Lovers in the Woods (15 page)

Swiftly, she rounded the tree and poised
gun.

A young man, hardly grown up, stared at her
wide-eyed, and shaking with fear. He threw up his hands.

“Don’t harm me! Please, don’t!”

“Who are you? And why were you sneaking up on
me?”

“No sneaking.” He swallowed so hard that his
Adam’s apple jumped. “I was just curious.”

“Curiosity can get you killed.” But she
lowered the gun, exhaling.

The young man in front of her was about
her size, lean, with dark brown hair and the first sign of a beard.
His lanky body was covered with a shapeless form of clothing, held
together by a rope belt, made of a material Rayenne had not seen
before. It had the same color as the wood, but the fibers appeared
to be soft, like rabbit’s fur.

“Again I ask you. Who are you? And where do
you come from?”

The young man showed two rows of
white teeth.
“So you won’t do me any
harm?”

“I won’t if you’re truthful with me.”

“I’m Bajan. And you?”

“Ray.”

“Welcome, Ray.” His smile widened as he ran a
hand through his hair. “You look very strange. Not like you’ve
lived here for long. Where do you come from? What do you want here?
Oh, and…” He shrugged a kind of apology. “We don’t have many
visitors here, so…there’s much I want to know. How did you get
here?”

“How come you live in the forest? Are you
lost? Were you part of a lumberjack party?”

“No, no. I live in a village close by. You
can come with me. Please, come with me. And your…animals, too.”

“You don’t know B-horses?”

“
I’ve heard of them.” He inclined his head.
“The elder tells about them, but I haven’t seen one yet. They are
beautiful.” He took a step forward. “Come.”

Rayenne took a deep breath. The young man
appeared very self-confident, now that her gun was behind her back
again. His hair was cut short, his clothes orderly and his arms and
legs were clean, as if he had recently washed himself. He bore no
sign of having lived in the wilderness on his own and for a long
time. That alone was astonishing. The mention of a village made
Rayenne think she had just walked out of the forest and into a
weird dream.

“All right, I’ll follow you to your village
if you answer my question.”

“Another one?”

“
Yes, another one. Did you see a man around
here yesterday night? About my age, tall, dark hair. He was
probably carried by a Horlyn.”

“A Horlyn?” Bajan shook his head. “I don’t
know what this is.”

“
A monstrous beasts that lives in the
forest. The smaller ones fly, the older, bigger ones, live on the
ground, as far as I know.”

Bajan shrugged.

“At night we all stay in the huts. And I
haven’t seen a man. I would know that. Come now, it’s not far.”

He turned and walked away. Rayenne fetched
the B-horses and followed him, watching the ground once more. For a
time, the tracks went along the route Bajan took, but then the
young man turned south while the Horlyn trace went on west.

“Wait. Where does this path lead to?”

Bajan followed her outstretched hand,
shrugged and waved her to come.

“It’s not our way, Ray. We go this way.”

“But where does this one lead?” Ray
insisted.

“Not into our village.” He shook his head
when she asked him again, then smiled. “You will be welcome in our
village. We welcome everybody.”

Rayenne swallowed her impatience and decided
to return to the track later.

“Did you lose your companions before you got
here?”

“No. I have always lived here. Here is my
home.”

Rayenne nodded, smiling amiably. There was no
doubt to her, this poor soul had lost his mind and had wandered
Emerald Green for more time than was good for him. Maybe the
visions of the Horlyns had shaken him so deeply he had not found a
way out. She pitied him and was glad at the same time that the
visions Sajitar had told her about had not hit her except for
headaches and the feeling of being watched.

The B-horses stopped and pulled Rayenne back
at the reins.

“Hey!”

Tessla and Bunty reared and stepped sideways.
Their eyes were wide and their nostrils flared. Then she saw a
Horlyn right across their crude path. It was double the size of a
man. Its pair of illuminated wings hung down, parts of them moved
haphazardly with the wind, irritating the otherwise calm
B-horses.

“Wait, Bajan, don’t go there! It’s one of the
beasts!”

“Beast?” Bajan glanced at her, laughing.
“What are you afraid of? The Color-changers are our friends.”

