The Werebears of Adengaan - Chapter Nine

 The Werebears of Adengaan - Chapter Nine

by

MC

Gaden opened his eyes to welcome the sunlight beams penetrating through the trees. It was a gorgeous, cool late summer morning and the sun had barely risen. Laying on his side, he opted not to move. A furry arm was draped over him from behind and another hand lightly rested on his hip. He smiled as the heat from Brunaulf warmed his back and his cock twitched as he remembered the pleasant evening the three spent together. Looking around the campsite his eyes drifted to the wagon where he remembered the sword he stowed. As much as he wanted to have another round with the two werebears, this was a chance for him to finish the work he needed to on the sword. They were entering into dangerous territory. If enchanting the sword was going to serve Bruanulf any purpose, it had to be now or never. Carefully, he loosened himself from the big arm draped over him and sat up. Brunaulf stirred, but didn't wake, turning over and nuzzling into the other werebear before resuming slow, rhythmic breathing.

Shivering in the crisp morning without the heat from his lover he threw on a shirt and shorts from the wagon. Quietly unpacking the sword from his belongings, he walked to the other side of their camp and sat down. Gaden crossed his legs and laid the sword, unwrapped, across them. Placing one hand on the pommel and one on the blade near the tip, he began the enchantment of the sword. It wasn't a difficult process for Gaden - enchanting always came easy to him - but it takes time for the enchantment to hold. Gaden visualized the process as a combination of rearranging the metal and infusing it with a semi-intelligent purpose. Only a half hour later and he felt the sword "align" with intent. The mage smiled - Garret was indeed good. No, better than good he considered as he felt the minute structures within the blade with his mind. That man was a master of his craft! Normally this process would have taken two to three times as long, but Garret’s work was exceptional. Carefully, he rewrapped the sword and returned to the wagon, swapping the sword for an iron pan and meat.

The sizzle of cool meat hitting a hot pan was all that was needed to rouse the two werebears from their slumber, noses twitching. The two men yawned and stretched in place fully extending their bodies as if coming out of a hibernation.

"Oh, you decided to wake up," Gaden stated with mock sarcasm as he started pouring tea, "I thought I was going to have to finish this mission all by myself with you two preparing for hibernation and all." He offered a mug to Brunaulf who came over to accept it. Kissing him on the forehead he matched his lover's mock sarcasm.

"Good morning to you, too!"

"Would you like some tea, Uncle Karn?" Gaden offered.

Karn nodded accepting the mug, "Thank you, cubby."

The three ate quickly, mostly in silence. The smoked meat acquired in Ascot was absolutely delicious. Little time was wasted to enjoy and savour their breakfast. Karn was the first to finish and start breaking camp, with the other two finishing shortly after and preparing the wagon for the day's travel. With no activity sighted yesterday, it was agreed the werebears would spend the morning in human form. Brunaulf opted not to dress in his armour choosing only to wear a sword at his side in the event of trouble. Gaden seized his opportunity.

"Hey Brunaulf," the mage called from the end of the wagon, "what's the length of your sword?"

Brunaulf smiled at the double entendre falling in his lap.

"Long enough to satisfy any job you need doing, you should know that by now." He smiled. Gaden sighed.

"Not THAT sword, goofball!"

"Its slightly custom, thirty-nine and a half inches."

"Good," Gaden stepped away from the back of the wagon revealing the mastercraft sword.

"This should fit your scabbard nicely," he turned the pommel toward Brunaulf.

Surprised, the big man walked toward the sword, gingerly wrapping his beefy hand around the handle. Gaden moved away as Brunaulf started testing the weight of his new prize.

"Its so well balanced," the werebear commented, continuing the test the sword with strokes in the air, "and its as if the handle was made just for my hand!" Gaden smiled.

"I'm not surprised. Garret seems to know you well."

Brunaulf stopped in his tracks and looked at Gaden surprised.

"How do you know Garret?"

"Blind chance, actually. I was looking for a blacksmith and ran into his shop. Got to talking and mentioned who I was. He didn't give me too many details, but surmised this was for you. Apparently you like to kiss and tell."

Brunaulf blushed at the accusation. Gaden continued.

"He also must love you as much as I do with how hard he worked on it to have it ready for this journey. This is a masterwork sword, and he did it overnight."

