He shook his head.
"Listen to me. Ian loved you. He wanted you to be happy."
He didn't answer.
"He died to help you and Margaret and Kartauk have the good life he wanted for you all. Are you going to let him die for nothing?"
She thought she felt a slight easing in those painfully knotted muscles, but she couldn't be sure.
"How can you be so stubborn? He wanted—" She stopped as she felt something warm and damp on her temple. "Ruel?"
"I love you," he said unevenly. His arms tightened around her. "God, I love you."
Now she could let her own tears come. Her last resistance to him flowed away with them. Life was too short to be afraid, love too precious not to risk everything to hold it. "I believe you."
"You do? It's about time," he said huskily. He was silent for a long time. "It . . . hurts, Jane."
"I know." She brushed her lips along the line of his cheek. She knew his moment of weakness would not last, but she felt a surge of fierce maternal protectiveness. She wanted to shelter and keep him from all harm. For the first time she realized the true power Ian had wielded over Margaret. A man who needed you was the greatest mandarin of all. "But we'll share it and soon it will get better for us. It has to get better."
"Aye." His arms tightened around her. "It will get better, love."
Margaret, Kartauk, James Medford, and his people arrived at midafternoon the next day.
"Where's Ruel?" Medford asked Jane as soon as he stepped off the bridge.
Jane nodded to the south. "Downriver with Li Sung and Dilam. Abdar?"
"We sighted him starting down the canyon trail before we left," Medford said as he set off in the direction she had indicated. "Six hours."
As usual, Medford's conversation was blunt and sparing, Jane thought as she turned back to watch Margaret, closely followed by Kartauk, cross the final few yards to the bank. She had thought Margaret looked bad the night she had arrived at their camp, but now she was shocked at the tragic difference she saw. Strong, vibrant Margaret appeared almost fragile, her face pinched and pallid, great dark circles imprinted beneath her eyes.
"Hello, Jane."
"You know how sorry I am," Jane said gently. "Is there anything I can do?"
Margaret shook her head. "There's nothing anyone can do."
Jane gestured to the campfire in the middle of the encampment. "You must be tired. Why don't you go sit down by the fire and get some rest?"
"If you like," Margaret said dully.
Jane gazed worriedly after her as the other woman moved toward the campfire. Ruel had said Margaret was numb, but she had never dreamed to see her this lacking in vitality.
"Do not comfort her."
She turned to see Kartauk gazing after Margaret.
"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "She's suffered a great loss. Of course I'm going to comfort her."
"She does not need time to dwell on it. Give her work to do. You have to make her come alive again."
"I can't perform miracles," Jane said wearily. "If you know how to accomplish it, perhaps you should make the attempt."
"She has said scarcely two sentences to me since I woke with a raging headache at Medford's camp." He smiled crookedly. "She cannot even look at me. I betrayed her."
Her eyes widened. "How?"
"I told her to trust me and then I had the bad judgment to underestimate Ian. It's not a mistake easily forgiven when it means a man's life."
"Margaret told me you meant to stay in his place."
"But I didn't." He shrugged. "Which makes the situation complicated."
"She would never have wanted you to sacrifice your life, Kartauk."
"I know. But she has more conscience than is good for her and she's not an easy woman." His gaze lingered on Margaret for a moment longer before he looked away. "I cannot help her this time," he said gruffly. "You will have to do it. Help her to heal. Keep her busy. Make her work so hard, she doesn't have time to think."
Why, he loved her, Jane realized suddenly. She remembered Margaret's frantic anxiety about Kartauk's safety. Love there too? How could they possibly sort out the guilt and love and sorrow. A complicated situation indeed, she thought sadly. Why could nothing in this world come easily?
"I'll keep her busy," she promised. "We need all the hands we can get to help form the barriers." She changed the subject. "Ruel is downriver and wishes to speak to you right away. He has a plan and needs your help."
"He has it." Kartauk smiled crookedly as he started off along the riverbank. "God knows, I need to keep busy too."
The last of the canoes and rafts were brought across the river to the new encampment, and Jane supervised the destruction of the hanging bridge. The brush barriers were completed by sundown and there was nothing further for them all to do but wait.
Near eight o'clock they saw the flare of torches of Abdar's soldiers coming down the trail from the direction of the canyon wall.
"Well?" Ruel asked Li Sung. "Time's run out. For God's sake, give me an answer."
"You have prepared the instruments?" Li Sung asked.
"Aye."
"Dilam believes there is worth to your idea, but there will have to be a distraction."
"Abdar will be distracted," Ruel promised grimly. 'I'll take care of that."
Li Sung smiled. "That is all I ask."
"Ready?" Kartauk asked Ruel, his gaze on Abdar's encampment across the river. During the past three hours a sprawling military camp had mushroomed with a multitude of tents dotting the bank. Torches on tall iron stands lined the shore, casting fiery reflections in the dark waters.
Ruel nodded as he walked around the brush barrier and strode to the edge of the riverbank. He sent his voice echoing over the expanse of water. "Abdar!"
No answer.
He shouted louder. "Abdar!"
It was Pachtal who appeared on the bank, illuminated by the pool of light formed by the torches.
"Give it up, MacClaren," Pachtal called. "Cannot you see you are defeated?"
"I want to talk to Abdar."
"He's in the tent, meditating."
"Get him."
"Why should I disturb him when I can accept your surrender?"
"I am here, Scot." Abdar suddenly appeared at Pachtal's side.
Hatred rushed through Ruel as he stared at Abdar's smooth, bland face. Control it, he told himself. Think. Don't feel. "We have things to talk about. Will you honor a flag of truce if I come over to your encampment?"
"Why should I do that? In a day or two we will be able to launch rafts and crush you."
"I'm not a fool, Abdar. It's clear you've won the game, but I can make it hard or easy for you. Let Kartauk and me come over and we'll—"
"Kartauk?" Abdar interrupted, interest flaring. "Kartauk will come?"
"Kartauk has an excellent instinct for survival, and he's aware that we need to negotiate."
"He should have negotiated three years ago if he wished me to be merciful." Abdar's pleased laugh rang out. "But come ahead, Scot, I will listen to your pleas."
"This is a mistake," Pachtal protested. "It could be a trick. We have no need to—"
"Do not question my wisdom," Abdar snapped. "It is you who have become prone to mistakes. Call me when they arrive." He whirled and vanished from the pool of light.