He gave a low whistle. “He wanted to see if she was any better than the trainers in his own stables?”
She nodded. “And now he believes she might be extraordinary. He told her he was going to send her to his stable in the mountains as soon as he finished the negotiations for the other students. But Sasha had already seen what he was doing to those girls and she told him she wouldn’t go anywhere or train any of his horses until he let them go.”
“You’re right, that’s living on the edge. I’m surprised she’s still alive.”
“Do you think I wasn’t?” she asked fiercely. “He was furious with her. He beat her every day for almost a week. I couldn’t stand it. We’d located him by that time, and I knew what he was doing to her. But if I’d tried to attack the camp to free her, he would have killed her. He finally stopped it himself. He apparently didn’t want to damage her too badly.” She added sarcastically, “After all, he had to think of his horses. If she was as good as he’d heard, she was of value to him. Besides, he had another idea: He started to make her watch him beat another student every day in her place. It worked beautifully.” Alina’s voice was bitter. “She said she’d do anything he wanted if he’d only stop hurting them. She stopped fighting him and agreed to go wherever he asked whenever he was ready for her. Masenak knew he’d won. Right now he treats her rather like a pet that he’s tamed and keeps on a leash. He even allows her the freedom he doesn’t permit the other prisoners so that she remains exercised and healthy. It’s clear he’s regarding her as property, too.” She looked away from him. “But I know her. She won’t stand for it much longer. I have to get her out of there.”
“That’s pretty damn clear.” He was studying her expression, “I can see you’re upset as hell about this girl. Start at the beginning. She’s more than just one of the students. She’s important to you.”
“They’re all important to me.”
“Anything I want to know,” he said, repeating her own words softly. “Tell me.”
She was silent. “I’ve been sponsoring Sasha at St. Eldon’s Academy for the last five years,” she said finally. “I was the one responsible for her being there at the time when Masenak attacked.”
“Sponsoring? That’s a very exclusive school. She’s a relation of some sort?”
“If she’d been a relation of mine, she would never have been accepted. But I needed her to go to that academy because it was a great school and close enough for me to keep an eye on her while I was on assignments.” She shrugged. “That meant I had to forge her application under the name of Sasha Lawrence and create an appropriate pedigree and background for both of us before the administration would take my money.” She grimaced. “I like to think we’re sisters under the skin. But sometimes I wasn’t able to decide which one of us was the kid sister and who was taking care of whom. It doesn’t seem to matter. We’re both orphans, street kids, and survivors. Once we became used to each other, we were just the family neither one of us had ever had. When I found her at that circus in Naples, we were very wary of each other. She worked with the horses; the first time I saw her, she was only ten years old and standing on the back of a white Arabian stallion dressed in a frilly blue tutu. She was wonderful. I went back every day for weeks to let her get used to me.” She paused. “And she did get used to me. We were still wary of each other. Yet there was also a kind of…recognition.”
“I do believe you’re glowing,” he said softly, his gaze on her face. “Careful, you’re letting your guard down. I’m sure that’s dangerous for you.”
“If I have to tell you about her, I can’t lie about how I feel. And it’s not dangerous, because you can’t touch that part of me.”
“So you ran across a kindred soul, adopted her, and sent her to school. And now you’re blaming yourself for putting her in harm’s way?”
“It wasn’t exactly that uncomplicated. And you have to realize that she was more a kindred soul to Margaret than to me. It was Margaret who sent me to that circus tent in Naples. That’s how I came to find Sasha.” She lifted her cup to her lips. “You wanted to know the entire story? Listen to it. Lord knows I’d rather lie, but I promised I wouldn’t. So I’ll be as brief as I can, and hope I have a remote chance of convincing you. Though I probably don’t have a chance in hell.”
“I’m listening.”
“Several years ago, one of the specialties I was studying was tracking. These days most tracking is done on computers, but I was interested in the actual physical tracking process. I researched and found that without doubt the place to get the best training was with the Shadow Wolves unit of Native American trackers in Arizona. Homeland Security offered the course, but the training was done purely by the Indians. I was on my way the next week. I’d been in training almost a month when I ran across Margaret on a trail in the desert. We liked each other right away. Who wouldn’t like Margaret? She worked at an animal clinic on an island in the Caribbean, but she told me she came back to the Shadow Wolves every year for a tracking refresher session. I’d never seen anyone as good at tracking as Margaret, not even the Native American instructors.” She smiled. “I learned an enormous amount from her in a short time. When she was tracking, she seemed to be part of the earth, part of the forest, part of all the animals around her. Like I said, we became good friends. She was actually the first friend I’d really ever had. I was always too busy working, searching for answers, trying to be the best.” She looked down into the fire. “I watched her, she…fascinated me. I couldn’t help but try to take everything about her apart to see how it ticked. It’s what I do with everything.” She moistened her lips. “And before I left, I managed to do that with Margaret. Though I think that she let me do it because she trusted me.” She made a face. “Or maybe she was just as lonely as I was.” She glanced at Korgan. “I’m not just meandering. I’m getting to what you need to know.”