Brunaulf looked back the sword in awe, testing it again with a few playful strokes. Smiling he walked over to the mage holding the sword like a child with a new toy he didn't want to part with and gave his love a big hug.

"Thank you Gaden. I love it. I’ll have to thank Garrett appropriately... later." he smiled and there was a twitch at his groin.

Karn looked on at the exchange the two were having, sipped his tea, smiling and saying nothing. The mage had more to say.

"There's more though. I put an enchantment on it that may help in combat. May I?" He reached for the sword back. Brunaulf gave him the sword and the went to the back of the wagon where an empty barrel was on the edge. Gaden applied some magic to the barrel and turned to the werebear.

"Strike the barrel with your old sword."

The werebear lined up and struck. A ding was heard in the air as if the sword clanged against metal. The barrel was untouched.

"Allow me," Gaden offered. He lined up his blow with the new sword. Just before contact the sword took on an orange glow. A cracking sound could be heard and the mage left a nice nick in the barrel. Brunaulf was amazed.

"I was thinking about this after King Halben mentioned magic might be at play here. It won’t penetrate everything, but it can make it through most types of magic shields and barriers. It’s going to take practice though. Enchanted items will seem to have a personality, a 'will' of their own so to speak. The key is to think of the weapon as an extension of you as you are an extension of the sword." He handed the sword back to the bear, enchanting the barrel again with a simple shield.

"Give it a try. Concentrate on feeling the sword, joining the sword, then strike."

Brunaulf took a moment to concentrate before trying to land a blow. The sword clanged against some invisible metal. He tried again without success, and again. After several more attempts he just stared at the sword, then the barrel, with expression of mild disgust. Gaden put an arm around his love

"This is brand new to you. It takes time," the mage offered, "Adengaan wasn't built in a day. You'll get it. Besides, its still a gorgeous sword, no?"

Brunaulf smiled, once again hefting it in his hand before placing it in his scabbard.

"It is. She feels great to hold and swing. Arguably the best I've ever held. Thank you, Gaden." He pulled Gaden in roughly with one arm and kissed him on the cheek.

"There's one other thing for you this morning." Karn said rummaging through his belongings on the other side of the cart. Finding what he was looking for he came around to the front side facing Brunaulf. It was the pendant of the bear shimmering in the morning sun.

"These two pendants were symbols of a bond between two people," Uncle Karn started to say as he opened the loop of the chain, "two people who loved each other, cared about each other: A werebear and his candidate." The Karn slipped the pendant over Brunaulf's head.

"I'm not a huge believer in fate, but it seems right considering Gaden's came from Jamder."

The younger bear lifted the pendant up in his meaty hand to admire it. The jewel in the bear's eye seemed to twinkle in the sun's rays. Karn critically assessed the scene in front of him. Two men in love, each with a matching pendant.

“Looks good, the two of you.” Karn approved.

"Thank you, papa." Brunaulf smiled, putting the pendant under his shirt so the cool metal could warm against his body.

"Welcome, son." Karn drew him in for a hug.

The first four hours on the road-like path were uneventful and the three companions enjoyed the opportunity to enjoy the nature unfolding before them. Wildlife abounded around them, if they knew where to look. A multitude of different kinds of birds in the trees sang to each other. A group of four squirrels were running up and down a tree as if they were playing a game of tag. They gave the horse a rest by a waterfall to the left of the path where they stood listening to the rush of the water crashing on rocks. The heat of the day started penetrating below the tree canopy by the time they stopped for a meal.

"We shouldn't dally too long," Gaden suggested, "we could be getting close and we need to be on our guard."

"You're probably right," Brunaulf agreed. "maybe after we eat we should set our decoy treasure into place and..."

He immediately stopped mid sentence, nostrils flairing. He quickly turned to Karn who sniffed, took a moment to process what he was smelling, and nodded.

"What?" said Gaden.

"People," Brunaulf said, "a group. Maybe five"

Karn stepped away from the group as if to get some cleaner air and grabbed another whiff.

"Six, at least." He said, walking back, "To our southwest. Definitely not on the trail. Maybe a quarter mile?"

"This could be our chance," Gaden said, "If they're not on the trail, then they might be in a camp. If we are careful we could sneak up and get a better idea of what we're dealing with without being detected."

