so beautiful and necessary - they must want it as much as you do. They must have their eye on it...' He looked around the chamber, into the shadows. Again, Amy had that sense of dread, that something was close, something was watching...
'I think that's been happening here,' Rory said slowly.
'Me too,' said the Doctor. His gaze came to rest on Amy. She let go of Rory's hand and folded her arms.
There hadn't been anything. Just a trick of the light.
'I got talking to this old woman earlier,' Rory said suddenly. 'Her name's Hilthe. She used to be on their council here, or whatever it was called, and then Beol rolled up with the Teller and the dragon, and they challenged her in an election, and she lost. It was nothing like the Teller's version of events.' He took out the tile that Hilthe had given him and handed it to the Doctor. His words came more and more rapidly, as if now he'd started to talk he wanted to get it all out. 'She gave me this - I don't know what it is - said that if I wanted to come and hear more about the good old days I should come and visit her. I don't think this Enamour stuff affects her, Doctor. She wasn't wearing any gold, and she couldn't understand why everyone was so... Well, enchanted by Beol.'
58
THE KING’S DRAGON
The Doctor examined the tile closely, studying the marks engraved upon. He flipped it over to look at the back and traced his fingertip along the delicate filigree he found there. 'It's a map of part of the city. I think the black dot on it here is probably your friend's house. This is her calling card.' He threw it back over to Rory. 'Hilthe. She sounds like somebody we should get to know better. Think you could persuade her to come and talk to me?'
'I'll give it a go.' Rory turned to Amy.
'Coming?'
She shook her head. 'No, I'll stay here. I want to find out more about this metal stuff. Where it came from. How it got here. Why there's so much of it. I'll see you in the rooms later.'
'Where it came from,' the Doctor repeated, as Rory went on his way. 'How it got here. Why there's so much of it. Anything else you'd like, while I'm at it?'
'Cup of tea would be nice, thanks, but dragon facts will do for now.'
'Right.' The Doctor flipped out the sonic screwdriver again. 'Well, the reason there's so much, is that working with the metal makes more of it. The more you do to it, the more there is of it. Like instant coffee.'
I’d rather that cup of tea,' Amy said. 'But that's why it oozes and wriggles and gets everywhere?'
59
DOCTOR WHO
'That's why.'
'So how about where it came from and how it got here?'
'Let's see what we can find out...' Sonic screwdriver in hand, the Doctor wandered around the dragon. It didn't move but, watching it lie there, its eye half-open, Amy couldn't quite shake the feeling that it was only biding its time, waiting to stir and rise up from the dais...
'It won't move, you know,' the Doctor said. He was on the left side of the dragon, and was apparently trying to prise it open. 'Not unless I tell it to move.' He thought about what he had just said.
'Or the people who made it turn up again and tell it to move.'
'Is that likely to happen?'
'I don't think so—'
'You don't think so?'
'That's the best I can manage until I find out something about the provenance of this beastie...
Oh, here we are!'
He had managed to loosen a section of the dragon; a piece of metal much larger than the single scale he had detached before. This was the size of a dinner plate, thinner and slightly curved.
The Doctor turned it over several times to study it and then he handed it over to Amy. 'As I said. Not likely to happen.'
60
THE KING’S DRAGON
When Amy examined it, she saw marks engraved on it. Letters, presumably. 'Doctor, not all of us are fluent in technobabble.'
'No? What do they teach you in those schools?' He took the panel back. 'Manufacturer's details. Like a hallmark. And what that tells me, Amy, is that our big old friendly worm here was made a
'I think that's been happening here,' Rory said slowly.
'Me too,' said the Doctor. His gaze came to rest on Amy. She let go of Rory's hand and folded her arms.
There hadn't been anything. Just a trick of the light.
'I got talking to this old woman earlier,' Rory said suddenly. 'Her name's Hilthe. She used to be on their council here, or whatever it was called, and then Beol rolled up with the Teller and the dragon, and they challenged her in an election, and she lost. It was nothing like the Teller's version of events.' He took out the tile that Hilthe had given him and handed it to the Doctor. His words came more and more rapidly, as if now he'd started to talk he wanted to get it all out. 'She gave me this - I don't know what it is - said that if I wanted to come and hear more about the good old days I should come and visit her. I don't think this Enamour stuff affects her, Doctor. She wasn't wearing any gold, and she couldn't understand why everyone was so... Well, enchanted by Beol.'
58
THE KING’S DRAGON
The Doctor examined the tile closely, studying the marks engraved upon. He flipped it over to look at the back and traced his fingertip along the delicate filigree he found there. 'It's a map of part of the city. I think the black dot on it here is probably your friend's house. This is her calling card.' He threw it back over to Rory. 'Hilthe. She sounds like somebody we should get to know better. Think you could persuade her to come and talk to me?'
'I'll give it a go.' Rory turned to Amy.
'Coming?'
She shook her head. 'No, I'll stay here. I want to find out more about this metal stuff. Where it came from. How it got here. Why there's so much of it. I'll see you in the rooms later.'
'Where it came from,' the Doctor repeated, as Rory went on his way. 'How it got here. Why there's so much of it. Anything else you'd like, while I'm at it?'
'Cup of tea would be nice, thanks, but dragon facts will do for now.'
'Right.' The Doctor flipped out the sonic screwdriver again. 'Well, the reason there's so much, is that working with the metal makes more of it. The more you do to it, the more there is of it. Like instant coffee.'
I’d rather that cup of tea,' Amy said. 'But that's why it oozes and wriggles and gets everywhere?'
59
DOCTOR WHO
'That's why.'
'So how about where it came from and how it got here?'
'Let's see what we can find out...' Sonic screwdriver in hand, the Doctor wandered around the dragon. It didn't move but, watching it lie there, its eye half-open, Amy couldn't quite shake the feeling that it was only biding its time, waiting to stir and rise up from the dais...
'It won't move, you know,' the Doctor said. He was on the left side of the dragon, and was apparently trying to prise it open. 'Not unless I tell it to move.' He thought about what he had just said.
'Or the people who made it turn up again and tell it to move.'
'Is that likely to happen?'
'I don't think so—'
'You don't think so?'
'That's the best I can manage until I find out something about the provenance of this beastie...
Oh, here we are!'
He had managed to loosen a section of the dragon; a piece of metal much larger than the single scale he had detached before. This was the size of a dinner plate, thinner and slightly curved.
The Doctor turned it over several times to study it and then he handed it over to Amy. 'As I said. Not likely to happen.'
60
THE KING’S DRAGON
When Amy examined it, she saw marks engraved on it. Letters, presumably. 'Doctor, not all of us are fluent in technobabble.'
'No? What do they teach you in those schools?' He took the panel back. 'Manufacturer's details. Like a hallmark. And what that tells me, Amy, is that our big old friendly worm here was made a
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