The Four Horsemen 3 - Famine (8 page)

“I haven’t had a lot of things. Working in the mines doesn’t leave time for anything except sleeping. Not even eating.” Ekundayo took the other half of the orange Famine offered him. He studied it as if it held the answers to the universe. “I could never come up with a reason why our land is so arid and so many die every year because they have no food.”
“Do you mean the mining towns or the country overall?” Famine swept the peel into his hand and carried it over to the window where he tossed it out. There were animals that could use the extra sustenance.
Ekundayo didn’t say anything, and Famine looked back over his shoulder at him. Ekundayo was staring at Famine’s ass, his mouth hanging open.
“Yes?”
“You’re naked.”
Famine glanced down and shock hit him. “So I am.”
Had he really talked to Death without a stitch of clothing on? Why hadn’t either Death or Lam said anything about him wandering around naked?
“You talked to your boss while not wearing any clothes?” Surprise rippled through Ekundayo’s voice.
“Apparently. I didn’t realise until you said something. We don’t look at each other that way, so I’m not surprised he didn’t say anything.”
Did Death ever look at anyone in a sexual way? Famine tended to think about the Pale Rider as being asexual. He shuddered at the thought of Death having sex with anyone. He wrinkled his nose, remembering that Lam had seen him naked as well. The angel hadn’t said anything either. Did that mean the angel hadn’t noticed, or hadn’t cared?
“I’ve asked this before, and I’m going to keep asking it until you give me an answer I’ll believe. What do you do for a living? You’re gone for a day or two. It doesn’t matter what time of day you leave. I don’t know how you leave, because I don’t hear a boat showing up to take you away.”
Famine stared out of the window, contemplating the forest around him while he wondered how to even broach the subject of what he did. How did he explain that he sowed the land with salt and drew the water from the ground? What would Ekundayo think if he were to find out Famine was the reason the people of Africa were starving?
“I know you told me you weren’t a poacher, but are you a smuggler? Do you run the river, getting things for the black market? Is that why you have all this food when you shouldn’t have anything?” Ekundayo’s tone of voice gave Famine no clue what he was thinking about.
There was his out. All he had to say was that he smuggled black market items, and, while Ekundayo might not be thrilled with it, he wouldn’t be able to say anything—stealing diamonds was just as bad as smuggling things, at least to the authorities in charge of the country.
“I can’t really talk about what I do, but I do travel a lot throughout the African continent, so I have a lot of things available to me. I have a connection with trying to take care of the drought hitting most of the countries.”
Okay, that wasn’t really lying. As he wandered, he hoped that at some point his actions would make people think, and do something to help those who suffered the most. He hated the fact that his job ended up hurting children and the elderly.
“Are you doing work for scientists or some of the humanitarian groups?” Ekundayo sounded excited.
Famine turned and leaned against the window frame, crossing his arms over his chest while he thought. Were the Horsemen a humanitarian group? In a way, he guessed they could be called one, considering how everything they did was to help keep the balance between good and evil, but to be honest, he didn’t know what category the Horsemen would be put in if mortals knew they existed. He stared down at his feet, contemplating all the possibilities.
“Fami?”
Ekundayo’s feet appeared in his field of vision, and he looked up to see Ekundayo standing right in front of him. His lover reached out and cupped his cheek. Their eyes met, and Famine saw the need shining in Ekundayo’s gaze. Shit! He still hadn’t got any protection, and, while he couldn’t catch diseases or pass them on, Ekundayo didn’t know that. Famine didn’t want Ekundayo to think it was okay to have sex without condoms.
Since when did he concern himself with his lovers? He didn’t plan on hanging around once he’d dumped Ekundayo back in Botswana. The important thing was that Ekundayo wouldn’t catch anything from him.
“Fami? Are you okay?”
“I want to fuck you,” he blurted.
Ekundayo’s cheeks turned red, but he didn’t back away, for which Famine gave him credit.
“Okay.”
Famine shook his head. “I don’t have any condoms, and you never ever have sex with anyone without using a rubber. No matter what anyone else might say to you.”
Ekundayo looked a little taken aback by Famine’s fierce declaration. “All right. I know what the hazards of having sex are. I was just hoping you had something, because I’d really like to have sex with you.”
If Famine’s cock could talk, it would have begged him at that point to let go of his morals and take Ekundayo to bed. Yet Famine couldn’t do it. He looked into Ekundayo’s innocent eyes, and understood the importance of his taking him in hand.
He nuzzled his cheek into Ekundayo’s hand and sighed. “Do you want to go for a walk? I promise to put on some clothes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s better if we do this. You and the bed are temptations I need to avoid right now.” Famine pressed a quick kiss to Ekundayo’s lips before inching away.
