Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2000 22:03:45 EST From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Sword of Kings - chapter 8 Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Don't read this story if: **You're not 18 or over, **If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, **Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this chapter, to Ian for his suggestions to improve the flow and readability of this chapter, and to Matt for his ideas and support. If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com. * * * * * * * * The Sword of Kings - by BW (Fantasy/Sci. Fi.). Copyright 2000 by billwstories Chapter 8 - An unexpected find. September 2000 Garreth, Romaric, and Kieren lay on the bank at the edge of the pool, at the foot of Majestic Falls. Their bodies were still dripping wet from their recent swim in its inviting embrace as they sprawled out in the fading sunlight. The trio was now exhausted from this watery workout and from the slow, treacherous journey that they had made before that, just to get to this point. Now they lay motionless on their backs, slowly allowing their bodies to become reenergized and dreaming about the wonders that awaited them at Thorold. Eventually, they let their thoughts return to the present and, one by one, they sat up and began to look around. Soon they discovered that the others in the party had not only exited from the pool, but they had dried, put their armor and clothes back on, and they were seated in a circle, having a discussion. The youths could not overhear what the conversation was about, but they recognized that the time had come for them to rejoin the others and take part in whatever it was that their companions were considering. Shuddering almost in unison, the boyhood friends could feel tiny bumps beginning to form all over their skin. Their bodies were reacting to the cool breeze that had suddenly swept across the open ground. As their shivering intensified, the boys became aware that the sun was slowly fading in the western sky and night was beginning to engulf them once again. The trio quickly agreed that it was time to get dressed and they were locating their clothing when Turquinine approached them. The warrior had come over to explain that he and the others had decided that they would camp here for the night and they would keep the river between themselves and Briarwood. The boys were pleased by this decision, as they felt that they could not hike another step until they had been able to get some decent rest. As the Mitikuan returned to join the others, the youths leisurely resumed locating their gear, using what little energy they had left in their tired muscles. Another cool nip of night air inspired them to quicken their efforts, so they hurriedly dried their bodies and put on the clean garments they had just removed from their packs. After attiring themselves in the fresh apparel, they joined the others and set about their usual duties. Now, they realized that they would have to race the setting sun and they hurriedly tried to complete their preparations for the evening before the final rays of light disappeared. The youths moved about as fast as their stiff joints would allow, laying their bedding out more by rote than as a conscious effort. At the same time, Rhys and Hadwin had followed the Clearwater River downstream, where they were able to spear some fish. Returning to join the others, they proudly exhibited their catch and offered it for the evening meal. The others had scrounged up enough wood to build a small fire, and the boys had dug a pit to light it in. They all huddled around the pit as the fish was cooking, using their bodies to keep the light from escaping the immediate area. As soon as the fish was cooked the fire was extinguished, and they could move to more comfortable spots to eat. It was a quick and simple meal, but it was a welcome change from the meals they had eaten the previous few days. After dinner was over the dwarfs outlined the final stage of their journey to their uniformed companions. "We have less than six leagues to go to reach our destination," said Doenilio, "and we will begin at first light tomorrow. We will cross over the Clearwater River and we will travel between the edge of Briarwood and the fringe of the Amber Mountains. Just before we clear the northern end of Briarwood, we will come upon a path that leads up into the mountains. We will take this route and follow it the rest of the way to Thorold. If all goes well and we encounter no delays, we should reach our home before the sun sets tomorrow evening." "This is truly good news," replied Alaric, "but I would like to know more about what sort of things there are along the way that we might need to be aware of. I believe it would be better, this time, if we knew what possible dangers awaited us before we resumed our travels." "Aye," agreed Turquinine. "Though I hadst been regaled with tales of the Murky Marshes before we journeyed hither, I doubted the veracity of such stories and I dismissed the notions of such monstrous beings as coming from the overwrought imaginations of less than brave travelers. Had I fathomed the true extent of the threat, I wouldst never have allowed us to tarry within striking distance of that ungodly place. The feeling still lingers within mine soul that, hath I heeded these accounts of the vile beasts that dwelled within its foul waters, that...that...Selvaggio wouldst not hath perished and wouldst be here in our midst at this very moment." "Whether or not that is true, I cannot say," replied Doenilio, "and I'm not sure if I can prepare you any better for this venture than for the last, my giant friend. I do agree with you that it is best that you know all you can before we set out, but all I can give you is a general awareness of what dangers might lie along our path. First of all, we will be passing the forest of Briarwood and, although we have no plans to enter it, we must avoid doing so at all costs. My people will enter this dismal place only as a last resort and, even then, they will not venture very far into its depth. This is because, once you enter this unnatural wood, you can become so confused that you can lose your way in its intertwining web. You can become so utterly lost that you may never find your way out again! There have been many stories about man and beast disappearing in this wood, never to be seen again." Sedain and Quintain nodded their heads in agreement with this last statement, after seeing the others respond in a somewhat skeptical fashion. Slowly the companions began to remember all they had already endured over the past few days, since they had first set out on this venture, and they decided it prudent to heed the words of the dwarf. This warning, in itself, didn't seem that important because they didn't plan to enter Briarwood anyway. Yet now they deemed it wise to make a mental note of this admonition and not allow themselves to be drawn into another dangerous situation. "The second thing you should know is, once we enter the mountains we must keep an eye out for the wildlife that lives there. At times these animals can be extremely dangerous and they could pose a substantial threat to our well-being. There are wolves and large brown bears that roam this mountain range and, on occasion, you may encounter snow apes that have wandered out of the Citadel Mountain