The Knight and the Thief

The Knight and the Thief - Part 4

By Pfantazm

They'd been riding half the day, finally stopping for a brief rest. Thom was off the side of the road among the weeds, relieving himself. He'd gathered a number of broad leaves for his cleaning ritual... and then remembered that he didn't need to anymore. The extra lockpick Thom kept hidden had been discovered. It was in the pocket of his trousers now since there was no point in keeping their existence secret anymore. He wouldn't be needing it for this trip anyway.

The item that he and Sir Madoc wanted to chase down next from the list of ingredients the wizard Eleazar had given them was the three horsephlox blossoms. Horsephlox was a common enough plant; Fleetfire was even now munching on some. The plants for the spell, however, had to have been grown in obsidian soil, which was rarer. That could only be found in areas where there had been volcanic activity. So they were returning to the Greypoint Mountains, some of which, they were sure, were extinct volcanoes. They would have little need of a lockpick.

Thom mused that he would never need the pick again, because now he was certain there was to be no escape for him when Sir Madoc brought him to justice. As the Dark Rogue, Thom had revelled in his reputation as a master thief, with daring escapes and bloodless confrontations as part of the lore. He could afford to refrain from killing in all those times he'd been captured in the past because it was highly unlikely that anyone would ever find the slender metallic tube he kept regularly in his rectum that held that secret pick. He could always escape. Until now.

Now he was a doomed man. When Eleazar's quest was completed, he would be brought before the King's Court and he would be sentenced. Possibly to death. His only way out now was to commit some violence on Sir Madoc and try to flee. Thom could not do this and the reasons were threefold: first, even now Thom could not bring himself to do this just to save himself from the gallows; second, Sir Madoc wore a ring that caused Thom to feel queasy if he was more than twenty feet away from the knight, making any thoughts of escape mere flights of fancy; and third, by all the tortures of the gods, he loved Sir Madoc.

He had come to this realization just last night. It was, he'd decided, the only possible reason that the knowledge that Madoc would be the one to hand him over for trial hurt so much. And with this logic in place, he searched his heart. Of all the tricks the gods enjoyed playing on man, the greatest thief in Aragonia had been smitten by a member of the King's own High Guard.

Madoc had noted that Thom was no longer the jovial sort he'd come to know over the past week. And he was actually feeling guilty about it! At 24, because of his dedication to duty, he was the youngest man ever to be admitted into the High Guard. Thom was certainly testing that dedication. He had to turn Thom in; there was no question. But he had to wonder how he was going to forget him when this was all over. A large part of him didn't want to forget, but how could he live with the knowledge that he'd destroyed the person he loved?

Thom had finished and was now approaching Madoc and Fleetfire. He looked as though he'd lost his best friend. He sat by the roadside until Madoc was ready to go. The knight helped the thief onto the horse without a word, then mounted himself, and they were off again.

The storm clouds were roiling again, preparing to pour down on the landscape. The sun had given up hope to shine this day, and night was setting in. The two had only reached the foot of Mt. Silpin when the rain began. They dismounted and led Fleetfire into the mountains, hoping to find a cave for the night. They were thoroughly soaked before they found one.

The cave had a floor which was covered with coarse, dark, gritty soil. This was a good sign: it seemed to be obsidian soil. No horsephlox was to be found, however. There were some strange plants that neither man could identify near the mouth of the cave. They were large, yellow, waxy pods on tall stalks that came up to about mid-thigh. Rainwater trickled in, keeping them watered. The cave was about eight foot square and warmer than it had any right to be. The air inside was dry and hot, despite the rain.

Fleetfire refused to enter the cave, despite Sir Madoc's efforts to bring the obstinate stallion in out of the downpour. There was a shelf giving some protection from the wet so Madoc was forced to leave him just outside the opening.

Soon the men were beginning to see the sense the horse showed. They had removed their shirts, and Madoc his cuirass, within minutes.

They sat in silence. Thom had nothing to say and Madoc didn't know where to begin.

Finally the knight felt the pressure of not speaking. "I wish I didn't have to take you in." He sounded so weary.

Thom looked to where he knew Madoc to be. The cave was in near darkness and lighting a fire in that kind of heat was madness.

"I wish," Madoc continued, "I wish that we could have met in other circumstances. It would all be so much easier."

"Yes," Thom conceded, "but tell me, do you regret what you do? Are you sorry you're a Guardsman?"

"No," Madoc said, sounding confused. "Do you regret being a criminal?"

"There are times," he admitted. "Like now. And before you go preaching, it's not because I'm caught. It's because I've hurt someone. Someone who doesn't deserve it."

"Caractacus, the jeweller from Karelia." It was his diamonds that had given Madoc the evidence he had needed to arrest Thom.

"No! Not Caractacus. He's just another thief, of a different stripe. He's managed to drive every other jeweller of any repute out of that town, then he hiked up his own prices. Everyone in the area has to settle for poorly-made baubles, and take it from an expert, I've seen their work, or they have to suffer Caractacus' fees. But there was someone who'd just arrived in town, trained with Jaldan of Aragon, one of the best. If Caractacus was missing his diamonds, this other fella'd have a chance."

"So you hurt this other jeweller by being caught?" Madoc still sounded confused.

"No, you fool, it's you!" Thom's voice was too loud too suddenly. It made them both uncomfortable. He spoke more quietly. "I can see that what you'll have to do to me is giving you grief. I wish it didn't have to come out this way either."

Madoc didn't know what to say to that. Thunder rolled.

They stayed silent again until a shadow blocked the remaining light.

"I thought I recognized that horse."

Both men turned toward the mouth of the cave. Thom heard Madoc draw his sword. A bolt of lightning struck the landscape behind the figure, sharply defining his silhouette. Thom saw red hair and placed the voice.

"Lennox? By the gods, is that you?"

"Hello, Dark Rogue." Again thunder cracked the atmosphere.

