'It is forward,' said Balazar confidently. 'And thence to the castle of the Immortal.'

'We must have no indecision in the Tribe of the Free,'

shouted Katryca. 'Long have we waited for this moment.

The Immortal is dead and we shall plunder his castle. The spoils of triumph are ours. Now - which way is it? which way is it? ' '

'This way,' shouted Broken Tooth and Balazar in unison.

Balazar pointed forward, and Broken Tooth back. 'Am I surrounded by fools?' shrieked Katryca. 'We shall go forward!'

'But Katryca,' protested Broken Tooth.

'Forward, I say! I have read it in the flames, many times.

We go forward!'

A flas.h.i.+ng arc of electricity sizzled through the console that the Doctor had dismantled.

'That is not correct,' said Humker suspiciously.

Tandrell sighed. 'There is clearly a mechanical defect.'

'An electronic malfunction,' said Humker sagely.

Tandrell nodded. 'Perhaps the Doctor created the problem?'

Humker turned to their master. 'Have you seen this, Drathro?'

Drathro came over to them. To their horror he staggered a little and his voice was blurred.

'I do not need to. My condition tells me of the failure of the black-light system.'

'What can have caused it?' asked Humker.

'There were no warning signs,' said Tandrell.

'It was accelerated by the destruction of the black-light convertor,' said Drathro thickly.

'Destruction?' breathed Tandrell.

'The Service Robot relayed the information as it entered the village.'

'Can we not repair it?' suggested Tandrell hopefully.

Drathro's voice dragged wearily. 'No. Soon the black-light system will collapse in upon itself, and we shall all cease to function.'

Drathro sounded resigned to his fate.

The Doctor and Peri were hurrying along one of the lower tunnels.

'The trouble is, his refraction dipoles are worn out,' said the Doctor. 'Nothing for it now but to shut the whole black light system down.'

'That sounds simple enough,' said Peri hopefully.

'Oh, it is. But if I shut the system down I shut Drathro down as well, and I can't see him agreeing to that!'

'So what happens if he won't let you?'

'Then the black-light system will explode and destroy everything in these tunnels.'

'Oh great. So that's why we're going in?'

'I can't let people die, Peri,' said the Doctor soberly.

'Not if there's a chance of saving them.'

They hurried on.

Glitz was waiting by the entrance as Dibber staggered up with the two multi-blasters, weapons that were a sort of portable laser-cannon. 'You got the guns then?'

'Looks like it, Mr Glitz.'

'I tell you something funny Dibber. I popped back to check on the Doctor. We was wrong about him. He's bunked off.'

'He hasn't bunked off, Mr Glitz. He's gone down below.

I caught a glimpse of him from a distance. He has Peri with him.'

'So he is after the same as we are then!'

'Could be.'

'Course he is,' said Glitz confidently. 'I knew it all along. He's got no more interest in the scientific side than I have!'

'You didn't fool him saying you was a philatelist, Mr Glitz.'

'Philanthropist, you ignorant d.i.n.k. Why, don't I look like one then?'

'How do I know, I've never seen one.'

'A philanthropist, my son, is someone who gives away all their Grotzis, out of the simple goodness of their hearts.'

'Oh, you mean they're stupid? Yeah, well maybe you do look like one then.'

Glitz grabbed one of the guns. 'Get down that hole, Dibber. Oh dear, these things are heavy, aren't they?'

When they reached the top of the steep steps, Glitz made a vain attempt to get Dibber to carry both guns. Dibber ignored him.

'Please Dibber,' begged Glitz as he staggered down the steps after him.'

'You always did despise muscle,' said Dibber reprovingly.

'Not when there are heavy things to carry lad. Anyway, Dibber, if we should run into the Doctor again'

'We shoot him?'

They descended the steps and made for the door that led to the lower levels.

'Not a bad idea lad,' said Glitz. 'But whatever you do, don't open your big parlo and let him know we're after the stuff...'

On the Courtroom screen the remainder of Glitz's words became a series of beeps, and the picture went black.

The Inquisitor raised her eyebrows.

'The remainder of that evidence has been excised, My Lady,' said the Valeyard smoothly.

'Excised?'

'By order of the High Council.'

'This is a judicial enquiry, appointed by the High Council, but independently conducted.' The Inquisitor's tone was one of quiet fury. 'It is my duty, Valeyard, to determine what evidence is relevant.'

'Of course, My Lady. The High Council simply felt that certain areas of testimony should not be revealed.'

'And why not?'

'It was judged to be against the public interest, My Lady.'

'I cannot conduct a full and searching enquiry without full access to the evidence,' said the Inquisitor flatly.

'Naturally, My Lady, the High Council would be prepared to let you consider the full record in camera.'

'In secret? But that would be unfair to the defendant.

Do you wish to lodge a formal objection at this time, Doctor?'

The Doctor sat back, considering. At last he said, 'No, My Lady. Let the Valeyard continue. Let's give him enough rope to hang himself.'

'Very well, Doctor. Proceed, Valeyard.'

The Valeyard shot the Doctor a quick glance, before turning back to the screen. To the Doctor's huge delight, he saw that somehow he'd got the Valeyard worried.

It was the first c.h.i.n.k in the Valeyard's armour.

'Hurry Peri,' said the Doctor. 'There isn't much time.'

'How long before this black-light thing goes up?'

'There's no telling. We've just got to get past Katryca, into the Castle, and make that demented robot see sense.'

Suddenly Merdeen stepped from an alcove. The crossbow gun in his hand was aimed at the Doctor. 'So you have returned, Doctor.'

'Missed your train, Merdeen?'

The train is noisy, Doctor. We hunt best on foot.'

'Oh? And what are you hunting?'

'You, Doctor,' said Merdeen.

He raised the crossbow-gun and fired at point-blank range.

11.

Secrets Merdeen's crossbow bolt wasn't aimed at the Doctor.

It was directed at Grell, who had emerged from another alcove, his crossbow aimed at the Doctor's back. But Merdeen had fired first. Grell crashed to the ground, a crossbow bolt in his breast.

Merdeen ran to the body and knelt beside it. 'Why Grell?' he whispered. 'Why?'

'You betrayed...' said Grell feebly. His voice tailed away.

'No,' said Merdeen pa.s.sionately. 'We were not meant to live like this. We should be free...' he looked up at the Doctor. 'He wanted the glory of your capture, to please the Immortal.'

'Don't blame yourself, Merdeen.'

'I've known him all his life,' said Merdeen brokenly, as he got to his feet. 'I asked for him to join the guards. I hoped one day he might see there was no reason for the Cullings.'

'Perhaps I can convince the Immortal of that,' said the Doctor urgently. 'I must get in to his Castle.'

'He will kill you,' said Merdeen dully.