The werebears nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I have an idea," the mage continued, "get into your armour, quickly. Don't worry about making noise, I can cover that. Just get ready. I'll get the horse off the path and we'll use this waterfall as a marker for where we leave the horse."

The three each got to work on their respective tasks. After about twenty minutes with their preparations complete, Gaden returned to the path where they were waiting.

"Brunaulf, remember when I snuck up on you completely silently as you caught fish during our... vacation?" Gaden said smiling.

Brunaulf smiled back, "Yeah."

"Same plan, but all of us this time. It doesn't last long, but it should be long enough."

Brunaulf directed his attention to Karn.

"He's going to make our travel absolutely silent," the younger werebear explained, "even our armour. It wont make a sound. You got the best nose of the three of us, why the gods gave that to you I don't know," Brunaulf made a show of rolling his eyes, "but that means you should take point. Gaden in the middle, I'll sweep."

"Agreed," Said Karn, "and I got it because they like me best!"

"I hope you don't plan to keep bantering as we go," Gaden chided, "because I'm triggering the dispel to talking. That way we can shout for help if needs be. Okay, ready?"

The werebears nodded. Gaden focused his will and touched each of his companions on the forehead. Without a word, he stood to the side and made a bow with a flourish, inviting Karn to lead the way. Karn scrunched up his face and moved out, utterly silent with his two companions staggered behind him. Brunaulf allowed his thoughts to wander as he moved through the woods. It was eerily similar to stalking in bear form. His padded feet would make almost no sound against ground as he roamed through the woods. The werebear thought it was unfortunate so few men would get the opportunity to live the werebear life. Few were somehow selected to be candidates, the rest would have to live this vicariously through magic. That assumed of course a mage even knew werebears existed. It was an odd clash of senses at times. His eyes would see him break a stick under his foot, but the crack made no sound. No creaks and clangs from his amour, nothing. As far as the sounds of the forest went, it was as if the three of them weren’t there.

It didn't take long for Karn to stop, raising a hand and while keeping the hand raised pointed forward. Without lowering the hand, he made the symbol for "two" to indicate two people. The "two" quickly changed to "four". He started motioning for his companions to come and see what he was seeing. Forty feet ahead the forrest opened up into a clearing with two buildings. A smaller one made of wood with thatched roof, the larger stone. Four well armoured men were casually hanging around in the space between the buildings. One was tending a fire, two were cleaning gear, and the fourth seemed to be taking inventory of a wagon. The door from the larger building opened and a thin figure in a black shirt and pants came outside. His facial features made him look to be about twenty, but his short hair and beard were absolutely white. He casually walked over to the man taking inventory.

"Any news?" The white-haired man asked.

"None" the soldier said. "I doubt they're going to pay."

"A pity," he replied. "Bring the boy out."

The soldier stopped his accounting and walked to the smaller hut and went inside. He and another solider exited with a boy who looked to be about thirteen in dirty clothes. One soldier held each arm. The child struggled but was easily overpowered by the two men as they escorted him to the black figure.

"So, it seems your parents have decided not to pay the ransom. A pity, really."

"Please sir," the boy begged, "there must be some mistake. My parents don't have money. Let me go, please."

"That's not the way this works," the man said. "The way it works is they pay the money, or we hold you until they do, or until we know they're not going to pay. That would be very, very unfortunate for you."

The boy, angry about not being able to leave and the implied threat, tried to lunge forward and kick the man holding him captive. The men held firm though and the boy's kick was clearly short. The white haired man ruefully smiled.

"Well that's not very nice," he cooed, "apparently your parents never taught you manners. Maybe its because you were never punished for your actions. Perhaps some discipline will teach you some manners." He looked at one of the guards holding the boy, nodded, and turned to walk back into the larger building.

The two guards manhandled the boy over to a solitary post sticking out of the ground. As they tried to tie the boy's hands to the post he managed to break one of his hands free and punch one of the guards on the side of the face. A solid blow in return ended the boy's struggle as he was bound with his chest facing the post. The soldier who was struck went to a barrel by the large building while another pulled the shirt up over the boy's head. The big soldier returned from the barrel with a leather strap and started winding one end in his hand.

