Elizabeth glanced at Damon and caught his eye, and with it, his slight smile, an acknowledgement of their impending success. Other than the tense moment when the prince reached for the stone, their plan had gone without a glitch. In fact, everything had fallen into place like clockwork. She never would have dreamed they would have the opal in their possession so quickly, and so easily. And as soon as the animal fight would be underway, they'd slip away unnoticed and make their way down to the Hugli River, where the boatman would be waiting to take them across the river to Calcutta.
And Damon would have his opal. And she would gain title to Shanti Bhavan.
While looking over a crowd that was eager for the horse and tiger fight to begin, Elizabeth caught sight of a red turban and saw the hideous little man with the monkey on his shoulder. The man's eyes were fixed on her. Not far from the monkey man stood the snake charmer, who was also watching them, intently. There was no question. Both men knew what she and Damon were up to. And both were waiting… Patiently. She wasn't concerned about the small man with the monkey. She was sure she could handle him on her own. But the snake charmer with the cobra was another matter.
She pressed her hand to her chest, then remembered that Damon had the vial of serpentina. She prayed they would not need it. But while she mulled over how to warn Damon that both men were watching them, the clang of iron, followed by billows of dust and the sound of hooves, silenced the cacophony of voices.
A formidable-looking coal-black horse, impressive by its enormous size and intimidating demeanor, rushed into the enclosure and came to a dust-billowing halt on stiff front legs. Head raised, nostrils flaring, ears twitching, the horse spun around. And froze. Catching the scent of tiger, it raced toward the far end of the enclosure, where a heavy iron gate separated him from a huge feline. In a display of fury and frustration, the horse raised up on hindquarters and pawed at the cross-work of iron, battering it with it's hooves. But while the horse focused on getting to the out-of-reach tiger, a gate clanged open at the opposite end of the enclosure and a tiger crept in on bent legs and crouched on its belly.
The horse spun around, braced it hooves against the ground and stared down the tiger. Accepting the challenge, the tiger rushed the horse and sprang. Anticipating the action, the horse bent its front legs, lowering its shoulders, and instead of knocking the horse over so it could disembowel it, the tiger landed on the horse's back. In an instant, the horse twisted in mid air and lashed out so violently it threw the tiger off, sending it plummeting to the ground and landing with an audible thud on its back. Dragging itself up, the tiger rushed the horse again. And again, the horse lowered its front end and lashed out, hurling the tiger to the ground. Disheartened, the tiger turned and fled.
The clang of iron echoed from the opposite end, and the tiger that the horse had been trying to get to earlier, crept into the enclosure and waited, motionless. The horse stared it down, but the tiger refused to fight. When prodders came at the tiger with iron spikes, the horse rushed the prodders, sending them running for their lives, and the tiger rushing out of the compound. During the melee, Elizabeth studied the prince. Not only was he enthralled by what was going on in the enclosure, he was clearly feeling the effects of the opium.
Realizing this was her chance, she moved to stand beside Damon. "We're being watched," she said, in a voice just loud enough to be heard. "The snake charmer and the man with the monkey. I suspect Istvan Czinka's plan is for me to snatch the opal, and them to take it from me. He knew I'd be coming after it, not to return it to them, but to recover it for you. I'm certain they know by now that I'm Lady Ravencroft."
Damon tipped his head close to hers, and said, "I saw them both, but they may not have been sent by the gypsies. At least not the man with the monkey. He's the jewel broker I bought the opal from. The snake charmer couldn't have seen us switch the stones though, because when we left the area where the entertainers were waiting, he was charming a snake. So the jewel broker must have followed us down the corridor and watched what happened, then relayed the information to the snake charmer. That is, if they're working together."
Elizabeth nodded. "I think you're right about the snake charmer not seeing us switch the opals, but it's all but certain that the man with the monkey did."
"Or maybe learned from the bearers what happened," Damon added. "He could have found them after we left. If so, the bearers are either dead, or still bound and gagged. That repulsive little bastard of a man in the red turban sure as hell wouldn't turn them loose."
"So Istvan's working with both of them," Elizabeth mused. "I just hope we can get out of here and away from the place before the prince takes a closer look at his opal."
Damon glanced back at the prince. "I doubt he'll be looking any time soon," he said, "at least not before morning. He's too busy enjoying the effects of his opium."
Elizabeth glanced at the prince, who was taking another puff of opium, then looked down at the enclosure. "Maybe we should make a run for it now," she said. "They've about gotten things under control in the enclosure and there doesn't seem to be any more tigers to turn loose."
Damon pointed to where the first tiger had entered the enclosure. "Behind that iron gate... they're about to turn out some buffalo," he said. "We can leave when that gets underway."
Elizabeth nodded and returned to her place at the end of the palanquin. While she waited, she scanned the crowd for the snake charmer and the man with the monkey, but both had vanished. While she weighed the ramification of that, three buffalo were turned into the enclosure. The horse immediately rushed one of the buffalo, kicking it so hard it fell over on its side. The other two animals backed away, refusing to fight. When prodders came at them with spiked irons, the horse turned on the prodders, chasing one down. Raising on hind legs, the horse trampled the man with its front hooves, then pummeled him over and over until all that was left below the deadly hooves was a mass of crushed bones and bloodied clothes. Sickened by the grisly sight, Elizabeth turned away… And looked directly at the prince, whose attention was riveted on the gruesome scene below, his lips curved in malevolent pleasure.