"Sir Madoc, you can put that away. Lennox is a friend."

Madoc didn't comply. "Who is he?"

"I was one of Kraid's Marauders."

Thom felt a chill down his back. "Are the others coming?"

"No. They didn't follow me."

The thief exhaled. "That's good. Come in out of the wet and tell us what's happened."

"You are under arrest, Lennox."

"Oh, stop it," Thom said. "Lennox was their cook, for pity's sake. He was their prisoner just as much as you were. Come in, I said."

Lennox hesitated. When he heard Madoc sheathe his sword, however, he entered the cave. He sat next to Thom and Sir Madoc joined them. "Is what Thom said true?"

"Yes," Lennox said. "I tried to leave them a couple of times, but they always caught up to me. Benet is an excellent tracker."

"How did they come to take you into their group?" Madoc asked.

"That's not so important right now," Thom interrupted. He knew the answer, and it would only get Lennox into trouble. "What I want to know is what happened the morning after we left."

Thom filled Madoc in on what had had to be done to free him, leaving out exactly what he had done to Lennox to incapacitate him.

"Kraid didn't beat you again, did he? I tried to fix things so he would be least likely to."

"No, he didn't. But they found me that night, unconscious and naked behind the shed." Madoc raised his eyebrows at the word 'naked', but no one saw. "The fact that you threw my clothes on the roof and the bump on my head convinced them you'd overpowered me."

"The bump?" Thom asked.

"When I hit my head on that rock."

"Oh, that!" Thom smiled. "That was a stroke of luck."

Both men laughed. Madoc was convinced he hadn't heard the whole story.

Lennox continued. "It stung like a bear the next morning, but it probably saved my hide. After you'd escaped, Kraid decided I was not fit to be one of his Marauders and ran me out. After they found my clothes, of course. That rain was freezing cold. Whew. But it's warm enough in here."

Thom said, "If you're hot, just take your shirt off." Lennox nodded and did so. "I'm sorry about having to leave you like that. I didn't see that there was anything else I could do."

"I want to thank you. If you hadn't done what you did, I'd still be with them.

"I don't think I'm safe though. Kraid was mad then, but I bet he's calmed down now. Not a one of them can cook, and they'll convince themselves I wasn't as bad as that. I'll hide out in the mountains, I guess."

"Well, it's good to hear that you're safe for now," Sir Madoc said, "but how will you live up here?"

"I'll manage," he hedged. "I always have."

"You could become a King's Guard. Learn how to defend yourself. We're always shorthanded."

In the darkness, Thom winced. Lennox had been a thief....

"Nnnno," Lennox said. "I've never been one for fighting."

"Oh well," Madoc said. "Keep it in mind. There'll always be a place for you."

That killed that conversation. Lennox changed the subject. "Could I speak to you, Dar-- I mean, Thom, in private?"

"Not really," Thom said. He told Lennox about the ring that bound him to Madoc. "Besides, Sir Madoc would pretty much have to stand out in the rain."

"Oh," he said. "It was just about... never mind."

"About what?" Thom asked.

"About that thing you did back at the camp."

Thom smiled. "You want to do it again?"

Lennox was caught off guard. "What about Sir Madoc?"

"Oh, we've done it too," Thom said. He put his arm around Lennox's bare shoulders.

Suddenly Madoc realized what they were talking about. That was how Thom had sent Lennox unconscious? He laughed. "You sucked him off?"

"You and one of the King's High Guard?" Lennox asked.

Now Thom was laughing. "It's complicated, but it felt right at the time." This seemed to answer both questions. "Why don't we do it again? The three of us?"

"How?" Lennox asked.

"In a circle."

"That sounds interesting," Lennox said. He looked to the knight, nervously. Neither he nor Sir Madoc was quite comfortable with the other.

"Come on," Thom said encouragingly. "Madoc, why don't you fetch the blanket so we're not in the dirt?"

While Sir Madoc did so, Lennox muttered to his new friend, who was completely undressing, "What's going on between you and him?"

Thom laid his black clothes in a spot he thought he could remember in the dark. "I'm not sure myself," he confided. "We've gotten close. I don't know what'll happen when he has to take me in. Don't worry. He can't prove what you are even if he suspects. You're safe. Have fun." Lennox bent down to remove his own trousers.

Sir Madoc returned to the door with the scrap of stretchable cloth. Thom and Lennox expanded it while Madoc pulled off his hose. Since he was near Thom, he whispered, "Can this man be trusted?"

Thom sighed. "Of course. I trust him completely. I have very good instincts."

Madoc stood erect. "But can I trust him?"

"Yes, you can trust him. He doesn't like Kraid any more than we do. He told me as much in Kraid's own camp. To be honest, I'm still afraid for him."

By now the blanket was long enough to reach most of the way across the cave. Thom took one end and Madoc and Lennox ended up on the other. They pulled the blanket into a rough square.

Lennox got a look at Madoc's body in the pale light from outside. The knight was big with muscle and hairless all over. The sweat on his body glinted slightly in the dim illumination. Lennox's half-hard cock inflated to full erection as he watched the knight wrestle with the elastic cloth. When they lowered the blanket to the ground, Lennox threw caution to the wind. He stroked the knight's biceps, feeling its strength.

Madoc stopped moving. He wasn't sure who was touching him. His night vision was not as good as that of his thief companions. Madoc turned to face the other man.

Lennox placed both his hands on Madoc's chest, feeling the muscles that lay within. He rubbed the pecs and massaged his nipples with his thumbs. Madoc grunted contentedly. All too soon, Lennox's hands slid down Madoc's sides to his hips. He reached around and grabbed at Madoc's ass. Madoc tensed automatically, flexing for Lennox without thinking. Lennox's fingertips now retreated and he cupped the knight's balls with one hand and gripped his cock with the other. He pulled his hand down to the end of it and then pushed back up.

