Part 6 (1/2)

'Shall I be forced to compel you, Doctor,' said Kalid quietly, with the rea.s.suring charm of a rattlesnake.

'There is no power that will give you control over the TARDIS!'

Kalid's body stiffened.

The Doctor thought the sorcerer was about to attack him. Then he realised the man was in some sort of pain.

Kalid moved swiftly to the crystal. Of course. Part of his mind was on another plain. Like a wild animal, he felt danger.

The Doctor looked over Kalid's shoulder. In the nebula he could see the great hall where Stapley, Andrew Bilton and the Professor, like a group of subversive pickets, were persuading the pa.s.sengers to down tools. Kalid was angry. He chanted urgently. 's.h.i.+raaz s.h.i.+raaz kazaan ...' As if a door had opened, chilling the room, the Doctor felt the flux of energy.

's.h.i.+raa, s.h.i.+raa, kazaan ...'

The Doctor watched helplessly as Plasmaton shapes formed in the hall.

The amorphous things soon engorged the rebels.

'Iznamin ... Iznamin ...' The crisis over, Kalid's voice was soft and coaxing.

But the danger had been great enough to impress his servitors; which meant, thought the Doctor, that Nyssa would now be free. At least the two girls would be safe in the plane.

The suddenness with which the s.h.i.+eld evaporated, voiding Nyssa on the ground, took Tegan by surprise.

'Nyssa! Are you all right?' She knelt beside her fellow companion.

'Of course.'

'What happened!'

Tegan's question was rhetorical, but Nyssa answered confidently. 'The power dissolved. It was needed elsewhere.'

'What are you talking about?'

'I don't know.' She was as surprised as Tegan at her sudden intuitions.

'I promised the Doctor we would go back to Concorde.

'No!' The same oracular voice.

'But, Nyssa...'

'We must go to the Citadel!' Some dreadful imperative urged her forward.

'We'll only get caught.'

Nyssa s.h.i.+vered. 'The Doctor's in danger!' she gasped - then gave a cry: 'Kalid!'

'Eevaneraagh!' cried out Kalid, as the Plasmaton c.u.mulation entered his chamber.

The ma.s.sive discharge of energy as the protoplasmic matter unbonded was quite terrifying in the enclosed s.p.a.ce, like an explosion of steam from a boiler. In seconds, all trace of the Plasmatons was gone, leaving Hayter and the Concorde crew on the floor.

Captain Stapley was the first to his feet, delighted to see the Doctor.

Then they all became aware of the extravagant figure that stood beside them.

'Who is this man?' asked Professor Hayter.

'The oriental gentleman calls himself Kalid,' said the Doctor.

Captain Stapley turned indignantly on the magician. 'Are you responsible for the abduction of the Concorde pa.s.sengers and crew?'

'Is it you who authorised ma.s.s hallucination?'

challenged the Professor.

Kalid regarded them all with leering disdain. 'Your questions are irrelevant.'

'I don't think so.' The Captain stepped aggressively towards him. Bilton and Scobie moved in alongside, confident now that they faced a tangible enemy.

'No!' cautioned the Doctor.

'Sheraz aazoor,' hissed Kalid.

The air s.h.i.+mmered. The three officers stopped dead as if they had walked into a plate-gla.s.s window.

'What's happening?'

'He's thrown up a barrier. I did try and warn you.'

Kalid turned away from his would-be a.s.sailants. He had some unfinished business with the Doctor. 'I require the TARDIS,' he announced unequivocally.

'You're wasting your time, Kalid.'

Kalid said nothing. His evil face inclined towards his captives; he knew how to put pressure on the Doctor.

But the menacing smile soon froze on his lips. His pockmarked features spasmed with pain. He pressed a hand to his temple, and moved to the crystal where he began a desperate chant.

'Arogogorah abrao abelatha...'

The Doctor crept up behind Kalid so that he too could see into the crystal ball. He was surprised at the cause of Kalid's discomforture.

Tegan and Nyssa had entered the Citadel.

Tegan wished heartily they had done what the Doctor said and gone back to Concorde. She was ill at ease in this dark and sinister place.

'But where are we going? she asked Nyssa as they walked down the gloomy corridor.

To help the Doctor.'

'Is this your intuition again?'