Fae'th in Time continued

5 mins later Julie came back in the barn looking very relaxed. The group had gathered by the back of the wagon.

“So what did I miss?” She asked with a smile. The Doctor turned to her and paused just a moment before he spoke.

“Um nothing my dear, Bernard was just telling us of the tale on how he lost his arm to the Noc.” The Doctor replied.

“Oh I am sorry I wasn’t here for that. So when do we head out?”

Shaden looked at Julie and smiled.

“Why we were just about to head out beautiful. There is a jacket hanging on the wall in my stall there. Why do you go grab it and bring it with. It does get rather chilly when the sun goes down and I don’t want you freezing out there.

“How kind of you.” Julie replied as she turned and went for the Jacket. Shaden walked up to the Doctor and whisper.

“Hey Doc it looks like…” but the Doctor cut him off.

“I know.” The Doctor clinched his fist.

Julie came back wearing the jacket. It was a worn jacket made of leather. It fit Julie perfectly telling the Doctor the jacket was not Shaden’s , at least one of his that he wore.

“Right well its close enough to sundown to where the Dirty Hog should be open. I am sure Snitch is already there so shall we head out. The Doctor moved in the direction of Julie but Shaden put his hand out just enough to stop the Doctor. He then turned to the Doctor.

“Just wait,” he whispered and then Shaden turned to Julie. The thief made a sweeping motion with his hand.

“After you …brown eyes.”

Donna-Lé and Bernard stopped and looked towards Julie. Donna motioned for an arrow from her quiver but Shaden shook his head slightly, stopping the elf.

“You three wait outside a moment I have to get something from my stall.” Shaden said. His two partners followed “Julie” out the door. The Doctor immediately headed to the back of the barn and threw open the door. He peaked his head out the door and slammed it.

“There is signs of a struggle but Julie is gone. I am going to find out where she is and that Dopleganger is going to tell me.” Shaden stepped in front of the Doctor.

“Out of my way Shade.”

“Now hold on Chief, you know as well as I do that the thing posing as your companion is the only chance we have of finding where Julie is. We can’t let it know we are onto it. Once a Dopleganger’s illusion is called out on, they disappear faster than tickets to a Beatles concert. Poof gone, nothing.”

“LOOK that thing knows where Julie is and I need to find out before its too late.” The Doctor yelled as he stepped around Shaden. Shaden grabbed the Doctor by the jacket and the Doctor swung around drawing back his fist as he did. Shaden ducked and put his hands up. The Doctor realized what he was doing and put his arm down. Shaden straightened up and looked the Doctor in the eye.

“I can assure you Julie is fine. Whatever happens to her will happen to the Doppleganger so as long as it’s alive we know Blue Eyes is too.”

The Doctor took a deep breath and realized that he had let his emotions get the better of him. The high concentration of ether, the Doctor realized, was starting to affect him. He could feel it irritating his skin and even his lungs as he breathed. The Doctor didn’t like it at all.

“Yes, you’re right, sorry.” The Doctor apologized.

“No worries Doctor, we’ll get her back, and the TARDIS.”

The two men walked out of the barn and joined the others.

No one said much on the way to the Dirty Hog. The Doctor was trying to work in his head how he was going to get the Dopleganger to reveal where Julie was. Shaden’s mind was work almost as loudly as the Doctor’s. He was trying to figure out who had sent the Dolpeganger, and also had to figure out where they were going to have to move too since it was obvious whoever sent the Dolpeganger knew the location of Shaden’s safe house.

To the Doctor’s surprise, the Dirty Hog was only two blocks from the safe barn. The sounds of merriment and fighting could be heard before they opened the door. Shaden made to open the door when it flew open on its own and a patron of the establishment went flying through it. The body landed with a thump twitched once and then laid still.

“Just another day at the Hog.” Bernard said with a chuckle as he entered. The rest of the group followed behind. The inside of the Hog looked like your basic pub. There were booths along the sides and tables out in the middle of the room for folks to sit. At the back of the pub was the bar with two tenders moving furiously back and forth. One of the tenders was a Catman and the other a Hogman, their bodies were human shaped but all other characteristics were that of an animal. The Doctor noticed most of the patrons were humanoid animal mixes.

“Not many humans visit this place. The Animan’s and humans don’t get along too well. I would watch your step sir.”

“I will do that.” The Doctor replied as he watched four Volemen and a Hyenaman play a game that reminded him a lot of Poker.

“Ah there he is by the Bar.” Shaden observed as he Pointed to the corner where the bar and wall met. There was a, what the Doctor assumed was a Hareman. The humanoid had two long fuzzy ears and a face of a Hare. The shorts he wore were tight against his very muscular legs. He must have heard Shaden because he turned his attention from a human lady he was talking too and stared at their group as they approached.

“Take a walk doll face. Grown up talk.” Shaden said to the lady as he handed her a gold coin.

“Shaden, been a while, I see your group is growing, ya ya. Makes it a bit harder to be a thief with so many folks around you.” The Hareman looked hungerly at Julie and Donna-Lé and added,”Course I can see the appeal with the likes of them.”

He licked his lips while he stared at the two women. “Julie” made no reaction at all while Donna-Lé turned away so she could not see him. Shaden grabbed the Hareman’s face and moved it so he was eye to eye with Shaden.

