by Ann Raina
“They say the Color-changers show them what to do and exchange herbs and what more,” Sajitar replied defensively. “I don’t see the need for someone receiving or sending images.”
“There is no need to deny your gift. You were sent here to improve our living. I cannot say how much I regret that you want to leave.”
“Grenkyl doesn’t.”
“Oh, him!” Thannis laughed. “I will deal with Grenkyl, if that is your only worry. He is but a man with too large an ego. But you are a man of rare abilities. We need you.”
“We won’t stay, Thannis. I’m sorry to say, but I have no ambition to become these people’s leader or their mentor. I can hardly take care of myself, and whatever I’ve touched so far hasn’t turned out so well.”
“You would change that by living among us. Think about it.” His brown eyes held a fire Sajitar could hardly stand. He grabbed Sajitar at the shoulders. “The Color-changers want us here. They take care of us. There is no better place to live but under the great cloak of these intelligent creatures. Think of what you could learn! Think of how wonderful it is to communicate with them.”
Sajitar thought of the moment after the Tusk-turner had been killed. Being part of the beast’s glee had profoundly changed his mind about the nature of the Horlyns.
“I understand that you like living here, but Ray and I have to go. By the way, were you the first man taken here to found this village?”
Thannis let out his breath, clearly disappointed. Dropping his hands, he looked around as if the village might already wither due to Sajitar’s rejection.
“You are not willing to see the beauty and the uniqueness of this gift. We were brought here to learn from them, to live side by side. There is a greater meaning to this foundation, not just a place where by chance some people met and decided to stay.”
“Please, don’t try to tell me this is God’s great way of leading people to salvation. I don’t buy that.” Sajitar took the bridles and went into the paddock to fetch Tessla. “I admit that life here is beautiful, simple but beautiful. I admire what you have built. But Ray and I will not be a part of this village any longer.”
“I see.” Thannis lifted his chin and looked at Ray, who approached carefully as if she were an intruder. “Welcome, Ray. Are you, too, determined to leave us tonight?”
She straightened, exchanging a quizzical glance with Sajitar, who but shrugged and went on bridling the B-horses.
“We will leave, yes. And I hope you won’t try and hinder us.”
Thannis lifted both hands, showing he carried no weapon.
“I try to convince with words, not with arms. I am desperate to keep you both here. Your talents are needed and the village shall grow. Your departure will be mourned.”
“Please, understand that we have obligations to fulfill, which cannot be delayed any further.” She filled the saddlebags with packed goods and full waterskins.
Sajitar admired her way of describing their departure as a necessary evil.
“Obligations?” Thannis asked with an all-inclusive gesture. “What kind of obligations could be so powerful to drag you away from the wonders of these woods?”
“It suffices to say that I consider them important.” She helped Sajitar saddle Bunty and added the saddlebags before checking that everything was knotted in the right places. At last, she led her B-horse out of the paddock. “We thank you for your hospitality and sharing your wisdom. We will cherish the memory.”
Thannis nodded sadly.
“Let me accompany you for a short while. I promise not to try and convince you to stay again.”
“You could not.”
Sajitar heard regret and, mindlessly, smiled.
Thannis adopted Ray’s pace aside the B-horse to look in her face. “Does it not intrigue you to learn more about Emerald Green in a way no one else will ever know? I have lived here for years and there are still things I don’t understand that I want to learn about.”
“You were a scientist before you came here?”
“I had no real life before I got here.” Thannis hesitated before he went on. “Belthraine appeared to be the dream planet for everyone to start anew, but this was deceptive. Freedom and free decisions are only possible if all members of a society accept those of others. My attempts at stopping the destructive exploitation of the woods were brought to an end too soon.”