“Friends?”
Rayenne choked on the word, struggling with the B-horses to follow
her pull on the reins. “They are monsters, Bajan, they eat
people!”

“No, they don’t. Don’t be stupid, Ray, they
are friends. Believe me. Now, come, we’re almost there.”

Rayenne swallowed hard. The young man waved
at the Horlyn while marching past him with a swing to his steps
that mocked Rayenne’s growing fear. The Horlyn folded its wings
like a butterfly, but one part did not follow. The tip was broken
and the shimmering rim crumbled.

“
It will lose its wings soon,” Bajan stated
when he saw Rayenne stare. “They’re already tattered, see? We
collect the broken wings. They bring wonderful shadows in all
colors you can imagine. Some of them we use to fan the air once it
gets too hot.” He turned cheerfully. “Do you have hot weather where
you come from? And how did you find us, anyway?”

“I know hot weather, yes. And I…” She paused,
pondering what to tell of her journey. “I got lost in the woods,
you know. With my partner. And now he’s gone.”

“I didn’t see him.”

“You said so.”

Bajan led on. The Horlyn watched them pass
like a bridge guard watched suspicious men walk into a keep.
Rayenne was sure it would know and find her everywhere. Her heart
still pounded hard when the first voices rose. Behind a group of
trees, three women debated about fetching water. They turned when
Bajan called to them.

“Hello, all of you, I bring someone new!”

“Oh, don’t try to be smart, Bajan. What’s it
this time? A tame Cahegi?”

Bajan laughed,
not the least insulted.

“No, I found Ray and her animals at the outer
rim.”

“You went too far again!” one of the women
accused him while she rose. She waved a stubby finger at him. “I
told you not to wander about! It’s dangerous! But now…” She smiled
at Rayenne and stepped closer. “Welcome, Ray, to our little
village. It is good to see you healthy. You will be safe here.”

“Thank you.”
Rayenne looked around, irritated and hardly believing her eyes.

Out of the gigantic tree trunks, living
quarters had been cut out. There were flaps at the entrance holes,
some open, some closed. Inside there were small pallets and
baskets, even cupboards with items Ray could not identify. She
counted fifteen of those accommodations, all in a wide circle,
looking toward the center. In front of them, benches and wooden
chairs waited for the inhabitants to sit down and talk.

Rayenne smiled helplessly,
feeling like a child walking into a fairy tale.
Is it truly a dream, a vision
the Horlyns send to mock me?

Men and women, children and youngsters
stopped their chores to turn and scrutinize her. They wore the same
formless outfits as Bajan, some in lighter shades, some in darker,
only to be distinguished by different belts with tools stuck in
them. Some of the women had decorated their clothes with orange
petals. All villagers looked well-nourished and healthy and even
the older men and women still went upright without canes. The men’s
faces were shaven and the women had their long hair artfully
braided.

In the center of the village there was a
large flat stone with wooden plates, cups and bone knives waiting
to be used. The smell of a hearty soup was in the air and despite
her shock to find a settlement amid the wilderness, her stomach
told her of hunger.

“Come, Ray, sit with us. You truly had a long
and fearful journey. I’m Nassaly, and these are Rahay and Tari.
Bajan, you take care of these animals. Give them some water. They
look as if they need it.”

As if
caught in a dream, Rayenne shook her
head.

“That’s kind of you, Nassaly, but I better
look after them myself. Just bring some water. That would be
kind.”

“Of course!
Bajan, run and fetch water! And when you go, bring water for us,
too.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Where can I leave my B-horses?” Ray
asked.

Nassaly smiled
and showed the way. She was about forty years old, wrinkled and
tanned, with graying hair and quick, blue eyes. Though small and
unimpressive by her demeanor, she acted like a tall woman, knowing
exactly what she wanted and what she did. On bare feet, she brought
Ray to a paddock that kept animals the size of goats.

“Here. You can leave them here. They won’t go
while the Drunis are around. They are loved by everyone.” She
opened the wooden gate and Rayenne took off saddles, bags and
bridles before she let them loose. Neither Tessla nor Bunty seemed
afraid of the unusual company.