Brunaulf started to get up from his crouch, but Gaden jumped in front of him, blocking his path. He shook his head vigorously mouthing the words "NOT YET." The big man was conflicted. Visions of what he endured as a kid flooded his mind. However, the odds were against them and they knew less than nothing about the situation or their leader. There could be more people they didn't know about making a bad situation worse. His thoughts were interrupted by the crack of leather and a scream from the boy. Eyes squinting, Brunaulf pushed Gaden aside and started his charge toward the whipping post. Karn and Gaden exchanged a quick glance before chasing after the enraged werebear committed to the fight here and now.

The silence of Brunalf's approach created a trick of senses for the soldiers. They saw the man running but with no sound it was uncertain if he was real. The roar Brunaulf let out as his sword flew and the blood splattering from the whipping man's head reassured the other mercenaries the large man and the two companions behind him were very, very real. Gathering their composure they broke off into two groups. One decided to take on Brunaulf, two ran for Karn and Gaden. As swords clanged and battle cries exchanged, the black clothed figure emerged from the larger building. He observed the fight going on in front of him and smiled.

“Time to play,” he said, striding toward the battle.

Gaden noticed the man after shooting a magic arrow into a soldier, disabling him. No weapons, no armour, but walking toward them? He broke off from the fighting to pursue the figure, but Brunaulf beat him there. The big man wound up for a mighty blow and swung. He was rewarded with a loud clang but not a scratch on the man. The white haired man smiled. Brunaulf made another swing with the same result.

“Move along now, you bore me” the mysterious figure said and with a wave of the hand a wall of energy moved toward the werebear, lifting him off his feet and throwing him backward. He slammed against the wall of the smaller building and slumped to a sitting position, trying to shake the cobwebs of being knocked around from his head. He was very slow to get up.

Seeing this, Gaden tried to buy him time and fight magic with magic. He let three magic arrows fly toward the mysterious man. All three reflected of the mysterious man's body in different directions leaving him unscathed. This got the attention of the figure as he turned slightly to face the young mage.

“That's so cute!” the man said, smiling mischievously.

“My turn!”

Two rocks about a foot in diameter shot out from the mage's hand in rapid succession. Gaden quickly erected a magical barrier around himself before the first one hit. With a loud crack the rock shattered but it also brought his barrier down. The second hit him square in the torso, carrying him backwards ten feet. Brunaulf rose to his feet just in time to see Gaden flying through the air and watched him slam against the small house twenty feet away from him and fall to the ground slumped against the side of the house. The he watched helplessly as the small boulder rolled off the young mage. Gaden coughed up some blood, but his eyes were closed and he didn't move.

Brunaulf dashed for the man he loved and knelt next to him frantically searching for a pulse. He couldn't make one out. He studied the broken body before him for any signs of life but there didn't seem to be any.

“No, no, no-no-no-no-no-” the big man said to himself out loud, “please, no, please Gods, no!” He inspected Gaden's body again, hoping he could find a heartbeat or see some breathing. The clanging of Karn's sword and the maniacal laughter of the mage in black faded away as he cursed himself for charging headlong into this situation. His rash action could mean this man whose love he had just begun to explore - a love he hoped would last lifetimes - would be killed. Brunaulf ripped the gauntlet off of his left hand and pulled a knife from his right leg. Tipping the head back of the lifeless man, he held his hand over Gaden's mouth, the knife against his palm. His blood might be enough to save his life, but it was against the rules. He knelt there wrestling with his ethics, his love for this man doing battle against the need to follow the rules. He wanted this man to live, but this man never agreed to the change. His mind locked with such conflict, guilt and indecision his hand started to shake from gripping the knife so tightly.

"He's going to die you know." A voice came from behind Brunaulf, "if he's not dead already. He was going to die anyway. It was only a matter of time, and there's nothing you can do about it." The white haired man began to chuckle again at the soldier’s suffering.

"Don't worry, you'll be joining him. Soon, but not too soon." He continued laughing at the misery before him.

Brunaulf's eyes narrowed. He never turned around to acknowledge the taunting voice behind him, but instead slit his hand, letting the knife cut deep into his palm. Blood flowed freely from his hand into Gaden's mouth in a thin stream. Almost as quickly as the cut was made it started to heal zipping closed from one end to the other in a matter of ten or fifteen seconds. He put the knife back into its sheath and picked up his sword, turning back to the mage and marching toward him with intent. Brunaulf tried to will the sword to life as he swung. Three, four, five strokes clanged against the mage while he stood there smiling. Brunaulf was cursing himself, getting frustrated he couldn't get the sword's enchantment to activate.