Madoc could not remain inactive any longer. He put his beefy hands on Lennox's shoulders. He stroked down Lennox's sides, and kneeled on the blanket, forcing Lennox to stop what he was doing. Madoc began to lick around his stomach, around and into his navel and down to his bush. In no time at all, Madoc was slathering all over the redhead's cock.

Finally, Thom broke his silence. "Well, I'm glad you two have made friends."

Madoc's eyes went wide as he heard Thom's voice at a distance and deduced who he was with. He didn't stop though.

Thom had watched all this and had become hot in a way that had nothing to do with the air in the cave. "Lie down so I can join in too."

Lennox tried to do this without Madoc having to stop and nearly succeeded. Lennox stretched out face up and Madoc hovered over him, lying on his stomach. Lennox had been producing his usual high amount of precum, and this confused Madoc, but he was too distracted to worry too much. He just lapped it up as it dribbled out and tried to suck out more of the salty juice.

Thom lay on his side facing his companions and reached out to Madoc's crotch. He gave the knight a nudge to get him to roll over a little. Madoc contorted his body slightly, providing access. Thom deepthroated him, using everything he had to provide his captor with pleasure. Thom fought back the gagging reflex when Madoc's member slid into Thom's gullet. He slid his tongue up and down the shaft while he let the muscles in his throat caress the sensitive head.

Meanwhile, Lennox was making his own way toward Thom's cock, something he'd been hoping to do since that night at Kraid's camp. Lennox's mouth found Thom's balls first. He remembered how one slurp on his sack had brought him off that last time and began there. He took one of Thom's hairy orbs into his mouth and laved it, moving it around with his tongue. He kissed them and stroked them with his lips. The circle was complete.

Madoc was still concentrating on the tip of Lennox's dick. He brought his hand up and continued the ass-play that they'd been into earlier. He massaged the redhead's buns and tickled his way into his crack, from the tailbone to the very underside of his body.

Thom was finding he was having trouble breathing and eased off of Madoc somewhat, keeping the first few inches well-covered inside his mouth. Madoc tried to push his way back in, but Thom remained firm.

Lennox got a taste of how firm, since he'd decided he was finished with Thom's balls and went for the pride and joy. He kept his teeth wrapped behind his lips, as he'd felt the others doing, and accepted the crown of his fellow thief's cock into his mouth. He tasted the smooth, hot flesh, his watering mouth bathing it in slick saliva.

The three men continued this way for some minutes, moaning and grunting (neither Madoc nor Lennox needed to be quiet anymore!), the storm having been forgotten, even the thunderclaps forced well into the background. All three were sweating with the heat and struggling to prolong the experience.

Lennox reached around for Thom's ass, awkward as that was. An intrepid finger made its way right into the other man's anus. It was accepted easily, as Thom's rear was accustomed to an intrusion. When Thom first started keeping his spare pick there, it was uncomfortable (and cold!), but there was something of a pleasurable sensation, which faded over time. The inflexible tube no longer stimulated him much, but Lennox's wriggling finger was reminding him of that feeling. With a confused squeak, Thom emptied his nuts into Lennox's face. Lennox tried to handle all the incoming spunk, but lost much of it down the side of his chin. When Thom had finished, Lennox took the opportunity to taste his reward at leisure. He wiped his face off on Thom's hip and proceeded to lap up the smear he left.

Thom used this new knowledge to try to give Madoc a thrill, but the knight's back door stayed resolutely shut. Instead Thom hugged Madoc's body close and kneaded his butt with his fingertips.

Lennox strayed from Thom's hips and headed back for Thom's ass again. This time Lennox forcibly rolled Thom onto his stomach and began to lick his way into Thom's crack. Thom's eyes were wide with surprise, but he didn't slow down on Madoc's member.

Lennox was surprised at himself. He didn't know why he was doing what he was doing, but since he wasn't getting any of the smells or tastes he'd been expecting, he was heartened to continue. All he could smell was Thom; all he could taste was clean, honest sweat. The whole experience was getting him hotter than he'd ever been. He paused only to say, "Get ready, Sir Madoc." He drove his tongue right into Thom's pucker and came. Hot seed gushed into Madoc's throat.

Once the knight had collected all the juice from Lennox's pecker, he released him, breaking the circle. While the redhead continued his anal worship on Thom, Madoc concentrated on the sensations he was getting. Now that his attention was no longer divided, he untwisted his body and sat up a little. He saw what Lennox was doing but since both men were enjoying it, he decided to ignore it. Instead, he softly stroked Thom's head and shoulders, neither interfering nor forcing. As Thom drew circles and long lines with his tongue and lips, Madoc began to get vocal.

"Yes... yes, you're so good, oh,... I'm almost there... oh, Thom, I feel so, oh, oh, ah! I'm - agh - !" Finally Sir Madoc was brought to sweet release.

When the last drop of Madoc's essence was swallowed, and Thom finally let go, Madoc gathered his prisoner up in his arms and kissed him, deeply, thirstily, needfully.

Lennox's ministrations were interrupted by this embrace, and he watched the others kiss in the sparse light. He saw something more than raw sex in there, something stronger, and he was wise enough not to interfere. He smiled at the beauty of the sight.

Madoc remembered himself first and invited Lennox into the clutch. Lennox shifted over and hugged the knight. "That was amazing," he said. "I don't know when I've felt so..." There was no adequate way to finish the thought. Madoc and Thom just grinned and nodded. They stayed together like that for a while, trying to keep the feeling of the moment after it had passed.

Thom in particular felt much better. His problems hadn't gone away, he was as doomed as he ever was, but there would be some time yet before he had to face his demons. They could wait.

The three of them fell asleep, still smiling, and always touching, in spite of the oppressive heat.

Madoc awoke first. The crack of dawn had been some hours ago by the look of it. The rain was still coming down outside.

