Part 4 (1/2)

'Why ever not?' said Madame Zara. She lifted the device from around Tegan's neck. 'What is it? What does it do?'

'I can't remember,' said Tegan haltingly. 'I mustn't . . .' She looked appealingly up at Madame Zara. 'Where am I?'

'In my little booth, dear. You pa.s.sed out and they brought you in here.

Are you feeling better?'

Tegan rubbed her hands over her eyes, trying desperately to regain her grip on reality. 'Yes ... I don't know . . . am I?' She looked at the device.

For some reason it was very important.' Why mustn't I. . . Please, who are you?'

'Madame Zara, dear, the fortune-teller. I see into the future. I expect it was the heat, and all the people . . .'

'I expect it was all the people,' repeated Tegan slowly.

'Of course, it was,' said Madame Zara chattily. 'It's easy to get confused in crowds, isn't it? Anyway, I'm glad you're feeling better.'

There was a small round black-draped table in the booth, with a gleaming crystal ball in the centre. Tegan's eyes seemed drawn to it. 'In that? You see the future in that?'

'Oh yes!' Madame Zara giggled. 'Well, between you and me, not really dear. I pretend. I flutter my fingers, gaze deep into the ball and then . .

.' She shrugged.

Tegan stared at her. 'And then?'

'Then I make something up, whatever comes into my head. Whatever I think they want to hear, really-after all, they're paying! It doesn't do any harm, does it? Mind you it's astonis.h.i.+ng what does come into your head - sometimes I amaze myself!'

Tegan was swaying to and fro in her chair. 'Is it. . . surprising. . . what is it. . .'

Madame Zara was alarmed. 'What is it dear? What's wrong?'

Suddenly Tegan sat bolt upright, and spoke in a deep harsh voice. 'Is it?

Is it surprising? There was a terrible, mocking laugh. 'Look now?

Madame Zara stared as if hypnotised into her own crystal ball. She saw swirling mists, then a gradually solidifying shape. The shape of a snake's skull, with gnas.h.i.+ng, drooling jaws. She screamed in terror as the crystal ball shattered into a thousand pieces.

4.

Hall of Mirrors

Madame Zara jumped up, still screaming in fear.

Tegan threw back her head and laughed, a harsh and terrifying laugh.

Then, cupping her chin in her hands, she stared fixedly at Madame Zara, seeming to drink in the woman's screams of terror with fierce satisfaction.

Tegan laughed again, and Madame Zara backed away, covering her face. When she looked again, Tegan was gone.

The Doctor and Nyssa were in conference in the TARDIS. 'The trouble is,' the Doctor was saying, 'We ' don't know nearly enough. Without more information, we're simply blundering around in the dark.'

'What about the TARDIS's data banks?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'This is the Mara's : homeworld, remember.

The answers we want are out there. I'll try the Director of Research again. Maybe I can make him listen this time.'

'What about me?'

'You have another go at looking for Tegan in the market-place. We'll meet back here.'

i Quite a crowd had gathered outside Madame Zara's fortune-telling booth. It seemed that something very dramatic had happened inside. A couple of market officials were with the hysterical fortune-teller now.

Tegan stood in the middle of the crowd, watching with the others, malicious amus.e.m.e.nt on her face . . .

Pus.h.i.+ng her way through the market-place, Nyssa was attracted by the bustle outside the booth. Instinctively she made her way towards it.

She didn't see Tegan, but Tegan saw her. Nyssa felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Tegan, smiling strangely at her. 'Come to see the fun?'

'What fun?'

'The fortune-teller's having hysterics. She's still in there. She screamed and screamed and screamed!'

Nyssa looked curiously at her. It was unlike Tegan to take pleasure in someone's else's misfortune. 'Are you all right, Tegan? Where have you been?'

Tegan looked away, refusing to meet Nyssa's eye. 'Of course I'm all right. Why shouldn't I be?'

'You're not wearing the Doctor's anti-dreaming device.'

'I took it off,' said Tegan loftily. 'It wasn't necessary.'

'Tegan! What about the Mara?'

'Stop fussing! What Mara?' Tegan was jumping up and down to get a better view. 'Look, there she is, they're bringing her out!'

Nyssa looked and saw two men supporting a sobbing middle-aged woman, leading her out of the booth.

Tegan sn.i.g.g.e.red. 'She mustn't see me!'

To Nyssa's astonishment Tegan sank cross-legged to the ground covering her face like a child.

Nyssa watched as the fortune-teller was led away, then looked down at Tegan. Tegan looked cunningly up at her. 'You should have seen her face though! It was so funny! She screamed and screamed and screamed. You could see right down her throat!' Tegan looked away again.

Nyssa leaned down, took Tegan's chin in her hand, and forced Tegan to look her in the face. 'What's the matter with you? What's been going on? Tegan, look at me!'

Tegan stared up at her, defiantly at first, and then the facade of confident defiance crumbled, leaving an air of utter misery. 'Nyssa, help me,' she whispered. 'I made it appear?