Jack looked around for another weapon and saw a heavy vase on a nearby table. He picked it up and flung it at one of the hovering witches. It caught her on the temple and she crashed to the ground with a cry as one of the troopers thrust a sword into her chest. The crystal that she carried rolled across the floor and beneath a cabinet. She gave a terrible scream and then with a red glow that grew brighter and brighter around her, she vanished into nothingness.

The other two hags screamed in anger at the death of their comrade, and cursed their assailants with strange incantations. Then they rose into the air and flew from the room and through the open windows with a gust of unnatural wind.

Lavallier however was not daunted by the rout of the hags and continued to press the attack like a demon, almost not drawing breath as he fought with the one of the remaining troops. The young soldier was being forced back and back, until there he finally stumbled to the ground.

Lavallier raised his sword with a yell but Jack, his face set, picked up a fallen sword next to one of the dead soldiers and ran to help.

Before the Doctor could raise his hands to protest, Jack cut Lavallier down with a series of skilled thrusts. The soldier crashed to the ground like a felled tree. Panting with exertion, and wiping the sweat from his brow, Jack threw the bloodied sword to the ground and turned away in disgust.

The Doctor helped a terrified Katherine to her feet. "What were those things Doctor?" she whispered.

The Doctor looked grimly at the study that had become a battlefield around him. "Creatures that I thought were banished from the Dawn of Time - Carrionites!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

atherine looked around the devastated room, tears welling up in her eyes. She had led a sheltered, gentle life and had never before been exposed to such violence and destruction. "Why did those things attack us?" she cried. "And the Captain, he helped them!"

The Doctor knelt by the fallen figure of Lavallier and then reached down and plucked a small rag doll dressed like a soldier from inside Lavallier’s tunic. It had a strands of human hair wrapped around it; clearly Lavallier’s own. "I’m sorry," he whispered as he closed the dead man’s sightless eyes. "I’m so sorry." He straightened up, his face hard. "He was their puppet I’m afraid! The Carrionites are mistresses of charm and deceit. They must’ve known every move we made!"

Katherine was distraught. "They were witches! We have been cursed by their black magic!"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, they’re not witches. They’re called Carronites; creatures from eons ago."

Katherine looked at the Doctor in alarm. "And who are you to talk of this?"

The Doctor put his hand on her arm. "Don’t worry," he said reassuringly, "I’m here to help."

Jack was checking that the remaining soldiers were coping with the supernatural attack, but they waved away his assistance with grim faces. "What do these Carrionites want Doctor?"

The Doctor scratched his head and looked about. "I don’t know Jack." He noticed the crystal that had been dropped by the fallen Carrionite and picked it up, hefting it in his hand. "I wonder?" he mused, before putting it in his coat pocket. He turned to Katherine. "You said your husband mentioned the solstice? When’s that?"

Katherine wiped her eyes. "Tomorrow night."

The Doctor was taken aback. "Tomorrow? That’s no time at all! An important night if you want to harness psychic energy!" He started speaking to himself as he wandered about the room, his hands in his coat pocket. "But you’d need a lot of people to generate enough to do something spectacular," he took a breath, "and I’m sure it will be spectacular!" He reached a table. "So what are they planning?" He paused and reached down to pick up a small piece of paper with impressive handwriting and wax seal. "What’s this?"

Katherine crossed the room to stand next to him. "It’s our invitation," she explained with a shrug. "The Vicomte is holding his annual summer ball at his palace."

The Doctor groaned. "Why didn’t you tell me!" he shouted.

Katherine took a step backwards, shocked at the Doctor’s sudden outburst. "I didn’t think it was important," she replied defensively.

The Doctor turned to Jack with exasperation. "You knew?"

Jack nodded sheepishly and shrugged. "I guess I didn’t think they were connected!"

The Doctor sighed. "Of course they were connected, everything here is connected!" He began to pace around the room thinking furiously. "The Carrionites are an ancient race from Rexel. They were banished from this universe by the Eternals eons ago. The lights you saw in the sky……of course!" He turned to face Jack and Katherine. "It must’ve been a dimensional portal. Some Carrionites have found a way back into our dimension! Why? What do they want here?"

Jack and Katherine glanced at each other and Jack shrugged "I don’t know." Then his face cleared. "But the Time Agency must know - that’s why they sent me!"

The Doctor nodded. "Then whatever’s at stake here must be incredibly important." He started towards the door. "Come on, we’ve got to get back to the chateau!"