Free Lovers in the Woods by Ann Raina Page B

tiptoe to kiss his bearded cheek. “Thank
you.”
    He swallowed and looked away.
“You’re welcome.” He turned around to find a thick dark red fruit
he weighed in his hand. “Watch.” He threw the fruit in the center
of the open space. For a moment it lay there and Rayenne was about
to say that
it’s always the show effect that ruins the demonstration when the fruit was
covered by a small wave in the sand. The fruit vanished and the
ground smoothed out, as if caressed by a warm hand.
    Rayenne shivered.
    “Never trust open space in dense woods,”
Sajitar said beside her. “There’s a reason why there’re no trees
around.”
    “And no animal to search for fodder. What
kind of beast is this?”
    “ It doesn’t have a name.
Maybe the scientist died asking for it. Call it a sand monster, if you like. It fits
pretty well.” His face still showed strain. “It lures animals to
its home like a spider does with its net. The sun hits the ground,
and for most animals that’s a great reason to come into the
open.”
    “And then they get eaten alive?”
    “I never asked.” He went to fetch his mount
and asked Rayenne with a glance to help him up. When they both sat
in the saddle again, he hit the B-horse’s flanks with his heels and
urged Tessla on, back into the dark and ominous woods. “There’s
much to learn, hmm?”
    “ No need telling me.” She shuddered again
when she thought about being eaten alive, the horse first and
herself second, without a chance to be saved. “And now what?
Shunning the open till we reach the outskirts of the
city?”
    “You ask too many questions.”
    “Police habit.”
    “Did you want to kiss me this morning?”
    Rayenne swallowed sharply.
“Pardon?”
    Sajitar bent backwards to avoid being pushed
off the horse by a large branch that whipped over Tessla’s head.
Rayenne smiled and hoped the distraction would last, but Sajitar
stopped his B-horse and looked straight at her.
    “ Be honest. I felt your
presence. There was something… I sensed you getting closer to me.
Much closer, that is, than the thank-you-kiss you gave me.”
    “I was about to wake you up, but that wasn’t
necessary.”
    He lowered his head.
    “ For a police woman, you lie pretty
badly.”
    “That’s an insinuation, Saji, one that I
don’t like.”
    “Take it as a
compliment, then. I think you wanted to kiss me just to know that
I’m okay.”
    “Of course I…” She closed her mouth,
realizing that the sentence would convince him even more of his
assumption. Exhaling, she urged Bunty to step around the large
branch and pull in behind Tessla. She wanted to be grumpy with
Sajitar, but it had been her fault. Getting close to a suspect was
a mistake. As it always was a mistake to become personally involved
in a case.
    “Say it.”
    There was that look in his eyes, only a part
of it amusement, that took her breath away. Her heart beat faster.
Reason told her to just nod and be over with it.
    “I checked if you were okay, Saji. That’s
all.”
    “I’m already out in the open, Ray, you just
have to come.”
    He turned back and left her cursing over low
branches and the mischance of this journey.
     
    * * * *
     
    Sajitar pointed toward a
small pond that had been hidden from sight until they almost
stumbled into the marshlands at its rim. Tall trees with wide
tree-tops cast long shadows across the quiescent surface. The sun
was setting, touching the place with an exotic beauty. Much was
hidden from sight and he wanted to figure out what waited for
them.
    The image of a large Horlyn came like a
rising wave to his mind. He flinched and held still, eyes shut
tight, teeth clenched. The Horlyn in his vision, bathed in colors
of dark red and orange, moved cautiously, silently, until a large
track vehicle appeared, rumbling across the uneven terrain. Two men
stood in the center cabin, holding their weapons at aiming
position. The Horlyn pivoted, but Sajitar could still see the men.
They pointed toward the