Famine strolled over to one of his chests and dug out a pair of shorts. He slipped them on before turning to see Ekundayo putting on his own shorts. Famine had found a few pairs in Ekundayo’s size at one of the resorts. Ekundayo obviously wouldn’t be keen on running around naked after his old clothes had fallen apart at the first touch of water.
“I thought I’d take you to the end of this island. You can overlook the falls, and it’s beautiful.” Famine picked up his sandals, and grinned as Ekundayo practically raced across the room to join him at the trapdoor.
“I’m just looking forward to having more room to walk around.”
“Let’s go.”
Famine lifted the trapdoor, and dropped the ladder for Ekundayo to climb down. He headed to the ground first, watching as Ekundayo followed him.

Ekundayo smiled as his feet touched the ground. Even after being in the tree house for two weeks, he hadn’t got used to the subtle sway of the branches in the wind. He accepted the sandals Fami handed to him, and sat to put them on.

Fami held out his hand, and Ekundayo took him up on the offer. He let Fami pull him to his feet, using his uninjured arm. His other wrist was getting better, but still sore and he kept it wrapped. He didn’t argue as Fami kept a hold of his hand, and they strolled down the path towards the roar of the falls.

“What is that pouch you’re wearing? Is it like a medicine bag?” He asked as his curiosity finally got the best of him.
“Yes. It’s a medicine bag. In my former life, I trained as a shaman, and it holds my power objects.” Fami touched it with the tips of his fingers. “In many ways, it holds all my power.”
“You never take it off, do you?”
Fami shook his head. “No. Not even when I wash. I’m protected while I wear it.”
Ekundayo nodded. He knew about medicine bags from his grandmother. She’d practiced the old ways, and Fami’s pouch reminded him of the shamanic items she’d used. He looked at it lying there on Fami’s muscular chest, and a thought hit him.
Where would be the best place for Fami to hide Ekundayo’s diamond? Fami couldn’t hide it anywhere in the tree house because Ekundayo would be sure to find it. Obviously, the perfect hiding spot would be somewhere Ekundayo would never be able to look, and Fami’s medicine pouch was such a place. Since Fami never took it off, Ekundayo would never think about looking in it.
He didn’t show any excitement, but he started to think about how he could get his hands on the pouch. He needed that diamond because he was getting the feeling that Fami was going to send him back to Botswana, and Ekundayo didn’t want to go back there.
“Here we are,” Fami spoke up, motioning towards the riverbank.
Ekundayo edged closer and stared in awe at the rushing water and cascading sheets of liquid pouring into the chasm. His entire body shook with the force of the Zambezi River. He’d never thought he’d be able to see Victoria Falls in person. Ekundayo had heard some of the mining foremen and security guards talk about making a trip up to see the river and the falls.
But he dreamt of travelling, or at least going someplace other than where he was from. Standing at Victoria Falls was the first step towards freeing himself from the world he’d grown up in. Ekundayo shot a glance over at Fami, who was leaning against a tree and staring out over the river. Actually the first step in his new life was to get the diamond back from Fami, and sell it to whoever would give him the best price for it.
How was Ekundayo to do that, though? Stealing the rough diamond while he was mining had been rather easy, even with all the security in place. Something told him it would be far harder to get it away from Fami, especially since he never took the medicine pouch from around his neck.
As Ekundayo wandered along the island’s edge, he thought about what actions he could take to get the bag away from Fami. Nothing he came up with seemed to work in his mind. Fami was too experienced and worldly to fall for any of the tricks Ekundayo could think of. Well, he could’ve tried seducing Fami, but he didn’t know how to go about doing that. Sometimes being a virgin was a disadvantage when it came to things like distracting his lover.
“Are you hungry? I can fish for our lunch.”
Ekundayo nodded absently, still going through options in his head. Since he couldn’t see anything working out, he would have to wait, and hope that an opportunity presented itself. He tuned into what was going on around him when Fami brushed past him to sit on a boulder next to the river.
“I’m going to try here first. Then, if nothing bites, I’ll move to my usual spot.”
He watched as Fami tossed a thin line with a hook on the end out into the water. “What did you bait it with?”
Fami shrugged. “A grub I dug out from under a tree.”
“Does that usually work?” Ekundayo sat close by, but not so close that he interfered with Fami’s line.
“Some days. Other days, the fish don’t bite, no matter what I use. That’s when I usually have dried meat and fruit.” He grinned at Ekundayo before looking back over the water.
“Where are you from? You don’t really have an accent I recognise.”
There was a slight stiffening of Fami’s shoulders, and Ekundayo waited for Fami to either ignore the question, or avoid it with a non-answer.
“My tribe was originally from what is now the Sudan. I left when I had seen maybe eighteen summers.”
There was something odd in Fami’s tone of voice.
“Left? When you were eighteen?” Ekundayo moved closer.
