by Pfantazm
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Thom climbed the stairs behind Madoc. It had been a good morning, though
not a productive one. The former thief liked to walk and he'd had a good
one up and down the docks.
None of the taverns they'd found had ever heard of a woman named Roselta, and Thom was suspicious. He believed Lennox was remembering correctly, and he didn't think the owner of the tavern they sought would have such a short memory. Thom was also sure, though, that they'd looked in every alehouse and inn near the docks. Something didn't fit. Madoc groaned as he climbed the stairs. He wasn't used to Thom's pace on foot. Riding a horse used different leg muscles than did walking. Thom still remembered the aches he suffered when he rode with Madoc for the first few days. If Madoc wasn't sore now, he would be tomorrow morning. They pushed open the door to the garret. There, glowing in the noonday sunlight through the window were Bastian and Lennox. The mage was crouched over his love, and slowly easing his hardness in and out of Lennox's ass. Both the returning men smiled. "I hope you don't mind: we used some of your grease," Sir Bastian said, not slowing down for the intrusion. "Not at all," Thom said, watching his friends make love. "That's what it's for." "We didn't find the right tavern," Madoc said. Bastian grunted, but Madoc couldn't be sure why. "May we join you?" Thom asked, taking off his shirt. "Please," Lennox moaned. Thom pulled his shirt over his head and watched Bastian start fucking Lennox furiously. His lover's head rolled to the side. The blond lay on his back next to his friends and watched them. He undid his trousers and his smallclothes, kicked off his boots and bared all. Madoc appeared over him, naked as well, and lay himself over Thom's body. They kissed and their hands roamed over each other's bodies. Their erect members slid past each other. Thom asked his partner, "Do you want to try again?" Their attempts to get Madoc relaxed enough to take Thom's penis into him had not borne fruit yet. Madoc nodded his head and he got up on all fours. Thom reached up over his head and grabbed the pot of grease. It was running low. They'd have to replace it soon. He dipped a finger inside and scooped some of the stuff up. He slicked up a finger and reached under Madoc's body. Thom kissed Madoc as his finger approached Madoc's asshole. The High Guardsman's eyes were shut, but he could hear Lennox and Bastian, and he could feel Thom's hand. He tasted Thom's tongue and lips. Madoc relaxed. Thom's finger eased inside of Madoc. Madoc moaned, but did not tense up. Thom kept going and his finger went all the way into his partner's hole. Thom smiled up at Madoc, but didn't say anything. Instead he just moved his finger slowly and cautiously. Madoc let out a surprised "Oh," as Thom wiggled inside him. Madoc's back was arched and his head raised. His ass was pointed up into the air. His eyes remained closed and his jaw hung open as he felt these new sensations. His cock was rock hard and jutted out, straight and long from his body. Thom twisted the finger, and Madoc's eyes sprung open. "How does that feel?" the blond asked. "Oh, that feels good...." Madoc gasped. "Do you see what you've been missing?" Thom teased. "Now, I'm going to try to make it a little better with a second finger. Stay relaxed." He moved quickly, scooping up more grease and readying his index and middle fingers. He rested them at Madoc's entrance and pushed gently. Madoc felt them coming and tried to stay calm. This was much farther than he'd been able to go before. He stared ahead at chests and old furniture, but seeing none of it. His entire world was what was behind him. The fingers entered him, and they felt big. His eyes closed and his head drooped. There was pain. He wouldn't let it show on his face. The knight tensed up his body and hoped Thom didn't notice. The fingers stopped moving in. Instead they wiggled around Madoc groaned. It was still painful, but it felt wonderful. The fingers twisted around sideways. "Aagh!" Madoc cried. Thom stopped dead. "Are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine," Madoc said. "Can we try now?" He looked down at Thom. The blond smiled. "Let's give it a try." Madoc squatted over Thom's cock. The ex-thief held it straight up. The brunet repositioned himself so that they lined up. Madoc tried taking Thom in. Thom watched his lover. His big naked body was damp with sweat. His eyes were shut and his brows furrowed, creasing his handsome face. Thom felt the heat of Madoc in the tip of his cock as Madoc tried to open up. The High Guardsman bore down, trying not to seize up. Lennox saw that Madoc was having trouble and whispered to Bastian. Thom was watching Madoc, but he heard his friends rearrange themselves beside him. Madoc felt someone touch his penis. He opened his eyes and saw Lennox take it in his mouth. The redhead was on his hands and knees, and Bastian was entering him from behind again. It seemed so easy. Lennox suckled on Madoc's cock lovingly, and moaned when Bastian drove himself fully into Lennox. Madoc let go of the breath he'd been holding. He let himself go with the feeling of Lennox sucking on his cock. His whole body relaxed. He sagged down, and the head of Thom's cock popped into Madoc's ass. The knight cried out. The pain was sharp and took him by surprise. Lennox let go of Madoc and Thom squirmed his dick out of him. The blond sat up. "Are you alright?" "Yes, that just hurt. I'll be