As bearers dragged the broken body of the dead man out of the enclosure, Damon caught Elizabeth's eye and gave a nod, which she acknowledged. Unobtrusively they made their way through the crowd and headed for the corridor from which they'd entered. Elizabeth scanned the spectators for the snake charmer and the red turban of the man with the monkey, but they were nowhere to be seen. Elizabeth knew the men would follow them though, so their best hope was to get out of the compound, then hastily make their way down the dark road to the path leading to the Hugli River. The embankment was steep, but at the end of the narrow winding path, the boatman would be waiting for them.
In the long darkened corridor, Damon took her arm, urging her on. "Don't slow down now," he said, when she started to fall back. "Any number of people could have seen us abandon our posts at the palanquin and alerted the prince or his guards."
Elizabeth hadn't considered such a thing until now and wondered how something as critical as that could have escaped their plan. Once the prince would be alerted, it wouldn't be long before the guards at the side door where they intended to make their exit would be notified. "I just hope we can get out of here at all," she said in a labored voice, as she raced with Damon toward the main room where they'd waited earlier. "The guards manning the side door where we came in probably don't suspect anything yet, but they could soon."
Damon gripped her arm tighter, urging her to keep up with his long strides. "We'd better hope that they won't be concerned about entertainers leaving, at least not unless its discovered that the opal's a fake. But we can't worry about that now."
Elizabeth didn't respond. Her attention was focused on the far end of the corridor, where light from the room beyond was funneling in. As they neared the waiting area where they would make their exit, Damon slowed their pace to a walk. "Catch your breath now, and we'll walk from here. Just act like we're a cou
ple of entertainers ready to leave."
"Except that we look like a couple of bearers in misfit clothes instead of a pair entertainers," Elizabeth reminded him.
"Maybe the guards won't notice," Damon said. "In any event, as soon as we're out of here, head down the road to the path leading to the river as fast as you can and don't look back. If I'm not right behind you when you get there, don't wait. I'll find my way back. The most important thing is that you get away from here safely."
And with the opal, Elizabeth thought, but said instead, "I think you should take the opal now. That way, if I'm caught, you'll have it."
"If you run for the river you won't be caught," Damon said. "I'll make sure no one goes after you. So, the opal is safer on you than on me."
So it was still all about the opal, Elizabeth realized. But then, her future as mistress of Shanti Bhavan depended on the opal as well.
As luck would have it, all four guards were sleeping off the effects of opium. The room was eerily empty. And quiet. Even the corridor was quiet. No footsteps coming from inside. So, it seemed their ploy had worked. Damon tugged on her arm. "Come on," he said in a hushed voice, ushering her toward the side entry and their escape.
Not wanting to arouse the guards, Elizabeth said nothing as she followed Damon to the door, where he quietly slipped the latch and slowly pushed it open. They stepped outside, and he carefully pulled the door closed. It was dark now, with no moon to light the way. Damon tugged Elizabeth by the arm into the underbrush across the road, where they waited until their eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Still, Elizabeth said in a hushed voice, "I can barely see the road. I hope we can find the path to the river."
"If we can see the road, we can find the path, " Damon said. "It is only a short ways past the dak bungalow we passed on the way here." He took her hand. "Come on. We'll find it," he said, with more confidence than Elizabeth felt. A few minutes later they passed the dak bungalow. There, Elizabeth dropped Damon's hand, and said, "Before we go any further, I have to get rid of this band wrapped around me. I cannot catch my breath."
"Make it fast," Damon said. "I'll go on ahead and locate the trail to the river and wait for you there. But you've got to hurry. We're not out of this yet. We could be discovered missing from our stations at the palanquin any time, and those guards would not be long behind us." He gave Elizabeth's arm a squeeze, and went on ahead.
Elizabeth lifted the tunic and began unwrapping the band from around her, releasing a long sigh when she could finally breathe freely again. She'd just lowered her tunic when she heard the crackle of brush and thought she saw a figure moving in the shadows near the dak. Moments later, a sharp pain shot through her leg, drawing from her a shrill cry. And she knew at once, she'd been bitten by the cobra.
Moments later, Damon was back at her side. "What happened?"
"The cobra," she said, clutching at her leg where the snake had bitten, already feeling the effects of the venomous bite.
"Lay down and don't move," Damon ordered. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the vial of serpentina and dumped most of the contents in Elizabeth's mouth. When she appeared to do nothing, he said in a gruff voice, "Swallow!" He pressed his fingers to her throat and felt the muscles contract and knew she'd swallowed the antidote. He slid his palm under her loose trousers and located her knife in it's sheath. Shoving the pant leg up above her knee, he rubbed his hand over her leg until he found a raised area. "Is this where you were bitten?" he asked.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied in a weak voice. "I feel so odd..." her voice drifted off.
