The Four Horsemen 3 - Famine (12 page)

Groaning, he tried to lift his hand to touch his head, but he couldn’t move it. “Stupid mortal. What possessed you to think you’d survive selling a diamond all alone
on the black market?”
The voice sounded familiar, and, while the tone held disgust and sarcasm in it, the
touch of a hand to his face was gentle. Ekundayo whimpered, wanting to talk, but not having
the strength or ability to do so.
“Here. This is going to hurt, but I’m not giving you water while you’re lying down. You
could choke if I did that.”
He cried out as the person with him slipped an arm under his shoulders and lifted him
so he sat up. Ekundayo’s eyes popped open when the pain got worse. He stared into
blackness, and blinked. Those eyes were so familiar, but surely neither Horseman would
come to help him?
A wooden cup was pressed to his bottom lip, and he opened, letting the cool water
trickle into his mouth. He whined when the cup was removed.
“Don’t want to give you too much, or you’ll get sick.”
Ekundayo stayed propped up against the other man’s shoulder, but when his rescuer
turned to set the cup down, ash grey hair brushed Ekundayo’s cheek.
“Death?” he croaked.
The Pale Rider glanced back at him with a slight smile. “Yes, Ekundayo. It’s me.” “I guess I’m dying, right? There wouldn’t be any other reason for you to be here.” Death chuckled. “Normally yes, that’s why I’d be here, but I’m not going to let you
die.”
“Where am I?” He glanced around to see he was lying out on the side of a road, under
the blazing sun.
“They must have beat you up, and dumped you here, expecting the sun would kill you
if the beating didn’t.”
Ekundayo wanted to frown, but the pain washing through his body stopped him from
asking any other questions. Death pushed a leaf between his lips.
“Chew this. It’ll help with the pain. I’m going to move you out of the sun, and under
this tree. You’ll probably pass out. Don’t worry if you wake up and I’m gone. Someone will
come and get you. I’ll leave a canteen and some more leaves with you.”
Ekundayo chewed, and Death eased back a few inches to watch him. Questions circled
around Ekundayo’s mind. How had Death found him? Why would the Pale Horseman be
willing to save him when Death had seemed more than ready to get rid of him all those
weeks ago?
“Why are you breaking the rules? I’m nothing to you,” he pointed out. “True, but somehow you’ve become important to Famine, and it’s time for him to move
on. I’m hoping you’ll forget all of this when you pass out, but if you don’t you must not say a
word to Famine about what I said. I’ll come back and take you like I’m supposed to if Famine
learns the truth.”
Before Ekundayo could say anything, Death swept him up in his embrace, and waves of
darkness swelled in Ekundayo. His attackers had done quite a number on him. He hated to
think about what it would have felt like if he hadn’t had those leaves Death had given him. Death moved, and Ekundayo allowed the ferocious agony to overwhelm him. He didn’t
care or worry if Death had lied to him or not. All he wanted was to get away from the pain.

“I need you to go to Zimbabwe, specifically this area.” Death touched Famine on the forehead, transferring the exact location to his brain.
“I hate when you do that. Why can’t you just use a map?” Famine shook his head, dispelling the tingling sensation such a transfer left in his mind.
“Why waste trees when I can do it this way? And it’s far quicker.” Death motioned to the black stallion standing next to Famine. “You need to go there now.”
“Gods, why all this rushing from one place to another all of a sudden? It’s not like anyone’s going to die if I don’t get there right away. Hell, some of them might live a little longer.” Famine rolled his eyes.
Death leaned over, and his cold, dark gaze caught Famine’s. “Do as I say, Famine. Don’t question me, or doubt that, when I tell you to do something, it’s important that you do it.”
“All right.” Famine shuddered at the icy tone freezing Death’s words. “I’ll go.”
“Good.”
Death disappeared, and Famine swung astride his horse. He patted the stallion’s neck, and sighed.
“I’m getting tired of him appearing and ordering me about like that.”
The horse snorted, as if in agreement. They took off towards the place in Zimbabwe where Death wanted them.

