by Ann Raina
“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?”
“A not really great attempt to digress, but okay.” She looked forward for a moment, scanning the path. “I learned riding very early. Remember, my father took us through the wilderness more often than not. We had every kind of mount, depending on the surroundings. I think it’s fair to say that you can place me on all different kinds of animals and I’ll ride them.”
“That was a true statement,” he replied, wiggling his brows.
She turned up her eyes as expected and his smile widened. He loved her for being strong and at the same time gentle with a childlike attitude. She could take care of herself and still fall in his arms for protection. Compared to other lovers he’d had, she was a marvel.
The Horlyns’ thundering approach interrupted his good mood. When they crashed through the undergrowth, Tessla reared and stepped aside so that he had to pull the reins and press his knees tight against her to not be thrown off. The two Horlyns turned to block the way as effectively as a mountain.
“Hey, what bit you?” he asked the Horlyns, still fighting with his mount while Ray had already turned Bunty around.
“What do they want?” she shouted.
The mighty beasts came closer. The female Horlyn had raised its front pair of legs, making all too clear it would not let them move. “Why are they stopping us?”
“I can’t tell.” Sajitar mastered Tessla’s fear so that she stood, snorting, still prancing, but without the urge to bolt again. He expected the Horlyns to explain their behavior even if it was but a picture of a dangerous animal ahead, but nothing happened for a while. The Horlyns waited, unmoving like statues, content to have the couple stopped.
Ray was panting beside him, looking anxiously left and right as if seeking a way to escape.
“Apparently, they don’t want to talk. Let’s change course for a while.”
“How far?”
“I don’t know.”
The image blasted in his head so intensely that he nearly toppled over, screaming. Rayenne was at his side in no time, but he could only see her shocked face, not hear her words. She took Tessla’s reins when he pressed his palms against his temples. The image told of giant trees with Horlyns drilling holes to place eggs of their kind deep into the trunks to let them grow. The Horlyns then sealed the holes and left. The bark of the tree was dotted with closed holes and Sajitar understood that once all trees in the wood had been used as a crib. Now that mankind had come to rob the trees, the Horlyns had drawn back into the heart of the forest and defended what was left.
Sajitar received the impression of great fondness and care and understood that the area was forbidden for everyone besides egg-laying females.
“I get it,” he murmured, still fighting a major headache. Slowly, he lowered his hands, still grimacing with pain. “If you could just send those pictures with a smaller dosage! I’m almost unconscious with pain every time you do this!” He turned to Ray with an effort. Numbed by pain and nausea, he felt his speech slur. “They’ve got their nests around here. We’ve got to…move around ‘em.”
“Great. They did not by chance tell you where we should go?”
“Guess they’ll hamper us if it’s not far enough.”
“All right.” She handed him back the reins. “Can you make it?”
“Lead the way.” He shook his head wearily. “I think I’ve never been so dependent on Tessla in my life.”
“She’s a good girl.”
“You are even better.” He fought for a smile, but neither Ray nor he could manage. “Hope it’s not another day’s ride in the wrong direction.”
The Horlyns stayed behind, but he knew they would follow and watch.
Rayenne and Sajitar pitched a text the next night beyond a large hill, both weary and frustrated to be on a Horlyn-inflicted detour. At least the area remained fertile. A creek delivered water for the B-horses, and once they’d been taken care of, Rayenne went to fetch water for boiling a soup. Sajitar admired the police woman’s preparations. She had packed her saddlebags as if they would travel Emerald Green for a year. If there are more detours, that might come sooner than we thought. Their supplies were as sufficient as they were tasty. Satisfied, they both retreated into the tent to get out of the drizzle that had started an hour earlier.
As intended, the sleeping bags merged like raindrops when she moved closer. The hampering cloth gave way so she cuddled with Sajitar and purposefully let her hand slip into his pants.
“Tired?” she asked, her wicked smile belying her apparent innocence.
“Yes, very tired. I’m glad you asked.” He yawned loudly. “Would you mind just letting me sleep? It was a long day.”
Her hand inched deeper, and the sparkle in her eyes warmed him to his toes.
“I suppose you did not expect a rejection? So, my dear Ray, you still want to have it your way, yes?”
She nodded, a small move, with her head still resting on his shoulder.
He cleared his throat. “You are a very demanding woman. Aren’t you worried that the Horlyns might have excellent hearing and will know what we’re doing?”
“Do I look like someone who cares?”
He opened his eyes wide. “My dear police officer, are you suggesting that morals don’t concern you? Tell me, would you have taken me at the motel if you hadn’t come for my arrest?”
“Who says I didn’t?” He hadn’t counted on that answer and gawked, flabbergasted.
She smiled, catlike, and kissed his neck, gaze fixed on his face. “Felberi made sure you had no companions, and he had no intention of staying close.” She licked his chin with the tip of her tongue. “It was, by the way, his idea to shackle you to the bed. He was afraid you might run away.”
