by Ann Raina
“Tempting?” He sank on the grass where he absentmindedly plucked weed from between the flowers nearby. “It is more than tempting. Remember, I thought my brother had been killed by a predator.”
Rayenne sat down opposite of him so that they could overlook the entire garden. The sun shone brightly and warmed their backs and faces. If the matter had not been pressing, she would have enjoyed the afternoon.
“And yet, why should I risk my life and my wellbeing for the sake of a man I do not like? He is not my friend. He brought much trouble here and still I shall help him get away? What if the lady finds out?” He shook his head. “No, I cannot do that. I will spend my life here among the plants and watch them grow.”
“You could talk to your brother again. Find out why he stayed away from your parents’ home all this time. And he would show you the wonders of living with the Horlyns.”
“Living with—” His voice failed.
The horror in his eyes hurt Rayenne bodily. She had thought the same way about the beasts until she had met them face to alien face.
“The village in the woods is their idea. They brought men and women there to start a village. And the Horlyns take care of them if the people fall sick. Their knowledge of healing herbs may exceed even yours.”
Ranien gnawed on the information like a dog on a juicy bone. His face worked, but he found no words.
Rayenne understood his feelings well. She was still not totally convinced of the Horlyns’ peaceful nature.
“My knowledge does not only heal the sick,” he admitted quietly and without eye contact. “I know that, though I don’t know what the lady has done with all the wisdom I shared with her.” He frowned deeply. “There could be more good coming from all of this.”
“Yes, your knowledge combined with those of the Horlyns would help the whole planet.”
“People would understand that it is wrong to exploit the woods and kill innocent beings just for the sake of trunks.”
Rayenne granted him time to think and took a look around. A group of young women crossed the garden to a sandy place where they started playing ball. Their lively chatter and laughter was carried over by the wind. Ranien did not even spare them a glance. He had sunken down, turning two leaves between his fingers.
“Most people say this is useless, just weed. I know you can brew tea with it. Maybe it will not heal a crooked finger, but it tastes quite good.”
Rayenne smiled and kept quiet.
“There are many leaves, roots and stems I tried in these long years. The bark of some trees is very helpful. The root of the Winani-bush helps against reddened skin after shaving. Not to mention the skin, hair or claws of animals.” He shook his head. “The use of so many living things nature grants us cannot be measured. Cutting trees will reduce this variety and finally kill it.” With a grimace, he focused on Ray once more. “Will the tree cutting end? Will there be help for all living beings in the woods on Belthraine?”
“I’m no politician, Ranien. I cannot tell what will happen. But I know that Sajitar, your brother and you can do much more than you think right now. If your brother and Sajitar state that the Horlyns are an intelligent life form it will be harder for the lumberjacks to just cut down their home.”
Ranien sighed so deeply that it sounded as if the weight of the world and the wellbeing of all of them had just been laid upon his shoulders. Rayenne wanted to hug him, realizing that he had just made a step in her direction. She watched the young women play. Two more joined the joyous group and amid them Sananda jumped for the ball. She was the smallest of them, but definitely the one with the most talent. Rayenne was glad that Ranien had not yet seen her. In the distance, a pair of guards gave the impression of checking the surroundings for potential assassins. Rayenne doubted that anyone was able to enter the premises without being detected.
“When do you want to leave?” Ranien finally asked.
Ray knew it had cost him. She gently touched the back of his hand.
“As soon as possible. If there is a fitting date because of some party or such, it would be perfect.”
“Even if the lady parties, there are enough men watching the building. No, there is no special day or night in which the escape will work better. It is just at night.” He squinted at the sun. “I do not like the idea at all. I do not think it is right to try and sneak away with Sajitar. After all, she wants him and I don’t like to take away what is rightfully hers.” He lowered his head to look at her earnestly. “I will stay. If it works I will turn around and go back to my bed.”
“All right.” Rayenne kept her face blank.
