***
"Very good Doctor, but I rather think you will be too late to stop me. The prophecy will come to pass and through Baril I will have power beyond measure."
***
"Ace, wake up."
"Wha, what is it Professor?"
"I need you to do something for me. It's Baril, he shouldn't be alone, not tonight."
"Fine, then talk to him. Just let me get some sleep, eh?"
"I rather think he would listen more to you."
"You're up to something, aren't you?"
"He's just lost everything Ace and he needs help, your help. I've seen the way he looks at you and the way you look at him."
"So? Not jealous are we?"
"You will help him then?"
"All right, just give me a few minutes to get ready."
"I'll put the kettle on for some tea and then there's something I must do." Once they were settled the Doctor slipped away to examine Baril's diary. True this was an invasion of privacy but there were questions and they needed answers.
***
"Hi there, you look like you need a friend."
"Do I?"
"Yes, I want to be your friend, if you'll let me."
"What's in it for you?"
"Well apart from this cuppa not a lot, except someone to talk to."
"Has the Doctor sent you to cheer me up?"
"Well yes, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, with you."
"You like me?"
"I think you're more my type than most people I meet, yeah. Generally they're just morons more concerned with their egos and their looks. Sometimes it can be distracting but on the whole they're just scumbags and losers."
"Did you know you look cute when you're angry?"
"I do not." Ace's frown turned into a smile. "Do I?"
"Oh yes, very cute." Baril started to smile.
The reverie was interrupted when Abass appeared suddenly on the kitchen table. He sneered at Ace before grabbing hold of Baril and they both vanished from Ace's sight. Ace sat still for a second until events sunk into her mind. "Professor, Doctor." She shouted loudly. "That weird old bloke was just here and he took Baril."
Ace's shouts were eventually answered when the Doctor entered carrying a handful of books. "Ah there you are Ace, where's Baril?"
"Didn't you hear me shouting? That strange bloke who was here earlier just appeared and took Baril."
"That's very unusual."
"No kidding, I saw it. The question is why did he do it?"
"I know why Ace, the question is how?"
"So how did he do it then Professor?"
"I'm not sure Ace, a transmat perhaps, TOMTIT, even black magic."
"Sorcery, Professor?"
"Remember our old friend Morgaine?"
"Oh yeah, but you never explained how. All I got was the technobabble version."
"Another time perhaps Ace, but for now we must work out where he has taken Baril."
"He never said anything to me. You're the one who spent all the time with the loony. Although if you ask me he looked like the local vicar in Perivale."
"That's it, the local monastery."
"So he is a religious nutter then?"
"Perhaps but never judge anything by appearance alone. Always look under the surface a little first. There's usually some good in everyone if you look hard enough."
"Okay, enough of the philosophy lecture. Let's go out there and do what we do best."
"What's that then, rush in without a plan and somehow manage to improvise a solution to defeat the bad guy?"
"That's what you normally do, isn't it?"
"Normally yes. This time I want you to go back to the TARDIS."
Ace was furious. "You're not leaving me out again."
"Please let me finish Ace. I want you to go back to the TARDIS and get me as much Nitro-9 as you can carry. We need a distraction and I've always said if you're going to play with fire then why not make it worthwhile."
"You've never said that before."
"There is a first time for every saying Ace." The Doctor put his hat on and settled down to read the first book as Ace left.
***
The walk back to the TARDIS was long and boring. She had to walk past the place where she had been buried by the snow. It was not easy but as the Professor said she had to face her fears. Eventually she was back at the TARDIS and the key eventually turned up in the last pocket she checked. "Home sweet TARDIS."
Taking off the skiing suit she felt more comfortable and she decided to dress in something more comfortable. "Now where is my Manic's t-shirt?" she asked the piles of discarded clothes. "Ah there you are." She plucked it out from underneath a couple of pairs of jeans. A warm pair of woolly tights and her favourite skirt completed the ensemble. Now all there was to do was find all the cans of Nitro she had stashed around her room.
***
Most of the books had provided limited information of the prophecy of Lignet but the last book proved to be very useful. It was strange though as the Doctor could not remember seeing it before. The old saying of never looking a gift-Myrka in the mouth was proved true as he pieced the various texts together.
