Lovers in the Woods (18 page)

“You sure you’re in a condition to cuddle
back?”

“Let me show you.”

Sajitar slept in her arms like a child.
His dreams were vivid and Ray spent much time during the night
soothing him so that sleep pulled him under once more. She
understood perfectly how much fear Sajitar had suffered, even
though the Horlyns had nourished him back to health. There were no
words between men and this alien race to assure
survival.

In the early hours of the new
day, Rayenne dozed off, weary and exhausted from the events. When
she woke, their blanket lay on the ground and only their mutual
body heat kept them warm. It was an odd feeling to lie naked beside
a man she had to consider a criminal. The brand was visible, as
well as the scars he had collected. Gently she stroked over his
lower chest down to the two rings and the letters, the sign of
Sananda’s ownership he would never get rid of. Where the Horlyn
needle had pierced his skin only a faint long scar remained. She
wondered how the Horlyn had sewed it or if the sticky mass had
pulled the skin together.
What kinds of knowledge have the Horlyns collected
that they can heal men? Or better—for how long have the Horlyns
brought men and women to this hidden camp to study them? Are we all
nothing but guinea pigs in a great experiment?
She was frightened suddenly and
pushed the thought away. Her dreams had been weird enough. She did
not need more excitement.

Rayenne slowly disentangled herself from
Sajitar’s arms. He grunted but did not wake as she pulled the cover
over him, not without looking at his perfectly lean body first.
Smiling about herself, she dressed and glimpsed around the flap.
Morning life at the village had already begun. Boiling water
steamed in a large pot and flat pieces of bread as well as sticks
of dried meat waited for the people’s breakfast. The morning meal,
she knew, was taken in groups. Whoever came first prepared the meal
and men and women took their share and started working afterwards.
Only for dinner did the whole village gather. She looked back, and
when Sajitar did not stir, she went out.

Nassaly greeted her with a broad smile.

“Now, here she comes, the lucky woman who has
her man back! Isn’t that a good feeling, my dear?”

“Yes, a very good feeling.”

“You look positively radiant. Hungry?”

“Very.” She took the offered bread and a
handful of berries. Nassaly nodded and when she waited, Rayenne
added, “It’s hard to describe, but only if you lose someone do you
realize how much you needed him.”

“Ah, the wonders of love.” She pointed a
finger at her. “But, please, don’t forget that there are more
wooers around here, who all strive for your acceptance.”

“But I thought…”

“Sajitar is but one man. And who knows if you
will have children with him? We, the women of this village, have
long before agreed that all men are free to share your hut until a
child is born.”

Rayenne had to swallow that piece of
information and struggled for words.

Nassaly patted her arm.

“
Don’t you worry, my dear, no one will come
to you unbidden. As you see, we have children, and two more will be
born soon.”

Rayenne nodded. She had seen the pregnant
women, who were so proud and happy it was contagious. She had never
before thought about becoming a mom, but living with the villagers
slowly and irresistibly was changing her mind.

“Here, my dear, have some tea so that you
don’t choke on the bread.”

She left Rayenne pondering over rituals,
free love and how she could convince the men that one of her kind
was very much enough for her.

* * * *

It was past noon when Sajitar
clambered out of the pallet and stood dressed at the hut’s
entrance, marveling at the village and the many people he had not
expected to find in this remote part of the wood. For all of his
life he had accepted for truth that men could walk the woods, find
and cut trees and come out alive. Some went mad, yes, and some did
not return, but most people did their jobs and got away unharmed.
Seeing the settlers pass by with buckets to fetch water and others
stringing up pieces of meat to dry, he felt overwhelmed and
betrayed.
If
it is possible to live in the forest, why had no one tried to find
a settlement before? Why had all men who had ventured too far
risked losing their sanity?

Thirst and hunger brought him the few steps
to the center stone, where he halted to steady himself. A woman
smiled at him, handed him bread and tea and when he thanked her,
blushed.

