I had a sudden thought. Maybe they weren't animals Maybe they were the people here. The Doctor was always telling me to try to see the other point of view. Yes. That was it.

Grinning at my own cleverness, I approached the nearest horse and prepared to make homage to it. The horse reared up immediately. It screamed at me. I made the sign of Xoanon -neck, left shoulder, left hip.

Moving my arm just excited the horse even more. It began to squeal. I noticed a man on top, dressed much as Stockwood was, hat and coat. He had a whip. He whipped the horse and pulled on some leather thongs which it held in its mouth. The horse moved around me and stamped away, the wooden box to which it was tied rattling along after it.

I turned to Stockwood, puzzled. He held up a hand to stop my questions. I nodded. Rituals were strange and not to be questioned.

By now we had reached a high wall made of baked-clay bricks. Metal poles were set into the wall at intervals. I peered through the fence. Inside the enclosure were trees and gra.s.s and flowers. It smelled like summer.

Stockwood opened a gate and beckoned me inside.

I touched branches as we walked, pulled handfuls of gra.s.s, sniffed at flowers. Then I stopped. How could I have been so foolish? 'Are there wild animals here that will attack?'

'No. You're thinking of the zoo.'

'Zoo?'

'Never mind.'

'What is this place? It is beautiful.'

'It's a graveyard.'

'And these stones? They serve no purpose that I can see. Why not have them removed to build more huts for your tribe?'

'They're headstones. Graves.' Stockwood led me to a small but made of stone. Metal gates led into a dark interior. Holy marks were carved into the wall. I pointed to them. 'Does your shaman live here?'

'n.o.body lives here.'

'Then why have walls and a gate?'

'To stop vandals.'

'Stop them from what?'

'Defacing the tombs.'

Stockwood took some flowers he had bartered for while we were walking and laid them at the foot of the wall. He pulled off a glove and touched the holy marks. 'I'm sorry, Alex. I should have gone back for you.'

'Why do you put flowers here?'

'To honour the dead.'

I sniffed impatiently. 'It is a waste. Are they not edible? Why waste flowers on the dead?' I shook my head. 'Why waste the dead by burying them? The meat will rot.'

Stockwood pulled his glove back on. His manner had changed. He seemed angry. I wondered why.

'Do you miss your sister?'

'No. I never knew her. But I respect her. And I pay homage to her memory. For without her I would not be.'

'I miss him, you know, Leela. He was my best friend. We went through Eton together. It was h.e.l.l. I know it's not the done thing to talk about one's schooldays in such a negative way but I am too old and too angry to ignore the truth now. The other boys were horrible. I was fat.

Alexander was my only friend. He stuck by me. And I left him there to die. He cried out to me and I left him there. Oh, G.o.d, I'm such a b.l.o.o.d.y coward!'

'Be silent!' I said harshly. 'You do not honour your dead by squealing at them like a wounded animal. Show them pride. Show them respect.

Show them you envy their position nearer the G.o.ds.'

Stockwood wiped the back of his gnarled hand across his face. The afternoon sunlight showed his tears clearly. They looked like gla.s.s too.

He continued to walk. After a moment I followed. 'He's not there, you know. I left him at Rapa Nui. We never went back for the body. I had the tomb erected in his memory. I suppose it was selfish. I needed him to be here. For me. Even in death I needed him to be here for me.'

I frowned. 'I do not understand. You lie to yourself and it makes you happy?'

'Oh yes.'

'Your tribe is strange.'

'That it is, Leela. That it is.' We walked in silence along the edge of a pond. Birds flapped and quacked on the pond. 'Tell me about yourself, Leela. And your friend the Doctor. Are you close? How did you meet?

Why do you want to help me?'

I thought for a moment. 'We will help you because you need help.

And because we can. That is what the Doctor does. He helps people. As for myself, I am a hunter. I come from the Place of Land. My tribe is called the Sevateem. My father's name was Sole, my mother Neela. My father taught me well of the ways of hunting and died to save my life when I was stupid.'

'What did you do that was stupid? If you don't mind my asking.'

'I do not mind. The Doctor says we learn from our mistakes but only if we -' I struggled with the half-familiar word 'acknowledge 'acknowledge them.' them.'

Stockwood groped in his pocket and pulled out some breadcrumbs, which he threw at the birds. They began to fight over them. Clever. Provoke them to fight and then kill the survivors. Twice as much food for the tribe. I held my hand out for some bread. 'I did a stupid thing. I told my shaman that there was no G.o.d. No Xoanon. I was tried for heresy. My father took the test of the horda in my place.

He failed. He died. I was banished into the Beyond.'

'What is the Beyond?'

I threw bread at the birds and waited for them to kill each other over the sc.r.a.ps. The Beyond is... well, the Beyond. It's full of monsters.

You cannot see them but they can kill ten warriors with a single blow.

The Doctor said they homed homed in on in on audible vibrations. audible vibrations. He defeated one with something he called an He defeated one with something he called an egg-timer.' egg-timer.' I pointed at the birds, all of whom were still alive. 'Your hunting tricks are useless. These birds are not killing each other.' I pointed at the birds, all of whom were still alive. 'Your hunting tricks are useless. These birds are not killing each other.'

Stockwood laughed. 'I should hope not. It's not the jungle here, you know.'

I looked around nervously. 'The Beyond was near a jungle.'

