Lovers in the Woods (22 page)

“You promised…”

“I know. I am a missionary on a lost cause.”
He looked ahead and stood, exhaling, like rooted to the ground.
“Wait.”

Sajitar, sunken in his own bitter memory
about Belson Park, Sananda Wang and his escape, bumped into Bunty’s
rear before looking up. Both B-horses snorted and sidestepped. When
he saw the two Horlyns he understood Thannis’ reaction.

“
Looks like our departure isn’t going
unnoticed,” Ray said quietly, gaze fixed on the mighty creatures.
“Saji?”

“You cannot force your passage,” Thannis
stated. “Not against them.”

Sajitar came up on Thannis’ left side,
annoyed by the older man’s declaration.

“
We want to leave. Nothing changes that.”
Before Thannis could reply, Sajitar received an image from the
female Horlyn and realized it was the one which had removed the
bullet from his body. She showed him Rayenne and himself and two
little children playing in the village, all smiling and very happy.
The settlers were around, dressed prettily, carrying baskets of
fruits and flat baked bread. Contentment was in the air like a
sweet, welcome perfume. People gathered around Sajitar, listening
to his explanations. Then the image changed and at the wood’s rim
Sajitar fled on foot from soldiers in orange uniforms, wounded and
close to being shot again. He stumbled and fell and the attackers
were at his back, pinning him to the ground, shackles ready. He
could not see their faces, but knew he would not be taken to a
police station.

Sajitar shied away from the threatening
image and when he opened his eyes he was sitting on the ground,
palms pressed against his temples.

“You told them to stop,” Ray said helping him
up. “I didn’t understand the rest. What did they do?”

“
Not now.” Sajitar breathed heavily,
evading both Thannis’ and Rayenne’s questioning gazes. He stood and
looked at the Horlyns. “Your proposed future is a fine
construction, but even if it runs true, it’s not always the way men
choose.” He closed his eyes, concentrating on his own picture: Ray
and Saji sitting in front of their hut, scratching spiritlessly the
sand with a stick, talking softly about their departure and how
they would try again and again.

A headache knocked dully in the back of his
head as he focused on the Horlyns once more, hoping to make them
understand.

Rayenne watched him intently while Thannis
only smiled as if he knew exactly what was about to happen.

Sajitar braced for another encounter of
visual argument. The Horlyns stood beside each other, touching with
their antennae and rubbing their heads, like a strange prelude to
their next strange action. To Sajitar, it was the quiet exchange of
different arguments and he waited with bated breath for the result.
They tweeted in high then in low tones, but did not give way. The
antennae moved faster, more excitedly. The female Horlyn made a
step forward, expanding the flaps on both sides so it appeared even
wider and more impressive. The other immediately blocked its path
with its body. The tweeting became louder and painful to hear.
There was no doubt about the ongoing conflict.

Sajitar felt squeezed by mere impressions
of light and darkness, within which floated images of Sajitar
laughing among a group of children. The village was larger than it
was now, filled with life and happiness. Rayenne was beside him,
carrying a baby. She looked positively radiant and kissed Sajitar
lovingly. Though he knew it was only an image, a projection the
Horlyns made him believe, he wanted to turn and kiss Rayenne on the
spot.

Sajitar suppressed the desire with a supreme
effort and concentrated on unhappiness and boredom once more. He
tried to picture man’s decisiveness to never stay a prisoner, no
matter how powerful the captors were.

When he looked up, the female Horlyn
towered over him. Tessla had bolted without Sajitar knowing and
both Ray and Thannis stepped back, stunned by the sudden
aggression. Sajitar shivered with fear. The Horlyn’s antennae were
longer than his body, the head a hard shell with dark angry eyes
above. One of its legs was strong enough to crush him through to
the roots of the closest tree. He heard voices around, but could
not make out words. Even turning his head was impossible. He was
too afraid he would miss seeing the move and get hurt by that leg
only inches away.