“Well, maybe left was a little light. More like forcibly removed from my village when I was around eighteen. I have no idea how old I really was. We didn’t keep accurate track of that sort of thing. As I told you earlier, when the tribe decided I was a man, they gave me a woman to have sex with.” A frown marred Fami’s forehead.
“Didn’t you enjoy yourself?”
Ekundayo had never imagined what it would be like to sleep with a woman. His body didn’t react to them like it did when a man was near, especially one as attractive as Fami. Ekundayo’s cock hardened, and he shifted on the ground, trying to adjust his erection without letting Fami know he was turned on. A low chuckle caught his attention, and he looked up to see Fami watching him with a knowing expression on his face.
“No, I didn’t really enjoy myself the first time. I was too nervous about what to do and how not to hurt her. Of course, she was much more experienced than me, and led me through it.” Fami glanced at his line before looking back at Ekundayo. “The second time was fine. To be honest, I never slept with a man until after I left my village.”
Ekundayo tried not to remember how Fami’s lips had felt wrapped around his shaft. Out in the open wasn’t the best place to mess around. They were close to the falls, but boats still travelled between the islands and the resorts, so there was always a chance of someone seeing something they shouldn’t.
“What made you try it? Did you always have some attraction to men before you left the tribe?” He cringed at the very personal questions, but Fami was the first man he’d been able to ask about these things without worrying about getting beaten or killed.
Fami stared out over the Zambezi, his gaze seemed to be distant like he wasn’t seeing the present, but deep into his past. “I never really thought about sex. I was too busy with my training to worry about fucking someone. Men and women drew the same reaction from me, which at the time was mostly indifference. It was only after I was forced from my village that I came to the conclusion life was too short to spend it caught up in the struggle to better my circumstances.”
“It doesn’t look like you’ve done too badly for yourself, though. You aren’t starving, and, while you do live in a tree, I must admit you have a nice place. Is your job dangerous? Do you worry about authorities catching you?”
Fami shook his head and muttered, “The only authorities I deal with are far more powerful than the ones who rule the countries in Africa.”
Ekundayo didn’t understand the comment. Who could be more powerful than the different armies and governments who ruled the African continent? Did Fami work for a worldwide organisation? Was that why he stayed under the radar of the authorities? Was he more than a health aid worker or humanitarian? Maybe he was a spy or a soldier.
“Who are you?” He met Fami’s curious gaze. “No, I really mean it. Every time I ask, you dodge the question. I’m just trying to figure out who you are. I’ve never met a man like you.”
Fami snorted. “You won’t ever meet another person like me. Well, there are three others like me, but you won’t ever see them. I’m a unique individual, though, to be honest, I don’t exist anymore. Haven’t for more years than I can remember, actually.”
Frowning, Ekundayo opened his mouth, but, before he could say anything, the line in Fami’s hand trembled. Fami sat up straight and began wrapping the line around a stick he’d set down beside him. Ekundayo watched as Fami slowly and carefully worked the fish on to the bank.
“Here’s lunch.” Smiling, Fami held up the fish. “Let’s head back and I’ll bake it. I have some vegetables to cook with it.”
“Okay.” Ekundayo accepted the stick with line and hook. “How can someone not exist?”
“There’s no one alive who knew me, since my tribe and village no longer exists. They were wiped out by disease and famine.” Fami grunted as he strolled down the trail. “Which is ironic, considering I was forced out of the village as a sacrifice to the Gods to make it rain.”
“Who does that any more? I don’t know of many villages who still practice the old ways,” Ekundayo murmured.
Fami flinched like he’d forgotten Ekundayo was with him. Fami shot him a quick glance with a shrug.
“My tribe had even less to do with the outside world than most.”
Ekundayo wondered what Fami was hiding when he made comments like that, because it sounded like he was covering something up. Yawning, Ekundayo decided to let things go for now, and pick up his questioning after they’d eaten. His body was telling him he’d been out walking around too much that day, but he was thrilled to have been able to wander outside and stretch his muscles.
They got back to the small clearing. On the edge of it was the tree that held their house. After setting the fish on one of the flat rocks in the fire ring in the middle of the clearing, Fami went to the fire pit and stirred the ashes. Ekundayo took the knife Fami held out to him.
“Have you cleaned a fish before?” Fami went back to digging for the warm coals.
“Yes. Once or twice. What do you want me to do with the offal?” Ekundayo held the knife, waiting to hear before he made his first cut.
“There’s a bucket over there.” Fami gestured towards the other side of the clearing with his chin. “Toss it in there, and I’ll dump it in the river after we’re done.”
Ekundayo did as he was told, and, after he’d finished cleaning it, Fami wrapped it in leaves along with some vegetables. When he’d done, Fami buried it in the warm ashes of the fire. They settled down under the trees, and Fami encouraged Ekundayo to lie down with his head in his lap.
