Doctor Who: The Masque of the Mandragora by Philip Hinchcliffe Read Free Book Online Page A

dispatched Marco to keep unwelcome visitors at bay.
    The Doctor, who had been pacing up and down all this time expounding theories, suddenly stopped and smiled.
    â€˜It’s rather hard to explain the concept of Helix energy—either sub-or super-thermal ionisation—in a medieval vocabulary.’
    â€˜I think you’re doing a great job,’ interposed Sarah, picking at a bunch of grapes on the table in front of her. ‘But you haven’t explained why these spirits are appearing in romantic old fifteenth-century Italy, have you?’ She popped a grape in her mouth.
    â€˜Perhaps because the worshippers of Demnos offer a ready made power-base,’ replied the Doctor suddenly attracted by the idea. ‘And what better time than the fifteenth century? The time between the dark ages of superstition and the dawn of Reason.’
    Sarah frowned. ‘You mean if they can gain control of Earth now... through an ancient religion...?’
    â€˜That could be the plan.’ The Doctor turned excitedly to the young Prince. ‘Giuliano, that temple must be destroyed!’
    â€˜But only ruins stand there now, Doctor.’
    â€˜Those ruins are a focal point for enormous forces,’ exclaimed the Doctor. ‘The Helix Energy has penetrated every stone.’ He moved towards the door. ‘Is there a way I can get to the temple without being seen?’
    Guiliano nodded, impressed by the Doctor’s conviction and sense of urgency. ‘I’ll show you myself.’
    â€˜No. It’s better if I go alone.’
    The Prince shook his head. ‘It’s too dangerous.’ The Doctor hesitated, looked at Sarah. They could not risk being caught again.
    â€˜All right,’ he said. ‘As far as the temple, but no further.’
    Giuliano crossed to a large wooden chest and took out a couple of swords.
    â€˜Here! ‘ He threw one to the Doctor who caught it expertly, and executed a series of clever flourishes.
    â€˜If I’d known we were coming I’d have practised my épée,’ he exclaimed with a twinkle in his eye. Sarah grinned.
    â€˜We’ll take the back staircase,’ explained Giuliano. He opened the door warily and, satisfied that none of Federico’s guards were lurking in the shadows, led them quickly away.
    Moments later the three of them emerged from a rear door of the palace, crossed a series of small cobbled courtyards, and disappeared into the welcoming cover of the gardens.
    It was nearly dawn. A slight dew lay on the grass dampening their clothes as they brushed through. The young Prince led them down a maze of hidden pathways until the palace was left far behind. There was no sign of search parties and they made rapid progress. At one point the Doctor thought they passed the secret entrance he had discovered earlier, but Giuliano did not pause. The gardens lacked any reliable landmarks and various paths and grottoes were deceptively similar.
    After about twenty minutes the track grew steep and rocky then suddenly dropped down beside a small stream. On the far side a woody bluff rose up a hundred feet or so, its side covered with bushes and thick overhanging trees. Giuliano guided them on stepping stones across the stream, and up to the face of the rocky mount.
    Scattered about the foot were large lumps of masonry, ancient broken pillars of Greek or Roman design. They had been there for centuries probably, covered with thick moss and trailing vines.
    â€˜This is it,’ said Giuliano. He pulled back one of the bushes to reveal a hidden entrance running into the hillside.
    The Doctor peered into the forbidding gloom, then turned and addressed the other two. ‘From this point on I must go alone.’
    Giuliano was about to protest but Sarah held his arm and shook her head. This was a matter for the Doctor. She had come to recognise times