***
The body heat regulator gizmo device she picked up on Recaj VI was playing up again. It kept switching from roasting hot to really bloody freezing almost instantly. Fortunately this meant that Ace wasn't too uncomfortable, just annoyed. She finally made it back to the house only to find it empty. She was about to shout a profanity at the top of her voice when she saw a note the Professor had left. It read: map on reverse, please hurry and there was a sort of stylised question mark which was as close to a signature as he liked to get.
***
The Doctor's silhouette was difficult to spot in the darkness with that dark brown jacket on but Ace persevered and eventually caught up with him. "I thought you were going without me."
"You got my note? There is little time left Ace, soon the eclipse will be at totality."
"I hope it's more exciting that when we saw that eclipse of the sun."
"Well how was I to know the Sontarans were going to take advantage and land an assault fleet? If I hadn't been able to make those clouds appear they wouldn't have crashed into the sea and we would have been knee deep in bodies."
"Yeah and we still had to watch the edited highlights on the telly."
"I'm not that keen on eclipses at the best of times, especially after that time in Central America."
CHAPTER SIX
Abass gazed out of the window at the two approaching figures. "Come Doctor, you doom is certain." He turned back to Baril. "Soon now, your power will be released and you will become more powerful than you can imagine. You are like a seed, waiting to explode into a towering tree. Far mightier and noble that the tiny seed you are now, you shall be a god."
"I don't want any of this, I just want to be myself."
"We all have our destiny Baril, it's realising this and accepting the role we were born to play. You can no more stop being yourself than a bird can stop singing or a sheep stop eating grass."
"I don't want to be anyone special."
"Think of all the good we can achieve together if we ruled this world. Imagine all the lives you could save, all the misery you could stop."
"I suppose so, when you put it like that."
"Don't listen to that scumbag Baril, do what you want to do." Ace burst into the room, followed by the Doctor. "Don't follow his agenda blindly, you should only do what you feel you want to do."
"Ace, how did you find me?"
"The Professor pieced everything together and now we're leaving."
"No."
"Yes." The Doctor pointed the tip of his umbrella at Abass. "You can't stop him, you don't have the power to defy those who gave you your gifts."
"I do as I must, to secure power for myself."
"How much are you willing to sacrifice? How many live have you ruined? How many people have you killed? Do you know their names? What their favourite colour was? Do you know if they kept pets or not?"
"Such information isn't important."
"Yes it is. Life is the most precious thing in the universe and to destroy it with such wanton disregard makes me very, very angry."
Ace watched the verbal sparring. Once the old git was distracted she grabbed hold of Baril's arm and started to lead him out of the room. Before they reached the door it slammed shut with frightening power and ferocity.
"No, I will not allow this. Baril, you must kill her. She is the one who killed your parents; it was the light shining off her coat that startled the horses. She's the one who ruined your life just so she could have you to herself."
"No, that's not true at all."
"You killed them Ace." Baril felt pain and fury swell up inside of him. "You killed them."
Ace saw Baril's eyes turn from soft, liquid brown to fiery red. Panicking she tried to step back but her back was up against the wall. "It was an accident, we never knew that would happen."
"You killed them."
"How do you know what happened? How do you know the exact details of those tragic events?"
"I, I, you must have told me, yes that's it."
"No-one said anything about it to you did they Baril?"
"No, no we didn't."
"You must believe me boy, this is a deception of the Doctors."
"You lied to me Abass, you tricked me."
"It seems you've lost whatever little game you were playing Abass. Checkmate I believe. Lets go Ace, Baril."
"No, he must pay for what he has done. He ruined my life, just to suit his needs."
"And if you do the same are you any better?"
"No, but I might feel a whole lot better."
"For now perhaps, but in the future all you will have is a hollowness inside you. Leave him be, he cannot harm you further now that you know what he is."
"I suppose your words are right and your intentions noble but right now all I feel is anger."
"Then do it for me Baril, just walk away. He'll get what's coming to him."
"For you Ace, yes. I'll do it for you."
"You are weak, pathetic. I shouldn't have wasted my time, I should have killed you a long time ago."
"Goodbye Abass." Baril turned and left. The Doctor and Ace followed on. They found their way blocked however by two large soldiers. One was dressed in polished steel and the other in bloodstained steel.
"Halt, we cannot allow you to pass. Now is the time of prophecy. It was given to you a thousand lifetimes ago and now it is the fulfilment." The clean warrior's voice was soothing and gentle.
