Infall Ch. 04

"Look closer, brother," Kythe said.

Zen took her knees and pushed them up abruptly to her belly, spreading her legs and looking at her sex, his eyes flashing to her face. He smiled slowly. "You don't see it that way."

"What?" she said.

"She doesn't," Kythe agreed. "She could walk through the center of camp dancing and feel nothing."

"What?" she said, looking at Kythe.

"Don't mind us, nina," Zen said, bringing his fingers down, stroking her spread sex, his eyes on her nipples. They twinged, tightening. "I'm learning about you and Kythe is helping. We like you very much."

"I like you," Indya said, smiling at him.

"You're right, brother.Fata, she's sweet," Zen said, leaning down and kissing her more. When he pulled back, he took her hands and put them over her head, holding them there. "Don't move them, nina."

"All right," she said, her breathing uneven.

His fingers traced between her breasts, Indya's breathing getting faster, then over her belly. "You are more beautiful than any woman I have ever seen, even in my imagination," he said, and then his mouth went to her nipple and his hand went between her legs resting there, pressing.

Indya arched, offering her breasts as he went to the other, his mouth wonderful. He was tugging and sucking and then he began to bite her nipples, sharp stabs that made her cry out, her sex pulsing against his hand.

She was more wet, getting excited. "You having sex with me now, Zen?" she said.

He came up and smiled, a smile like Kythe when he was being cruel, although it was never for true. It was for sex. "No more talking. You lie there and I'll take my pleasure on your body."

"All right," she said.

"No talking," Zen said, his hand going to her breast and pinching her nipple sharply.

She yelped. "All right," she said and then broke into giggles, unable to stop herself, turning her face away.

She heard Kythe laugh, and then Zen did.

"Ah, nina-bird. I am enjoying you so much," Zen said.

When she turned to look at him, Zen was still smiling, and then he covered her mouth with his hand and came over her, finding her and thrusting into her body, his smile turning into the other.

Indya cried out behind his hand, arching, muffled as he filled her, working his way into her sex.

"Don't close your eyes, nina," he said, his breathing changing with his thrusts. "Look at me. Look in my eyes. Show me."

She looked at him, his eyes intense, and she didn't stop looking at him, his sex good in her. She went still to feel it, arching more. His hand left her mouth and he was thrusting sharply.

"I can't tell if I want to gag her or listen to her pleasure more, brother," Zen said, stabbing into her, grunting.

"I know," Kythe said.

"Surely you see it. She's ripe for andikstat," Zen said. "Her body craves it."

"Yes, I see it. Slowly, brother," Kythe said, Indya barely hearing them. "With care."

"She wants it," Zen said, thrusting harder. "She wants to reach the pleasure she knows is there for her."

Zen slowed, looking down at her. He put her knees flat, so she was spread, resting his thumb on her clitoris. He played his thumb fast on it, Indya crying out, feeling her sex clench on his.

He was suddenly doing other things, Indya's breath choking out, his fingers pinching, so much like pain, but it was pleasure, painful pleasure, her eyes unfocusing. Her body was jerking and she made a sound she didn't recognize, a deep sound full of need. She winced, whining.

"N'ondi," Zen said, his breathing heavy, withdrawing his hand. "I think I met you somewhere in a dream, nina."

"More slowly, Zen," Kythe said sharply. "With more care."

"She is ready, brother," Zen insisted.

She whimpered, something so close. Zen looked down at her, the way he looked at her body making her clench around his sex again. Something. She needed something.

Zen came over her, nuzzling her, sounding excited. "I know, nina. Soon we will give that to you," he said in a soft voice, thrusting. It felt so good, his fingers returning, stroking, and now she was sensitive. His breathing was stuttering out and he straightened. "Show me your pleasure, nina. Show me how you come, what you want."

It was building, her eyes on his. She hitched, still going up. Her pleasure came, hard and long, straining, her body jerking. She whined with it, her eyes on his.

"Fata, sexy bihen, make me come in your body, sweet little pula," he said, grunting and then she felt him releasing into her pleasure, his elbows coming down, trapping her against the table, grunting and thrusting.

She was still coming, clenching at him as he gave a last thrust, Zen grunting hard over and over, the sound making her pleasure more. Indya finally relaxed, her breath still hitching.