He looked at his two friends. Now he remembered why he never used the blanket in the way they had. Overnight it had shrunk back to its original size. When you were rolled up in it, the body's movements in the night kept it stretched. Instead, the blanket had slowly disappeared beneath them and they were covered in sweat and dirt.

The knight didn't want to wake the others. He crept quietly to the mouth of the cave to check on Fleetfire and to get the berries they'd picked by the roadside the day before. Food was scarcer this far in the mountains. The berries would need to be washed, but finding water would not be a problem. He stood there, naked, the warm air venting past his back, and the cool rain running down his arms as he held out a handful of berries to be rinsed.

Two fingers poked Madoc just below the ribs. Madoc pulled down his arms and spun around. He saw a stranger there, and Madoc realized he couldn't protect himself. He still had his hands full of berries. Then he took in the facts that the stranger was smiling, naked, and dirty, and that Thom could be heard laughing himself silly inside the cave.

"Gods, Lennox," he said, "don't do that."

"And good morning to you, too."

"Oh, that's right," Thom said, in between guffaws, "Madoc's not laid eyes on you till just now. I'm sorry, Madoc, that was a mean trick. I put him up to it."

Madoc stepped past Lennox into the darkness of the cave. "You two are just lucky I didn't crush our breakfast when you played your trick. Here you are," he said as he moved to transfer some of the berries to Thom's hands. But they were dirty.

"I'll want to wash my hands a little first." He reached around and pinched Madoc's butt while his hands were still occupied. Madoc continued to stand there, hands cupped together until he could find somewhere to put the food down. There wasn't anywhere to put the food down.

Lennox joined Thom at the mouth of the cave to make use of the rain to try to wash up. "He knows who you are," Lennox stated. Thom nodded. "He's going to hand you over to King Dunstan for trial?" Thom looked down and nodded again. "Not to wish ill on your good fortune, but why are you going the wrong way?"

Thom told the story of their quests to find the items Eleazar needed to end the plague afflicting Cairncross. When they came back into the cave, Lennox picked up a sack that was tucked in a niche by the door. Even Thom had missed it. From it, Lennox took out some cheese and dried meat.

"Where did you...?" Madoc started to ask.

"From Kraid's stores," he said as he passed Thom the cheese. "He'll never miss them."

Madoc interpreted this to mean, He's got so much, Kraid provided me with a little something.' Thom interpreted it to mean, Kraid will be so busy relocating himself now that his lair isn't secure, he'll never notice I've stolen some of the food.'

They sat. Lennox added some of the berries to his sack as Thom continued the story. "We've got most of the items already. We're looking for horsephlox grown in obsidian soil."

"Would you be able to help us look?" Madoc asked.

"I would like to, but I need to keep moving. I don't want Kraid to find me again." Madoc nodded. "But if I do find any, I'll leave a marker just before I leave the spot."

"Thank you," Madoc said.

Once breakfast was over, Thom stood up and stretched. "Before we continue onward, I'd like to get cleaned up, but I don't like the prospect of bathing in the cold rain."

"Don't worry," Lennox told him. "I found the perfect spot yesterday. Come on." Lennox boldly walked out into the rain nude. Thom and Madoc just looked at each other. "Well?" Lennox called back. Thom went out to join him. Madoc looked through his own sacks, finding soap and his washcloth. He also snatched up his sword and belt.

It was freezing outside in the rain. Madoc had to jog a little along the rough stone pathway to catch up with the others. He took his first good look at Lennox.

He had short red hair, green eyes and just now, a wide grin. His skin was quite pale. He had the same lean build as Thom, not built for strength but for flexibility and speed. Madoc's own hair and complexion were darker, and he was much more muscular, more inclined to brute force than dexterity. Lennox's legs were slightly hairy. It looked as though his cock was lengthening to erection, jutting out from coppery curls. He walked with confidence along the treacherous path, while Madoc was constantly checking for small pebbles.

All three of them were completely soaked, but no less dirty. Madoc was beginning to shiver and wished that he'd brought the blanket, wherever that had gone, when Lennox abandoned the path and climbed the gradual slope up the mountain. Thom and Madoc felt compelled to look at each other again. Suddenly the pair was splashed with warm water from above.

They looked up and saw Lennox on all fours, leaning over the edge of a plateau above them. "It's even more full than it was yesterday! Come on up!"

Thom started up the mountainside, taking care not to slip on the bare rock. The incline was just steep enough to make him lean over onto his hands to steady himself. When he reached the top, he saw where some of the rainwater had collected in a deep pit. Water trickled in from higher up the mountain and overflowed and continued to flow down the other side. When he tested the water, it was warm. When Thom looked at Lennox with a puzzled look on his face, Lennox pointed up the mountain. Thom could see steam rise from somewhere above them. "I'd say that the same heat that kept us sweating all last night keeps the water hot too."

Thom didn't say that he'd thought he knew what had kept them sweating last night.

When Thom stopped to inquire about the water, Madoc had had to stop his ascent as well. This put him in an excellent position to get a look at Thom's ass. It was nice and tight, no fat at all. Thom's semi-regular running and climbing in his own profession had kept it trim. Small trickles of clear water ran down two tantalizingly round globes of flesh. He could almost see why Lennox had shown interest in it last night. He began to reach forward... but Thom moved on, joining Lennox in the water. Well, maybe later. Madoc climbed up the rest of the way.

The water was only just deep enough to sit in. Thom found he could even lie down if he raised his head enough to breathe. It was a really odd sensation to have his body immersed in warm, almost hot, water while the cool rain came down on his face and hair.

Madoc applied soap to his body, allowing the rain to rinse him off naturally. When he was done with his upper body, he lathered up his hands and passed the soap to Lennox. Thom was keeping himself amused by pushing his floating body along the surface of the water by walking his hands across the pool's bottom.

Lennox scrubbed himself all over and passed the soap to Thom, who reluctantly sat up. He began to wash himself and noticed what Madoc was doing.

