Counting With Fairies Ch 9

Chapter 9

A Poikyo guard flew over to his captives.  "Put your feet down," he instructed.

The Doctor obeyed and positioned his floating body so his feet were underneath him.  Sally saw what he did and followed his example.  The guard snapped his tiny fingers and the Doctor and Sally fell to the ground.  The ability to fly was gone.  They were both on their hands and knees.

"Now get up," the guard commanded.  Several other Poikyos came to the Doctor and Sally and positioned themselves around them.

Sally struggled to stand.  "I feel so heavy."

"We've been weightless for many hours.  It will take some time for our bodies to readjust to gravity." The Doctor was having a hard time standing too.

"Follow me," the guard said.  It was hard to walk, but they made it to the entrance of the cave.  "You will climb through.  Don't get any funny ideas about escaping once you get to the other side of the cave.  A guard will be waiting for you."

The Doctor crawled through the opening in the rocks.  The night was dark, except for the blue glow of the Poikyo. With all of them together, it was like the light of a full moon.  He bent down to take Sally by the arms and help her stand.  His body had adjusted quickly to the gravity changed and the heavy effect was gone for him , but Sally still struggled.  She removed his jacket and give it back to him.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it," she said.

The Doctor slipped the jacket back on and felt the pockets.  He still had his sonic screwdriver.

The parade of Poikyo were flying down the rocks and onto the field below.  The Doctor kept a firm grip on Sally, helping her climb down the rocks.

"How long will it take my body to readjust to gravity, Doctor?"  She was breathing hard.

"I'm not sure."  He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned her.  "I'd say half an hour."

"Oh," Sally groaned as she climbed off the last rock and onto flat ground.  "Thanks," she said.  "I can manage now.  I might be slow, but I can walk."

The Doctor let go of her, but kept close by.  He didn't want her to fall in the dark.  "Where are we going?"  he asked the Poikyo guard.

"To war, Doctor!"

"You don't have to do this," the Doctor said.

The guard said nothing and they went on, down the field towards to grove of trees where the fairies lived.

"Do you even know where you are going?  Do you know where the fairies are?"  he asked the guard.

"Why Doctor?  Are you going to help us find them?" the guard taunted him.

"No, I will not aid in your war," the Doctor's voice growled.

"Your lack of aid is of no importance to us.  We know where the fairies are," said the guard.

The Doctor looked around him, searching for any opportunity of getting Sally a way to escape.  They were not entering the forest the same way the Doctor had come from when he left the fairies earlier in the afternoon.  They were coming to the forest from the north.  As the Doctor surveyed his surroundings, he saw a tree alone in the field.  It was a huge, old tree.  An oak tree.  The oak tree that the fairies told him of.  They had told him there was a bell on the tree.  Ring the bell and a fairy would appear.  If he could ring the bell, then the fairies would see the advancing party of Poikyo headed towards their forest.  The Poikyo were going to walk past the tree, but not within reach of the branches.  As they got as near to the tree as they would, the Doctor leaned in close to Sally and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry."  Then he stuck his food under her, causing her to fall.  He quickly bend down to her, put his hands on her shoulders and pushed on them, preventing her from getting up.

"Guard, please, my companion is tired.  Can she not rest for a moment?"  The Doctor called out.  He looked at Sally, who was about to protest, and winked.  Sally understood and played along.

"I'm so exhausted," she moaned.  "I can't walk another step."

"Bring the female some water!" the guard called out.

The Doctor took the moment of the Poikyo's distraction to fetch Sally some water and he quickly pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket.  He pointed it at the tree and pressed the button.  At the same moment, he whispered to Sally, "Cry out!"

Sally did, "Oh, I'm too tired!"  Her yell masked the sound of a tinkling bell and forced the Poikyo's attention to her.  They did not see the flash of light in the branches of the tree as a fairy appeared.

The Doctor saw the light disappear up into the higher branches of the tree.  He hoped the fairy understood what was going on.  He turned his attention back to Sally. They had brought her a small pouch of water.  She took it from them and drank.

"Now get up and walk," the guard said when Sally had finished her drink.

"Please," said the Doctor, "she is tired and has nothing to do with your war.  Let her stay here at the tree and rest."

"No!" the guard snapped.

"There has to be a better way than going to war with the fairies," the Doctor said rather loudly.  He hoped the fairy in the tree was listening.

"Quiet!  We are going to war.  Now walk!"  the guard yelled.

The Doctor pulled Sally to her feet and they both felt the sharp jabs of spears in their backs.

"Hey!  No need for that!" Sally said, "I'm going."

The march continued.  The Doctor leaned into Sally, "I hope I didn't hurt you when I tripped you," he whispered.

"Not at all, Doctor.  I was surprised, but honestly, I needed the little break and water.  It did me good.  Do you think the fairy you summoned understood?"

"You knew what I was doing?"

"It took me a moment, but when I heard your scanner and you telling me to yell, I heard at the same moment a bell.  I guessed what you were up to."  Sally smiled at the Doctor.  In the faint light, she could see he was smiling too.

"You're brilliant," he whispered.

"Quiet!" one of the back guards demanded.  Sally and the Doctor stopped their whisperings, for the moment.  They were getting quite near the forest now.

"A fairy war," Sally whispered, "what is that going to be like?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered, "but war, in any form, isn't pretty.  This could get messy.  Keep on your guard and be very careful."  He watched everything that was going on around him.  Poikyo were disappearing in groups behind the trees.  A strategy was being set up.

Suddenly, off to the Doctor's right, was a loud band and a blue flash.  The Doctor  could hear shouting, but he couldn't make out what was being said.  Several moments of silence fell and the Doctor strained his senses trying to figure out what was going on.  A Poikyo flew from behind one tree, shot past the Doctor and Sally and disappeared behind another tree.

"How are you doing?" he whispered to Sally.

"You're joking right?  Well, I'm nervous, fascinated, tired and scared of being in the middle of a war between two species of fairies," Sally spoke quickly.

"Have you readjusted to gravity yet?"

"Oh that?  Yes, I have."

"Good, now Sally, remember what I said.  If you see a moment you can get away or if I tell you to run, then go.  Find your way back to the oak tree and then the TARDIS."

Sally looked at the Doctor, he was looking in all directions trying to keep tabs on everything that was going on.  "Doctor, if I can escape, why don't you just come with me?  We can both escape."

"He turned and looked right at her with his intense blue eyes.  "I have to try and stop this.  I don't want to see either species wiped out and I hate to think what a war like this could do to the local population of humans.  No Sally, I have to try and stop them, but I want you to be safe.  Please just do what I've asked.  Will you?"

Sally nodded.  "Yes Doctor."

"Good," he said.  "Ouch!" he felt a sharp spear at his neck.

"Not another word, you two," his guard said.

Chapter 10