Enchanted Forest

Disclaimer

This story is fictitious and contains graphic descriptions of homosexual sex.

If this sort of thing makes you sick, the following may cause projectile vomiting, which can be very nasty if you happen to be facing your monitor at the time it happens.

If you are underage you'd better jam a chair under the doorknob so you'll have time to clear your screen in case your parents come into the room while you're reading.

If it is not legal for you to read this sort of thing due to local laws, just remember, they have got to catch you first.

The rest of you can, of course, read on with a clear conscience.

The Enchanted Forest

The boy ran lightly up the hill - he did not need to exhaust himself as his pursuers were well behind him. He would have been most indignant if you called had him a common thief, as he considered himself much more sophisticated than that. In truth he was, despite his lack of years, a very accomplished con artist.

He had the uncanny knack of spotting a greedy person and usually correctly guessing what was desired. Then it was just a question of letting his victim think that he possessed such an item and was stupid enough to be parted from it for a fraction of its true value.

However, making a living from selling things which were not his, or didn't even exist, did cause him to have a nomad-like existence. On this particular occasion he had misjudged things rather badly, and instead of slipping out of town under the cover of darkness, he had a baying mob at his heels.

But he wasn't too worried; they were a stupid lot; they were making plenty of noise, so he could tell where they were and easily avoid them. Ahead of him was a forest, and he made off to his right in an attempt to circle it. To his consternation he heard sounds of the mob in that direction. He reversed his decision and tried to circle the forest from the left. Again some of the mob had outflanked him. Confounded, he made a beeline for the forest.

As he ran he thought things over. The mob appeared to be stupid, never catching up with him, always yelling and shouting making themselves easy to evade. But they hadn't been so stupid when he had been working his trade - they had figured him out very quickly.

Just as he reached the edge of the forest, he realised that he was not being chased so much as being herded towards the forest. Ahead of him was a gap in the trees; behind him the mob were in sight; this was not the moment to pause and ponder; he made his decision and dived into the gap.

The instant that he entered he realised that he had made a mistake. The gap did not lead anywhere; it was just a very small clearing, only big enough for him to stand in. He was now surrounded on three sides by thorn bushes of a most impenetrable nature.

He turned to face the mob and his fate. It was unlikely that he would be killed for his fraudulent acts, but he would most decidedly be made to suffer. Life in the immediate future did not look very bright.

To his amazement the mob stopped and did not follow him in. Even more baffling, although the nearest could have reached out and touched him, they all acted as if they were unaware of his presence. Perplexed he stood and caught his breath. He could sense their needs, and oddly enough most of them did not want to catch him. Oh, two most certainly did, but this came from the fact that his purse held their gold. As for the rest, they were quite happy to leave him be.

For a moment the thought of returning the purloined money crossed his mind, but he instantly dismissed it, as altruism was not in his nature. He listened, somewhat puzzled, as they discussed him.

"The devils will have him by now," opined one of the younger ones.

"We had better wait a while," wheezed an older man, who had just arrived, "sometimes they get thrown out of the forest, as even the devils don't want them."

After a bit of humming and hawing it was decided to wait for a while. The lad looked around him and finally sat down on the ground. He might as well make himself comfortable while he waited for them to disperse. He still couldn't figure out why they couldn't see him, perhaps it was a trick of the light, him being in the shadow. However, he did have the feeling that he was being observed and, on this point, he was quite correct.

~

"So Little One, what do you have for me this time?"

"The Outsiders have driven one of their number to us,

my Lord. I have permitted him sanctuary, and he now

awaits your judgement."

"Ah yes, I see. He is young, yet old enough to

reproduce, so according to the law we must treat him

as an adult. He is frightened; that's quite natural,

and his name is, er, ah yes, Maurik. Now let us

investigate why he has been sent to us. Hmm, he has

abilities; true, he is untrained in their use, but he

is teaching himself how to use them. Sadly, he is

selfish and uses them only for personal gain, and

that, as you well know, is a recipe for disaster."

"What are his abilities, my Lord?"

"Let me see, he has perfect position, so he always

knows where he is. Then he is empathic, so he knows the

moods, needs and desires of others."

"So, it would be dangerous to let him enter, my Lord?"

"Ah, Little One, we must occasionally take chances. He

will add a little spice to our lives. Although it is

technically within his abilities to disrupt our

domain, I doubt that it would ever happen. We shall

watch him most carefully. I would not be surprised if

he escapes, which in itself would be exciting as it

has never happened before."

"But if he did, my Lord, it may cost you dearly!"

"True, true that is the law and we must obey the law

just like everyone else. So admit him in and let the

amusements begin."

"As you wish my Lord, I shall let him enter."

~ The mob was showing no signs of departing, and Maurik was fast becoming bored. Not only that, the ground was a bit damp and his bum was now numb. Behind him he heard a rustling noise; suspiciously he turned round.

The scene behind him appeared to be the same as it had been when he entered, but wait! now his eyes had got used to the gloom, he could see, down near the ground, a small gap in the thorns. Carefully he got down on his belly and to his delight, he found that he could just wiggle through it.

The thorns were quite deep, but the gap fortunately extended right the way through. Soon he was on the other side. There he stood up and dusted himself down. Strange, the noise of the mob was completely muted here. He had expected it to be gloomy, but the trees were quite sparse and as a result it was really rather pleasant and sunny. A path of sorts meandered south from where he stood, and as this led him away from his pursuers, he followed it.

Presently he found himself entering a clearing. In the centre stood a life-sized statue carved from what appeared to be pink marble. It was of a man holding a goblet. He seemed to be appraising it, and if the expression on his face was anything to go by, he found it to be of great value.

Maurik walked round the statue bewildered. It was a masterpiece, so true to life: the artist had carved the veins running under the skin, the tiny wrinkles, even the eyelashes were present. Why on earth would a priceless work of art be left in a clearing in the forest? Oddly enough from certain angles it seemed to have a faint green outline. Maurik concluded that it must be the way the light was striking it.

He stepped closer and for the first time considered the subject of the statue. Whoever he was, or had been, he was one hunk of a guy. He was wearing open toed saddles, a short kilt, and a sleeveless leather vest. Round his waist looped a thick belt and a scabbard hung from it containing a wicked looking dagger. On his back was a crude backpack which appeared to contain his possessions.

The artist had not skimped on the detail of the dress either. No article was perfect, each had the normal little scuff marks, scratches and other marks of wear and tear on them. The net result was so lifelike that Maurik rapped one of the meaty thighs with his knuckle to convince himself that it was made of stone. The solid thud he produced convinced him of its authenticity as a statue.

But yet, its uncanny mimicry of a real man held Maurik spellbound, well that and the fact he found the man depicted to be stunningly attractive. Maurik had discovered a few years previously that males were more his preference than females. Unfortunately for him, most people frowned on same sex relationships, so most of his contacts had been both clandestine and fleeting. Well, his itinerant lifestyle was not given to long term affairs.

Briefly he wished that the statue was not made of stone; then he could lift the short kilt and see what the man had been wearing underneath. He grinned to himself, then looked round guiltily, as he still felt someone was watching him, before sliding his hand up the stone thigh.

His shriek of amazement caused several birds to flap noisily out of the nearby trees as he found that the unknown artist had really done a most through job. The carving carried on even where the eye could not see. The statue was anatomically correct! If anything, this made Maurik even more eager to meet the man who had modelled for the artist.

At that moment he found he was getting the feeling of an urgent need. As far as he could tell the statue wanted to be kissed. Of course, he rationalised, this was his own wish to kiss the subject of the statue. Well, why not, no one was around to see him make a fool of himself. He stepped up onto the slab of stone that formed the pedestal and stood on his tiptoes. Alas this left his lips just short of the stone ones he sought.

He jumped lightly into the air and wrapped his arms round the stone neck. Now he could pull himself up the statue. The flesh lips made contact with their stone counterparts and at that instant there was a blinding flash of green light.

~

"Now Little One, I did not expect that to happen. He

has broken an enchantment; we really are in for an

interesting time!"

"If you say so, my Lord."

~ Maurik was totally blinded by the flash and gripped the statue's neck even more tightly. As his vision started to return he realised that he was now being supported by two strong arms. What was quite worrying was the arms were warm and not nearly as hard as stone. Finally a deep voice said, "Could you please stop trying to strangle me?"

Maurik instantly released his grip and did not fall to the ground. Instead he was gently lowered and set on his feet. His eyes had now recovered enough for him to see that the statue had gained colour. The flesh was flesh coloured; the hair and eyebrows were now black; the eyes brown; the belt and vest were leather; the dagger metal. The statue was a real man, and he was looking at Maurik in a most grateful manner.

"What happened?" Maurik asked.

"Many years ago I was chased into this forest by the townsfolk and, after wandering for a while I saw this goblet sitting on the stone slab. Foolishly I picked it up, only to discover it was cursed! Since then I have stood as a statue, waiting to be rescued."

"Why were the town people after you?" asked Maurik.

"I stopped for the night at the inn and enticed the stable lad into my room. Alas, I had barely finished rogering him when we were caught in the act by the landlord. In fact I never even got a chance to find my underwear; I just ran for the door."

Maurik grinned at the memory of what he had found under the stone kilt; then he blushed as he realised that it was also now flesh and blood.

"A curse on the goblet?" Maurik asked.

