Abdar frowned. "I heardnothing."
"There was... something.A sort of whoosh... like water or… " Pachtal strode out of the tent."I'll return shortly. I'm sure I heard—"
Unearthly screams filled theair.
Abdar jumped to his feet andran toward the tent entrance. "Pachtal! What is it?"
"Stay here." Rueltold Jane as he followed Abdar. "Keep her here in the tent where she'ssafe, Kartauk."
She ignored him and ran out ofthe tent. She had known what to expect, but the sight that met her eyes wasstill astounding. All along the shore, elephants were surfacing from the river,leathery coats gleaming wetly, like nightmare creatures from the deep. Theriders on their backs were almost naked, carrying only spears and the reedpipes they had used to breathe underwater as the elephants had swum beneath thesurface from downriver.
The herd of elephants wasalready running through the encampment, the vanguard led by Li Sung on Da-nor.The soldiers, caught completely off guard, were fleeing before the elephantsthundering toward them, over them.
Chaos broke outeverywhere—soldiers running, shouting, guns exploding.
"Out of the way!"Dilam leaned down from the female elephant she was riding and grabbed one ofthe standing torches bordering the shore. She fired Abdar's tent and thenturned the elephant and followed Li Sung, lighting tents and shrubbery alongthe way.
"So much for keeping yousafe inside," Kartauk murmured as he grabbed Jane's arm and drew her awayfrom the burning tent.
"Where's Ruel?" Hergaze frantically searched the melee of elephants and soldiers. "I don'tsee him."
"That's notsurprising." He pulled her toward the trees lining the banks. "Withall this smoke and confusion, it would be odd if you did."
She shook off his grip."Let me alone. I'm not going anywhere without Ruel." The entireencampment was now ablaze, and she could barely discern figures in the thicksmoke. She could hear Abdar screaming, shouting orders, and moved toward the sound.She knew Ruel would be wherever Abdar could be found. Her eyes stung from thesmoke, and her lungs felt scorched. She dodged to the side as an elephantthundered out of the thick black haze.
She could no longer hear Abdarfor the screaming of the soldiers and the trumpeting of the elephants."Ruel!"
"Harlot!" Pachtalemerged from the haze, his face twisted with rage. He lifted his hand and shesaw a glimpse of steel gleaming—a dagger!
"Down!" Kartaukknocked her to her knees as Pachtal's knife tore toward her breast.
Pachtal lunged forward, offbalance. Kartauk stepped behind him, his massive arm encircling Pachtal'sthroat.
Pachtal was cursing, his eyespopping from a face no longer beautiful. Kartauk's arm jerked backward and Janeheard a sickening crack as Pachtal's neck broke.
He looked so surprised, Janethought dazedly. Not pained, just... surprised.
Kartauk released him andPachtal slumped to the ground.
"And good riddance,"Kartauk said as he bent down and retrieved Pachtal's dagger. "I could onlywish it were Abdar, but Ruel will be attending to him."
"How do you know?"Jane asked frantically. "He can't even see in this smoke. Abdar could slipup behind him."
"There he is."Kartauk was looking at something beyond her shoulder.
She whirled to see Ruel only afew yards away.
Abdar lay on the ground, hisleg bent at an awkward angle, his lip cut and bleeding. Ruel stood over him,his hair, loosened from its queue by the struggle, falling wild and full abouthis face.
Dear God, his expression…
Tiger burn bright.
Ian's words came back to her.Ruel was burning now with a terrible beauty, flaming with hatred and vengeance.
Abdar screeched somethinginaudible at him as he tried to scramble to his knees.
"Ruel!" Kartaukcalled.
