Read Online Doctor Who: The Aztecs by John Lucarotti - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John Lucarotti
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‘Did you not say "use stealth, surprise your enemy"?’ Ixta was enjoying himself.
‘True,’ Ian admitted.
‘And did I not do those things?’ Ixta laughed again. Ian agreed that he had.
‘A thorn, the sap of a plant and Yetaxa’s aged servant,’ Ixta added.
Ian looked up sharply.‘The Doctor helped you?’ Ixta nodded and remarked that Ian’s friends made strange allies.
Ian stood up gingerly. ‘Did the Doctor know you were to fight me?’ he asked.
Ixta shook his head and admitted that he didn’t.
lan felt dizzy. ‘I need some fresh air.’ He staggered towards the living area and the door of his quarters. ‘Let me help you.’ Ixta took his arm.‘Now that I have proved I will be the victor, we can be friends. For the little time that is left to you to live,’ he added almost as an afterthought.
‘Oh, I’m going to die, am I?’ Ian’s voice expressed no surprise.
‘Yes, Ian’ Ixta sounded enthusiastic at the prospect. ‘Next time we fight, I shall not fail to kill you.’
‘It’s always worth knowing in advance,’ Ian remarked as he went into the courtyard and leaned against the wall beside the open door. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply several times. When he opened them, Tlotoxl and Tonila were crossing the courtyard.
‘I see your strength has been restored to you,’ Tlotoxl sneered.
‘Don’t tell me you’ve become my friend as well,’ Ian joked, and saw the flash of hatred in the High Priest’s eyes before Tlotoxl turned abruptly to Ixta.
‘I have need of the drawing,’ he said.
‘The one I promised to the aged servant?’ Ixta roared with laughter when Tlotoxl nodded. ‘It doesn’t exist. The secret of the tomb disappeared with my father.’ ‘But your father’s father must have set it down,’ Tlotoxl sounded anxious.
Ian listened to the conversation with great interest. ‘No. He told it to my father, who thought to do so. But one evening he went for a walk in the garden and was never seen again;
‘I recall his disappearance.’ Tlotoxl was brusque.
So that’s why the Doctor helped you, lan thought, he hoped to have a design plan of the tomb. Then another thought occurred to Ian’ neither Ixta nor Tlotoxl had used the word ‘died’ when they talked about his father. They had used the word ‘disappeared’, and Ixta had referred to the garden. This set Ian speculating.
Ignoring Ian, the High Priest of Sacrifice and Tonila took their leave of Ixta and limped and waddled towards the gate way to the courtyard.
Tlotoxl began to speak. ‘You are well versed in these matters, Tonila,’ Ian overheard him say, ‘so you shall help me to defeat the false..’ Then they were out of earshot, but Ian was convinced the sentence had ended ‘God Yetaxa’.
He was right and Tonila was outraged at Tlotoxl’s suggestion. ‘No, I cannot obey your bidding, I will not.’ He gesticulated wildly. ‘Destroy a God and we destroy ourselves.’
Tlotoxl pointed out that true Gods were immortal and that mere flesh and blood, as they both were, could not destroy them. Tonila looked at him warily and asked in what way Tlotoxl required his services.
‘Your knowledge of poisons.’
Tonila was horrified.
‘Such a test, a poisoned draught, would prove her divinity. If she dies, she is false; if she lives, then she is indeed the spirit of Yetaxa returned.’
Tonila’s throat dried as Tlotoxl looked at him slyly. ‘Would you deny yourself the honour — more, the glory — of witnessing a God proven before your eyes?’
Tonila ran his tongue around his mouth seeking saliva to ease his throat. He swallowed.‘I shall prepare a mixture,’ he said, ‘then you and I and Autloc shall test Yetaxa.’ ‘Autloc? I think not,’ Tlotoxl snapped.
‘Why not?’
Tlotoxl despised Tonila’s naivety, but his voice was quiet and reasonable as he argued that Autloc’s mind was set that Yetaxa was a true God and he would forbid the test. ‘No, you and I shall do this
‘Did you not say "use stealth, surprise your enemy"?’ Ixta was enjoying himself.
