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Lungbarrow - Chapter Twenty-eight

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Going Home

Shudders ran through the House of Lungbarrow. Its timbers shivered, down from its scaly roofs to the fibrous ends of its extending roots.

Deep in the flooded North annexe, there was a well. Thoughts flickered like shadows in its depths. Voices whispered and cried out in anguish.

The voices were whispering to Jobiska.

She was fretting. 'Why don't they listen? No one listens.'

Come home then, they insisted.

'It's time then,' she said.

Yes.

She sighed and smiled. 'Time to go home at last.'

Always voices, thought Chris. Wherever I go, it's always someone else's voice in my head. Yemaya and Yemaya and Yemaya creeps on this petty pace from day to day.

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Maybe I'm bored with travelling. Maybe it's time to stay in nights with a trashvid or just my thoughts, not other people's second-hand, shop-soiled, cast-offs. Let's go home and see the folks. Let's have a party and a singsong round the old joanna. (We don't have an old joanna. What is an old joanna?) Never mind, here comes that song again. Altogether now:

Eighth Man Bound
Make no sound...

'Cast out.' Satthralope sat in her place at the head of the table, turning the keys on her ring in a steady clicking motion. 'The poor, poor House.'

'The House buried us,' said Glospin. 'We had five days. I would have set things right as my first duty as Kithriarch. But the House had to interfere.'

'No, it is not true. We are cast out.'

'Where are the rest of the Family?' said Redred. 'And where's the imposter who took the edict?'

'All dead,' said Satthralope, staring blankly ahead.

'Dead? How can they be dead?'

'No, not dead,' insisted Innocet. 'Just gone away.'

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'Dead of shame,' said Satthralope.

The Doctor, slipping in beside her: 'If they were dead, the House would have replaced them.'

'You are dead,' she said, turning her keys.

'Now you see me, now you don't,' he agreed.

'Wishful thinking,' said Glospin.

Satthralope struck out wildly. 'Soon Quences and I shall be the only ones alive.'

'I want to get out of this insane house!' shouted Redred. Everyone shushed him.

There was a retching sound from across the table. Owis was being sick.

'Idiot,' said Glospin. 'Only you could eat your own poisoned food!'

'All dead soon,' muttered the Housekeeper. 'Then who will see to the House?'

The Doctor slammed his fist on the table and marched into the centre of the Hall.

'All right! What do you want me to do? Apologize to the House? Then I apologize! I'm sorry! Obviously I should have found a more suitable Family. Tell the House that it can exact whatever revenge it wants. Swallow me up or drop timbers on my head if it likes, but that won't change anything! I'm still me! Still its child!'

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The TARDIS dropped from the web above like a stone.

The Doctor tumbled clear as the police box hit the flag-stones with a splintering crash.

A flurry of frightened fledershrews winged around the Hall.

The Doctor smiled. 'I got it down,' he said in quiet triumph.

'Whose TARDIS is this?' demanded Redred.

'The Doctor's,' said Innocet.

'Come back,' shouted Satthralope. 'No one was granted permission to leave the table.'

Both Rynde and Glospin were already perusing the overturned ship. It seemed unharmed by its fall, but the cracked flags beneath it were knocked into a crater.

The Doctor and Chris watched them from a distance.

Innocet heard the young man mutter, 'They can't get in, can they?'

'It's fallen door-side down,' said the Doctor. 'As long as you remembered to lock up.'

'Um,' said Chris.

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She ran her hand across the ship's weathered blue surface. It was trembling slightly, betraying the enormous potential of the TT engines locked inside. Dust and grit had collected on the ridges and panels. Strange colours. Scratches and burns and something that looked like claw marks.

How dare he! Her Cousin, who brazenly challenged the House and got his own way too. Had these powers always been in him? Always kept in eclipse? Who was he, who kept company with aliens and forces from the Time of Chaos? Was Glospin right? Where had he been while they, his own Family, were condemned to the dark? Or was he the dark himself?

The chorus in her head was no longer unified. It had become a rabble of cries. She had striven to protect them all, but her strength was falling away. To what else would they now be reduced?

The weight of hair on her back threatened to crush her.

Rynde had his ear to one of the TARDIS's panels. 'Sounds steady enough,' he said.

Innocet pulled him away. 'It's not your property, Rynde.'

'So what,' said Glospin. 'How do we get inside?'

Leela pushed in front of him. 'Stay away from the Doctor's ship, sly one.'

Glospin smiled and pulled his knife.

Rynde followed suit.

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'You have no honour, you and your tribe of scavengers,' she warned and produced her own knife.

Doroth\xE9e looked for Chris, but he was dawdling vaguely across the Hall, a look of complete puzzlement on his face.

Glospin sliced at Leela with his blade. She caught his wrist and swung him sideways. He twisted and caught her throat with his other arm.

As Rynde lunged his knife, Doroth\xE9e barrelled across from the side, slamming him against the TARDIS.

His knife clattered away and she snatched it up.

'Stop it!' shouted Innocet. 'Stop brawling!'

Leela kicked at Glospin and broke free. In a moment, she had her knife pressing his throat. 'I have thorns here that could kill you with one scratch,' she said.

'Alien she-cat,' he hissed.

'Stand away from him!'

Leela turned to see Redred with a raised gun. 'Thank you, Cousin,' she said and pushed Glospin away.

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'Cousin?' mouthed the captain.

'Drudge!'

There was a crash.

'Drudge!' Satthralope was swinging her cane wildly. The Doctor was crouching on the tables, examining a panel at one end of the glass casket.

Badger, who had been standing idle, raised its claws and descended upon her.

'No, Badger!' shouted the Doctor, ducking a plate that she had thrown. 'I'm safe!'

The machine faltered and was overtaken by the approaching Cousins.

