Counting with Fairies Ch 12

Chapter 12

The Doctor left the meeting with a promise to return with his spaceship.  He headed out of the forest.  The night was still dark.  When he reached the edge of the woods, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, pressed the button and waved it in the air.  It beeped erratically until it locked onto the TARDIS's location.  He started walking, whistling happily as he went.  It had been rough, but everything was working out.  He'd get his TARDIS, pick up the Poikyo, take them to Lisi and then he's bring Sally back to see the Pascaline.  He felt bad their little outing had taken such a dramatic turn, but he intended to keep his promise to her.

He hoped Sally had found her way back to the TARDIS alright.  He had an uneasy feeling.  He picked up his pace, deciding that he needed to get back as quickly as possible.

The sky was turning pink in the early morning by the time he arrived back to the TARDIS.  He pulled out his key and unlocked the door.

"Sally?" he called.  There was no answer.  He ran farther into the console room.  "Sally!" he yelled again.  Nothing.  He looked around.  Everything looked exactly as he had left it.  Sally never made it back.

The Doctor ran to the door and opened it, stepping back out into the French countryside.  "Sally!" he desperately called out.  He ran down to the road and looked around.  "Please, please" he whispered to himself, "let Sally be alright."  He saw a ways up the road what looked like a muddy person lying in the ditch alongside the road.

"Sally!" the Doctor called again, running to her.  She moved when he reached her.  He breathed a heavy sigh of relief.  She was alive, but shivering with cold in the morning dew.  He quickly slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around Sally's back and shoulders.  With his help, she turned over and rested her back against his chest.  She smiled at him.  He smiled back in surprise.

"Sorry I didn't make it back to the TARDIS before morning.  I took the scenic route," Sally said, her eyes twinkled.

In his relief, the Doctor laughed.  "I guess you must have."

Sally pulled the Doctor's jacket closer around her.  Her throat was dry and she coughed a little.  The Doctor reached his hand down into one of the pockets of his jacket and pulled out a pouch filled with water.  He handed it to her and she eagerly drank from it.

"Careful now, not too much, yet," the Doctor said.  "Can you walk?"

Sally shook her head. "I don't think I can do another step.  I sprained my ankle." She pulled up her skirt to show him her leg wrapped in the green over tunic.  "I walked on it last night for a long time, but I can't now.  It hurts too much."

He moved around to her leg and gently began to unwrap the cloth from it.  Sally clenched her jaw.  It hurt.  She gave an involuntary squeak when he felt her ankle  It was swollen and hot.  "It's not broken.  I need to get you back to the TARDIS sick bay."  He reached into another pocket of his jacket and pulled out what looked like a syringe.

Sally gasped, "Please no needles, Doctor.  I can't stand needles."

"No need for needles," he chuckled at his own joke.  "Need for needles.  I like that.  No, there is no needles involved here.  Technology from your future, remember?"  He smiled and placed the device against Sally's leg.  Sally squeezed her eyes shut.  She felt on her leg what seemed like a burst of warm air against her skin.  She opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor.  He was smiling and putting the device back into his pocket.

"That's it?" she asked.

"That's it," he said.  "How does your leg feel now?"

"Better.  It still hurts, but not nearly as much.  Thank you.  How did you pull that thing and a pouch of water out of your pockets?  I'm wearing your jacket, but I don't feel those things in the pockets."

"The pockets are like the TARDIS, bigger on the inside," he smiled a mischievous half grin at her.  "Now, come on." He stooped down to pick her up.

"Doctor, you can't carry me all the way back to the TARDIS."

"Sure I can.  I'm stronger than I look.  I've carried  injured girls before."  He picked Sally up quite easily.  She put her arms around his neck.  "See, this isn't so bad.  Once, I was visiting a planet and my companion, her name was Peri, was dying from a terrible toxin.  She was unconscious and I carried her for a long time.  The thing was, was that I was also dying from the same toxin and there were hot mud bursts going on all around me.  So, this is much better.  You're not dying, I'm not dying and there is no natural disaster going on around us."  He smiled.

