Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 12:54:46 EDT
From: Tommyhawk1@aol.com
Subject: Squire.of.Carlovain.Chapter.8

		      SQUIRE OF CARLOVAIN, CHAPTER 8
			   THE IMPRESSION SQUAD
			   By Tommyhawk1@AOL.COM

     They stood a while on the banks of the spring, washing their clothing
by dunking it into the water and wringing it dry, again and again.  Done,
they spread them on bushes to let them drip yet more of the water out of
them, and then went to Adomeh, who was still sleeping.
     Very soundly.  Trevish shook Adomeh gently, then harder, calling to
him again and again.  Then he rose and looked at his big comrade.  "He's a
sound sleeper, and took more of the draught than I did.  I felt it had a
funny taste to it, and didn't drink overmuch.  But he may yet be feeling
some of the effects of it."
     "What shall we do?" Andrew asked.  "Tarry here longer?"
     "Nay, I was serious about food, for they fed us not yesterday.  I am
enough of a soldier to tolerate it well enough, but I would like to find
victuals of some kind soon.  If we are not to join up with the troops
ahead, then we should find a market nearby to buy supplies." Trevish
grimaced.  "And buy without funds, no less.  Cursed soldiers, that ring I
wore was a gift from my mother.  I'll never be able to find it again when
this is over."
     "I have money." Andrew had rescued his own pouch, which he carried
strung on the cord that also tied his trousers and thus kept tucked inside
his clothing "It contains no gold, but there is nearly three gold pieces'
worth of silver and copper inside.  My life's savings."  Garnered a copper
or two at a time, tips from noblemen or prosperous commoners for caring for
their horses.
     "It shall suffice." Trevish said, smiled.  "I wish now we'd taken your
bet when we dueled, for now you'd be richer by three silver pieces and we
could buy more food."
     Adomeh turned and they looked down hopefully.  But he had merely
turned onto his back, and now his snores, which had been a low rumble, now
resounded off the cliff and drowned out the water.
     "We should awaken him now." Andrew said.
     Trevish grinned.  "He needs a bath anyway."
     "Uh? Oh!" Andrew grinned in return.
     They took Adomeh by a foot and hand each, and swung him between them
like a large sack.  Adomeh awoke as they were ferrying him the few steps.
"Huh?  What is this?"
     "Are you ready?" Trevish said.
     "Ready!" Andrew agreed.
     "And a one!" they swung Adomeh between them.
     "Put me down!" Adomeh said.
     "And a two!"
     "What do you think you are..."
     "And go!"
     "...doing, you, uh, uh, ahhh!" And Adomeh landed with a broad,
widely-spraying splatter of water, flat into the pool.  The water enclosed
over him thoroughly, rushed back in and created a miniature geyser upwards,
before he rose again like a monstrous fish from the deep, snorting and
sputtering.  He fought his way to his feet, not without falling downwards
again and submerging his face briefly, but then he was erect and in control
of his body again, and raked his hair back from his face.  "You sons of
serpents!" he fumed.  "You bastards bred from a lonesome farmer's wife and
a rutting boar!  When I get my hands on you, I'll tear every limb from your
body and throw them in separate garbage pits.  I'll spit on your
grandmothers and pull your grandfather's ears!"
     "Now, now, Adomeh, calm yourself!" Trevish said, laughing heartily.
"You needed a good bath after that rank pit they kept us in.  Andrew and I
have already had ours, so get to cleaning and we'll venture in search of
breakfast!"
     "And we could think of no other way to awaken you." Andrew chipped in.
     "I am surrounded by pranksters." Adomeh grumbled.
     "Toss over your clothes and we'll wash them out for you while you
bathe." Trevish offered.
     "Scant compensation for such a rude act." Adomeh grumbled, but he
removed his tunic and tossed it to Andrew.  "You, my comrade, may scour the
pants, and be sure you wash out that stripe inside the back of it.  My
bowels must have been active overnight, for my buttocks feel sticky."  He
chunked out the pants towards Trevish, who caught them.
     Trevish looked over at Andrew, who was blushing.  "I won't tell him if
you won't." he offered.
     "My gratitude." Andrew accepted.  "I doubt he would take it in good
sport in his current mood."
