For Author's Notes, Disclaimers and anything else non-plot related see
chapter 1.
"I hope Ned and Marguerite don't mind that we stayed an extra day at the Zanga village," Challenger said as he, Roxton, and Veronica climbed into the elevator.
Roxton patted a bulge in his pack and smiled confidently. "I'm sure the extra ration of coffee we managed to trade for will go a long way to paving over any sore feelings."
"I don't know, it seems awfully quiet up there," Veronica commented as they began their ascent. Since they had left the village, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"I'm willing to bet that Malone is sitting alone, writing at the table and enjoying the peace and quiet while Marguerite has yet to grace him with her presence," Roxton said with a laugh, trying to lighten the group's mood.
Veronica smiled as she hopped out of the elevator. Walking into the living area, she was surprised to find it completely empty. "Ned? Marguerite?" she called before heading towards their rooms. "Ned? Marguerite? Hello? Are you here?" When she received no answer, she quickly scanned the table looking for a note explaining where the two had gone. She turned to Roxton and Challenger with a concerned expression when it became apparent there was none. "They're not home but they didn't leave a note."
"Well, where ever they went, Marguerite has her pistol and Malone took his rifle so it's not as if they went out unprepared. And the laundry basket is gone," Challenger pointed out as he put his rifle away and headed towards his lab.
Roxton flashed Veronica a reassuring grin as he put his own rifle away in the rack. "Well, there you go. They must have gone down to do the laundry. Ned must have thought they'd be done quickly so they didn't leave a note. But knowing Marguerite's enthusiasm for chores, they'll probably be back in time for lunch."
Veronica returned his grin, feeling rather silly. She was worrying over nothing. Ned and Marguerite were probably on their way back at that very moment. Giving herself a little shake, she went down to her room to put away her things.
As time that passed with no sign of Ned and Marguerite, Veronica's apprehension grew. After nearly two hours of waiting, she finally couldn't stand it anymore. "I'm going to go check on them," she announced. "Maybe I can hurry them up a bit."
Challenger looked up at her from the book he was reading. "That's just as well. I was about to start lunch. It should be ready by the time you manage to bring them back."
Veronica jogged down the path towards the spot they usually did laundry in, fighting the urge to run. They're fine, she silently reassured herself. They're completely fine, doing simple household chores like laundry. Everyday, normal tasks. Nothing out of the ordinary. Exactly like the trip my parents disappeared on. She broke into a flat out run towards the river.
"Ned! Marguerite!" she yelled as she came up to the river. As she scanned the area for signs of her friends, her stomach dropped. The laundry basket was overturned and clothing was scattered about. Ned's journal and rifle lay abandoned near the tree, and Marguerite's pistol was half-buried under some clothes. The ground was covered in scuff marks and imprints, showing that Ned and Marguerite had been involved in a serious fight.
A fight they lost, Veronica thought. She touched one of the footprints, trying to place its owner and failing. But to who and how long ago? She fought down the urge to follow the trail that disappeared into the jungle. I need to get Roxton and Challenger. We need to go after them. Scooping up Ned's journal and their weapons, she jumped to her feet and ran back towards the house.
"Ah, there they are now," Roxton said gleefully as the elevator rumbled into action. "I'm sure we'll get an earful from Marguerite about the state of our clothes after that last hike, eh George?"
Challenger grunted noncommittally from the kitchen, pointedly ignoring the elevator. Roxton laughed and steeled himself in anticipation of Marguerite's temper tantrum. He was surprised to see Veronica alone on the elevator. Before he could utter a word, she burst out with "They're gone!"
"What do you mean, they're gone?" Challenger asked as he walked out of the kitchen.
"I mean they're gone, missing!" Veronica panted. "I went down to check on them, and they're not there! It looked as if they'd been attacked by someone and carried off. There's a trail, but it's old. Possibly several days old." She looked at the two men impatiently. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get them. Who knows what could be happening to them?!"
Challenger put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let us get some supplies together before we rush off. As you pointed out Veronica, we don't know what's happened to them and we need to be prepared to help them in any way we can when we do finally get to them." Roxton nodded tersely in agreement before quickly moving off to gather his supplies.
After several hours of hiking and following the trail from the river, the three explorers came to a halt on a rise overlooking a small village. "Do you recognize these people Veronica?" Challenger asked as they scouted the settlement for signs of their friends.
"Well, that looks like the Keergan village, but that can't be," Veronica said with a shake of her head.
"Why not?" Roxton demanded as he sat back on his heels. "I mean, there it sits, clear as day. I say we go down and ask if they've seen Ned and Marguerite."
