Doctor Who: Royal Blood (Glamour Chronicles, Book 1)

by Una McCormack

  ‘Or as a mystery, perhaps,’ I suggested, ‘demanding to be solved?’

  The Doctor gave me a half-smile. ‘Perhaps.’ He looked back at the knight. ‘Or it could be a holy relic, an object of great sanctity. A Grail.’

  ‘If it changes its appearance to suit the eye of the beholder, how then can it be found?’ I pressed. ‘How can one even know if one possesses it?’

  The Doctor shook his head. ‘You don’t know. You can’t know. Except when the Glamour moves on. Because then, if you’re lucky, you’re half the person you once were.’

  ‘And if you are unlucky?’

  ‘Then you’re dead. Your life has drained away from you. The Glamour has taken all it can, and then it has moved on, looking for a new owner to consume.’

  As the Doctor spoke, the knight shifted in his seat. A light flickered behind his eyes, some stirring of memory from a past life, perhaps. ‘Aye,’ he said, in a harsh voice that sounded like it came from a man dying from thirst, ‘the search is endless. We have sought the Glamour for years uncounted. At first we rode from town to town on horseback, chasing stories, chasing rumours…The journeys became longer. We took to ships, and then to starships. We travelled faster than light. But always the Glamour was ahead of us. Every so often we thought we caught a glimpse of it – and even as we reached out to touch it, it was gone.’

  The Doctor knelt before the knight. ‘What is your name, old father?’ he said, very gently. ‘Can you remember your name?’

  The knight tilted his head upwards, as if chasing some memory. ‘My name…’

  ‘Try,’ the Doctor urged. ‘Try to remember. I think it will help, if you can.’

  For a moment, the knight seemed on the verge of some recollection, but then he shook his head. ‘I did have a name once,’ he said, ‘and then another, and another, and another. All gone, long gone. What does a name matter? What does anything matter? There is only the Quest.’

  The Doctor placed his hand upon the knight’s. ‘A cruel fate, old father,’ he said.

  ‘But could you not give up the Quest?’ I said. ‘Could you not stop, and rest?’

  ‘Rest?’ The knight looked at him in confusion. ‘Rest?’ The idea seemed to frighten him. ‘We cannot rest! The Glamour! The Glamour!’

  The Doctor pressed the man’s hands between his own. ‘Quiet, now,’ he said. ‘There’s no need to become distressed.’ And he talked in this way for some time, until the knight’s agitation was soothed and, at last, he leaned his head back against the wall, and he slept.

  A great fear had filled my heart, and a great horror too, at the sight of this old man, so old and so lost, consumed by such a terrible need that could not be satisfied. ‘Doctor,’ I said. ‘What is this quest that we have taken on? This Glamour, this Grail – will it devour us too? Is this –’ I gestured at the withered old man before us – ‘is this what will happen to us? I do not wish to be one of these ghost-men, these weary creatures who are barely alive.’

  Releasing the knight’s hands, the Doctor stood up. ‘I don’t blame you, Bernhardt.’ He gave me a sharp look, like a captain does when judging what strength a man has left in him. ‘But I believe you at least may be impervious – or more than most. Still, perhaps we should start to consider whether you and your men might be better off leaving this quest behind and returning home—’

  Even as he was speaking, I began to feel the skin around my throat become warm. I reached up my hand to touch a dark, bejewelled brooch that was fastened there. The Doctor caught the movement, and gave me a questioning look.

  ‘It is my lady,’ I said. ‘She wishes to speak to me.’

  The Doctor stared at the brooch at my throat. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I see. I didn’t realise you could get them to work at range.’ Then he laughed. ‘I wonder what other technology there is hiding in plain sight around here.’

  Chapter

  10

  ‘What happens now?’ asked the Doctor. ‘How do you communicate with Guena?’

  ‘I need to find a flat surface,’ I said. ‘A mirror, or plain white wall.’ I looked around this broken-down hall, with weeds growing in through the window, and thick moss upon the stones. ‘Where I might find something like that in such a place as this, I do not know.’