They both looked at the goblet which the man still held in his hand. It was no longer stone, it now appeared to be gold and the sunlight made the gems set just below its rim glitter beautifully. Two minds instantly valued it at slightly less than a King's ransom. As the curse was obviously no longer in effect Garth stowed the goblet in his pack.

"Aye, a curse. As I stood, admiring its beauty I was turned to stone and forced to await the kiss of a lover. I have watched many over the years. They have entered the forest, looked at me, touched me, admired me, but none ever kissed me, until you arrived."

"And felt you up," said Maurik, with a giggle.

"Oh, you are far from the first to do that, lad. Mind you, the rest were lasses, but none of them felt the urge to kiss me, but as I would not have loved them, it would not have released me from the curse. I take it you did not enter the forest of your own accord?"

"Er, no. I sold some things that I didn't really have, and I, too, was driven from the town. By the way they call me, Maurik. What is your name?"

"Garth," said the man, "and now we must find our way out of this wretched place."

"I think that half the town awaits us, perhaps spending a little longer in here might be advisable."

"Aye lad, you're most likely right. Besides in all these years I've never got further than here. But be careful to touch nothing, no matter how enticing it looks."

With that the pair turned and walked further into the forest leaving the mob to go home disappointed. The path widened and they were soon able to walk abreast. Slyly Garth slipped his arm round Maurik's shoulder and gave him a little squeeze. After years of enforced celibacy he was quite horny and fancied a romp with the lad.

For his part Maurik was quite interested in getting the man sexually excited. The boy liked a bit of danger in his life, and there was something quite animal about Garth that intrigued him. He correctly perceived his companion's lust for his body and it aroused him.

The path led them to a lake, and as the sun was now hot, Garth decided on a swim, for as he pointed out, he had not had a wash for a long time. Maurik sat and watched as the man stripped off. The sight of him naked had quite an effect on the boy, such that, when he too undressed, he had to hide his erection.

But by then Garth had retrieved his wash kit from his pack and was soaping himself down, so Maurik sidled into the water, his condition unnoticed by the man. However, this condition did not last as Garth grabbed the boy and began to soap him. Horseplay naturally followed and quite quickly each was holding an erection which was not his own.

Maurik was on the losing end from the start, Garth's size and strength were both well beyond his own. Very soon he found he was kneeling before the man in the shallows holding the shaft of the man's cock with both of his hands. Pressure was now applied to the back of his head until his lips and the cock head met.

At this point Maurik surrendered to the inevitable and parted his lips. Garth sighed with pure pleasure as the naked head of his manhood slipped between the willingly opened mouth. He was even more impressed as Maurik brought his tongue into play as well.

Originally it had been the intention of the man to bugger the lad, but his cock felt so good just where it was, so sodomy was put on hold for the moment and he let the lad get on with his work. Given the long interval since his last sexual encounter, it was no surprise to either party that his climax arrived with unseemly haste.

Garth barely had time to get a grip on the lad's head before his weapon was discharging itself in the young mouth. Maurik removed one of his hands from the pumping cock and transferred it to his own organ.

It had all happened so quickly that Maurik would have felt cheated had he swallowed the man's seed directly. Fortunately he had saved it, and only as his own orgasm was hitting him, did he let the man's goo slide down his throat.

Afterwards, as they lay on the shore allowing their bodies to dry in the sun, Garth, sated and temporarily incapable of abusing the boy any further, amused himself by describing in vivid detail his plans for the lad later that night. If he was even remotely correct, then Maurik was in for the most energetic romp of his young life. Unwilling to wait, he tried to tempt Garth into taking him right there on the side of the lake. But the man could not be aroused, so Maurik had to make do with a prolonged snogging session, which in itself was quite erotic.

Having dressed, reluctantly on Maurik's part, they once more followed the path as it ran round the shore of the lake and entered the trees once more. The sun had been at its highest when Maurik had first found sanctuary in the forest, and now it was dipping fast towards the horizon. But just as twilight was upon them, they found the opening to a cave in the side of a hill. Cautiously they entered. As soon as Maurik passed through the mouth of the cave he stopped in alarm.

"What's the problem?" inquired Garth.

"We're not in the same place." Said Maurik, looking confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Outside the cave is not in the same place as inside the cave," said Maurik.

"Of course it isn't. Outside is outside and inside is inside!" said Garth, who was rapidly reaching the conclusion that the boy was an idiot.

"That's not what I mean. Outside the cave is a few hours walk from where we met, but inside the cave is almost in the centre of the forest and well below ground."

"But that's impossible!"

"True, but so is being turned to stone."

"Aye lad, let us be very careful in here," said Garth, suddenly suspicious.

He removed his pack and dug out a tinderbox. Then they found enough wood and twigs to make a torch which Garth lit. Only then did they proceed further into the cave. To their surprise they came across a long table laden with food and drink. On the wall hung a few crude lamps which seemed to have oil in them; anyway they lit with ease when Garth applied a flame. At the back of the cave was a large straw palliasse, which would make a most comfortable bed.

"We seem to have been expected," said Garth.

"But dare we touch anything?" asked Maurik.

"I think that whoever is testing us would get little satisfaction from starving us to death. Besides it is a very long time since my last meal."

Garth returned to the table and looked longingly at its offerings. The items near the mouth of the cave were of a simple nature, bread, cheese, ham and a keg of ale. While further up the table the spread got exotic with roast pheasant, venison, wine and a most enticing selection of small cakes.

Maurik held back but Garth's hunger drove him on. He took out his dagger ,which he used to cut himself some bread and a lump of cheese. After a first cautious taste he began eating them with gusto. Maurik's courage returned and he decided to sample one of the little cakes. Just as he bit into it, he thought that he saw it had a faint green outline to it. But by then it was too late as his teeth had just sunk into the layer of icing.

There was another blinding green flash which left Maurik completely disorientated. As his senses returned he became aware of several things. The first of which was Garth, lying on the ground, hugging his sides and roaring with laughter. The second was his own position, he was on all fours, and when he tried to stand up, he found it was all but impossible.

His vision was also seriously different. He could see to the sides of him but not directly in front. Each eye was showing him a different picture, giving him wonderful peripheral vision, but his brain didn't seem to find this strange. On the floor he could see all his clothes lying in an untidy heap. He tried to speak but the cave was immediately filled with a dreadful whinnying noise. He suddenly found that he was stomping on the floor in frustration with his front hoof.

"By the gods, you make a magnificent stallion lad," gasped Garth, as he struggled to his feet.

Maurik realised that he had been tricked and now looked with great care at the food and drink on offer. Yes, there was a difference, the simple fare was quite normal, but all the more exotic things each possessed the faint green outline, they were cursed and now he was, too!

Garth was still finding it all very amusing, even pointing out that Maurik's supper could now be found outside the cave. Maurik snorted a few times, but his stomach agreed with Garth and he turned to leave the cave.

"It's sad so it is," said Garth, laughing. "I fancied riding you tonight, but I think I'll ride you tomorrow instead."

Maurik looked round and saw that Garth had turned his back on him. He took careful aim and kicked the man playfully on his rump. He was rather surprised to see him fly through the air and land on the palliasse. As a horse he was much stronger than he had been as a boy; he would have to be careful.

Once outside he found grass to make a most acceptable meal, although he did need to eat a lot of it. Being a horse did have a few compensations: food was everywhere; he had no need to dig a latrine; and when it began to rain, he found it quite refreshing on his naked body. The next morning when Garth emerged from his solitary night, he found his equine companion happily grazing.

Maurik watched as the man shaved himself. Presently, when the man had finished his toilet, he repacked his belongings and turned to Maurik.

"So lad, are you prepared to be ridden?" he asked, obviously still finding the situation funny.

Maurik just nodded his head in a resigned way; he would much rather have been ridden by Garth as a boy. However he was quite pleasantly surprised when Garth jumped up on his back. The man weighed very little, and he found that he could carry him with ease. Then there was the sensation of Garth's naked buttocks against his equally naked back; it felt quite sexy. He felt a familiar feeling in his groin and looked back in amazement at the size of his erection.

Garth's heels tapped his flanks, and almost automatically Maurik moved forwards. If nothing else he was a well-trained horse. So they started their second day of adventure in the forest, still following the path. As the day wore on, it became obvious that Garth was not the only one who had been turned to stone. They passed several statues of people holding objects. Each one Maurik noted possessed that now familiar faint green outline.

They stopped for lunch near a stream. Garth had packed some of the simple, and safe, food from the cave. Maurik found his lunch growing on the bank of the stream. Eventually Garth sought the shade of a tree and dozed off under it. Maurik munched his way over to where Garth lay and slowly cropped the grass around his companion.

A slight whimper caught his attention, and he realised that Garth was now awake, but not moving a muscle. He followed the man's gaze and saw something in the grass. It was a tiny snake, and it was very close to Garth's leg. It seemed to be the cause of the man's terror, so he simply lifted his left front hoof and stomped on it, flattening it instantly.

Before either of them could react, there was a flash of green light, and Maurik found himself on his hands and knees, totally naked, with his left hand resting on the remains of a very flat snake.

"What happened?" he gasped.

"It looks like saving my life broke the curse," said Garth.

~

"The young one also seems to be gifted with luck, my

Lord."

"Luck, Little One, is no gift; it just happens.

However, you could say that he has more than his fair

share of it."

