She hesitated and then shiftedher shoulders as if bracing herself. "My husband Senat, Medor, and I oftenwent down to the banks of the river near our village in the evening to watchthe elephants. Medor loved to see them play and spray one another. One eveningwhile we were there a tiger came to drink. There was no warning. One moment wewere laughing together on the bank and the next the tiger was charging towardus. Senat pushed me aside and stepped in front of the tiger." She had tostop a moment before continuing in a whisper. "There was blood, so muchblood. Senat was on the ground and I yelled at Medor to run back to the villagefor help. I grabbed Senat's lance and rushed toward the tiger, hoping todistract his attention from mauling my husband. Medor did not obey me. Herushed toward me, screaming. The tiger ignored me, left my husband, and racedtoward Medor.
"An elephant charged outof the herd and down the hank. Danor. He picked Medor up in his trunk just asthe tiger sprang. The tiger's teeth caught Danor's ear and ripped it."
Dilam had turned pale and herlips had tightened with pain. Li Sung had never dreamed when he had asked herto tell him the tale that it would be so fraught with tragedy.
"I intrude," Li Sungsaid gruffly. "You do not have to tell me more."
"It is almost over. Danorreared and trampled the tiger." She shivered and pulled the blanket aroundher shoulders. "I lived. Medor lived. Senat died. Life held no joy for mefor a long time. Then I found I was with child again and the joy returned. Itwas as if I had been given a gift by Senat to comfort me in my grief and tellme life was still good. Was that not a wondrous thing?"
"Yes, verywondrous." She, too, appeared a little wondrous to him in this moment,simple and earthy and almost beautiful in her strength. He said quietly,"This does not change anything. In my mind your Danor is still amonster."
"I know." Shegrimaced. "You will not let yourself think clearly because you arefighting themakhol.Such lack of reason is common to males. It will notmatter." She lay back down and closed her eyes. "Now go away and letme sleep."
"How bad is thedamage?" Ruel asked, his gaze on Li Sung, who was supervising the workersclearing the chaos of rails and timbers that had once been the track.
Jane didn't look at him."You'll be disappointed to know it's not as bad as it looks. I'll stillmake my deadline."
"One elephant did allthis?"
"Dilam says he's a veryspecial elephant." She smiled bitterly. "I tend to agree withher." She straightened her shoulders. "But it will make nodifference. We know to watch out for him now. It won't happen again."
"No?"
"No." She strodeaway from him toward Li Sung. "I have no more time for you. I have work todo. Go back to your mine and dig another ton of gold or something."
"I don't think so,"Ruel murmured. "I believe I'll stay the night and see what happens. Itseems I have an unexpected ally."
Dear God, she was hot.
She bent over the washbasinand splashed water into her face. Cool... that was better. She dabbed her facewith a towel and wandered over to the tent opening to let the breeze dry itmore thoroughly, her gaze going to the campfire several yards away.
Ruel must be telling stories,Jane thought with an odd feeling of wistfulness.
She always went to her tentimmediately after supper when he was present, but she knew he often amusedDilam, Li Sung, and the other Cinnidans with one of his outlandish tales whenhe came to visit. This story must be particularly fascinating, for everyone wasgazing at Ruel as if mesmerized.
Ruel's own face was alive,blue eyes shimmering in the firelight and, though she couldn't hear the words,she knew how well he could build pictures with words to charm and persuade. Atthat moment she could almost see the aura of spellbinding power he was casting.
Mandarin.
No, that was the feverdistorting her thinking again.
She turned away from theentrance and moved heavily toward her knapsack resting on the ground beside thecot. She would take a few drops of thequinghaoand go to sleep and thefever would leave her.
After she took the medicineshe lay down on her cot and breathed evenly, deeply, trying to relax. She mustrest. Lately she had felt as if the weariness and tension of the past monthshad crystallized within her and would shatter at the slightest blow. That mustnot happen. Itwouldnot happen. Think of the railroad. Think of thelife of freedom that would soon open to her. See, she was easing already. Herknotted muscles were beginning to unlock. In a few minutes the fever wouldlessen and she would be fine. Then sleep would take her and she would forgetthe mandarin...
Jane knew as soon as she sawLi Sung's expression in the dim light streaming through the tent entrancebehind him. She sat up on her cot. "The elephant?" she askedunsteadily.
Li Sung nodded. "Lastnight. Dilam just received word from one of the outlying guards."
She threw aside her blanket."I'll be right with you."
"There's no hurry, he'sgone now. The damage is up line. I'll saddle the horses and wake up Ruel."
Ruel. She had forgotten Ruelwas here. Panic and anger washed over her. It wasn't fair. Why should all herhard work and hopes be destroyed by this force she couldn't control? But maybeit wasn't too bad this time. It was almost sunrise and they hadn't heard theelephant at all during the night.
There was no use worrying whatmight be; she had to go see for herself. She swung her feet to the ground andstood up. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she reached out blindly forthe tent pole to steady herself. Damn this fever; she had notimeforit.
Five minutes later she cameout of the tent to see Li Sung, Dilam, and Ruel already mounted. She didn'tspeak to any of them as she swung onto Bedelia and turned the mare toward thetrack.
