Page 41 of Loving Graystoke's Heir

Zenzile leaned forward and narrowed her eyes to see into the darkness. “Their vehicles are still here. So, they’re still in the area.”

Donal and Zenzile were the first on the ground and he heard Magheli help Tamsin down from the vehicle.

He didn’t turn back. He knew that Magheli would take care of Tamsin. The two men might not get along, but the Afrikaner cared for Tamsin.

Together, Donal and Zenzile reached the edge of the camp and quickly moved through the area looking for clues.

Inside of him, his gorilla struggled against his control. He wanted out. He could help much more than Donal in his own form, but only Tamsin understood who he really was.

Taking time to deal with the shock and confusion of the others would take too much time. He had to do the best he could for the moment.

“Here!” Zenzile’s voice carried across the camp easily even though she only hissed the word. “Here, Donal.”

He crossed to her, letting some of his gorilla’s strength and agility bleed through. In the dark, he hoped no one would notice it, as quickly as he was moving.

At Zenzile’s side, he followed her outstretched arm and looked at the knot of footprints and then the long irregular lines of men walking out of camp.

“They’re on the move.”

Another quick look around the camp found the gun-boxes open.

“A hunt.” Zenzile spat the words as she reached out and picked up a leather-bound notebook from the table. “Ri-Rikar- I can’t see it in this light.”

“Here.” Tamsin took the book from their friend and tilted it toward the moon. “David Rikard. Donal?” She looked up, and he could see the way her eyes had widened and the color in her skin had paled. “He’s a friend of your uncle.”

Magheli appeared at her side and looked down at the book she held. “Are you sure it’s the same man?”

Tamsin nodded, but she was already thumbing through the book. “David Rikard is a big game hunter. I remember talking to Donal’s uncle and asking him how he could be a friend to such a man. The stories of his hunts, at least in your Uncle’s circle, are legendary. I only found out when the Board was invited to his country house for a picnic. The walls of his Great Room are covered in heads of animals. All of his trophies.” She shuddered visibly. “When I asked your uncle how he could be a friend to a man like that, he told me to stop being a child. He said that sometimes you need to have friends who do a little evil if you know they can do a little good too. I still don’t understand what he meant, but that was the last time I went to Rikard’s property for any reason.

“If he’s here, then I’m sure this is the group that’s poaching. He doesn’t seem to have any scruples about killing threatened or endangered species. I can’t believe…”

Donal moved to her side and set a hand on her shoulder. “Tam, what’s wrong?”

When she lifted her head to look at him, he saw that her eyes widened in horror and as he lifted his hand to her cheek, he felt her skin was as cold as ice against his own.

“Tamsin, tell me.”

She held out the book to him, her hand shaking as if the book weighed a ton. “Look, Donal. Look at this list.”

He took the book from her and turned it around so he could read it. With his gorilla helping him with the lack of light, he easily read the words in the book. Tamsin pointed out the one animal without a mark beside it.”

GORILLA

Dropping his gaze to the ground and following the tracks in the darkness, Donal felt the horrifying puzzle pieces fall into place in his head.

The poachers were going after gorillas and they were headed straight toward the nesting ground of his people.

Terror.

He felt abject terror.

“I know where they’re going.”

* * *

They heard the commotion before they were upon it. The night was split by gunfire again and again, mixed in with the fearsome chorus of screams and barks.

Tamsin shouted at Donal, feeling how torn he was.

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