~ Slowly Maurik got to his feet and felt his body just to make sure that he was completely human again. As he did so, he was painfully aware of the lustful gaze of Garth.

"Where are my clothes?"

"Er, back in the cave."

"WHAT!"

"Well, I had no idea how long the curse would last. Besides, you being naked does have some advantages."

"Like what?"

"Like, I only have to bend you over if I want to have you," said Garth, with an evil grin on his face.

Instinctively, Maurik glanced at the front of Garth's short kilt and saw that it was already beginning to rise. While this was in itself a bit ominous, Maurik was rather proud of the fact that the mere sight of his naked body could arouse a fully grown man. He therefore offered no resistance when Garth pulled him down beside him and resumed the snogging session from the night before.

Garth was not going to miss his chance of having the lad this time. Soon his huge hands were parting the young buttocks and exploring their depths. Although he appeared to be a large and rough man, Maurik found him to be quite gentle as the thick fingers entered him. Finally Garth retrieved a jar from his pack.

"What's that?" inquired Maurik.

"Goose grease."

"You are going to roger me using antique goose grease!"

"It seems to have kept quite well; besides it is either that or spit. I'll tell you what... I'll let you choose."

It didn't take much thought for Maurik to opt for the grease. He had after all seen the cock which would soon be inside him, and he seriously doubted his ability to accommodate its girth on spit alone.

When it was applied to him, he found the grease to be quite satisfactory. Garth soon had several fingers inside him without causing him any discomfort.

"Back on your hands and knees boy. That's the way I've been riding you so far, and we might as well keep on that way."

Maurik was placed on the grass in the required position, and Garth got in behind him and greased himself up. Maurik felt the thick head of the man's cock part his buns and seek its target. Soon he would be mounted like a she dog, and the man would at last have his pleasure. He felt the strong hands grasp his hips to steady him, and there was no interval before the first thrust came.

Maurik was surprised how easily the head of the man's cock entered him, Garth must have done a very good job on his ass. He could feel a faint shaking being transmitted through the hands on his hips. Garth was in a very aroused state. Maurik knew of a trick that could get a man even more aroused, but it was a very dangerous one to play. He decided to take the risk.

"No! Take it out. I've changed my mind," he said, in a very convincing voice.

There was a split second of a pause before the firm grip on his hips turned to one of iron, and the man's hips thrust forwards. Hopelessly impaled on the weapon Maurik now struggled to escape. He pulled forwards, away from the man, and momentarily succeeded getting some of the invading shaft back out of his body before he was relentlessly pulled back onto it.

Try as he might Maurik could do nothing to stop the inexorable progress of the thick shaft which was stretching his ass. He tried pleading and begging, but Garth merely laughed at his whimpering, then carried on slowly ploughing his way in to the boy.

This was the kind of treatment that Maurik craved, being taken slowly and against his will. The delicious feeling of being powerless as his ass was being plundered by an iron hard cock. He felt his innards being pushed around to accommodate its breadth. Then there was the exquisite feeling as it pressed against his prostate making his own young cock throb.

He had now more cock inside him than he had ever had before, and his imploring switched from role playing to real. The only problem was, Garth still had a significant amount of his manhood left on the outside, and he was not going to stop until it was in to the hilt. Maurik began to know the real meaning of the word fear as his ass was stretched well beyond any previous limits.

Finally, with a grunt of satisfaction Garth thrust the full length of his weapon home and Maurik felt another pair of much larger balls bump against his own. The man paused for a while, letting the boy get used to the organ being inside him. Every few seconds Garth made it twitch and seemed to take great satisfaction from the groans that this produced.

Maurik was now convinced that if he didn't empty his bowels instantly he would just explode. To his great relief the invader withdrew and he sighed. Sadly this respite was short lived as Garth reversed his movement and once more penetrated the lad.

The rhythm started slowly with long languid strokes gradually reaming out Maurik's ass. The movement over his prostate soon began to fill his mind, shutting out all of the discomfort. Increasingly pressing back, the boy began to meet the man, causing him to enter with more force.

Garth picked up on this, and the rhythm became harder and faster. Soon he had a death grip on the boy's hips, and he was banging it home as hard as he could. Maurik was in a strange world where pain had long since melted in with the pleasure and become one. All he wanted now was for the man to shoot his seed as deep inside him as possible.

Just as the boy was convinced things could go no higher he felt a rough wet hand grab his cock and start to jerk him off. As his orgasm struck, he felt his ass constrict on the invading cock. This caused it to buck within him and spray his guts with the man's fecund seed, while his own was scattered on the ground beneath him.

Garth was the type who relished his orgasm, and the pace of his thrusting slowed dramatically after the first shot. He ran his cock in and out of the boy at a leisurely pace, discharging it each time it was fully inserted. Only when his balls had nothing left to give did he stop, and then he collapsed on the boy, forcing him flat on the grass.

Maurik lay under the man's bulk. slightly surprised that he was still alive. Deep in his guts the invader, which had abused him so, was diminishing. He wished that Garth would get off him; the man seemed to be so much heavier now that Maurik was no longer a horse. But when the man moved and began to pull out, the boy begged him to stay in him just a little longer. Maurik only felt himself to be really alive when he had a cock inside him.

Eventually, they had to part. and Maurik made more of a song and dance about Garth pulling out than he had when he went in. They cleaned off in the stream, packed and set off again following the path. For some strange reason Maurik was acutely conscious of his nakedness now he was human again, which was odd, as it hadn't bothered him at all when he was a horse.

As they walked along, Maurik noticed something, although he was now naked, Garth was not lusting after him. Then, it occurred to him that the same thing had happened the day before; once Garth shot his load, it was a long time before he wanted it again.

The next statue that they came across was one of a young man. A tiara had been the bait that snared him and its stone image was still clutched in his marble hand. Maurik was again aware of the faint green outline and called a halt.

"What's different about this one?" asked Garth.

"Oh, I just want to see what happens if I kiss him," said Maurik, standing on tiptoe and kissing the statue. But alas, nothing happened.

"Perhaps he preferred girls to kiss him," said Garth.

"It was worth a try. I wonder if there is any other way of avoiding the curses?" mused Maurik.

~

"So, the younger one is learning."

"Can he detect enchanted objects, my Lord."

"Hmm, so you are also learning, Little One, yes, I do

believe he can, which of course begs the question, how

does he detect them?"

~ In the distance they could see the face of a cliff, and the path was leading them in its direction. Just as dusk was falling, they found themselves at the foot of the cliff and facing a narrow fissure in its face. As it was wide enough to enter, Maurik went in.

"How odd," he said, stopping just inside the opening.

"What is it this time?"

"This is the same place we were last night!"

"It can't be!"

"Isn't that one of the lamps lying just where you left it last night?"

A sceptical Garth examined the lamp and lit it. They then proceeded further in and discovered a pile of clothes lying on the floor. Maurik gave a whoop of joy and quickly got dressed. Again, there were tables of food and drink, but now Maurik was very careful to touch nothing without examining it most carefully.

Presently, he gave a clean bill of health to the stew, which turned out to be lamb stew, the bowl of fruit, an apple tart and a jug of mead. That, coupled with the bread, ham cheese and ale, provided them with a varied repast, and they went no where near the cursed items.

That night he shared his bed with Garth, and he found it to be most reassuring having the man's strong arms wrapped round him all night.

The following morning Maurik woke first to find Garth still asleep, but in an aroused condition. Not wishing to see a good erection going to waste, he slid down until his face was opposite it. Taking care not to disturb the man's sleep, he gently retracted the foreskin revealing the head.

Slowly with his mouth he enveloped the naked head, running his lips delicately over its velvet surface. Now his tongue joined in the act working its way round the cock head. He kept one hand on the shaft, tenderly jacking it off while the other cupped the man's balls. As he worked, the balls in his hand began to retract back up against the base of the shaft as Garth's body became more excited.

Gradually Garth's breathing changed and took up the rhythm of the hand that was jacking him off. Just before his climax Garth realised what was happening. He smiled and let go his load, enjoying the sensation of an effortless orgasm. Maurik dutifully collected all the man's load and swallowed it greedily. This was a lot less traumatic than having the man mount him. He doubted if his poor little ass would ever recover from its encounter with Garth's manhood.

When they got dressed and went for breakfast they found that things had changed, all the cursed food had gone and only the simple fare remained. They ate their fill, packed a reasonable amount for their lunch. They were just about to set off when Maurik noticed something new.

It was a thin black rod, about as thick as Maurik's little finger and about as long as his forearm; both ends terminated in a thin gold ferrule. Although it just begged to be picked up, they both resisted the urge. Maurik examined it closely, and this time he was surprised to see a faint blue outline. The object was obviously hexed in some way, but he suspected it was different from the cursed items. Taking a chance and ignoring Garth's advice, he picked up the rod. To the surprise of both of them absolutely nothing happened!

He shrugged and put it down again, but it stuck to his fingers. After several minutes of exasperating experimentation he discovered that he could move it from hand to hand; he could stick it to any part of his body that he chose; but he could not be parted from it. With Garth saying unhelpful things like 'I told you so,' they went on their way with the rod stuck conveniently to his right thigh.

~

"The younger one does not seem to appreciate your

improvement to the wand."

"No, my Lord, I would have thought that being unable

to lose such a valuable object would been seen as a

godsend not a curse."