“Surprisingly, I’m not feeling impatient any longer. You’re giving me a picture of the way you think and the person you are that may be valuable to me later.” He tilted his head. “Plus a tale of Native Americans and trackers and two friends finding each other. I’m actually finding it rather touching. And what else do I have to do tonight?”
“I don’t want you to be touched. No one has to feel sorry for me. I’m just going for understanding.” She added wryly, “Which I’m probably not going to get from you in the next few minutes.”
“Ah, the meandering is done?” His faint smile faded. “Your entire story was revolving about your friend Margaret. I’d guess you’re not finished. What else do I need to know about her?”
She looked back down at the fire. Say it quickly and get it over. “One of the reasons Margaret is such a good tracker is that she’s conscious of everything around her. She’s particularly aware of all the animals in her vicinity.”
“Yes?”
She braced herself. Stop hesitating, just say the words. “She can communicate with them,” she burst out. “Margaret told me she’s been able to do it all her life. She knows what they’re thinking, they know what she’s thinking.”
He burst out laughing. “Like Tarzan of the jungle? Do you think I’m crazy?”
“No, and I had the same reaction as you when I realized that’s what she was doing. It was all very subtle, but I could see the results, if not what was happening. Then when she told me, it all came together.”
He shook his head incredulously. “And you think I’ll believe this bullshit?”
“Do you know how much easier it would have been for me to lie to you? I hope you will, because it’s true. Animals and humans can communicate both by action and telepathically. After I met Margaret, I did research. The info is scanty at best, but it does exist. Koko, a lowland gorilla from the Gorilla Foundation’s preserve in California, used sign language and supposedly knew over three thousand words. Animals aren’t all that different from us. Primates have cognitive abilities that permit them to assess the qualities of prospective rivals, allies, and
mates, just as we do. They recognize individuals, identify kin, keep track of past interactions with group members. They can even compute the value of resources and services.” She could see she was losing him. “And millions of pet owners believe they know what their dogs or cats are thinking. Are they all crazy? Though I do believe the telepathic link between people like Margaret and animals must be very, very rare, and that’s why we won’t accept it when it shows up. Margaret said she went through hell when she was a child until she learned to keep her mouth shut.”
He was frowning at her in disbelief. “You’re actually sincere about this.”
“It’s how we found Masenak,” she said simply. “That jungle is a complete nightmare. After the kidnapping, I was trying to track him and coming up with nothing. But when Margaret got here, she found his camp in a day and a half.” She smiled crookedly. “There are lots of animals in that jungle, and it appears they’re not at all averse to gossiping.”
He shook his head. “Bullshit,” he said harshly. “And madness.”
“That’s what Margaret’s father told her when she was only a toddler. He beat her with his belt because she’d told him she knew the dog next door was sick because he’d told her so. But their neighbors were glad when they managed to save their dog’s life.” She added, “And I’m sure that every time you come up with another one of those miracle inventions, a lot of people think you have to be a little crazy to create something no one else has even imagined.” She met his eyes. “So I’ll embrace that madness if it will keep any more of those girls from being killed by Masenak. I swear it’s true, Korgan.”
“What you think is true. I suppose next you’re going to tell me that you can communicate with animals, too?”
“No, I told you it was very rare.” She hesitated and then said recklessly, “But Sasha Nalano can do it. That was why I went to see that little girl at the circus in Naples. Margaret was always on the lookout for anyone who could do what she could. She knew how alone she’d felt all her life and wanted to reach out to them. She’d heard of a child there in Naples who was almost magical with horses, and she asked me to check her out if I had a chance. She said sometimes that strong affinity for one animal indicates that same rare ability Margaret possesses. The person just tries to protect themselves by hiding it in an acceptable format, as Sasha did with horse training.”
“And lo and behold, you found your Margaret was right.”
The sarcasm was beginning to hurt, and she had to end this conversation. “It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. All you have to accept is that when Margaret comes back, she’ll have the info we need about Baldwin as I promised. You shouldn’t care how she got it.” She got to her feet. “And then I’ll go after him and turn him over to you. So that means you’d better be ready to find a way to save Sasha and the rest of those students.”
“But your Sasha obviously comes first,” he said harshly. “Isn’t that a bit selfish? Vogel shouldn’t have worried about you being too altruistic.”
