Sword of Kings
Chapter 45 – Getting Closer To Their Target

by Bill W

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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 Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with this chapter.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

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Stunned, momentarily, by what just happened, the companions stood frozen in disbelief. They understood they must do something, but weren’t certain if they should run to Hadwin’s aid first or make certain Srejan was truly dead. Kieren, who had just released the awesome power of the Golden Medallion, was the first to regain his senses and staggered to where Hadwin fell. Still drained by his use of magic, the young man was somewhat confused and unsure about what he needed to do to help his friend.

“Are you all right?” he asked the Nardinian, shaking him gently, but he got no response. Frightened, he turned toward the others. “Hadwin’s not moving or answering me. I think he might be d… d… dead.”

Sedain, Quintain and Alaric hurried over and bent down to check on Hadwin too, frantically searching for signs of life, but they found none. After a minute or so, Alaric stood up and faced the rest of the party.

“I’m afraid he’s gone,” he said simply, in a barely audible voice.

“Did I do it, when I killed that… that thing?” Kieren asked, panicked, while pointing at Srejan’s motionless form.

“No,” Quintain responded, still kneeling beside Hadwin’s lifeless form. “I’ve examined his body and the injuries he sustained from the beast’s grip were what eventually killed him. That thing managed to pierce through Hadwin’s mail coat, leaving long, deep gashes on both sides of his torso, so I’m sure he had massive internal injuries as well. You did not kill him, but you may have well saved the rest of us.”

That did little to ease Kieren’s conscience and the pain he felt about losing another comrade. Whether or not he had been directly responsible for the Nardinian’s death wasn’t really the point. In a sense, he was. None of the warriors would have died if they hadn’t accompanied him, to protect him on this mission. To Kieren, it was just another senseless death in his defense, so as the impact of what had just happened sank in, it zapped Kieren’s will and caused him to question whether he could go on. The ever-alert Alaric noticed this and moved toward the lad.

“Kieren, I understand how you must feel now,” Alaric began, in an attempt to comfort him, “but we can’t give up now. You must continue this mission. If you don’t, all of our friends’ deaths would have no meaning. Selvaggio, Doenilio, Romaric and Hadwin all understood the risks we were taking and did not flinch in the face of danger. They willingly traded their lives believing it would help keep Madumda from gaining power, so you must keep going to honor their sacrifices. You can’t quit now.”

“I know,” Kieren responded, although he still didn’t sound totally convinced, “but it’s just so difficult. Each time we lose someone else, it just makes it that much harder to go on.”

“Maybe you should look at it as one more argument as to why you SHOULD continue on,” Alaric advised him, causing Kieren to wonder what the elf meant by this statement. Seeing the confusion in Kieren’s eyes, Alaric continued. “Kieren, every time one of us willingly puts himself in harm’s way to make sure you succeed, it should convince you about how important we see your duty. It also means that we are unwilling to let anything stop you from completing this task, which should give you more than enough reason to keep going. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I… I think so,” Kieren mumbled.

“I hope you do,” Alaric said, soothingly, “because we don’t have time to debate this point. I’m sure your release of magic has alerted someone to our presence, so it is imperative we get moving again.”

“But what about Hadwin?” Kieren blurted out, louder than he intended. “Shouldn’t we do something for him first?”

“There’s nothing we can do for him now,” the elf informed his stunned ward, “but we shall come back for his body and honor it later, after this is finally over.” Without giving him a chance to object, Alaric reached out, took Kieren’s hand and gently pulled him away from Hadwin’s corpse.

While Alaric had been comforting Kieren, Turquinine and Rhys had gone over to make certain Srejan would not come after them again. Just for safety sake, each warrior thrust his sword into the monstrous carcass, in several different locations, to make sure it was dead and not merely stunned. They didn’t want to have to deal with this beast again, at a later time. The two warriors were continuing this precaution when Alaric called them back and advised them it was time to move on.

