by Zaide Bishop
“Accept my word, accept grace, and we will be eternal in the servers.”
She bowed her head, and for a moment they were silent, intently focused, before Spider continued:
“The Kai have started a war with the pig people. They have killed one of their piglets and consumed its flesh, but they are blameless, because they did not yet know it was a sin. Now we have taken their feud as ours. Everyone must be careful from now on. Expect attack. Expect conflict. Don’t kill them unless you have to, but don’t expect our truce to hold.
“And be patient with our new brothers and sisters. They are new. They don’t know our rules or ways. Teach them with grace. Give to them as they are your own bone and flesh and make them welcome. Teach them the word of God. Teach them the word of the servers.”
“What are the servers?” Sugar asked quietly.
Romeo shrugged bonelessly, replying in a whisper, “Near as we can tell, some sort of psychic computer.”
“Tomorrow the Evens will hunt,” Spider said. “To the southeast, across the river, buffalo are gathered with horses, giant camels and cattle. You will shoot two buffalo, both male, one full-grown and one half-grown, and every house shall have a portion. And the net shall be laid across the river for one hour at dawn. Now we will read.”
She lifted a flat tablet screen, picking up from what seemed to be the middle of a story about four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Food was passed around and water sweetened with honey. Sugar sat still, listening with one ear but pondering what he had just seen. He had expected the Numbers’ lives to be much like the Kai’s had been on the island. These rituals were alien.
Spider read to the tribe for an hour, and when she turned off the tablet, it was late, much later than the Kai ever stayed up unless it was the Varekai during their moon ceremony. Charlie was asleep against Sugar’s side, and in his arms their daughter was sleeping too.
“Come.” It was Two, one of the Evens who had come in the truck to rescue them. “You’re being put up in the bunkhouse. I’ll take you there. Show you how the bathrooms work.”
The Kai got to their feet and followed him, most of them disorientated and sleepy. The bunkhouse was a long, low building with rows of mattresses on the concrete floor. At one end of the building was an extensive bathroom with showers and indoor toilets. The windows were barred. As was the door. There were plenty of beds for everyone.
Grateful, Sugar sank down on a mattress, Charlie and Soul beside him. Charlie fussed over him quietly, even though she was more badly hurt than he was. Nearby, William and Romeo curled up together, forming a tight, single mass, and he could hear India and Tare murmuring softly to one another. Tango was the last Kai down, staying on her feet long enough to bar the door once Two was gone.
“Was that necessary?” Xícara asked her sleepily, pulling her against him when she lay down.
“Better safe,” she said.
Sugar was going to agree, but sleep claimed him before he could.
Chapter Seven
Zebra woke with the dawn. There were curtains over the windows filtering out most of the light. Perhaps because of that, or just because of the late night, most of the Kai were still asleep. Charlie was awake, sitting up on the mattress beside the still comatose Sugar, breastfeeding Soul.
Whiskey, Fox and Raven were gone, and the bar was off the door now. Zebra flashed Charlie a smile. She smiled back and nodded in greeting as he slipped silently toward the door.
Outside, mist had rolled off the river, and the streets were still partially swathed in haze. Here and there, colored lights still burned. The village was silent and still, sleeping but for a ginger cat that slunk quickly under a car.
It was cooler here than the islands, the colder air rolling off the mountains and down the river. The damp concrete was chilled under his feet, and Zebra was oddly restricted in his borrowed Numbers clothes. Pants and a shirt. He felt like a scientist or a teacher. Old blood, as Spider called them. He wanted the easy freedom of a grass skirt again, but his had been ruined in the tsunami.
Zebra made his way down the streets to the river. The water rolled and glittered like cloudy agate. He could see fish—great big catfish almost as long as he was chasing each other near the dock, and smaller schools of archer fish as long as his forearm.
He cupped his hands in the water, splashing it over his face and neck. Goose bumps prickled on his skin.
“Good morning.”