“I’m Mijan,” she said shyly. “And you are the
blessed man, who got saved.”

“Saji,” he
introduced himself. He sat down at the trunk as a backrest, hissing
through his teeth when his sore muscle protested.

“Saji, a wonderful name.” She paused and
watched him drink and eat, wringing her hands. “I so envy you.”

“Me?”

“Yes! You were with them! With the
Color-changers! Wasn’t it great to be among them?”

Sajitar had many bitter and brisk answers
handy, but none fit Mijan’s enchantment so he closed his mouth
again. He took a deep breath to collect his good manners.

“I was very ill, so I did not get to know
them. Not really.”

“They healed you, didn’t they? And they were
good to you. I heard you would’ve died if the Color-changer had not
taken you with him.”

“With her. It was a she.”

“You know to distinguish between them? Oh,
how wonderful!” She sat down beside him, eyes wide and anticipating
more news. “How do you know? Did they speak to you?”

“They don’t speak.” Sajitar emptied the
goblet and she was eager to fetch him more tea. “Thank you.” He
inched away when she sat down very close to him. “They don’t talk
with you like we do.”

“Then how…”

“
I can’t say. It just happens.” He looked
up to see Rayenne approach, smiling.

Sajitar smirked.

“
Mijan,
” Rayenne said, “I was told that all of you expect me to
tell about the…Color-changers. So you better wait for tonight,
okay?”

“Oh.” Disappointed, she stood, patted her
dress and took two steps just to turn once more. “So I have to
wait, too?”

Rayenne raised her brows. “I think
so.”

Her stare made the young woman grimace and
walk away. Rayenne put her hands on her hips, curling her lips to a
mocking smile. “You’ve got admirers already? And I thought you just
got up. I’m impressed.”

“
Kiss and make up.” He
lifted his chin and gave his best
I’m a poor guy, please, love
me
look. She
laughed and knelt to kiss his lips.

“Hmm, you taste of berries.”

“Do you want to
make this a show, Sajitar Haju?”

“Give the
people what they want and they’ll leave you alone.”

Her eyebrows
collided with her hair. “You think…”

“I know men. If
we don’t make a show of this, the question remains whether that
poor, haggard bastard is able to love this wonderful, unrivaled
beauty adequately. And if they say no, you have the whole bunch of
admirers back on your doorstep. Correct?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re
trying to exploit the situation.”

“But you know better.” He pulled her to sit
straddled across his legs. “I am the only guy who shares your bed.
If anyone else announces interest, he’ll have to deal with me
first.”

“
There’s no violence
around here, Saji. If I say
no
, they’ll accept it. No bragging stance
necessary.”

He shook his head. She gently pushed away the
long strands of hair falling on his forehead.

“Wherever there’s a contest, men stay front
line. Honorable retreat doesn’t exist.”

“
No retreat. It’s not a war. They’ve lived
here peacefully for many moon phases. We are the intruders.”
Rayenne kissed his forehead, took a deep breath, and met his gaze
with a pensive expression on her face. She cleared her throat. “We
don’t have a right to rip their society apart. We’ll leave as soon
as you’re able to.”

“Do you think they’ll let us go?”

“Yes, I have no doubt. They want us to stay,
of course, but they’ll not block the way with hayforks just to make
us a part of the village. That’s not their way.”

“
Still, you like these people and wouldn’t
mind staying.”

She sighed, turning up her eyes. “How come
you look right into me? Ah, no, don’t say a word. I might be
tempted, but I have a job to accomplish and I will get you to
Belson Park. After that…well, who knows what happens?”

“A Whiteclaw in a rural society.” He smiled.
“Tell me later if it worked. Oops, no, you can’t tell me. There’s
no transmission line, no mail birds, no nothing to
communicate.”

“
Maybe I’ll drag you out of the court room
to bring you back.” She suddenly blushed deeply.

