Ruel's face remained without expression. "I think not."
"Why did you not see it?" Kartauk asked suddenly. Jane noticed his gaze was fixed on Pachtal, and for the first time she became aware of the curious tension of Pachtal's demeanor.
"I misunderstood His Highness's orders and sent the mask without letting him view it," Pachtal said stiffly. "He was right to be angry with me."
"Terms," Ruel prompted Abdar.
"I will choose the time for such discussion," Abdar said haughtily. "You have nothing with which to bargain, or you would not be here."
"That's not totally true. You need gold and I have the trust of the Cinnidans. For a percentage of the profits I could run the mine and deal with the Cinnidans for you."
"I do not need the Cinnidans. I understand my grandfather found them surly and uncooperative. I will bring my own people from Kasanpore."
"But that would mean a delay you don't want. Together we could—"
"What was that?" Pachtal asked, his head tilted, listening.
Abdar frowned. "I heard nothing."
"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 the air.
Abdar jumped to his feet and ran toward the tent entrance. "Pachtal! What is it?"
"Stay here." Ruel told Jane as he followed Abdar. "Keep her here in the tent where she's safe, Kartauk."
She ignored him and ran out of the tent. She had known what to expect, but the sight that met her eyes was still astounding. All along the shore, elephants were surfacing from the river, leathery coats gleaming wetly, like nightmare creatures from the deep. The riders on their backs were almost naked, carrying only spears and the reed pipes they had used to breathe underwater as the elephants had swum beneath the surface from downriver.
The herd of elephants was already running through the encampment, the vanguard led by Li Sung on Da-nor. The soldiers, caught completely off guard, were fleeing before the elephants thundering toward them, over them.
Chaos broke out everywhere—soldiers running, shouting, guns exploding.
"Out of the way!" Dilam leaned down from the female elephant she was riding and grabbed one of the standing torches bordering the shore. She fired Abdar's tent and then turned the elephant and followed Li Sung, lighting tents and shrubbery along the way.
"So much for keeping you safe inside," Kartauk murmured as he grabbed Jane's arm and drew her away from the burning tent.
"Where's Ruel?" Her gaze frantically searched the melee of elephants and soldiers. "I don't see him."
"That's not surprising." He pulled her toward the trees lining the banks. "With all 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 entire encampment was now ablaze, and she could barely discern figures in the thick smoke. 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 the smoke, and her lungs felt scorched. She dodged to the side as an elephant thundered out of the thick black haze.
She could no longer hear Abdar for the screaming of the soldiers and the trumpeting of the elephants. "Ruel!"
"Harlot!" Pachtal emerged from the haze, his face twisted with rage. He lifted his hand and she saw a glimpse of steel gleaming—a dagger!
"Down!" Kartauk knocked her to her knees as Pachtal's knife tore toward her breast.
Pachtal lunged forward, off balance. Kartauk stepped behind him, his massive arm encircling Pachtal's throat.
Pachtal was cursing, his eyes popping from a face no longer beautiful. Kartauk's arm jerked backward and Jane heard a sickening crack as Pachtal's neck broke.
He looked so surprised, Jane thought dazedly. Not pained, just . . . surprised.
Kartauk released him and Pachtal slumped to the ground.
"And good riddance," Kartauk said as he bent down and retrieved Pachtal's dagger. "I could only wish 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 slip up behind him."
"There he is." Kartauk was looking at something beyond her shoulder.
She whirled to see Ruel only a few yards away.
Abdar lay on the ground, his leg 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 about his 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 something inaudible at him as he tried to scramble to his knees.
"Ruel!" Kartauk called.
When Ruel looked up, Kartauk tossed him the knife he had taken from Pachtal.
Ruel let the knife fall to the ground. "No. Too quick." He picked Abdar up and carried him thrashing and struggling deeper into the smoke near the blazing tent. "You and Jane get over into the trees."
"Kali will punish you," Abdar sobbed. "You will see. Kali will strike you down."
"You can talk it over with her soon," Ruel said as he carried Abdar past the tent and dropped him on the riv-erbank. "Li Sung!"
"Here!" Li Sung called out of the veil of smoke across the clearing.
Ruel walked over to the protection of the trees, where Jane and Kartauk now stood. "The elephants have done their part," he shouted. "Take them back across the river!"
"Gladly," Li Sung said. "They have no liking for all this fire and smoke."
"No!" Abdar screamed as he realized what the order meant.
Too quick, Ruel had said about the dagger. This might also be quick, but Abdar would die in an agony of terror, the death he feared the most.
"No, do not—" Abdar broke off as he saw the elephants thundering toward him out of the smoke. "This is not Kali's will! This is not—"
Jane doubted if the elephants even saw Abdar on the bank in their eagerness to get away from the fire and smoke surrounding them.
This was justice. She would not have lifted a hand to save him, but she could not watch it. She closed her eyes but could not shut out Abdar's screams as the elephants crushed him beneath their feet.
She opened her eyes when the screams stopped but avoided looking at Abdar.
Ruel had not closed his eyes. He was staring at Abdar's broken remains with savage satisfaction.
Tiger burn bright.
"You go ahead." Kartauk told Jane and Ruel as they got into the canoe to return to the encampment. "I have something to do here."
"What?" Ruel asked.
"The masks." Kartauk looked back toward the ragged, blackened ruins of Abdar's tent. "The tent was only partially destroyed. They're still there."
Jane shivered. "Then let them stay there. You can't possibly want them."
"I cannot leave them," Kartauk said simply. "Gold is forever. Throw those masks into the river and in a thousand years from now the river will be gone but those masks will still exist. Do you like the thought of that?"