"That can't be the Keergans because there are no more Keergans. Their village was destroyed by raiders about five years before you arrived on the Plateau. No one survived the attack," she explained. "Besides, the Keergan were a peaceful people. There's no way they'd attack Ned and Marguerite."
"Well, I hate to say it Veronica but you must have been mistaken. Look," Challenger said, pointing to the trail that led out of the village. Marguerite, dressed in a native outfit, exited the village with a group of women. All of them carried a small basket and followed a branch of the main path into the jungle.
"Any sign of Ned?" Veronica asked anxiously as she hopefully scanned the village again.
"Nothing yet," Challenger said with a frown. "Hold on a moment, there's some movement near the gates. It looks like a small group of men have begun to gather. If Marguerite got sent out with the women, it makes sense that we'll find Ned with the men." He chuckled softly. "Assuming that Ned leaves the village before Marguerite returns, there will be no need to enter the settlement. We can simply collect the two of them and be on our way. This could actually be the easiest rescue we've ever had to mount, eh Roxton?"
Veronica and Challenger turned to look at Roxton, who was no longer in sight. "He must have gone off to get Marguerite. Blast his impatience," Challenger cursed as he thumped the ground with his fist. "We have to stop him before he does something rash and alerts the people to our presence." They hurried off in the direction Marguerite had gone.
Roxton smiled to himself as he watched the women working in the small grove. They chattered and laughed as they filled their baskets with fruit and berries. He spotted Marguerite as she stood apart from the group, picking berries off the bushes that bordered the trail. She constantly glanced at the women she was with, then in the direction that she had just came. That's my girl, he praised from his hiding spot. Keep looking for your chance to escape. Make this easy for me, Marguerite.
He waited until she stepped towards his hiding spot, then he silently reached out and grasped her wrist. He grinned at her astonished expression and held up a finger to his lips. "Ssshh," he warned, "or else you'll give us away."
Marguerite continued to stare at him in shock, her mouth opening and closing without sound.
"Are you that surprised to see me? You must have known that we would have come for you eventually," he teased as he gave her a gentle tug towards him.
His actions seemed to break the spell. Marguerite let out a scream of pure terror, dropping her basket as she violently pulled away from him.
To Be Continued Again (
::movie theater voice:: Why doesn't Marguerite remember Roxton? Just who are the people in the village? Review and all your questions will be answered.
"I hope Ned and Marguerite don't mind that we stayed an extra day at the Zanga village," Challenger said as he, Roxton, and Veronica climbed into the elevator.
Roxton patted a bulge in his pack and smiled confidently. "I'm sure the extra ration of coffee we managed to trade for will go a long way to paving over any sore feelings."
"I don't know, it seems awfully quiet up there," Veronica commented as they began their ascent. Since they had left the village, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"I'm willing to bet that Malone is sitting alone, writing at the table and enjoying the peace and quiet while Marguerite has yet to grace him with her presence," Roxton said with a laugh, trying to lighten the group's mood.
Veronica smiled as she hopped out of the elevator. Walking into the living area, she was surprised to find it completely empty. "Ned? Marguerite?" she called before heading towards their rooms. "Ned? Marguerite? Hello? Are you here?" When she received no answer, she quickly scanned the table looking for a note explaining where the two had gone. She turned to Roxton and Challenger with a concerned expression when it became apparent there was none. "They're not home but they didn't leave a note."
"Well, where ever they went, Marguerite has her pistol and Malone took his rifle so it's not as if they went out unprepared. And the laundry basket is gone," Challenger pointed out as he put his rifle away and headed towards his lab.
Roxton flashed Veronica a reassuring grin as he put his own rifle away in the rack. "Well, there you go. They must have gone down to do the laundry. Ned must have thought they'd be done quickly so they didn't leave a note. But knowing Marguerite's enthusiasm for chores, they'll probably be back in time for lunch."
Veronica returned his grin, feeling rather silly. She was worrying over nothing. Ned and Marguerite were probably on their way back at that very moment. Giving herself a little shake, she went down to her room to put away her things.
As time that passed with no sign of Ned and Marguerite, Veronica's apprehension grew. After nearly two hours of waiting, she finally couldn't stand it anymore. "I'm going to go check on them," she announced. "Maybe I can hurry them up a bit."
Challenger looked up at her from the book he was reading. "That's just as well. I was about to start lunch. It should be ready by the time you manage to bring them back."
Veronica jogged down the path towards the spot they usually did laundry in, fighting the urge to run. They're fine, she silently reassured herself. They're completely fine, doing simple household chores like laundry. Everyday, normal tasks. Nothing out of the ordinary. Exactly like the trip my parents disappeared on. She broke into a flat out run towards the river.