"Seems you're not afraid of death," the mage mused in contemplation. If you're not afraid of death, I wonder what you are afraid of.

Brunaulf went to make another stroke when he felt something pass into his body. It was a peculiar sensation almost as if something was trying to explore his mind, his feelings. The mage's expression was blank for several seconds before coming back into focus.

"Interesting," the white haired man observed. "I never expected something like that from such a big, tough man." his expression changed to an evil smile.

"It will be fun watching you die."

He began laughing as the world around Brunaulf dropped away. It seemed like his world was made of four walls that were melting down to the ground with a new backdrop appearing behind it. Brunaulf got dizzy, falling to one knee as he felt weak and panicked as his body started to change. His body hair fell out and his broad musculature started to evaporate. His armor fell off of him disappearing into nothingness as he shrank well over a foot in height. He reached up to his face and felt nothing but smooth skin. He rose to his feet and looked at himself to discover not the brute he was but the rail thin, twelve year old boy he had been. He frantically looked around at his surroundings; he wasn't in a forest, he was in a place he wished he could forget.

He was in Ascot, in the orphanage.

"Welcome home!" The mage announced to the boy Brunaulf. "Did you miss me?" Suddenly the mage started to transform. His white hair turned brown, he gained weight as his chest broadened out, and a leather strap materialized in his hand.

"Because I missed you!" the man who now looked like Fullas said, smiling.

Brunaulf panicked in fear and bolted for the door, but it was locked.

"Where are you going, Brunaulf?" Fullas said in a singsong voice, "You know you've been a bad boy, haven't you? And you know what happens to bad boys."

Fullas grabbed Brunaulf by the arm and pulled him over to the punishment wall. The young boy tried to struggle but the strength of this younger Fullas overmatched a thin weak twelve year old. He was grabbed by each wrist from behind and had his palms pressed against the wall. The stone wall seemed to melt around the boy's hands and then hardened again, locking his hands within the stone, and try as he might he couldn't pull his hands free from the wall.

"That's better." Fullas said as he sent the lash flying against Brunaulf's back. The young boy screamed in pain. Not given a chance to recover, another stroke made contact causing Brunaulf to scream and squirm.

"It was wrong for you to disobey me, to run away." Another lash made contact against the screaming boy.

"The other boys had to take the punishment for you after you left, you know." This lash drew blood against the boy's back.

"When you left, ran away into the woods, you should have died."

****************************************

Gaden's eyes fluttered open, barely able to see. His stomach was in excruciating pain and could barely draw breath. He couldn't feel his legs and his left arm wouldn't move. Moving his head forward to get a view of his surroundings it looked bleak. Karn was trying to defend himself against two attackers and looked hurt but struggled on. The big werebear was awash in blood and he couldn't tell if it was Karn’s or his enemy's. The mysterious mage was standing over Brunaulf, his eyes out of focus and distant, while Brunaulf lay on the ground screaming and writhing in pain seeming to stare at things in his imagination. The young mage couldn't stand to see Brunaulf suffering on the ground and had to figure out how he could help, but he couldn't move and everything hurt. Using all the concentration he could muster to block the pain, he tried to critically assess the situation happening in front of him. The out of focus eyes both of them had and the lack of movement from this mystery attacker meant it had to be some form of illusionary or mental attack.

He gathered himself together and tried to draw all the will he could muster to dispel the magic. No effect. This guy was good, really good. He tried to release a spell that would break the link, but the strength he had left was too weak to have any effect.

Another series of agonizing screams from the big werebear started to put Gaden into a panic. He didn't know how long this had been going on, but it was theoretically possible to create such a frenzy in someone's mind they could be killed just from the shock of the illusion. Gaden cursed himself for his cavalier attitude toward this mission.

"You thought you were such a big shot that this mission would be easy." Gaden thought to himself. "So good at such a young age, one of the youngest to go to the Mage's Guild in Adengaan. A lot of good it’s doing you now." Another series of screams bellowed from Brunaulf as he continued down his line of self-pity, "and now we're all going to die because of it. The worst part of it is I'll never have the chance to tell him I was going to accept the change - that I would become a werebear - that I was willing to give up the life I could have had so that I could be with him."

