Roxton advanced angrily on Anyala. "What do you think you're doing?"

Anyala backed away, frightened by the expression on his face. "I was just going to—"

"Just going to finish him off?" Roxton snapped, grabbing her arm. "Stay away from him!" He flung her away from the bed. She lost her balance and fell into the tree branches that formed the balcony rail. With a cry of pain, she fell to her knees and clutched at her side.

Marguerite made to move, but Challenger beat her to it. "Roxton!" he said warningly.

"Oh, let him. We will finish her off soon, anyway," a female voice spoke up from outside the room. Marguerite, from her vantage-point, stared out from between the curtains at the woman who entered the room. This must be Valana, then! She was beautiful, but her face was hard. Four guards came to stand around her, all of them armed with spears. "Just as soon as we finish off you," she added.

"Us? What do you mean?" Challenger turned to her in bewilderment.

"This treehouse looks like a very useful stronghold," Valana said casually. "And I hate to let something so useful go to waste." Without taking her eyes off of Roxton and Challenger, she said, "Kill them."

The guards advanced, but Roxton pulled a pistol out of his vest and downed two in a moment. Challenger swung his rifle and knocked a third in the head. As the fourth advanced on him, Roxton turned and shot him, as well. Turning back to Valana, he took aim and fired.

There was a flash of red light and the kapwing! of a ricocheting bullet. Valana merely smiled. "I wasn't lying when I said about turning power into pure energy. The only lie was who had the power."

"You're the witch," Challenger said slowly. "It wasn't Anyala's handshake that made Malone sick, it was yours."

"Anyala's handshake?" Valana scoffed. "She can heal, but my poor, weak sister cannot harness the power of death."

"Anyone can kill with a knife or a spear," Anyala said, gingerly dragging herself to her feet. "But to save a life—that is true power."

Valana laughed. "Exactly what Father used to say, once he knew of your gift. But you see how wrong he was! You could not heal him when he took sudden illness on that hunting trip. And that was my doing."

"If we had known it was you…" Anyala said in a low voice, shaking her head.

"We? What we? The only ones who know are you and my inner circle. And once I do away with you… Well, the rule will be mine." She lowered her head and stared at her sister under hooded lids. "And I think I should do away with you at once."

As if she were throwing a large object, she snapped both arms forward. A thick beam of red light flashed forth from her hands.

But it never struck Anyala. The healer put her hands up before herself, and there was a glow of white light, and red stopped. As if she were pushing a heavy object across the floor, Anyala slowly began to straighten her arms, the stress evident on her face. Now the two sisters were connected by a great beam of light, a foot and a half in diameter, mostly red, then turning to white. As Anyala forced her energy forward, the red began to lessen and the white to grow. It spread down the beam until it reached the middle.

The strain was showing on both combatants. With a small convulsive movement, Valana gave an extra shove. Anyala winced as she was forced back a little. She seemed to be in pain; she had hurt her side when Roxton threw her against the railing.

"She's weakening! We have to do something!" Challenger said.

Roxton gritted his teeth. "If Valana's invincible, only one option left," he said, and dove into the red beam of light.

"No!" Challenger shouted, but it was too late. Roxton was deflected and thrown backwards, ending up in a heap on the floor. Challenger ran to him and helped him sit up. "That was stupid, John," he exclaimed.

Valana laughed, although the laugh was breathy with exertion. "Very stupid," she agreed. With an extra shove, she moved the red almost to Anyala's hands. "Very stupid indeed, she whispered.

Marguerite thought fast. There had been a flash of red light when Roxton had tried to shoot Valana, so she had been protecting herself with her own energy. Now all that energy had gone into her fight with Anyala—leaving her defenseless.

Marguerite did the only thing she could think of. She leapt out of her hiding place and brought the wooden bowl down on Valana's head as hard as she could. Valana crumpled, and the beam of white light shot out, overpowering the red. There was a blinding flash, and when Marguerite had blinked a few times, she looked down. Where Valana had been, there was a pile of dust.

Anyala bowed her head and held her side, leaning hard on the railing. Roxton, Marguerite and Challenger just stared at the pile of dust that had been their foe. Roxton found his voice first.

"A mixing bowl! How very domestic of you, Marguerite."

Marguerite geared up to retort, but a noise made them all turn toward Malone. He was beginning to convulse, his arms and legs flailing everywhere.

Challenger and Roxton jumped to their feet and dashed over to the bed. They tried to hold him still, but Malone only struggled harder.

"Let me through!" Anyala commanded, and strode over to the bed, despite her injuries. Leaning over the young man, she place her hands on either side of his face and closed her eyes.

He calmed immediately, his body relaxing. Anyala opened her eyes and exhaled slowly, then sat down trembling on the edge of the bed. She covered her face with her hands.

No one dared breathe. In a moment, Malone's eyes fluttered open. "Wha… What happened?" he asked.

Roxton gave a hoarse laugh. "You missed all the action, Neddy-Boy, that's what happened!"

000

"I don't know how to thank you for all you have done for me and my village," Anyala said sincerely.

It was the next day, and they all stood just outside the electric fence, saying their goodbyes.

"No, no, it's us who owe you thanks," Malone answered. "Me in particular."

"And a humble apology," Roxton added. "I am so sorry that I—"

Anyala shook her head and cut him off. "You were protecting your friend. I understand completely." Her smile was warm and earnest. She smiled at each of them in turn, then came to stop at Marguerite. Deliberately, she slipped a silver bracelet off her wrist and handed it to the startled Marguerite. "If you ever need anything, just call for me," she said cryptically.

Marguerite examined the bracelet. It was a delicate silver cuff, and a silver plate in the center displayed an ivy design identical to Anyala's tattoo. She began to protest, then caught sight of the look on the chieftainess's face. "Thank you," she said instead.

With a final farewell and a wave, Anyala turned and walked out into the jungle to return to her village and take up her rightful rule.

The four adventurers were left staring after her in silence. But the sound of footsteps made Roxton turn. In a moment, a figure came into view: Veronica.

"Well! This is some welcome! What are all of you doing down here staring into the trees?" Veronica asked cheerfully.

"Oh, just saying goodbye to a new acquaintance," Malone answered as Veronica came up even with them.

"Oh, no. Roxton, did you get seduced by some tramp again?" Veronica asked in mock disgust.

"No, for your information, I did not," Roxton answered as Marguerite tried to suppress her sudden fit of the giggles. "Marguerite will vouch for me, I was not at all attracted to this one."

"You do pick up the strangest people on the plateau, don't you?" Veronica said, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head.

"Yes," Roxton said quietly and with some amusement as they all turned to go back indoors. "Yes, I do."

The End

AN: Well, one story down, five to go… :)

And that's all she wrote.