fine." Thom hugged Madoc. "We got close, my love. We'll make it soon." Madoc kissed him. The four decided to reposition themselves a bit. Thom went and washed up. He and Lennox lay on their sides and sucked each other and Madoc and Lennox took their lovers' asses. Thom and Lennox groaned. Bastian smiled at Madoc. Madoc leaned over and put his hand between Thom and Lennox on the pallet. He smiled at Bastian. The mage met him halfway and kissed him. Madoc laid a hand on Bastian's shoulder. It wasn't very long before all four of them would be cumming. Thom swallowed the sticky seed Lennox fed him, and Lennox felt Bastian's load coat his insides. Bastian left to get water and Lennox rolled onto his stomach to suck Thom. The blond's face was contorted in delight. Almost-silent gasps escaped from his mouth as his partner plunged into him. His eyes were closed and he clawed at the pallet beneath him. Madoc moaned and thrust once, twice more and came. He slumped forward as he filled Thom with his essence. Lastly, Thom could hold back no longer and fed Lennox his cream. The former captive sucked the precious fluid right out of Thom. They lay there in a heap. Bastian came back with the wash water, stripped again, and joined them. Madoc and he took the opportunity to wash up. The four male bodies came together again after their bonding. They touched and caressed each other and much of the attention was for Madoc, consoling him, as though the loss he'd suffered in Ellaston was fresh. Thom clung tightly to him and kissed his cheek. Madoc held his love in kind. "As nice as this is," Bastian said finally, "we should get back to looking for Kraid. You found nothing near the docks?" "No," Thom replied, "which seemed fishy to me. I think they warned her we would be coming. Covering anything Lennox might think of." "Then perhaps the best chance we have is to look through the festival," Bastian said. "The Marauders enjoy carousing. That's one reason we think they're here, isn't it, Lennox." The redhead merely grinned and nodded. Bastian smiled back. "What do you say?" he asked of Thom and Madoc. "I have no better thoughts. We're down to searching the haystack. Let's look where the needles are." The square before the inn where they were staying was packed with revellers. In the center of the square was a platform where a group of Talvaedean sages sat waiting for the proceedings to begin. The sages looked somehow more grey than their counterparts from the House of the Earth. They were paler, and seemed older than their years, unless the sages were all elderly. Thom looked to Madoc to see whether he was reacting to the people who represented the god who caused the murder of his family. Sir Madoc merely scanned the crowd with the same cold eyes he remembered when he'd first met him. The former thief realized his gaze had warmed since they'd become close. Thom frowned. Bastian saw delegates from the temple of Garacon arriving. The Ceremony of the Changing of the Seasons would begin soon. The three continued searching the crowd, but had found no one they recognized by the time the speakers were prepared to start. "Gentles!" the Elder Sage bellowed. "Your ears, if you would!" The crowd quieted, and granted the scholar their attention. "The time has come for the Season of Summer to come to an end, and for Autumn to take its stead. "The Great God of Learning, Talvaed, watches over this time, for the fruits of the coming harvest represent the knowledge we gain through the hard work of study, the very knowledge of the soil and the seasons that allows our farms to run. "The Autumn is also a time of planning, of preparing for the death that comes with winter, and it is this forethought that Great Talvaed prizes most in our people." As the lecture rambled on, Thom thought about the Gods and the Seasons, and the sage's mention of death in winter. Thom's own god, Braggia, oversaw the passing of winter. People feared the Goddess of Shadow, fearing death, but, as Thom was sure he was one of Braggia's own, he knew the fears were unfounded. None of the Gods wished ill for their people - as long as you played by their rules. "Have you spotted anyone?" Madoc whispered in his ear. "Not yet," Thom murmured back. His attention drifted back to the sage who was speaking. "And so," he was saying, "the moment has come when we shall take on the mantle of the new Season. Let the festivities begin!" The gathered villagers and visitors cheered. Music filled the air. The crowd began to mill about, and watching for faces as they went by became more difficult. Thom was glad to see that Madoc wasn't suggesting they split up to search. It would be foolish to chase a Marauder alone. There were bound to be more of them. Bastian's eyebrows were knitted. He was glaring across the common at something. "What is it?" Thom asked. There was a man on horseback across the square. He was staring straight back at them. "The coward," Bastian said. "In our first encounter with the Marauders, we lost two men. One was shot by the archer. He killed the other from behind," Bastian remembered. "His name is Addax." Sir Madoc took off at a run. When Addax saw him approach, he moved his horse toward one of the roads leading out of the square. "Madoc, wait!" Thom said and started after him. Sir Bastian laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hold, Thom. This isn't right." "We can't let him go alone," Thom argued. "First we saw no one, then he appears on horseback over the crowd. Something is amiss. Don't leave." Sir Bastian