range in search of food. All of these animals have been known to attack parties of dwarfs or humans, but only when angered, threatened, or if they are extremely hungry. Just remain observant for their possible presence and do not provoke them if you should happen to encounter one. "The only other thing that you should be aware of, although it is still rather early in the year for this type of problem, is that we often have terrible snow storms here in the mountains. They can come upon us without much warning, and the conditions can become so bad that you can't see where you're going. During one of these blizzards, there is the possibility of getting lost and you would probably die from exposure before you found your way out or were rescued. You might also walk out onto a snow bridge and you could plummet to your death. These false spans have no solid support below them and they often collapse under the additional weight of a body, sending the traveler crashing to the ground below. "Even with the dangers I have already told you about, you cannot become discouraged or give up if you are caught in one of those storms. You must keep moving and not become inactive for any length of time. If you do, you will suffer from exposure or be buried beneath the vast accumulation of snow from which you would not escape alive. If this were to happen, we would probably not find your body until it was exposed by a late spring thaw." "Thy disclosure tis indeed dire. Praise be to the Gods that thou didst not add a dragon or the Horseman of Death to thy appraisal," Turquinine laughed. "Though thy news could wax fairer, thy proclamation must beget thoughtful diligence on our part. I thank thee, most heartily, for thy words of wisdom and I pray that we shall benefit from thy counsel. "Methinks the hour hath arrived," the giant knight continued, "when rest must take priority. Our bones be much wearied from the travels just ended and peaceful slumber beckoneth us into its sweet rapture. Go now to thy beds and trouble thy minds not with the worries of tomorrow. The first watch shalt be mine and Hadwin shalt be posted next, in two hours. Rhys, Alaric, and Doenilio shalt assume the post thereafter. I bid thee a pleasant adieu and take my leave of thee, forthwith, to attend the watch." With that, the warrior moved away from the others and took up his post among the rocks behind them. There, with the aid of the moonlight, he could overlook the camp and the surrounding areas and use the rocky slope to conceal his presence and to protect his back from assault. While Turquinine was settling into his post, his companions quickly prepared themselves for sleep. They spread out on the ground, with the youthful trio in the center, and soon they were all asleep. The evening passed quickly and the guards had not observed anything that might arouse their suspicions. Although they had occasionally seen or heard a stray animal in the distance, there had been nothing worth raising an alarm. Some of the later guards had reported hearing noises that they could not account for, sounds that concerned them at the time, but nothing ever materialized from them so they pushed their concerns aside and continued their duty. As the first rays of sunlight began to split the darkness, the final sentry set about waking his fellow travelers. Sluggishly, the recently awakened companions climbed from their bedding, grabbed a hasty bite to eat, and then made their preparations to break camp. The dwarfs were the most excited at this point, as they looked forward to seeing their families again, but the others were still looking forward to reaching the safe-haven, having a decent meal, and being able to sleep in a bed for at least one night. Although everyone was happy, the boys were eager to be on their way so they could see the magnificent underground city. The party was soon packed and moving once again, and the boys worked their way to the front of the procession. Immediately they were forced to ford the Clearwater River, just about one hundred paces downstream from where they had swum the previous day. They each came out on the far shore with varying degrees of their bodies drenched from the crossing. Turquinine, who was by far the tallest member of the party, was wet from the waist down, while the boys were soaked to their chests, and the dwarfs' bedraggled beards dripped profusely, shedding the water they had just absorbed. Once across, they paused to dry as much of their bodies and clothing as possible. They had not moved themselves and their gear to the northern shore the previous day because the dwarfs wanted to keep the river between themselves and Briarwood. They had deemed it more prudent to keep their distance from the dreaded forest, especially at night, even though it meant that they would have to ford the river the following day. Having quickly dried themselves and their belongings as much as possible, they resumed their journey. They knew that whatever part of them was still was still damp would dry as they made their way toward the dwarf stronghold. After a very short period of time, the party veered east too skirt Briarwood. They werenow heading for the break between the forest and the mountains, to find the path they had planned to follow. When they located the trail, they turned northward, keeping the trees of the unfriendly wood to their left and the mountain on their right. Their progress was a trifle slow, as the footing on this loose, stone-strewn ground was somewhat uncertain, but they plodded steadily forward toward the dwarf homeland. They hadn't traveled very far along this pathway when Alaric's keen vision picked up movement on the slopes high above them. He signaled for the others to stop and remain motionless within the shadows of the trees. They lingered there for nearly twenty minutes while Alaric strained to discern what had caused the motion he had detected earlier. Try as he might, he could not locate or identify any forms and decided to write it off as a wild animal wandering in search of food. He knew that a lone animal would not attack a party of this size and, therefore, urged the others to continue on their way. They had not gone much farther when Alaric again spied something move part way up the mountainside, possibly a solitary figure darting from behind one rock to another, just out of an arrow's reach. Again he motioned for the party to halt, while he discussed his observations with them. "I am not sure what is out there," he began, "but something seems to be trailing us, dogging our every move. I don't believe we should try to remain here, for it may be waiting for others of its kind to join it for an attack. If we send scouts out to investigate, we may find ourselves caught in a trap or provoke a confrontation that we most definitely wish to avoid. The only other possibility we have would be to try and outdistance this creature but, in this terrain, I calculate that we would have only a small chance of succeeding." "Methinks a scouting party would be appropriate," Turquinine offered, unsolicited. "It be needful for us to ascertain what type of creature shadoweth our every footstep." "I think that would be foolhardy," Quintain interrupted. "With the animal life that roams those heights, we might be sending some of our comrades needlessly to their doom." "I agree," offered Doenilio. "As was mentioned earlier, there are some very vicious