“Thank you. You are very kind.”

Nassaly swung one the saddlebags over her
shoulder and lifted the second saddle with more ease than Rayenne
had expected. She smiled as if Rayenne had brought immeasurable
wealth to her village.

“
Oh, come, don’t mention it. Everyone’s
welcome here! And you, my dear, are a most cherished new
face.”

Rayenne couldn’t help her distrustful nature.
She closed the gate and turned to ask,

“Why should that be?”

Nassaly laughed, a heartfelt sound that was
echoed by the soft purr of the Drunis, which sniffed the B-horses’
long legs. They, in return, bowed their heads to snort peacefully
into the necks of the Drunis.

“Come and eat with us. Drink some wine. Then
tell us what brought you here.”

“You got wine here?”

“And so much more.” She wiggled her brows and
led her back to the village center, humming a tune.

“I came with my partner,” Ray explained when
all of the settlers gathered at the large stone. One handed her a
wooden cup with water, the other presented a bowl with fruits and
berries. She sat down and felt all eyes resting on her. “Thank you.
Like I said, I came with a man through Emerald Green. He parted
with me. Not on free will, he was abducted by…” She tried to
remember the word. “You call them Color-changers.”

“Abducted?” Tari shook her head that the
artful braids flew. “Not by our friends. Here, take some wine and
tell us from the beginning. How come you are here?”

Rayenne sipped the wine. It was surprisingly
sweet and tasted much better than she had anticipated. It warmed
her stomach and made her feel better instantly.

“My partner and I wanted to cross Emerald
Green to get to Belson Park.”

“Wonderful names!” one of the men exclaimed.
“Are there truly more settlements like ours?”

Rayenne couldn’t help but frown.

“Belson Park is a city by now. Don’t you know
anything about the world outside?”

“There are more people in other places?” The
man scratched his prominent chin and looked around. “That is
surprising, don’t you think?”

The others nodded in unison. One of the
younger men shook his head and looked straight at Rayenne.

“That’s nice to know, Ray, but that partner,
do you have children with him?”

Rayenne choked on her wine.

“Pardon?”

“Did you already make children with him?”
another man wanted to know. “Or did he leave you childless?”

Rayenne looked from one man to the other.
Their eagerness was palpable and now she understood Nassaly’s
remark. She put down the goblet.

“Sajitar is my partner, no matter if we got
children. Now, tell me, how can I find him?”

“You said a Color-changer took him?”

“Yes.”

The men and women around the fire nodded.

“Then he will come back…eventually. But that
might take some time. If he comes back, that is.”

“Explain that to me.” Rayenne had the absurd
idea that the Horlyns made her believe she would see men and women
while they all were Horlyns instead. She tried to keep a distance.
“Why will it take time?”

“Was he sick when they took him?” Nassaly
wanted to know.

“Yes.”

“Ah! That explains it!”

“Does it?”

“If someone falls ill in our village, we
bring him to our friends.”

“What? As a sacrifice?”

“No! To be healed. If he doesn’t come back
from them the gods have not wanted him to live.”

“Or the Horlyns needed him for a perfect
meal,” Rayenne muttered under her breath. Those standing around
eyed her with open distrust. She lifted her hands to block their
comments. “Hell, if you say, they help you with your people, I have
to believe it, but that doesn’t mean that I take it for the
absolute truth.”

“We have lived with them in the neighborhood
for all the time we can remember,” an old man called Rakan, said.
The other settlers fell silent. “In the old days, young woman, the
Color-changers took care of every single being. We were treated
like kings and never suffered from thirst or hunger. They gave us
food, they took us to this spring and showed us the hot well so
that we can cook meals. They looked after us so that we did not
suffer from illnesses. They protected us from wild animals and told
us where to settle so that we would start families.” He wiped his
large nose and curled his dark lips to a wry smile. “Families, yes,
that would prosper here and live in peace. We are all one
family.”

Rayenne let his scrutiny out of old, green
eyes pass without comment. He told her without words that she was
the young novice to start another family. He expected nothing less
than her full cooperation. The look around confirmed that every
settler thought that way. She blew out air.