Suddenly he looked old and depressed. His liveliness was gone, shrouded in the mist of memory. He took a deep breath. “I had already angered my father and my brother with my mission. My brother had left for Belson Park because he was after a different life.” He shrugged, but Sajitar did not buy his listlessness. “He loved the trees and the animals, but he could no longer stand my complaints, I think. So I was alone. I carried on for more than a two moon phases. I contacted ministers and leaders of other worlds, but no one took action against the large corporations. They only saw their profits.
Imagine how happy I was learning that no machines worked! I imagined 2Harvest would throw in the towel and leave, but I was mistaken. The profits were still there—they only imported more lumberjacks to do the work by hand.” He shook his head. “I prayed and traveled, I talked to all who would listen, but in the end I lost.”
“That was when you decided to walk the forest to never return?” Ray asked quietly.
“I had been in the woods more often than I can recall. I spent weeks here and tried to figure out what those pictures in my head meant. The more time I spent, the more I waited for the images to flow into my mind until I finally understood the combination of the Color-changers and me. I was chosen.” He lifted his head, a forced smile on his face. “Imagine how surprised I was to learn of a higher being than mankind on this planet! Again, I traveled back to bring the news to every politician I could find. My conviction was heard but ignored. Everyone wanted a piece of the cake of profits. They yearned for success and power. A species of higher intelligence would have ruined them. Finally, I got an answer from Rhyhis Tafni. He had just taken office and was ready to listen. But while I stayed at a village with a transmission line to talk with him again, assassins tried to kill me, so I left secretly to never return.”
Sajitar was glad his face was hidden in the darkness. His stories about the Horlyns had been brushed off, but he had never understood that the acceptance of another higher life form would have meant the end of all lumbering. Then the Environment Senator Rhyhis Tafni had been assassinated at the spaceport. The similarity was too clear to be denied. Even in retrospect his heartbeat sped up.
Thannis sighed.
“I left my home to wander Emerald Green. I had decided it was better to get lost in the vastness than return to a useless fight. I was right. I found my happiness here in the center of the woods. And you could do that, too.”
“You promised…”
“I know. I am a missionary on a lost cause.” He looked ahead and stood, exhaling, like rooted to the ground. “Wait.”
Sajitar, sunken in his own bitter memory about Belson Park, Sananda Wang and his escape, bumped into Bunty’s rear before looking up. Both B-horses snorted and sidestepped. When he saw the two Horlyns he understood Thannis’ reaction.
“Looks like our departure isn’t going unnoticed,” Ray said quietly, gaze fixed on the mighty creatures. “Saji?”
“You cannot force your passage,” Thannis stated. “Not against them.”
Sajitar came up on Thannis’ left side, annoyed by the older man’s declaration.
“We want to leave. Nothing changes that.” Before Thannis could reply, Sajitar received an image from the female Horlyn and realized it was the one which had removed the bullet from his body. She showed him Rayenne and himself and two little children playing in the village, all smiling and very happy. The settlers were around, dressed prettily, carrying baskets of fruits and flat baked bread. Contentment was in the air like a sweet, welcome perfume. People gathered around Sajitar, listening to his explanations. Then the image changed
and at the wood’s rim Sajitar fled on foot from soldiers in orange uniforms, wounded and close to being shot again. He stumbled and fell and the attackers were at his back, pinning him to the ground, shackles ready. He could not see their faces, but knew he would not be taken to a police station.
Sajitar shied away from the threatening image and when he opened his eyes he was sitting on the ground, palms pressed against his temples.
“You told them to stop,” Ray said helping him up. “I didn’t understand the rest. What did they do?”
“Not now.” Sajitar breathed heavily, evading both Thannis’ and Rayenne’s questioning gazes. He stood and looked at the Horlyns. “Your proposed future is a fine construction, but even if it runs true, it’s not always the way men choose.” He closed his eyes, concentrating on his own picture: Ray and Saji sitting in front of their hut, scratching spiritlessly the sand with a stick, talking softly about their departure and how they would try again and again.
A headache knocked dully in the back of his head as he focused on the Horlyns once more, hoping to make them understand.
