Turlough whirled around to stare at the empty space where the TARDIS stood seconds ago. Behind him he heard Tegan retch again, and after a minute he turned back to her. She was wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, sitting back on the grass with wide eyes that moved over the vista.
"Where did it go?" she asked.
Turlough shook his head. "I don't know."
"What happened?" She shifted up to her knees then stood on shaky legs.
With a shrug, he walked back a few paces to take her arm, but she waved his hand aside and half-stumbled toward a small stream. She splashed some cool water over her face and drank a few swallows from her hand.
"We'd better get back to the village and tell the Doctor about this," Turlough said.
Tegan returned to him, and as they began to walk, she asked, "Did you do something?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Turlough frowned. "I wasn't even in the console room! You saw me in the hall." Now he turned wary eyes upon her. "Where were you before that?"
"I was looking for the book, in the atrium, just as I said I'd be!"
Ill-will growing quickly, they walked on in stony silence, each glancing at the other with overt mistrust. Tegan's memories of the Black Guardian and his effect on Turlough were still fresh. For his part, Turlough recalled the brief bits he had heard about the Mara, knowing that Tegan's mind had been invaded by the creature. She could still be susceptible to other such influences…
As soon as they reached the village, Tegan hurried to Cabar's hut, Turlough close behind her. The Doctor and the shaman had just returned from the stream. Cabar appeared shaken and pale; something had clearly upset him. He sat upon a mat on the floor, the Doctor near his side.
Tegan entered the hut first, words tumbling from her mouth. "Doctor, something happened—the TARDIS disappeared, just like that, and—"
"What?" The Doctor stood and walked deliberately toward the Australian. "Disappeared? What do you mean?"
Turlough stepped inside. "It dematerialised."
The Doctor scowled. "What did you two do?"
Immediately Tegan cried, "Nothing! I wasn't anywhere near the console—"
"And you?" The Doctor's gaze speared Turlough.
"I was trying to help her," he said, gesturing toward Tegan. "She ran out—she was sick—"
"So neither one of you touched anything, hit any buttons?"
Both companions shook their heads as his eyes studied each of them in turn. His scrutiny revealed that Tegan's color was a bit off; she appeared slightly dazed, perhaps ill. Turlough's expression was indignant, his mouth set in a hard line.
The Doctor took Tegan's arm and touched Turlough's elbow. "Come you two," he said, already prodding them along.
"Where are we going?" asked Tegan.
"Back to the scene of the crime."
"Crime?" she repeated. "I haven't done anything—"
With a sigh, the Doctor said, "It's just an expression, Tegan—at least I hope that's all it is."
They felt pleased with their initial success. They had been able to operate the craft and move the vessel. They were not sure where it was or how long it would take them to reach their destination, but they knew now that they could impose their will upon the ship.
Their control was incomplete, of course. It would take time to understand precisely how the intricate machine functioned. But this was a start. With a new resolve they spread out, exploring the control area more thoroughly in preparation for the next step.
As they walked back to where the TARDIS had been, the Doctor asked for details about its disappearance. However, he found both companions' responses lacking, to say the least. All he could ascertain was that both had entered the ship and gone their separate ways then had met up near the console room just before the TARDIS dematerialized. If it had not been for Tegan's sudden bout of nausea, both she and Turlough would have been in the ship at the critical moment.
He did find out that the controls in the console room did not appear to have been activated; the central column had not moved. He could only conclude that the program was set in the secondary console room. This was curious, since he rarely used that area. He could not recall whether he had shown it to Tegan or Turlough, but it was certainly plausible that either one of them might have stumbled upon it during their wanderings through the vast corridors.
He considered the possibility that neither one of them had activated the controls, but he quickly thought of a number of reasons to refute this. The ship had been locked when they arrived, and there did not seem to be anyone in the area capable of operating a TARDIS, even if someone had somehow managed to sneak in. Tegan and Turlough both recalled closing the door after entering, too, so anyone else's gaining access was extremely unlikely.
He was left to only one conclusion: either Tegan or Turlough had sent the TARDIS away. Whether the act was intentional, and whether or not the culprit meant to strand the entire party here, was still in question.