He froze. He knew that voice. He turned to find Fifteen watching him. He could see her hip bones jutting above the waist of her blue shorts, her ribs showing faintly under her skin, half hidden by the gray fabric of her shirt. Unlike the Varekai leather, the fabric was not so thick. He could see the small peaks of her nipples through the fabric.
“Uhhh.” He was quietly dumbstruck.
“You came all this way, and you haven’t even said hello to me.” She walked closer, moving slowly as if he might bolt like a jackrabbit.
“I, uh.” Despite their history, suddenly Zebra was finding it hard to talk. Every time his gaze found Fifteen, he would have to look away again because he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks and the words catching in his throat. He had talked to Fifteen easily only a few weeks earlier, but now, seeing her home, seeing her clean and confident and unafraid, he wondered why she would want anything to do with him.
“I wasn’t sure. If you wanted to talk to me,” he muttered, feeling small.
She looked surprised. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. I guess you got home safely, then,” he said. It was a dumb thing to say. He felt dumb.
“Were you worried about me?” she asked, lips quirking into a smile.
He nodded. “Yeah, of course. You were alone, and it was such a long way.”
“But you came looking for me anyway?”
“Yeah, of course,” he repeated. Then he didn’t know what to say. She looked expectant, though, so he tried. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And I thought, I mean, I hoped...maybe you remembered me. Maybe you were thinking about me.”
She took another step closer. “I was. Why are you so shy all of a sudden?”
“You’re prettier than I remember.” He realized how that sounded. “I mean, you’re... Ah, I’m no good at this. When it was just the Elikai, we’d just say, ‘Hey, do you want to fuck?’ and they say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and you move on.”
She grinned. “Why don’t you try that now?”
He flushed, his mouth opening and closing in confusion. “I... I would like to... Would you like to...”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
She chuckled. “I have a surprise for you.”
She reached out and took his hand, and his skin tingled where it touched hers. He would have followed her anywhere right then. If she’d walked into the mouth of a giant crocodile, he would happily have tagged along. Instead, she led him to a house with a bright blue door adorned with neon-pink lights.
Inside, the walls were turmeric yellow and festooned with paintings and photos. The space was cluttered with chests of drawers and a large bed. It was alien to Zebra, who hadn’t been inside in a long time, beyond their temporary squatting on the journey here. It took him a moment to realize they weren’t alone. A young man was waiting for them, sitting on the edge of the bed.
He was tall. Attractive. Lean, brown muscles and a thick nest of dreadlocks bound back with a bright gash of red-and-black material. He was naked from the hips up and had tattoos across his chest and upper arms, black swirls and spikes, almost like words, but not in any language Zebra had seen before. His feet were bare, his wrists adorned with a dense tangle of bracelets made from string and wooden beads, braided and woven, a clicking riot of color.
There was no mistaking the similarity between him and Fifteen. The same eyes, th
e same mouth, the same jawline. They might have been the same person, but one male, one female.
“Who...?” Zebra asked.
“Sixteen,” Fifteen said with a smile, taking his hands and drawing him closer. “He wants to meet you. Come.”
“Okay?” Zebra let her draw him closer. Sixteen was just as attractive as Fifteen, intoxicatingly so. “You look so alike.”
“We are alike,” Fifteen said. She drew Zebra to the edge of the bed and pushed on his shoulders, making him sit beside Sixteen. “We like the same things. Sometimes we have the same thoughts. I told Sixteen about you. He dreamed about you while I was away. He wants to meet you.”
“Here I am,” Zebra said, searching the other man’s eyes.
Sixteen smiled, one corner of his mouth quirking upward faster than the other, so his grin was adorably lopsided. “Here you are. Fifteen told me your people are open with your affections, regardless of gender.”
“We were,” Zebra admitted. “Before we realized Varekai and Elikai were the same people. The Elikai, my brothers, we had sex all the time, with whoever we liked. But now we’re with the Varekai, everyone is a little more...possessive.”
