The Great Escape Chapter 7, Part 5 of 5

The Great Escape
Chapter 7, Part 5 of 5

By mutual agreement, Ezra and Sharne belonged to each other this week. They had delayed until she was in her most fertile phase. Sharne was pleased to try again for another child.

Their week together was sexually fulfilling and physically exhausting. She was sometimes so tired from riding him all night that she spent the morning yawning and once napped under a fallen trunk while the others worked. Kalyndra smiled at Ezra, but Dagma's face was unreadable. This week was successful: Sharne missed her period.

A month passed, and Urulla could go out with the foragers but not with her basket. She was not to bend down too much when gathering or plucking.

Although Urulla was recovering strongly, she was not fully cured, yet Mirselene began to plan how she would arrange the return of the Mariner women and the proposed visit of Ezra to their tribe. She sent a message to Belena via the traders at the monthly meeting, saying that she hoped Urulla would be better by the following trade meeting.

By chance, her message was crossed with Belena asking for a special meeting between the chiefs in one week, to which Thalassa should also come. Mirselene led a party to the meeting place but left Thalassa in the camp. She brought Annela and Ezra, leaving them concealed in the forest while she met Belena under the shade of a tent in the open plain.

After the usual greetings and an inquiry regarding the health of Urulla, Belena said:

"I've been asked to make a special request to you for Calliope. She would like

Thalassa is back to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. I have brought you another girl in her place."

She signaled a pretty thin blonde girl to come forward.

"This is Cressi. She is twenty and will make a good companion for Urulla while she recovers."

Mirselene smiled a greeting at Cressi, who smiled sweetly back.

"Sister, I completely understand Calliope's feelings, and, of course, we will ask Thalassa if she wants to return early. Though she and Urulla are such good friends, splitting them up would be a shame, but I'm sure she will agree to her mother's request."

"Quite so, but where is Thalassa?"

"I left her a little way back."

Mirselene felt no compunction about lying to Belena, who was undoubtedly lying to her. It was significant that Calliope was absent to confirm the request. Belena eagerness to have Thalassa back was suspicions.

"In the meantime, there's something in the forest I want you to see."

"What is it?"

Now, it was Belena's turn to be suspicious.

"I'd rather you saw for yourself. Walk with me a little. It's not far."

"Just us?"

"Bring your women with you if you want. They'll be just as interested as you, I promise."

Belena was wary but brave, and the Woodlanders had never been treacherous.

"All right," she agreed.

Belena and her tribeswomen followed Mirselene a short way into the forest. The party stopped
by a tree stump, where Belena was invited to sit. She preferred to stand.

"As you wish," Mirselene said, taking a seat herself. "Annela!" she called.

Annela stepped out from behind a ticket. She was wearing her blouse over her peasant skirt.

The blouse was too tight for her swollen belly, which pushed out between the clothes.

It took Belena half a minute to realize what she was seeing. She stared at Annela in wonderment, and her women gasped.

"How?" she demanded, pointing to Annela's belly.

"My bedmate, that's how!" Annela said, not offended by the rude question.

"A male bedmate? How can you have a male bedmate? Did a man fall out of the sky?"

"He did, Sister," Mirselene said. "Right into our camp."

"You have a man in your camp? Why have I heard nothing of this? How long have you had him? Where is he from? Can I see him?"

As Mirselene answered these questions in order, she ticked them off on her fingers.

"Yes, a man is living among the Woodlanders as a member of our tribe. I am gratified to learn that the Woodlanders can keep a secret. He has been with us for nearly five months. He is from Earth and, yes, you can see him. Ezra!"

He also stepped forward into the clearing.

Belena stared, sat down, and continued staring at him while the Mariners huddled into a group and whispered together.

He came over to be introduced.

"Sister," Mirselene said to Belena, "this is Ezra Goldrick. Ezra, this is Belena, chief of the Mariners."

She took his proffered hand but neither gripped nor let it go.

"Won't you introduce me to the rest of the Mariners?" he asked.

"Why?" She seemed stunned but recovered quickly. "Of course."

She led him to her four tribeswomen. Ezra shook hands with them as they stared open-mouthed at him, except Cressi, who reached up and felt his beard with her fingers.

"Cressi!" Belena admonished her. "Don't be so rude."

"I'm sorry, Madam. I'm sorry, I just wanted to check it was real."

Ezra smiled.

"I don't mind at all. And please call me Ezra."

Thus encouraged, she felt his beard again. To Annela's amusement, the other women also did. Meanwhile, Mirselene invited Belena to sit by her again.

"Sister," she said, "Ezra asked me if you would mind putting him up for a week. He wants to visit the seaside. It's an Earth custom to holiday on the beach. I can't say I understand it; there is no shade, no trees, just sand and sea, but I told him I'd ask you."

"You will let Ezra come and spend a week with us?"

"'Let' is hardly the right word, is it Sister? Ezra is just as free as anyone to come and go as he likes. If he wants to visit the seaside, who better to take care of him than the Mariners?"

Belena was just as cunning as Mirselene and took none of this at face value.