He stood with them for a minute near the spot where his ship had been. There was still an indentation in the soft earth to show that the TARDIS had rested there. He closed his eyes for a moment to try to sense if the ship was nearby, but he felt no connection, not even a vague perception of her presence. He sighed and opened his eyes.
"Where did it go?" Tegan was asking.
"How should I know!" Turlough replied somewhat defensively.
"That's enough," the Doctor said evenly. "Let's get back to the village."
"But we have to find the TARDIS!" Tegan protested. "We can't just leave—"
"No," the Time Lord said, "we certainly can't, at least not until we find her. So we'll return to the village for the night and in the morning we will search the area in the hope of finding her."
"And if we can't?" Tegan's voice held a hint of desperation.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." The Doctor turned away from the crushed grass to look back at the village, then began to walk.
"Watch your step," Turlough advised, pointing at the ground with a small grimace.
The Doctor glanced down then back up at Tegan. At least he knew that she had not lied about getting sick; the evidence was at his feet. He stepped around it and toward her. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'm fine now. It was just that pudding. Cripes, it was rich."
He watched her face carefully. "Are you certain that's all it was?"
She gave him a curious look. "Yeah, of course. What are you getting at, Doctor?"
With a small shrug and a forced smile, he replied, "Oh, I just wanted to be sure that you're all right, that you aren't still feeling ill. It was just temporary, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Doctor." With a shake of her head, she added, "Funny, you weren't this concerned about my stomach when we were on Striker's ship, and I really was sick then."
"But we knew the reason for it," he replied.
"Three helpings of pudding isn't reason enough?" She gave a small snort of exasperation and turned her head away from his probing gaze. Wanting to change the subject, she said, "Cabar looked upset just now. What happened at the stream?"
Finally moving his eyes away from her, the Doctor responded, "Actually, it was more a case of what didn't happen. The presence he had felt there—what had always drawn him to that particular stream—seemed to elude him. He believes that the spirits who dwelt in the water have departed."
"Why should that upset him?" asked Turlough.
"This culture believes in spirits as protectors, and as potential threats when they aren't respected or placated sufficiently. Cabar told me that the stream has always been considered a holy place, one where the spirits dwelt. Since he can no longer sense them, he's afraid that they've gone elsewhere."
"So they can't protect his people any longer," Tegan concluded.
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, that is one possibility."
"And what's the other?" inquired Turlough.
"That wherever they have gone, it was with the intent of punishing his people. He's meditating now to try to determine what could have happened in the village to upset them."
"So if they're out for vengeance," Tegan's mouth twitched in a small smile at the silliness of the thought, "that means what? That they're going to start wreaking havoc in the village, sort of like poltergeists or something?"
"Cabar hasn't said that in so many words," the Doctor acknowledged, "but I do believe that he's afraid of something like that."
"Maybe it was spirits who took the TARDIS," Tegan said with a grin.
Turlough chuckled, too, but the Doctor stopped walking and turned to face her sternly. "This is not a subject that should be ridiculed, particularly when you're in the village. These people take their beliefs very seriously, and such blatant disrespect will only engender resentment and mistrust."
"Sorry," Tegan muttered. "I wasn't trying to make fun of them. It's just hard to believe in ghosts."
"They aren't ghosts," the Doctor corrected. "They are ancestral and natural spirits."
"You sound like you believe in them," Turlough said.
"In a way, I do."
This comment surprised both Turlough and Tegan. The Doctor offered a brief explanation: "I recognize the spirits' importance to these people. Their beliefs are extremely strong and are an integral part of their culture. They guide each person in his or her daily life."
"But they aren't real to you," Tegan said.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Cabar sensed something at the stream, something very real to him. I find it more than coincidence that his feeling that something had changed coincided precisely with the disappearance of the TARDIS."
"So you think that there was something or someone at the stream, and they took the TARDIS?" Turlough asked.
"I'm not entirely sure," the Time Lord replied. "But we can't deny that something unusual is going on here."
He seemed to retreat into his own thoughts then, so his companions walked on in silence until they reached the village.
