| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Status |
|
| Physical Information | |
| Species | |
| Gender |
|
| Relationship Information | |
| Soulmate |
|
| Family |
|
| Affiliation | |
| Occupation |
|
| Loyalty | |
|
Nyala is a human girl who joined the Lancers, following the death of her sister at the hands of a vampire. She is apparently in her teens, though her actual age is never stated. She later joins Circle Daybreak.
Background[]
Nyala apparently lived in Boston or round about that area, with her sister. It is not mentioned where their parents are; it is possible that Nyala and her sister ran away from home. A month before the events of The Chosen, Nyala's sister was killed by a vampire. She lived long enough to tell Nyala what killed her, and also how much it hurt to have her blood drained, before dying.
Nyala was, naturally devastated by her sister's death and also traumatized by the nature of it. She wandered by herself, until she was tracked down by the Lancers, who had read the story of her sister's murder in a local newspaper and guessed it was a vampire attack. Nyala agreed to join the Lancers, determined to track down the vampire who killed her sister and avenge her death.
The Chosen[]
Nyala was excited to meet Rashel 'the Cat' Jordan for the first time, idolizing the girl and making her out to be a kind of "hero" in her mind. Unfortunately, when Rashel helped John Quinn to escape the Lancers and revealed she did it deliberately, Nyala felt disillusioned and betrayed. already mentally unstable, she began spiraling downhill rapidly, vowing to tell everyone in Boston that Rashel was the Cat, and that she was, supposedly, on the Night World's side.
Nyala later went to investigate the recent rash of missing girls - kidnapped by vampires - herself, and wound up getting captured. One of the vampires bit her and drank some of her blood, which didn't help her unbalanced mental state. Nyala was transported to the island enclave with the other girls, where she encountered Rashel again. Rashel freed Nyala and tried to persuade her to leave with the others. However, Nyala secretly stayed behind and poured gasoline all over the island's mansion, intending to burn it down with the vampires inside. This later proved to be quite helpful, as Nyala interrupted Hunter Redfern and his minions as they were about to kill Rashel and Quinn to set the gasoline alight. Although the vampires ultimately escaped, Rashel, Quinn and the vampire Timmy were able to escape with their lives. Nyala was trapped in the burning house, but Quinn risked his own life to go back into the mansion to rescue her. Rashel and Quinn, upon deciding to join Circle Daybreak, made the decision to take Nyala with them, feeling that it would be the best place for her to recover from her ordeal and finally feel safe.
Physical Appearance[]
Nyala is described as having skin "like cocoa" and a "faraway" or "sleepwalking" look in her eyes. She has dark hair and seems to be of African American descent.
Personality[]
Nyala was deeply traumatized by her sister's death and was very mentally unstable, becoming increasingly so as the novel progressed. Her hatred of vampires and obsession with revenge made her reckless and irrational. She took an almost sadistic pleasure at the idea of torturing vampires for information, wanting to "make them suffer the way her sister suffered." In the end, though, Nyala was just a frightened, traumatized girl with no one to turn to, and Rashel hopes that will be able to heal and move on by taking her to live with Circle Daybreak.
Etymology[]
The name Nyala is of African origin, meaning "resembling an antelope". It is also possibly Ethiopian for "mountain goat".