Sajitar grinned even more widely. “Oh,
dear, love is a many-splendored thing. The days without me must
have been really, really bad.”

Rayenne pulled free from his grasp and
stood. “You are arrogant, Saji.”

“Yep, that’s why people love me so much. And
who might they be?” he asked, nodding toward two men approaching.
“The local sweeping company?”

Thannis and Grenkyl brought a bucket with
warm water and put it down before Sajitar.

“
A good day to you, young man. It’s good to
see you up on your feet.” Sajitar cocked his head and Thannis
grinned. “More or less. We thought you might want to wash your hair
and yourself and after that, we help you cut your hair and
beard.”

Sajitar looked up from Rayenne to
Thannis.

“And if I want
to keep my beard?”

Thannis
started to answer when Grenkyl
laughed.

“
Good joke in the morning! Really, good
joke. Yes, let it grow long and filthy. You’ll get caught on things
some place in the wood. Go, stay like this and you’ll carry moss
and leaves like the women wear flowers.”

Sajitar had opened his mouth for a reply
when he saw Rayenne smile and nod in appreciation. He turned to the
waiting men.

“All right, you convinced me. And you know
how to—” He wiggled a finger at the crude bone knife Thannis kept
in his belt.

The older man knelt in a fluent motion and
had the knife out the same moment. Sajitar’s head jerked backward
and his hands were up in defense.

“
Yes,” Thannis stated calmly, weighing the
knife in his hand. His gaze was intense. “This knife can also be
used to hunt and kill and even to butcher an animal.” He whirled it
in his hand and put it back. The smile was still on his
face.

“I hope you clean it between these
chores.”

“
I keep it clean,” Thannis said evenly.
“Now, my friend, you look like some wild animal. Would you like us
to help you, or do you prefer a woman’s hand at your stubborn
head?”

“Stubborn? Me?”

“Yes, you!”

“My mother would never have called me an
animal. Only when she had reason.”

Thannis and Grenkyl laughed and used a bowl
to pour water over Sajitar’s head. He had the strange impression
that this was more about christening than cleaning his hair, but he
kept quiet. Grenkyl used a bone comb for straightening his hair and
Thannis went to work with his knife.

Sajitar watched Rayenne. She gnawed her
lower lip, looking worried whether the men would do it right. His
surprise over her demeanor upon his return was bottomless. He
regretted not being able to fulfill his own dream the night before,
but he hoped there would be more nights to share. She had said he
needed time to recover, so it was on him to define the date of
their departure. He was in no hurry.

Rayenne had overcome her refusal and he
would do everything to keep her company. Wind played in her hair,
her cheeks had blushed and her eyes told of affection. In the end,
the frightening days at the Horlyn nest had not been for
nothing.

* * * *

Rayenne
waited for Thannis
and Grenkyl to finish shaving. For the fun of it, Thannis told
Grenkyl that he needed a shave, too, and the other man went to work
without protest.

Sajitar got back in his tunic and stood
with Rayenne’s help. They walked away into the wood hand in
hand.

“What happened to the bullet?” he asked when
they were out of earshot.

“An animal took it and ran away.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“
I think the little rat or whatever was
quite annoyed to have that stuff in its fur, but I think it will
work for a distraction.” She told him how she had waited in the
growing darkness to find a suitable transport for the transmitter
right before the surveillance machine appeared.

“There was a Cordell?” he asked, alarmed.

“Shortly after the Horlyn had taken you
away.”

He whistled through his teeth.

“Did you stay under cover?”

“
I was not detected, merely paranoid with
fear.” She looked up to him. “I didn’t even know where that beast
would take you, and then…Let’s say, I have had easier
days.”

He squeezed her hand. “I survived. The
transmitter’s gone. So stop worrying. No one will find us
here.”

“
The villagers told me many things to ease
my worries.” Rayenne tried for a smile and failed. He could never
know how hard the days had been on her. “They told me that the
Horlyns are their friends, but I wasn’t allowed to search for
you.”