“I will later tell Sananda that I have to leave to meet my brother. She will not keep me here because she knows I will return.”
Rayenne forbade her tongue to spill out a contradiction. There was a snowball chance in hell that Ranien would get leave from the lady, but she could not say it. She could never destroy his trust without losing his cooperation. Weighing the options, she let him believe in Sananda’s honesty.
“When will we meet?”
“After sunset. My room is not far from yours. I will come and get you.”
“Thank you.”
“Do not thank me. I do not want to do that, but you leave me no choice if I want to see my brother again.”
Rayenne stood. Happiness mingled with regret to have forced such a good man. She said goodbye and left for the porch to pretend she felt great staying close to the mighty, powerful, manipulating Mrs Wang.
Ranien sighed exasperatedly. Rayenne dragged him behind her, willingly ignoring his repeating comments of resistance.
“You will help me, Ranien, you hear me? No one else can!”
“Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut? I’m happy here, Ray, really. I don’t want any trouble with Sananda and this sure will get me and you in trouble if she finds out.”
Ray halted and turned to hiss in his face.
“Then we better be quiet so that she won’t find out. How does that sound?”
“You want to throw me into misery,” he replied sullenly, but went on with more care for quietness. “I should be in my bed right now. I’ve got a nice place, you know?”
They reached the outer wing of Sananda’s palace. By Ranien’s description there was even a second exit through which the three would reach the fences much quicker than by passing through the whole building again.
“How do you know?” she had asked when he had boasted with his knowledge. Her admiration had done the trick and Ranien had proudly explained,
“I’m a gardener. Everyone sees me daily, but no one takes notice that I have ears, too. They allow me to go everywhere and I’ve been here for many moons. Why shouldn’t I know about all ways around here?”
He pulled Ray back when they reached a corner.
“Wait.”
Ray frowned, but obeyed. A moment later she realized he had excellent hearing. A guard on soft soles passed them without even looking in their direction. The man appeared bored and had his pressure gun slung over his shoulder in a rather sloppy way. Professional experience told her he would never get to it in time if an attacker showed up. She let out the breath she had not known she was holding and signaled for him to go on. Ranien flinched, still a demonstration of resistance, and passed her to move noiselessly through the last, dimly lit corridor.
Sajitar rested on a pallet and raised his head to squint at the guests at this nightly hour.
“Nice of you to drop by,” he whispered and stood. His eyes betrayed the mocking tone. “Couldn’t you wait until morning? I need my sleep.”
“If you want to joke feel free,” Ranien grunted and poked the lock with a small knife. “If not, take your loin cloth and be ready to get out of here.”
Sajitar thanked Ray with a glance. She grimaced, then checked the corridor to make sure they were still alone. The guard had not returned, but she knew the man would not be away for long, no matter why he had been on tour. Sananda had her way with people who disobeye
d. Everyone who worked here would risk his life just to be recognized and in good favor of the lady of the house. Such a personal connection was hard to break.
The lock followed Ranien’s bidding with a soft click. The door opened and Sajitar moved out of the cell quickly as if Ranien would, out of sheer malice, close it again. He checked the other man up and down, surprised.
“Thannis? How can this be?”
“I’m Ranien, if you don’t mind.” The gardener put away his knife. “Now, move.” He pushed him forward, glancing at Ray with the same reluctance he had shown since she had begged him for help.
“Ranien? Are you related to Thannis?”
“Later,” Rayenne hushed him and smoothed the reproach with a kiss on his cheek. She smelled Sananda’s scent on him and flinched. “We have to hurry. This way?” she asked over her shoulder. Ranien nodded. “Good.” She smiled at Sajitar. “We’ll be out before the night is over.”
“Never heard a better prospect.” Sajitar jogged through the corridor, Rayenne at his side, Ranien close behind. She warned him at the next cross ways and sent Ranien forward to check.