His black hair was plastered back, and he was staring out away from the mountains, looking at the entire countryside as it was thoroughly cleansed by the weather. He'd never gotten the chance to see so much of it at once. The forests, the fields, the lakes, rivers and towns. The whole of it was in one way his, and in another way he was its servant. At that moment he felt immense pride in his calling. This was a Moment.

Thom saw parts of Madoc's back where there was still dirt. He came over and took care of them. Madoc looked back, allowing himself to be distracted, smiled at Thom and returned to his thoughts. Lennox came over and helped both Madoc and Thom to make sure they were clean all over.

Soon the water was cloudy with the soil and soap from their bodies, though it hadn't been clear to start with. When they were done they all sat there enjoying the view. It really was a beautiful place, despite the cloud cover. None of them spoke. Anything so complicated as words would ruin the feeling.

Lennox tried to stand up, but lost his balance and fell over into the pool, making a big splash. Thom chuckled. Lennox splashed him. Thom splashed back. Lennox tackled the blonde thief playfully. They wrestled for a while in the water until Thom noticed Madoc was still gazing at the view. The thief shook his head in Madoc's direction, while looking at Lennox. They both splashed the knight simultaneously.

Now Madoc noticed his companions and joined in the fun.

It was as though they were regressing into childhood, back to before sex had come into their lives, to when little boys would play with their friends without a care in the world. They felt an unsophisticated kind of joy that few adults get to feel: pure happiness. They splashed, wrestled, drank rainwater and splashed some more. They played.

All too soon, reality crept back in, and even the warm pool water wasn't enough to fight the chill of the ceaseless rain. They climbed down again to the pathway and ran back to the cave, great grins on their faces and teeth chattering.

Thom and Madoc had to dry themselves off with their discarded shirts, and dressed themselves in their breeches and hose. Lennox stayed undressed so that he could dry out at least a little before he moved on.

"You know you're welcome to accompany us. You'll be safer from Kraid that way," Madoc offered.

"No, but thank you. You'll be leaving the mountains, and for right now, this is the only place I feel safe. If I come across any horsephlox, I'll just mark the spot before I move on."

"You've said that already," Thom teased.

"I suppose I have. Then I'll say this: if you're not back by the time I've dried out, I hope I meet up with you again. I had a lot of fun."

"Good luck to you, Lennox," Madoc said, extending his hand, which Lennox shook. He pulled the knight closer and hugged him.

Thom gave his farewell in a more relevant way, saying simply, "Stay clear," which Lennox recognized as thieves' argot, meaning that he hoped the guards wouldn't catch up to him. Ironic, Lennox thought, that he ended up using it in hopes that the criminals wouldn't catch him.

Madoc and Thom decided to investigate the natural vent which was the source of the hot air that filled the cave. The odd thing about it was that they could see daylight down there.

Madoc fetched the rope from Fleetfire and his sword again. Thom looked at him quizzically. Madoc explained that it was too valuable to be left behind.

They began to descend down the vent. It would be easy enough to climb back if the vent suddenly closed up, so they weren't worried. The vent continued downwards, but then took a sharp downward turn and widened up. Madoc was just about to suggest going back when Thom slipped on some loose pebbles and fell into the shaft, sliding all the way down.

Madoc groped around in the now-shadowy passage for a fixed stone to tie the rope to so he could climb down after him. "Hang on, Thom," he called down. He tied his knot and gave the rope a tug to ensure that was secure enough to bear his weight. He dropped the rope down the shaft and started down.

Thom, on the other hand, was examining his surroundings. The daylight they'd seen came through a sinkhole in the high roof of the cave Thom found himself in, which was easily three times the size of the one in which they'd slept. The sinkhole illuminated a patch of dirt in the center of the cavern in which there grew pale flowers. Horsephlox. Exactly what they were looking for. Thom picked a stalk, which was more likely to survive a climb up than individual flowers would. He rushed back to the vent that he'd slid down and saw the rope. He called up excitedly, "I have it! I'm coming up!"

"What?" Madoc asked.

Soon Thom put his weight on the rope. The stone Madoc had used as an anchor came loose. Thom dropped back to the floor and heard Madoc yell. Thom jumped back away from the shaft. When Madoc hit bottom, rope and stone following shortly after, Thom asked, "Why didn't you just let me climb back up and out?"

Madoc looked sheepish sprawled on the floor of this new cave and mumbled something about Thom being hurt.

"It's okay," Thom said, resting his hand on the knight's shoulder, "there ought to be another way out." The thief helped Madoc to his feet. He examined the shaft they had just fallen through. It had a double curve to it; there was no way to loop anything at the top of the shaft and the sides were glassy smooth. "There's no way we can get back out that way. Still, all this hot air isn't coming from that hole in the roof, so there's still another shaft somewhere."

It didn't take long to find it. It held considerably less promise than the other one. It vented hot, dry air out into the chamber, but no daylight was in evidence. That same glassy stone reflected a reddish glow. And Mount Silpin was a dormant volcano.

"I don't like the look of that," Thom said.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any other option. We can't go back the way we came, and we can't climb up to the sinkhole. It's in the middle of the roof; we'd never reach it. The only way out is down."

"Lennox is out there. If we can signal him...."

Madoc just shook his head. "We don't know that he'll ever find that sinkhole. And we've got the only rope."

Thom scowled and had the tact not to mention whose fault this was that they were now venturing closer to the volcano's center.

The second passage was much less steep. If they ever did have any good reason to return the way they had come, they could. The heat became almost unbearable. Both men were sweating buckets. The light broke through ahead, hurting their eyes after so much darkness.

The passage opened up into the very center of the mountain. The glow was emanating from the red-yellow lava that covered much of the floor of the cavern. The only rock that still survived was the ledge the two men were standing on, a few stalagmites and a nest in the very middle of the chamber. In the nest was a red dragon.

