The Huntsman and the Nix

CHAPTER FIVE

[Isobet]

It took three days and nights to get to the lowlands. The bedloe berries were delicious, sweet and tart. They picked them until their fingers were stained a red so dark it was almost black, but there were still laden bushes ringing the huge field, crawling into the distance.

That night, when they all lay down around the fire, Sutter grabbed their bedroll and her hand. They hadn't had any privacy since they joined the Nix.

"Where are we going?" she said.

"Just over here where it's quieter," Sutter said, heading for a large rock.

"We're too loud for you?" Jaunt called after them.

"You snore," Sutter said to Jaunt as he reached the rock, going around to its far side.

She looked as Jaunt sat straight up, Sutter tugging on her hand, drawing her behind it.

"I have never snored in my life," Jaunt said. "I don't snore. I've asked people."

"Other than me?" Sutter said from behind the rock, tossing the bedroll down and activating it.

"You're a fucking liar," Jaunt said.

"He snores so loud that other prisoners at Ohktan Minor used to wake him up by attacking him," Sutter told them, raising his voice to be heard. "I used to have to stay awake to fight them off."

"You know what, Sutter? I'll come sleep over there with you," Jaunt said.

"I will pull my pistol and shoot you down," Sutter said from behind his rock, Cope laughing.

Isobet got into the bedroll, Sutter getting himself behind her, pulling her close, his hands going places, and she realized why he thought they were here. Her hands went over his. "We are not having sex next to eight other men," Isobet told him in a low whisper.

"They're all the way over there," he argued softly, his hand moving over her hip.

"Nix have enhanced hearing. I could hear them from there. No."

"Just—."

"No fucking way, Sutter," she said, fending off his hands.

Sutter laughed softly. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll sleep with Jaunt," she whispered.

"Isobet says she's going to sleep with you, Jaunt," Miter said, sounding sleepy.

"Come on over here, beautiful," Jaunt said right away. "Leave that loser. Be with me. It's warmer by the fire."

Sutter rolled on his back, putting his arm across his eyes. Isobet smiled at him. He put his other arm around her when Isobet pressed her whole body against him, safe for now. He grabbed her knee, bringing it to his crotch and rubbing his hard sex on it.

She made a small sound and drew her knee back, turning and feeling him come up on his side and pull her close, Isobet wiggling to find her spot. Sutter shoved his knee between her legs, making a discontented sound that sounded a little like the handro at the cave.

Then everyone was quiet, the sound of shifting.

"Goodnight, Jaunt," Sutter said from behind her.

"Screw you," Jaunt muttered loud enough for them to hear.

#

It was either late night or early morning, blue light refracting off the ground mist when she opened her eyes to find Sutter's hand slipping under her shirt, finding her breast and rubbing her nipple. She stopped his hand with hers. She tried to.

There was a sound. She startled, looking, but she couldn't see past the rock. "What is that?" Isobet whispered to Sutter, tense. "Is it an animal?"

"It's Jaunt," Sutter whispered back, still rubbing, little jolts of sensation.

"Is something's attacking him?"

"No, he's snoring. Nobody will hear us."

Isobet turned her head, her hand stopping his again. "No," she said in the barest whisper.

Pretending he hadn't heard her, his other hand slipped down the front of her pants, Isobet tensing her thighs.

The sound got louder. "That's—" Words failed her.

"I know. Don't tell him, killer. He thinks I'm lying and it pisses him off." Sutter changed his angle of attack, going for the ties to her pants and pushing them down.

She reached to pull them back up as they battled, small sounds of effort from her. "Don't, Sutter," she whispered furiously. "I'll scream."

His hand came up and covered her mouth, Isobet exploding into movement, her pants sliding to expose her butt, her underwear following. She heard Sutter shifting, his breathing heavier, and then she felt his bare hard sex bounce against her bare butt and put the two together in her mind and her hand came behind her, against his hip, jutting to get some leverage. That was all he needed, Sutter finding his angle and pressing.

She went still. He slowly penetrated her, rocking. His breathing was rough and quiet. His other hand went back up under her shirt, freeing her breasts completely, pushing the undergarment above them, her nipples jutting. He rubbed and plucked and thrust, her hands on his hand over her mouth, but they were just resting there, and she could feel herself meeting him. Jaunt's snoring got a little louder.