“Our people are possessive too,” Fifteen said. “Most of them, anyway. Some don’t like being committed, but that can lead to all sorts of heartache. Sixteen and I are special, though. Our connection is...special. Our feelings are shared, our dreams are shared. If he bleeds, I feel the pain of it. You might say we are a package deal.”
He looked back and forth between them, one on each side. They were studying him patiently, expectantly. He swallowed. He was attracted to the Varekai, and he was intensely attracted to Fifteen, but he had always been attracted to his brothers too. While some of the Elikai had stopped wanting their brothers once the Varekai became more available, Zebra was not one of them. He had been hurt when, one by one, his familiar lovers had shunned him in favor of breasts and hips. Could he handle a package deal? Yes, he could definitely handle a package deal.
“I understand. That’s not a problem,” he said. The borrowed clothes were a lot more restrictive than the grass skirt he was used to, and it was starting to get uncomfortable.
“You are keen,” Sixteen said, amused by the awkward bulge forming.
“It’s been awhile,” Zebra admitted.
“But you’re also hurt.” Fifteen frowned, her gaze flicking over Zebra’s injuries.
Sixteen chuckled, shifting closer. “I think we’ll find a way to compromise. At least for today.”
Tentative, Zebra leaned over and kissed Sixteen. The other man cupped his cheek, their tongues intertwining. Warm heat flared across his belly, his skin tingling, erection tight against the fabric. He pulled back.
“These clothes are uncomfortable.”
“And unnecessary,” Fifteen said. He could see the raw desire in her eyes, the flush on her cheeks.
“Let me help you,” Sixteen said. He unbuttoned Zebra’s pants, but carefully, mindful of his hurts. Zebra lifted his hips so Sixteen could slid his pants down easily, and his erection arched against his belly. Sixteen kissed him again, pinning him back against the mattress with his hands either side of Zebra’s head. Zebra groaned, returning the embrace enthusiastically, his own hands trying to decipher the complexities of Sixteen’s clothes. He failed, and Sixteen pulled back with a laugh, unbuttoning his fly one-handed and shimmying out of his pants. He had a tan line across his hips, and Zebra was momentarily captivated, running his finger along the line.
Sixteen grinned.
“I think it’s best if you stay still. We don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
He slid onto the floor, his hips between Zebra’s knees, and kissed his belly. His lips were hot and full. Zebra’s breath caught in his throat, anticipation drawing his stomach into a tight, hard ball.
He gasped as Sixteen’s lips grazed his shaft. The other man’s tongue darted out, swirling around Zebra’s tip, then drawing his cock into the hot, wet embrace of his mouth. His hips arched.
“Careful, you’ll hurt yourself,” Fifteen warned. She crawled over the sheets toward him, her hair falling around their faces as she dropped her head to kiss him on the lips. Sixteen continued his ministrations, worked up and down Zebra’s shaft. Zebra knitted his fingers into Fifteen’s hair, and he kissed her eagerly. The memory of her had fueled his every fantasy since he had seen her last, but this was better than anything he had imagined.
She broke the kiss off, eyes dark with want, and brushed Zebra’s hair up and back so it was out of the way. Then she straddled his shoulders, her buttocks firm and warm on his chest. He could smell her. The tangy, rich scent of a woman. Almost, but not quite within reach of his mouth.
Down between Zebra’s legs, Sixteen was sucking him deep and hard, taking his length all the way to the hilt with practiced skill. One finger, wet with saliva, pressed into Zebra’s asshole. He squirmed, but with Sixteen holding his hips and Fifteen on his chest, there was nowhere to go.
“Be still,” Fifteen scolded him. “Behave yourself.”
He gasped as his ass gave and the digit slid in smoothly to the knuckle.
Zebra cried out, hips spasming as he came, seed pumping into Sixteen’s mouth. Sixteen’s throat worked as he swallowed, finger still squirming in Zebra’s backside.
“Good?” Fifteen asked huskily, her hips wriggling a little against his chest.