“Tell me Snitch, has Cavenaugh acquired any …unusually large items.” Shaden asked as he took a drink from Snitch’s cup.

“Yeah she has a large blue box of some kind with strange writing, ya ya. She is very proud of it, ya, took it herself she did, right from underneath the nose of the Noc. She’s good I mean real good.” He informed Shaden. Shaden looked up at the Doctor and the two exchanged nods.

“You kind of have to be to be the head of the thieves guild.” Bernard commented.

“I need to see her. Which stone is it?” Shaden asked. Snitch squirmed in his chair and looked nervously about as if he was late for something.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t pay your tribute to the guild again. Besides you know Cavenaugh wouldn’t be happy to see you, even if you showed up.”

“Tell you what you tell me what stone it is and turn the other way and I will make I worth something.” Shaden said as he pulled a diamond the size of a golf ball from his pouch. Snitch’s eyes widened and he made a reach for it. Shaden closed his hand around it and pulled it away.

“Come one Snitch. You give me the skinny on the stone and you get a rock.”

After a moment of hesitation and stuttering Snitch sighed and took a drink from his cup.

“Third row, middle stone.”

“See that wasn’t so hard.” Shaden tossed the stone at Snitch who juggled it a couple times before he caught it from the air. The bar suddenly got quiet and Snitch began laughing.

“Umm Shade I think we have a problem.” Bernard commented. The Doctor looked around and noticed some of the people in the bar were leaving hastily while others were standing and looking at them. Some were rubbing their fist while others smiled wickedly at the four. Snitch continued to laugh.

“Oh heh hehe ya ya I forgot to tell you…heheh Cavenaugh was looking for you actually. She said you still had something of hers ya,ya and who ever was able to get that item back from you. They would get 1000 gold pieces. Yaya . “ Snitch busted out in a full blown laughing fit. Donna-Lé immediately drew her arrow. Shaden grabbed Snitch and knocked him out with one punch. The bar patrons were just about to charge when the sound of a Trumpet filled air. Lights appeared on the small stage area that was next to the bar. Everyones head turned to the stage. On it was Bernard, perched on a chair and strumming his instrument. Smoke poured from it and a ghostly band appeared behind him. There was a drummer, a horn player whose instrument resembled a trumpet, and a piano player.

“Here’s a little song a friend of mine taught me. He said it just popped into his head one day.”

The band played a small intro and then Bernard began to sing.

Hey folks let me tell you about Minnie da Moocher,

She was a low down hoochie coocher,

She was the roughest, toughest frail,

But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.

Hi dee hi dee hi dee hi…

The entire bar repeated the call. They all seemed entranced at the song and they all gathered at the stage except for the Doctor, “Julie”, Shaden and Donna- Lé. Shaden led the other two over towards the fire place that was on the wall across from where they were standing.

She messed around with a bloke named smokie
She loved him though he was cokey
He took her down to chinatown
And showed her how to kick the gong around.

The Fireplace had stone pillars made of bricks on either side of it. Shaden counted out the stones and found the one Snitch told him about. He pressed on it and nothing happened. The Doctor looked at him with a smirk.

“Let me guess he lied to you. What are the odds? If you don’t mind I think I can lend my expertise.”

“Be my guess.” Shaden said.

Donna-Lé kept her bow and arrow drawn though everyone in the bar seemed entranced by Bernard. The Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver and waved it over the bricks. A brick near the bottom of the pillar began to shake. Shaden gave it a push and the fireplace disappeared to reveal a torch lit corridor behind it. The Donna-Lé and the Doctor filed into the corridor. Shaden waved at Bernard who continued to sing as he walked towards Shaden. As he moved the bar patrons gaze followed him as he stepped off the stage and reached Shade. Bernard never took his eyes off his audience. He took a step backward into the cooridor and Shade lifted the torch nearest them off of its wall mount. Opening turned into a stone wall immediately. The muffled music of the band could still be heard.

“We have 5 mins before the band stops.” Bernard informed Shaden.

“Ah pleanty of time Berno.” Shaden replied as he slapped the troll on the back.

“Julie” screamed and grabbed her arm. The Doctor instinctively went to her aid.

“Its ok let me take a look, “ The Doctor moved “Julie’s” arm to reveal a two inch slash across her forarm. Donna-Lé pulled a leaf from a small pouch on her belt and pressed it against the cut. The bleeding stopped on “Julie’s” arm the second the leaf touched the wound The Doctor look at Shaden but didn’t say a word. Shaden knew that the Doctor was not please. If the Dopleganger had a cut that meant Julie had the cut.

“Let’s go get your spac…sculpture shall we.” Shaden stated as he led the group down the corridor. As They ran down two more short corridors the Doctor realized just how much he disliked cooridors. The group made one more turn and found them selves in a dimly lit room that resembled a throne room. There were standards hanging on the walls and at the back of the room was a small set of stone stairs that lead to a throne. Sitting on the throne was a slender women around her 40’s she was dressed in leather armor over a bright green shirt. On both her arms were three sheathed daggers. She had a scar on her left cheek and a patch over her right eye. Behind here stood the TARDIS. The Doctor resisted the urge to run up to it and instead addressed the lady on the throne.

“Lady Cavenaugh, an honor to meet you.” The Doctor said with a bow.