"So, did you save the girl?" Sally teasingly asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did." 

"If only we had some fairy dust," Sally said, "then you wouldn't have to carry me at all.  I could just fly back."   The TARDIS was coming into view.  "I almost made it to the TARDIS, didn't I?" Sally asked.

"Yes, you got very close.  Do you have the key I gave you?"  The Doctor held Sally as she fished the key from her pocket and unlocked the door with a click.  The Doctor carried her into the TARDIS and down one of the corridors.  He turned into a room that looked like a doctor's examination room and he gently placed her on the table.  He picked up a scanner and held it over Sally's leg.  "Good news.  Not broken."

The Doctor opened a drawer and took out some white dressing.  "Don't worry, we'll soon have you fixed up."  He wrapped her foot and ankle.  He did a much better job than she had with her tunic.

"Sorry about the dress, Doctor," Sally said.

"What?" asked the Doctor.

"This dress, it belongs to you and I've shredded part of it and have completely covered the rest with mud."

The Doctor laughed.  "No worries Sally, really."  He finished wrapping her foot. "Now, I have a little job to do and then you can shower and change clothes. Alright?"

Sally nodded.

"Now off to the console room." He pulled up a wheelchair. "Hop in!" he said cheerfully.

"Doctor, I'm not hurt that bad.  I'm sure I can walk on it."

"Don't be silly.  Get in the wheelchair and enjoy rolling through the TARDIS corridors. Think of it as flying while sitting down."  He helped Sally off the table and into the wheelchair.  He turned it around and pushed it out the door.  He started to run down the hall of the TARDIS.  Sally cried out in delight, closed her eyes and imagined herself flying.  By the time they reached the control room, they were both laughing.

He parked her near his favorite reading chair and went to the console.

"Doctor," Sally cried out, suddenly remembering why she had been out wandering the French countryside on her own at night.  "What happened with the fairies and the Poikyo?"

"Peace Sally!  They made peace.  We are on our way to pick up the Poikyo.  They have agreed to go to another planet and I have the perfect one picked out for them."

The Doctor set about working at the console, flipping switches and turning knobs.  Sally watched him.  She still had his jacket wrapped around her shoulders.  It was warm and smelled nice.  The blue bars in the central column began to move up and down.  She watched the column.  It was humming hypnotically.  Sally's eyes drooped and she fell fast asleep.

The Doctor was starting to tell her the story about what had happened in the forest with the fairies and Poikyo when he looked at her.  He was surprised to see her asleep in the wheelchair.  They had only run down the corridor a few minutes before.  He went to one of the chairs in the console room and picked up a pillow.  He took the pillow and tucked it under Sally's head.  He flew the TARDIS to the wood's edge.   He stepped out and went into the forest.  The Poikyo were waiting for him.

Chapter 13

Counting with Fairies Ch 11

Chapter 11

As soon as Sally crawled away, the Doctor began to crawl in the opposite direction, straight to the heart of the battle.  He had to find Lady Columbine.  So far, she had been the kindest to him and the most reasonable to talk to.  Perhaps he could do something to help her.

He felt pain in his leg as a blast of orange light grazed it, singeing  his pants.  It wasn't bad, but he didn't want that to happen again.

"Columbine!" he shouted.  The next thing he knew, a blue Poikyo was in his face.  He recognized her as one of Queen Shai's ladies in waiting.

"Shh, Doctor," she looked around, grabbed the Doctor's jacket lapel and pulled him over to a near-by tree.  "Doctor, can you really take us away from here?"

The Doctor was surprised by her question, but he recovered from the surprised and answered her, "Yes, I can."

"Would you, though?  Would you be willing to take us, after we imprisoned you?"

"Of course," he answered.  "No harm would come to any of you.  I would give you my protection and take you some where safe."

"Thank you," the Poikyo said before she disappeared, leaving a blue train of dust behind her. 

Moments later another light appeared in the Doctor's face.  This time the light was purple.

"Columbine!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"Yes, Doctor.  Our queen is injured.  If the Poikyo will not leave, would you consider taking us away?  I would rather see the Fai live on another planet than become slaves of the Poikyo or worse, dead."

