EATER OF SOULS

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Bezrek, are you seriously suggesting that we let Sheltek Na'barak go after we finally caught and executed him?" Apophis said after his acolyte explained the situation to him.

Apophis was sitting in his throne room on the ship. Two guards flanked his large gold throne while he sat and sipped wine from a gold goblet that was in the shape of a coiling snake.

"Please, Master, just do this for me. If you don't, Rose will kill herself."

"Oh dear, oh dear, wouldn't that be a pity," Apophis said dryly. "Bezrek, I understand how fond you are of your new pet but to let Sheltek Na'barak go and then watch him turn right around and come after us? Have you lost your mind?"

"I've been thinking though," Bezrek said. "Why kill Sheltek Na'barak when you can enslave him…"

"He's too dangerous, Bezrek," Apophis said.

"Hear me out, Master. Give him a lobotomy or damage his mind so he won't be a threat but still be able to carry out your commands."

Apophis swirled the wine around in his goblet while he considered that.

"I must admit it is tempting," he said as he stared at the wine. "The greatest threat in the universe, my obedient slave. You're right; it would be a waste to kill an able bodied worker like him but…"

He fell into silence while he thought about Bezrek's proposal.

"As much as I find your adoration of the human child sweet," he finally said. "I will not indulge you just to prevent a temper tantrum and a possible suicide. However, I have thought it over and I want to check for myself to make sure the Time Lord is truly dead. You are welcome to bring along the child to see the body but if he is alive, I will put him to death myself and leave you to console your new favorite. Now…if you have any objections to that, I suggest keeping them to yourself and readying yourself and your concubine. We'll be transmatting down to the burial chamber in about twenty minutes. That's all I have to say."

Bezrek bowed to him and walked out of the throne room. Apophis watched him go and when he was out of the room, shook his head, muttered to himself about his daft slave's behavior and took a sip of wine.

A half hour later, Bezrek, Rose, Apophis and several guards were standing inside the burial chamber. Bezrek had taken off Rose's collar and had put a huge manacle around her neck with a twenty foot chain that he was holding on to. Rose was barely able to breathe while she watched four of the guards lift the lid off the sarcophagus. When they finally got it off, everyone came forward and Rose rushed past Bezrek to the tomb. She froze and stared down in silent shock when she saw the Doctor. He wasn't moving, his hands at his sides and a peaceful expression on his face. His skin was chalk white and Rose felt her heart skip a beat when he didn't respond to any of them.

"No, it can't be," Rose said, bending over and putting her fingers against the pulse point in her neck.

She paled when she couldn't feel any pulse. Meanwhile, everyone else had gathered around the sarcophagus to see the Doctor.

"Regenerate," Rose said in desperation, shaking the Doctor's shoulder. "Regenerate, damn it! Don't do this to me!"

Apophis smirked as Rose became more and more distraught as she tried to get the Doctor to respond to her.

"It appears Sheltek Na'barak is not as strong as everyone thought," he said. "The Time Lord is as mortal as everyone else."

Rose jerked her head up, fire blazing in her eyes when she looked at him.

"YOU DID THIS TO HIM! YOU KILLED HIM!" she bellowed as she lunged at him.

Apophis laughed when one of the guards struck her across the face with the end of his staff and she fell to the floor in a daze.

"Poor little human, your god is dead," Apophis mocked her as she struggled to get to her feet. "This is excellent news. Guards, take him out of there. Rather than leave him here, I wish to display him in my ship. I want other civilizations to come and view his body and meet the one who finally killed Sheltek Na'barak and rid the universe of his evil presence. As for his disciple," he said, looking at Rose who was gazing on him with utter hatred. "You have a new master now, obey him."

"Kill me," Rose said. "Kill me too because the last thing I want is to live as Bezrek's slave. I'd rather be dead."

"Sorry, that's not my decision, human," Apophis said in a bored tone of voice. "Guards, take the Doctor's body back to the ship."

Rose watched while the four guards reached in and pulled her lover's body out. She waited with baited breath for him to come to life and fight them but her spirits sank when the Doctor did nothing and she felt tears come to her eyes as the realization of what had happened began to hit home. She felt hollow inside and her only thought was to join him in death rather than live as Bezrek's slave. She gritted her teeth when her thought was interrupted by Bezrek rattling on her chain.

"Up, Rose, it's time to go," he said dispassionately.

Rose snapped. She roared with anger as she leapt up and decked Bezrek in the face. He fell backwards to the ground and she pounced on him, seizing him by the throat, screaming her rage at his stunned face as she tried to kill him. Then she let out a grunt and fell unconscious when one of the guards hit her hard in the back of the head with the end of his staff. Apophis snorted when Bezrek gasped for air and pushed her off of him.

"Perhaps the one that needs the lobotomy is Rose," he said to Bezrek. "These humans are unpredictable you know and like any wild animal they must be domesticated if they're going to be kept as a pet. Perhaps you should think that over before the little lion leaps at your throat again."

He turned and followed the guards who were carrying the body of the Doctor. Bezrek glared at Rose as he got to his feet.

"Pull another stunt like that, Rose, and I'll make sure you suffer a fate worse than death," he muttered before he called another guard to carry her for him.

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