robert Charrette - Arthur 02 - A King Beneath the Mountain Read Online Free PDF Page A

this." The elf held out a scrap of garment. The rest had gone to other hunters. "Find him if you can."
    "Wiill. Wiill naaht fail you, loord."
    "See that you do, Gorshin." The elf had heard that promise before. He hoped that it would be so. "Go."
    Gorshin left him in a fluttering, awkward glide, heading for the city. The elf turned and walked back the way he'd come. There were matters that needed his attention.
    CHAPTER
    2
    "Your personal interest in this operation is commendable, Ms. Martinez."
    If Nakaguchi hadn't shouted, Pamela wouldn't have heard him over the roar of the engines. There was nothing to be gained by shouting back. She gave Nakaguchi a polite smile he didn't deserve. He seemed satisfied and continued on his way to the cockpit. Pamela went back to staring out the window at the mountains through which they traveled.
    Just how much did kansayaku Nakaguchi know? Certainly he knew enough to name some names that Pamela had thought sufficiently concealed from her superiors. How much more? If he knew all, as he claimed, why had he not exposed her operation? Instead Nakaguchi had involved himself in the Charybdis Project without cutting her out of the operations. An unusual course. What did he have in mind?
    She intended to find out, and this trip had offered her the first chance to uncover his agenda. Investigations in this part of the world hadn't been part of her program, yet Nakaguchi had arranged the trip here using Charybdis resources. She had been surprised when he had agreed to let her come along.
    Foolish of him. She planned on taking advantage of the opportunity.
    The noise level in the Aureohuida Caballo™ helicopter was abominable. Company equipment would have been quieter, but while Mitsutomo Keiretsu was one of the dominant megacorporations of the world economic community, the Keiretsu didn't have a very strong presence in South America and some of the usual travel amenities were lacking. She half suspected that Nakaguchi had deliberately chosen such substandard transport.
    The Caballo began to buck in the treacherous mountain winds as the rotary-winged craft dipped in closer to the granite claws reaching up from below. Pamela gripped her armrests tightly. She already had her harness in place and watched as the unwise among her fellow passengers hastily sought to fasten theirs and maintain some decorum. Nakaguchi seemed to be enjoying the lurching flight, but most of the others looked sick. Pamela didn't find the gut-wrenching ride to her liking either. She heard the nauseating sound of someone vomiting behind her and hoped the unfortunate had managed to reach his airsickness bag in time.
    The jolt of the first wheel striking ground was little different from the more energetic bounces the helicopter had taken during its descent. Pamela didn't even think about releasing her harness until she was satisfied that all four wheels had touched down and the craft was firmly on the ground.
    Duncan Middleton, her personal assistant, joined her as she unlatched the last buckle. He was the only member of her staff that Nakaguchi had cleared for the trip.
    "Mr. Hagen's not much of a flier," Duncan said, smiling smugly.
    Pamela glanced back as she stood and stepped into the aisle. Hendrik Hagen looked sick, pale and strained. Pale flecks in his dark beard marked him as the passenger with the weak stomach. If he'd been one of hers, she would have felt some sympathy, or at least said something sympathetic. As it was, she felt vaguely pleased with the man's discomfort.
    Hagen had shown up with the second wave of Nakaguchi's invasion. The roster listed him as a public relations specialist, obviously a cover for his actual function in Nakaguchi's organization. Her people still hadn't sorted out exactly what he did for Nakaguchi.
    When he was more composed, Hagen looked a lot like Sorii. In fact, the first time she'd seen him, Pamela had thought he might be Sorii. Only he hadn't shown any sign of recognizing her, and the