     "I doubt he would take it in good sport in any mood." Trevish said.
Adomeh was under the waterfall and presumably insulated from hearing their
talk.
     "Then let us wash his clothes with all dispatch." Andrew said.
     They did and Adomeh stepped from the water as they were wringing them
dry for the final time.  He scraped the water from his chest with his
powerful hands, sending bright silver beads flashing in every direction,
flinging his hands dry after each stroke.  "Here, Andrew, take care of my
back for me." he asked.  "My clothes will dry quicker if they don't have to
soak up my body's moisture first."
     "Of course." Andrew agreed.  He stepped behind Adomeh and ran his
hands over the broad back, remembering now his own nakedness once again.
To be unclothed while you dried from a swim was nothing unusual, but Andrew
had until this time done so totally alone.  Trevish was running his hands
over Adomeh's arms.
     "Better get his legs, too, Andrew." Trevish suggested.
     Andrew knelt and ran his paired hands over the powerful thighs one at
a time, feeling the water cascading down in the wake of his palms.
Adomeh's hairs had trapped a good deal of water, he noticed.  He himself
was now nearly dry but for the hair on his head....
     Adomeh turned and Andrew reached up to perform the same task, to reach
as high as he could in order to scrape away the most water, all the way up
to Adomeh's ballsac....
     Adomeh had an erection.  Andrew saw it now in the clear light of day,
a wonderfully powerful prong to adorn a wonderfully powerful body.  Thick
and oval both in girth and in length, it weighed too much to be supported
by the muscles at the base, it drooped over even in tumescence, still wet
with the spring water, though with a gleam at its slit that spoke not of
water but of virility.
     Andrew was reminded of his dream, but this cock even though washed by
its owner in the warm spring waters, retained its heavy musk, and as he
took it into his mouth, it carried the taste of male flesh, pungent,
strong, rich, but not unpleasant.  Andrew drew the large prong deeply into
himself, his mouth watering of its own accord.  In these mere days, he had
become nearly accustomed to the demands of sexual acts, his mouth generated
the moisture needed to grease the way down his throat, and his throat
accepted and made way for the wide intruder, taking it with the welcome of
many guests into a small home, cramped but accommodating.
     Andrew plied his tongue and lips over the pud as he released it again,
drawing the foreskin with him as he pulled back, looked up to see Trevish's
hands pinch Adomeh's nipples.  Adomeh had his head back and was resting it
on Trevish's shoulder, it was Trevish who looked down at him and smiled
encouragement.
     Adomeh's cock pulsed on Andrew's tongue like a living creature heaving
and sighing in response to Andrew's ministrations, Andrew suckled the
turgid pole as he sped up his movements, and Adomeh's rumbling moans of
appreciation gained in volume as he did so.  Adomeh was very much like a
bear in his actions and movements, and it showed here even now, in the slow
motions of his hips as he nearly-involuntarily pumped in time to Andrew's
motions, turning the movements into a harmony of their bodies.  Andrew used
the lessened need for movement of his head and neck and the control that
gave him to tighten his grip on Adomeh's shaft, feeling the hard, heated
shaft roiling about inside the foreskin which was like a wrapping of a
velvet blanket.  Andrew wielded his tongue to lap at the shaft as it pulled
out, then let his tongue ride back into his mouth for more moisture with
each thrust into his throat, so that soon a long rope of saliva dangled
from Adomeh's shaft, bound in two places, one at the base of Adomeh's hard
cock, and the other at Andrew's lips, the gob of spit weaving downwards
like a fat white spider at the end of its web-line until it connected to
the grass below, leaving them still connected for Andrew added more
moisture from his mouth with each stroke, so that more beads of saliva slid
down the long white cord into the green, smooth grass.
     Adomeh seemed to begin to lose the strength in his legs, for now he
buckled at the knees and Andrew had a more upright clutch on Adomeh's
wonderfully warm prod, he added yet more speed to his assault and Adomeh
hunched upwards into his mouth.  Now the coordinated movements were gone,
now it had turned bestial, the rapid hunching of the male animal seeking
release, and Andrew gave Adomeh this control over him, to let the big man
grab his head and fuck at his face lustily, roughly, until Adomeh groaned
and as Trevish's arms locked around Adomeh's waist and held him upright,
Adomeh pumped his wads into Andrew's mouth, spewing a copious load into
Andrew, heavy, slimy wads of jism that slid down his throat like so many
creeping beetles, and he swallowed convulsively, and that blocked the flow
and his mouth flooded, jizz leaked from both sides of his mouth and soiled
his chin, and he swallowed yet again and twin blobs of come crawled below
his chin to meet up on his under-jowls to reach down for their freedom,
while Andrew kept the rest of the seed-packets hostage in his mouth until
he could swallow.