Rayenne watched him intently while Thannis only smiled as if he knew exactly what was about to happen.
Sajitar braced for another encounter of visual argument. The Horlyns stood beside each other, touching with their antennae and rubbing their heads, like a strange prelude to their next strange action. To Sajitar, it was the quiet exchange of different arguments and he waited with bated breath for the result. They tweeted in high then in low tones, but did not give way. The antennae moved faster, more excitedly. The female Horlyn made a step forward, expanding the flaps on both sides so it appeared even wider and more impressive. The other immediately blocked its path with its body. The tweeting became louder and painful to hear. There was no doubt about the ongoing conflict.
Sajitar felt squeezed by mere impressions of light and darkness, within which floated images of Sajitar laughing among a group of children. The village was larger than it was now, filled with life and happiness. Rayenne was beside him, carrying a baby. She looked positively radiant and kissed Sajitar lovingly. Though he knew it was only an image, a projection the Horlyns made him believe, he wanted to turn and kiss Rayenne on the spot.
Sajitar suppressed the desire with a supreme effort and concentrated on unhappiness and boredom once more. He tried to picture man’s decisiveness to never stay a prisoner, no matter how powerful the captors were.
When he looked up, the female Horlyn towered over him. Tessla had bolted without Sajitar knowing and both Ray and Thannis stepped back, stunned by the sudden aggression. Sajitar shivered with fear. The Horlyn’s antennae were longer than his body, the head a hard shell with dark angry eyes above. One of its legs was strong enough to crush him through to the roots of the closest tree. He heard voices around, but could not make out words. Even turning his head was impossible. He was too afraid he would miss seeing the move and get hurt by that leg only inches away.
Like a destructive wave, more images flooded Sajitar’s weakening mind, showing him men in camouflage, carrying large weapons, cornering him and Rayenne at his side. The situation escalated and the shootout ended in an irreversible, terrible outcome. He fell and saw Rayenne’s empty eyes and great wounds across her face and body.
The headache was so bad he could no longer focus. Gathering strength for a final fight, Sajitar lifted his head, already kneeling on the ground.
“No! It’s not like that! It’s not only peace here and war everywhere else! You are wrong!” But he felt the fear arising from deep inside him, the whispers of dreadful voices, proclaiming sadness and loss outside the forest. There was death around and running through him. Even if he survived, he would never be happy again. No other woman would come, no children would be born. He would wander around like a man already dead.
An antenna touched his head as if probing for answers. Sajitar panted, suddenly knowing too well that running away would not work. He was shaken to the bones, teeth clattering, feeling the loss even though it had not taken place. The last mental assault had left him powerless. He could no longer send images back. If it had been a battle of wits, he had clearly lost it.
“Saji, what’s happening?”
He had no spittle left to formulate an answer. Isn’t it obvious that they won’t let us pass? He had tried to tell an alien race about the endurance of mankind and for a brief moment he had hope that he would succeed.
The touching antenna belonged to the male companion of the Horlyn surgeon. A long tweeting followed. Sajitar could make no meaning out of it, even if his life depended on it. The sound could mean anything from the order to return to the village to a cheer for his courage. He blinked dully, swallowed and lifted his hands in question.
The male Horlyn used his body to make the female step to the side. It followed with obvious resistance. Another step, and the crude path opened to Sajitar.
“Are you telling me…?” Strong hands lifted him up and he blinked to see Thannis behind him.
“Yes, I suppose they are telling you you are free to go.” Thannis was pale and his lips twitched. “I don’t know how you did this, but you’d better take the chance. She doesn’t want anyone to leave, and it’s not out of possessiveness. She really cares for all of us.”
“Thank you.” Sajitar took a deep breath.
“Shall I help you mount?”
Sajitar felt himself nod. Rayenne brought Tessla and held the reins until Sajitar climbed up clumsily.
“You okay?” she asked and he nodded automatically.
His mind was blown to pieces by so many images of strange origin. He could not speak.