Zen came up, panting hard. He looked down at her, shaking his head. "Such intense pleasure you are. And you haven't moved your hands, just like I told you. She is everything you said, brother, and so much more. I agree. I would be a fool not to agree."

She'd forgotten her hands, bringing them down and putting them against Zen's chest, small twinges still going through her sex. Zen drew out of her, stepping back, Indya breathing fast through it.

Her thighs were shaking and she felt strange, like she was drifting, a little panicked. She began to breathe fast, closing her legs.

"Alea," Kythe said, suddenly there, over her, bringing her up gently.

She put her arms around his neck and pressed herself to him, hiding her face, his hand stroking her hair. She was shaking and she didn't know why she was doing that, Kythe pulling her closer. Indya felt another hand on her back and didn't look up.

"I'm sorry, gentle alea," Kythe said, his voice tense, speaking to his brother. "She doesn't know you yet to trust you, Zen. I haven't gone so far with her."

"Look at me, Indya," Zen said.

Indya turned her head, looking at Zen's face.

He frowned lightly, his gaze searching. "Come here, nina-bird. I won't hurt you," he said, putting out his hand.

Indya hesitated, still feeling strange. She put her hand in his and Kythe released her as Zen bent and picked her up, moving slowly, bringing her to a bath already there. She hadn't noticed it. It was hot. He set her on her feet, keeping hold of her, and washed between her legs. She felt a little sore there, like he'd hurt her. Her eyes were still on his face. She couldn't make them leave his face.

"So quiet, nina," Zen said, reaching for her, and she flinched. His mouth got tight.

Indya looked away, her heart pounding. She was still shaking, and she turned and looked at Kythe, relieved when he came to her. Kythe lifted her and brought her to the bed, laying her down, Zen getting in the other side.

"I don't want to have sex again tonight," she said to Kythe, her body tense.

"Then we won't, alea," Kythe said easily, leaning down and kissing her, his hand going to her belly, Indya startling. He didn't seem to notice, tracing her navel, and she relaxed a little.

They were quiet. She could hear herself breathing. They were so large, on either side of her.

"Shall I tell you a story, alea?" Kythe said.

She looked at him and nodded.

"One day, when Zen and I were young, we decided to run away."

She didn't understand. "You are running somewhere away from something?" she said.

"I guess you couldn't run away on a ship," Kythe said, his eyes going up. "We wanted to go and live somewhere else, but we were seven years old. We made a plan and packed our bags and Zen wanted to bring his dog."

"I couldn't leave him there, nina," Zen said, on his side and propping himself, taking up her hair and playing with it. "Udun would have been too sad."

Indya glanced at him and then looked back at Kythe when he continued.

"Zen has always loved dogs, and I have always loved horses," Kythe said. "So we took my horse Balka and we rode him together and left our home, the dog trotting beside us."

Her eyes went to Zen again and back to Kythe.

"We had everything we needed," Kythe went on. "We'd thought of all of it. We had two saddlebags full of things we would need."

"Clothing," Zen listed, her eyes going to him. "A brush for the horse, Udun's blanket."

"Hats," Kythe continued, "for hiding ourselves, as if two identical seven-year-old boys riding a stallion and followed by a huge dog almost as big as the horse were going to go unnoticed."

Her mouth twitched, seeing it in her mind, two small boys on a huge horse, a huge dog.

"But we forgot one thing," Zen said.

Indya looked at him. "What did you forget?"

Zen shrugged. "Food for us," he said.

Indya laughed, Zen smiling. She felt her body relaxing more. "What did you do?"

"We rode for a couple of hours," Kythe said, her eyes shifting to him. "Until we were out of the city."

Her eyes shifted to Zen when he spoke. "Because boys are always hungry, we noticed our error quickly after that, but we were too proud to go home."

"So Zen gets this idea we're going to catch a fish and eat that way," Kythe said. "Although I don't think we could make fire or thought how we would cook it. Maybe we thought it would come out of the river ready to eat like it appeared on our plates."

"Except for that, it was a good idea, brother," Zen said, giving him a glance full of humor.