     Adomeh finished at last, and fell to his knees before Andrew, and they
were face to face before Adomeh, exhausted, fell on backwards to the soft
grass, his massive chest heaving as he recovered.
     Trevish grinned down at Andrew and, seeing Andrew's face shining with
the escaping jism, knelt in his own turn to catch the large blob about to
break loose on his tongue and then rose up to kiss the rest of Andrew's
face clean.
     "Ah, lad, you were terrific!" Adomeh praised him.  "Would that I could
obtain this service every morning."
     "It's not my fault you generally sleep too late." Trevish riposted.
"Andrew and I have been awake for a good half-hour now."
     "We were thinking of breakfast, and where to obtain it." Andrew said.
     "Yes, my intrepid leader, shall we brave the forces of Marcus
Dentremon?"
     "Nay, I think not." Adomeh said.  "Not for another week, when we can
be sure that our King is safely away.  For now, we must remain incognito."
     Andrew almost started to say that the King had already left Carlovain
by now, but a dream was no evidence to present.  "How shall we obtain word
of his escape?"
     "We must trust that he has, until we get good word one way or the
other." Adomeh said.  "Our three blades will not sway the balance of power
greatly, and our secret is more important for now."
     "So we do not journey to Castle Tiresval?" Trevish asked.
     "Not yet." Adomeh said.
     "Then where shall we journey?"
     "I say we head further east." Adomeh said.  "Beyond Lord Dentremon's
lands lies the harbor of Fediresta, and there last I heard were kept some
five of the King's best naval ships.  If we can seize control of those
ships by some strategem, then we can take them for the King's use."
     "Fediresta is governed by Count Ratisbon." Trevish pointed out.  "His
son is married to Montaigne's eldest daughter."
     "But Ratisbon himself took to wife the Lady Minorella, who is of pure
Neresterii blood." Adomeh responded.
     "Which one shall win out, the French blood or the Neresterii?" Trevish
asked.
     "We shall have to travel there and discover that.  As I said, I will
not forego stooping to thievery to win those ships for the King's use."
     "First, then, to a village." Trevish pointed out.  "If we are to
travel through the Carlovain Hills to get to Fediresta, then we'll need
supplies for the journey."
     "Let us return to the road and find a village, then." Adomeh agreed.
     There was, of course, a town in the valley below, the large circle of
lights they had seen the previous night turned out to center on this town.
It was still mid-morning when they arrived and rode through the walls of
the village.  Possessing some forty buildings, it was a fair-sized town for
the largely agrarian Carlovain.  And it possessed as well, in its center, a
marketplace.
     "Where are your wares, good woman?" Trevish called to one stall-keeper
who had from all appearances run a bakery, but whose shelves, which should
be burdened with her baked wares, were empty still.  She was running her
arms strongly through a massive roll of bread-dough.
     "Gobbled up by the forces that rode through here last night." she
called back.  "I am baking more bread now, but it'll be nearly noon before
I can offer any for sale."
     "Save us a good half-dozen loaves and we'll return." Trevish called
back to her.  "We have our own traveling to do."
     "All the stalls appear to have been plucked clean by locusts." Andrew
observed.
     "We seem to be at a loss for our meal." Adomeh said.
     "And I have not enough coins to pay for our meal at an inn, not and
pay for provisions as well." Andrew said.
     "I have coins." Adomeh said.
     "You do?  From where?" Trevish asked.
     "I plucked them from the guards as we made our escape." Adomeh
mentioned.  "With you and Andrew doing the slashing, I had no room and
chose instead to make myself useful.  A good leader plans ahead, and I knew
money would be needed.  So I robbed our captors without shame."
