"She cursed them?! How do you mean?" Roxton asked.
"Her hands carry disease," Valana clarified. "Just by touching someone with her hands, she could make them deathly ill."
"Why didn't you remove her from power earlier?" Malone asked.
"We didnt' know at first that it was she who was causing the illnesses. Sometimes it was a full day between the moment of her touch and the time her victim fell ill. Our people can be superstitious, and they did not know what was causing it. Also, my sister is an accomplished and dangerous liar. She has a sweet, innocent face which deceives people into thinking she's a better person than she really is." Valana's brow furrowed in grief. "When we finally discerned where the disease was coming from, we had to drive her out. We meant to execute here to prevent her hurting anyone else, but somehow she evaded the soldiers." She looked at their expressions of dismay. "You have seen her, haven't you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
There was a pregnant paused. "Yes," Roxton said finally. "Or, I think we have."
The woman looked concerned. "She didn't touch you with her hands, did she?"
"Actually, yes," Malone said.
Valana looked anxiously at him. "I hope she hasn't cursed you. Where is she?"
"We havent' seen her since yesterday," Roxton lied. "And we can't be sure it was her."
"Her name is Anyala," Valana told them. "She looks like me, but her coloration is a little lighter. And she has a tattoo on her shoulder of a curl of ivy."
"We'll keep our eyes open," Roxton said, putting back on his hat to leave.
"Good luck," Valana said, and shook their hands.
"Go ahead, say it," Malone said. They were walking back tot he treehouse. The guards had readily given them back their rifles. "You told me so."
"I would've been happy to have been proved wrong," Roxton said. "And I'm still not sure. Valana could be lying." He glanced over at Malone. Malone had stopped, looking abstracted. Her put a hand to his forehead. "Ned, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, but he sounded shaky. Roxton watched him worriedly.
When they entered the treehouse, Anyala was leaning over Challenger's shoulder as he sat at the table, showing her a plan for one of his inventions. Her hair had fallen down around her face, and on her shoulder was the clear tattoo of a bit of ivy. She turned to greet them with a placid smile, but they didn't return it.
"Two days hunting without bringing back any game," Marguerite commented to Malone. It was after dark, and they were leaning on the railing and looking out over the jungle. "It just doesn't' sound like Roxton." Malone didn't answer. "Come on, Ned, confess. What were you doing out there today? You weren't hunting."
"Alright, we weren't," Malone finally admitted. "Roxton was suspicious of Anyala, so we went to her village."
"Oh, that man!" Marguerite made a growling noise and threw up her hands. "Every vamp he's met on this plateau he's fallen for, and now we meet a perfectly nice girl, and he's suspicious! Someone needs to tell him to stop trusting his instincts."
"Come on, Marguerite," Malone said with a small grin. "You don't want Roxton to fall for Anyala, do you?"
Marguerite shot him a withering look. "Ha ha. You're not being helpful." She stalked off to confront Roxton before Malone could explain what they'd found out about Anyala.
Marguerite found Roxton down in Challenger's workshop. "Malone just told me you went and visited Anyala's village," she said. "You suspicions could've gotten you killed! You heard Anyala saying her sister was dangerous. What possessed you to go off investigating her?"
"Well, it's a very good thing I did," Roxton retorted. He related what had happened and what Valana had told them.
"Well, I don't believe that," Marguerite said stubbornly, blinking at him with annoyance in that way she had.
"Why do you like her so much?" Roxton asked.
Marguerite ignored his question. "She's touched Malone, and he's not sick."
Just then, they heard Challenger's voice. "Roxton!" he shouted. Roxton and Marguerite turned and ran up the stairs.
They found Challenger supporting Malone's head. "He passed out," Challenger told them. "And he's burning up with fever."
"Her hands carry disease," Valana clarified. "Just by touching someone with her hands, she could make them deathly ill."
"Why didn't you remove her from power earlier?" Malone asked.
"We didnt' know at first that it was she who was causing the illnesses. Sometimes it was a full day between the moment of her touch and the time her victim fell ill. Our people can be superstitious, and they did not know what was causing it. Also, my sister is an accomplished and dangerous liar. She has a sweet, innocent face which deceives people into thinking she's a better person than she really is." Valana's brow furrowed in grief. "When we finally discerned where the disease was coming from, we had to drive her out. We meant to execute here to prevent her hurting anyone else, but somehow she evaded the soldiers." She looked at their expressions of dismay. "You have seen her, haven't you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
There was a pregnant paused. "Yes," Roxton said finally. "Or, I think we have."
The woman looked concerned. "She didn't touch you with her hands, did she?"
"Actually, yes," Malone said.
Valana looked anxiously at him. "I hope she hasn't cursed you. Where is she?"
"We havent' seen her since yesterday," Roxton lied. "And we can't be sure it was her."
"Her name is Anyala," Valana told them. "She looks like me, but her coloration is a little lighter. And she has a tattoo on her shoulder of a curl of ivy."
"We'll keep our eyes open," Roxton said, putting back on his hat to leave.
"Good luck," Valana said, and shook their hands.
"Go ahead, say it," Malone said. They were walking back tot he treehouse. The guards had readily given them back their rifles. "You told me so."
"I would've been happy to have been proved wrong," Roxton said. "And I'm still not sure. Valana could be lying." He glanced over at Malone. Malone had stopped, looking abstracted. Her put a hand to his forehead. "Ned, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, but he sounded shaky. Roxton watched him worriedly.
When they entered the treehouse, Anyala was leaning over Challenger's shoulder as he sat at the table, showing her a plan for one of his inventions. Her hair had fallen down around her face, and on her shoulder was the clear tattoo of a bit of ivy. She turned to greet them with a placid smile, but they didn't return it.
"Two days hunting without bringing back any game," Marguerite commented to Malone. It was after dark, and they were leaning on the railing and looking out over the jungle. "It just doesn't' sound like Roxton." Malone didn't answer. "Come on, Ned, confess. What were you doing out there today? You weren't hunting."
"Alright, we weren't," Malone finally admitted. "Roxton was suspicious of Anyala, so we went to her village."
"Oh, that man!" Marguerite made a growling noise and threw up her hands. "Every vamp he's met on this plateau he's fallen for, and now we meet a perfectly nice girl, and he's suspicious! Someone needs to tell him to stop trusting his instincts."
"Come on, Marguerite," Malone said with a small grin. "You don't want Roxton to fall for Anyala, do you?"
Marguerite shot him a withering look. "Ha ha. You're not being helpful." She stalked off to confront Roxton before Malone could explain what they'd found out about Anyala.
Marguerite found Roxton down in Challenger's workshop. "Malone just told me you went and visited Anyala's village," she said. "You suspicions could've gotten you killed! You heard Anyala saying her sister was dangerous. What possessed you to go off investigating her?"
"Well, it's a very good thing I did," Roxton retorted. He related what had happened and what Valana had told them.
"Well, I don't believe that," Marguerite said stubbornly, blinking at him with annoyance in that way she had.
"Why do you like her so much?" Roxton asked.
Marguerite ignored his question. "She's touched Malone, and he's not sick."
Just then, they heard Challenger's voice. "Roxton!" he shouted. Roxton and Marguerite turned and ran up the stairs.
They found Challenger supporting Malone's head. "He passed out," Challenger told them. "And he's burning up with fever."