when he thought of her, his stomach knotted and his throat felt as though it were in the grip of an invisible hand. He grasped some water from the stream and splashed it on his face. His eyes burnt with tiredness. He’d hardly slept during the night; whenever he’d closed his eyes he’d seen Elizabeth. Even now that it was morning, he knew that if he shut his eyelids she would be there. He drank some water, but his throat stayed dry. Jhala. He’d trusted his old guru, followed him, believed in him. But now Jhala was using Elizabeth as a weapon. Was Jhala being forced into it? Commanded? ‘No, that didn’t make sense. Only Jhala himself could have come up with the plan to hunt William. Only he knew enough about Jack to think of it. No one was pressuring him. When had Jhala hatched the plan? Was it when Elizabeth was first brought to the barracks? Or was it even before then? Had Jhala been wondering how to coerce Jack when Elizabeth had fallen right into his lap? Jack realised he’d clenched his hand as he held it in the stream.