Sutter grunted quietly, sinking deeply into her body, releasing her mouth, his hand going between her spread legs to stroke her. Her sex twinged, pulsing around him. His hips were grinding on her butt as he pressed. He thrust faster.

She was climbing toward pleasure, her motions eager now. She felt it crest and realized, but his hand came over her mouth again as she came long and hard, straining, Sutter's own helpless sounds lost somewhere in her hair. She was convulsing around him, shuddering as he stilled, panting very quietly, Isobet finally released from it.

Sutter folded her into his arms, nuzzling her hair, his hands all over her again, bending down and sniffing at her like he did.

The sound got louder. And then louder.

"What is that?" one of the Nix said, sounding sleepy.

"It's the huntsman," another mumbled. "Throw something at him."

There was a small thudding sound, and then another, and the snoring ended in a snort, silence descending.

That was all Isobet remembered, going down again.

#

Over the next few days, the Nix killed huge amounts of the fat birds, mountains of plucked feathers they stuffed into coarsely sewn bags, the smell of the bird meat over the fire. The meat went well with the bedloe berries and Sutter knew edible plants even the Nix didn't know, not having been inclined to test them. The Nix ate and ate, piles of bones like from tales of giants.

There'd been a ground shake earlier, all of them crouching until it was over. Now, it was late afternoon and they were sitting around the fire. Miter was asleep, as usual, lying back against a bag of feathers, his hands on his stomach.

Jaunt was arguing with the Nix. "The shuttle is northeast. We can get you out of here safely."

"No," Rab said.

"Where did you get a shuttle?" Sutter said to Jaunt.

"I had to rent a cargo shuttle from Brosch, that prick, and you fucking owe me for it, Sutter," Jaunt said to him, turning back to the Nix. "It still has a load of cargo in it, but it'll easily take all of you."

"No," Rab repeated.

"What would you need to agree to come back with us?" Jaunt said, earning an impatient glance from Hops. "I'm serious. What would it take?"

Rab gestured. "Fine. Bruja in prison for what she's done or dead so she's no longer a threat to us and assurances of safety from the system authority."

"You've already got the second," Jaunt said. "We're huntsmen, second only to the system justica on Corsa. Planetary authority cannot obstruct us. They cannot arrest you without justica authority, and even then, if a huntsman believes something smells bad, we can invoke Huntsman's Priority and not even a justica can stop us from taking you all the way to SCA on Cathal, if necessary."

"To Cathal," Hops said. "To the capital. How does that help us? When Bruja laReine demands our return and it takes weeks for the system authority to determine our status, do you think Isobet will survive under Bruja's care? Because she's a Nix, regardless of how she was raised, and it's entirely possible she'd be delivered with us."

"That is not going to happen," Sutter said.

"I can get you the evidence to convict Bruja," Isobet said.

"Too dangerous, killer," Sutter said, looking at her. "No."

"I don't want to run from Bruja for the rest of my life either, Sutter," Isobet said, turning to him. "I want to be free of her. I want the surviving Nix to be free of the institute. Maybe the Nix will decide to live out here anyway, but none of us will be safe until Bruja is in prison, and we can't put her there without the evidence."

"What're you talking about?" Rab said. "What evidence?"

"It's a data ring my father gave me," Isobet said, turning to him. "I think that Bruja had the guards murder him for it."

"It has this evidence on it?" Miter said.

"Yes," Isobet said. "I know that all of you hated my father, and I understand why. But when I was sixteen, a year after the Nix were murdered at the institute, my father came to me. He told me that he'd allowed Bruja to do terrible things to the Nix and that he was going to turn himself in. He gave me the ring and said it had records on it from Block Eight and told me to hide it somewhere safe. He said he would wait until I was grown."

"You seem pretty grown to me," Rab said, eyeing her.

Isobet sighed. "I think he intended to do it and just hadn't worked himself up to it yet. I think Bruja found out about the data ring. The day he was killed, he came to my rooms. He was agitated. He told me it was time, to get the data ring and pack my things, that we would leave in the morning. He said that if he sent me a message, I was to go without him, to get to the shuttle right away whether I had the ring or not, that it was already programmed to take me. He made me promise. But I never got the chance to get the ring, and I never got his message. I was arrested after he left my rooms and told he was dead."

"Where is the ring?" Rab said.

"Block Eight, in the medical center," Isobet said. "I'm the only one who can get in there."