“I would have.”
“No.” Her tongue flicked the edge of his mouth. Sajitar swallowed. Arousal defeated his tiredness. He was alert and ready to react to any idea she might unpack. He couldn’t help but envision how she had dragged him into the motel, upstairs and onto the bed to undress him. Sudden heat crept through his body. Ray felt his wicked grin intensify, as did her hand’s movements.
“You had decided that you would stay the night, no matter what happened. And I…Well, I had nothing better to do than to keep you in that room.”
“Closing the shackle would’ve done the trick.”
Rayenne smiled knowingly, holding him in her hand.
“Ray, what are you doing?”
“Do I have t
o shackle you to get what I want, or will you just stay?”
“Would I have a chance to run away? No. So this is not really a question.” Sajitar gently slid his hands under her shirt to cup her breasts. The sensation of touch took his breath away and thinking was eliminated, as were headaches and hurts. He focused on Ray as if he existed to explore every detail of her being. He wanted to know all about her and make her happy in a way she had not known before. He had spoken the truth, that he would not share her. His possessiveness astounded him. He had never felt like that before.
His pants were gone as were her shirt and underwear. Under the warm cover of two sleeping bags, Sajitar pulled her up to straddle him, bathing in her scent and relishing every kiss she gave him. There was hardly any foreplay, yet when he entered her, she was wet and hot and ready for him. She trembled with arousal. Slowly getting into the rhythm, she whispered his name and more incoherent words that made him smile. Compared to the tough police woman he had come to know back in the village, she was a purring cat right now and not for the first time Sajitar wondered what strange kind of luck he had.
He rocked upward, balancing her weight easily, driving her to a climax that made her shout with joy. He held back as long as he could, smiling at her, asking without words for permission. With one move, she took away his decision and catapulted his feelings through the transparent roof of the tent. The orgasm lasted and made him gasp for air. He grabbed Ray by the shoulders, extending the last moment before he collapsed, head swimming. He heard her soft laughter, a joyous sound amid the wilderness, and his own labored breathing. He felt boneless, happy, and satisfied beyond words. Sweat covered both their bodies and he kissed her salty breasts. The look in her eyes made words unnecessary. He wanted the night to last and make the next day even better.
Outside the rain intensified, but to him every sound was music.
Slowly, unwillingly, they parted to dress again, smiling silly, the way only lovers do. Rayenne groped for the waterskin and offered him a drink.
“I’m so glad we left the village,” he said softly, stroking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I felt quite…watched.”
Rayenne took a sip of water. “Now you tell me that two Horlyns outside don’t matter to you? I’m surprised.”
“Not so much as Grenkyl and others.” He breathed deeply and looked through the rain streaked roof. “Tomorrow the ground will be slippery with mud. We have to be careful.”
“Aren’t we always?” She put away the waterskin to snuggle up to Sajitar once more. Her hand lay on his chest. “How many days will we ride?”
“Ten, maybe twelve, if we are lucky. It’s hard to tell without seeing the sky.” He lowered his chin to look into her eyes. “Do you mind staying a little while longer with me?”
“Yes.” The sparkle in her eyes told him much. “If we do this every night I won’t have any strength left to master my B-horse. I’ll hang over the withers and let Bunty decide where to walk.”
“Speaking of…” He sat up and squinted to look through the still falling rain. “Where are the B-horses?”
Rayenne stretched.
“Maybe they wandered about to find a dry spot.”
“No. They usually stay close by.” He rose, pulled on his pants and jacket and left the tent. Immediately, the heavy downpour wet his hair and face. He pulled up the hood, squinting left and right, when suddenly the female Horlyn appeared through the strips of rain. He stepped back, involuntarily raising his hands as if he could stop the reception of images that way. But the Horlyn was not out to bombard him with pictures. It got closer, forcing Sajitar backwards until he bumped against the tent stakes. “Rayenne, I’ve got a problem outside.”
“I know.” Ray had donned her clothes and emerged when the Horlyn closed the gap and grabbed Sajitar with its front pair of legs.
He screamed.
“Let me down! Let me down! Ray! Help!”
* * * *
Ray was stunned and watched in helpless fury as the Horlyn carried Sajitar through the depression and up the hill on the southern side. She heard his pain-filled cries and went after him, stumbling in the mud that got deeper with every step. Beasts! And now they’ve come to take us back! Or eat us! A few yards away from the tent, she sank in deep to her knees and struggled to get out again, groping for something to hold on, yelling for help. She dug her fingers into the soil but only came up with worms and other insects that enjoyed the wetness much more than she did. Yet there was no branch to pull her out. Frantically she scraped the soil, only to sink in deeper.
She turned her head and stopped breathing. The second Horlyn tore down the tent and their belongings, then pulled it together into one big pile.