"So, if Ezra wants a holiday, why did you bring Annela, who just happens to prove that he likes women and is sexually potent?"

"Well, it's certainly true that Ezra likes women, and, as a kindly hostess, I'm sure you wouldn't want him to be lonely while he's visiting. I'm sure he'll find all the Mariners friendly, though doubtless he'll prefer one or two over the others."

"One or two? In a week?"

"I think so."

"Hmm! And, doubtless, Ezra is unhappy with the present rate of exchange between Mariner
goods and Woodlander goods?"

"As it happens, Sister, I believe he has expressed an opinion on that matter."

"Really? What did he say?"

"That you are stiffing us by at least fifty percent."

Belena smiled at last.

"He's not very diplomatic, is he, Sister?"

"It's a manly virtue to be direct."

"All right," Belena said. "I agree, of course. You can get a one-quarter price cut after Ezra spends one month on a 'holiday' with us. I'm sure if you can spare him for a week, then you can spare him a month."

Mirselene nodded her agreement to these terms. She invited Ezra to join their discussion, disappointing the Mariner women.

Belena began:

"Ezra, I invite you to visit the Mariner Settlement when Urulla fully recovers and my women return to us. Mirselene says your tribe can spare you for a month, but you are welcome to stay for as long as you like. You will find my women are plaint and eager bedmates."

"Thank you, Madam. I look forward to the visit. I'm sure I will enjoy my stay. So far, all the Mariners I have met have been charming and friendly."

Belena smiled and shook his hand again. Nonetheless, the wonderment of a living man and a pregnant woman did not drive her original business from her mind.

"What about Thalassa?" she asked.

"I've taken a shine to the girl. I want to keep her in the camp," Mirselene said.

"And do you like her, too, Ezra?"

"Yes, very much. I want her to stay with us until Urulla has recovered."

Belena looked carefully at him and then at Mirselene again. She could not press for Thalassa's return without jeopardizing Ezra's visit. Something puzzled her, but she didn't know what it was; yet the visit of an actual man to her tribe took precedence over everything else.

There was no thought in her mind of capturing him for her tribe, but she thought she could rely on the physical attractions of the Mariner women to induce him to stay longer than a month.

The discussion ended with the Mariners swearing an oath never to reveal Ezra's existence to the Herders or Cloners. It was in all their interests to keep his presence on Samothea a secret between the two friendly tribes.

Thus, the parties separated. On the way back, Ezra walked with Mirselene. Annela was a little away ahead, walking with Erin and Sharne.

Mirselene looked fondly at the pregnant woman and saw Ezra was doing the same.

"Ezra, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What do you think of fatherhood?"

"Until a few months ago, I thought it was a sublime and beautiful thing that, unfortunately, I had no opportunity to experience. Now, I think it is a daunting, scary, and genuine
responsibility."

"I'm glad you're not complacent, at least."

"Far from it. I worry about it often."

"Yet you are willing to be a father to many children, maybe dozens?"

"I could say I like sex, and there's no contraception on Samothea, but the truth is, I have always wanted children, in a theoretical way, and never done anything about it. But now it's what the women of Samothea want; I want it too. Also, the alternative might be that human life on this planet dies out."

"You now think of saving Samothea as your mission?"

"You sound like my mother. For ten years, she has bugged me to settle down with a nice girl and give her grandchildren. Before I left for Samothea, she made it a condition to lend me money for the trip so that I could settle down afterward. She said, if finding Samothea was my mission, finding a nice girl for me would be hers."

"What would she say now?"

"I think she would say I should do as I must, so long as I love all my children equally."

"All of them? No favorites?"

"No favorites."

"Even Mariner children?"

That stopped him. All the while, he had been fucking Kalyndra; he hadn't once thought about children. He wondered if Kalyndra had. But he had to think of it now if he was to visit the Mariners.

"Why would they be different?"

"Only because every child the Mariners have will strengthen them against the Cloners. That might influence how honest they will be in an alliance with us."

"It's possible that Kalyndra and I have already started strengthening the Mariners against the Cloners."

"Yes, but one or two more Mariner brats won't make a difference. Ten will."

He was shocked by her language.

"Those Mariner 'brats' will be my sons and daughters, and I will love them just as much as I love my Woodlander children."

"Well said, Ezra! I expected no less from you. But I want to warn you against a possible misapprehension."

"What misapprehension?"

"That Belena and her women must think of the matter as you do. You cannot be certain they will think of you as a bedmate and father rather than merely a human drone."

Of course, it was true, even noticeable. While helping the Samothean population survive, he might also set up the conditions for future tribal conflict. It was a worrying thought, and he dwelled on it back to the camp until Kalyndra met him at the camp's entrance to claim her bedmate's rights.

He took her to the lodge, tied her face down to the bed, gagged her, and then fucked her arse until his cock was sore. Afterward, dominated and fulfilled, Kalyndra held him tightly as they lay together in sweaty exhaustion while all his worries about tomorrow washed away in a dreamless sleep.


To be continued