he ruined windmill that stood alone on the hill had remained empty for nearly ten years. A terrible fire had ravaged it one night, killing the miller and his young family. The villagers of Dabarre had found their poor smoking bodies the next morning and had ever since avoided the windmill thinking it accursed. Local rumours and whispers of it being haunted had given the local children plenty of nightmares, so it had made the perfect place for the Carrionites to hide and hatch their demonic plot

In their dark chamber in the mill’s cellar, the cauldron bubbled and steamed as usual. Morgwyn, the leader of the Carrionites, paced angrily up and down whilst the other two that had escaped the battle wailed and sobbed. "Our sister has been destroyed!" one of them cried.

Morgwyn turned to face the other alien. "Be quiet!" she snarled. "This Doctor is more dangerous than we thought. And he smells…….different as well! I sense a time dweller!"

Both the other Carrionites eyes widened in fear. "But they were all destroyed!" they whispered in unison.

Morgwyn nodded but gave an evil smile. "I know, perhaps it is time he joined the rest of his race. Never fear, nothing can stop us now. We will be avenged!" She turned to the motionless figure of Remy de Gallois sitting in a nearby chair. "Come my sweet, it is time for you to perform!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

he Vicomte de Gallois sat at a magnificent mahogany desk as he put the finishing touches to his speech for the summer ball. He put the quill back in the ink holder and sat back in his chair, picking up the paper to read it back. The Vicomte smiled in anticipation; he hoped it would be as well received as last year!

He had always loved the summer ball as a child, ever since his late father had started it over thirty years ago. He remembered the important visitors that had visited the chateau; royalty amongst them. They always told such amazing stories that had fascinated and excited him as a boy.

His gaze wandered to the window and he watched the birds whirl in the summer sky. Ever since his wife Marie had died from fever during pregnancy twelve short summers ago, he had been denied both a spouse and an heir. What it would have been to have his own son attend the ball as he had done?

When his brother had given his son Remy some land near Dabarre, and had asked the Vicomte to keep a watchful eye over him, the Vicomte had been quietly pleased. He had always liked his nephew, and saw many of the same qualities in him that he thought he had possessed at that age – a strong will, a hint of stubbornness and great passion for life. Then Remy had married his beloved Katherine, a clever and thoughtful girl and the daughter of the squire of Dabarre. The Vicomte had known Katherine since she had been an infant. The squire managed his vineyard there and was as a true a friend as any. With Katherine at his side, Remy was maturing into a fine nobleman.

The Vicomte frowned, a shadow passing over his face as he thought over recent events. It wasn’t like Remy to act like this at all. There had never been an angry word between them in the past.

A sudden and urgent knocking on the study door shook the Vicomte from his thoughts as Henri entered and bowed respectfully. "Sir, you must come at once," he said, barely containing obvious excitement. "Your nephew has arrived!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

he Doctor led the other riders at a gallop as they returned to Chateau de Gallois. Behind him on his grey stallion rode Jack, and next to Jack rode a very worried Katherine on a dappled grey mare. Katherine had spent much of her life around horses and could easily keep up with them. Lavallier’s two remaining troops had been persuaded to accompany them out of loyalty to their deceased captain and rode grimly side by side at the rear of the group.

It had taken longer than expected to get their horses from Katherine’s estate. Katherine had also insisted, much to the Doctor’s frustration, that they make the dead soldiers at least decent before they left.

The long journey from Dabarre to the chateau also meant that it was just getting dark as they approached the valley that led down to the magnificent building. Jack rode up closer to the Doctor. "Any idea how to stop these things Doctor?" he asked quietly.

The Doctor bit his lip in thought. He needed to harness and focus the energy correctly. "The Carrionites use language the way humans use mathematics; to construct, to model behaviour and so on. If I get the words right I just may be able……." He paused and looked at Jack, a worried expression on his face. "It’s a chance anyway!"

The riders galloped up to the main entrance of the Vicomte’s chateau and dismounted as quickly as possible. Lavallier’s two troops gathered the horses and pulled them to the stables as the Doctor, Jack and Katherine approached the main entrance.

The Doctor was delighted as the familiar figure of Henri, opened the large wooden doors. Henri smiled as he recognised the Doctor and stood back to let them enter the large hallway. "Ah monsieur," he said respectfully, "you were successful! You have returned the Vicomte’s nephew to him!"

The Doctor was on his guard immediately. "What do you mean Henri?" he asked urgently, a dreadful suspicion crossing his mind.

Henri looked slightly confused at the Doctor’s tone. "The Vicomte’s nephew Remy arrived earlier this afternoon with three maidservants. They are in the library with the Vicomte now."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

he Doctor started running quickly through the hallway towards the library. "Come on," he shouted, "it could be too late!"

Jack and Katherine exchanged a worried look before dashing after him.

The Doctor skidded to a halt as he entered the library, Jack and Katherine just behind him. Katherine screamed at the terrifying scene inside the room. The Vicomte de Gallois floated helpless and twisted in the air, suspended by the Carrionite’s power as the three hags cackled and laughed around him. Standing besides them, his face twisted into a demonic leer, although his eyes were still glazed and unfocussed, was her beloved husband Remy.

Katherine started to run into the room screaming for her husband, but Jack grabbed her arm and held her back. "No, it’s not how it looks!" he shouted.

Morgwyn turned to face the Doctor, her pointed teeth showing in a terrible smile. "You’re too late Doctor!" she laughed. "We have the Vicomte! With him under our power we can complete our plans!"

The other two Carrionites hissed and cackled with glee, their clawed hands twitching in anticipation.

The Doctor put his hands into his coat pockets. "Oh really," he said nonchalantly. "You mean use the summer ball, on the eve of the solstice, to generate sufficient psychic energy?

Morgwyn’s smile faltered. "How would you know what we want?" she hissed.

The Doctor sauntered towards her. "Oh, just guessing – but it was fairly easy to work out. But what do you want all that psychic energy for anyway?"

Morgwyn evil smile returned. "This place is cursed Doctor. Millennia ago, a portal to our dimension was sealed here by the Eternals."

The Doctor frowned, realisation dawning. "Ah, and with all the psychic energy you can open it up again?"