  The Doctor crossed the hall to another empty shell where once a window had been. ‘How about that?’ he said, pointing outside.

  I went to look. The window gave a view of the dark still waters of the lake. ‘That,’ I said, ‘would work very well.’

  We left the knight to his slumber, which I think was well deserved, and walked down to the shores of the lake. Its surface was preternaturally still, but this served my purpose well. I touched my fingertips to the brooch at my throat and there, in the dark water, I saw my lady’s face, so dear to me, so lovely and beloved. ‘Guena,’ I whispered and then, out loud, I said, ‘My lady Duchess. I did not think that we would have the chance to speak again.’

  ‘Bernhardt,’ she said. ‘Beloved.’

  Against all reason, we both reached out then, our fingertips rippling the water and the images of each other in a futile but mutual attempt to touch. When the water settled again, she was there once more, as clear as day. ‘Come back,’ she said to me. ‘Please, Bernhardt, come back.’

  I shook my head. ‘I cannot do that, my lady. I made a promise to the Duke to ride with this company until the Grail was found.’

  ‘Aurelian and I have spoken,’ she said. ‘We have made a kind of peace. And I have other news. Conrad has brought a great army across the mountains. He is coming. We need you to come back, and we need you to bring our knights back with you.’

  I almost laughed out of bitterness. ‘Return? You want me to return? How shall I do that, lady? You ask me to bring the knights with me? But you do not know what you ask. The knights are lost to me, Guena. I have no power over them. Bring them back? How should I do this? They will hear no appeal that I can give. They hear only Lancelot now.’

  She looked back at me in confusion and alarm.

  ‘And even if we should return, each one of us that was sent off on this fruitless, benighted quest, what hope is there?’ I said. ‘Conrad’s army comes, you say, and I guess that it will be greater than any force we can marshal against him. What purpose would be served by our return, except for us all to die together?’

  ‘Bernhardt,’ she said, and I could see that she was grieved. Never had I spoken so freely with her before, and certainly never so angrily. ‘You are much changed—’

  ‘A man does not take to banishment easily,’ I replied. ‘It seems that it comes with a cost.’

  Behind me, the Doctor cleared his throat, making his presence clear to Guena for the first time. ‘Should I, er, go? Leave you to it? Whatever it is? This sounds like it’s getting very, um, well…’

  ‘Holy man,’ my lady said. She looked away from me to address the Doctor. ‘You seem always to be on hand to help, or, at least to hear what is happening. No, no, do not go! Indeed, perhaps you can help me now? For it seems to me that Lord Bernhardt has lost his way in the time that he has been away from me.’

  ‘Yes, I’ve been thinking much the same thing. But you, know, Duchess, this wild country out here is a hard sight for a man who loves his land as much as Bernhardt.’ The Doctor eyed me thoughtfully. ‘Still,’ he said to me, ‘I thought you were a wiser man than this. Have you forgotten everything we’ve seen today?’ I shivered at the thought of that ghost-man, the Glamour Knight, sleeping now against the window in that green chamber behind us. ‘Don’t you see, Bernhardt? That’s what the Glamour does to people. It drains them dry until nothing remains of what they were. It changes them beyond recognition. But it’s different, depending on the person. It can find other weaknesses to exploit. So don’t let your pride, or your anger, or your despair – whatever it is – do the same to you, Bernhardt. Let it go from you. Or you might not stay the man you are.’

  I heard his words, and I understood their meaning, but still I h
esitated.

  ‘Have you really gone so far from yourself in such a short time, Bernhardt?’ the Doctor said. ‘The man I met only a short time ago would have dropped everything to ride to aid his city at his lady’s request. Has this quest made you lose so much of yourself, so quickly?’

  I felt at war with myself then. A part of me wished dearly to return to my city, of course, and to see my lady again. But a part of me could not see what purpose would be served, other than to hasten my death. Perhaps this quest would be better than any return; perhaps it would be better to lose myself in chasing a dream, a beautiful, impossible dream…

  ‘I shall speak to the knights,’ I said, with some effort, but even as I spoke it felt as if a great weight was lifting from me, and as I continued, I felt lighter than I had in years. ‘But I can make no promises, Guena. You have not seen the changes that have overcome them. Some are nothing like the men that I have known for years. They are enamoured of this Lancelot, and under his sway. But I shall do whatever I can, and the best that I can. For you.’

