Debbie was overcome with the feeling of her bones freezing within her own body. Tyson's attack was painful and cruel.
Watching her misery, Jessop wished he was being punished instead of her. It seemed too cruel that such a young woman had to endure such pain.
He approached her and said in a tender voice, "Debbie? How do you feel?"
She struggled to smile, but said kindly, "Grandpa, please don't worry about me."
But her hands shook as she spoke.
Jessop yelled at everyone in the room to help.
Other members of the Clifton family quickly offered towels, warm blankets, and hot drinks. Some even offered to massage her limbs to try to ease the warmth back into them. But no matter what anyone did, Tyson's internal force worked through her, keeping her cold and miserable.
"Father, this might be beyond us. Maybe we should take her to the hospital," Rufus said in a worried tone. He was worried for Debbie, of course, but he also feared for Jessop's health. He was only just recovering from the bombings at the Cliftons' business buildings. The stress of watching his granddaughter suffer might negatively impact his health.
Jessop sighed. "We have no choice. I'll take her to the hospital. Rufus, you need to get Alex to come back from the Moon Palace!"
Rufus didn't even stop to change his clothes or eat. He gathered a few guards and drove out of the Clifton estate as quickly as he could.
At the hospital, a silver-haired doctor inspected Debbie while her family watched on in worry.
One of the family members said, "Doctor Howard is the best doctor in Baltimore! He should be able to figure out what to do about her condition."
Jessop furrowed his brow and said nothing, waiting as calmly as he could for the doctor's conclusion.
After a long time, Dr. Howard put down his stethoscope and sighed.
"Mr. Clifton," he said, "the patient's condition is critical. This is a strange disease. I don't understand what is happening in her body. It's as if a kind of coldness is generating from within her, and it's getting worse and worse. If this continues, I'm afraid she won't make it."
Jessop's face remained closed and neutral. "Is there nothing we can do?"
"Nothing at present. This is an extremely rare case," said Dr. Howard.
He was very sympathetic to Debbie's condition. He thought it was cruel that such a deadly mystery was ruining the health of such a young person.
"There's no end to this war," Jessop muttered. "But I'll fight. I'll fight the Blood Brothers with everything I have left."
Tyson's face and voice haunted him. He couldn't get the mental image of his sneer out of his mind. It was clear to him that Tyson genuinely thought that normal people were less than human, just bugs to be squashed under his feet.
Jessop sat by Debbie's bed, lost in these thoughts. At last, Dr. Howard gently bade him farewell and left him to his thoughts.
Jessop watched Debbie's labored breathing. He was filled with grief. He had only just gotten his granddaughter back some months ago, and now he was losing her again.
Behind him, the other family members agreed that Alex needed to be brought to the hospital as quickly as possible. They feared he would not make it back in time to say goodbye to Debbie.
**
Alex had no idea something horrible had happened at home.
Since his return to the Moon Palace, several members of the Appalachian Alliance had come to visit him. The palace was filled with an air of celebration.
Still, his thoughts were often with Debbie, and he missed her a great deal.
Suddenly, someone told him that there was an old woman outside who wished to speak with him.
After he nodded, the old woman soon hobbled in. She was very short. She looked up at him and said, "I've come to see the new lord and the leader of this new alliance."
Although her words were perfectly polite, her voice had a rather arrogant lilt. She looked humble, but she didn't seem to have much respect for him.
Nevertheless, Alex stepped forward to greet her. When he drew close, he noticed her face was covered with pockmarks. Her eyes also seemed listless and misty. She was blind.
"Please, sit down," he said, and a disciple of the palace quickly came forward with a stool for the old woman.
The disciple whispered to him quickly, "Mr. Alex, this lady served the previous master of the palace. She has not been back in some time. It seems she's now here to see you."
Alex was stunned. He quickly bowed to her, sure that she could sense the gesture even if she couldn't see it, and helped her to sit. "I'm so sorry you didn't get to see Georgina before she passed."
Two tears trickled from the blind woman's eyes. "It is too bad, but it is out of our hands."
Alex felt very sad. He began to tell her the story of Georgina's last days, and together they cried over what had been lost. When the other disciples saw them sitting together, they felt great sadness as well.
This simple act of kindness gave the old woman an excellent opinion of Alex. Although she had pledged to serve the Moon Palace in general, no matter who was in charge, she had been deeply loyal to Georgina. Knowing that Alex had clearly held a great deal of love and respect for Georgina as well made her feel that the palace had been passed into safe hands.
"Please follow me," she said.
She began walking quickly out of the palace, Alex following close behind her. Behind them, the mountains rose up around the palace, obscured somewhat by the trees by the path.
Although she was blind, she was very familiar with the area surrounding the palace. She walked quickly, and Alex did his best to keep up with her.
Halfway up one of the mountains, she pressed her hand to the stones and revealed a cave. This was a secret extension of the Moon Palace.
The walls of the cave were covered with old drawings and shapes on the stones. Alex slowed his steps to look at them one by one and began to recognize them as diagrams of martial arts movements. With a little patience, he was easily able to understand the techniques on display.
"All the masters of the Moon Palace must come here to train," the old woman said. "I come twice a year. That is all that is allowed. Over the years, your power will grow."
Alex understood instantly that this was an exclusive part of the palace not meant for the eyes of the other disciples. He doubted any of them even knew the place existed.