The Doctor stood and faced them, indicating the casket. 'This stasis unit is a trick,' he said quietly. 'You're terrified the House will find out about Quences, so you've all been living a lie for the past six hundred and seventy-three years.'

'Don't listen,' said Glospin. 'He's playing with us!'

'Quences was murdered, but I didn't do it, whatever anyone says. So much for your Sleeping Beauty.'

'No!' yelled Satthralope. 'Quences is alive!'

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The Doctor yanked a circuit core from the panel. The peaceful image of the old man under the glass vanished.

A brown skeleton lay there, picked clean by vermin. Only a few shreds of material clung to it.

'Don't let it see!' Satthralope clutched at one of her hearts. 'Don't let the House see!'

Something squeaked. A tafelshrew ventured its snout through the ribcage, where it appeared to be nesting.

'Don't let it see!'

The Drudges stalked back into the Hall. They slowly approached the tables, scrutinizing each Cousin and companion in turn.

The Doctor, smiling calmly, slid back from the coffin and off the tables. Quences lay peacefully in his place again.

'Everything is acceptable,' said Satthralope. She was clutching the will, wary of any approach.

At a signal from the Drudges, the dinner tables shuffled away from the dais. The two guardians of the House, one with a head, one without, took up positions at either side of the Loom on which the coffin stood.

Everyone stood and waited.

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'What's this about six hundred and seventy-three years?' demanded Redred.

Satthralope ignored him. 'Why does it not answer me?' she said, turning her keys. 'How much has it seen?'

Redred grabbed Rynde. 'How long was I in that transmat booth?'

'Get away,' muttered the Cousin. 'You don't know when you were better off.'

'Drudge.' Satthralope stood up. 'I am going to my room.'

The attendants did not respond.

'I require your service!'

She was ignored. Trembling, she leant on her cane. A tiny figure, vital with anger, hobbling alone from the great Hall.

Redred grabbed hold of Innocet. His eyes were wild. 'How do I get out of this place?'

She maintained her composure. 'You have a dispatch that you were given to take to the Capitol.'

'How long was I in the transmat booth?'

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'I couldn't say. I think you should hand the dispatch over to me.'

'This is some elaborate Otherstide masquerade. It's too late for your appeal to go through now.'

She pulled away from him. She had a clear path out, and then the Doctor was at her elbow.

'Innocet, thank you for sabotaging the transmat booth.'

'I did nothing of the sort.'

'Yes, you did. Chris saw you steal Glospin's original document. You deliberately prevented the delivery of some rather damning material.'

'Damning for whom? I didn't even consider the captain.'

'Dear Innocet,' he said humbly. 'You always put other people first.'

She almost laughed. 'I destroyed the document. I thought Glospin had gone mad.'

'Or had been driven to madness. I'm not easy to live with, you know.'

She held his eye again. Deep in the blue, there were flecks of green and brown, until it fell into a pool of black. She could see nothing beyond. She knew that was forbidden.

Who are you? she thought.

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'I don't know. It frightens me.' He chewed on his bottom lip. 'The main problem is how to get you all out of here before the House finds out.'

Innocet looked around the Hall. Leela, eating yet more bread, was sitting on the side of the TARDIS with Doroth\xE9e. Glospin and Rynde were plotting at the far end of the Hall. Nearby, Redred was studying his wrist-link and Owis was hunched in a chair, looking distinctly ill. The Drudges, immovable and obdurate, flanked Quences's coffin.

'Where is Chris?' she said.

He scanned the Hall. 'And where's Jobiska?'

No, she thought. Not another one. Not now.

When Jobiska reached the gate to the North annexe, it was open.

The black water started about halfway down the slanting passage. A flotsam of old drowned furniture had collected at its edge.

She tried to tug at one of the overturned coracles, but it was too heavy for her frail little arms.

'Come on, granny,' said Chris, pounding up behind her. 'I'll do that.'

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He lifted her in and climbed aboard after her.

'Are you coming as well, dear?' she asked.

'That's right,' he said, testing the paddle. 'I'm off home too.'

'I don't know where he went,' protested Doroth\xE9e.

The Doctor was all urgent hands and darting looks. 'He's following Jobiska. She's gone to join the missing Cousins.'

'We shall find him,' said Leela.

'No, stay here, both of you. Keep an eye on things. And don't let anything disturb the House.' He squinted at Leela.

'What?' she said.

'Crumbs.' He dabbed her mouth with his hanky. 'If you need help, speak to her.' He waved a vague hand. Doroth\xE9e glanced round the Hall. 'Who? Battleaxe Galactica's gone to her room.'

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'Not Satthralope. Innocet.'

'She just went out.'

'What?'

They pointed. 'That way.'

The Doctor set off at a pace.

'Your bread is good,' said Leela.

'You ate the lot,' said Doroth\xE9e.

'I was hungry.'

'At this rate you can't go on wearing that bikini much longer.'

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'Captain,' said Glospin. 'That dispatch you were given. You'd better hand it over.'

Redred flicked off his wrist-link. 'It stays with me until I get out.' He pointed to the TARDIS. 'This TT machine was stolen last night from the dry dimension docks at the Capitol.'

'Last night,' said Glospin, amused.

'By your Cousin.'

'You'll find the Doctor's behind most of this.' Glospin flourished his coded Agency badge. 'You see, I discovered anomalies on his Loom certificate. He may be a pretender. Or a changeling.'

Redred smiled. 'Another imposter?'

'This is his revenge for being disinherited and expelled from the Family. It was he who murdered the Kithriarch.'

'Serious allegations.' Redred consulted his wrist-link.

'And he's regenerated since he last came here,' Glospin added. 'I'm sure we'd find more evidence if we could get into his ship.'