Both men stopped dead in their tracks. They both knew the legends about dragons. Different colors of dragons preferred different elements, and red dragons were creatures of fire. This firedrake, like all dragons, was also sensitive to the thoughts of humans. If Thom and Madoc thought too much, they would wake the sleeping beast.

Madoc began to move along the ledge, trying only to put one foot in front of the other and to look around incidentally for any possible exit.

Thom, meanwhile, had, if you'll pardon the pun, no idea how not to think. He remembered that old game, to stand in the corner and not think of a black bear. It wasn't possible not to think of the bear. And while Thom stared at the firedrake's head, a picture of a black bear in his mind, the dragon's eyes opened. Thom gulped.

<WHO HAS DARED TO DISTURB MY SLUMBER?> The words entered the men's heads directly, projected by the firedrake. <I SETTLED IN THIS MOUNTAIN SO THAT THE CONSTANT CHATTERING OF THE MINDS OF MEN WOULD NOT DISTURB ME, AND STILL YOU MUST INTERRUPT MY REST.>

Madoc began to speak. "We would like nothing more--"

<SILENCE. I ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING AND I CARE NOTHING FOR WHAT YOU WANT. I CAME TO THIS PLACE, MY SANCTUARY, TO AVOID HUMANITY. AND STILL YOU INSIST ON INTRUDING. YOU DISTURBED ME, HUMANS. YOU MUST DIE.>

The dragon unleashed its fire at them, exhaling white-hot flame. Each man dove to the side, splitting up. Madoc tucked and rolled, and drew his sword when he came to a stop. Thom merely leapt to the ground the other way, skidding gracelessly to a halt, scraping himself on the bare rock. He stayed low, hoping the creature's flame wouldn't find him. Madoc had found some shelter behind a large stone.

The dragon's eyes narrowed. It began to uncoil, its long serpentine body expanding to fill most of its nest, sticking out beyond the island in the lava toward them. It roared as it stretched, flexing long-unused muscles. (How long had it stayed under the mountain, seeking solitude?) It considered its two targets, and craned its neck to incinerate the thief.

Thom stayed flat, facing away from the creature, not wanting to move. Madoc, however, watched, and was prepared. He yelled a battle cry and charged at the dragon's neck.

Madoc knew that, despite what the legends say, in any battle between one dragon and one knight, the dragon will win every time. The dragon is more flexible, is more manoeuvrable, and has a greater range of attack because it need not be in contact with its enemy. Its fiery breath can kill from quite a distance. The knight stands no chance.

Here, however, Sir Madoc realized the dragon had none of these advantages over him. There was nowhere to fly to, no exposed sky to escape to, and it had to stay close to its enemies because of its sheer size and closed-in quarters. In fact, the only way it could possibly have gotten into the cave in the first place was to enter the last time the volcano was active, and seal up the cone behind it. In here, a knight stood a chance of survival. Sir Madoc charged.

Thom heard Madoc roar as he attacked the beast and turned to look. He saw the firedrake bearing down on him. He scrambled to get out of the way.

Madoc slashed at the creature's neck.

The dragon did have one advantage left to it: its thick hide. Scales and all.

Madoc slashed again quickly off the rebound. Not that his sword wasn't having any effect; Madoc's blade had the beast's ichor on it. It just wasn't a serious wound.

The dragon contorted its neck to examine this pest. Madoc retreated before the dragon could flame him, though it did try.

Thom got to his feet and examined his surroundings. There were other cave mouths on the far end of the chamber which might lead to the surface. If they could just leave the lair, the dragon wouldn't be able to follow. But they had to move more or less together because of Madoc's ring that kept his prisoner, Thom, within twenty feet. And if the dragon ever caught the humans together, they'd both be dead. Distracting the dragon was the only thing keeping them alive. There weren't any passages to the outside at this end anyway, only the one that led back to the horsephlox and a dead end.

If Thom didn't distract the dragon soon, Sir Madoc would die, and he, Thom, wouldn't last long either. But he was unarmed. He didn't even have a rock to throw. He had to think fast.

Thinking. The dragon could read thoughts. Thom thought of fires: candles, lanterns, torches. The dragon's concentration seemed to be divided, but not enough. Thom tried to concentrate more. Campfires, bonfires, a burning building. The dragon slowed down. Madoc managed to dodge one of its claws. The bigger the fire, the more the dragon reacted to the thought.

Thom remembered a story he'd heard from his uncle about a neighboring king's effort to end his thief problem. He set fire to an entire forest noted for being a refuge for thieves. Thom had always hated the idea and had had nightmares about becoming trapped among burning trees, the smoke in his eyes, choking him, the blaze finally consuming his body. But he pursued the thought, imagining the biggest, most horrific blaze the world had ever seen.

The dragon keened, its eyes glowing. It attacked Madoc ruthlessly. It surged toward him with full flame emerging from its throat. Madoc jumped out of the way, but not in time. His leg was caught in the fire. Madoc ducked back behind the rocks. Once he was no longer in immediate danger, he rolled on the ground to put out his hose.

Thom was amazed at his stupidity. A firedrake would enjoy thoughts of fire. He was helping the dragon. Thom briefly considered just forgetting the fire, but he had a brainstorm: a rainstorm. He put out the fire in his thoughts with the most torrential downpour he could imagine. The trees hissed and smoked and the blaze died.

The dragon screamed. It was working.

Thom continued to conjure images of dying fire. Snuffing candles, pouring water on a campfire. Then he abandoned the fire altogether and focussed on the water. He remembered nearly drowning outside Polyny City, he remembered playing in the rain only an hour before. Oceans, rivers, cataracts, geysers, floods, whirlpools.

Finally the dragon broke off its attack on Sir Madoc and faced the thief. <STOP!> it commanded. Thom was knocked backward by the sheer weight of the dragon's mind focussed on him. He stumbled and hit the cave wall behind him. He fell to the side just as the wall became scorched black from dragonbreath. Thom hit the ground rolling and fell off the side of the cliff.