"The Outsider's minds no not work like ours, Little

One. However is was interesting to see that he could

tell the difference between enchantments."

"Yes, my Lord, but will he be able to discover of what

use the wand is?"

"The way his luck is running, I should not be at all

surprised if he does."

~ The path now led them along the base of the cliff, and a river joined them on the other side of the path. When the sun was at its highest, they found some shade and paused for lunch. Slowly the path began to climb and the river now dropped away below them. This left them on a wide ledge on the cliff face. After climbing for a long way the path started to descend. As they turned a corner Garth suddenly stopped and put his hand over Maurik's mouth to silence him.

This proved to be quite a shrewd move as Maurik's cry of alarm was stifled. Just down the path was the mouth of a cave, and outside it was a humanoid monster, sitting on its haunches. Its skin was a dirty green colour; the hair, which covered its head, eyebrows and ran down its back, was brown and matted. It had a flattened nose, very little in the way of a chin. Four huge, yellowing fangs, two sprouting from its upper jaw, two from the lower, crossed obscenely outside its mouth. The eyes completed the ghastly picture; they were very small and smouldering dull red in colour. Although they could not see between its thick thighs, its body was without doubt that of a male.

Garth pulled Maurik back round the corner and softly said, "Viridis Orcus."

"What the..." Maurik started to say when the hand was removed, but Garth gestured him into silence.

"A green Orc. I thought that they only existed in myths and legends. But that bugger is real enough," whispered Garth.

"Are they dangerous?" asked Maurik, softly.

"Dangerous?" repeated Garth, with an incredulous giggle. "If the stories that I heard are true, we are dead men. They are brutes, slow witted, but very strong. They kill for pleasure. Fortunately their eyesight is not very good, but that bugger will smell us out very soon."

"Can't we fight it?"

"All that I have got is this dagger; it's about as much use as a toothpick, and I don't know what you think that rod will do," said Garth nodding to Maurik's latest possession.

Maurik looked down rather surprised, as the rod, which he had earlier stuck to his thigh, was now in his hand.

"By the gods, I wish I had a decent sword; then we might have a chance," grumbled Garth.

Likewise Maurik fervently wished they had swords! There was a flash of blue light and loud bang. When they both recovered, each found that he was holding a wicked looking sword. Although they were shocked, they quickly came to their senses when they heard the Orc approaching.

They backed up from the corner, and the monster came round. For good measure it was now wielding the branch of a tree as a crude club. Standing up, and face on, it was much more frightening than before. Although it was no taller than Garth. it was at least twice his weight and none of this seemed to be fat. It was naked and indeed a male of the species. It had the ugliest set of wedding tackle that either of them had ever seen, and, Maurik for one, had no wish to see this beast in a state of arousal. Obviously, it got their scent as soon as it rounded the corner, because it let out a hideous roar.

"Whatever you do, don't get any of its blood on you," said Garth, lunging for the beast.

While Orcs may be described in the literature as 'slow witted', this does not mean that they are slow moving. The Orc took a swing at Garth who just managed to duck under the club. Perhaps this was just as well, because if the club had connected, Garth would most likely have been knocked off the path and down into the river below, a fall that he would not have survived.

Maurik was already moving when the beast struck, and his sword sliced into its free arm. Maurik was surprised by the amount of damaged he inflicted, and his eyes bugged out of his head when green blood spurted from the wound. The Orc howled with pain and turned its attention to the boy. Maurik jumped back, and while the Orc was trying to get him, Garth struck, catching the monster on its right thigh.

The pair now worked as a team, one distracting the fiend, while the other wounded it. Then, when the beast switched targets, they would reverse their roles. Slowly they wore the beast down, and several times Maurik just avoided getting its blood on him. Finally, Garth ducked under the flailing club and slid the point of his sword between the monster's ribs, killing it. Breathless, they stepped back and leant on their swords to watch the Orc's death throes.

When he got his breath back, Maurik asked, "Why have you got to keep clear of their blood?"

He was please with himself having managed to avoid getting even one drop on his person.

"If you get it on your clothes, it leaves a terrible stain; you'll never get it out again, said Garth, cheerfully.

Maurik would have kicked Garth, but at that precise moment their swords vanished. Maurik looked round, but all he could find was that rod, firmly stuck to his right thigh again.

"Hmm," he said, "I wished for swords and they appeared; then when we no longer needed them, they went again. I'll bet this rod had something to do with it."

"Let's talk about it later, Orcs tend to stay in herds, so we had better get out of here while we still can," said Garth, as he picked his way round the corpse.

They continued their descent and passed the cave mouth that the Orc had been squatting outside. From within they could hear noises, very nasty noises, so they hurried on. They were still in sight of the cave mouth when a gang of Orcs burst out. They sniffed the air and turned in the direction of the pair. Although it was obvious that the Orcs had not yet spotted them, the gang began moving in their direction.

"Ye gods, a couple of swords ain't gonna help us this time. All we can do is run," said Garth.

Just for a moment Maurik wished he was a horse again, then he could gallop to safety. A blue flash of light granted his wish but the accompanying bang, started the Orcs running in their direction.

This time Maurik's transformation did not leave him naked, he was complete with saddle, stirrups and bridle. Garth blinked twice, once at the horse, once at the Orcs; then he jumped into the saddle, grabbed the reins and dug his heels into his steed's flanks. Actually Maurik needed no command to get into a gallop, a herd of charging Orcs would make any horse flee. His ears went back, and he took off like a bat out of Hell.

They went down the path at full belt, leaving the Orcs far behind. But this did not slow Maurik in the slightest, he galloped until he was exhausted. By that time the cliff was way behind them and the path had taken them back into the forest. He finally stopped in a clearing, foaming at the mouth, allowing Garth to dismount. As soon as Garth's feet hit the forest floor, he found that he was not standing next to his steed, but his totally knackered lover lay at his feet. Garth was a bit saddened to find that the lad's clothes had survived the transition this time, and he was still fully dressed. He had enjoyed having the boy unwillingly naked.

~

"I was right; he did work out it was a wishing wand

and I must say that he used it most efficiently."

"Yes my Lord, the only other time that I have seen an

Outsider with the wand, he wasted all his wishes."

"They usually do, but this one is different. Oh, you

might as well open the portal to the cave for them

now; the young one does not have the strength to go

any further tonight."

"Yes, my Lord."

~ When Maurik had recovered enough to stand, they found the entrance to a pothole just to one side of the clearing. Garth lowered Maurik down into the hole and when the boy was safely down he clambered in after him. Presently they located a lamp and lit it. Neither of them was the least surprised to be back inside the now familiar cave. Again all the food was safe to eat, but it was a good while before Maurik could manage to do anything other than sip some ale. Garth went to sleep that night, fed and watered, but very horny. Maurik eventually managed to eat; then he collapsed in Garth's arms and went out like a light.

The next morning Maurik thought he was having a wet dream. He had not had much experience of them, only having had one in his life. But he was half asleep and he thought he was having sex. Yes, he definitely had the feeling that he was being shagged. As he drifted back to reality, he discovered that his back passage was indeed being used by Garth.

The man had managed to get his weapon into him while he was asleep? Maurik knew that was impossible and he gave a tentative twitch with his ass. The invading cock bucked weakly and the sensation was familiar to the boy. The cock in him was not a totally erect one. Had he been buggered and slept through it? No, that too was impossible. This left only one other thing that it could be; Garth had succeeded in getting his cock into him before it was completely erect and the shag was yet to come!

As if to prove the truth of the matter, the invader began to grow inside him. He could feel Garth's blood being pumped into it. It was getting longer and pushing deeper into him. He whimpered quietly and he heard Garth laugh. Firm hands gripped his hips, and he was rolled onto his face, the man's weight pinning him to the straw palliasse. Now Garth's cock was thickening as well as lengthening, and his ass muscles were being stretched. He had never felt anything like it before. It was both terrifying and erotic. His own hard little cock was now begging for attention, but it was trapped beneath him, and he couldn't reach it.

Only when the weapon was fully rampant in Maurik's guts, did the man begin to move his hips. As before he started slowly, filling the cave with the moist noises of sodomy. Maurik lay beneath the man his ineffectual struggles only adding to his abuser's enjoyment. He knew from previous experience that the more he squirmed the greater the height Garth reached. As he whimpered, the man speeded up, and finally Maurik felt himself being lifted slightly to allow Garth's hand to reach underneath him.

Maurik now knew that Garth's climax was near, which was why the man was slowly masturbating him to an orgasm. He was not foolish enough to think this was an altruistic move on Garth's part. He was not after a simultaneous orgasm for Maurik's delight. The boy knew that as soon as he was forced to cum, his ass muscles would go into a spasm and grip the cock that was ravishing him. This would add greatly to Garth's pleasure as he completed the act of buggery. Just the thought of being used in this way was enough to push the boy over the edge, and he soon soaked the straw palliasse with his load. Garth again slowed dramatically as he began to shoot, savouring each stroke as he pumped the lad's guts full of jism.

They lay still coupled while Garth's manhood slowly shrunk back to its normal size. Maurik realised that boys of his own age would never be able to quench his sexual lust again. After what Garth had done to his ass, now only a fully grown man could satisfy him.

Eventually they parted and had their breakfast. No new items had appeared during the night, so they packed some food for their lunch and set off. Now there were no statues or bait objects to be seen, and Garth commented on that.

