Lovers in the Woods (11 page)

Chapter
Five

“
You
said you never met her.” Rayenne lifted her chin to
strengthen the accusation. Her words were tinted with bitterness.
“You said you could not imagine her pursuing you. I was so close to
believing you.”

“Hear me out, that’s all I ask for.”

Her voice was grim.

“Sure. Go ahead.”

Sajitar’s heart sank. He
struggled for words. The memories were a strangled, hurting mess in
his mind and he did not wish to recall them.
The planet’s not big enough to
escape
.
I
should have taken a space ship instead of a B-horse.

“Sananda’s a very clever woman. She can tell
you that there are six moons above and you nod and believe it.
That’s her strategy. That’s all she does. She talks people into
believing her scheme so that they don’t know if what they are doing
is illegal. She never dirties her hands.” Again he paused. There
was no mercy in Rayenne’s eyes. He had to avoid staring at her or
knew he would falter. “She made me believe that she wanted me, but
she has…a very special way of showing her affection.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you became
her pet?” And upon his pained expression she nodded. “It’s not
unheard of. She’s out for dominating her partners and you were a
willing—”

“
I was a victim, Ray. On that last night,
she had me lured into her playroom and before I realized what she
was doing, she had me bound, and the iron in her hand. When I was
able to have a clear thought once more, all I wanted was to get
away from her.”

Rayenne smiled bitterly. “You want me to
believe that you were seduced, misused and are hunted because she
wants her pet back in her playroom? Sorry, but I’m not drunk enough
to believe that.” She shook her head when he nodded. “By what I
know, she can seduce every man around to stay with her. Why should
she want you out of all of them?”

“You don’t know her, Ray, believe me.”

She frowned. “I’ve been on her heels since
the day I set foot on Belthraine. That’s why I came here in the
first place—to catch Sananda and her gang because local police were
said to be involved too much in her crimes. And of all the things
colleagues told me about her, there was no word that she might be
fixed on one single being. She’s a player. The more the
merrier.”

“Yes, but she plays the cards well that she
holds. And she doesn’t like losing one single card in her
complicated game.”

“Ah, so you were more than just a lap dog?
What was your position? Something like an admiring follower who’d
run errands? What kind of jobs did you do for her aside from
licking her toes?”

“You misunderstand me on purpose. She had
seduced me, I agree. And my rejection, my escape from the city and
therefore from her grasp angered her. It angered her the moment she
realized that the brand had not brought me closer to her but had
chased me away.”

Rayenne opened her eyes wide in mock
surprise. “Why would she think that it made you want to flee her?
It’s such a loving gesture, is it not? I always wanted to be a
lover’s special pet. My, what did I miss?”

Sajitar’s shoulders sagged as he recalled the
long days and even longer nights he had spent at Sananda’s
home.

“If you are in the game, Ray, everything’s
allowed. I’ve seen men kneel at her feet and kiss her toes and they
were in heaven if she patted their heads. They wanted to live like
that and a brand is the sign of deep devotion. It is only given to
a few. She expected the same from me. She expected me to fall at
her feet and thank her for her generosity. I disappointed her. The
card game, to stay in the picture, was suddenly lost, the knave
dropped under the table.”

Rayenne sucked in her lower lip, looking at
him.

Sajitar wanted her to believe
him. Nothing seemed as important as having her back on his side. At
least he wanted to be back on neutral ground
, where it would be possible to
convince her of his honest intentions.

“
She sent two men to my door then, two days
after I had left. First they were polite and invited me to
Sananda’s home just to talk, but I knew I wouldn’t leave once I was
inside. I had seen her sanctuary. I could imagine what waited for
me.” He shook his head, caught in the memory. “Have you ever been
there? No, of course not. No one has who wasn’t invited. It’s like
no place on this planet. She takes only those men there she really
trusts. Business and such is dealt with in town, but once she’s
closed business for the day, she meets with men she loves
most.”

“And you’ve been there?”

“More than once, yes.” Sajitar paused and
averted his eyes from her inquiring stare. Her tone was harsh and
he wanted the explanation over. Yet, the signs of lenience were
scarce in Rayenne’s face. “No one had told me how special it was to
be invited. I was taken there by one of her drivers in a closed
carriage and she offered me hospitality. She made me feel like the
only man of importance.”

“You were flattered.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Sajitar pleaded for
understanding and found skepticism at its best. “She’s a beautiful
woman and very influential. Everyone said so, even if they didn’t
say it aloud. I followed her into the trap willingly, yes. Being
with her was a reward and other men envied me. For me, a young man
from a village without a name, this was overwhelming.”

“I get the picture.”

Sajitar took the grumpy tone as a sign to
quicken his monologue.

“
I learned that she wanted to be in
control, first just with words, later with tethers. Her approach
was subtle enough to make me feel good. I gave her what she wanted.
Willingly. Then the day came when she said…” He ran a hand through
his tousled hair. His heart beat fast just thinking of how helpless
he had been. The pain had not been the worst, but the knowledge of
being under her heel. “Well, she took me to her special room, and I
knew that rejecting her wishes would spoil the mood and, at the
worst, cast me out for good. I didn’t look around close enough to
realize what she had planned. She tied me up, then all of a sudden
she held that branding iron in her hand.” He swallowed. The memory
stuck in his throat. He still heard her soft voice and the sizzling
coming closer to his naked body. “I begged her not to do it, but
she just smiled, telling me that I would be her special lover
forever. The next day, I fled her sanctuary, properly taken care
of, of course, but with the knowledge that I could either leave for
good or stay at her place until she would grow weary of me. Do you
understand? I escaped, risking my neck to get away from her
clutches.”