"Yes, I could take you away," the Doctor said.  The two queens were stubborn, but each had ladies in waiting who were willing to do what was best for their people.  The Doctor admired the two fairies who had come to him.  Columbine disappeared as quickly as she had arrived, leaving the Doctor to sit and wonder what was coming next.

In a flash of light, two fairies and two Poikyo, appeared at the same time in front of the Doctor.  They were as surprised to see each other as he was to see all of them.  In an instant, both sides took on a fighting stance.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The Doctor shouted.  He stuck his hand out in between the two parties.  "We can work this out.  No one will attack each other while you are here with me.  Understood?"

The four fairies nodded in agreement.  The Doctor first looked at the Poikyo.  "I'm sorry, my ladies, but I don't know your names."

"I am Bai and this is Meorka.  We are two of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting."

"I am Columbine and this is Rain," Columbine introduced herself to the Poikyo.  "We don't want to fight. We are here to ask the Doctor for help."

"That is what Meorka and I are here for, too.  Our people have suffered great losses over the last several years.  I don't want to see more of us die."

The two groups of fairies turned to each other and began to talk.  The Doctor stood by, listening, ready to mediate in their negotiations.  Another Poikyo appeared and bowed to Bai and Meorka.  "My ladies, the queen has died."

Everyone stopped talking to look at the messenger.

Meorka turned back to look at Bai.  "If this is true, Bai, then you are queen."

Bai considered for a moment what had just happened.  The welfare of the Poikyo had been placed on her shoulders.  "I want this war stopped. Columbine, can you stop your people from fighting?"

"Yes, I can," Columbine answered. 

From her hand, Columbine shot a white light into the clearing.  It burst like a firework and took the shape of a daisy.  Bai did something similar, except her blue light burst into a blue and red star shaped flower, native to her home world.  Immediately the forest grew silent.  Bai, Meorka, Columbine and Rain flew together into the clearing.  They looked at each other's signs that floated in the air above them.

"Our ways are more similar that we've cared to realize, I think," Meorka said.

Fairies came out of the forest, into the clearing and gathered together under the daisy.  Poikyo did the same, but grouped together under the star-shaped flower.  The Doctor stood near-by watching the two groups.  He waited.  This needed to be done by them.

Many of the fairies and Poikyo were looking worse for the wear.  Most all of them had injuries of some sorts.  Some leaned against each other for support.  Others carried their wounded who could no longer fly.  Each group looked at the other suspiciously.

Columbine was the first to speak, "Fairies and Poikyo!  We have fought, we have each loss many and no one has won.  Our queen is injured and theirs has died."  At this pronouncement, there was a great deal of shouting and talk among the groups.  Columbine raised her hands to call the groups to silence.

"Under the laws of the Poikyo, when the queen has no heiress, the crown passes to her first lady-in-waiting, Lady Bai.  Queen Bai is our new ruler," Meorka announced.

"Queen Bai and I have talked.  We don't want to see more of our people killed," Columbine said.

Bai spoke, "As Queen of the Poikyo, I declare this war is over.  The Doctor, here, has offered us safe passage to a new world.  I have accepted it.  We will go with the Doctor.  In my observations of the Fairies since we arrived on this world, I have seen many similarities.  We are very much alike, the Poikyo and the Fairies."

From behind the group of fairies, a winged horse cut a path through and to the center of the groups.  Queen Oona was being pulled on a stretcher by her horse.  It hovered in the middle.  "Lady Columbine and Queen Bai, you are much better rulers to our peoples that Queen Shai and I ever were.  Because of your boldness and humility, you have stopped this terrible war and have brought us together.  Thank you."

Meorka approached the injured queen.  "Your majesty, I am Lady Meorka.  If you will grant it, I would like to stay here with you and your people.  I want to live among you and be an ambassador for the Poikyo."

"Granted Lady Meorka, with all my heart," Queen Oona said.  A great cheer went up among the two groups.

"And Queen Bai, I would like to go with you," Lady Columbine said, bowing to her new friend.