"I think that we are being tested," said Maurik.

"Tested?"

"Yes, if we pass the test or avoid the trap, we are allowed to continue. We are given some help, like the food and drink, but that just keeps us going."

"And what about your strange little rod?" asked Garth.

"I think it too is a test. As far as I can see, it grants wishes."

"Well, prove it. Wish for two horses so we may ride."

"I don't think it works like that. It only grants wishes for a while, just as long as you need them; then they vanish again. It is a sort of tool, and if I use it properly, then we can pass tests."

"I still can't see why you cannot wish for something just to find out if it works."

"Ah, but how many wishes do I get? The usual number is three and so far I've had two swords and one horse. Was that three wishes or just two?"

"Perhaps you get seven; that's a magic number."

"I'm not going to waste any on experiments," said Maurik, ending the conversation.

Just as they were thinking about stopping for lunch, the path came to a bridge. It was an old stone arch which crossed the river. By now the river was quite wide and fast flowing, so the only possible way of crossing was by the bridge.

As they went to step on to the bridge, an ugly little humanoid stepped in front of them. Although he was no taller than Maurik and hunchbacked to boot, he looked as if he could break Garth in two with his bare hands. His most outstanding feature was his nose, which was long and sort of sausage-shaped. He held out his hand to the pair, obviously expecting to be given something in exchange for letting them cross his bridge.

Garth swore a couple of times and finally opened his pack. After rummaging around he found some copper coins which he gave to the Troll. The Troll examined them carefully, grunted, shook his head, making his nose wobble, and threw them back.

Maurik took one gold coin from his purse and gave it to the Troll. He tested it with his teeth and then threw it at Maurik's feet. Maurik retrieved the coin and put it back in his purse.

"What do you think he wants?" asked Maurik.

"If he doesn't want gold, then I'm buggered if I know," replied Garth.

Garth pulled out the goblet from his pack and the Troll's eyes lit up. He gestured to Garth indicating his desire for the object making his long nose wobble again, but this time vertically.

"Not bloody likely," said Garth, repacking the goblet, "that cost me too much just to give it away again."

Cautiously Maurik took the rod from his thigh and held it up so the Troll could see it. Again the brute's eyes lit up and he looked eager to get the rod. In fact his head nodded so much that he looked to be in danger of losing his nose.

"It looks like he wants something from the forest."

"Well, boy, give him the stupid rod."

"No, it is far too valuable. I think you must give him the goblet."

Garth angrily turned to Maurik and grabbed for the rod. But, it was as if the rod was made of soap and his hand was wet, it just slipped through his fingers. After several more tries it became obvious that he could not take the rod from the boy. A long argument ensued while the Troll patiently waited. Garth tried to pass the Troll but found that it was impossible. The Troll weighed far more than he could lift and barred his way.

They retreated back down the path and had lunch. Suddenly Garth had an idea, "Why don't you wish that we were out of here?"

"Too easy, it would get us into a trap. Why not just give him the goblet and be done with it?"

After more argument Garth reluctantly gave in. They went back to the bridge, he gave the Troll the goblet. The Troll bowed and disappeared under the bridge. Garth moaned on about the loss of the goblet for the rest of the afternoon.

~

"Most instructive, don't you think, Little One. The

younger Outsider has almost completely worked out the

purpose of the wishing rod. It will allow them to

solve any of the trials we set them. However he has

correctly assumed that its power is not limitless.

While it will allow him to get through any of the

trials, he must solve some without it."

"Yes, my Lord. What would happen if he made a wish to

leave this domain?"

"Ah, yes. He would, of course, have his wish granted,

but I doubt if he would find it to be to his

advantage, as both of them would be returned to the

same spot and the same time that they entered. So they

would have to face whatever it was they came here to

avoid."

"As you say, my Lord, most disadvantageous."

"However, the next trial should be most fascinating to

watch."

"Why, my Lord?"

"As the younger one has never had sex with a female, he

may not be affected; however, the older one's only

limitations on a sexual partner are only that he or

she be human and young. But it is late now; open the

portal and let them rest first."

~ They now walked along in silence. Garth was sulking over the loss of his goblet, and Maurik didn't want to say anything in case it set him off again. However, they both let out a gasp of surprise when they found a small shack beside the path. Just as Garth was about to open the door Maurik spoke.

"I'll bet it is the cave inside," he ventured.

Garth opened the door and proved Maurik to be correct; it was the usual cave. The food selection had changed, but not greatly. No new objects seemed to have been left for them, so they wearily had a silent meal and went to bed. For the first time since they met, they slept apart. Garth, it appeared, could hold a grudge.

The next morning the atmosphere between them was as icy as before. They broke their fast, did their toilet, packed their lunch and set off, all without so much as a word passing between them. By noon Garth's ire was beginning to abate. He was horny again, and Maurik's lithe young body was once more starting to tempt him. After lunch was over, they were at least passing the odd pleasantry between them, but not quite on talking terms.

~

"Now, little one, watch and learn as the outcome of this

next trial is not predictable."

"In what way, my Lord?"

"The Outsider male has a very strong urge to reproduce,

and if faced with the object of his lust, it will

overrule his logical thought processes. Presently, they

will meet the Lorelei, who appears to be a most

attractive female of their species, and to pass the

trial they must resist the urge to impregnate it."

"What happens if they attempt to mate with it?"

"Ah, that is the cunning bit. They cannot reach it.

The Lorelei is on an island but there is a Charybdis

in the river between it and the bank. Should they

enter the river, they will be quickly swept back

downstream and end up just about where they are now.

So far no Outsider has passed this trial without

eventually using the wand."

"Will they be equally affected, my Lord?"

"A very good question, Little One. The elder one will

happily mate with partners of either sex; thus he will

find the song most arousing. and as long as he can

hear it, he will be unable to react rationally. The

younger has also had much sexual experience, but none

of it was with a female, and I am unsure of the

Siren's influence on him. So, we must wait and see."

~ As usual there was no warning of the next test They just rounded the corner and it was right in front of them. In the river there was a small island, and on it sat a strange being, half woman and half bird. No sooner had this creature spotted them than it began to fill the air with an oddly alluring song. The effect on Garth was instantaneous - his eyes glazed, his face went blank and he slowly began walking towards the river.

Maurik watched him in alarm as he entered the water, his hands outstretched towards the monster, while making no effort to swim. Then to Maurik's horror the man was suddenly caught in the vortex. His head disappeared under the water, and for a moment the boy was convinced that his companion was lost. Then the man bobbed to the surface and was swept downstream. Maurik hurried back the way they had come trying to keep pace with the man. After an agonising chase Garth was swept into the shallows and Maurik was able to help him from the river.

"What happened to you?" Maurik asked, when they were both safely ashore.

"It was the Lorelei. Did you not hear its song?"

"Yes, I heard it, but so what?"

"Ah, then you have never been with a woman?"

"No," said the boy, blushing slightly, "does it make a difference?"

"By the gods, yes. The Lorelei is a Siren; its song attracts men, and no man can resist it. But if man heeds its call, he is doomed to be swept away by the river."

"But why does it not bother me?"

"Because you have not known a woman. Quick, wish for me to be deaf! There is no other way that I may pass the Siren."

"First, tell me more of this being."

"There is little else to tell, except it will lose its powers if any man manages to resist the song."

"So, if you walk passed it while you are deaf, it retains its power?"

"I suppose so."

"But if we can find a way for you to hear the song as you pass, it is no longer a threat?"

"Yes, but that is impossible, you must use the rod. Either make me deaf or make a noise so loud that I can't hear it sing."

"But then it would catch the next man to come this way. There must be a better answer," said Maurik, getting to his feet.

They walked back up the bank of the river cautiously and again the strange song could be heard. Garth groaned as he again fell under its trance. But as the man started to move forwards the boy restrained him and, to his surprise, the man stopped. The boy then led the man over to a log and made him sit down.

Maurik sat down beside him and began to think. Suddenly an idea came to Maurik. He placed his hand on Garth's thigh and slid it up under the man's kilt.

The man offered no resistance as the boy seduced him. The hand which had been on his thigh soon moved erotically up until it cupped his nuts, and from there it went on to caress the shaft of his manhood. Within a very short time Garth found that his kilt was up, and the boy was kneeling before him. Once more the head of his cock found the moist warm cavern of Maurik's mouth where a versatile tongue immediately went to work.

Surreptitiously the boy wet his middle finger then ran it up behind the man's balls and slipped it through his ring. Garth grunted but made no real protest at this invasion. Maurik gently worked the tip of his finger over Garth's hidden hot spot and carefully began to massage it. The effect on the man was instantaneous, galvanising Garth out of his passive state and into action.

His hands held Maurik's head steady while his hips thrust forwards driving his weapon in and out of the boy's mouth. Maurik kept up the attack on the man's prostate and suddenly felt the change happen. The man's ring gripped his finger tightly and his mouth was suddenly being filled with the man's jism. Maurik did not take the time to enjoy his reward; he just gulped it down as fast as he could.

The instant Garth stopped shooting he found he was being pulled to his feet. In a daze he was dragged back up the path and again the haunting song could be heard. The man was now in a confused state; he wanted to respond to the Siren's call, but as he had just been sexually sated, his desire was muted. Before he could gather his thoughts, Maurik had dragged him along the path until the song faded in the distance. There was a short period of silence followed by an anguished scream as the Lorelei lost its powers.