Like a destructive wave, more images
flooded Sajitar’s weakening mind, showing him men in camouflage,
carrying large weapons, cornering him and Rayenne at his side. The
situation escalated and the shootout ended in an irreversible,
terrible outcome. He fell and saw Rayenne’s empty eyes and great
wounds across her face and body.

The headache was so bad he could no longer
focus. Gathering strength for a final fight, Sajitar lifted his
head, already kneeling on the ground.

“
No! It’s not like that! It’s not only
peace here and war everywhere else! You are wrong!” But he felt the
fear arising from deep inside him, the whispers of dreadful voices,
proclaiming sadness and loss outside the forest. There was death
around and running through him. Even if he survived, he would never
be happy again. No other woman would come, no children would be
born. He would wander around like a man already dead.

An antenna touched his head as if probing
for answers. Sajitar panted, suddenly knowing too well that running
away would not work. He was shaken to the bones, teeth clattering,
feeling the loss even though it had not taken place. The last
mental assault had left him powerless. He could no longer send
images back. If it had been a battle of wits, he had clearly lost
it.

“Saji, what’s happening?”

He had no spittle left to
formulate an answer.
Isn’t it obvious that they won’t let us pass?
He had tried to tell
an alien race about the endurance of mankind and for a brief moment
he had hope that he would succeed.

The touching antenna belonged to the male
companion of the Horlyn surgeon. A long tweeting followed. Sajitar
could make no meaning out of it, even if his life depended on it.
The sound could mean anything from the order to return to the
village to a cheer for his courage. He blinked dully, swallowed and
lifted his hands in question.

The male Horlyn used his body to make the
female step to the side. It followed with obvious resistance.
Another step, and the crude path opened to Sajitar.

“Are you telling me…?” Strong hands lifted
him up and he blinked to see Thannis behind him.

“
Yes, I suppose they are telling you you
are free to go.” Thannis was pale and his lips twitched. “I don’t
know how you did this, but you’d better take the chance. She
doesn’t want anyone to leave, and it’s not out of possessiveness.
She really cares for all of us.”

“Thank you.” Sajitar took a deep breath.

“Shall I help you mount?”

Sajitar felt himself nod. Rayenne brought
Tessla and held the reins until Sajitar climbed up clumsily.

“You okay?” she asked and he nodded
automatically.

His mind was blown to pieces by so many
images of strange origin. He could not speak.

“
Fine. We better be on our way.” Ray turned
to hug Thannis. “Thank you for your help.”

“It was not my doing. Your friend here is a
remarkable man. Take good care of him.”

“I will.”

Sajitar reached out a hand.

Thannis smiled as amicably as
during their first meeting.
“I’m grateful you don’t want to keep us
here.”

“
Oh, I want to, but my
arguments are few.” Thannis patted Sajitar’s arm. “Ride with the
blessings of the Color-changers. I
believe their struggle was harder
than mine.”

Sajitar felt the same, but words would not
come. He hung on his B-horse like a drunkard, but ignored Ray’s
questions and just urged her to leave.

They passed the watching Horlyns and the
B-horses trotted without being urged.

Chapter
Ten

Sajitar
had no recollection
of the ride. He knew the light had brightened until it ached in his
eyes and he had hung over Tessla’s withers. As before, he had
relied on the B-horse’s senses and gentleness to carry him even if
he was unable to help. Tessla had followed Bunty’s tail until
Rayenne found a place to stop.

Only when she talked to him had he lifted his
head to look at her without seeing much.

“Let me help you down.”

Sajitar took the offered hands and slithered
off the saddle only to fall on the ground, taking her with him.

“Sorry.”

She laughed and embraced him tightly.
“Don’t be sorry, Saji! I’m so glad you are alive! The moment the
Horlyn came closer I was afraid it would smash you.”

“She is afraid we will live through much pain
elsewhere,” he mumbled, content to rest his face against her
breasts, listening to her heartbeat. “She knows. She has seen
it.”

