address the Teller. 'I know you hold this city in contempt—'
'Not true, Mother!' the Teller said quickly; too quickly, Amy thought.
75
DOCTOR WHO
The Doctor murmured, 'The Teller doth protest too much... Now why would that be, I wonder...?'
Hilthe held up her hand to stop the Teller speaking further. 'But you might at least make a show of respect. Given that making a show is all you're good for. Now,' she turned back to address the Doctor. 'Your friend has come to me with a most remarkable tale, one which any sensible person would hardly find credible. What truth is there in it? What does it mean for my city and its people?'
The Doctor held up his hands. 'I'd like to tell you, Mother, but you arrived just as our friend here was having me thrown into the stocks.' He gave the Teller his madman's grin. 'Which is it to be? Throw me out or hear me out? Because I can tell you a story that will turn your world upside down. You know I can. And this story will be wonderful and terrible and brilliant - and it won't need a villain.'
Amy could see that the Teller was torn between his need to rid himself of the Doctor and his desire to find out more from him. He vacillated for a moment or two, and then turned to the two guards and dismissed them. 'Go on,' he said to the Doctor.
'Impress me.'
'Good man! Good choice!'
76
THE KING’S DRAGON
Rory came to stand next to Amy. 'Did we nearly find ourselves in the stocks?'
'Nearly. But not actually. And, you know, in a case like that it really isn't the thought that counts.'
'Hm.' Rory was not mollified.
The Doctor rubbed his hands together, cracked some knuckles, and then turned the sonic screwdriver onto the dragon.
The Teller made an anxious movement towards him. 'Don't damage it!'
'I won't damage it! Well, not so as you'd notice...
Ah, here we go! Come and take a look at this, both of you.'
It was another dragon-scale. Hilthe raised her eyebrows at Rory, who nodded encouragingly, and she stepped towards the Doctor. The Teller came to look, too, and, as he stared down at the scrap of Enamour lying in the Doctor's palm, his face changed. Everything distinctive about him -
his wit, his intelligence - leached away. He became absent. Amy shivered. Was that how she and Rory had looked? From the moment she had picked up the dragon-hammer on the gate and resented the Doctor touching it, the metal had been working on them.
The Doctor, watching the Teller, nodded. 'I thought that you hadn't been on the receiving end 77
DOCTOR WHO
before. Feels different, this way round, doesn't it?' 'I feel nothing,' Hilthe said. 'What is this? Some kind of conjuring trick?'
The Doctor closed his hand.
The Teller shuddered and pulled back. 'No, something definitely happened then.' He looked at the Doctor with new respect — and then at the dragon, with new apprehension.
'I don't know where you found it,' the Doctor said. 'I wonder if you could tell me even if you wanted to. Enamour — that's its name — it makes people possessive, jealous. Makes them keep secrets.' He glanced at Amy and gave her a rueful look. 'Even from people they can trust. Right, Amy?'
'Oh,' Amy said. 'I know. I guess there was...
something... sort of. Maybe.' She tried to speak, but the words wouldn't form. 'Why can't I say what it was?'
'Amy...' The Doctor pressed two long fingers gently against her cheek. 'It's not your fault — it's what Enamour does. There's no harm done. But try to concentrate now. Try to tell me what it was you saw in the dark. Was it big? Was it scary? Animal?
Vegetable? Mineral? Accidental?'
Amy struggled to get past the mist descending around her and to ignore the gentle lulling hum rising steadily inside her head. 'It was big... No, 78
THE KING’S DRAGON
not at first. It grew. It got bigger and bigger. All the lamps went out - it made them go out. There was a howling sound. Well, you heard that. It sort of came towards me. I thought it was going to attack me!'
Rory took hold of
'Not true, Mother!' the Teller said quickly; too quickly, Amy thought.
75
DOCTOR WHO
The Doctor murmured, 'The Teller doth protest too much... Now why would that be, I wonder...?'
Hilthe held up her hand to stop the Teller speaking further. 'But you might at least make a show of respect. Given that making a show is all you're good for. Now,' she turned back to address the Doctor. 'Your friend has come to me with a most remarkable tale, one which any sensible person would hardly find credible. What truth is there in it? What does it mean for my city and its people?'
The Doctor held up his hands. 'I'd like to tell you, Mother, but you arrived just as our friend here was having me thrown into the stocks.' He gave the Teller his madman's grin. 'Which is it to be? Throw me out or hear me out? Because I can tell you a story that will turn your world upside down. You know I can. And this story will be wonderful and terrible and brilliant - and it won't need a villain.'
Amy could see that the Teller was torn between his need to rid himself of the Doctor and his desire to find out more from him. He vacillated for a moment or two, and then turned to the two guards and dismissed them. 'Go on,' he said to the Doctor.
'Impress me.'
'Good man! Good choice!'
76
THE KING’S DRAGON
Rory came to stand next to Amy. 'Did we nearly find ourselves in the stocks?'
'Nearly. But not actually. And, you know, in a case like that it really isn't the thought that counts.'
'Hm.' Rory was not mollified.
The Doctor rubbed his hands together, cracked some knuckles, and then turned the sonic screwdriver onto the dragon.
The Teller made an anxious movement towards him. 'Don't damage it!'
'I won't damage it! Well, not so as you'd notice...
Ah, here we go! Come and take a look at this, both of you.'
It was another dragon-scale. Hilthe raised her eyebrows at Rory, who nodded encouragingly, and she stepped towards the Doctor. The Teller came to look, too, and, as he stared down at the scrap of Enamour lying in the Doctor's palm, his face changed. Everything distinctive about him -
his wit, his intelligence - leached away. He became absent. Amy shivered. Was that how she and Rory had looked? From the moment she had picked up the dragon-hammer on the gate and resented the Doctor touching it, the metal had been working on them.
The Doctor, watching the Teller, nodded. 'I thought that you hadn't been on the receiving end 77
DOCTOR WHO
before. Feels different, this way round, doesn't it?' 'I feel nothing,' Hilthe said. 'What is this? Some kind of conjuring trick?'
The Doctor closed his hand.
The Teller shuddered and pulled back. 'No, something definitely happened then.' He looked at the Doctor with new respect — and then at the dragon, with new apprehension.
'I don't know where you found it,' the Doctor said. 'I wonder if you could tell me even if you wanted to. Enamour — that's its name — it makes people possessive, jealous. Makes them keep secrets.' He glanced at Amy and gave her a rueful look. 'Even from people they can trust. Right, Amy?'
'Oh,' Amy said. 'I know. I guess there was...
something... sort of. Maybe.' She tried to speak, but the words wouldn't form. 'Why can't I say what it was?'
'Amy...' The Doctor pressed two long fingers gently against her cheek. 'It's not your fault — it's what Enamour does. There's no harm done. But try to concentrate now. Try to tell me what it was you saw in the dark. Was it big? Was it scary? Animal?
Vegetable? Mineral? Accidental?'
Amy struggled to get past the mist descending around her and to ignore the gentle lulling hum rising steadily inside her head. 'It was big... No, 78
THE KING’S DRAGON
not at first. It grew. It got bigger and bigger. All the lamps went out - it made them go out. There was a howling sound. Well, you heard that. It sort of came towards me. I thought it was going to attack me!'
Rory took hold of
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