~

"A most ingenious solution, so let's make them work

for their supper tonight."

"What do you have in mind, my Lord?"

"Oh, how about an alteration in the cave, just for a

change it will not be unoccupied."

"As you wish, my Lord, I shall attend to it at once."

~ The rest of the day's journey was uneventful, and gradually Garth returned to his normal uninhibited self. During lunch Maurik bathed in the river, but Garth, who had just dried off from his soaking earlier, passed up the chance of a second swim.

As night began to fall, they kept their eyes open wondering what today's disguise for the cave would be. They were not disappointed when they spotted in the distance a pile of earth and rocks. When they got closer, they saw the crude wooden tracks of a primitive tramway which led into a mineshaft.

They entered without taking any precautions, but once inside they were frozen to the spot by the sight that met their eyes. Instead of tables heaped with food and drink there was a pile of glittering treasure. However, lying on top of the pile was a small, but quite vicious-looking, dragon. Fortunately, the beast seemed to be asleep. Carefully, they backed out of the cave.

"Interesting," commented Maurik.

"I have never seen such wealth," said Garth, his avarice getting the better of him, "if I could steal but one tenth of it, I would be rich for the rest of my life."

"I think that the remainder of your life would not be very long if you woke the dragon."

"Aye, lad, can you wish us up a couple of swords again?"

"No need, did you not notice that the swords were leaning against the wall, just on the other side of the treasure?"

"They were?"

"Yes, I think that the treasure was there just to divert us."

"So we sneak in, grab the swords, slay the dragon, and all the treasure is ours?"

"Somehow I don't think it will be that simple. Even if it were, there is no way that we could carry it all."

"Very well, boy, we'll carry as much as we can. Are you game to try it?"

"Garth, do you think we have any choice?"

"What do you mean?"

"It seems to me that we must kill the dragon just to have a place to sleep tonight."

"No matter, let's get on with it."

With Garth in the lead they re-entered the cave and quietly worked their way round the mound of riches to reach the weapons. Just as they were reaching for them, the monster awoke. It yawned and blinked a couple of times as it focused on the intruders. The pair used the precious seconds to wield their weapons and face the creature. Then to their amazement, it spoke.

"You may keep the swords and leave in peace, but touch any of my plunder and you will forfeit your lives!"

Maurik was quite prepared to give this proposition his most earnest consideration, but Garth's greedy eyes were already feasting on the dragon's loot. Without a word the man slashed at the beast, catching it a glancing blow on its scaly tail. The creature opened its mouth and blasted fire in the man's direction; fortunately for Garth the flames fell short.

The pair noted exactly how far the fire had reached and now tried to keep just out of range of its flames. As with the Orc they split up and attacked the dragon from two sides. The swords, it seemed, were just as effective against the dragon as they had been against the Orc, and soon the dragon was bleeding from several cuts.

Embolden by their success Maurik began taking chances, staying longer within range to hack at the beast. Eventually his luck ran out as the beast was just too fast for him and the flames hit his right hand. This caused him to drop the sword, grab his hand and scream in agony.

Alas the dragon's moment of triumph was soon its downfall as it paused to gloat over the screaming boy. This breather gave Garth the opportunity to step in and drive his sword through the beast's throat and end its existence. He turned to face his stricken companion saying, "Quick, wish yourself cured!"

As he watched, Maurik's withered stump turned back into a healthy hand, but behind him the pile of treasure silently vanished along with the corpse of the dragon and the swords. Garth helped the boy to his feet, then looked round for his prize and cursed loudly. Together they walked deeper into the cave to find their food and drink.

~

"So the younger one had to use the wand, my Lord."

"Yes, not once but twice, most clever, I am

impressed."

"Twice, but he only healed one wound."

"He also removed the treasure with a wish. It is all

heavy and would have seriously slowed them down. As

you will see, later in the quest they would have had

to lose it anyway. It was very wise of him to get rid

of it, as the older one would never have resisted the

temptation to carry as much of it as he could."

~ Garth was now back in a grumpy mood having been deprived of all the dragon's loot. Fortunately, he did not blame Maurik for its disappearance so, when they retired for the night, the boy was able to go to sleep protectively wrapped in the man's strong arms.

~

"Hmm, they work as a team and that gives them an

advantage. I think a mild handicap is in order."

"Is that permitted within the law, my Lord?"

"As they are working as one, and I will neither add

nor detract anything from their abilities, I will be

acting with in the letter of the law."

"But not within the spirit of the law?"

"Ah, Little One, one day, when you have a domain of

your own, you will discover that staying within the

letter of the law is difficult enough. Besides this

shall constitute a quest and when they complete it,

the handicap will be lifted."

"I am still doubtful, my Lord."

"Trust me, Little One."

~ Maurik woke first and lay there trying to figure out what was wrong. He had gone to sleep being cuddled by Garth, but now things were different. Just for starters, he was cuddling someone. This person was so much smaller than he was, which meant that it must be a small child.

Cautiously he opened his eyes and saw the back of the head of a small boy. The hair was black and the body was quite slender. To his amazement, looking at the boy caused a stirring in his loins. This was odd as younger males had never really attracted him.

In an attempt to get a better look at his new companion, he carefully took his arm from round the boy's body. Then he had to quickly suppress an urge to scream. The arm that moved at his command was muscular and hairy. A quick check of the rest of his body showed that it matched the arm nicely. He was quite hairy all over but, he had never had muscles like that in his life. In fact the only thing that he recognised was the rod, which was still firmly stuck to his thigh.

He reached over to Garth's pack and dug out the mirror that the man used when shaving. When he looked in it, Garth's face looked back at him. He watched as an expression of horror spread over the reflected image.

He now examined his bed mate and found that he was all too recognizable, it was the face that normally looked back at him from a mirror. As he lay there in a state of shock the boy stirred and opened his eyes.

Garth tried to focus on his own face staring at him. His mind did a couple of back flips as it tried to rationalise what his eyes were seeing. For some reason he was looking at himself, but he was much larger than life. If they both were standing this strange outsized replica of himself would tower over him.

As he lay there he noticed that the giant was holding a shaving mirror in his hand, slowly the mirror was turned until its reflective surface faced him. Instead of seeing his own face, the face of Maurik stared back at him.

"By the gods!" he said, in a voice pitched far higher than his own.

"We've been changed," growled the man.

Garth looked at the man and saw himself for the first time through the eyes of another. A really weird series of feelings started up inside him. He actually found the man attractive, despite the fact he was so much larger. He admired the muscular body and all the hair. Although he had never really found male sexual organs attractive, what the man had between his legs excited him.

Garth's sexual preferences had always included both sexes, but up until now he had always been the one to do the rogering, now he was experiencing an urge to roll over onto his belly and be taken. What was even more interesting was the way the man's cock was rising to the occasion. He had never had the urge to put another man's weapon in his mouth before, but now the proposition seemed quite attractive. He licked his lips.

Maurik was also having problems. He had never had the impulse to rape anyone before. Nor had he really realised the effect that his body had on grown men. He felt his cock rise and caught the boy watching it. As he saw him lick his lips, he gave in to an urge and pulled the boy's head closed to the rapidly hardening cock. The sensation of it slipping between the moist young lips was breathtaking. The way the soft warm tongue was caressing the head of his cock was driving Maurik mad.

Garth found it quite pleasant to suck cock. His new mouth knew all the things to do to turn the man on. He cupped the balls in his hand, marvelling at the size and weight of them. As he played with his new toys he felt them pull up against the base of the shaft. From years of experience he knew that the flash point was close. Should he keep his mouth on the cock when it shot? Or should he pull back and avoid getting his first mouthful of cum?

Two large and strong hands quickly took the decision from him as they clamped onto his head and held it firmly in place. Like it or not, a bellyful of cum was on its way into him.

Maurik found himself taking a perverted pleasure in forcing the boy to swallow his load. In the past he had been made to drink cum before and he had quite enjoyed the fact that he could not escape his fate. Now, he was discovering the joy of doing it to someone else, and revelled in the frantic gulping of the boy.

When he finally released the boy's head it did not pull off his manhood directly. Maurik slowly reached for the boy's cock, it seemed so small. Effortlessly he pulled the boy round until they were in a sixty-nine position. He could easily get the whole of the boy's cock in his mouth, why with a bit off effort the two little balls were soon in there too.

Although his fingers now seemed to be so large, he found little difficulty in getting the middle one into the boy's ass, and up to his hotspot. Garth was still reeling from his total loss of control of the situation and he was not ready for a blow job. Feeling his entire manhood and his balls being enveloped by the huge mouth was both frightening and erotic. When the large finger hit his prostate, there was no chance of him controlling his orgasm; he just came.

Over the years he had forgotten the sheer intensity of a teenage orgasm. He felt that he was pumping his life force out through his cock. It was years since he had shot a load like that. Only when Maurik had sucked his balls dry did Garth release the cock from his mouth.

As Maurik lay gasping for breath, he discovered that he now had a second set of memories. They were not like his own, they were sort of shadowy and see through, but he recognised them as Garth's. At last he could see the enticement of the Siren's song. With a little further probing he discovered Garth's memories of having sex with young girls as well as other young boys. He now knew exactly what Garth liked in a sexual partner, but he was suddenly saddened as he discovered that Garth only had had sex with people he was not close to. He had never had an emotional attachment to anyone, boy or girl.

