She heard Ruel call her namebut she paid no attention.
The elephant trumpeted again.Beckoning. Calling.
Calling Li Sung towarddestruction.
"Blast it, Li Sung, waitfor me!" Jane called to the shadowy figure stalking ahead.
"Save your breath."Ruel pulled aside a thorny shrub to let her pass. "There's no stoppinghim. Just try to keep up."
How could Li Sung travel sofast with his crippled leg? He was moving through the jungle at almost a run.
The elephant trumpeted again,closer.
Alarm, uneasiness, andbewilderment tumbled through her. There was something in that cry that botheredher. Of course it bothered her, she thought impatiently. The blasted elephantwas drawing Li Sung into danger. "Li Sung!"
Li Sung must have decided toheed her plea to wait, she saw with relief. He had stopped a few hundred yardsahead of them. Then, as they drew closer, she saw he was staring straightahead, his body peculiarly rigid.
"Is it the elephant? Becare—" She stopped as she and Ruel came abreast of him and she saw whathad startled him.
Skeletons.
Gleaming white boneseverywhere, covering the vast clearing before them in a macabre blanket. Themoon had gone behind a cloud, but the skeletons seemed to give off a chillingshimmer of their own in the darkness.
"What is it?" shewhispered.
"An elephantgraveyard," Li Sung said. "That must be why they make the trekwest."
"I don'tunderstand."
"Dilam said that when anelephant senses he is going to die, sometimes he travels many miles to a placeof death." Li Sung's gaze traveled over the bone-littered landscape."This appears to be such a place."
Jane shivered. "Itcertainly does."
"But why did Danor comehere?" Ruel asked thoughtfully.
Li Sung moved his shoulders asif shaking off the oppressiveness of the sight before him. "How do Iknow?" He smiled grimly. "Perhaps he senses I'm going to killhim."
The trumpeting sounded againand Jane's gaze flew across the graveyard. At the edge of the trees she couldbarely discern the massive figure of the elephant, his trunk lifted.
Li Sung made a low sound ofsatisfaction and started across the bone-strewn clearing.
Jane and Ruel followedquickly, but Li Sung had already reached the middle of the graveyard by thetime they caught up with him.
The elephant stood watchingthem approach.
"Why isn't hecharging?" Jane murmured, remembering the elephant's bloodshot eyes andthundering attack at sight of them at the crossing.
"I'd just as soon herefrained," Ruel said dryly.
Li Sung had come within rangeof the elephant. He lifted the rifle and sighted down the barrel. The elephantdid not move.
The moon came from behind theclouds and lit both the clearing and Danor's face with pale clarity.
"Wait!" Jane grabbedLi Sung's arm. "There's something—"
"Let me go." Li Sungtried to shake her off.
"No, not yet. I seesomething… " She ran ahead of him toward the elephant.