animals that dwell hereabouts and we'd be better off trying to avoid agitating them or risking the chance of forcing an undesired confrontation." The others were beginning to chime in and offer their own viewpoints, when the matter was unquestionably decided for them. Garreth, who had been watching the slopes from behind the cover of one of the warriors, squealed a warning cry. The companions, heeding the elf's alarm, looked up to see about thirty warriors, dressed entirely in black, hurtling down the mountainside toward them. These aggressors held their weapons aloft and they began to emit a blood-curdling cry as they moved closer to the small band. It was now obvious that these warriors were dressed in the same type of uniform that was worn by Sedain's captors, and the companions had no intention of waiting around to find out why these brigands were here. Their decision was hastened even further as several arrows struck the ground and trees near them. "Quickly, follow me into the woods," shouted Sedain. Without questioning the wisdom of this decision, the entire party plunged deep into Briarwood, following the dwarf. Turquinine looked over his shoulder as they made their way through the woods and then he barked out his comment. "Make haste, they pursue us yet." The company sped up a little as they dodged the obstacles in their path. They kept up like this for quite some time, constantly changing direction because of the tangle of undergrowth that blocked their path, always sensing the enemy at their heels. Finally Rhys, who had been lagging behind to protect their rear from attack, commanded the others to stop. They paused, finding appropriate cover to hide behind, and they waited silently to see if their pursuers were nearby. They remained like this until they were certain that those who had chased them into this jungle of trees and briers were nowhere about. Feeling somewhat safer at this point, they got together to discuss what had happened, before they attempted to make their plan to extricate themselves from this new dilemma. "Alaric," Kieren started, "was that the same group you saw the morning we fled from when we were in the cave?" "I'm not certain, but it may well have been. If it is, though, they have added reinforcements to their numbers. The party that I observed was less than half that size." "Well," began Hadwin, "it is obvious that our handiwork on Sedain's captors was discovered much sooner than we had hoped. That was definitely a patrol of gnome and Merropite warriors and they seemed to be seeking revenge from those who had murdered their brethren. I'm sure that we have now lost them, but I am, unfortunately, equally certain that we are lost in this bloody wood, as well. Though we intended to heed Doenilio's warning, we are now in the unenviable position of being in the one place we wished to avoid." "I know that this will not be of any consolation to you," Rhys added, " but it seems that we didn't seem to have much of an alternative to this damnable place. I doubt that we could have fought against such odds and the safety of Prince Kieren had to take priority. Even though we didn't want to enter this place, we are here nonetheless and we must use our best judgment and knowledge to plan what we should do to extricate ourselves from this predicament." The others mumbled their agreement with this assessment and they were questioning each other as to their next possible move, when Kieren interrupted. "Does anyone know for certain where in this forest we are or in which direction we are supposed to go to get to Thorold?" "Your Highness," answered Rhys, "I'm sure that I can speak for everyone here when I say that the many turns we were forced to make when we found our path barred caused us to lose our bearings. I doubt that any of us are even sure how far we've traveled into this accursed place, let alone have any idea of where in this blasted forest we are." As Kieren looked from face to face, he could see each of his companions nod silently in agreement with the Akiktite's assessment. At the same time, he began to wonder if they would have the same success getting themselves out of this fix as they had done with the previous situations they had found themselves in. Although it seemed hopeless at this point, he knew he had to keep faith in his quest and, if worse came to worse, he could use the Golden Medallion to seek Beraut's aid or try to find a pathway out. The thought of being able to use this magic bauble boosted his spirits. Just knowing that he did have it to rely on, even if only as a last resort, eased his fears and he concluded that it would be up to him to take charge of this situation. With this newfound confidence, he suggested to the others that they take time to compose themselves and grab a quick bite to eat before they attempted to seek their way free of this forest. While the party selected a hasty meal from the traveling supplies that remained in their packs, Kieren searched the bough-covered heaven, seeking the shape and brightness of the sun to give him some clue as to a direction. Using all of the skills he had learned in the Woods of Wildoness, he attempted to come up with anything that would help free them from their temporary prison. Try as he might, the sky was blocked out by the gnarly and plentiful upper branches of the trees that flourished here and this canopy permitted only a few lonely rays of sunlight to penetrate the gloom and let them distinguish the difference between day and night. The only thing that Kieren could tell with any certainty was that it was still daytime. After careful deliberation, he decided to speak. "My friends, I have been considering how we got lost in this timberland maze and I have decided that, even with the adjustments we had to make to get around the various obstacles in our path, we still fled in a westerly direction. If we were to look back at the last areas we covered, we could basically trace an east-west line that we could use as a starting point to figure out how to get out of this place. "The dwarfs have told us that we should take a north-westerly route to get to Thorold, so this is what I am suggesting. Once we have our east-west line, we could then calculate a north-south line. Once we have these two lines, we mentally divide that angle in half and that new line will become our route out of here. Even if we are incorrect in our calculations, following a straight line should eventually bring us out of this forest, maybe not precisely where we wish to be, but we will be free of this unusual woodland. Once we are free of this place, we can make new plans. Do any of you think my idea is worth trying? Everyone thought about Kieren's proposal and then they either spoke or nodded their agreement. There was a sincere look of admiration on the faces of the veteran soldiers and a look of total disbelief on the faces of Garreth and Romaric. They found it hard to believe that, out of the entire company, Kieren would be the one to retain his composure and attack this problem with logic to find a solution. Certainly, he was raised in a woodland area and had that advantage over the others, but the two young elves grew up in the same place and they wouldn't have come up with such a clever plan. No, they had to give Kieren his due and admit that Beraut's insights into his abilities had been right on target. Truly, he was one of those few natural