“Fine. We better be on our way.” Ray turned to hug Thannis. “Thank you for your help.”
“It was not my doing. Your friend here is a remarkable man. Take good care of him.”
“I will.”
Sajitar reached out a hand.
Thannis smiled as amicably as during their first meeting. “I’m grateful you don’t want to keep us here.”
“Oh, I want to, but my arguments are few.” Thannis patted Sajitar’s arm. “Ride with the blessings of the Color-changers. I believe their struggle was harder than mine.”
Sajitar felt the same, but words would not come. He hung on his B-horse like a drunkard, but ignored Ray’s questions and just urged her to leave.
They passed the watching Horlyns and the B-horses trotted without being urged.
Chapter Ten
Sajitar had no recollection of the ride. He knew the light had brightened until it ached in his eyes and he had hung over Tessla’s withers. As before, he had relied on the B-horse’s senses and gentleness to carry him even if he was unable to help. Tessla had followed Bunty’s tail until Rayenne found a place to stop.
Only when she talked to him had he lifted his head to look at her without seeing much.
“Let me help you down.”
Sajitar took the offered hands and slithered off the saddle only to fall on the ground, taking her with him.
“Sorry.”
She laughed and embraced him tightly. “Don’t be sorry, Saji! I’m so glad you are alive! The moment the Horlyn came closer I was afraid it would smash you.”
“She is afraid we will live through much pain elsewhere,” he mumbled, content to rest his face against her breasts, listening to her heartbeat. “She knows. She has seen it.”
“Knows what? What kind of pain?”
Sajitar was too tired to explain. He wanted nothing but rest, to sleep through the day and night and maybe get up the next morning.
“Hold it, Saji,” Rayenne urged him gently. “Let me pitch the tent, then you can sleep as long as you want to.” She maneuvered from under him to unpack the tent and hobble the B-horses.
He watched her through half-closed eyes, admiring her stamina. He longed to hold her in his arms again as if to never let go. The image of Ray with a baby in her arms lingered and left a warm, fuzzy feeling. He could not tell if it would be their privil
ege to have a family, but now that he thought of it the idea was no longer fantasy, but a reality within his grasp. Smiling, he found that his life had turned in a direction he had not anticipated. Until Ray had shown up to seduce him at the bar and shackle him to a bed, he had only thought about escape. He had had no greater wish than to remain undetected and earn some credits by helping settlers with their B-horses or cleaning stables. He had not thought further than a day ahead, always listening to gossip on the streets, ready to pack and leave if the situation changed. However, Rayenne and her partner had been subtle. And he had walked into the trap willingly.
In retrospect, the trap had been a good thing.
“Why are you smiling, Sajitar Haju?” Rayenne asked when she helped him into the tent.
He walked on wobbly legs and sighed when he lay down on his sleeping bag.
“So glad about being in a tent once more?”
“I just thought about how you caught me.” He looked up at her face, framed by her long black hair.
She smiled, raising her brows.
“Up to that night, I had thought that I could detect a policeman a mile ahead.”
“I am a master of deceit,” she purred, and kissed his nose. Slowly, she undressed him, starting with his boots. “If I hadn’t wished you to know, I would have continued my scheme a week longer.” She threw the boots away and stretched for another kiss. “And you wouldn’t have noticed.”
He licked his lips, frowning.
“You mean, if you had taken me with you shackled? No, I don’t think you could’ve fooled me much longer.”
She threw back her head laughing. Her hands worked on his pants and had them down in a minute.
“Oh, Saji, you wanted me from head to toe. You wouldn’t have thought about who or what I was for weeks.” Her lips touched his sensuously.
His heartbeat sped up and he pulled her in a tight embrace.
“I know what you are now and I won’t let you go.” He cupped her cheeks. “I did this for you, Ray. I couldn’t stand the thought of being forced back to live with the settlers and knowing that other men would dare to touch you.”