closed his eyes. He blotted out the crowd's cheers and talk, the minstrel passing by and his like, the crackling of the fire on the grille in the stall behind him. Witches and warlocks bond when they examine each others' spellpoints. They can see what the other can't. Bastian hoped he had bonded with Lennox enough to feel him. He was in distress. "Back to the tavern!" Bastian dashed off, his hair flowing like a cape behind him. Thom followed, quickly catching up. "Lennox?" "Yes!" The two rushed in, Thom charging ahead of the mage. As they reached the stairs to the attic, Bastian called out, "He's not there." Thom stopped at the base of the stairs and Bastian came up to him. The door at the top was hanging open. Thom took the stairs two at a time. "Lennox?" he called. He searched the garret without finding him. He dashed downstairs to find Bastian. The mage was in the kitchen kneeling over the cook, who was unconscious. "He'll be fine," Bastian said, "but he didn't see where they took Lennox." "They were following us," Thom said. "Dammit, they knew Lennox would lead us here. They waited until we left him alone." "I can find him, but I'll need your help. I have to shut out everything around me to sense him. You'll have to lead me." Thom nodded. They left through the same side door Lennox's abductors used and ran to the street. Bastian concentrated and Thom took his hand. They began a shambling walk through the city. Sir Bastian tried to head in a straight line to Lennox, heedless of any buildings or people in his path. Thom steered him down the streets, and kept him from tripping over cobblestones, or getting his robe caught. Once, the two guards had to cut through a house, entering by the door and leaving by a window, when finding a road to get to the same point would have wasted too much time. Thom smelled the sea and knew they were headed back to the docks. They'd also been going steadily downhill for some time. They were following a particularly steep road when Bastian suddenly cried out and doubled over. He gripped Thom's hand painfully tight and nearly pulled the former thief down with him. When Thom regained his footing, he asked, "What's wrong?" "They're hurting him...." Thom's eyes flashed. "Which way?" They picked up the pace, but they were slowed down any time Bastian staggered in sympathy to Lennox. "By all means, sir knight, take her," he replied. Before the man had finished talking, Madoc's foot was in the stirrup. He eased the grey mare around the square, hoping to cut the bandit off before he could leave. The revellers blocked him, though, and Addax was away. "Clear a path!" Sir Madoc cried as he travelled the last few yards before he could turn down the same avenue his quarry had taken. Then he urged his mount forward to make up the head start Addax had. Both men had to duck to avoid the strings of flags that were hanging across the street from store roofs, and with the festival's opening ceremony having finished there were a few people to dodge. Addax was making his way through quite well. Whatever else could be said about him, the man could handle a horse well. But so could Madoc. The crowd thinned out some and the riders went even faster through the streets. A parade blocked the way ahead. Mummers were pulling a couple of carts through the streets. Sir Madoc hoped Addax would have to stop. Instead the Marauder jumped over the coupling that connected the carts. He grabbed a juggler's ball from out of the air and pitched it back at his pursuer. Madoc dodged it easily, then coached his horse through the jump. The mare seemed to be very even-tempered. It didn't hesitate despite the screams of the panicking performers. Addax led Madoc on a serpentine tour of the town, trying to lose him around some corner or past an obstacle where the knight couldn't follow. Sir Madoc was every bit as able to guide his mount as the highwayman was, and the chase crisscrossed Annisport. The Marauder turned down an alley. Madoc followed some distance behind. The tall buildings to either side of him cloaked the alley in shadow. There was a bend up ahead where a shaft of sunlight lanced down through the shade. The knight urged his mare onward. There could be a fork ahead, and Madoc could lose his quarry. Instead, when Madoc approached the turn, Addax came charging back towards him. He'd found a wooden board and swung it at Madoc's head as he passed. The knight leaned back in his seat and watched the plank as it cut through the air in front of his face. In the end, Madoc passed completely under the board. The horse was still charging headlong for the wall. Sir Madoc sat up and regained control, turning his steed around the corner. He was more determined to catch the Marauder now. Either he was desperate enough to attack, which made him dangerous, or he simply didn't care whether he killed the knight or not, which made him more so. Thom now had one hand gripping Bastian's and another with a firm grip on his tabard to keep him from rushing forward. He was grinding his teeth and growling. His arms flailed at unseen attackers. They were drawing stares. Thom hurried them along as much as they could. Bastian certainly wanted to run, but his reactions to what must certainly have been happening to Lennox made it difficult. Suddenly, Bastian reached back and made Thom let go. "He's dying!" he cried, then took off at a dead run. Thom could only lag behind. They came up to a plain wooden building, several times larger than any house. "He's in here. Go and get help," Bastian