"Then you shall.  I would be most honored to have you by my side."  Queen Bai said. 

The Doctor smiled.  He lived for this kind of thing: peace.  He wished more rulers could be as level headed as these two queens.  He knew exactly what planet he would take the Poikyo to.  A lovely planet called Lisi; forested, few inhabitants and a mild climate.

Chapter 12

Counting with Fairies Ch 10

Chapter 10

"Ouch!" The Doctor felt a sharp spear at his neck.

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

The Doctor rubbed his neck with his hand.  He watched as a procession approached the area where he and Sally stood.  Five of the local wood fairies were flying towards him.  One of them held a white truce flag.  He recognized two of the fairies, Lady Columbine and Lady Rain.  It was obvious that the fairy in the middle of the group was the Queen.  She was dressed in a most ornate gown that was made of flowers and sparkled like diamonds in moonlight.  A large guard of Poikyo surrounded the fairy queen and her entourage.  She stopped when she saw the Doctor and Sally.

From behind the Doctor, the Poikyo queen and her group appeared and flew to meet the fairy queen.  For several moments, the two queens stared at each other, seemingly sizing each other up.

"Well, well, Queen Oona, you decided to come out of hiding." Queen Shai of the Poikyo said.

"Queen Shai, I have come to you, in peace.  I wish for peace between our fai.  Can we not reach an agreement of some sort?"

"And just what do you propose, Queen Oona?" Shai asked.  Her words were polite, but her tone was anything but.

"I propose a compromise.  We could help you search for a new forest to live.  This land is large and we only occupy a part of it.  There is a very lard land mass to the south called Spain.  It has very little fairy population.  You could go there.  We could help you set up a new home."

"In exchanged for what Oona? So that we owe you a life debt of service?"  Queen Shai spat.

"Of course not.  The exchange is you leave us alone.  Let us live our lives here in this forest as we have for a hundred generations." 

The Doctor could see that Queen Oona was getting nervous.

"Well, that is a lovely idea," Queen Shai's voice dripped with sarcasm, "but I have become rather fond of this area.  I have no wish to leave it.  However, I do like your idea of inhabiting that new area, what did you call it?  Spain?  I think that after we have defeated you and our population has had a chance to grow, we will spread our civilization to Spain."  She sneered at the fairies.

The Poikyo shouted their agreement.  The Doctor knew they were a more aggressive species and would not give into talk and compromise, as they had already showed him with his offer to help.  He admired Queen Oona, though.  Attempting peace and compromise before war.  He felt Sally shift next to him.  She was trying to move away from her guard, who was distracted by the meeting of the two queens.  Her movements were slight and slow, but she was doing it.

"Queen Shai, I beg of you, consider my offer," Oona pleaded.

The Doctor took a large step forward, "Or consider mine," he said loudly to the group.  All fairy heads turned to him.  Sally stopped and held still.  "I can take you Poikyo to a whole new planet.  You wouldn't have to share with anyone!"

"Doctor," Queen Shai flew to him, "I've already told you, no.  We have a new planet.  All we have to do is clean it up a bit and get rid of the locals."  With that, the queen shot something blue from her hand.  To Sally it looked like a blue comet.  It went right to the fairies, but Queen Oona held up her hand and the blue streak bounced away, like there was an invisible shield.

"Queen Shai, I've tried to be reasonable, but you just attacked us while we were under a white truce flag.  Now you will pay the penalty."  Queen Oona shot a stream of pink at the Poikyo queen.  In that moment, a thousand things happened.  Hundreds of fairies appeared from behind trees.  Poikyo shot off in every direction.  Lights of every color shot out in all directions.  The Doctor and Sally dropped to the ground.

"Come on!" the Doctor yelled at Sally.  He started to crawl as fast as he could to a fallen tree.  Sally followed him and flopped on her stomach next to him.  "Go Sally! Get out of here!"

"Doctor, you have to come with me.  The war has started.  There is nothing we can do!"

A purple streak shot past Sally's head.  She screamed and they both ducked.  The Doctor's face was pressed against the forest floor, just inches from Sally's face.  "I have to try.  No go Sally.  Go now!"