“We must pick up our pace,” the elf told them. “There’s no way of knowing who or what may know we are here now, so we cannot waste any more time in this place.”

That’s all Qaim needed to hear. Hurriedly, he scampered away from them, so he could check out the first few feet of every tunnel that led from the chamber they were in. He sniffed for signs of life, scanned for indications of recent use and looked for signs of wear on the stony surface, to determine the appropriate shaft to follow. While their hairy little guide was determining their course, Garreth moved closer to Kieren, so he could speak with him privately.

“What you did was really awesome!” he exclaimed, sincerely impressed by his friend’s prior actions. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“And I hope you never see anything like it again,” Kieren responded dryly, knowing he’d rather not encounter anything else that could only be killed by using the medallion. Undaunted by Kieren’s less than enthusiastic response, Garreth continued.

“Man, I still can’t believe my best friend just did that,” he added, looking at Kieren with a great deal of admiration and respect.

“I didn’t do it,” Kieren told him, unemotionally. “The medallion did.”

“Maybe,” Garreth conceded, unfazed by Kieren’s reluctance to take credit for what had happened, “but you were the one who summoned it. Did it hurt at all, when you killed that thing?”

“No, I didn’t feel a thing, but it really tired me out,” Kieren advised him, while quietly hoping Garreth would just let the subject drop. In order to ensure the elf would end this line of discussion, Kieren decided to tell him a little more. “Beraut told me the medallion wouldn’t harm me if I used it, but he did warn me that other magical beings would be able to sense the release of its power. That’s why I’m worried Madumda might now know where we are. He might even be searching for us, as I speak. So, I think we’d better get started.”

Qaim had returned just a few seconds before Kieren finished talking to Garreth and heard what the young man said. The aignx quickly agreed that it would be best to heed Kieren’s advice and let everyone else know it too. “We go this way,” he announced. “Quick. Follow Qaim. Qaim take you where you need to go.”

Immediately, the companions fell in behind the aignx and began scurrying down the tunnel. Garreth was trying to help support his friend, as Kieren was still wobbly from the draining effects of using magic. Although they struggled a bit to keep up, Qaim only slowed down when he came to the next intersecting passageway. He would quickly stop and survey it, before deciding if they should stay on the same path or take one of these new corridors, but they continually moved forward. The group went on like this for many minutes, passing many other possible routes as they went, but no one questioned the aignx’s judgment. After everything he had done up to this point, they all emphatically trusted his instincts. Just as they rounded another slight bend, the corridor came to an abrupt end and they all stared at the closed wooden door in the stony wall, which separated the tunnel they were in from whatever lay on the other side. Cautiously, the warriors studied the obstacle from their current vantage point, to see if they could spot any signs of danger.

“Qaim, do you think it’s safe to approach?” Quintain asked, concerned.

“Qaim check it out,” the aignx announced, before gliding forward to examine the wooden covering. After a minute or so, he returned.

“No traps here,” he announced, seemingly pleased by what he had discovered.

“That may be,” commented Rhys, “but I wonder what types of things await us on the other side of this portal?”

“I be not certain, but methinks we must be wary,” advised the giant Mitikuan. “I be concerned that other, possibly worse dangers lurketh beyond and we doth not want to place Kieren in more needless peril.”

“Well urged,” countered Alaric. “Therefore, I will volunteer to lead the way.”

The elf drew his sword and cautiously crept forward. As he went, he remained vigilant for signs of light and shadow passing through the small gaps surrounding the door, which might indicate a presence on the other side. Slowly he placed his ear against the wood surface and listened for any sounds that might be coming from behind it. After several minutes of intense monitoring, he reached for the door handle, only to discover it was locked. He immediately turned and signaled their hairy little guide forward, but Alaric didn’t have to tell him what he needed.

“Do you want Qaim to open?” the aignx asked, innocently.

