"I'll aim for theeyes." Li Sung stared into the flames. "Dilam said that's the onlyway to assure a quick kill."
"You're not a wonderfulshot," Jane pointed out. "And you may not get a second chance."
"I'll think about thatwhen I find him."
"You're not thinking atall. You're just feeling."
"Perhaps." Li Sung'sgaze lifted from his coffee. "But it is useless to try to dissuademe."
Jane had suspected this butshe had to make the attempt. "I don't understand it. Why?"
"He tried to killme."
"You're acting as if heset out to do it deliberately. He's an elephant, for God's sake."
Li Sung shrugged and didn'tanswer.
"That's it, isn'tit?" Ruel asked suddenly. "It's because heisanelephant."
Li Sung stared at himimpassively.
"Power," Ruel saidsoftly, his gaze narrowed on Li Sung's face. "Tell me, are you going toeat his heart too?"
"What?"
"In Brazil I heard aboutthe men of a tribe who ate the hearts of captured enemy warriors because theythought that by doing so they would absorb their foe's strength andcourage."
"And you think I'm privyto such superstition?"
"Are you?"
"I am no fool. I realizethat the only thing I'll win from killing Danor is revenge. Sometimes that isenough."
"And sometimes itisn't," Ruel said wearily.
"You surprise me."Li Sung smiled faintly. "I would have thought you would understand myfeeling in this."
"Oh, I understand."Ruel glanced at Jane. "No one could understand revenge better than I do.Isn't that right, Jane?"
She sensed beneath theself-mockery in his voice an underlying pain that hurt her. She wanted to reachout and touch him, soothe him. She spoke hastily to Li Sung. "We'd betterget some sleep if you intend to start out at first light. Why don't we—"
An elephant trumpeted in thedarkness.
Li Sung sat upright, his gazeflying to the path leading west. "Close."
He was right, Jane thought,Danor must be very close, but there had been a puzzling difference in theelephant's cry from the angry trumpeting she had heard that night at the track.It was as if—
Li Sung was on his feet,grabbing his rifle.
"Li Sung, wait untildaylight," she said, alarmed. "If he's that close, a few more hoursaren't going to make any difference."
"Now!" Li Sung slunga cartridge belt over his shoulder and limped from the campfire. "You waituntil daylight. I don't need you."
"The hell we will."Ruel was already extinguishing the fire. "Can't you at least wait until wesaddle up?"
"No need." Li Sung'swords trailed behind him as the jungle closed around him. "He's close..."
Jane jumped to her feet andran after Li Sung.
