forgotten all about sustainable development.
‘He’s a tricky cat,’ the driver called back. ‘Maybe another night and a later hour, but he’s very, very reticent. I wouldn’t bank on seeing him at all.’
‘It’s OK,’ said Richard. ‘Cassie can go out and flirt with him and— Ow! ’
Cassie laughed. She’d enjoyed the game drive more than she’d have believed possible, and she was almost tempted to stay with her Few friends later that evening when they gathered round the open fire – for what Richard called ‘cocktail hour’, as he surreptitiously pocketed a hipflask – but the opposing attraction was too strong. Making her excuses, she slipped away into the dusk.
They’d been warned not to leave camp alone, but that rule, thought Cassie – slightly ashamed of her arrogance – could hardly be said to apply to someone with her powers. She could look after herself, no matter what came out of the night. Besides, she had to go alone and unnoticed, to get as quickly as she could to her secret rendezvous …
The lodge wasn’t far away anyway; Sir Alric had explained where it was, a little over a mile from the camp, and she’d made a note of its position as they drove from the airstrip. The quickest route was on animal tracks through thorny scrub – animal tracks , she reminded herself with amusement; what absurd risks she could take as a member of the Few.
Quite. You won’t be able to do THIS sort of thing if you throw me out!
‘Oh, put a sock in it, Estelle.’
Apart from anything else, she wanted to enjoy the night sounds of the bush – the cry of night birds, the low grunting of some unseen carnivore, the whistle and chirrup of cicadas. The Kenyan night wasn’t exactly silent, she smiled to herself, but it was an amazing kind of racket. Eyes glinted in the brush ahead of her as she flashed her torch, but just as quickly retreated, and whatever they belonged to scurried into the undergrowth. Ahead, she could see the lights of Sir Alric’s lodge now, glowing golden and welcoming from windows and veranda.
She almost ran up the steps, and they must have heard her approach. Before she could even knock on the door, it was flung open, and Isabella was hugging her, squealing with excitement.
‘I missed you! We missed you, Cassie! It’s so good to see you! Come in, come in!’ Then Isabella was dragging her into the spacious interior and allowing Jake just a quick hug before shoving Cassie into a comfortable leather sofa draped with woven throws.
‘Do you want a drink? You didn’t walk all the way here, did you?’ She poured Cassie a huge glass of Coke.
‘Course I walked!’ Cassie laughed, grinning at Jake. ‘It’s not that far!’
‘Well, you should still be careful.’ Jake shook his head, but he was smiling too.
Cassie realised again how much quieter he was now, how much more thoughtful. Clearly a near-death experience had given him cause to reassess an awful lot.
Any gossip Cassie could provide them covered only the last few days, but Isabella was as hungry for it as Cassie was for the feeding they swiftly got out of the way. She was grateful once more for Jake’s volte - face regarding her feeding on his girlfriend.
Jake, of course, knew little or nothing about what had happened lately at the school either, so by the time they’d relaxed after the feeding session, and Cassie was on her third Coke and finally beginning to run dry of stories, she was surprised by how many hours had passed.
She glanced at her watch. ‘Whoa. I’d better get back soon. It’d be really embarrassing if they did send out a search party,’ she said with a laugh. ‘And we don’t want anyone spotting you two.’
‘I suppose,’ agreed Isabella regretfully. ‘Oh, you’ll have to come back again tomorrow, Cassie. This is like old times!’
Yes, Cassie thought happily. Yes, it really was.
‘I will,’ she said. ‘It was easy enough to get away unnoticed tonight. It shouldn’t be a problem.
‘He’s a tricky cat,’ the driver called back. ‘Maybe another night and a later hour, but he’s very, very reticent. I wouldn’t bank on seeing him at all.’
‘It’s OK,’ said Richard. ‘Cassie can go out and flirt with him and— Ow! ’
Cassie laughed. She’d enjoyed the game drive more than she’d have believed possible, and she was almost tempted to stay with her Few friends later that evening when they gathered round the open fire – for what Richard called ‘cocktail hour’, as he surreptitiously pocketed a hipflask – but the opposing attraction was too strong. Making her excuses, she slipped away into the dusk.
They’d been warned not to leave camp alone, but that rule, thought Cassie – slightly ashamed of her arrogance – could hardly be said to apply to someone with her powers. She could look after herself, no matter what came out of the night. Besides, she had to go alone and unnoticed, to get as quickly as she could to her secret rendezvous …
The lodge wasn’t far away anyway; Sir Alric had explained where it was, a little over a mile from the camp, and she’d made a note of its position as they drove from the airstrip. The quickest route was on animal tracks through thorny scrub – animal tracks , she reminded herself with amusement; what absurd risks she could take as a member of the Few.
Quite. You won’t be able to do THIS sort of thing if you throw me out!
‘Oh, put a sock in it, Estelle.’
Apart from anything else, she wanted to enjoy the night sounds of the bush – the cry of night birds, the low grunting of some unseen carnivore, the whistle and chirrup of cicadas. The Kenyan night wasn’t exactly silent, she smiled to herself, but it was an amazing kind of racket. Eyes glinted in the brush ahead of her as she flashed her torch, but just as quickly retreated, and whatever they belonged to scurried into the undergrowth. Ahead, she could see the lights of Sir Alric’s lodge now, glowing golden and welcoming from windows and veranda.
She almost ran up the steps, and they must have heard her approach. Before she could even knock on the door, it was flung open, and Isabella was hugging her, squealing with excitement.
‘I missed you! We missed you, Cassie! It’s so good to see you! Come in, come in!’ Then Isabella was dragging her into the spacious interior and allowing Jake just a quick hug before shoving Cassie into a comfortable leather sofa draped with woven throws.
‘Do you want a drink? You didn’t walk all the way here, did you?’ She poured Cassie a huge glass of Coke.
‘Course I walked!’ Cassie laughed, grinning at Jake. ‘It’s not that far!’
‘Well, you should still be careful.’ Jake shook his head, but he was smiling too.
Cassie realised again how much quieter he was now, how much more thoughtful. Clearly a near-death experience had given him cause to reassess an awful lot.
Any gossip Cassie could provide them covered only the last few days, but Isabella was as hungry for it as Cassie was for the feeding they swiftly got out of the way. She was grateful once more for Jake’s volte - face regarding her feeding on his girlfriend.
Jake, of course, knew little or nothing about what had happened lately at the school either, so by the time they’d relaxed after the feeding session, and Cassie was on her third Coke and finally beginning to run dry of stories, she was surprised by how many hours had passed.
She glanced at her watch. ‘Whoa. I’d better get back soon. It’d be really embarrassing if they did send out a search party,’ she said with a laugh. ‘And we don’t want anyone spotting you two.’
‘I suppose,’ agreed Isabella regretfully. ‘Oh, you’ll have to come back again tomorrow, Cassie. This is like old times!’
Yes, Cassie thought happily. Yes, it really was.
‘I will,’ she said. ‘It was easy enough to get away unnoticed tonight. It shouldn’t be a problem.
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