“Knows what? What kind of pain?”

Sajitar was too tired to explain. He
wanted nothing but rest, to sleep through the day and night and
maybe get up the next morning.

“
Hold it, Saji,” Rayenne urged him gently.
“Let me pitch the tent, then you can sleep as long as you want to.”
She maneuvered from under him to unpack the tent and hobble the
B-horses.

He watched her through half-closed eyes,
admiring her stamina. He longed to hold her in his arms again as if
to never let go. The image of Ray with a baby in her arms lingered
and left a warm, fuzzy feeling. He could not tell if it would be
their privilege to have a family, but now that he thought of it the
idea was no longer fantasy, but a reality within his grasp.
Smiling, he found that his life had turned in a direction he had
not anticipated. Until Ray had shown up to seduce him at the bar
and shackle him to a bed, he had only thought about escape. He had
had no greater wish than to remain undetected and earn some credits
by helping settlers with their B-horses or cleaning stables. He had
not thought further than a day ahead, always listening to gossip on
the streets, ready to pack and leave if the situation changed.
However, Rayenne and her partner had been subtle. And he had walked
into the trap willingly.

In retrospect, the trap had been a good
thing.

“Why are you smiling, Sajitar Haju?” Rayenne
asked when she helped him into the tent.

He walked on wobbly legs and sighed when he
lay down on his sleeping bag.

“So glad about being in a tent once
more?”

“
I just thought about how you caught me.”
He looked up at her face, framed by her long black hair.

She smiled,
raising her brows.

“
Up to that
night
,
I had thought that I could detect a policeman a mile
ahead.”

“
I am a master of deceit,” she purred, and
kissed his nose. Slowly, she undressed him, starting with his
boots. “If I hadn’t wished you to know, I would have continued my
scheme a week longer.” She threw the boots away and stretched for
another kiss. “And you wouldn’t have noticed.”

He licked his lips, frowning.

“You mean, if you had taken me with you
shackled? No, I don’t think you could’ve fooled me much
longer.”

She threw back her head laughing. Her hands
worked on his pants and had them down in a minute.

“
Oh, Saji, you wanted me from head to toe.
You wouldn’t have thought about who or what I was for weeks.” Her
lips touched his sensuously.

His heartbeat sped up and he pulled her in a
tight embrace.

“
I know what you are now and I won’t let
you go.” He cupped her cheeks. “I did this for you, Ray. I couldn’t
stand the thought of being forced back to live with the settlers
and knowing that other men would dare to touch you.”

“Hey, I’m a big girl.”

“Yeah, and there were many men I did not
trust.”

“
Protective, hmm? I like that.” Ray planted
kisses all over his face and neck, murmuring words of love. He
closed his eyes, content to have her with him, yet too tired to do
more than silently celebrate their union. When sleep pulled him
down, he heard her last words. “Sleep well, my brave warrior. So
sad it’s not over yet.”

There was no way to discern the intention
of the Horlyns that stayed well behind the couple. Sajitar turned
every now and then and felt their presence, but they avoided clear
pictures. The impressions were like mush, almost within reach, but
never enough to understand. Sajitar was afraid they had changed
their minds and were waiting for them to fail their mission. Maybe
they knew there were obstacles ahead that neither men nor mounts
could master and hoped that they would turn around and agree to
live in the village.

A part of Sajitar longed for the safety of
the village, another part told him that he would never be truly
happy if he had to protect Rayenne fulltime and was not allowed to
leave whenever he felt the urge. It was hard to imagine that all of
the settlers preferred a life in a secluded space over roaming all
of the woods. Yet, he had not heard of anyone being unhappy about
the restrictions. For some time he pondered whether the Horlyns had
brainwashed every man and woman.

“You look worried, Saji.”

He lifted his head, waking from a trance and
trying to smile reassuringly.

“I enjoy the view. You sit like you’ve done
that for years. Is that true?”