Thom managed to grip an outcropping in the side of the ledge but he was exposed and unable to move. The dragon had him.

"No!!" Madoc screamed. He ran toward the two of them.

The firedrake turned to face the knight. It could kill the thinker when it wanted now. Kill the warrior who was rushing headlong toward death, and it would have peace. It opened up its mouth to flame.

But Madoc had anticipated this and instinctively launched his sword straight at the dragon's head. It pierced the roof of the beast's mouth, straight into its brain. Instead of flame, ichor drained from the dragon's mouth as it weakened. Peace....

The creature could no longer support the weight of its head and slumped forward and down, tumbling off its nest into the lava below. The smell of charred flesh rose from the pit.

Madoc reached Thom's position a desperate man. He reached down to pull Thom up. Thom reached up and clutched the knight's wrist. As he clambered up to safety, he said, "You said that sword was valuable, and I can't think of a safer place to keep it--" Madoc yanked the thief all the way to the ledge and held him close. "What?" Thom asked, surprised.

"I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn't lose you. It would be my fault...."

Thom hugged back. "It's alright." He smiled. "I'm still here, I'm fine. Oh, but how's your leg? You looked like you were burned pretty bad, and that was my fault."

"How could that have been your fault?" Madoc asked, pulling back out of the embrace just enough to look Thom in the eye. Just then, some piece of the dragon exploded as it was finally exposed to molten rock.

"I'll tell you after we get out of here." He checked the horsephlox stuck in his belt. It was wilting, but alright. The two men sought a way out of the caves.

It took them a while, but they finally emerged from the mountain. The rain had stopped again. Madoc was only limping slightly; the burn was superficial. If the burn was washed and bandaged, he would be fine. But they needed more bandages.

On foot, they managed to find Lennox's pool. The water level had gone down, but the sediment was settling and the water was cleaner. Off came Madoc's riding boots, and Thom tore the very ends off the knight's hose for impromptu socks. The calf sections were torn out and shredded for bandages, though the one was mostly burnt already. Thom reflected that by the end of this adventure, Madoc might be forced to tear up all of his clothes. What an idea. While he was taking Madoc's hose to bits, he explained about how thinking about fire, and then water helped to distract the dragon. "Now what did you mean about losing me and it being your fault?"

"I dragged you into this quest. I was the one who got us stuck in that cave. If you died, I'd be responsible."

"But you didn't have any choice about that. And I never once objected. The longer we stay on this quest, the longer I stay out of jail." Madoc looked up at him, then frowned again. "Is there more to it than that?" Thom probed.

Madoc looked down and shook his head. "I can't do it. I can't lose you, not even to turn you over to King Dunstan. I don't know what I'm going to do. I--" He faltered, then looked directly into Thom's bright, beautiful hazel eyes and said, "I love you."

Thom's jaw dropped. He was struck dumb. Madoc had suggested once before, very subtly, that he loved Thom, but he never thought he'd hear him say it. His slackened jaw tightened into a gleeful smile. "By the gods, Madoc, I love you too. I didn't think you wanted to hear it."

Madoc pulled Thom in close and kissed him. Thom opened his mouth and let the knight in. With their love free and in the open, it was as though their souls were touching. It was terrifying to think how much they needed each other, but they made each other stronger, and together nothing could beat them. But how would they stay together? They broke the kiss.

"Let's go back to the cave," Thom whispered.

Madoc put his boots back on and they went down the familiar path to where Fleetfire was waiting.

They found him eating his way through a large pile of cut weeds. Lennox must have taken care of it, though he was nowhere in sight. They kissed again as they entered the cave. They found the blanket and stretched it open. As Madoc laid it out smooth, Thom remembered suddenly what the strange plants at the mouth of the cave were.

"These are custard pods! Not real custard, of course. Come here, you have to try one; they're delicious." Madoc came over. Thom tried to pick one, but only ended up squirting the creamy insides up along Madoc's nose and into Madoc's hair, making an absurd cowlick. Thom giggled at him. Madoc wiped some of the slimy cream off his forehead and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. Thom proceeded to lick the rest off and they kissed again while they undressed. When they were done Thom clutched at Madoc and they fell to the ground. Madoc came down on top. They soul-kissed and writhed uncontrollably in their desire for each other.

Madoc became aware that his straining pole was comfortably pressed between Thom's cheeks. He twitched his cock and Thom sighed. Madoc stopped. He looked at Thom, and remembered how Lennox had licked at his ass last night. (How could that only have been last night? It was a lifetime ago.) While that idea had no appeal, he thought he had a better one. The vision of Thom, bent down onto all fours above him on the mountainside, his ass athletically firm and perfect before Madoc's eyes, came back to mind.

"May I?" He indicated may-I-what by thrusting his dick between Thom's buns.

"You want to fuck me?" Thom asked. Madoc just nodded. Thom considered a second. If Lennox's tongue could turn him on.... "Let's give it a try." Madoc smiled and kissed Thom once more before getting up. He went over and picked three of the pods, stalks and all.

Madoc positioned himself, and Thom raised and opened his legs for him. Madoc spread Thom's ass with one hand and emptied a pod with the other, squirting it into his cleft. He then used his hand to grease him up. "Inside too," Thom suggested. "It helps." Madoc used his finger to spread some of the cream just inside Thom's opening. "Deeper," he breathed. Madoc switched fingers and pushed his middle finger farther in. It entered easily, but he looked down. One finger probably wasn't going to be enough. He broke a second pod and tried to insert two fingers at once. Thom braced himself against the penetration. With a little effort, both fingers went inside. Thom grimaced a little. Madoc stopped. "No, keep going," Thom encouraged. "I'll get used to it." Madoc twisted his fingers around to open Thom up and he happened to find Thom's prostate. He gasped and said, "Right there!" Madoc brushed the spot again and Thom jerked down onto the knight's fingers. Madoc fingered him for a while until Thom finally said, "Please, Madoc, stick it in me. Let me feel what your cock is like."

