Read Doctor Who: The Zarbi for Free Online Page B

reached out with the stalagmite stalk and stirred her hair curiously.
    Gradually her captor released its grip. As it did so, Barbara, still dreamily obeying a magnet-like force which again lifted her braceleted arm, began to get up again.
    At that one of the winged creatures acted swiftly. It snatched at Barbara’s arm. With its delicate leaf-shaped hand, it wrenched off the heavy Roman bracelet and, holding it delicately as though it were lethal, hastily hurled it across the cave towards one of the smoking pools.
    The bracelet plopped into the pool. Immediately there was a hissing, a bubbling which rose turgidly from its depths, and the ripples on the pool smouldered thickly.
    The sharp fumes caught at Barbara’s throat and she coughed.
    Her face cleared. Her eyes opened as she came out of her trance-like state.
    She looked wonderingly around and instinctively felt her bare wrist. Sleepily she muttered.
    ‘My bracelet... I... was...’
    She looked up, around her, and it seemed that she saw for the first time. There was a tall sinister dignity about them – a beauty even, but with the sudden shock of their strange appearance and their glaring hostility, she felt the sickness of a real terror welling up inside her.
    One of the creatures raised an arm, and with it, its wings unfolded, gaudy and shot with iridescent colours – green, lime yellow, streaks of brilliant scarlet – for all the world like a malignant butterfly.
    Barbara shrank back and stammered wildly ‘Who are you? What do you want?’ Foolishly, she realized they could not possibly understand her – even though there was something about those stares they turned on her that was almost human.
    Then her panic overwhelmed her. She turned, and scrambled blindly to her feet, and dived for the cave exit.
    A voice rang hollowly after her in the cave.
    ‘Stop! Stay where you are!’
    One of the gaudy creatures lunged and barred her way, levelling a stalagmite spar like a sword at her.
    Barbara stopped, frozen with amazement and fear. She turned. One of the creatures had spoken!
    Its accent was strange, stilted, high-pitched, but the commanding words were clear, unmistakable.
    Or was she still dreaming?
    She flinched as the creature barring her escape prodded her with the glassy spar.
    ‘Who... who... are you...?’ she whispered.
    The voice came from the creature which appeared to be their leader. It came slowly forward; its long, slim, black body ribbed with glowing green shone in the uncertain light. The gorgeous wings folded as it lowered its delicate arms.
    It spoke again. ‘We are the Menoptera,’ it said.
    ‘Men... optera...?’ In her fear and amazement Barbara had difficulty with the word.
    ‘Lords of Vortis.’
    The Menoptera gestured to the landscape beyond the mouth of the cave and turned its intent glittering stare on Barbara. Its mouth closed harshly.
    ‘How come you here?’
    Barbara gathered the courage to speak but an angry movement from one of the surrounding Menoptera made her flinch back. Its voice crackled more harshly.
    ‘Kill her, Vrestin! Now!’
    It raised its stalagmite spar ready to thrust and impale her on its cruel point. The taller Menoptera raised a hand, stayed the blow with a commanding wave.
    ‘First we speak!’
    It paused, and in silence its burning gaze bored through Barbara. She mustered a calm and said, trembling a little,
    ‘... you... know our earth language? H-how...?’
    ‘ Answer us only!’ A pause, then - ‘there are... more of you?
    ‘... er, yes... but...’
    ‘More?’
    ‘Four of us. But please - we mean no harm ! We are peaceful, civilized. We have... lost our way... in space...’
    Barbara halted lamely. The glaring scrutiny of four pairs of eyes on her was unrelenting, unmoved. One of the Menoptera creatures cast a nervous look back towards the cave mouth, and rounded angrily on the Menoptera it had addressed as ‘Vrestin’.
    ‘We are wrong to spare her. She must be killed -
    quickly!’
    Vrestin