'Don't worry, Leela. There are no invisible monsters here.'

I studied him closely. 'How can you tell? Do you have an egg-timer?'

He did not answer. 'I will kill a bird and we will eat it.' Stockwood quickly placed a hand on my arm. I managed not to break his arm.

'Tell me about the Doctor.'

'He is good.'

'That's it?'

'He is very good. But odd as well. I do not understand him. But I know he is good.'

'How did you meet?'

I thought back to the Land, to my childhood. 'When I was old enough to train for the Hunt, I told my father I did not believe in Xoanon, our G.o.d.

My father got angry and told me I had been born deformed; that something inside had been stillborn: the part inside every Sevateem that knew Xoanon and worshipped him was missing from me.

'For a long time I hated my father and I secretly turned against everything he and our Shaman taught. My father died for me. I never understood that. I hated my father even though he knew I was different from the rest of the tribe, and protected me for as long as he could.

'Then when the Doctor came to the Place of Land he told me that my father had been wrong. I hadn't been born with part of me dead. I had been born with part of me alive. A part which had been sleeping in the tribe for many times of fathers.'

'My first thought was to hate the Doctor as I hated my father. He just wanted to change me, to make me do what he wanted. But I have come to know that what the Doctor wants for me, I always seem to want for myself, only I don't always know it when the Doctor does. He is a good man. Trust him and he will help you.'

Stockwood nodded sadly. 'Thank you for your kind words. But n.o.body can bring Alexander back from the dead.'

That is not what you asked us to do.'

'True enough. Tell me, do you know where your friend obtained that diamond he showed me?'

'Diamond? Oh - you mean the talisman? The TARDIS has many such things. He got them from something he called another planet - another planet - whatever that is.' whatever that is.'

Stockwood looked at me strangely then. I was just starting to feel threatened when he smiled. 'Come on. It's high time we had some tea.

I'm starving.'

The walk back to Stockwood's large but seemed to pa.s.s more quickly than the outward journey. When we arrived Stockwood was shocked to discover someone had broken into his study for a second time.

I drew my dagger, moved ahead of Stockwood into the study. The room was panelled in wood. It had a table, a throne. Lots of shelves. Someone had disturbed the room. Talismans, sheets of paper, pieces of metal, gla.s.s tubes, all were scattered across the room. I asked Stockwood, 'What is missing?'

'Um... well... a notebook... here... these artefacts... my a.n.a.lysis of the composition of the tablet wood... and look here... the safe is open! The rongo-rongo! rongo-rongo! Oh my life! Where is the Oh my life! Where is the rongo-rongo?' The rongo-rongo?' The desperation in Stockwood's voice made him sound even more like an animal. It reminded me of the sound the infant web-tree spinners made when I killed their parent. I sniffed. There was a faint scent. 'Give me your... that pipe thing you put in your mouth to blow smoke.' desperation in Stockwood's voice made him sound even more like an animal. It reminded me of the sound the infant web-tree spinners made when I killed their parent. I sniffed. There was a faint scent. 'Give me your... that pipe thing you put in your mouth to blow smoke.'

'My briar?'

'Yes! Quickly!'

Stockwood did as I asked. I took the briar and a pouch full of dried leaves he offered and sniffed them. No. The smell in the room was not either of these things. But it was similar. Very similar.

Stockwood took back the pipe and pouch. 'Someone was here?' he asked. 'Someone who smokes?' He began to tidy the mess, his movements slow, dispirited.

'They did not blow smoke while they were here. The smell is faint. But new. Made within the hour.' I leaned forward and sniffed Stockwood's jacket. It smelled like the briar, only not so strong. 'The smell was on his clothes.'

'Who?'

'Whoever was here.'

Stockwood stopped tidying abruptly. 'Fennel wears an old smoking jacket from time to time. I believe it was his father's.'

'Fennel?'

The butler.'

I nodded. 'Do you have any more of his clothes?'

'His coat... the hall stand.'

Stockwood fetched the coat. I sniffed it. 'This is the smell' Stockwood uttered a short, annoyed sound. It was enough like a laugh to confuse me. 'Old Holborn. I should have guessed.'

'I will check the house. You stay here. If this Fennel is still here I will kill him.'

Stockwood began to say something. At that moment I heard a sound from nearby.

Fennel!

I would kill him now!

We rushed into the drawing room only to find the Doctor sitting cross-legged upon the dining table. A bucket full of ice rested on the table beside him In the bucket was a bottle. Three clay mugs were arranged neatly on the table beside the bucket.

There was no sign of Fennel.

'I'm afraid the Butler did it.' The Doctor spotted us and sprang to his feet with a gleeful grin. 'You were right,' he said. 'The theft was down to Fennel - I caught him in the act and fired him on the spot. I let him go because I wanted to follow him but he was too quick for me. Still, never mind. At least I managed to retrieve this.' And he pulled a small slab of wood covered with holy marks from his pocket.

Stockwood let out a shocked sigh and leapt forward, s.n.a.t.c.hing the wooden slab and cradling it to his chest. The tablet. How can I ever thank you!'

The Doctor smiled modestly. 'Oh, it was nothing. A mere frippery.

This is much more important.' And, with an even larger grin, he dumped a huge bag of gold coins down on the table with a crash. 'You leave for Portsmouth at first light tomorrow morning. I suggest you begin packing immediately. And, Horace,' he added conspiratorially.