While the boy was taking all this in, the man was conducting a similar exercise. He was puzzled by the boy's total lack of experience with females. He himself had never had any particular preference for either sex. Using the boy's eyes and thoughts, he realised why Maurik found him so attractive a bed mate. Then he noticed that the boy was in love with him. This revelation just about put him into shock. It was the sheer intensity of the emotion; he had never experienced anything like it. The boy would willingly die for him.

After a while their bodies began to demand to be fed, so they rose, got dressed and had breakfast. As they left the cave Garth suddenly made a weird noise and grabbed Maurik for support.

"What's wrong?" Maurik enquired.

"It was the shift, you were right, inside the cave is a different place from outside."

"Don't worry, you'll soon get used to it."

It was not until they went out to the river to wash that Maurik made a horrible discovery; he would, for the first time in his life, have to shave. From Garth's pack he dug out the shaving kit; the razor looked quite lethal. Garth showed him how to hold it and the angle that it must be at when it touched his skin. While Maurik lathered his face, Garth stropped the razor to a fine edge. The next ten minutes were the most agonising of his young life as he dragged an unbelievably sharp blade across his face and neck. As he wiped the excess foam off he was quite surprised that it was white and not tinged with red.

As they returned to the cave to pack their lunch they both gasped. There on the wall, just above the table, were some words, carved in the stone, which read.

'Now you are he, and he is you, To end this you may need a clue. Your odd condition will be resolved, When seven riddles you have solved.'

"By Satan's left testicle!" exclaimed Garth.

"Yes, it is pretty ghastly poetry," agreed Maurik.

"No! That's not what I mean. I read it!"

"Yes, I read it, too, so what?"

"But I never learned to read. Yet I looked at it and I knew what it meant."

Maurik consulted his new set of phantom memories and discovered that Garth had been born on a small farm. He had never gone to school. As he grew up, he just worked alongside his father and elder brothers. This contrasted completely with Maurik's childhood. His father had owned a bookshop, and Maurik had been sent to school. His father would have had little use for an illiterate and innumerate son working in his shop.

"So, where do we find these riddles?" asked Maurik.

As he spoke the carving on the wall went out of focus, and both of them instinctively rubbed their eyes. When they looked back at the wall, a new message met their gaze.

'I am red and blue, and purple and green? No one can reach me, not even the queen?'

"Hmm," said Garth, "All the colours of the rainbow?"

"Of course, it is a rainbow!" exclaimed Maurik

As he spoke, the words became hazy and made their eyes water, and now the carving on the wall read.

'If a man carried my burden, he would break his back. I am not big but leave silver in my track.'

"This one does not seem to be as easy," said Garth.

Maurik began thinking aloud, "Well, it isn't big but it carries something too big for a man to carry. Silver, why would it leave something as valuable as silver?"

"Maybe it just looks like silver," offered Garth.

"Ants can carry immense weights for their size," pondered Maurik.

"But they leave no tracks," pointed out Garth.

"But slugs and snails do. And snails carry their home on their back; we couldn't. So the answer is, A Snail."

The wall seemed to agree with him; once more the message changed and now read.

'My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick, Fat, I am slow, Wind is my foe.'

"Somehow I don't think it is a living thing," mused Maurik.

"What just lasts for a few hours?"

"I think it must get smaller as it is used."

"A camp fire," tried Garth, but the message stayed put.

"No, but it might be something else that burns. The oil in the lamp gets less as it burns," said Maurik.

"I think the whole object must get less."

"Thin is quick and fat is slow. Wait a second, how about a candle?"

The wall under went its metamorphosis and the new riddle appeared.

'I'm as light as a feather, nothing to me. A strong man can't hold me more than a minute.'

"Ah, I've heard that one before," said Garth, triumphantly, "it's your breath."

Again the riddle changed.

'No legs have I to dance, No lungs have I to breathe, No life have I to live or die And yet I do all three.'

"Again it isn't a living thing but I'll bet, like the candle, fire is involved somewhere," hazarded Maurik.

To the amazement of both of them the message instantly changed.

'Two bodies have I, though both joined in one; the longer I stand the quicker I run.'

"What did I say?" asked Maurik.

"You must have mentioned the answer. It must have been, fire," said Garth.

"This one is difficult," said Maurik.

"Once, at a fair, I saw twins who were joined at the hip," offered Garth.

"How fast could they run?"

"Run, they had trouble walking."

"Again I don't think it's a living thing."

After a very long pause Garth suddenly said, "An hourglass!"

The riddle shimmered and died, it its place came.

'He who has me doesn't tell it. He who takes me doesn't know it. He who knows me doesn't want me.'

Baffled, they both stood, deep in thought. Suddenly Maurik realised the answer and he was just about to say it when something occurred to him: this was the seventh riddle. When they solved this one, he would be restored to his own body again, and there was something that he wanted to do before that happened.

"I fancy shagging the ass off you," he said, looking at Garth with an evil grin on his face.

So far, due to his size, no one had ever dared try to bugger Garth. But his present body presented no such obstacle. However, fear, partly of the unknown sensation and partly from the knowledge of what lived beneath that kilt, made him more than slightly reluctant to go through with it.

Maurik, however. was not to be denied, and soon Garth found he was stripped, greased up and lying on his face. He whimpered as he felt the head of that rather large manhood slip between his buns and engage with his ring.

"Now, if you relax completely, it will go in without too much trouble," advised Maurik.

After a moment Maurik felt the young body beneath him soften as the tension left it. The urge to ram home and ignore any screams was almost overwhelming. However, he managed a nice slow insertion.

Under him Garth was breaking out in a sweat. For the first time in his life he was having to trust his partner. and it was not easy. However he was discovering the sexual stimulus of fear. He was scared stiff, but he still wanted it to happen. Then he remembered that when Maurik was underneath him, he always tried to escape. He also remembered just how good that felt when he was on top.

Experimentally. he tried to pull away from Maurik. This caught Maurik off guard; he had never had a partner try to escape before. As a result Garth all but got away with it. Only the head was still in him when the big hands grabbed him and pulled him back onto the raging cock. Garth persevered, not giving up his attempts to rid himself of his invader. Meanwhile Maurik at last understood the joys of screwing a struggling young boy.

Sadly, as both were unaccustomed having such sensations, their orgasms appeared on the horizon far sooner than they normally would have. Garth found some strange pleasure in feeling his ass being pumped full of man seed, so much so, that it caused his own orgasm, while Maurik got to enjoy the feeling of a nice tight ass going into a spasm while he was still inside it. Slowly they came down from their high, and finally it was Garth who spoke.

"We still have one riddle to solve. 'He who has me doesn't tell it. He who takes me doesn't know it. He who knows me doesn't want me.' Do you have any ideas?"

"Yeah, I worked it out ages ago."

"Before you rogered me?"

"Yeah, but if I had said the answer I would never have had the chance to mount you, and you would never have known how much fun it is to be buggered," said Maurik, cheerfully.

"If you were not so much bigger than me, I'd...."

"Maybe I won't say it today, then I can screw you a few more times before we turn back into ourselves," mused Maurik, giving a none too gentle thrust with his hips and making the boy squirm.

Garth suddenly realized how helpless he was. Unless he could persuade Maurik to answer the riddle, he would be trapped in this puny body to be used as a sex toy. Oddly enough, the more that he thought about it, the less repulsive it became. He had actually liked being held down and buggered. He hadn't needed to make any decisions, or for that matter, do any of the hard work. In fact, it had been the most satisfying and least strenuous sex that he had ever had. But, just as he was contemplating the life as a catamite, Maurik began to speak.

"Obviously the answer to the riddle is something that no one wants, but they get landed with it and then have trouble getting rid of it again."

"Like the pox?"

"No, more of a physical object that can be passed from hand to hand."

"Oh for pity's sake, tell me," begged Garth.

"OK, here we go. It's a counterfeit coin!"

What happened next neither ever wished to repeat. The sensation of changing bodies is not a pleasant one. It started with a feeling of vertigo, odd really as they were both lying on the ground. Then everything started to spin and both had a feeling that, in retrospect, breakfast had been a bad idea. The spinning stopped suddenly and they both lurched. Maurik found he had a soft cock inside him and Garth was happily back on top again. They were strangely reluctant to part, but eventually they had to.

They were both quietly glad to have their own bodies back, and Maurik was not surprised to find that he was still the owner of the rod. Only as they left the cave, and Garth felt the strange jump, did he realize that he still had the boy's abilities and memories. He looked down at the boy's tousled hair and a strange protective feeling came over him. It was some time later that he realized that he was totally in love with Maurik.

~

"On reflection, Little One, you may have been right to

advise caution in handicapping the pair. It seemed

that my attempts at hindering them only assisted them.

They now share each other's abilities and partially

share memories. Even worse, there is only one trial

left for them to complete. On the positive side, it is

a very tricky one and to complete it they will most

likely use up the final wish that is left in the

wand."

"And if they complete it without using the wand, my

Lord?"

"Then any wish that is made after that is permanent.

But with no pun intended, we will cross that bridge

when we come to it."