  The Doctor slapped me on the back. ‘Good man!’

  ‘Thank you, Bernhardt,’ said my lady. ‘And you too, Doctor. Now – it is possible that I might be able to perform a small service for you. Your companion – Clara – have you had word from her?’

  ‘No,’ said the Doctor, in a worried voice. ‘Nothing at all.’

  ‘Then perhaps I may try to reach her. We can speak to her together.’

  The Doctor looked at her hopefully. ‘You can do that?’

  ‘I can make no promises,’ said my lady. ‘Before, if I have communicated with someone at a great distance, I have always known where they are. I do not, of course, know exactly where Clara is. But I can see no harm in trying.’

  ‘You reached Bernhardt,’ the Doctor said. ‘You didn’t know where we were.’

  She smiled. ‘Between Bernhardt and myself, there is never any real distance. Let us hope that I can reach Clara too, even if I do not know her well.’

  The Doctor nodded his agreement. ‘Whatever you can do, Duchess, I’d be grateful.’

  My lady closed her eyes.

  ‘She will do it, Doctor,’ I said. ‘She is without compare.’

  —

  On Mikhail’s advice, Conrad’s army had come down the mountains by a different way from the one that he, Clara and Emfil had taken upwards. Although the route was longer, the paths were wider and coped more readily with the men and horses and equipment that the army brought with them. They came into Varuz well south of the river, after which they followed the old road north. The land in this country was flat and to Clara’s eyes it looked as if, in better days, it would have been fertile and well farmed. But the villages were empty, the doors of the cottages barred, and the fields and barns had been abandoned. Some had clearly been deserted for many years but, as they drew nearer to the river, it was clear that news of the oncoming army had passed this way, and the people had only recently fled. To the city, Clara guessed, since she had gathered from what was being said that the lands north of the river were wild and inhospitable, and they had seen no refugees on the road. But fleeing to the city was only delaying the inevitable, Clara thought, sadly. Conrad’s army was implacable.

  The march north took them over a week and, when they reached the banks of the river, Clara thought that surely there would now be a further significant delay. But the river posed no problem to Conrad’s men and, with the air of a task that had been much executed, they brought out bridging equipment. They moved with terrifying speed, and it was only a matter of hours before Conrad was able to cross the river and lead his army onto the road that led towards the city of Varuz.

  In all this time, Clara had had little chance to speak to Mikhail. As befitted his new status as the newest of the generals – and the one who had the most local knowledge – he was riding in the vanguard with Conrad. She and Emfil, meanwhile, had been kept at the centre of the company, under watchful eyes.

  Dusk approached, and they made camp. Emfil took the chance to stretch his legs, but Clara, exhausted from the day’s travelling, decided to get straight to sleep. She filled a basin of water to wash. Looking down, she saw the face of the Doctor in front of her.

  ‘Oh, come off it,’ she told herself. ‘You’re not that tired.’

  She rubbed her eyes. But there he was still, eyebrows on the march, gurning and gesticulating and looking ludicrous.

  ‘This,’ said Clara, ‘is not fair.’ She waved her hands to shoo the hallucination. ‘Go away! I’m tired! I want to go to sleep!’

  It didn’t work. The Doctor only looked even more annoyed. This was what persuaded her that it probably wasn’t a dream but was actually him.

  ‘All right,’ she said, as he waved his hands and pointed. ‘I’m listening. What do you want me to do?’

  It took a while, but eventually Clara realised that he was pointing to her neck, where the pendant lay. She pulled it out and held it between her hands. The Doctor gestured that she should rub it, so she did. Soon enough she could hear his voice. ‘…not sure how I can make this any clearer, Clara!’

  Sound on.

  ‘Oh, that’s what this is for,’ Clara said. ‘Hi, Doctor. I can hear you now.’