“Come over here! Help me!” Her voice did not carry through the downpour. And even if the Horlyn heard her, she doubted it would come to her aid. Helplessly she watched the destruction, realizing that their lives had depended on the gentleness of the Horlyns this whole time. She sank in deeper, knowing her struggle would be futile, so she stopped, accepting the unavoidable end. The mud enclosed her hips, then her chest. Tears mixed with the rain on her cheeks. She hung her head. Damn them! Damn them all! The image of her father and brother came to her involuntarily and she realized she would not live to see her relatives again, who were waiting at Belson Park, relying on her to return. Miserable and hopeless, she balled her hands to fists.
The sudden lift startled her. She cried in shocked surprise, clinging to the hard ends of the legs, eyes wide. The legs pressed her ribcage painfully, but not so hard that she feared being smashed. The soil set her free with a smacking sound, and then she was ten feet above ground, dripping rain and mud. She craned her neck to see the mighty head of the Horlyn above her. From close up it was a nightmarish creature, bathed in the night’s half light and hung with beads of rain. All of its eyes seemed to look down on her and she expected the mighty mouth to open and swallow her. A scream wanted out, but all she did was hang on to the legs and press her lips tight.
Heart thundering in her chest, she forbade all thoughts about what the beast would do with her and remained limp. The image of being torn apart and her innards dissected was strong. She tried to focus on the healing the Horlyn had performed. Sajitar had returned to the village weak, but getting stronger every day. There had been no sign of aggressiveness in the Horlyns’ behavior so far. She clung to that hope as she clung to the Horlyn. And if I die, what will all that praying and hoping have done for me?
Her legs dangled over the ground. She saw the mighty legs of the beast drill holes in the muddy ground, but that did not hamper its progress uphill. After fifty feet, the top of the hill appeared out of the darkness. Rayenne squinted, but her sight was limited to the mere outline of the first Horlyn. It hovered over a small form on the ground. Rayenne wanted to struggle free and see what it had done, but she had to wait for the Horlyn to release her on the ground. Gasping for air, she knelt on the ground and touched her ribcage to make sure she was still in one piece. Breathing caused pain, but she pushed it aside like someone who had lived through an accident and only later realized how severe the wounds had been.
She crawled to Sajitar while the beast turned to march downslope once more.
“Saji? Are you all right?” She did not care for the female Horlyn standing close. She did not even care for its antennae reaching out to touch his body. “Please, hey, say something!” She felt for his pulse, desperate to learn that he would wake up any moment. Rain pelted down on his face. She wiped it away, caressing his cheek. “Come on, give me a sign! Something!” His pulse was strong and even, and she could not detect any wound caused by the crude transport. She let out her breath, realizing the Horlyn could have killed him. Thank you, whatever god watches over him. Only then did she turn to see that the second Horlyn carried the tent stakes and their belongings to put it down beside her. It took her a moment to search for the B-horses and hear their snorting somewhere behind the female Horlyn. When Sajitar did not wake up, she crawled
to the heap of sleeping bags to drill the stakes into the ground and erect the tent once more. When the tips of the stakes glowed, the Horlyns stepped back, giving her room to maneuver the sleeping bags and Sajitar into the tent. Their clothes were wet and muddy, so she undressed him before she closed the sleeping bag around him. She caressed Sajitar’s face, coaxing him to wake up and sighing with relief when he moaned and turned his head. It took him a moment to open his eyes and when he did, she forced a smile on her face.
“Welcome back,” she said with feeling and placed a light kiss on his lips. “You okay?”
He swallowed and took in what had happened. “The Horlyns?”
“Saved us. The B-horses are here and we got our stuff.”
“Come here.”
“Do I want to know what you have in mind?”
“I’m sorry I passed out. The assault was… never mind. Come, you’re cold and shivering.”
Rayenne turned to see the male Horlyn return. She had no energy left to still be afraid, so she just watched his movement until it came to a stop. Stones clanked on the ground and rolled to her feet. Rayenne carefully reached out to examine them. They warmed her hands. She smiled like a child that had just found a treasure lost for a decade. She gazed up, feeling foolish for her childlike gratitude, but it was exactly what she had needed to cheer up.
“Thank you.” She turned to Sajitar. “Look what we’ve got!”
Quickly, she spread the stones in the sleeping bags, close to Sajitar. Then she shed her clothes and slipped in beside him, the warming stones between their bodies. She sighed, content for the moment. Looking up, she saw the Horlyns still standing like sentinels, undisturbed by the downpour.
“It’s warm,” Sajitar mumbled.
“Yes, really warm.” Rayenne glanced at the rain-streaked roof, created by an energy field. Sajitar pulled her close as their sleeping bags melted. Their combined body heat soon got warmer than the stones and he sighed with relief. When he kissed her hair, she laughed.