Ennen graciously offered the visitors lodgings for the night. He arranged for Tegan to stay with his daughter, Mita, and her husband, and for the Doctor and Turlough to use an extension of his own home where his children had once slept. Ennen's wife and Mita prepared a generous dinner for their guests. Several of the other elders, including Cabar, joined them.
The shaman seemed calmer than he had earlier, although his demeanor remained contemplative. He sat across the table from the Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough, elders on either side of him. Ennen's wife and daughter brought out the food then were seated and quickly bowed their heads. The other diners joined in the gesture, and Cabar extended his hands, fingers spread. The Doctor watched with interest as the nearby elders placed their hands upon the table so that the fingers of each touched his neighbors'.
"Please," Cabar said with a small glance up at the Doctor, "join us."
The Doctor rested his palms upon the table, and Tegan and Turlough followed his lead. Cabar shifted his hands slightly so that a finger touched each guest's hand while still keeping contact with the other elders.
The shaman made a noise, low in his throat, then began a gentle, rhythmic humming. In a few moments the others joined in. A harmonious buzz filled the room for nearly a minute, then the noise ceased and the participants began pulling their hands away. Cabar's hands, however, remained upon the table, his head still bowed until Ennen touched his arm.
"Cabar?" he asked softly.
The shaman raised his head abruptly, eyes darting from Turlough to Tegan. He took a sharp breath and stood. "Excuse me," he said, then walked away from the table and out of the room.
"Is something the matter?" asked the Doctor with concern.
Ennen watched the shaman's departure then looked back at his guests. "I'm not sure. He usually dines with us."
The Doctor began to rise, but Yare said, "Please stay and eat with us. It's important that we share the food together after Cabar has blessed it."
The Time Lord settled back in his chair as the food was passed around. He complimented the various dishes, which elicited a sincere smile from Ennen's wife. Turlough seemed to enjoy the meal, too, and offered a few polite words of praise.
"Aren't the vegetables delicious, Tegan?" the Doctor asked, attempting to prompt a similar accolade from her.
"Oh," she replied, sounding as though she'd been caught off guard, "yes, very good."
The Doctor glanced down at her plate. She had barely touched any of her food.
"Is your stomach still bothering you?" he asked in a low voice.
She shrugged. "A little, I suppose."
He leaned in to her. "Try to eat something, at least a few bites. It's important for propriety's sake."
She nodded. "All right."
He noticed that, despite a great deal of cutting and moving morsels about, no food actually made it into her mouth.
After supper Tegan retired to her quarters, saying that she was tired. The Doctor walked her to Mita's home, pausing just outside the doorway when she pressed a hand over her stomach.
"Still nauseous?" he asked.
"No, just a little twinge."
"Pain?"
She nodded. "Probably just gas. Sorry, that's not very dignified, is it?"
He took her arm and led her inside. She had been given a small room off the main living area. It was furnished simply with a bed, a little table, and a clay lantern in which some sort of oil burned steadily, casting a soft glow throughout the room. The Doctor guided Tegan toward the bed, where she sat, hand still resting on her belly. He thought that she looked pale, even in the low light.
He lay a hand on her cheek. "You don't seem to have a fever," he commented.
"I never said I did," she responded.
He moved his hand to her chin to tilt her head upward, resting his thumb against the pulse point on her neck for a moment. He frowned.
"Are you feeling anxious about something, Tegan?"
His response surprised her. "Anxious? Gee, I don't know, Doctor. We're stranded here without the TARDIS. We don't know where it's gone off to or who took it. Yeah, I suppose you could say that I'm a little anxious about that."
"Which is quite understandable. But is there anything else you want to tell me?" He seemed to study her eyes for several seconds, rather too intensely for her liking.
She turned her head slightly and looked away. "No."
"All right, Tegan." He dropped his hand with a sigh. "I think a good night's sleep is what you need."
"I won't argue with that."
"If you feel any worse, send for me. I'll be awake—probably in Cabar's hut, or in Ennen's." He began to walk out.
"Doctor?"
He paused. "Yes Tegan?"
"What if we can't find the TARDIS? What are we going to do?"
"Let's not worry about what if's. Just get some rest and we'll deal with it in the morning."