"This is the time, the choosing. Baril, who do you serve?" The blood-soaked warrior's voice was gruff and heavy.
"I don't understand the question."
"He has not been prepared?"
"In the heavens there is a battle between two armies. Both are of equal size and number. You were conceived to have free will so that you may determine which side is better. Now you must choose who you serve."
"Why must I choose?"
"It is the time, decide now."
"No."
"You cannot deny your fate." The clean warrior's voice became more urgent.
"I choose to serve Ace then."
"Unacceptable, choose again." The blood soaked warrior's voice was like a cannonball.
"Why should he? He's made his choice, you should respect it." The Doctor's curiosity was piqued.
"We cannot accept it, there must be an answer to the conflict."
"Peace is the only solution to any conflict."
"For many years the good and the evil have fought this battle. The outcome will determine the course of evolution for the whole universe. As a servant of good you should empathise with this Doctor."
"I prefer peace yes, but that is what I want. Baril wants to be left alone, to be a boy and learn what it is to be alive. We should respect that, don't you think?"
"Your argument has merits Doctor but the situation is desperate."
"You're like the Sontarans and the Rutans, always at war, always fighting. You've been fighting so long you have forgotten what started the conflict. Good and evil are not just opposite concepts; they are a part of the universe. There is nothing that is purely good and nothing that is purely evil, so end your conflict and let this one boy get on with his life."
"It's alright Doctor, I understand now. Memories from my people's past are racing through my mind. I see things that happened a long time ago. This was a great civilisation; they aspired to many great deeds and inventions. The path they walked was a perilous one though and then there was a device that could separate the mind from the body. They started to live only in the mind but something went wrong. The minds merged together, ideas, ideal and memories were divided into their individual components. The stronger ideas consumed the smaller ones until only two remained."
"Good and evil?"
"Yes and they have been fighting this war for countless millions of years. A few people who didn't go through the process founded a new society and slowly we have evolved our way back to this level you see today."
"Where do you fit in?"
"Both sides agreed to end things but neither would concede defeat. They both wanted to be right and so they agreed to give someone a free choice to decide which side was the better side. To finally end the conflict."
"Baril, if you choose good then you will help save a lot of lives, but if you choose evil you will create a race that could threaten other races." Ace tried to wrap her mind around things.
"I know what my options are Ace and I have made my decision."
"What is your choice?"
"Neither, you are both wrong. You will now become one creature of both good and evil. If I am to be anything then it is choice."
Both warriors looked at each other and were suddenly pulled together, their armour fusing along with their bodies. The new being smiled at the Doctor and Ace. "His choice has set us free, now we are at peace and at one with both sides of our nature."
"I too must join them Ace, I belong with my people now. I will never forget you Ace." He reached out his fingers to touch hers.
"Goodbye Baril, I think you did alright for an amateur."
"Perhaps we will see each other again, out there someday?" The Doctor doffed his hat as Baril's body dissipated into nothingness.
"Perhaps." Baril's final word echoed through the hall.
"Time to leave I think Ace." The Doctor smiled and took his friend's arm. "Perhaps a short trip to somewhere warm and sunny?"
"Majorca, Professor?"
"I was thinking Cromer, but Majorca sounds better."
Arm in arm the two friends walked slowly back to their time machine.
EPILOGUE
Abass gathered together all of his equipment, his charts and almanacs. He was about to leave when a tall man dressed in a black velvet cloak trimmed with white rabbit fur confronted him. He wore a strange bird-shaped hat on his head with fake eyes of purest ruby. "What do you want mister? You can see I'm in a hurry so be quick."
"I came to offer you a position that has just become available in my, shall we say, staff. It's an urgent vacancy and one that I think you are eminently suited for."
"What does it involve?"
"Oh nothing much, perhaps a few small acts of, shall we say, evil on a number of planets. There may even be a chance to seek revenge on that fool the Doctor."
This snippet interested Abass a great deal. "It sounds tempting; all right we have a deal. I still don't know your name."
"I am the Black Guardian and you will address me as my Lord at all times. I should like to call you Abyss, it sounds so much more in keeping with your new position don't you think?"
"Yes my Lord."
"Very good then, we shall leave now." The Black Guardian vanished along with his new agent, Abyss.