commanded. "If Lennox needs help, I should--" Bastian turned to face Thom. "Go. Now!" "By Braggia," Thom gasped, then turned and ran, as much to get the guard as in fear of Sir Bastian. You can tell what a man will do by looking in his eyes. Judging by Bastian's eyes, he was ready to do murder. He had quite a lead, but Madoc urged the horse onward, in the hopes that Addax would encounter some obstacle that would slow him down. After a few minutes, he caught sight of the flank of the horse Addax was riding, disappearing around a corner. There hadn't been any good reason for him to slow down. It was almost as though Addax wanted Madoc to chase him. The Marauder led him through town again, and the guard was able to close the gap between them some. Addax turned down a side street. Madoc pulled up his horse at its entrance, then rode down the main road. The knight recognized that street. He and Thom had taken it earlier on their way to the docks. It was a minor roadway with only two ways in or out. If Madoc was fast enough.... He found the other arm of the street and listened. It seemed he had beaten Addax there. He pulled his tabard out of his belt and over his head. He backed up, waiting for the highwayman to emerge. Madoc waited just out of sight of the side road until he heard the hoofbeats of the robber's horse approaching. When Addax drew near, Madoc charged into the crossroads, waving his bright tabard and yelling, "Hyeah!" Addax's horse reared up on his hind legs. The rider was thrown from his saddle. He landed on his back on the cobblestones. Madoc dismounted quickly. He checked Addax for injuries. He'd been very fortunate. He seemed to have only had the wind knocked out of him and a blow to the head when he landed. A group of the city guard was rushing down the street a block away. Madoc called out to them for help. Two jogged over. "This man is one of Kraid's Marauders. I need your help to get him in irons and return this horse." He gestured to the road the other guards took. "What's going on over there?" "A knight-errant came bursting into the stationhouse saying that Kraid's Marauders were in a warehouse by the docks and he needed us to come in a hurry. Do you know him?" "Thom! You two take both horses and this man into custody. I'll go to the warehouse." Without another word, Sir Madoc dashed after the guards that had gone by. As he and the half-dozen or so guards at this door were ready to charge in, a man came running out. His clothes were half-burned and he looked white as a sheet. He stopped when he saw the patrolman in front of him. He looked unsure, wondering whether to run. The man dropped to his knees. "Please spare me! I won't run away, just don't take me back in there!" "He's one of them, I'm sure," Thom said, "but with luck we can make certain later." The man was taken off and the remaining guards went in. The smell inside was awful. The stench of burnt meat was everywhere. There were charred crates, many still glowing red in places, in overturned stacks on the floor. They advanced. A few paces later, they found the first body. Thom fought back the urge to retch. A man had had half of his body badly burnt. One of the other guards turned and dashed outside. When Bastian told him to get help, Thom recalled, his wolfish grey eyes had turned blood red. He moved on, looking for the mage. The other half of his troupe called out. They'd found someone. Thom led his group in their direction. A fortyish, greying man stood surrounded by guardsmen. One guard had his hand on the man's shoulder. "That," Thom said, pointing, "is the notorious thief, Kraid. Be careful of him. He's very dangerous. Has someone brought a rope or irons for him?" Several of the guards stepped back. One shakily took the manacles from his belt and approached the killer and robber. Thom looked around. "Where's Bastian?" he asked. He turned back to Kraid. Later on, Thom couldn't describe what he saw. All he could say was that he looked Kraid in the eye, and knew what he was about to do. The head Marauder had the time to raise his own arm and lunge at the throat of the guard who was holding him before the dagger Thom had thrown caught Kraid in the chest, knocking him back. Kraid looked stunned as he grabbed at the blade that pierced his body. He glared at Thom and collapsed. The sleeve-blade in his hand clattered to the floor of the warehouse. Kraid was dead. The man who'd held his shoulder put his hand to his cheek. His fingers had blood on them. The guard fainted. Thom regained composure to speak again. He looked one guard in the eye, and started giving orders. "Get him back to the garrison. You!" He pointed to another. "Take that knife to an alchemist. Have him check it for poisons. If he doesn't find any, find another alchemist and be sure. Move!" The second guard scrambled to pick up the knife. "And don't cut yourself on the thing. We don't need to worry about two of you. You! Go with him in case something happens. The rest of you: look for more survivors, bind them up no matter who they are and look for a long-haired mage." "Thom?" they heard from some distance away. He recognized that voice, but how? "Madoc, is that you?" "It's Sir Bastian! Please hurry." He ran over. In the corner of the warehouse was a pillar. Lennox, his clothes mostly torn, was lashed to it. Thankfully, he seemed unmarked. He was looking down and weeping. When Thom came closer, he saw Sir Madoc, crouched over the mage's still body. | ||
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part six |