"Why don't you go on the shuttle and get system authority to come and find the evidence?" Rab said to Jaunt.

"They'll debrief us in a TEA chamber. There wouldn't be any lying or withholding." He turned to the Nix. "Once they know you're here, they'll come for you. We'd argue it, but it would be a lot safer for you if we escorted you in."

"Then we need the evidence on the data ring," Isobet said. "Bruja thinks she's safe now. She thinks I'm dead, and that Sutter's dead. She doesn't know the Nix exist out here. We can take them by surprise."

"No. It's too dangerous," Sutter repeated. "I'll go to the control room and open the doors to Block Eight."

"The two of us against fifty guards?" Jaunt said. "We can't go in there openly, Sutter."

"It has to be me," Isobet said, looking at Sutter. "You know I'm right."

Sutter looked away. Everyone was quiet. He turned back to her, his eyes sweeping her, his face set, looking as unhappy as she'd ever seen him. His eyes went to the Nix. "If Isobet's going in, she'll need a diversion," Sutter said. "I'm not asking you to show yourselves. Somebody will have to go with her—somebody who can help if the guards spot her and who wouldn't slow her down if she had to run."

Rab turned to the other Nix, meeting their eyes, one-by-one. He looked at Sutter, his eyes shifting to Jaunt. "We'll help you to do this, to protect Isobet. And if there's evidence against the institute, against Bruja, we want system authority to have it. But I don't know if we'll come with you when you go."

"I'll take you into the compound, little sister," Hops said.

"There's no need for you to fight there, and we'll try to ensure none of you are seen," Sutter said. "Bruja doesn't have to know there are Nix still alive out here. We get the evidence and then you can decide if you're coming in with us now or waiting until system authority sends someone else."

Rab's eyes went to the other Nix again. They came back to Jaunt and Sutter. "We agree. We don't have any weapons, though. Miter had a gun, but it's out of bullets."

"There's more than one kind of weapon," Sutter said, standing up and going to a flat spot, sweeping the dirt, grabbing a stick and beginning to draw. He wanted to give her the best cover he could. "It's going to take some time, because we only have two small pack shovels. And we'll need a handro."

"A handro," Ero echoed, sneezing. He recovered, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "A handro?"

#

Over an hour later, the dirt was crossed with lines and footprints. Isobet was on her knees, looking at the plan. It seemed like an awful lot of bother just for her to sneak into Block Eight. "I could just go quietly," she offered again.

"I agree with Sutter, little sister," Rab said. "It's too much of a risk for you to trust to luck."

"Even with the diversion, it's still a risk," Sutter said, his eyes shifting to her, narrowing.

"It's worth it. I want to do this," Isobet said, holding his eyes.

Sutter looked away, his mouth working again. "We go at night beforehand to dig the holes. When the guards come out of the gate, Rab and Cope will be here and here. Just be interesting enough to get the guards out there in front of the gates and keep them there. Don't let them spot you. When you hear us, get to shelter. Jaunt and I will be coming in hot. Hops and Isobet should be out by then and they'll come along the tree line here. We'll meet them."

Rab nodded, releasing his breath. "We're a couple weeks out and then we've got preparation. There's a safe place by the institute. We leave in the morning."

#

[Sutter]

Sutter was sitting on a hollow log, his legs spread. Isobet was on her knees between them, naked, licking his cock. His hand was in her hair and he was watching her face. Her lips stretched, Sutter shuddering, watching her take him.

They'd been on the trail with the Nix for almost two weeks. Sutter had just come back from patrol with Ulen, who hadn't spoken to him once, to find her laughing with Cope. Sutter had taken her hand without comment and gotten them as far away as he could.

Sutter thrust slowly, grunting with pleasure, because once Isobet learned how to do something with her body, she did it so well. She took him deeper into her throat, swallowing around him, messy, pulling him out to breathe and pushing him back in again. Her hand was busy. He was going to bite her nipples, his thoughts filthy, visions of whipping her fat butt with a strap and striking her little pussy, too, her ivory thighs and flushed cunt, her tits, those red nipples.

She knew and took a deep breath. He pulled her sharply to himself, holding her there as his cock released in her throat. Sutter made a series of low, helpless sounds, still watching her. He pulsed again and gave her the last of it, finally pulling out, his breathing fast.