  Communications established, the first thing the Doctor did, inevitably, was to start to complain. ‘Where have you got to? It’s hopeless without you. People keep thinking I’m being rude! I don’t know what you do to stop them getting angry with me.’

  ‘I imagine that they’re angry because you are being rude,’ said Clara. ‘As to where I’ve been – I got banished. Remember that bit? I got marched out of the city under pain of death, by people waving laser-swords around! And then I walked halfway up a mountain and got captured by Conrad and now I’m halfway back to the city again, stuck in the middle of a massive army set on taking the city—’

  The Doctor waved his hand in dismissal. ‘Oh, that’s nothing. You won’t believe what’s been happening here.’

  ‘Do you mean the bit where a knight called Lancelot turned up looking for the Holy Grail?’ She heard quiet laughter in the background. ‘Is that you, Lord Bernhardt?’

  Bernhardt’s thin face came into view. ‘Lady Clara,’ he said, with a smile. ‘You lighten the heart, as ever.’

  ‘How did you know that?’ the Doctor said furiously.

  ‘Mikhail turned up,’ Clara said. ‘He told me all about what was happening.’

  The Duchess of Varuz spoke. ‘Mikhail?’ She sounded startled. ‘Is he there?’

  ‘Wow,’ said Clara. ‘The gang’s all here. Yes, I met Mikhail in the mountains. He seemed to know a lot more about what was going on than I thought was possible, given he’d been given his marching orders with us. I suppose you’ve been telling him, Guena.’

  ‘We may have had some contact, yes.’

  ‘Well, he’s here all right, but if you’re hoping he’ll persuade Conrad to see the error of his ways, forget it. He’s riding up at the front of the army. Conrad’s like a long-lost dad. I wouldn’t rely on any help from Mikhail.’

  ‘I see,’ said Guena. She was palpably grieved. ‘But how can I blame him?’

  ‘You made some really bad decisions there,’ Clara said.

  ‘We were trying to protect him,’ Guena said.

  ‘Well, it hasn’t worked,’ said Clara. ‘And now it’s payback.’

  ‘If Mikhail has turned against us, we are worse now than undefended,’ Bernhardt said. ‘Someone who knows the land and the city well, telling Conrad all he knows.’ A note of despair was creeping into his voice. ‘And I do not believe many of the knights will give up this quest. Not while Lancelot holds such power over them…’

  ‘Doctor,’ said Clara, ‘is this whole thing about the Grail true? Is it really Lancelot? That would be amazing!’

  ‘No, of course it’s not true!’ the Doctor said. ‘Can we get one thing absolutely straight? The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn’t exist on your world! It can’t exist here!’r />
  Clara pressed on. ‘But this Lancelot, whoever he is – he believes that it exists. Bernhardt, you say that the knights won’t come back without Lancelot commanding them to return. Is that right?’

  ‘I fear so, Clara.’

  ‘But Lancelot won’t return to the city unless he thinks the Grail is there…’

  ‘Where are you going with this, Clara?’ said the Doctor.

  ‘Well, there’s someone here who might be able to help, but he might need some persuading.’ She looked down at the pendant. ‘Guena, are you the only one who can start conversations? Or can I use this to communicate back?’

  ‘Yes,’ said the Duchess, ‘The device is configured now to respond to the rest of us. You will need a clear surface – a mirror, or a basin of water. Take the jewel and warm it. I will know that you wish to speak to me; so will Bernhardt, and through him you can speak to the Doctor.’

  ‘Mirror, water – something clear; warm the jewel; got all that. All right,’ Clara said. ‘I’m going offline now and I’m going to try something that’s probably quite stupid.’

  ‘Clara,’ said the Doctor. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Clara. ‘I’m sure everything will turn out just fine.’

  She left the tent, and went in search of Emfil. She found him wandering near the edge of the camp, looking past the guards intently. She crept up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped.

  ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Are you planning on skipping out on me again?’

  He gave her a guilty look. ‘Clara, this has all got too much for me. I’m not an adventurer, you know. I’m just—’

  ‘Yes, yes, a collector.’

  ‘I’m only trying to find the Glamour.’