“Yes, please,” Alaric, responded, hoping Qaim’s injured hands wouldn’t prevent him from performing this task.

Without further encouragement, Qaim quickly moved in front of the door, with his back blocking everyone’s vision, except for Alaric’s. The elf carefully scrutinized every move the aignx made and even asked if Qaim wanted him to remove the bandages while he worked. The aignx claimed that wouldn’t be necessary and continued his effort. Even though he had a difficult time manipulating the mechanism with his hands wrapped up as they were, he never gave up and it was only a few seconds later that a very slight ‘click’ was heard and the door began to open. As that happened, the warriors all stood with their weapons at the ready, not knowing if something might come charging at them through the widening gap. However, Alaric quickly stepped in front of the door and blocked Qaim from opening it further, as he wanted a chance to peer through the opening first, so he could scan the area beyond and make sure nothing was amiss.

After making a quick, but thorough, inspection of the chamber on the other side, the elf found nothing that would cause him alarm. Continuing this cautious approach, he very slowly pulled the door open a bit more, making the gap even larger. Gingerly, he crouched down and leaned forward, easing his head through the opening. He figured if someone were watching the area, that person’s focus would be higher up, probably chest high, rather than near the floor. He hoped doing this would be enough to protect him, should something actually be waiting there.

With the utmost prudence, he began to investigate the space behind the door, looking for anything even potentially alarming. First, he studied the area directly across from the portal, but found nothing to concern him there. Then, he looked to his left, before turning to his right, but, fortunately, he saw nothing that worried him in either of those places. Encourage by this, he stood up and slid the rest of his body through the opening, until he was standing in the hallway on the other side. Once there, he stayed as motionless as possible, while he finished his examination of the surrounding area. When he was satisfied nothing was amiss, he went back to retrieve the others.

The companions waited breathlessly, until they saw the elf return. When Alaric signaled them to follow, they scurried through the opening, but continued to follow his hand signals and quickly hugged the wall on the opposite side, in an attempt to blend in. Once they were all through, Alaric closed the door behind them, but he did not ask Qaim to lock it again. It was a precaution, just in case anything happened from that point on, they would have at least one unblocked escape route. Even though they were only a few feet from where they had previously stood, they all felt as if they had just made a giant leap toward their objective.

“Does anyone have any idea where we are?” Kieren asked, while scanning the faces of the others.

“I’m not certain,” responded Sedain, “but my guess is that we are now inside the fortress itself. I suspect we are on one of the lower levels, somewhere above the lowest dungeons, but still below the main floors.”

“What do we do next?” Garreth wanted to know.

“The same as we have been doing,” Alaric suggested. “We just continue following our amazing little guide. He has brought us this far and I believe he’s the only one who can lead us to where we need to go.” Qaim did not miss the compliment the elf had just paid him, but didn’t have time to savor the moment, because another voice was soon heard from.

“Even though he’s done an adequate job of getting us to this point,” Sedain countered, “I believe it would be best if we took over the duty now. The wizard said that he was to get us INTO Treblanc, but Beraut said nothing beyond that. I believe it is now up to us to help Kieren locate the Sword.”

“I don’t agree,” Rhys responded, very quickly. “Qaim has a special ability that allows him to locate magical devices and what could be more magical than the Sword of Kings? I believe he would be able to sense its presence and detect it more quickly than any of the rest of us could.”

These opposing opinions sparked a debate, which looked as if it might continue for some time, but Turquinine cut it short, by taking them directly to the heart of the matter. Taking things into his own hands, the giant knight spoke up. “What sayeth thou, Qaim? Canst thou find this Sword?”

“Qaim try, but Qaim not sure,” the aignx responded. “Qaim not feel any magic near.”