“Are you the reason why he sent me here? If I find out he knew you were here, I’ll figure out how to kill him.”
Ekundayo swam to consciousness again with another voice hovering above him. Why did people keep talking to him? Why didn’t they just let him die in peace? Something brushed Ekundayo’s face, and he tried to wave it away, but again his hand wouldn’t move.
“Stop trying to move.”
Considering the pain he was in, that was one order Ekundayo could plan on obeying. He understood that whoever knelt beside him was only checking out his injuries, and that, while there were quite a few of them, none were fatal.
“Well, at least there aren’t any serious breaks or anything like that. Your spine seems fine, though I’m not a doctor, so I can’t really tell. I should take you to the hospital in Harare, and have them run tests on you.”
He wanted to protest, but he couldn’t get his mouth to work. Liquid splashed onto his face, and he licked his lips, wanting more water.
“I know you’re thirsty. Just wait for a second while I wash all the dirt and blood off your face.”
Soft cloth rubbed over his face, removing the dried blood and mud from his cheeks and eyes. By the time his face was clean, Ekundayo felt strong enough to open his eyes. He stared up into Famine’s face. Famine’s dark eyes held concern and fatigue.
“You look tired,” Ekundayo blurted out, cringing when he saw Famine smile.
“Why does that surprise you? Just because I don’t sleep doesn’t mean I can’t get tired. It’s been hard since I left you.” Famine shook his head. “Never thought I’d find myself thinking about a mortal all the time. It’s never happened to me before.”
Ekundayo knew that what Famine was saying was important, but he couldn’t work up the energy to reply. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain. Famine rested his hand on Ekundayo’s chest, and Ekundayo met Famine’s gaze.
“I’m going to have to pick you up. It’s going to hurt like hell, but we have to get on my horse’s back.”
Ekundayo bit his lip to keep from saying no. Understanding why they needed to move didn’t mean he was happy about it. He nodded, and Famine slipped one arm under Ekundayo’s legs and wrapped the other around his shoulders. Famine slowly rose to his full height, and Ekundayo moaned.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know any other way to do this.”
“Famine, hand him to me, and I’ll lift him up to you after you’ve mounted.”
Both Famine and Ekundayo jerked at the new voice. Famine turned around, and Ekundayo found himself staring at a silver-haired man. The stranger was short with the top of his head coming to Famine’s shoulder, yet Ekundayo didn’t get the impression that the man was weak. His all-blue eyes met Ekundayo’s, and the feeling of looking into the infinite blue of the sky hit him.
“Lam, what are you doing here?” Famine asked, tightening his grip on Ekundayo.
“I’m here to help you, idiot. I’m not going to try and take him.” Lam held out his arms. “Give him to me, and get on your horse.”
Famine hesitated, and Ekundayo thought the Horseman wouldn’t do it. Ekundayo shuddered as pain crashed through him. His sigh must have convinced Famine to accept Lam’s help. Famine transferred Ekundayo to Lam, who held him gently. Ekundayo breathed in, and the most peculiar scent filled his nose. It was an odd mixture of cinnamon and sulphur. He frowned, and Lam spotted his confusion.
“What’s your problem?” There wasn’t any hostility in Lam’s question.
“You smell weird.” Ekundayo closed his eyes in embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to blurt that out.
“I know, and I suggest you don’t mention it to Famine or any of the other Horsemen you might meet.”
Ekundayo opened his eyes to find Lam staring intently at him. He nodded, because what else could he do? It wasn’t like he planned on talking to Death, and he’d never even seen the other two Horsemen.
“Good.” Lam glanced over at Famine. “Are you ready?”
Looking in the same direction, Ekundayo discovered that Famine had mounted the black stallion. Famine held out his arms, and Lam lifted Ekundayo into them. Lam’s strength surprised Ekundayo, but, considering Lam probably wasn’t human, Ekundayo shouldn’t have been shocked.
Famine gathered him close, and Ekundayo breathed in Famine’s familiar scent of earth and sweat. The Horseman’s braids brushed over Ekundayo’s head as Famine leaned over to shake Lam’s hand.
“Thank you.”
Lam shrugged. “No problem, Famine. Take Ekundayo somewhere, and take care of him. I don’t think I’ll be seeing you again.”
Ekundayo saw the puzzled look Famine sent Lam, but neither of them said anything else. Famine drew Ekundayo closer to him before touching his heels to the horse’s side. Two quick strides and the horse leapt into the air. Ekundayo cried out, and his vision went black as his injured body protested the treatment.

Famine stared down at Ekundayo, to where he lay on several blankets. The cave wasn’t the most ideal place to help Ekundayo heal from his wounds, but Famine didn’t know where else to take him. They couldn’t go back to the island. It was crawling with mortals trying to discover what was causing the trees and all the flora and fauna to die.

As much as Famine wanted to return to the falls, he’d chosen a place in the foothills of Mount Kenya. He’d checked the cave out to make sure no creature lived there before he’d settled in. It was the only place he could think of to take Ekundayo.

He mapped the bruises and scrapes covering Ekundayo’s body. It seemed that the diamond buyers had decided it would be easier to take the diamond and kill Ekundayo instead of paying him for it. They’d beaten him to within an inch of his life and dumped him on the side of the road. Ekundayo would have died if Death hadn’t sent Famine out to that part of the desert.