     Had it not been for that dream, that vivid dream, Andrew may have
scowled at Adomeh's actions.  But they had been robbed themselves, and
probably came out the poorer for the mutual robbery.  Where was the right?
It resides within the heart, as does honor.  They had needed the money as
they had needed swords, if they were to be of any use to the King.  Adomeh
had done the right thing, he told himself.  But it still didn't feel right.
     "Then let's find a place.  Ho, good sir, where is a tavern where three
travelers may quench their thirst and break the morning fast?"
     "That building over there." the man pointed to a building with a sign
on it, no words, just a picture of a dog at the end of a chain, apparently
trying to burst free and attack something.
     "Wonderful." Trevish said.
     They went in and Andrew found it odd, to be the one being served at an
inn rather than doing the serving.  As it was, he found the Guard Dog Inn
(so he chose to think of it to himself) to be a dirty place with lackluster
servants.  The young lad who served them hadn't bathed in days from the
smell of him.  But the food smelled and looked all right, and he was happy
to dig in, as were his friends who had done without food for far longer
than he.
     "Where are your other customers?" Trevish asked as the innkeeper came
to pour him another round of ale.  Trevish seemed unconcerned about how
much money they had with them, and was behaving as if his pockets bulged
with cash overall.
     "Hiding, those who did not travel north with Young Lord Dentremon."
the innkeeper said.  He sighed.  "This village shall be traveled through by
forces on both sides time and again until this rebellion is settled.  We
have a town meeting tonight, and I intend to vote to close the town until
the leadership of Carlovain is resolved.  Otherwise, we'll be stripped of
everything we possess.  Soldiers are paying for their things now, but soon
enough they'll be taking instead of paying."
     The sound of hooves came towards them.  Many hooves.
     "That will be more soldiers." the innkeeper said.
     "They are the Count's house troops." the boy said.
     He said "Count", not "Lord", Andrew noted.  They had traveled beyond
Lord Dentremon's holdings, apparently.
     "You'd best all hide." the innkeeper said.  "And you, too, lad.
They'll be ready to impress young men into their forces, and unless I miss
my guess, it won't be the King's side you'll be impressed to fight for."
     Andrew was nervous, he had heard of peasants being impressed into
service.  He had even expected it from Lord Montaigne, but here....  "Even
outside our own liege's lands?" he asked.
     "Do you think they'll stop and ask you where you're from?" Trevish
said, scowling at Andrew.  "Aye, we'd better hide, and soon.  Do you have a
place, innkeeper?"
     "Nay, but there is a back door you can try."  The innkeeper pointed.
     "Thank you." Adomeh dropped some coins onto the table in payment and
they went out the back.  Andrew wondered how they'd retrieve their horses
under these conditions.
     He didn't have long to think about it.  They walked out into the
blades of three soldiers, who had been stationed there.  A fourth held the
young lad squirming in his arms.  "Welcome to the Count's service." the
ranking soldier present said.  "You have been chosen to join Count
Ratisbon's troops.  The Count is outfitting the ships in his harbor.  It'll
be a sailor's life for you three."
     Adomeh must have thought fast, realized that this would be both travel
among people who did not know the secret they held, and toward his own
destination of Fediresta.  What he said, pulling his sword, was, "A good
thing, for we had intended to travel and offer the Count our services.  Now
be a good soldier and let that boy go, he's too young for impression."
     "We won't need him now that we have you." the soldier gestured, and
the boy was released.
     "We, sir, are mercenaries." Adomeh said.  "You don't impress us.  You
pay us."
     "You can discuss that with Count Ratisbon, later." the soldier said.
"Now, either draw your sword and fight, or come along with us."
     Adomeh seemed to consider it.  "We'll travel with you for now.  You
obviously have no rank to negotiate our terms in any event.  Our horses are
out in front of the inn."
     The soldier scowled, but he escorted them around to the front of the
inn.
     "Well, Andrew, look on the bright side." Trevish said.  "This way, we
don't have to pay for our supplies for the travel."
     Trevish seemed unconcerned, as did Adomeh.  Andrew tried to do the
same, but his stomach fluttered.
     Impression.  The taking of young men to fill the ranks of a noble's
army of conquest.  Ill-fed, ill-equipped and untrained, it was the fate of
many such to die ignobly on the field of battle.
     And he had just been impressed.