born leaders whom others follow willingly and surrender their total devotion to. Each of the companions, in their own way, urged Kieren to take charge of executing this plan, since it was his suggestion in the first place. The young man was hesitant to do so, not only because of his youth but also because he didn't want to offend any of these brave warriors whom he had come to admire and respect. Kieren was sure that by taking the lead in this venture, he would appear to be conceited, discourteous, and he would dishonor these brave warriors who had done so much to protect him. With as much humility as he could muster, he asked his companions to select one of the others for this task. The warriors understood the lad's predicament and they gently insisted and encouraged him to accept their offer. After several minutes of this friendly persuasion, he ultimately consented to their request. Kieren started by looking back over the route they had traveled, and he placed Sedain and Quintain at two points along this path to form his east-west line. Next, he positioned Garreth and Romaric to form a north-south line. Once these two lines were established, he placed Doenilio at the point where the two lines intersected. Then he sent Turquinine out and moved him around until the prince felt he was in the proper position. He had Rhys go out and mark the tree nearest to Turquinine's position, just in case something happened and they needed this for a reference point later. Temporarily leaving Doenilio behind, the remainder of the party moved to Turquinine's position and then Kieren sent Hadwin out to mark the next spot. Using Doenilio and Turquinine as his guide, he ordered Hadwin about until he was placed properly. He then called Doenilio to join them and they repeated the process many more times. Each of these positioning steps took a great deal of time to accomplish. The warrior not only had to get to the right spot, but he also had to maneuver around the many obstacles this forest provided. Once the person was in the correct spot, someone else would carve a notch in the tree closest to that spot, leaving a record of their efforts. They knew that this would help anyone else in the woods to follow them, but that was not their primary concern now. What was more important was that they get out of this place as quickly as they could. They continued this process until it got too dark to see far enough ahead, then they set up their camp for the night. As the group was rummaging through their packs to see what they could find for dinner, Alaric commented that he was surprised that they hadn't seen any signs of wildlife in the forest. He realized that, at first, they had made so much commotion that it would have scared the animals away, but he hadn't seen anything that would indicate any other forms of non-plant life. After thinking about this for a few more minutes, Alaric vocalized his concern. "Could it be possible that nothing can survive in this strange place?" he mused. Everyone took a few minutes to ponder this possibility before Kieren realized that this was too disheartening a thought for now. They needed something to distract their attention from this problem, so the prince asked the dwarfs to tell the rest of the group about themselves and about what would await them when they reached the dwarven capital. After some coaxing by the others, Sedain volunteered to begin the story. "As you already know, Quintain and I are brothers and we were raised in a very strict military home. You see, our father was a highly decorated career soldier and he always planned on us following in his footsteps. Father had built his reputation fighting the horde of human thieves who had organized themselves in various regions of the Amber Mountains and raided our homeland, seeking to steal the treasure they thought we possessed. They believed the old fables that our race had a vast accumulation of gold, jewels, and other valuables hidden deep in the interior of the mountains, and they wanted all of it. It was a long and brutal campaign, claiming many lives on both sides, but it was some of the skirmishes led by our father that changed the course of the battle. "We have always been very proud of our father's accomplishments and we enjoyed basking in the limelight of his fame. With our father's encouragement, we enlisted in the Royal Guard, hoping to repeat his heroics. The world changed, however, and our years of service have been peaceful, marred only by an occasional confrontation with some of the wild beasts that wander into our realm. Of course the threat of Madumda has always been there, but until now he never had a military force of any magnitude to be considered a menace to the rest of the land. We aren't complaining about the lack of conflict, but we had always dreamed of glorious exploits and about being victorious in battle. That was why we were so eager to volunteer for this mission when it was first announced, though we didn't know all of the details until we arrived at Leander, and we were proud to have been the ones selected to represent our people. That is our story, though it is not much, but you'll have to ask Doenilio to tell his own tale." Sedain then turned toward Doenilio, who had not really been listening to what the other dwarf had been saying, and he urged his countryman to tell the others about himself. Slowly, the remaining dwarf began to speak. "I'm a few years older than the other two, as you might have been able to guess, and I did not come from a military home. I started my career by studying to be an engineer, one of the most highly respected professions for our people. I worked hard at my job until the final two years of the war with the thieves. Feeling the patriotic need to do my duty and defend my homeland, I enlisted in our army. Although I didn't serve with Sedain and Quintain's father, I knew much about him and of his accomplishments. It was during this time that my life changed forever. When the war had ended, I realized that I loved being a soldier and I decided to remain in the army as warrior-engineer. I have remained a soldier since that day. "Another difference between me and my two compatriots is that I'm also married. My wife and I have three children and they are all waiting for me to arrive back at Thorold. That probably explains why I am more than anxious to finally reach my home." "Tell us of Thorold," Romaric interrupted. What is it like? What will we see there?" Quintain decided to answer this question, especially since Doenilio was now wrapped up in his own thoughts of his home and family. "It is surprisingly beautiful and spacious for being carved out of dirt and rock and for being underground. Most others think we live in drab, barren caves and they don't realize how magnificent our kingdom really is. At both entrances into our realm there have been carved splendid staircases that lead down to the streets, shops, and abodes that abound at the lower level. Many of these buildings that line the thoroughfares have been decorated with highly ornate scenes that have been chiseled into the rock fronts. Dwarfs, as a whole, are a very practical race and are not generally given to ostentation. The staircases and the shop-fronts are the exception to this rule. Our homes, on the other hand, are plain, cozy, and snug but not cramped. The inhabitants are generally very friendly and, being hearty eaters, the food