“They’ll treat me badly if they catch me,” the gardener pressed. “It’s not only you who’s in danger.”
“We truly cherish your sacrifice,” Ray said, and meant it.
Ranien looked away from her. Ray panted, glancing over her shoulder, one hand on Saji’s arm. She needed the contact. The sheer need to know she had him back made her stand on tiptoe to kiss him again.
He smiled, but his face registered surprise.
“How far?”
“Ten minutes to the fences. It’s up to Ranien to guide us out of this globe.”
“A globe? I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I. Just follow him.” She made sure they were still alone and ran after Ranien, who was already ten steps ahead. Here, the beauty of the palace was but a shadow of the main wings. Though clean and orderly, the walls were bare, furniture simple and undecorated. No one had bothered with knickknacks on shelves or walls. Rayenne imagined that the not-so-cherished guests spent their days away from the exclusive abodes she had come to know. Sananda was a shrewd person who would be brought to justice sooner rather than later, thanks to her own gardener.
Ranien tried the door and found it open.
“No one walks here,” he informed them with the shadow of a proud smile. “I guess no one truly knows it’s here.” He went outside to turn and hold the door for them to pass.
A cool breeze touched their sweaty faces and they listened to the noises of the night. Rayenne checked in every direction, nervous to get away. There was much ground to cover and no place to hide once they left the spacious patio. It was the hardest part of their escape and Ranien had warned her that the garden could be seen from every window. If there were guards, in spite of Ranien’s statement that the men walked there randomly, their escape would come to an abrupt end. Yet, he stepped into the clearing, looked back toward the windows and put finger and thumb together.
With her heart beating in her throat, Rayenne took Sajitar’s hand and they followed the gardener as quickly as they could along the paths, past wooden benches, bushes and pieces of art, some taller than a man.
The moons shone above, illuminating their way so that they did not stumble. They made good progress and Ranien smiled over his shoulder, pointing ahead to a group of trees.
“That’s the border,” he told them and sped up.
“I didn’t know he was so eager to get away, too.”
Rayenne nodded, unable to talk. Fear clung to her throat like a weight. She would only rejoice once they were safe at Belson Park. To ease her mind, she imagined how it would be to present the missing witness to the judge. She would declare that he had helped her escape and was innocent concerning Wang’s crimes. He would tell every detail of Sananda’s evil doings to finally put her behind bars. And then she would find her father and brother even if she had to manhandle Sananda to make her spill out their hideout. The prospect made her feet light.
Ranien stopped, hands on his knees, gasping for air.
“You have to pass through here, then you’ll see where you are.”
Rayenne patted his shoulder.
“Thank you, Ranien. Are you sure you want to stay? They’ll know.”
He grinned through the strain.
“She likes her gardener. There’s no one to tell her more about all the herbs and what to do with them.”
“Like Talagg-bark?” Sajitar grumbled.
“Don’t even start,” Rayenne warned him. “Let’s go.” She reached out for Saji’s hand once more when a bullet from behind felled him like an axed tree. He slumped in her arms, eyes wide open in shocked surprise. “No!” Ray grabbed his left arm and pulled him up, eyes set on the four guards who appeared out of nowhere, arms at the ready. “Damn it! Saji, get up!”
“You there! Stay where you are!” one of the guards barked. The next shots went wide as if they had no time to aim.
Sajitar made it back to his feet. His voice was hoarse as he turned to Ranien.
“Lead the way, gardener. Get us out of here!”
Ranien opened his mouth for a reply, but let go when the next bullet almost hit him.
“This way!” He grabbed Saji’s right arm and pulled hard enough to cause Rayenne to stumble forward. She caught her step and sped up.
The guards fired more bullets and it was irony that none of Sananda’s hired guns were practiced shooters. The bullets went everywhere, tormenting grass and flowers, but because of the escapees’ zigzag approach no one got hurt. Sajitar regained his strength and was about to run alone when suddenly the air seemed to thicken around them. Saji cried out and pressed his hands on his ears, but forced his body forward as fast as he could. Rayenne felt sick as if someone had squeezed her intestines to a hard ball, then the moment was over and, catching her breath, she straightened to run on.