Sally got up on her hands and knees and took off crawling.  She ducked behind a group of trees and looked back. The Doctor was on his hands and knees and crawling off towards the battle.   She looked around her.  There were no fairies as far as she could see.  She stood up and began to run.  It was hard to see, in the dark of the night.  More than once she tripped over branches, got her dress caught in a thorn bush, and had several colored fairy comets wiz past her head.

As last she reached the edge of the wood.  She stopped to look around and get her bearings.  She didn't see anything familiar.  It was pitch dark in the French countryside.  Sally decided to move away from the trees.  She hoped that getting out in the open would at least show her light if there was a nearby city.  She ran as fast as she could away from the trees.  She ran until she was out of breath and found herself next to a stone wall.  She sat down on it, breathing heavily.  Off in the distance, she could see the forest and the flashes of light deep within the trees.  She hoped the Doctor was alright.

There was no moon and Sally could see no lights.  She didn't know what to do.  She had no bearings and no light.  She couldn't see the lone oak tree.  She decided her only choice was to follow the wall.  Perhaps it would lead to the road or a home.  Sally was exhausted.  How many hours had it been since she got up from her bed and gone to work at the institute?  She didn't know.  Too many.  It was hard to keep an even footing as she walked on in the dark and she tripped and fell several times.  Once in a while she would sit on the wall and listen.  She heard animals, mostly sheep and birds, but some noises sounded more wild to her.  As a London girl, she was use to city noises and lights.  This pitch black countryside was unnerving.  If she hadn't been so tired, she would have broken out into a run.

It had been a long, long walk by the time she finally saw a house.  There were no lights shining in the windows.  Sally went up to the house and pounded on the heavy wooden door.  After several moments, the door opened slightly and Sally saw a man in a long white sleeping gown and hat staring out at her.  He held out a candle to see who the visitor was.

"Good sir," Sally said, "I've lost my way."

The door opened wider and Sally saw a woman standing next to the man.  "Come in and rest," the woman said.

"That's very kind of you, but I'm going to have to say no.  I just need to know some directions.  There is no moon and I've very turned around."

The man stepped out of the stone cottage and took a few steps away from the house.  "That direction is east and that way is north." He pointed at the various directions.  Sally was still unsure where she was.

"I'm looking for a single oak tree in the pastures or the road to the village," Sally explained.

The man chuckled.  "Well, those aren't anywhere near each other.  To find the oak tree, you follow this wall for three kilometers and turn east.  But the road to the village is just half a kilometer to the south here.  Find the road, turn left and it will lead you to the village."

"Thank you, I'll go that way,"  Sally started off.

"Wait mademoiselle, why don't you stay here for the night and head out when it is morning?  It isn't safe to be out at night."  The man called to her.

Sally was tempted.  She was so tired.  She could find the TARDIS tomorrow.  But, no, she had promised the Doctor she would go straight to the TARDIS.  "That is very kind, but I really must go.  Thank you sir, for your kindness." 

Sally turned and left.  She headed the direction the man pointed.  Finally the road came into view, but as Sally got close to the road, she stepped in a hole in the ground and fell.  Her ankle hurt.  Gingerly she moved her foot.  She didn't think anything was broken.  Probably a sprain.  Sally sat in the grass and rubbed her leg.  Tears welled up and fell down her cheeks.

She knew she couldn't stay there.  The only option was to keep moving.  She pulled off her green over tunic and started to tear it into strips.  She tightly wrapped her ankle.  It felt a little better.  Several feet away she saw a large stick.  Sally crawled over to the stick and used it as a cane.  Her ankle hurt, but the wrappings and cane made it possible for her to reach the road.

Sally looked up and down the road.  The man had told her to go left towards the village.  Sally took out the TARDIS key that she had stuck into the pocket of her petticoat.  It felt warm in her hand.  She wondered how far away from the TARDIS she was.  Sally was exhausted and her leg was really hurting.  She put the key back into her pocket.  There was nothing else to do, Sally turned left and began hobbling down the road.

Chapter 11

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