is excellent." This last statement caused them to remember their last meal and the entire troop slipped into a deep melancholy, thinking about how hungry they still were. Up to that point, however, Kieren's ruse had worked precisely as he had intended, but now they moved to their packs, set out their bedding, and settled in for the night. Unfortunately, they were still in the same depressed mood that they had been in earlier. The following morning, the companions were awakened by Rhys, who stood guard last. The party again scrounged through their packs for food and, after finding very little, prepared to continue their trek through Briarwood. Kieren checked the carvings that he had asked Rhys and Hadwin to cut into two of the trees the previous evening. Carefully he aligned himself with the markers, before picking out a distant point to which he would guide one of his friends. Once again, the going was slow and tedious, as they moved from point to point, but they continued their journey through this incredible tangle on the forest floor. They had been plodding on for nearly five hours when they were confronted with a thick, entwined hedge, which seemed to extend upward until it was out of sight. This tangled web of undergrowth effectively blocked their forward progress, as if someone had built a wall to keep them in, presenting them with a new problem to solve. The company quickly looked to see if this impressive obstacle could be breached, but they found no apparent weakness in it. The dwarfs suggested that they should be able to chop through it with their battle-axes and they promptly began to hack at the entwined combination of vines, briers, and branches. The others soon followed suit, using their swords to try to chop out a doorway, but after twenty-five minutes of this vigorous labor they gave up, determined that this was a fruitless endeavor. What they needed now was a new approach. Kieren recommended that scouts could be sent out, a party going in each direction along this barrier, to see how far it extended in either direction. Sedain and Quintain were sent to the right and Turquinine and Alaric agreed to go to the left. Each group set out in search of a break in this obstacle, or to see where it ended. While the others went to investigate this new impediment, Hadwin and Rhys suggested that the rest of the group should sit, wait, and search their packs again, to see if they might have missed any foodstuff they could share for their midday meal. Grudgingly, they examined each bundle once more, including those that the scouts had left behind. They soon concluded that this effort was in vain and they resigned themselves to the fate of going hungry until they reached Thorold, unless they could find some fruit or wild game along the way. At this point, they all sat or lay down as they awaited the return of the others. Kieren sat with his back to the barrier, facing those who remained with him, and he tried to assess how each of the others was coping with this new situation. His attention was primarily focused on his two young friends, wondering if they had reached the point where they now regretted having volunteered to join him on this mission. Kieren appreciated the fact that his two mates had sacrificed the freedom and spontaneity they could have been enjoying at home in Wildoness, for the hardships and deprivations they suffered through now. Because of this, the prince felt an even closer kinship to them at this time than he had at any other point, from the day they had first become playmates until the day they had left on this adventure. Kieren vowed that someday he would repay the pair for their friendship and devotion, and compensate them for the loyalty they had always given him so freely. Next, Kieren's gaze fell on Doenilio, Rhys, and Hadwin. He could not say that he really understood any of these military men any better now than when he first met them. It was probably because their customs, traditions, and way of life were so different from anything he had encountered before, but he had grown fond of each one of them in the time they had been together. He admired all of these rugged individuals, each for a different reason, and he acknowledged that there was a connection between them that had not been there when they had left Leander to begin this quest. He decided that this was the perfect time for him to mentally look back and see if he could determine when and where they had forged this new bond. He had been at this process for quite some time before he realized that there was no specific moment when this new attachment originated. He realized that this had been a gradual and evolving process, reinforced and made stronger by each time they accepted one of his suggestions, each show of affection or respect they gave him, or each instance when they were willing to sacrifice their own life to save his. Over their time together, they had developed a mutual trust and respect for each other and Kieren knew that this would never change, not even after this mission was concluded. The young prince was still engrossed in his thoughts when he caught sight of Romaric darting past him to leap on a distant mound. Kieren couldn't imagine what his friend was doing and he merely watched as Romaric thrashed about on this pile of dried leaves and broken twigs. Kieren was even more astonished when Doenilio, Rhys, and Hadwin raced past him to assist the elf. The youth was beginning to think that his companions were all more than a little stir-crazy from having been confined in this damnable place for far too long a time. Garreth had also reacted to Romaric's lunge, darting to stand by Kieren's side, with his sword drawn, ready to defend his dear friend. Now Kieren realized for the first time that there had been something under that mound on which his friend had hurled himself. The struggle was fairly brief and no one was injured, but Romaric was forcing something to stand upright. It wasn't very big and it was covered in the same debris that covered the rest of the ground, and the other warriors surrounded it so it wouldn't escape. For the casual observer, this thing looked like a moving rubbish pile and the only hint that it was some sort of living being was the occasional jerking motions it would make as the others touched it or the high-pitched whimper it made as it pleaded its case. "Please, no hurt Qaim. Please, gentle sir. I no hurt you. Me just resting here in my home. I no bother you. Please, no hurt Qaim." "What were you doing lurking out there? Are you a servant of Madumda? Where are your weapons?" demanded the infuriated young elf. "Qaim don't know any Madoo whatever. Qaim no lurk. Qaim live here. Qaim carry no sharp, pointy sticks. Qaim no want to hurt anybody. Please, no hurt Qaim." "Master Kieren," Doenilio interrupted, "let me deal with this vermin and I'll see if I can loosen his tongue." "No! No!" squealed the disgusting little heap. "No let this nasty little man hurt Qaim. Please, kind young sir, no let him poke Qaim with his pointy stick." "Tell us what we want to know then," shouted Doenilio, "or I shall indeed stick you with the tip of my blade." With this pronouncement, the dwarf held out his miniature sword and pointed it toward his captive. The prisoner let out a hair-raising wail and then he began to plead once more. "Qaim tell you anything, but please no hurt Qaim." The creature's voice sounded