Jumping For The Stars

Chapter 17 - Carrionites

Chapter 17

Carrionites

It was the next morning when something interesting happened, though Ailia was sporting a headache and a few extra bruises. Dolly Baily was a really bad influence and Ailia had gotten in a fight...with a giant. Dolly still, somehow, thought Ailia was a man. Though, in all honesty, Ailia was disgusted by this unnatural intelligence, or rather the lack of it.

That was just were the black eye came from, the headache came after, from what, though she couldn't quite discern. It could have been from Dolly's slap, because Ailia had been quick to push aside the flirting, which, apparently, she couldn't handle from either sex. Or it could have come from when the giant's father had seen that she had beat up his son and had dropped kicked her back into the inn.

Either way it appeared that her usual bad luck would not compare with the day she was having so far.

And it just got worse.

Ailia limped down the hallway, straightening up and biting her cheek as she neared the room, her cloak hiding her black eye.

She had just gotten up and was walking into Shakespeare's study, assuming that was were the Doctor and Martha were, and plopped down in a chair. The group of three looked uneasily at her before continuing.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She has such enormous spirit," Shakespeare asked, the first to recover.

"'Rage,'" the Doctor looked away from Ailia, "'Rage against the dying of the light.'"

"I might use that," Shakespeare thought.

"You can't. It's someone else's," the Doctor objected trailing off before looking at Ailia. "What were you doing up at three?" he questioned the girl.

"Rethinking my life choices," Ailia muttered, tugging at her hood.

"What's that on your face?" the Doctor exclaimed when he saw a blackening bruise on the side of her face.

"Part of the reason for that," Ailia replied, sinking back in her chair and carefully putting her feet on the table.

Martha looked away from the Doctor and Ailia, instead pointing out, "But the thing is, Lynley almost drowned on dry land, Dolly and Ailia got attacked by witches and they were both connected to you."

"You're accusing me?" Shakespeare objected.

"No, but I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches," Martha pointed out.

"I have? When was that?" Shakespeare questioned.

The Doctor stopped glaring at Ailia and whispered to Martha, "Not, not quite yet."

"Peter Streete spoke of witches," Shakespeare said as more of an after thought.

"Who's Peter Streete?" Martha questioned.

Shakespeare began to answer but Ailia spoke instead, "I know this," She sat up a bit, "He was the builder of the Globe."

"Yes," Shakespeare nodded, "He sketched the designs.

"The architect. Hold on. The architect! The architect!" The Doctor's eyes lit up, "The Globe! Come on!"

Shakespeare and Martha began to leave, Ailia behind them but the Doctor stopped her. Martha and the Poet looked back at the two but the Doctor waved them ahead, "Just give me a moment."

Neither Martha nor Shakespeare said a word. For a second, Martha shared a glance at the Doctor and he just nodded her forward with his head and she followed the talking Shakespeare out into the street.