"Ned! Marguerite!" she yelled as she came up to the river. As she scanned the area for signs of her friends, her stomach dropped. The laundry basket was overturned and clothing was scattered about. Ned's journal and rifle lay abandoned near the tree, and Marguerite's pistol was half-buried under some clothes. The ground was covered in scuff marks and imprints, showing that Ned and Marguerite had been involved in a serious fight.
A fight they lost, Veronica thought. She touched one of the footprints, trying to place its owner and failing. But to who and how long ago? She fought down the urge to follow the trail that disappeared into the jungle. I need to get Roxton and Challenger. We need to go after them. Scooping up Ned's journal and their weapons, she jumped to her feet and ran back towards the house.
"Ah, there they are now," Roxton said gleefully as the elevator rumbled into action. "I'm sure we'll get an earful from Marguerite about the state of our clothes after that last hike, eh George?"
Challenger grunted noncommittally from the kitchen, pointedly ignoring the elevator. Roxton laughed and steeled himself in anticipation of Marguerite's temper tantrum. He was surprised to see Veronica alone on the elevator. Before he could utter a word, she burst out with "They're gone!"
"What do you mean, they're gone?" Challenger asked as he walked out of the kitchen.
"I mean they're gone, missing!" Veronica panted. "I went down to check on them, and they're not there! It looked as if they'd been attacked by someone and carried off. There's a trail, but it's old. Possibly several days old." She looked at the two men impatiently. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get them. Who knows what could be happening to them?!"
Challenger put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let us get some supplies together before we rush off. As you pointed out Veronica, we don't know what's happened to them and we need to be prepared to help them in any way we can when we do finally get to them." Roxton nodded tersely in agreement before quickly moving off to gather his supplies.
After several hours of hiking and following the trail from the river, the three explorers came to a halt on a rise overlooking a small village. "Do you recognize these people Veronica?" Challenger asked as they scouted the settlement for signs of their friends.
"Well, that looks like the Keergan village, but that can't be," Veronica said with a shake of her head.
"Why not?" Roxton demanded as he sat back on his heels. "I mean, there it sits, clear as day. I say we go down and ask if they've seen Ned and Marguerite."
"That can't be the Keergans because there are no more Keergans. Their village was destroyed by raiders about five years before you arrived on the Plateau. No one survived the attack," she explained. "Besides, the Keergan were a peaceful people. There's no way they'd attack Ned and Marguerite."
"Well, I hate to say it Veronica but you must have been mistaken. Look," Challenger said, pointing to the trail that led out of the village. Marguerite, dressed in a native outfit, exited the village with a group of women. All of them carried a small basket and followed a branch of the main path into the jungle.
"Any sign of Ned?" Veronica asked anxiously as she hopefully scanned the village again.
"Nothing yet," Challenger said with a frown. "Hold on a moment, there's some movement near the gates. It looks like a small group of men have begun to gather. If Marguerite got sent out with the women, it makes sense that we'll find Ned with the men." He chuckled softly. "Assuming that Ned leaves the village before Marguerite returns, there will be no need to enter the settlement. We can simply collect the two of them and be on our way. This could actually be the easiest rescue we've ever had to mount, eh Roxton?"
Veronica and Challenger turned to look at Roxton, who was no longer in sight. "He must have gone off to get Marguerite. Blast his impatience," Challenger cursed as he thumped the ground with his fist. "We have to stop him before he does something rash and alerts the people to our presence." They hurried off in the direction Marguerite had gone.
Roxton smiled to himself as he watched the women working in the small grove. They chattered and laughed as they filled their baskets with fruit and berries. He spotted Marguerite as she stood apart from the group, picking berries off the bushes that bordered the trail. She constantly glanced at the women she was with, then in the direction that she had just came. That's my girl, he praised from his hiding spot. Keep looking for your chance to escape. Make this easy for me, Marguerite.
He waited until she stepped towards his hiding spot, then he silently reached out and grasped her wrist. He grinned at her astonished expression and held up a finger to his lips. "Ssshh," he warned, "or else you'll give us away."
Marguerite continued to stare at him in shock, her mouth opening and closing without sound.
"Are you that surprised to see me? You must have known that we would have come for you eventually," he teased as he gave her a gentle tug towards him.
His actions seemed to break the spell. Marguerite let out a scream of pure terror, dropping her basket as she violently pulled away from him.
To Be Continued Again (
::movie theater voice:: Why doesn't Marguerite remember Roxton? Just who are the people in the village? Review and all your questions will be answered.