“That may only be because we are too far away from it for you to be able to sense it,” Alaric suggested. “It is possible that you would be able to feel its magic once we are closer to it, but none of us would be able to pick up on such intangible signals.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Kieren hesitantly countered, having done some reasoning of his own since this discussion began. “I think Beraut hinted that I’m the one who must find the Sword, although he might have expected Qaim to get me close to it. I’m not sure if the medallion will somehow signal me where it is or how to find it, but somehow Beraut gave me the impression that I’m the only one who will be able to discover it.”

“Think,” Sedain advised him, somewhat annoyed. “The wizard must have given you some clues or advice about how to locate the Sword. We can’t have come all this way without you having some idea about how to find it.”

“Calm down, Sedain,” Alaric advised the dwarf. “Beraut had the utmost confidence that Kieren would be able to complete his mission, so I’m sure that when the time comes, he will be able to find the Sword and use it against Madumda.”

“No, I think Sedain might be right,” Kieren told them, searching his brain for an answer, “but I just can’t recall the advice Beraut gave me. I need to think about this some more and then maybe I’ll remember what he said.”

The companions stood silently in the gloom, giving Kieren a few minutes of peace, so he could ponder this dilemma. They even tried not to breathe too loudly, for fear the noise might distract him, but as the time passed, some of them began to grow impatient with how long it was taking him. Almost imperceptibly, and without making as much as a grunt, they started to turn their bodies slightly, so they could scan the area for signs of danger. They were worried they were going to be discovered while waiting for Kieren to remember this forgotten information and their fear continued to grow. Time passed excruciatingly slow, until Kieren finally broke the silence.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t remember,” he admitted. “I just don’t recall Beraut telling me anything specific, so I’m not sure what we should do now. Maybe you shouldn’t have placed so much faith in me. I guess…” but his voice trailed off and he turned away from the others and hung his head. He couldn’t face them, knowing he was letting everyone down. Instinctively, Alaric moved over to comfort the boy.

“You’re wrong, Kieren,” he told the lad, loud enough for the others to hear, as he placed his muscular arm around the young man’s shoulders. “You will find a way to do this. Beraut is a powerful wizard and he did not place his faith in you lightly, so that is good enough for me. Besides, I’ve learned to trust in you too. You’ve come so far, so please don’t give up now.”

“Alaric is correct,” added Rhys, “so listen to him. Don’t let others cause you to doubt in your ability to succeed.”

This comment caused Sedain to realize the Akiktite was referring to him, so he decided to correct the situation. “I beg you to forgive my earlier outburst and the insensitivity of my comments,” the dwarf began. “This fortress is not the most hospitable place I have ever been in and I think it was beginning to get to me when I spoke earlier.” The others nodded in agreement with his comments, impressed that he had attempted to make amends.

“Let’s keep moving while we try to figure out what to do next,” Rhys urged. “We’ll continue to look for signs of the Sword as we go and Qaim can let us know if he senses any magical presence. One thing is certain, however, and that is it would be unwise for us to remain here and possibly be discovered while debating our next move.”

“A very wise suggestion indeed,” responded Quintain. “Come on, Kieren, let’s get moving. Qaim, will you take the lead again?”

“Yes, Qaim do. Qaim help young master. Qaim help him find what he is looking for.”

“Yes, yes,” Sedain grunted, “but let’s be off.”

Slowly, they began to move down the corridor in front of them. They continued to take precautions, like stopping to take a quick listen outside of every door before they passed it, to discern if anyone was within. They also stopped to inspect each intersecting corridor before darting across it, as they didn’t want to make any silly mistakes now. They continued on in this manner, following their furtive little guide, until the aignx signaled them to stop. Qaim turned and whispered something to Rhys, and the Akiktite slowly moved past him. The tall warrior motioned the others to move tightly against the wall and keep out of sight as much as possible, while he did the same.

Before long, someone turned the corner, emerging from a side tunnel, and stepped into the passageway in which they were hiding. Before that person had time to respond, Rhys pounced on the interloper, grasping the individual from behind, while placing the cold steel blade of his dagger against the intruder’s throat.