as if he were nearly in tears as he gasped out this last sentence and he squirmed violently in the hands of his captors as he tried to struggle away from the tip of Doenilio's sword. Kieren was overcome with a wave of compassion for this small being, and he walked over to the pathetic creature and spoke. "No one is going to harm you, my scruffy little fellow, as long as you cooperate and tell us what we want to know." "Qaim tell you, nice sir. Just ask and Qaim tell." "All right. Then what are you doing in these woods?" "Doing? Qaim not doing anything. This Qaim's home. Qaim live here in the trees. Qaim do nothing to you or your friends. Qaim live here for long time." The creature paused before he spoke again. "Why you here?" "For now, I'll ask the questions, my grubby friend," came Kieren's reply. "How long have you lived here?" "Qaim live here long time. Qaim live here since Qaim little." "Then you know your way around this place?" The creature nodded, at least that's what it looked like he was doing. "Could you show us the way out, then?" "Way out to where? Qaim no understand." Kieren thought about how he should rephrase his question and then he spoke again. "Could you lead us out of these woods," Kieren continued, "to the place where the trees meet the edge of the mountains." "Qaim know the way, but Qaim no go there. Qaim afraid of nasty men who want to hurt him. Qaim no leave his home." "My dear Kieren," came Hadwin's voice, "you can't be serious about trusting this thing, whatever it is. We have no way of knowing if he will do as he says or if he will lead us into a trap and hand us over to that war party that chased us into this confounded place. I, for one, suggest that we wait until our scouts have returned, to see if they have discovered another option. In the meantime, let's put a guard on this hairy little beast, so he won't be able to try anything foolish." It was agreed that they would follow the Nardinian's advice and wait for the others to return. Doenilio and Hadwin took the unknown mess a short distance away from the others and they stayed there to guard him. The remainder of the group sat together to discuss what had just happened and they attempted to decide what should be done next. In the middle of this meeting, Kieren turned toward Romaric and he hugged his friend energetically. "You risked your life for us, back there earlier," he said as he broke the embrace. "You had no way of knowing what was lurking underneath the leaves or what threat it posed to us. You might have been killed trying to protect us." "I saw something move near you and I could only think of protecting you. I did only what any of the others would have done." "Maybe so, but I shall never forget the selflessness of this heroic act. I don't know if I would have done the same thing, if our roles had been reversed." "Sure you would have, but you are making too much of this simple deed. It took no thought on my part and I would gladly do it again, if the need arises. There is no reason for you to thank me and there is no reason to make such a big deal about what happened." "Well, thank you anyway," Kieren retorted, "even if you do not seek or want my gratitude." Kieren smiled broadly at Romaric and then he turned to face Garreth." "You rushed to my side, too, to protect me from the unknown danger. I appreciate your actions, as well." As he had been speaking, Kieren moved over to his other friend and embraced him. After this display of affection the prince moved back to his place between his two friends, and they all sat speechless for several more minutes. The silence served a dual purpose. First, it was their wordless recognition of how much they all meant to each other and, second, it gave them a chance to contemplate their next move. Eventually the sobering voice of reality broke the noiseless calm. "We must now get back to the matter at hand," chided Romaric. "What are we going to do about this thing we just captured and how far are we willing to trust him?" "Your Highness, if I may be so bold," commented Rhys. "I believe Hadwin has given you good counsel. We know nothing about who or what that creature is or who or what might control it or have influence over it. It could easily be a spy for the Dark Lord or it might be in league with other beings that have made this awful place their home. I suggest that we dare not place our faith in this being, for it could lead us straight into a trap. I think that we should first exhaust all of our other options before we put our trust in the hands of this unknown animal." Kieren was mulling over the Akiktite's proposal when Sedain and Quintain returned from their explorations. "It's no use going in that direction," panted Quintain. "It seems as though we had walked far enough to extricate ourselves from this dreadful place and still we could find no break in the barrier." "Well, you've done your best and it's not your fault it is impassible in that direction. Now we must hope that Alaric and Turquinine have been more fortunate." Kieren went on to tell the two dwarfs about the weird little pile that sat or stood, they couldn't tell which, between Doenilio and Hadwin. Just as he was about to finish his tale, the elf and the knight reappeared. "I'm afraid it is useless to go in that direction, Kieren," Alaric began. "We walked a great distance and still we found no opening or weakness in this barrier. I'm afraid we're going to have to try to find another solution." Again, Kieren recounted the tale of the discovery of Qaim to the new returnees and, upon completing the retelling of the story, he suggested that they should consider the things that Qaim had told them. This proposal was not readily accepted and a heated discussion ensued. After considering all of the alternatives, it was decided that there appeared to be no other option but to trust, at least temporarily, this noxious little creature. Kieren got up and walked over to where Qaim was being guarded. "Qaim, you said before that you knew how to get to the place where the forest meets the mountains. Would you be willing to take us there?" "Qaim know this place, but Qaim not want to go there. Bad men there. They would hurt Qaim." "What if I promised you that we would protect you and not let anyone hurt you? If we did this, would you be willing to take us there then?" "Maybe. What you give Qaim if he do this?" "What do you want?" "Qaim want you to give him munchies. Lots of munchies. Yes?" "Yes, Qaim. If you help us get out of here, we will indeed see that food is provided for you, as much as you can eat." "Yes! Yes! Qaim will take you there. Just follow Qaim." With that, the little bundle of twigs and leaves started to move, but he was quickly subdued by his two guards. "Easy, my odious friend," snarled Hadwin. "We must first devise some restraints to keep him secure and make sure that he doesn't try to betray us." Hadwin reached for some rope from his pack as the timid animal watched his every move. "Qaim show you way out. He no do anything bad. No tie Qaim. Vines burn Qaim, hurt very much. Please, no hurt Qaim." Kieren felt pity for the creature and he had to convince Hadwin that he was overly concerned. "Noble Nardinian, your point is well taken but I think that if treachery is involved, the rope shall not be of much help. Let Qaim walk free to lead us, as he says he will do, but we shall also let him know that he shall be the first