Famine had been shocked when he’d spotted Ekundayo leaning against one of the marula trees. When he’d first seen him, he’d thought Ekundayo was dead, but he’d seen the slight lift of his chest as he’d breathed. Famine tried not to think about the flood of relief he’d felt when he’d realised Ekundayo was still alive.

Ekundayo moaned softly, and Famine reached out to press the back of his hand to Ekundayo’s forehead. His skin felt hot, so he must be running a fever.
“I’ll go get some water,” he murmured, even though he knew Ekundayo couldn’t hear him.
After grabbing one of the wooden buckets, he left the cave to walk down to the small stream running a few feet away. Famine scooped up some water from the stream before heading back to the cave. He returned to Ekundayo, and set the pail down next to him. Ekundayo hadn’t moved at all.
Famine dipped a cloth into the water, and began washing Ekundayo, trying to not only clean the dirt and blood off, but also to help lower his temperature. As he worked, he talked, hoping that Ekundayo might be able to hear his voice, even though Ekundayo wasn’t awake yet.
“Death must have found you. He was the one who told me to go to that part of Zimbabwe. I wonder how he found you. Were you dying, and he came to take your soul?”
Ekundayo didn’t say anything.
“If he did find you, why would he tell me to go there? Why didn’t he just let you die?”
He would never understand Death, or how the Horseman operated. The Pale Rider came across as cynical and cold-hearted, but then he did things like this, and Famine wondered if Death was as uncaring as he appeared.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” came the whispered reply.
Famine looked up to catch Ekundayo staring at him. The younger man’s eyes were half opened, and Famine could tell Ekundayo was still in pain from the frown wrinkling his forehead. Famine dipped the cloth in the bucket and wrung it out before wiping Ekundayo’s face.
“You’re awake,” he pointed out rather unnecessarily.
“I wish I wasn’t.” Ekundayo grimaced.
“I bet.”
Famine finished cleaning Ekundayo and set the water aside. He dug out a shirt and some sweat pants, as the cave was damp and cool. Famine didn’t want Ekundayo to catch a cold on top of all his other injuries.
“Let me help you get dressed, and then we can talk about what happened to you.”
Ekundayo didn’t argue as Famine carefully dressed him in clean clothes. He propped Ekundayo back on some pillows and covered him with a blanket. Famine stoked the small fire he’d started earlier, and scooped out some of the porridge he’d cooked.
“Here’s some food. It’ll be easy on your stomach, and we’ll see if you’re interested in something more later on.”
He held out the bowl, and Ekundayo took it slowly, which gave Famine a hint at how sore hewas. The bruises and cuts had been cleaned because Famine didn’t want any of them to become infected.
“Thanks.” Ekundayo took a bite, and looked around while he swallowed. “Where are we?”
“Some cave in the foothills of Mount Kenya. I couldn’t take you to a populated area. My presence is a little difficult to explain, and I wasn’t going to leave you alone. Look what happened the last time I did.” He gestured at Ekundayo. “What the hell happened to you?”
Ekundayo took another bite, and Famine let him take his time to answer. It wasn’t like Famine couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong on his own. He simply wanted Ekundayo to share with him.
“I’m not as clever as I thought I was. I should have known black market diamond buyers couldn’t be trusted.” Ekundayo lowered his head and stirred his porridge.
Famine rolled his eyes. “If you had asked, I would have told you not to trust them. They don’t have any qualms about killing people to get what they want. Apparently, they wanted your diamond badly enough to take it from you.”
“Well, aren’t you going to say ‘I told you so’?” Ekundayo met Famine’s gaze. “I’m pretty sure you knew what the outcome would be before you dumped me by the border.”
“None of my business how you choose to run your life. I’m not Death, and it’s not my job to keep an eye on you.” Famine turned away, poking at the fire a little harder than he needed to.
So lying to Ekundayo wasn’t hard when he wasn’t looking him in the eyes. He did care what happened to the mortal. It had been the hardest thing he’d ever done when he’d turned his back on Ekundayo and ridden away. Leaving had never affected him that way before, and he knew his inattention over the several weeks Ekundayo had been gone had annoyed Death as well.
Maybe that was why Death had sent Famine to the place where he could find Ekundayo. Famine accepted the fact that he probably wouldn’t ever get the answer to whether or not Death had helped him out.
“I’m sure you didn’t care. Look what I did to your island. I assume that’s why we’re here and not there.” Ekundayo set the bowl aside, and let his head drop back on the pillows. “I got to Harare, and made contact with this man whose name I’d heard mentioned in regards to selling illegal diamonds.”
Famine shook his head, but didn’t say anything. What could he say? It wasn’t like Ekundayo hadn’t figured out it was a bad idea. Yet there wasn’t any safe way to sell a stolen diamond. Ekundayo shifted in the bedding, and Famine moved to him.