“We’re through!” Ranien shouted with glee.
The land before them was flat as a tray, with no trees to hide, not even bushes to seek cover. The moons shone above, brighter than before. The landscape was illuminated like an open air stage and they were nothing but easy targets. She cursed under her breath, glancing over her shoulder. The guards emerged behind them, only briefly distracted by the strange phenomena. They stood and aimed and Rayenne realized that no matter if they ran like rabbits, they would get shot sooner or later. The opponents had enough ammunition to play the game the whole night.
“Stop and turn around!” the guards shouted. “Or we’ll no longer just aim for your legs!”
Had they?
The gardener stopped and raised his hands high. Rayenne stumbled, shocked by Ranien’s sudden act, and fell on her knee. Sajitar stayed at her side. They both looked where the guards drew closer, slowly, cautiously, their weapons at the ready. One turned back as if he had not fully understood that the area around them had changed.
“Are you mad?” Sajitar screamed.
Ranien did not even look at them, but only at the guards inching closer. His lips were pressed tight.
“Don’t shoot me!” he shouted on top of his lungs, waving his hands in the air. “I’m the gardener! You know me! They forced me to help them!”
The guards took another step, checking the surroundings, aware that the escapees might have accomplices. In their dark red uniforms they looked threatening, yet the young faces, though angry, ruined that appearance. Rayenne wished that a police force would appear and yell, hey, we waited for you the whole time to show up! But nothing happened.
Rayenne stood up and turned slowly, breath rasping in her throat, sweat pouring down her temples. There has to be a way to get out of here. We are so damn close! She let some tears flow, pretending to be unable to go on. Beside her, Sajitar clambered to his feet, grimacing. The bullet had hit him low in the back and would hamper his ability to run, even if the chance occurred.
“Really, I had no choice,” Ranien explained to th
e skeptic faces. His voice had the touch of hysteria. He pointed at Ray. “She came at night, I wanted to sleep, but she didn’t let me. It was terrible! You can’t imagine! Terrible!” He waited for the first guard to come within reach. Suddenly, his hand shot forward to grasp the weapon and twist it around. The guard let go, surprised. Ranien flung the muzzle around and shot from the hip as if he practiced the move every day. The guard fell back, arms flailing. He was out for the count before he hit ground.
Rayenne used both hands for the attack, disarming the guard in front of her by dislocating his elbow. The man screamed and was shot in error by his partner when Ray pulled him close to her body as a shield. The numbed guard slipped from Ray’s grasp, leaving her unprotected. Sajitar lunged forward, grabbing the next man to throw him on the ground, wrestling for control over the gun. The fourth guard aimed low for Ranien, but missed.
While Sajitar lost the fight and was numbed by a hard blow against his head, Ranien pulled the trigger again, but the weapon jammed. He threw it away. Seeing the guard aim at Rayenne, he darted her way, taking the already launched missile in the chest. Crying in shock and pain, he slumped to the ground.
Rayenne shut off thinking and reacted to the threat as she had learned. She rolled over the ground, evading the man’s aim, hitting his knee with her foot and sending him tumbling on the ground. She fought with the hand holding the weapon, but he was stronger than she had judged by his slender built. With his free hand he knocked her over. She brought up her knee in his stomach, yet not fast enough. She saw the fist coming and, cursing under her breath, knew the fight to be over.
Chapter Fourteen
Rayenne woke to the fuzzy feeling of many hairy arms cuddling with her. She brushed at them, but they returned, as if they could not get enough of her. She gave up without opening her eyes. Too many strange things had happened to her to make a fuss over soft and gentle brushes along her arms and back, a nice trick she credited to Sajitar. The thought of him made her smile.