Madoc removed his fingers and broke open the last pod. He smeared the cream over his member and held it at Thom's opening.

Thom felt the heat of Madoc's pecker at his asshole and pulled up his ass a little to make it easier for him to get in.

Madoc leaned over Thom and pushed. When the head of Madoc's dick pushed through Thom's gate, Thom pushed out. Madoc slid forward, inserting all of his seven inches into Thom. Thom cried out in pleasure. Madoc fell forward on top of Thom, who sat up a little to come face to face. Thom kissed the knight. He was used to the feeling of the slender metal pick in its case inside of him, but this was something entirely different. Madoc was thicker and hotter, and he felt fuller. He was ready. He said, "What are you waiting for?"

Madoc leisurely pulled back and eased forward. Thom's ass was very tight, keeping a firm grip on the knight's mighty lance. He slowly thrust into his lover until Thom could no longer stand the anticipation. Thom dug his heels into Madoc's ass, driving him deep within his own bowels.

"Come on, Madoc, do it! Fuck me! Harder!"

Madoc's eyes shone as he picked up the pace. Thom did what he could, rocking to the rhythm, hips and ass colliding again and again. Every time Madoc pulled out, Thom felt the loss of not having his friend inside of him. On the outstroke, Thom tried to clamp down on Madoc's member to keep him there a split second longer.

Madoc grunted with each stroke. The satiny sides of Thom's hot hole gripped his staff, squeezing him and drawing him inward.

Thom couldn't believe how much pleasure he was getting from it. He was moaning syllables of encouragement, disbelief and bliss randomly. Seeing stars. Gasping for breath. He reached down to see to his own cock, and found that he was now dripping pre-cum.

Madoc was panting, pistoning in and out of the thief with the action native to every male. Sweat poured off him, a product of exertion and the volcanic wind.

They rutted like animals. Madoc relentlessly pounded Thom. Thom writhed on the ground. All reason had left them. Later they could make love. Now they were hungry; they needed the heat, the friction of out- and-out sex.

All too soon, the sensations became too much for Thom. He lost all control and cried out like a wild beast, firing searing hot semen all over himself and Madoc. It came out in great torrents, splattering them.

Thom's rectum pulsed as he came, sending Madoc over the top. He picked up the howl just as Thom finished and erupted inside the thief, spreading his essence over Thom's insides.

When he was finally spent, Madoc collapsed onto Thom, exhausted. Thom locked his legs around his friend's and gripped his back with his arms. They began to kiss again, sharing tongues, air and spit, licking necks and nibbling ears, unable to stop themselves.

With his love still inside him, Thom reached over and grabbed the edge of the blanket, rolling them both over until they were in their favorite position. They nuzzled each other until, eventually, they fell asleep.

The two woke nearly simultaneously. Sometime during their slumber they had become disengaged from their joining. They unrolled themselves from the blanket and disentangled themselves. They were sticky from Thom's half-dried cum. They were also somewhat overheated and elected to wait awhile at the mouth of the cave, then wash again.

Fleetfire was still there. Madoc checked him to ensure that he was doing well. They'd been riding him hard the last week. Perhaps they should lead him back on foot this trip.

As Madoc pondered how best to care for his horse, Thom watched him. He found it difficult to believe any one person could matter so much to him. The knight felt Thom's eyes upon him. He turned back and smiled.

"So what do we do now?" Thom asked.

Madoc turned again to face his steed. "I wish I knew. If I do anything but turn you in, I jeopardize my position and my life. I could let you go, but we could not be together, so that is no solution. To be true to my duty, I would have to lose you."

"You could give it up. Your position, I mean. Just go missing and we'd both be outlaws. I'd have to give up thievery too, since you'd never allow it, but we could find a way to live."

Madoc paused in tending to Fleetfire. "I don't know that I could do that. Being a knight is more than a job or a duty. It's terribly important to me. I don't know that I could give it up... but..." Thom could hear the growing despair in Madoc's voice and sensed that they were suddenly swimming in deeper waters.

Thom walked over and held Madoc from behind. "We'll find some way. We still have some time to work out how." He turned his head to the side to rest it against Madoc's back. His gaze fell on a rock that was sitting near the entrance to the cave. It was sitting on top of a piece of paper. "What's that?"

"Where?" Madoc turned to look. When he saw the rock, he went over to get it. Thom did his best to stay in position behind him. Madoc crouched down to pick it up, Thom hugging him all the while. Madoc unfolded the paper. It was the list of items they had been retrieving, in Eleazar's hand. What was it doing out here? Madoc turned it over.

On the other side was a note from Lennox. The list had been the only paper he could find. It said:

I had an idea about your quest. Why don't you just ask another

wizard if they could spare the ingredients for the cause of the

people of Cairncross?

Lennox

Thom read the note over Madoc's shoulder. Madoc read it a second time and blinked.

"Why in the Seven Hells didn't we think of that?" Thom said.

"All that trouble: Kraid's Marauders, the dragon..." Madoc began to laugh. "That horrid dinner with Tybalt." Madoc completely broke up.

Thom began to giggle. "Running from Tybalt's guards, nearly drowning ourselves in the Polyny Sea, hanging out of windows, crawling through caves, getting used to riding that bloody horse of yours!" The tension from their problems was finally beginning to abate. They were falling down laughing now.

"But we have the evidence against Tybalt now," Madoc said once they had calmed down.

"And we got Lennox away from the Marauders," Thom added.

"And we got each other. I'd say things went better this way," Madoc finished.

Thom clasped his hand to Madoc's crossways, a sign of strength. "We'll get through." Madoc gripped back. "Let's get cleaned up. I know where there's a wizard we can ask."

With a fresh resolve, the two prepared to complete their quest.