“Do you have to take a piss?”
“Yes.” Ekundayo blushed slightly at Famine’s rather crude question.
“I can help you walk outside, and you can relieve yourself out there.”
Ekundayo nodded, and let Famine help him to his feet. He leaned on him as they slowly walked out of the cave. Famine took him to an area several feet away from the entrance.
“I can do this myself,” Ekundayo said, as Famine started to tug down his sweats.
“Okay.” Famine lifted his hands and turned around, giving Ekundayo some privacy. He wasn’t going to go too far away, though, just in case Ekundayo got weak and fell.
“I’m done.”
Famine turned back around to see Ekundayo bracing himself against a tree. He rushed over, and wrapped an arm around his waist, lending his strength to the man.
“Why don’t we sit out here for a while? You can soak up the sun, and it’ll be good to get some fresh air.”
He led Ekundayo to a small clearing and helped him sit down on a stump. Famine crouched at Ekundayo’s feet, letting his hand rest on the man’s ankle. Ekundayo lifted his face to the sun, and smiled. Famine’s heart skipped a beat at the sight, and he found himself vowing to keep a happy expression on Ekundayo’s face for the rest of his life.
Famine snorted silently. Stupid promise really, considering Famine was a Horseman, and wandered the world while Ekundayo was mortal, and couldn’t travel like Famine did. Famine had sworn never to fall in love with a mortal. Watching one grow old and die would destroy his soul, more than being a Horseman did.
“Tell me the rest of the story,” he commanded Ekundayo.
Ekundayo sighed, and met Famine’s gaze with a slight smile. “I know I was an idiot to think I could sell it by myself. I was instructed to wait at a cafe, and they would contact me in some way. After I’d been there for an hour or so, a young boy stopped by and told me to follow him.”
Famine understood why the buyer would use a middle person. They were high on the list of criminals the authorities wanted, and made it as difficult as possible for law enforcement to find them.
“I followed him the best I could until we came to an abandoned warehouse. The boy disappeared, and that probably should have been my first sign things weren’t going to end well.” Ekundayo ran his hand through his hair. “I went inside, they searched me, and I gave them the diamond.”
Famine’s eyebrows shot up. “You just handed it over?”
“What was I supposed to do? I knew they were going to kill me. There didn’t seem to be any point in fighting them for it. I gave it to the main guy, and they began to beat me up. I’m pretty sure they thought they’d killed me, which is why they dumped me in the bush.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t just shoot you to ensure you really were dead,” Famine said. “They don’t have anything to worry about, because you aren’t about to go to the authorities and tell them the man stole your diamond from you. Not when you stole it first.”
“Right. I’m lucky you found me when you did. I would have probably died eventually.” Ekundayo reached out and stroked his hand over Famine’s braids. “I hope you aren’t too angry with me.”
“Angry for what?” Famine closed his eyes, absorbing Ekundayo’s touch like a droughtstricken piece of land.
“What I did, stealing your medicine pouch, and dropping the grain of salt.”
Famine heard regret in Ekundayo’s voice. He rubbed his cheek against Ekundayo’s knee.
“I can’t be too angry when I never really explained why you weren’t to touch it. As long as I don’t put any more salt in the ground, the island will recover eventually. It might even come back sooner than I thought, because of the river surrounding it.”
He met Ekundayo’s eyes, and saw something in them he’d never thought he would. There was longing, and maybe something stronger. Famine encircled Ekundayo’s waist, and eased him down to the ground next to him. He thrust his fingers into Ekundayo’s hair, and angled his head.
Their lips met, and Ekundayo gasped. Famine eased back slightly, and checked with Ekundayo, “You’re all right?”
Ekundayo nodded, and brought Famine’s head back down. They kissed again, gently and slowly. There wasn’t any need to rush; plus Famine didn’t want to cause Ekundayo any more pain. He nibbled on Ekundayo’s bottom lip, and Ekundayo opened to him. He swept his tongue in, relearning Ekundayo’s flavour.
He tightened his embrace, and Ekundayo moaned. Famine loosened his grip, and lay back on the ground, bringing Ekundayo down to lie on top of him. Famine ran his fingers over Ekundayo’s face, barely caressing his bruises.
“Tell me when you get tired or if you hurt anywhere,” he told Ekundayo. “I don’t want to aggravate your injuries.”
“I will.” Ekundayo wiggled closer. “Will you just hold me for a little bit?”
“I can do that.”
Famine put his arms around Ekundayo again, holding him close, but not so tight he’d hurt the man’s ribs. He listened to the breeze playing in the leaves of the trees surrounding them. Ekundayo’s low, steady breathing mingled with what Famine was hearing. Famine’s own eyes began to droop and he fell asleep, holding Ekundayo.