Free Canyons Of Night by Jayne Castle Page B

did the legal entity called the Rainshadow Preserve Foundation come into existence?”
    “A few years after staking a claim to the island, Amber Sea Trading established the Foundation to govern the Preserve. It’s been under the control of the Foundation ever since. Halstead left a phone number to call in the event that anyone else gets lost inside the Preserve. The Foundation will send out a search-and-rescue team.”
    “Why do you think you can go into the Preserve without getting lost?” Charlotte asked, very thoughtful now.
    “Damned if I know. I have to assume it’s got something to do with my talent.”
Or what’s left of it,
he added silently.
    “There must have been at least a few similar hunter-talents on some of the early expeditions.”
    “Which may explain why some of the teams were able to get at least partway into the Preserve,” he said. “But evidently that kind of talent wasn’t sufficient to allow full exploration of the island.”
    “Have you encountered anything inside that stops you?”
    “Not yet. The night canyons are the most serious obstacle I’ve come across so far. And I sure as hell wouldn’t go swimming in any of the ponds or lakes now. But thus far I haven’t experienced the extreme disorientation that the survivors who have been pulled out by the Foundation’s search-and-rescue teams have reported. I’ve only gone in twice in the past week, though. I haven’t had a chance to do much looking around.”
    “Planning on going in again anytime soon?”
    He was amused. “You want to go in, don’t you?”
    “I’ve never forgotten that first visit.” Her voice turned wistful. “I’ve even dreamed about it from time to time over the years.”
    “I’ve had a few dreams about the Preserve, myself,” he admitted. “I’ll take you back inside.”
    “Okay,” she said. “I’d like that.”
    “But not tonight.”
    There was a faint rustling in the undergrowth at the side of the road. Rex went very still on Slade’s shoulder. He sleeked out and his second set of eyes, the amber pair that he used for hunting, snapped open. He bounded down to the pavement and vanished into the woods.
    “Ugh,” Charlotte said. “Nature in the raw.”
    “What do you expect? Dust bunnies are omnivorous and they are predators.”
    “That may be true, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s a reason why grocery stores were invented. Makes things ever so much tidier.” She glanced toward the night-shrouded woods where Rex had disappeared. “I take it he doesn’t have any trouble navigating the Preserve with you?”
    “As far as I can tell Rex has no problem at all inside. But dust bunnies get around in the Underworld just fine, too. They seem to be well-adapted to heavy psi environments.”
    He stopped. Charlotte stopped, too.
    “Something wrong?” she asked.
    He aimed the beam of the flashlight at the graveled lane that intersected the road. “This is your driveway.”
    She smiled. “Good thing you noticed. It’s so dark out here, I didn’t even see it. If I’d been on my own, I would have kept walking.”
    They followed the narrow, rutted drive through the trees and into a clearing. With the canopy of overhanging branches gone, the starry night sky sparkled and glittered in all its glory.
    Charlotte looked up. “It’s incredible, isn’t it?”
    He watched her face, fascinated. He could have watched her all night long, he thought. In spite of the control he was exerting over his senses, he went a little hotter.
    “Yes,” he said. “Incredible.”
    “This was one of the things I have always loved about the island,” she said. She headed toward the front steps, fishing her key out of her purse. “Back in Frequency the city lights combined with the glow of the ruins make it impossible to see anything but the moon and the brightest stars. But here the night sky is always an amazing sight.”
    He followed her up the steps, wishing he could think of a way to make the night last