~ As they plodded along the path, it left the river and began to rise again. Soon the river was in a chasm well below them. The nature of the place caused their thoughts to return to Orcs. However, there were no caves in sight as they finally reached the summit. There, panting for breath, Maurik voiced his thoughts.

"It is just as well the treasure vanished, we would have almost killed ourselves getting it up here," he gasped.

Garth, who was still sore about the loss, merely grunted his agreement. A few minutes later he realized that they were never meant to keep any of the trove when he laid eyes on the bridge. It consisted of three ropes spanning the chasm; two were handrails, whilst the third was obviously meant to be walked on. At infrequent intervals thinner ropes ran from one handrail, via the bottom rope to the other handrail. The entire structure looked very unsafe as all the ropes were showing signs of fraying.

"One at a time, and I think that you had better carry my pack as it looks as if it will barely carry my weight," said Garth.

"I'll bet even the goblet would have overloaded it," commented Maurik, accepting Garth's pack.

The pack was much heavier than he would have liked but the boy bravely stepped onto the bridge and gingerly began to cross. It was difficult to tell which caused him the most distress, the swaying or the ominous creaking of the ropes as they bore his weight. By the time he got to the centre the sweat was dripping into his eyes, and he dared not let go of the ropes to wipe it away. When he reached the other side, he almost collapsed with relief that he was still alive.

Garth, who was much heavier than the combined weight of the boy and the pack, chewed nervously on his bottom lip. Crossing the bridge was obviously mandatory. So far nothing had killed him; therefore, it was likely that if he obeyed the rules and carried no loot with him, the bridge would hold his weight. Gripping both handrails firmly, he put his weight onto the third rope. It creaked threateningly, but held. Carefully he began to cross, never removing his hands from the ropes, just loosening his grip and sliding one hand forward at a time.

By the time he reached the middle the swaying was getting quite alarming and he threw caution to the wind and crossed as fast as he could. He almost made it when the bottom rope gave up the fight and snapped, leaving him dangling by his hands just short of the edge. By swinging from hand to hand he got one foot on the edge, and Maurik pulled him to safety. As he released his grip on the ropes, they snapped, and the remains of the bridge fell back against the sides of the chasm.

The pair were now quite shaken, so they stopped and had lunch to allow their nerves to settle. They were also fairly excited as they could sense that the end of their journey was not too far away.

"There is bound to be a really nasty test before we get out of here," commented Maurik.

"Hmm, fortunately your rod remains with you and I suppose that means it still works," said Garth.

"I would like to keep that for real emergencies," said Maurik, as he began to pack up the remains of their lunch.

The path now led down a slope, and when they got level with the river, the path turned away from the water and took them deep into the forest. Soon they were forced to walk in single file as the undergrowth narrowed the path. As usual, there was little warning before they stepped into a clearing.

It was not like any other clearing that either of them had ever seen before. Apart from the path where they had entered, three sides were made up from impenetrable thorn bushes while the fourth was a stone wall. There were two featureless doors in the wall and a massive Negro stood next to each door. Between the doors was a sign on the wall which they both stepped up to and read.

'Two doors lead from this yard, By each there stands a guard. While one portal liberates you, The other imprisons you anew, One guard will only speak the truth While the second utters falsehood. Only one question may you ask, And so the freedom door unmask.'

"I'll swear that the rhymes are getting worse," said Maurik, as he read it for a second time.

"So all we have to do is figure out which guard is telling the truth and go through his door?"

"It doesn't say that, it only says that one guard always tells the truth and the other always lies. The real problem is finding out which door is the exit, not which guard is which," said Maurik.

There was a long silence as each reread the message over and over, trying to get some sort of clue out of it. Eventually Maurik began to examine the doors to see if there was any hint there, but they were impossible to tell apart. Next he looked at the guards, but they appeared to be identical twins.

"Notice anything?" asked Garth.

"Yes, but it is of no help to us. The guards are not human, they are automatons."

"What makes you think that?"

"Look at the palms of their hands, they are as dark as the rest of their bodies. Humans always have pink palms. I'll bet that the soles of their feet are just as dark," said the boy, "but as I said, this doesn't help."

There was another long pause while they both thought, finally Garth said, "I can think of no question that will always give a true answer.'

"Actually, that's not what we're looking for."

"Huh!"

"We are looking for a question that both guards will give the same answer. Then it doesn't matter which one we ask."

"But as one will always say the exact opposite of the other, that's impossible," reasoned Garth.

"How about if we try to make them both lie?"

"But one MUST tell the truth, he cannot lie."

"So, we ask a question, and to answer it truthfully the truthful guard will have to tell a lie. But if we are asking the lying guard, then he'll lie anyway."

"It sounds good when you say it fast, but first can I ask you a question; does insanity run in your family?"

Maurik just grinned at the man and said, "I think I've worked it out. Besides we still have an ace in the hole with the rod."

To Garth's dismay the boy turned to the nearest guard and said, "If I asked the other guard which door led to freedom, which one would he point to?"

The guard slowly turned and pointed to his own door and boomed out the words, "This one!"

"And now we know for certainty that it is the other door," said the boy, triumphantly.

"How?"

"Well if he is the lying guard, then he will not say what the other guard would say he'll just tell a lie. But if he is the truthful guard, then he must say exactly what the other guard would say and thus he too will tell a lie," explained Maurik.

"Well, you've used up our one question so we might as well be on our way," said Garth, striding towards the correct door.

"Wait!" cried Maurik, "I have one thing to do yet. I wish that the dragon's treasure was returned to me!"

Instantly the rod vanished from the boy's hand, Then there was a pause and slowly the pile of loot reluctantly materialised. Garth emptied his pack and filled it with the most expensive looking items while Maurik did the same with his pockets. When they were both so heavily laden that it was difficult to walk they staggered through the door.

They found themselves on the edge of a rather nondescript woods. Using some flat stones as tools they dug a hole in the moist soil and hid most of their plunder. When they had done that they headed for a town that could just be seen in the distance.

~

"So my Lord, the Outsider's have won."

"Yes, and robbed me of a considerable amount of

treasure. Still, it was all done within the law, and

that is what really matters."

~ The pair entered the town and found an Inn. There they rented a room, had a hearty meal and got ready for bed.

"Now my little friend," said Garth, with an evil grin, "you are going to pay for the fun you had with me this morning."

Maurik gave a mock shriek and made a dive for the door. Garth moved quickly, cutting off any hope of escape. The boy evaded his outstretched arms and tried to get under the bed. This alas was his downfall as Garth caught him by the ankle and dragged him out.

With surprising ease the man stripped the protesting boy and threw him naked on to the bed. Maurik lay there, pretending to be terrified. Sadly this charade was exposed as a lie by the boy's stiff little cock. Garth stripped in an unhurried fashion. His erection had already lifted the front of his short kilt, so the lad could see what was coming for him.

When Garth was naked he took a flying leap and landed on top of Maurik and flattened the boy to the mattress. As the goose grease had been dumped to make room for additional treasure, Maurik was lubricated on spit alone.

Garth rolled the boy onto his back. Then grabbing the boy's ankles he placed one on each of his broad shoulders. This left the lad's ass nicely splayed open for attack. Wasting no time. Garth leaned forward doubling the boy in two, and bringing the head of his manhood into direct contact with the boy's quivering pucker. Fortunately the previous visits of the man's large member had weakened the boy's ring, so spit was now a sufficient lubricant to permit him entry as he gave a shove with his hips.

Maurik concentrated on relaxing as the wide head of Garth's cock opened him up again. As it slowly worked its way back into his guts, he felt a warm glow suffuse though his whole body. Once more the man and the boy became a single being, and each knew what the other was experiencing.

Above him Garth, for the first time, looked down to watch the thick shaft of his cock slowly disappear into the boy's body, and he marvel at the lad's ability to accommodate him. Eventually his bush touched the boy's buns. He paused a moment then to liven the proceedings up a bit he gave a forceful thrust. This spread the boy's buttocks further and plunged the last inch of his weapon into the lad's guts.

This galvanised his victim into action. But from this position there is no escape. Maurik could wriggle as much as he liked, there was nothing he could do to avoid his fate.

This time the man was in no hurry to reach his climax and so he leisurely rogered the boy. By varying the speed and depth of his thrusting he held his orgasm at bay for quite a considerable time. Then, when Maurik had all but given up hope, Garth reached down and, with a wet hand, started to jack the boy off.

There was nothing that Maurik could do, except cum, knowing that the spasms of his young body would be made to stimulate the man to greater heights of pleasure.

As ever Garth used unhurried strokes to empty his balls into the lad. Then, in slow motion, he collapsed forward onto the boy. Maurik managed to get his legs off the man's shoulders and wrap them round his waist as he fell forwards. He lay there with the great weight of Garth pressing him into the bed and the man's cock still inside him.

By now Garth knew the enjoyment Maurik got from feeling a cock wilt inside him and so he left it in the boy until it was completely soft. Eventually Garth rolled off the boy and took him into his arms. A little later Morpheus found them in this position and took them away for the night.

The next day they bought a horse and cart. They returned to the edge of the forest and recovered their loot. After a long journey they found a town that didn't frown on same sex couples, and there they set up home together. Then, as in all good fairy tales, they lived happily ever after.

The End

My thanks once more to inscrutable "Verpa" for assisting with the editing.

Comments and criticism may be electronically transmitted to the author by addressing an Email to jamieanderson@compuserve.com