Covering the snake bite with his mouth, Damon sucked hard, drawing out what venom he could and spitting it on the ground. After several more attempts to suck out the venom, he used her knife to make several incisions around the bite area, then tipped the vial with the last of the serpentina and rubbed it into the wound.
Glancing around, he spotted the vague outline of the breast-band and wrapped it around her leg above her knee, using it as a tourniquet. Satisfied that he'd done everything he could, he said to Elizabeth, "It's important that you not move at all right now. We don't want that venom pumped through your body. Even carrying you down to the river right now would be too dangerous. We'll have to stay in the dak and hope no one comes looking for us."
Elizabeth replied, in a thin voice, "I feel so weak and dizzy. I just want to sleep…"
"That's the serpentina working. Just put your head down and close your eyes."
Before carrying her into the dak, Damon wanted to chase off the mice and lizards. Although the small post houses were maintained by the government for travelers, they were dirty, and always overrun with varmints. Still, it would be a place where Elizabeth could rest for an hour or so, until the serpentina made its way through her body and it would be safe for him to carry her to the boat. If the boatman was still waiting, that is.
Once Elizabeth would be settled inside, he'd make a quick trip to the river and inform the boatman that they would be detained, along with giving him the assurance that there would be a monetary bonus, worth his wait. Finding a key in the latch, as was the custom, Damon pushed the door of the dak bungalow open, sending mice and lizards scurrying off. In the darkened interior he spotted the indistinct outline of the bed. Padding his palm over it, he knew it was stripped of linens. He felt some consolation that there was mosquito netting hanging over the bed though, which would be added protection from lizards falling from the rafters above, as well as keeping out the mosquitoes.
Returning for Elizabeth, he lifted her in his arms and felt her dead weight, and knew she was sleeping off the effects of the serpentina. Hopefully it got into her system in time to offset fever and nausea other symptoms common to cobra bites. After carrying her inside, he lowered her to the mattress. She was so still, be placed his fingers on her throat to make sure she had a pulse. It was strong, and her breathing was regular, and he knew she was out of danger. But before leaving to notify the boatman, he slipped his hand up her leg, and finding the pouch with the opal, removed it and placed it under the bed out of view, should someone come in and find Elizabeth there. But he didn't expect to be gone long. After arranging the mosquito net around her, he left the dak and headed for the river.
***
Elizabeth felt as if she were floating. An odd sort of floating where she'd tip her head and turn in that direction. But there were others present. A monkey. Breathing on her. His breath stale. Pungent. Like blood. And water. Rivulets of red water. Bloody water. Floating again. Floating and spinning. Round and round. With the monkey. Water and blood and the monkey curled around her, spinning and spinning...
Sitting abruptly, Elizabeth felt her stomach convulse. She retched, expecting the contents of her stomach to be ejected, but nothing came up. Feeling her head spinning, she fell back and waited for the whirling to pass. Darkness closed in around her. Stifling her. Disoriented, she reached out and felt a pad beneath her. Shanti Bhavan?
She opened her eyes and looked up. Her mother was peering down at her through a veil of netting. She saw her face clearly. Her large brown eyes. The tika in the middle of her forehead. And heard her mother's voice. "I did it for you, Elizabeth," she was saying. "For Kali." Her mother reached under the netting and touched Elizabeth's leg, her hand lingering there. Her mother's fingers on her leg were welcome. Soothing. Reassuring.
Then her mother was gone...
It seemed an eternity that Elizabeth lay there, waiting for her mother to return. After a while, she opened her eyes. But this time she stared into darkness. There was a pad beneath her, but she wasn't at Shanti Bhavan. And the room reeked of mice droppings. And mold. Still, the feel of her mother's fingers on her leg seemed real. Bewildered, she placed her hand where her mother had touched. And felt nothing...
Something skittered above. Like tiny feet. Gradually things began to come into focus. The sharp pain in her leg. The dak bungalow. Damon administering serpentina. Then everything went black... Until she saw her mother's face and fel
t her mother's fingers on her leg. Absently, she reached for the place where her mother touched. And everything came into her mind's eye. The pouch. The opal. Her knife. All were missing. And Damon was gone.
The realization came slowly, but surely. Damon took the opal while she was unconscious and left her to die. With her gone, he'd have the opal and Shanti Bhavan—everything he needed to claim his birthright. He'd killed his brother for Westwendham. He'd kill again to keep it. She'd also have to find her way home. Alone.
Sitting uncertainly, the room tilting, she lowered her feet to the floor and started for the door. But before she could reach it, she heard the lock turning. Fearing thugees, she staggered back on wobbly feet and sank into the corner behind a chair. And waited...
CHAPTER TWELVE
Slowly the door opened, and the shadowy figure of a large man filled the doorway. He stood motionless, saying nothing. It was so quiet, Elizabeth was certain he could hear her anxious breathing. Then she heard footsteps crossing the room and knew that whoever it was, was standing at the bed. "Elizabeth?" she heard Damon call out.
Uncertain whether to respond—the knowledge that he'd taken the opal and her knife still fresh—she said nothing.
Her Master's Touch Page 20