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Icicles looked as if they had sprouted from the undersides of windowsills and ledges. Most impressive of all, the wide expanse of the river Thames was a sheet of opaque ice.
    ‘There’s a definite nip in the air,’ the Doctor observed.
    Clara’s breath misted in front of her. ‘You can say that again. Well, not actually say it again,’ she added quickly. He could be so literal sometimes.
    The TARDIS had landed in a narrow, deserted street close to the river. Judging by the lack of footprints in the snow, it was not a street that saw a lot of traffic.
    ‘So, have you got some instrument that can lead us to this power source?’ Clara asked as they set off along the pavement beside the river.
    ‘Power
spike
. It’s not a source, it was a spike, a spike that came from a source.’
    ‘Which is different, right?’
    ‘Right. And because it was a spike, it just happened the once. So now it’s gone, and there’s nothing to detect.’
    ‘Unless it does it again?’
    ‘Unless it does it again. In which case …’ He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and checked its settings. ‘In which case we’ll know. But we can’t just wait for it to happen, because it might not.’
    ‘So how do we find this power source, then?’
    ‘We investigate. The TARDIS landed us as close as she could, but we could still be a couple of miles away.’
    ‘Oh, is that all?’
    ‘That’s not bad over several centuries and few million light years. Anyway, it shouldn’t be too hardto track down an alien presence in London. Chances are that they’ll be obvious, arrogant, think themselves superior.’
    Clara gave the Doctor a good stare. ‘Yeah, right.’
    His eyebrows knitted together. ‘What are you implying?’
    ‘Nothing,’ she said quickly. ‘So, what’s the plan? Pop along to Paternoster Row and ask our local friends for help?’
    ‘Vastra and Strax and Jenny? Oh no, we don’t need to bother them. Trust me.’ He shook his head. ‘This’ll be easy.’
    It was late morning and a steady stream of people made their way to the Frost Fair. Caught up in the tide, Clara and the Doctor were happy to go with the flow.
    ‘So, it’s not desperately urgent, this power spike?’ Clara said through a mouthful of roasted chestnuts.
    The Doctor was examining a baked potato, trying to work out how best to attack it. ‘We’re investigating,’ he said, before taking a huge bite. He hopped from foot to foot, mouth open, and gasping.
    ‘Hot?’ Clara guessed.
    The Doctor nodded furiously, while also somehow managing to scowl at a nearby boy who was laughing at the spectacle.
    ‘I think you just wanted an excuse not to go and see King Arthur.’
    ‘Not at all.’ He blew furiously on what was left of the steaming potato. ‘Though last time I visited there was a bit of a problem with a sword.’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘He was very young at the time, came running up shouting that he needed a sword, so I handed it to him.’
    ‘And that was a problem.’
    The Doctor risked some more potato. ‘Apparently,’ he said as he chewed, ‘Arthur was supposed to take the sword out of the stone
himself
. Lot of fuss about nothing, if you ask me. But I did get to be King of England for a day before I abdicated in his favour. No real harm done. Are you going to stand here chattering all day?’
    ‘Sorry.’
    ‘What’s that over there?’ He didn’t wait for an answer, but popped the rest of the potato in his mouth and strode off into the crowds.
    The centrepiece of the fair was a large merry-go-round. Clara watched the horses rising and falling as they spun. Coupled with the music there was an almost hypnotic quality to the scene. The Doctor watched with her for a few minutes, then dived off on his own, and they met again by a stall selling rag dolls and cloth purses.
    ‘You having fun, love?’ the woman at the stall asked.
    ‘Oh yes,’ Clara assured her, hoping she had saidit loud enough to cover the Doctor’s less positive response.