Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Anyala and Valana.
Out of the hot sun, the girl came to in a few minutes. She stared up at Marguerite and Challenger in alarm.
"We're not going to hurt you," Challenger said reassuringly. "Can you tell us who you are?"
"Anyala," the girl answered, her voice rasping.
"Here," Marguerite said, handing her a cup of water.
"Thank you," the girl answered, and took it gratefully. Her hands shook a little as she held the cup to her lips.
"I'm George Challenger, and this is Marguerite Krux," Challenger said. "Who were those men who were chasing you?"
"They were men from my village," Anyala answered. "They work for my sister." Her expression clouded. "She's trying to kill me."
"Why would your sister want to kill you?" Marguerite asked as Roxton and Malone came into the room.
"Our father was chief of the village, and as firstborn, the chieftainship is rightfully mine. My sister wants the rule of the village. She has a dangerous contingent, and she incited them to drive me out of the village." She stared down at her cup. "When you found me, I had been running since before sunrise."
"No wonder you passed out," Malone commented.
"I'll speak for Veronica, whose home this is—you can stay here until you find your feet again," Challenger said.
"Thank you very much," Anyala answered with a tight smile.
"Well. Let's eat," Marguerite said.
On the way to the main room, Roxton introduced himself to Anyala. "This is Malone," he said. Malone shook her hand. Challenger led Anyala out toward the main room. Malone stared down at the hand that Anyala had just shaken. "Anything wrong?" Roxton asked.
Malone shook himself. "No. Nothing."
After dinner, Challenger sat chatting with Anyala and Marguerite. A little way away, Malone and Roxton watched them.
"I don't like this," Roxton said.
"She certainly seems harmless enough," Malone answered.
"Yes, but think how many people we've met here seemed harmless and turned out to be homicidal lunatics," Roxton retorted.
"You have a point," Malone conceded. "But I still think she's harmless."
"Well, Neddy-boy, we didn't shoot anything yesterday, so what say we go hunting tomorrow, and while we're at it, we can see about this village."
"You're on."
On the pretext of hunting, Roxton and Malone went out the next morning. Roxton had heard Anyala telling Challenger where her village was.
"It's really not far from where you found me," she said. "I was running in circles."
The village wasn't very hard to find. It looked relatively well developed—nicely made wooden huts, a central hall, neat little vegetable gardens. The people looked at them strangely and whispered amongst themselves. In the middle of the village they were met by two men with spears.
"What business do you have here?" one asked them.
"Curiosity," Roxton answered. "We heard a rumor about a new chieftainess here, and we'd like to see her."
The guards looked them up and down. "Leave your weapons there," he said, pointing to a guardhouse.
Roxton and Malone complied. As they leaned over together to set down their rifles, Malone whispered, "I'm not sure this is a good idea."
"I have a pistol beneath my shirt and a knife in my boot," Roxton whispered back. "But I don't think they mean us any harm."
Malone looked unconvinced, but he followed Roxton's lead. The ugard led them to a large, well-kept house attached to the main hall. One of them stayed outside with Roxton and Malone, while the other stepped in. In a moment he reappeared and held the door for them.
A young woman came forward to meet them, her hands held out cordially. There was no doubt: she was Anyala's sister. Her face was a little harder than Anyala's, her eyes more black than brown. But their soft brown hair and sun-tanned skin was the same, their elegant brown wrists and manner of speech. "Welcome to our village, Strangers," she said. "I am the Chieftainess, Valana."
Roxton nodded respectfully. "I'm Roxton, and this is Malone," he said. "I've heard your chieftainship is very recent."
"Yes," she said, her expression darkening. "you havent' seena nyone who looks like me, have you?" Roxton shook his head. The woman sighed. "My sister seems to have vanished. She was chieftainess, you see. We had to drive her out of power."
"Why?" Malone asked.
"She was a horrible tyrant." The woman turned away. "I almost hate to claim her as kin. She ruled with an iron fist. She was a witch. Those that did not obey her commands—" Valana turned and looked at them with sorrowful eyes—"she cursed them, and she killed them."