Grabbing her and putting her on his lap, he dropped her into the crook of his arm, catching his breath as she caught hers, his heart thundering.

Her body was nestled into his, weighing nothing, soft and warm. He looked at her neat face, reaching and caressing her cheek, his thumb going to her mouth, the prettiest mouth, and then reaching down to cup her breast. "You have seven big badass Nix brothers," he said, still breathing a little fast. "They're in the way, killer."

"I know."

"Hops doesn't like me."

"He's just grumpy. It takes time for him to warm up to people, Sutter," she explained, because she had every one of those sociopaths wrapped around her sweet little Nivea finger.

"How come you're the pretty one?" he complained. "I'm pretty."

When she smiled, Sutter pulled her up and kissed her again, his hand slipping between her legs. She did that thing women did across the universe, as far as he could tell. Her thighs clamped on his hand and she squirmed on his fingers, slippery because sucking his cock turned her on.

She was so soft. Running his fingers up and down her inner lips, he fingered her, pushing two fingers in, Isobet making that agreement sound she did. Her legs fell open.

Sutter looked down at her, Isobet's cheeks flushed. "I want you to lay yourself over my knee so I can spank your bare bottom," he said.

"No," she said, frowning up at him.

"You liked it before."

"No," she said softly, but she didn't meet his eyes.

Turning her over abruptly, he put her over his knee and held her there with one arm. He surprised her, Nix reflexes, her body startling. Isobet struggled. He ran his hand over her fat cheeks, that pale skin, and then his hand slipped between her legs from behind, stroking.

Her struggles got less emphatic, Isobet panting, a deep wave going through him. She slowly jutted.

He raised his hand from her pussy and smacked her bottom, Isobet startling, fast hard spanks as she shrieked, that beautiful skin. He was getting hard again. He'd thought about this so many times. He stopped, dipping down and pushing his thumb into her pussy, one finger on each side of her clit, stroking.

Her protests turned into whimpering. She began to agree again, slippery. He stopped.

"Sutter," she said, breathing fast.

He pulled her upright, facing him, straddling him. Finding her, he dropped her onto himself, entered her slowly, letting her weight do the work. Leaning her back, his mouth went to her tits as he thrust into her, shallow strokes, Isobet arching, trusting all her weight to him. It was just how she was, Nivea, a Nix, that body thing.

She gave a soft sound of pleasure, her head falling back, Sutter watching her face as she closed her eyes. He leaned her back more and her knees came up to his chest, Sutter thrusting into her squirming heat.

He rose, holding her, and went down on his knees, bringing her with him, putting her on her back and pinning her, his hips moving in sharp jerks, watching her tits shake with each thrust. His hand went between them, and he didn't tease her this time. He rubbed fast, Isobet crying out in surprise and starting to come, arching under him.

"Look at me," he said.

She opened her eyes and met his, crying out again. She was coming on his cock as he pounded into her. He was trying not to climax yet, holding back, but she whined with her pleasure, telling him about it, and it was on him. He was buried in her heat, releasing, his cry deep. He could fuck her every day, hadn't even started to do the things he wanted to do to her.

He stilled, the pleasure relaxing his spine, definitely out of breath now. Drawing away, he rolled her onto their sides. She tucked into him, her head under his chin, his fingers stroking her back.

"I want a bath," she said, breathing fast.

He was still getting his breath. "You always want a bath. You're the cleanest female Nix in the universe."

"I'm the only female Nix in the universe."

He brought her to the river, Isobet's face resigned. Going into his pack, unfolding his bucket and walking to the river, he filled it.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"Getting you a bath," he said, hauling it back, heavy.

She craned her neck, coming over. "Wouldn't it be easier to just go into the riv—"

He dropped the pill into the water, Isobet stripping in a moment and stepping in and then sitting in the bucket, just fitting, her knees sticking out. Sutter laughed. He squatted beside her, Isobet giving him one of her rare smiles. Her hair was getting longer, down to her jaw. He held what he had up and her eyes widened.

"My soap," she breathed. "Where did you find it?"

"Jaunt," Sutter said. "Although I did promise to give him our first child."

She smelled it, her eyes closing and then opening. "We can have more after," she said, beginning to lather.

#

Ten days later, they had reached the area around the institute and made camp. Two of them at a time went in shifts at night, staying low, taking the small shovels out to dig. In camp, everyone wove mats.

In four nights, they were done.