“Take a nap. It’s going to take an hour or so for the fish to cook. I’ll wake you when it’s done.” Fami stroked Ekundayo’s hair.
As much as Ekundayo wanted to argue about not being tired, he yawned again. “Okay.”
He snuggled closer, not really thinking about what he was nuzzling until Fami grunted. Ekundayo realised the bulge in Fami’s shorts was getting bigger and harder. Acting on instinct, he turned slightly and placed an open-mouthed kiss on Fami’s erection. He exhaled hot moist air, and Fami shuddered.
“Aren’t you tired?” Fami turned Elundayo’s head slightly to give him a better angle at his groin.
Ekundayo shook his head, rubbing his lips over the fabric of Fami’s shorts. He wanted to feel Fami skin to skin. He looked up, and met Fami’s gaze. Fami smiled, and, with his free hand, he popped open the button and got the zipper down. Ekundayo nudged Fami’s shorts down, murmuring happily when his cock sprang out.
Fami helped him wiggle around until he was lying on his stomach, between Fami’s legs with his face hovering above Fami’s cock. Ekundayo stuck out his tongue, and licked a line from Fami’s lightly furred balls to the flared head of the man’s hard-on.
“Shit,” Fami whispered, letting his head drop back against the tree.
“Is this okay?” Ekundayo wasn’t sure what he should be doing. It was more just doing what he liked—or what he imagined Fami would like.
“It’s more than okay, honey.” Fami patted the top of his head. “Though I should advise you not to do this without protection either. Just to be on the safe side.”
“But you don’t have any protection, and I really want to taste you. Besides, you did this to me last night without anything,” Ekundayo pointed out.
“Yes, I did, and the reason I did was because you’re a virgin. You don’t have any disease that could hurt me, and I can’t pass anything on to you.” Fami held up a finger to stop Ekundayo from speaking. “If you were to do this with anyone else, you’d use protection, and don’t trust any guy when he says he’s disease free. Most of them will lie to get a blowjob or have sex.”
Ekundayo thought he knew the answer, but he had to ask anyway. “Would you lie to get what you wanted?”
“If I wanted you to think I was a good guy, I’d say I’d never lie about anything. I didn’t tell former lovers everything about me, but never about being clean when I’m not. Trust me when I tell you, I can’t get sick. It’s impossible.”
How weird was that statement. Ekundayo frowned as he tried to figure out what Fami meant.
“You’ve never been sick in your life?”
While they talked, he slipped his uninjured hand up to fondle Fami’s balls. His lover moaned and spread his thighs farther apart.
“Not since I was eighteen.” Fami cradled Ekundayo’s face with his hand. “Why don’t we talk about this later? If you don’t want to suck me, you can use your hand. I’m good either way.”
Ekundayo kept playing with Fami while he thought. He understood the dangers Fami was talking about, having seen many of his own people getting sick because they took risks they shouldn’t have. Was Fami really any different from those other people who’d lie to get what they wanted? How did he know for sure that Fami wasn’t lying about not being able to get sick?
Yet Ekundayo wanted to taste Fami, and, really, how big a risk would it be to do it once?
“Are you going to get some protection soon?” He squeezed Fami’s balls firmly.
Grunting, Fami nodded. “Yeah. I think I can probably go and get some tomorrow.”
“Okay. I want to feel you in my mouth, and taste you.”
“It’s your choice.” Fami rubbed his thumb over Ekundayo’s bottom lip.
Ekundayo licked the pad of Fami’s thumb before tipping his head. “I don’t know why, but I trust you, even though you’ve stolen my diamond.”
“I didn’t steal it. I’ll return it to you when you’re healed and ready to go home.”
Ekundayo wasn’t sure he believed Fami completely, but he found he didn’t care any more. All he was interested in was getting Fami into his mouth, and giving his first blowjob.
“Don’t try to take it all in at once. Just get used to having me in your mouth first. I don’t want you gagging or choking yourself,” Fami instructed him.
He hummed as he swirled his tongue around the fat head of Fami’s cock, savouring the liquid he gathered from Fami’s slit. He wrapped his hand around the base of Fami’s shaft, and cautiously began to swallow it down. He took his time, and listened to Fami’s advice about not taking too much at once.
When his lips hit the top of his hand, Ekundayo stopped. Fami’s entire length wasn’t in, but Ekundayo doubted he’d complain. He started bobbing up and down, using his tongue while making sure he was careful with his teeth. He couldn’t do much with his injured hand, and kept it lying on Fami’s thigh.
“That’s right. You’re doing real good, Ekundayo.” Fami’s words of encouragement helped Ekundayo continue.
Ekundayo pumped with his hand while using his mouth to pleasure Fami. The noises Fami made also brought a mental smile to Ekundayo. He must be doing something right if Fami had lost the ability to form actual words.