Out of the hot sun, the girl came to in a few minutes. She stared up at Marguerite and Challenger in alarm.
"We're not going to hurt you," Challenger said reassuringly. "Can you tell us who you are?"
"Anyala," the girl answered, her voice rasping.
"Here," Marguerite said, handing her a cup of water.
"Thank you," the girl answered, and took it gratefully. Her hands shook a little as she held the cup to her lips.
"I'm George Challenger, and this is Marguerite Krux," Challenger said. "Who were those men who were chasing you?"
"They were men from my village," Anyala answered. "They work for my sister." Her expression clouded. "She's trying to kill me."
"Why would your sister want to kill you?" Marguerite asked as Roxton and Malone came into the room.
"Our father was chief of the village, and as firstborn, the chieftainship is rightfully mine. My sister wants the rule of the village. She has a dangerous contingent, and she incited them to drive me out of the village." She stared down at her cup. "When you found me, I had been running since before sunrise."
"No wonder you passed out," Malone commented.
"I'll speak for Veronica, whose home this is—you can stay here until you find your feet again," Challenger said.
"Thank you very much," Anyala answered with a tight smile.
"Well. Let's eat," Marguerite said.
On the way to the main room, Roxton introduced himself to Anyala. "This is Malone," he said. Malone shook her hand. Challenger led Anyala out toward the main room. Malone stared down at the hand that Anyala had just shaken. "Anything wrong?" Roxton asked.
Malone shook himself. "No. Nothing."
After dinner, Challenger sat chatting with Anyala and Marguerite. A little way away, Malone and Roxton watched them.
"I don't like this," Roxton said.
"She certainly seems harmless enough," Malone answered.
"Yes, but think how many people we've met here seemed harmless and turned out to be homicidal lunatics," Roxton retorted.
"You have a point," Malone conceded. "But I still think she's harmless."
"Well, Neddy-boy, we didn't shoot anything yesterday, so what say we go hunting tomorrow, and while we're at it, we can see about this village."
"You're on."
On the pretext of hunting, Roxton and Malone went out the next morning. Roxton had heard Anyala telling Challenger where her village was.
"It's really not far from where you found me," she said. "I was running in circles."
The village wasn't very hard to find. It looked relatively well developed—nicely made wooden huts, a central hall, neat little vegetable gardens. The people looked at them strangely and whispered amongst themselves. In the middle of the village they were met by two men with spears.
"What business do you have here?" one asked them.
"Curiosity," Roxton answered. "We heard a rumor about a new chieftainess here, and we'd like to see her."
The guards looked them up and down. "Leave your weapons there," he said, pointing to a guardhouse.
Roxton and Malone complied. As they leaned over together to set down their rifles, Malone whispered, "I'm not sure this is a good idea."
"I have a pistol beneath my shirt and a knife in my boot," Roxton whispered back. "But I don't think they mean us any harm."
Malone looked unconvinced, but he followed Roxton's lead. The ugard led them to a large, well-kept house attached to the main hall. One of them stayed outside with Roxton and Malone, while the other stepped in. In a moment he reappeared and held the door for them.
A young woman came forward to meet them, her hands held out cordially. There was no doubt: she was Anyala's sister. Her face was a little harder than Anyala's, her eyes more black than brown. But their soft brown hair and sun-tanned skin was the same, their elegant brown wrists and manner of speech. "Welcome to our village, Strangers," she said. "I am the Chieftainess, Valana."
Roxton nodded respectfully. "I'm Roxton, and this is Malone," he said. "I've heard your chieftainship is very recent."
"Yes," she said, her expression darkening. "you havent' seena nyone who looks like me, have you?" Roxton shook his head. The woman sighed. "My sister seems to have vanished. She was chieftainess, you see. We had to drive her out of power."
"Why?" Malone asked.
"She was a horrible tyrant." The woman turned away. "I almost hate to claim her as kin. She ruled with an iron fist. She was a witch. Those that did not obey her commands—" Valana turned and looked at them with sorrowful eyes—"she cursed them, and she killed them."