to die if he betrays us!" "Oh, no, kind master. Qaim no hurt you. Qaim take you where you want to go." Reluctantly the warrior gave in to Kieren's request, but he made sure that the little hairball knew that he would be the one to run him through if he tried to betray them. Now, everyone picked up their gear, strapped it into place, and they followed this moving compost pile as it headed in the direction the two dwarfs had gone previously. "I tell you that there is no way through this," argued Sedain. "I know, we searched every inch of it. I say that this proves that he is not to be trusted. I'm sure that, if we follow this thing, it shall all come to no good. We are like sheep being led to the slaughter." The dwarf then gripped the hilt of his sword as firmly as he could and prepared himself to be the one to do away with this enigma at the first sign of a double-cross. The party walked behind the bundle of matted twigs and foliage, which stood about the same height as the dwarfs. They had walked only a short way when Qaim turned into the undergrowth, for no apparent reason. His unkempt appearance made it difficult to tell what he was up to, but he seemed to be busy performing some unknown activity. The best assumption that anyone could venture was that he appeared to be working his hands in and out of the tangled hedge although they weren't sure what purpose it served. Shortly, his purpose became evident, as there was an opening in the vegetation before them. It was as if Qaim had opened some hidden door in the midst of this thicket. "Quick! Quick! Qaim must get to other side before the beastie sees him open the bushes. Hurry! Hurry!" "What beastie?" Hadwin wanted to know. "No time. We must hurry," Qaim responded. Cautiously, Turquinine approached the opening and peered through to see what awaited them on the other side. When he determined that there was no danger lurking behind this dense growth of vegetation, he signaled the others to follow him through the portal. "Hurry! Please, hurry!" urged Qaim. "This should not be open very long. Oh, please hurry!" Quickly everyone scurried through to the other side and Qaim redid the unseen latches that had permitted them to cross through the obstacle. "What were you so afraid of?" demanded Kieren. "What would have happened if the covering had remained open?" "Big, ugly beastie live on this side of wall. If he feel the air going through the hole, he run and try to get to other side. He hurt Qaim if he not hurry, but we safe now." "All right, Qaim, you've done well so far. Now you must show us how to get out of these woods to the mountains beyond. It's time we got going again." With this announcement, Kieren gave Qaim a little nudge. It was his way of urging their new guide to undertake this next phase of his bargain. "Qaim can no go now, young master." "Why not? You promised me that you would, you lying bag of dirt. Why do you change your mind now?" "I warned you not to trust him, Your Highness," interjected Sedain. "He did do more than I thought he would, though. At least he led us through the barrier, which is more than we could have done on our own. Shall we run him through now?" "No! No! Qaim still take you, young master. It just that Qaim cannot take you yet. Soon there be no light to see by. We stay here for night." The whole party seemed to look upward at the same moment, as if some unseen puppeteer had pulled the strings that lifted their heads skyward, in unison. They soon agreed that Qaim was probably correct in his judgment and they would have to spend another night in this eerie woodland. They went about preparing to bed down for the night when Turquinine inquired about the status of the food supply. He was promptly told that there was nothing to eat, not even any crumbs. Hearing this, Qaim let out a very audible groan. This simple gesture expressed the feelings of the entire contingent, as they had to consider facing the night and, possibly, the whole next day without food. Again, Kieren tried to distract the party from dwelling on this unalterable fact by using a tactic that had worked for him before. The prince looked over the party and he decided to ask Rhys and Hadwin to tell them a little bit about themselves. Eventually he coerced the two warriors into submitting to his request and he got Hadwin to go first. "My Lord, I am but a common soldier and I have been one most of my life. There is not much for you to learn about me, for I have no proud family history to impress you with. The fact is that I know very little about my predecessors and I have no glowing credentials to brag to you about." "If there was nothing special about you," Garreth responded, "then why were you the one recommended by your city to go on this venture?" "I suppose that it is my exploits against the gnomes and the Merropites that qualified me to be with this esteemed group. You see, I have been involved in many of the various conflicts my people have had with those two groups throughout the years and I know a little about their way of thinking. I am not well spoken, nor of superior intelligence, but I have learned the ways of those devils and I am not afraid to stand against any foe." "Well, I guess that would seem to be sufficient credentials to include you on this mission," responded Kieren, "and I am glad that you are with us. What about you, Rhys? Could you tell us something about yourself." "I, sir, have nothing much tell. I know nothing of my natural parents, as I was abandoned as a baby. Fortunately, I was taken care of by the wealthy couple who had found me on their doorstep. They were extremely good to me and they always treated me as one of their own. As I grew up, I learned about the circumstances of how I came into their family and I felt that it would be unfair of me to deprive their natural children of their rightful inheritance. I vowed that I would not go into the family business and deprive my adoptive siblings of their share of the family fortune, so I left home to seek my own way. It was shortly after, that I decided to become a soldier." "How did your parents feel about that?" Kieren inquired. "Unfortunately, they were hurt by my choice. They felt that I was misreading the situation and they tried to assure me that there was more than enough money to provide for all of us. However, I was already determined to pursue my own future and here I am." "Wow," responded Romaric, "I can't believe anyone would turn their back on a chance to be rich." "I wouldn't say that was what I did," Rhys told him. "I would not have been rich, even if I had stayed, not by the standards of any of the races. I would have lived comfortably, but you must believe me when I say that there is more to life than just money. One day you will learn, my young friend, that there is much more to life than the objects you can buy or possess." As the contingent thought about this last statement, the older members agreed with the wisdom in Rhys' comment and they assured their young friends that wealth is only a small part of life. There were comments about there being plenty of rich people who were miserable and as many poorer people who were much happier with their lots in life. They continued this discussion until, at last, they decided it was time to sleep and renew their strength for the next day's trials. None of them slept very well, however. This was due to the combination of their hunger pangs