"If only I could tell him how much I love him before I die."

A thought flashed across Gaden's mind breaking him out of his self-pity. He may not have the strength to break the link, but nothing was stopping him from making a link with Brunaulf on his own. Closing his eyes and blocking out the pain as best he could, he reached out with his will to bend the universe to his desire to create a link with the man he loved.

Brunaulf was openly sobbing as blood ran down his back. Even his worst punishments were only fifteen lashes and now he was three short of thirty. His back felt like it was on fire and his knees were starting to feel weak. He was wondering if this was the end and he was going to die. The man who looked like Fullas seemed to pick up on that thought.

"Don't worry, little Brunaulf," the drunkard laughed, "you’ll be dead soon enough, but not before I’m done with my fun, so don’t worry, you won’t die before I’m finished with you" and let loose another stroke. Brunaulf fell to one knee screaming and crying. He was out of his mind in pain wishing there was some way any way, to get out of this. He was starting to welcome the idea of death.

Instantly, he flashed to the gate at Adengaan standing in front of Gaden. The mage was holding the papers from His Majesty waiting for them to be inspected. The Brunaulf drew a deep breath catching the intoxicating scent from the man for what seemed to be the first time.

A lash shattered the memory and the boy screamed again, falling on both knees.

Another scene replaced the orphanage. He was surveying the fields in front of Adengaan from a watchtower. Gaden was running at full speed. His muscular limbs exerting their power.

A lash destroyed this memory as the boy went limp, only his arms being held up by the stone wall.

Brunaulf was in the royal palace, holding the scroll of the oath that Gaden was reading, trying to keep his mind focused on his task and not the handsomely masculine man in front of him.

He was in his home, standing over an injured Gaden, worried that he was too late summoning the herbalist.

He was shrugging at Gaden, laughing butt naked as he turned to get supper from the brook.

He was snuggling with Gaden under the stars.

Thoughts and images of Gaden and their time together started to cascade and run together turning over each other in rapid succession, accelerating their pace in changing from scene to scene. The frenetic pace of the images toppling over each other became too much and the orphanage around Brunaulf shattered as if it was made of mirrors. He found himself laying on the ground in the field where the battle started. His amulet and new sword humming softly and glowing a pale blue in his open hand. Reorienting himself to his surroundings he looked over to Gaden whose amulet was also glowing.

He turned his attention to the white haired mage. The werebear was seething with rage and felt violated to his core. This white-haired man forfeited his right to live, and Gods help him he was going to kill this man. Brunaulf rose to his feet. Charging at the smiling mage, bellowing as loudly as he could, he thrust the sword forward with all his strength and closed his eyes. He felt the sword as if it were part of him, as if it grew from the end of his wrist.

The sword glowed bright orange, like the coals of a roaring fire, for a brief moment before the blade made contact. A small booming sound carried through the air as the blade shattered the black garbed mage’s shield. He opened his eyes and looked down to find blood on his hands. It was coming from the gaping wound in the man's gut.

He had buried the sword to the hilt.

He looked up and made eye contact with the bastard in front of him, smirking at the other man's look of surprise. Never breaking eye contact, the werebear pulled the sword out about a quarter of the way before rotating it a quarter turn and burying it back in again. A river of blood erupted from the mage's mouth. With a low growl, he pulled the sword out quickly, roared, and in one swift motion sliced the sword across his neck, decapitating him. The look of shock persisted on the mage’s face for a second before his eyes went lifelessly dim.

Brunaulf slumped to his knees, breathing heavy, but quickly came to his senses and looked over to where Gaden was with his back against the house. His eyes were open, barely. The big man, mentally and physically exhausted, staggered his way over to the man he loved and knelt beside him. His eyes started to mist up seeing how broken Gaden's body seemed to be.

"I did it," Brunaulf said softly, removing his other gauntlet and stroking the young mage's hair. "I got the sword to work."

"I saw," said Gaden, barely above a whisper. "It was..."

Brunaulf moved his head in closer to better hear.

"It was..." Gaden tried to start again.

"... almost okay."

He smiled weakly and let his eyes close, the smile remaining on his face.

Brunaulf laughed weakly as tears began to run down his cheeks. He stroked the young mage's hair happy the man he loved was still alive… for now… maybe there was hope.

"I love you too, Gaden."