The Dark Tower

Chapter 24 - Doors and Dust

‘Haven’t got the faintest,’ I said. What on earth were we supposed to do with them? Should we just try and kidnap Colin from under their noses, or take them with us? Were they supposed to come back with us through the portal or stay here? I had absolutely no idea, although only Colin had come through this way. And what would happen if Eoin, Tom and Alex came with us? Would they disappear from this world? And what did this mean about Gwaine, Percival and Mordred back in Camelot?

I was still trying to think it through when Colin appeared in the stage doorway in a hoodie and jeans, looking warily about him.

‘Col!’ Eoin called, and a smile of relief crossed Colin’s features. ‘Now what are we doing?’

‘Dunno,’ Colin said and Eoin sighed.

‘There must be something. It’s your last night!’

‘I know where there’s a party,’ Mab suddenly interjected, revealing herself from the shadows, and Katy and I both stared at her.

The men all turned towards Mab, only Tom being taller than her, and not by much. I could see the dumbstruck look on their faces as she either wove some magic spell over them . . . or they were actually just dumbstruck. It was, not entirely unexpectedly, Eoin that recovered first.

‘Where is it?’

Mab looked helplessly at me. ‘At the BBC. Surprise Merlin reunion,’ I said.

Eoin looked at the other guys who shrugged and then acquiesced, for some reason seeming convinced that could happen. Or they were just bored and in need of a party. ‘I’m Eoin,’ he said, holding out his hand first to Mab and then to me. As our fingers touched, I saw a curious look pass across his features, and he was slow turning to Katy to be introduced, his eyes lingering on my face. The four men joined us as we headed back to the underground, Mab and Tom pairing up, Katy, Colin and Alex chatting, leaving me with Eoin. It was the strangest feeling in the world. Looking at him, I knew this man intimately, but for him, it was the first time he’d met me, although he seemed chatty enough.

On the busy tube, separated into our smaller groups, I was crushed up against Eoin.

‘Have we met before?’ he asked, a frown creasing between his eyes. ‘You seem very familiar . . .’

‘Perhaps in another world,’ I half joked, and he smiled.

‘Perhaps. Your friend is very striking. What did she saw her name was?’

‘Mab.’

‘Short for anything?’

‘I don’t know. We always call her Your Highness.’

He laughed. ‘She is kind of regal. And a bit scary.’

If only he knew, I thought.

I caught sight of the time as we headed back to the BBC. If the Doctor was correct, then we had only ten minutes to get back to the Dark Tower.  And I still didn’t know what we were going to do about the others.

‘This way,’ Katy said, carefully opening the fire exit door. ‘We can surprise the surprisers,’ and she dragged Alex and Colin behind her.

I caught up with Mab. ‘What about the others?’ I hissed.

She shrugged unhelpfully. ‘It’s not a magic I know. You will have to decide.’

Oh great. If I took them through the portal and they weren’t supposed to go, then there’d be two of everyone in Camelot and I wasn’t sure that could happen. Although the thought was actually quite tempting. But maybe the portal wouldn’t let them through if they weren’t supposed to come. But how would I know? If I got it wrong it could cause absolute chaos, both in this world and Camelot.

The map! I wrestled it out of a pocket and quickly looked at it. Just Colin then. The others stayed.

We retraced out steps until we were standing in front of the Tardis.

‘Katy, you go on ahead with Colin and Mab,’ I said, smiling. They entered and Mab paused in the doorway.

‘Erm, before we go in, could I get your number?’ Eoin asked me, surprisingly shyly.

‘I, oh, I don’t have a mobile.’

He looked at me in surprise. ‘You don’t have . . .’ and then dragged his wallet out of his jeans back pocket and a pen from an inside pocket and scribbled a number on the back of a business card. ‘Call me?’

I accepted the card and he hung onto my hand, his eyes searching mine as though there was some recognition. And then Mab grabbed hold of me and dragged me through the Tardis door, releasing me once inside as I pulled the reluctant door shut behind me.

‘Beth?’ I heard him call, but his voice was drowned out by a rumbling and the sound of falling rocks, a distant scream which I thought might be Katy, and then I felt a blast of dust on my face as it flung me, not against the wood of the door, but now against stone. The floor came up to meet me as I collapsed, not sure whether I was in this world, the other world, or somewhere in between.