"I didn't know what to do. At least you thought of something," Kythe said back. "So we go to the river, Indya. And there we meet an old man. He's so old he had only a little bit of white hair on his head and a long white beard, and he's fishing. He takes one look at us and he says, 'What are the rí doing so far from home?'"

"We were shocked we'd been recognized and immediately denied it," Zen said, smiling again when she laughed. "We told him we were boys from the country. And he asked what we wanted."

"We told him," Kythe continued, "that we were hungry and had come to the river to fish. And he asked where our itsols are."

"What is this?" Indya said.

"A long stick with a string for catching the fish," Kythe answered. "You put food for the fish on the end of the string and the fish eat the food and you pull them from the water."

Zen laughed softly. "And we told the old man that we'd lost our itsols, and could we use his."

"Did he let you?" Indya said.

"Yes," Kythe said. "We sat on the side of the river all afternoon with one stick between us, waiting to catch a fish, not even realizing the old man hadn't put any food on the end of the line to make them bite the string. That's how he kept us there until our father's men found us."

They both laughed and she laughed with them. "Was your father angry with you?"

"I think he was just relieved to catch us so close to home," Zen said. "He said it would teach us to prepare our plans better. We had nothing to eat until the next day. I'd never been so hungry."

"And the old man?"

"Our father gave him a purse and thanked him personally."

She looked between them. "And your mother?"

Kythe's face sobered, as did Zen's.

"She died when we were young, alea," Kythe said.

She looked at him, looking at Zen, her stomach falling out from under her. "How did she die?"

"There was a sickness that took her," Zen said. "It took many people in our city when it came. We were young, five years old."

Her eyes were shifting between them, imagining the boys she'd seen so clearly in her mind, missing their mother and not understanding why she was gone. No wonder they had run away from their home, so confused and alone with only their father. She blinked, her eyes blurring. "I am so sorry," she said to both of them. "That's terrible you losing her. She love you both very much, I think, to be your mother."

Kythe reached out and touched her cheek. "Gentle alea. People don't die as often where you come from. Have you lost nobody in your family?"

She nodded. "My great-grandfather," she said, an ache in her chest. "I still missing him. He is old. He is going to sleep and he don't wake up. I saw him when he was for dead, for his body. He was there, but he wasn't being him in it." She shivered.

"That's it?" Kythe said.

"Yes. I have my mother, my father, my grandparents and my aunt on my mother's side, and my grandparents and my other aunt on my father's side and my uncle and my cousins. My great-grandparents on my father's side and my great-grandmother on my mother's side. And my brother."

"Have you ever seen anyone else who was dead?" Kythe said.

"No," she said. "Pavel's father is hurting and he losing his eyes and he's for having new eyes we make."

"New eyes made," Zen echoed. "He could see from them?"

"Yes. We give mechanisms. Heart. For you breathe. Eyes. Legs and arms, fingers. They are working again."

"Could you show us how to do that, Indya?" Zen said, going still. "To replace these things when our men lose them?"

She winced. "I'm so sorry, Zen. I can't. You needing things before, many things to understand for the making. Too many. The people on the surface will making these things in a day to coming. They will be for knowing the rules of the world."

"I've never seen anyone so unmarked. You have no scars, no calluses, your skin softer than any I've felt," Zen said, looking down at her body. "Have you never been injured at all?"

"Yes," Indya said, showing him the edge of her hand. "I am...what is the word for going up?" she said, imitating the motion.

"Climbing," Kythe said.

"Climbing, yes. I climbing the tree. Jae is down at the ground, my brother, and I falling and cutting my hand," she said. "But we don't having scars. We fixing them so they don't be there."

"You have trees on your ship?" Kythe said. "Like a forest? It's that big?"

"Yes. We eat them for their fruit and they cleaning the air."

"The air is dirty?"

"When people breathing," she said. "Yes."

Zen took her hand and kissed the place where she'd hurt her hand long ago. "I didn't understand how gentle you are, nina. My brother tried to tell me, but I didn't listen well, and I frightened you. Will you forgive me?"

Indya studied his face and her whole body finally relaxed. She smiled. "Yes."

"If I promise to be more careful and go more slowly, will you still let me touch you?"

Her eyes dropped and then flashed to his. "Yes. Zen?"

"Yes, nina."