‘True,’ Ian admitted.
‘And did I not do those things?’ Ixta laughed again. Ian agreed that he had.
‘A thorn, the sap of a plant and Yetaxa’s aged servant,’ Ixta added.
Ian looked up sharply.‘The Doctor helped you?’ Ixta nodded and remarked that Ian’s friends made strange allies.
Ian stood up gingerly. ‘Did the Doctor know you were to fight me?’ he asked.
Ixta shook his head and admitted that he didn’t.
lan felt dizzy. ‘I need some fresh air.’ He staggered towards the living area and the door of his quarters. ‘Let me help you.’ Ixta took his arm.‘Now that I have proved I will be the victor, we can be friends. For the little time that is left to you to live,’ he added almost as an afterthought.
‘Oh, I’m going to die, am I?’ Ian’s voice expressed no surprise.
‘Yes, Ian’ Ixta sounded enthusiastic at the prospect. ‘Next time we fight, I shall not fail to kill you.’
‘It’s always worth knowing in advance,’ Ian remarked as he went into the courtyard and leaned against the wall beside the open door. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply several times. When he opened them, Tlotoxl and Tonila were crossing the courtyard.
‘I see your strength has been restored to you,’ Tlotoxl sneered.
‘Don’t tell me you’ve become my friend as well,’ Ian joked, and saw the flash of hatred in the High Priest’s eyes before Tlotoxl turned abruptly to Ixta.
‘I have need of the drawing,’ he said.
‘The one I promised to the aged servant?’ Ixta roared with laughter when Tlotoxl nodded. ‘It doesn’t exist. The secret of the tomb disappeared with my father.’ ‘But your father’s father must have set it down,’ Tlotoxl sounded anxious.
Ian listened to the conversation with great interest. ‘No. He told it to my father, who thought to do so. But one evening he went for a walk in the garden and was never seen again;
‘I recall his disappearance.’ Tlotoxl was brusque.
So that’s why the Doctor helped you, lan thought, he hoped to have a design plan of the tomb. Then another thought occurred to Ian’ neither Ixta nor Tlotoxl had used the word ‘died’ when they talked about his father. They had used the word ‘disappeared’, and Ixta had referred to the garden. This set Ian speculating.
Ignoring Ian, the High Priest of Sacrifice and Tonila took their leave of Ixta and limped and waddled towards the gate way to the courtyard.
Tlotoxl began to speak. ‘You are well versed in these matters, Tonila,’ Ian overheard him say, ‘so you shall help me to defeat the false..’ Then they were out of earshot, but Ian was convinced the sentence had ended ‘God Yetaxa’.
He was right and Tonila was outraged at Tlotoxl’s suggestion. ‘No, I cannot obey your bidding, I will not.’ He gesticulated wildly. ‘Destroy a God and we destroy ourselves.’
Tlotoxl pointed out that true Gods were immortal and that mere flesh and blood, as they both were, could not destroy them. Tonila looked at him warily and asked in what way Tlotoxl required his services.
‘Your knowledge of poisons.’
Tonila was horrified.
‘Such a test, a poisoned draught, would prove her divinity. If she dies, she is false; if she lives, then she is indeed the spirit of Yetaxa returned.’
Tonila’s throat dried as Tlotoxl looked at him slyly. ‘Would you deny yourself the honour — more, the glory — of witnessing a God proven before your eyes?’
Tonila ran his tongue around his mouth seeking saliva to ease his throat. He swallowed.‘I shall prepare a mixture,’ he said, ‘then you and I and Autloc shall test Yetaxa.’ ‘Autloc? I think not,’ Tlotoxl snapped.
‘Why not?’
Tlotoxl despised Tonila’s naivety, but his voice was quiet and reasonable as he argued that Autloc’s mind was set that Yetaxa was a true God and he would forbid the test. ‘No, you and I shall do this
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