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Beyond the barrier, the Doctor looked round from his
unholy pursuits. `Ah, woken up, have we?' He grinned. `Please
try to be quiet, will you. I'm about to cut your mewling
'bridling's throat, and I'll make a cleaner cut without your
irritating disturbances.'
`That's my daughter you've got out there, you bastard!'
There was only one thought in Barry's mind, and that was to
get out and hug the child that had been denied a real part of his
real life.
The Doctor was positioning the knife against Cassie's bare
throat. He ignored Barry and turned to the Archimage. 'Once
the jugular is cut, the life-force will ebb rapidly. You must
recite the incantation when I give you the signal.' The
Archimage nodded and picked up the open book.
And the knife sliced downwards.
222
Fourteen
The Stiletto of Vaux clattered off the nearest wall and skittered
across the floor. The Doctor, having thrown it away from him
and Cassie's throat with a furious roar, had then dropped to
his knees, his head clutched in his hands. And then he started
rocking backwards and forwards making odd mewing noises.
It took Barry a couple of seconds to register that the barrier
was no longer there. It had collapsed at the same time that the
Doctor had. And it took him less than a second to cover the
few yards to the table, where he snatched Cassie and ran back
to Louise before the Archimage could work out what was
going on.
`Take her!' Barry snapped at Louise, looking round the
throne room for some means of escape. The doors that they
had originally come through were gone, and Barry had a vague
recollection of them vanishing after the Archimage had cast an
incantation. He shook his head. He was still carrying two sets
of memories around in his head, although those of Barry
Brown seemed to be taking precedence.
He looked back at the Archimage; but he was more
concerned with the Doctor's condition than that of his
prisoners, though that wasn't much help if he, Louise and
Cassie were trapped in the throne room, was it? And then he
saw it; another door, immediately behind them and it was
sliding open like a lift.
Grabbing Louise's arm, Barry pulled her and the baby
through the door, and held his breath as he saw the Archimage
look up and stare straight at him. But then the door slid shut,
and the little room started to descend. With a sigh of relief,
223
Barry realized that it was a lift, although its complicity in their
escape was a mystery to him.
`Bet you're glad to be out of there!' came the cheery and
oddly familiar voice. Barry looked around the lift with a
mixture of panic and bewilderment, but he, Louise and Cassie
were the only people in sight.
`Don't bother looking for me; I'm all around you I'm the
lift!' the voice continued. 'I gathered that you were having
problems, so I thought I'd give you a hand. Not that I have any
hands,' it babbled, 'but you know what I mean.'
`Where are we going?' asked Louise.
`Well, I'd take you down to the foyer, but I really don't
think that you want to go down there at the moment.'
`Why the hell not?' barked Barry, still uneasy about the
idea of a sentient lift.
'Because there's an army of thaumaturgs and cybrids
commanded by the Hierophant and the Technomancer, I might
add advancing on the Tower of Abraxas, that's why. And
despite the fact that two of you are elevated cybrids, you might
be torn from limb to limb in the confusion.'
`Why the concern?' asked Louise.
There was a significant pause before the lift replied. `I'm a
decent lift, that's why. Now, what if I drop you off on the first
floor? You can wait there for the fisticuffs to finish.'
`Okay ' Barry paused, weighing up a question in his mind.
'Okay, but do me a favour.'
`If I can.'
`Go back to the Archimage's throne room. I think the
Doctor might need you.'
The lift shuddered to a halt. 'The Doctor? Oh, you mean the
Dark One.'
`Don't you mean the Valeyard?' corrected Louise.
`Oi!' chastised the lift, 'Don't use that sort of language in
here, if you don't mind.' It opened its door. 'As soon as you get
out, I'll go back for the Dar the Doctor. Just get a move on!' it
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