"Yes, again," shesaid, exasperated. "What other choice do we have?"
"I could go after theelephant."
"No!" She temperedthe sharpness of her tone. "I'll need you here to supervise the workersand send me word if there's any other problem with the elephant. Tomorrowmorning I have to go to the palace to discuss the contract penalties withRuel."
"Dilam can do that aswell as I."
"I want you here. Dilamwould probably stand by and let that elephant tear up every rail from here tothe mountain."
"The elephant appears tohave great determination." Li Sung's gaze wandered once again to the tornand broken trees that marked the elephant's passage back into the jungle."He went west again. I wonder why."
At least she didn't have toworry about Li Sung's interference, she thought wearily as she watched him limptoward his horse. This strange obsession he had with the elephant was obscuringeverything else in its wake.
She wished she could block outRuel and what awaited her tomorrow night with a similar single-mind-edness. Herrage was beginning to fade, apprehension taking its place. Yet, though provokedby desperation and despair, the instinct had been sound. She could not continuewith these shredded nerves and emotional upheavals Ruel brought. It had to end.
But shewouldblock himout for now. There was work to do and time enough to face the ordeal when shemust. She would not allow him to make her suffer more through anticipation.
She turned her horse andfollowed Li Sung back to Elephant Crossing.
"It's an elephant."Margaret gazed down at the exquisitely carved design on the small black stoneon the worktable. The elephant, its trunk lifted in the act of trumpeting, wasamazingly lifelike with every muscle skillfully delineated. The elaboratecircle of leaves embossing the rim of the round stone was equally lovely.
"It relieves me to knowyou at least recognize the species in my humble effort," Kartauk said.
Margaret snorted."Humble? You don't know the meaning of the word." She drew closer tothe table. "But I admit this is very fine work. It wasn't here yesterdaywhen I left. When did you do it?"
"Last night. I couldn'tsleep, so I decided to make this seal for Ruel."
"Seal? No one uses sealsanymore."
Kartauk grinned. "Exactly.Only heads of state on official documents." He pointed to a tiny monogramat the bottom of the stone. "Don't you think the conceit will amuse ourRuel?"
"With all this pamperinghe gets when he returns to the palace, he needs no more exaggeration of hisconsequence."
"Nevertheless, as a courtartist I must please my patron."
"I think you did it moreto please yourself," she said shrewdly. "Have you ever done a sealbefore?"
He threw back his head andlaughed. "No, and I've always wanted to explore Cellini's methods in theart. I think you're beginning to know me too well. A man needs his littleself-deceptions."
"Nothing pertaining toyou is little." She looked quickly down at the stone again. "Why theelephant?"
"Since the second part ofthe elephant game won him the island from the maharajah, I thought it onlyappropriate." He delved into one of the small clay pots on the tablebeside him and drew out a generous scoop of slightly hardened black wax.
She watched in fascination ashe fashioned a relief on the design on the stone. His big square hands wereastonishingly deft and skillful, and she never tired of seeing him perform thismagic of creating beauty from nothing but the materials provided by nature.There was something sensual, almost loving, about the way his hands moved onwax and stone.
"Besides, I likeelephants," he said. "The maharajah permitted me to make dozens ofstatues of the beasts when I was at the palace."
"Did you not becomebored?"
"After a while, but theend was worth the labor. I made sure there was an elephant in every room of thepalace." He smiled slyly. "And Abdar hated every one. He detests thebreed."
"Why?"
"His father told me hefell from the back of one when he was a child and the elephant stepped on hisarm and broke it. Unfortunately, a servant snatched him from beneath theelephant's feet before he could finish the job." He took a finepaintbrush, dipped it into the olive oil, and moistened the wax relief."I've had a fondness for the creatures ever since I heard the tale."
"That is an unkindthought."
"Abdar is an unkind man.Like to like." He dipped his fingers into another pot and fashioned alittle wall of clean clay all around the seal. "Pray God you never findout how unkind."