“What do you want me to say?” she asked fiercely. “Every life is important, but I’ve never had anybody that I cared about in danger before. I’ll do everything I can to save all of them, but I won’t let Sasha die. She’s the closest thing to family that I’ve ever had.” She turned and quickly walked away from him toward the path where Margaret had disappeared. She shouldn’t care what he thought. She didn’t know why his opinion mattered when she usually didn’t give a damn what anyone thought. It had been just as difficult as she’d thought it would be, she thought wearily as she dropped to the ground and leaned back against a banyan tree. She couldn’t blame Korgan for being skeptical. How could she, when the concept she’d thrown out there was as crazy as he’d said? She’d had to tell him, because she’d made that damn promise, but if there had been any way she could have avoided it, she would have. Now he must think she was some kind of psycho, and she found that thought intensely painful. Ever since she had heard about Gabe Korgan, she had become intrigued and fascinated by his inventions and how he could change the world around him. She respected his mental abilities more than those of any other man she’d met, and the fact that he would never feel a similar respect for her stung bitterly.
Okay, forget it. She had invaded his life and she couldn’t expect anything else. It didn’t really matter how he felt about her when the common purpose they had would disappear as soon as it was accomplished. She would just stay here until Margaret came back and avoid thinking about him. Just try to make plans and hope that Margaret was accomplishing everything that Alisa had told Korgan she would.
And pray that when Margaret got to that camp, Sasha was still going to be alive.
* * *
Szarnar Jungle
Masenak’s Camp
Third sentry was changed…
Juno!
Margaret stopped on the path. Every muscle of her body tensed. Where?
Near creek.
Only one?
A moment of uncertainty. Then the answer from Juno. One. And she knows about it. She’s still coming.
Margaret let out the breath she’d been holding. If Sasha knew about the change of sentries, she’d be able to avoid that one closest to her tent with no problem. Margaret was constantly amazed at how adept and silent Sasha was when moving through the jungle. Amazed and terrified. The last thing she wanted was for Sasha to gain even more confidence than she already had in her ability to escape the notice of those bastards. She was entirely too reckless already.
A flash of white fur in the darkness ahead and Juno was suddenly moving out of the brush. Here.
I see you are. Now where is Sasha?
“Behind you,” Sasha whispered. “I had to go around the head of the creek to get to you.”
Margaret whirled to see the young girl coming out of the trees. And she did look even younger than her fifteen years tonight, Margaret thought. Young and terribly fragile. Before Sasha had been taken, she’d been slim and petite, but now with strain, horror, and loss of weight she appeared almost childlike. Still, there was nothing childlike in the face Margaret was looking into. Sasha’s dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail to reveal her high cheekbones, but those huge dark eyes were fierce and her lips tight as she ran toward Margaret. Then Sasha was enveloping her in a hug. “You’re late.” Her voice was low and muffled against her. “I was beginning to worry until I sensed Juno. Is Alisa all right?”
“Fine. Better than fine, since she arrived back in Maldara this evening with possible help. We’re going to get you away from Masenak, Sasha.”
“Maybe.” She stepped back. “That Korgan man you told me about? Alisa said he was very smart, but she didn’t know whether she’d be able to find a way to use him.”
“Well, she managed to pull a rabbit out of her hat. Korgan’s making her jump through a few hoops, but I believe in the end she’ll have him.” She gave the girl an affectionate shake. “So don’t be so skeptical. We’ll make this happen.”
She nodded jerkily. “And it might have to be us who does it. No one else wants to help, Margaret. Can’t you see that? All those CIA people and U.N. charities and governments and they won’t do anything. Everyone is afraid of Masenak.”
“This time it’s different.”
“Don’t tell me that!” Sasha’s eyes were suddenly glittering with tears. “It keeps happening. He’s never going to stop unless we stop him. He’s hurting them.” The tears were running down her cheeks. “And I can’t watch it again without doing something, no matter what you say. I won’t do it.”
Margaret went still. “Again?” She should have realized that there had to be a reason why Sasha’s bitterness seemed more explosive than usual. “Something happened today?”
“Jeanne Palsan.” Sasha’s body was starting to shake. “They…raped her. They dragged her out into the center of the camp and tied her down. She was…screaming. Then they pulled the rest of us out of the tents to watch so we’d know what would happen to us if we didn�
�t do whatever they wanted.” She was panting. “There were…three of them. They were filming it and laughing and talking to her parents as they did…terrible, terrible things to her. She’s only…eleven and they wouldn’t stop. I wanted to kill all of them and all I could do was stand there.”
Margaret couldn’t bear it. She pulled Sasha close and held her tightly. “I know it was terrible,” she said hoarsely. She could feel tears sting her own eyes. “And we will punish them. I promise you it will happen soon.”
“Masenak didn’t think so. He came to stand beside me while they were doing…that…to her and was telling me how lucky I was that I had something of value to barter. He said that as long as I performed well with the horses in his stable, he might not have to have his men do that to me.” She took a step back and was wiping her eyes. “And all the while she was screaming, and I don’t think he even heard her. She was nothing to him.”
Margaret had a sudden thought that sent a chill through her. “Why did that happen to her today? Was Masenak punishing her because he thought the CIA or some other organization was starting another offensive against him? Was there any talk in the camp?”
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