"I helping for when sickness comes, like how your mother is being hurt. This I can doing. I can maybe helping them from dying. I need time and things to making for the medicine. But right away, I telling you how to making it not go from this person to a person over there, if people do what I say."

"Truly?" Zen said.

"Yes, Zen. I knowing rules for sickness. Not all. Some."

Zen was studying her face. "You will sit down with us, nina, and tell us in the earpiece these things you know to help our people."

She smiled at him and nodded. "Yes. I do this. This is good to do, a good way you using what I know."

* * *

Characters/Pronunciation Key:

Ashka OSH-kuh Zen's dog

Danela Dan-ELL-uh Indya's friend

Disemond DIS-eh-mund engineer for the kah-rí

Etien EH-tee-en a man from Jassa

Indya IN-dee-ah Woman from Atlantis

Jae Jay Indya's brother

Kythe KYT-uh A rí of Matise

Mavia MAH-vee-uh Indya's friend

Olavine OLE-ah-veen Indya's friend

Pavel PAH-vel Indya's would-be lover on Atlantis

Saba SA-buh Indya's horse

Zen Zen a rí of Matise

Zozo ZO-zo Indya's dog

Alcon al-KONE language spoken on Atlantis

Chusa CHOOS-uh Eastern people, Chusans

Echtha EK-thuh large coastal realm on southern coast, allies to Matise

kah-rí kah-Ray King of Matise

lí LAY the wife of the prince of Matise

Matise MUH-tees A realm on the coast, the largest in the region

Metas MAY-tus the planet's name before the flare

nah-lí nah-LAY the intended of the prince of Matise

Odien O-dee-en language spoken in Matise

Revestin REV-es-tin travelers, wandering people

ri RAY prince

salvoronella SAL-vor-uh-nell-uh The rí's concubine in Matise

Odien vocabulary in the novel, spoken by the Matisi

a for

actha cry

ackan this

aclan that

aclite ally, associate

ada hurt

aforna idiomatic. Literally: "It is buried," (you're welcome)

aguinas marriage

alti your

altzac famous, notorious

alzar residence of a ruler

amfal naked

aminehn mare, female horse

amuth dead

ana girl

andikstat rough sex, pain-pleasure

anespite spirit

anik sl. vulgar, a woman's sex

aonoi branches

apel stay

anik sl. a woman's sex, also a flower

arustin royalty

aurub/i breast/s

bertalis box

bihen bitch

blest door

canesh lively

cavril bed

corviti words

di yes

dovas that

dovas'na that is

duvat spy

edon stop

embraso scouting, looking around

ena is

enith come

eschdul flog, whip

esch whip

fa it

fata sl. vulgar. fuck

fater sl. vulgar. fucker

fatad sl. vulgar. fucked

fatada sl. vulgar. fucking

gatya table

hashta war

hask here

hucszak a million

i a, also plural

ictha have

idi no

illinis snow

inhain certain, sure

incinati pregnant

injeste dangerous

inth her

inust wrong

isilum alabaster

ishlino gossip

isjusi eyes

itha she

itsole rod for fishing

j'iven reflexive. Literally: My debt to you. (Thank you)

ivernestea superstitious

ja you

jeso play, a drama

kama care

kel do

kel-a don't

lanva/lanvi thigh/s

lelvjen risk, chance

lithindi betrothed

lokswela speak

luvre stringed instrument

maloren magic

modress a mixture, a mongrel

n'varin to me (reflexive)

ne me

nelta butt, ass

nepalak sl. piss-shit

nis my

nivenit/i nipple/s

noita witch

nuin here

nuvita woman

octal look

olakith intelligent

omish give

n'ondi sl. vulgar, reflexive. you are drawing me (making me want to come)

ondi draw out, evoke

osil chair

palik by surprise, unaware

poshte heavy

pula sl. cunt

reshu gelding

savoronella concubine

se her

shivist coffin

sikules skirmishes, small battles

slosting sl. masturbating

stook sl.vulgar, a man's sex

strivaka political body, senate

som what

somfata sl. what the fuck

sul good

sulika sulfer

tals sl. a woman's sex

tares hello

tola beauty

tolena beautiful

tos you

tunin what

ulta soft

ustadt whore

uteles dress from Matise

vesh at

wenins enchant, cast a spell upon