and the uneasy feeling they had about their surroundings. Qaim proved to be the exception to this rule, though. He slept very soundly and was the only one who wasn't drowsy and still half asleep. Energetically, the creature rose and proceeded to lead them forward, through Briarwood. Again, the going was slow, but Qaim seemed to know all of the tricks to solve the puzzles of this labyrinth. Unerringly he led them forward, through and around the dense undergrowth. Time after time he would lead them by barriers that, if they were on their own, they would have found difficult, if not impossible, to navigate past. Qaim, however, led them forward with hardly a minute wasted and he never lost his focus on where they were going. The group had just encountered and negotiated one of these obstacles when Qaim stopped, frozen with fear. "Beastie, young master. Beastie want to hurt Qaim," he cried. "Please, help Qaim." The companions looked up and saw a rather large wild boar coming in their direction, moving toward them at a trot. It was a good-sized animal and its two pearly white tusks shone out, even in this dim light, like two glimmering stars in the evening sky. The boar's pace quickened, as it came nearer to them, and now it was close enough for the companions to recognize the enormous hatred in its eyes. The animal now increased its pace, going into a full charge, its sight set on the three dwarfs who were clustered together. The dwarfs readied their battleaxes in preparation for the assault, waiting to ward off this unwarranted attack. As the boar drew nearer to the trio, it was able to distinguish the gleam from the weapons' blades and the animal veered away from the armed warriors and was heading directly for Kieren. The prince, seeing the boar change its course, braced himself for the encounter. Rigidly, he held his short sword in front of him with both hands, when he was suddenly knocked sideways and unceremoniously dumped on the ground. The prince regained his balance as quickly as he could and he struggled to right himself for the onslaught. Kieren rose just in time to see Garreth meet the assault of the rampaging beast. The elf had been standing with his spear held directly in front of him, the pointed tip aimed at the boar's fleshy chest. The force of the blow drove Garreth backward and he fell to the ground as his spearhead became embedded just below the boar's neck. As he landed with a thud on his backside, the shaft of his spear hammered back between his chest and his right arm, lodging itself in the dirt beside him. The wooden handle held fast under the force of the collision and the metal head was driven deep into the vital organs of the maddened beast. This didn't seem to stop the boar, however, and he still tried to crawl forward toward the elf. At this point, the other warriors jumped in and began to stab the beast with their own weapons. After piercing the struggling creature several more times, the animal shuddered briefly before it collapsed on the prone form of the young elf. Immediately the others raced to Garreth's side and hoisted the lifeless boar off the unlikely victor. Once freed from the weight of his opponent, the young elf rolled as far away from the creature as he could get. Alaric followed Garreth as he spun away from them and he bent down to check him over as soon as he came to a stop. When no serious injuries were discovered, the larger elf helped the lad to his feet. Kieren was the first to approach his liberated mate and he squeezed him with all the enthusiasm he could muster. "You just saved my life," the prince blurted out. "First Romaric and now you. Beraut was right! He told us that the closeness that we felt for one another would prove beneficial on this trip and already both of you have proven him correct. My love for the two of you is indeed great and I doubt if I shall ever be able to repay the bravery you have displayed in my defense." Kieren took this opportunity to embrace both of his soul mates in a tremendous hug of affection. The young elves blushed noticeably at this public display of affection and gratitude, but they did not reject their friend's emotional outburst. When things were back to normal, the others concurred with the statement that Kieren had made about Beraut's being right and they added their own words of admiration for what the two young elves had done. They did not, however, choose to engage themselves in the jubilant outburst that Kieren had initiated and, instead, they remained aloof from this celebration. They merely mulled about the three youths until the chaos was forgotten and order had been restored. Qaim took this opportunity to thank all of them for protecting his grimy hide from one of the things that he had lived in constant fear of. When Qaim had finished his appreciative remarks, he advised them that there may be other beasties in the forest and he didn't want to wait around for them to show up. He suggested, rather forcefully, that they should continue their journey and depart from this frightful place immediately. Heeding his warning, the warriors quickly sliced several chunks of meat from the beast and the carried them with them. After about an hour, they stopped, prepared a small fire, and cooked the meat they had been lugging with them. It wasn't much, but it was enough to squelch the hunger pangs that had been gnawing at them. The brief respite didn't take long and soon the small band set out again. This time covering much more ground than they had the previous day and the hours seemed to fly by as they kept moving closer and closer to their goal. Being excited about the possibility of breaking free of this dark, dreary place, they only took a couple of short rest breaks Doggedly they continued to tramp forward and it was late afternoon when they finally cleared the outer edge of this maze of trees and bushes. They now stood at the northeastern corner of Briarwood and they prudently scanned the hillside for signs of unwanted company. Finding none, they paused to get their bearings. The dwarfs soon calculated that they were very close to where they wanted to be and they informed the others of this fact. The company was jubilant when it was explained to them that they could still be at the gates of Thorold before the sun had completely set. All they could think about now was the hot baths, additional food, and the soft beds that awaited them there. Sedain walked over to Qaim and placed a hand on his shoulder, or at least where he thought his shoulder should be, and he began to speak. "I have sorely misjudged you, my new friend, and I have much to do to make amends for my rude behavior earlier. Will you please forgive me?" "Give Qaim munchies and Qaim forgive you," came the reply. "Qaim hungry. Qaim could eat dragon by himself." Sedain laughed. "You will have all you can eat when we get to my home, my untidy friend, and much, much more. Just follow me and I shall lead you to your reward." Qaim was so anxious that he almost dragged the dwarf forward. "Easy, Qaim. Easy. We will get there soon enough, but we must keep together until we arrive." The dwarf led Qaim forward, up a seldom used path, with the others straining to maintain the same pace. Before long, they were standing before the back gates of Thorold. * * * * * * * * If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section. E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.