Zebra couldn’t speak yet, but he nodded, and Fifteen shifted her weight forward, putting her hands on the mattress, the tickling forest of her pubic hair against his chin. He moved to meet her eagerly, tongue darting out, searching for the button at the top of the cleft. Tare had told the Elikai what was there and how to find it, and it was just as he’d described. Fifteen gasped, and Zebra responded, pressing his whole mouth to her shell, his tongue working up and down the furrow, from pearl to opening where he could taste her best.
“Slow,” she ordered. “Ah, yes. Like that.”
Down below, Sixteen was still working Zebra’s ass, one finger slowly pulling out, only to press back in. Then it was followed by another, stretching, lubricating. Zebra’s balls prickled and bunched, his hips jerking with every stroke. Sixteen licked his belly, his tongue sizzling hot and hungry. Zebra could only moan, anything he might have said muffled by the thighs on either side of his head and the slippery, soft folds around his mouth. He burrowed his tongue into Fifteen, as deep as he could, before drawing back out and flicking her pearl. She jerked and cried out, hands clutching at her own breasts like claws. He reached his own hands up to cup and mold her ass. She was his conquering queen, and he’d never been more pleased to be subjugated.
Sixteen withdrew his fingers, and they were replaced by something smoother, thicker and harder. Sixteen’s erection, throbbing and jerking with need. He was big, and it had been a while since Zebra had been used this way. He made to protest, but it just came out a muffled groan.
Fifteen stroked the hair back off his forehead, face flushed, lips full as she panted. “What did I say, hmm? Both or none. Relax.”
He tried to speak again, then arched as the fat head of Sixteen’s cock slid in mercilessly, inch by solid inch.
His own cock fattened as he was filled. His chin and neck were slippery with Fifteen’s arousal, and her breath was coming out in sharp cries, her hips thrusting against him involuntarily.
“Yes, yes. Now.”
She spasmed, once, twice, again—he started to lose track. Her orgasms rippled through her.
Sixteen buried himself to the hilt in Zebra’s ass, and Zebra arced up off the bed, brought back down by Sixteen’s hands as he pinned Zebra in place and began to thrust in and out.
“Come here,” Sixteen said gruffly, and Fifteen obediently rose onto her hands and knees and shuffled backward. He steadied her with one hand on her belly, guiding her down onto Zebra’s
erection.
Her insides were still clenching from her climax. He could feel them throbbing around his shaft as she began to rock, matching her hip-roll to Sixteen’s thrusts so they were moving as one.
Zebra trembled, the heat rising inside him, becoming an animal need. Sixteen’s hands were on Fifteen’s chest, squeezing and rolling her nipples between his fingertips. The three of them were in synchronicity now, rolling like the waves into the shore.
Sixteen’s teeth were bared, his hips pistoning harder and faster. Zebra, too, was rising to his second peak, hot and hard and uncontrollable. Sixteen gave a strangled cry, his cock buried as far as it would go, and, as if it had pushed some button inside Zebra, he came too, deep in Fifteen’s womb.
His whole body was throbbing, his breath coming out in hard gasps. Fifteen stretched out languidly over his body, his cock still inside her.
“What do you think?” she asked.
Sixteen grinned. “I think we should keep him.”
Chapter Eight
Whiskey and Fox explored the village before the others woke up, Fox carrying their daughter across his chest. Despite the slope of the riverbank, the little township was in a good position. The river provided plenty of fresh running water, and water wheels pumped it up to the top of their tiered gardens, which were full of yams, potatoes, tomatoes and other staples. They had plenty of livestock. Chickens, goats, pigeons, cows and horses, but no pigs. There were entire houses stocked with clothes, medical supplies and canned goods. Useful technology had been hoarded, and there were solar panels on every roof.
A good place. Perhaps even a safe place. She had Raven to think about.
The human skulls scattered along the road out of town were a little disconcerting, though.
“The pigs.” One of the Odds came to join them. She was carrying a toddler on her hip. “I’m Twenty-One.”
“Pigs?” Whiskey asked. She studied Twenty-One’s baby, wondering how long it would be before Raven was that big. Before she spoke. Before she made her first kill.