Sajitar looked at Rayenne and held her
stare. He had poured out his heart to her and hoped she would
believe. He realized he held the waterskin in his hands and changed
it for the wine flagon. He needed a drink, badly. Rayenne watched
him, eyebrows knitted, lips pressed tight. To Sajitar, her
expression had somewhat softened. The harsh rejection of the first
minute had made way for a more controlled review of the whole
story. Sajitar felt as if he stood in front of her, naked. The
irony almost made him smile.

Rayenne broke the silence, her voice down to
business.

“You know, this sanctuary as you call it,
it’s not in the police list of her properties. Where is it?”

He screwed the flagon and put it back.

“Somewhere close to Beechtree Pride. But I
don’t know the exact location.”

“Why do the
police not know about this place at all?”

“Because she doesn’t want anyone to know it.
She uses secret paths to get there.”

“Underground?”

“No, not that I know. When I was guided in I
had to drive in a carriage with the drapes down. The same way I
escaped—under a carriage that left the premises.” He was glad to be
on a safe subject. If he could help her he would. “I just heard
them talk about new ways to protect the hideout and how they had
framed the police.”

“Oh, that explains more than you think.” She
took a deep breath. “Once we get to Belson Park, you will describe
exactly where this sanctuary lies. You hear me? If you want my
trust, you will earn it.”

“
Certainly. You can count on it, I want
this bitch behind bars as much as you do.” Rayenne scrutinized him
and he feared he’d gone too far.

“If it’s true what you say, I tend to believe
you.”

He wanted to say
thanks
, but the word stuck realizing that she could use this
knowledge against him. She could tell the judge that he had shared
Sananda’s bed and that he must know more about her business than
just the inside of her secret home. Suddenly, his heart
raced.
I
s
Rayenne trustworthy? Will my secret stay a secret once we reach
Belson Park? Will she press me for more information or blackmail me
if I don’t tell the judge in detail?

He wiped his
face with both hands. Exhaustion gripped him. He was tired and not
even hungry. With his eyes half-closed he waited for Rayenne’s
decision. They would be together on their journey to town, for
better or for worse.

“The fish is cooked,” Ray said beside him.
“Do you want to eat? I’m starving.”

He licked his lips, trying desperately to
read her face. He needed to know what she thought, but she had
closed up to him.

“Yes, dinner would be great,” he lied and
took the bowl she handed him.

“
Good. We’ll be on our way shortly after
sunrise.”

“Sure. As you wish.”

Chapter
Six

Sajitar
woke with a headache
throbbing like the pulse of a giant through his body. He turned,
moaning, pressing both hands flat against his temples. Flashes of
pure white light came with the pulse and in between were the
flitting images of Horlyns standing their ground against people in
orange camouflage jumpsuits, pointing air pressure guns at the
insectoids. The semi-dark wood exploded in light and pain and
high-pitched screams. Winged Horlyns crashed down on the men,
smashing their bodies on the moist soil. Guns scattered on the
ground, shouts rose and more Horlyns appeared in the crowded space,
pressing hard on the opponents. It was a swirl of shapes and
colors, as numerous as the plants of all Belthraine forests
combined. The men tried to retreat, but there was no way out. In
their panic some tried to climb trees and were pulled down roughly.
Shots went astray, then all of a sudden, all weapons were
down.

Silence returned. The Horlyns examined the
dead. Two of their kind were taken away while the hooded men stayed
where they had fallen for the carrion eaters to fill their
stomachs.

The white light
behind his closed eyes remained for a few heartbeats. Sajitar
panted so much that his chest hurt. Clenching his jaw tight, he
hoped the headache would abate so he could leave the tent without
stumbling over his feet.

Rayenne
was still sleeping beside him, brows
knitted as if she was thinking about something unpleasant. He
smiled feebly. At least he hadn’t tossed and screamed at the end.
That was an improvement.

Slowly, he crawled away from the tent to
empty his first wine flagon. With the taste still in his mouth, he
searched for the second one he had haggled for on the way to his
last hideout. His grandpa had told him that the mix of herbs and
roots would keep ghosts away. Sajitar had only recently found out
that it helped the headache following a vision. While he allowed
himself another drink, he looked around.

First light touched the quiet
wood and he saw the outlines of their B-horses close by. They
leaned their heads on each other’s neck, half sleeping. He envied
them for their simple minds and the few troubles they had. Putting
back the flagon, he turned to find a Horlyn staring at him from ten
feet away. He held his breath, unable to move, unable to look away.
If possible, he wanted to stop breathing and melt with the
surroundings.
How could it get this close without me knowing?

The Horlyn’s large antennae—if
they were antennae at all—twisted in his direction as if to take in
his scent. Its head turned to the right and the compound eyes
seemed to keep him in their stare. The Horlyn changed ever so
slightly with every blink of
his eyes. With each ray of light that reflected on
the carapace the outer appearance changed color, form, and even the
antennae. Every part of the alien creature floated, as if it could
not decide which form it wanted to present.

Sajitar turned slowly, swallowing
nervously. He did not want to agitate the creature, but he felt the
urge to ask what it wanted. For lack of a better way, he closed his
eyes and imagined the Horlyn attacking the tent with Rayenne and
him. He frowned then added the B-horses to the alien’s
meal.

As a result, the Horlyn took two steps
back, ignoring the crash of undergrowth behind it. A sound came
from it that Sajitar interpreted as confusion. The tweeting became
high and unpleasant. It cocked its mighty head toward the other
direction. Then, without warning, Sajitar received the answering
image.

Lots of Horlyns gathered around a large place
with huts, fireplaces and people of different ages and different
gender. They were dressed in rustic clothes as they wandered about
a small village. They talked with each other and seemed content.
They saw the Horlyns and waved at them as if they liked for them to
be around.

The image was suddenly gone and Sajitar
opened his eyes again. He sat on his butt, panting.