Like all of my work this is fiction.  Pure and simple.  If you don't like
the idea of young people testing their boundaries then you should read no
further.  Likewise, if you are underage or in a part of the world where
such written expressions are forbidden then you should go elsewhere.

   I'm always happy to hear from people and friends old or new.  Email me
here:

   Knjfriend(at)yahoo.co.uk

This is a slight departure from the norm and is based on a plot request from a reader. I hope my take on his fantasy is to his and everybody else's liking.



The Heytning Treasure: Part 1

There is, as many of you will realise, any number of potential realities living side by side in the world. This is the story of a small interaction between our own reality and another.

"I am on the Emperor's business" the burly man snarled at the group of itinerant children surrounding him.

"Be gone!" he shouted as the urchins circled him.

Quite how Lord Miktal had come to be separated from his bodyguard and alone in a dark alleyway would be likely to remain a mystery. 

The overweight Lord surveyed the group around him. Damn them but their refusal to stay still confounded all attempts to count the little blighters let alone remember their filthy faces for future trial.

"Be gone" he tried once more "Be gone in the name of Emperor Heytning"

His reward was a sharp pain at the top of his left thigh.

Lord Miktal squealed as his hand traced around his ample frame to the source of the pain and returned bloodied.

"Do you not know who I am?" he cried once more

Another sharp pain, this time at the front of his left leg, caused him to bend forward. 

Thwack!

A heavy pole of some sort collided with the side of his head and children swarmed over him even before he stopped falling.
Lord Miktal was aware of the hands searching his pockets ad he batted them away ineffectually as his head throbbed.

And then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. The Lord was left crawling along the alley way with not a single urchin in sight.

A few streets to the south the gang, ranging from about 7 to a little over 14 and from about 2'6 to almost 5'8 sat in a circle.

I the centre of the circle was their haul.

A silk handkerchief, a pretty gold pocket watch, a hand embroidered and fat looking purse and two, yes two, plain leather pouches.

Callum, the eldest, or at least the biggest, took control as usual.

"The watch should fetch a coin or two." He mused

"Open the purse Cal" squealed a young girl excitedly

"What this one?" Callum enquired pointing at the fat embroidered purse.

"Yeah!" the group sang as one

"Betcha anything the real coin is in one of the leather pouches" the boy said smugly. "These lordy types always carry a spare in case they get robbed."

With that he opened the embroidered purse and poured out a handful of copper coin.

The circle chattered excitedly over the haul but were silenced when Callum emptied several gold coins out of one of the plain leather pouches.

"WoW!" said one boy "we're rich!"

"Well" mused Callum "If we're careful this should last us a while."

"What's in the other pouch?" asked another boy.

Callum opened the pouch and tipped out a small box. He held it in his hand under the nearest candle and inspected it carefully. He had heard tell of traps and poisons protecting such boxes.

The box was no more than 2 inches wide, 2 inches deep and an inch tall. It was edged in a yellowish metal, probably brass, and had a small if not downright tiny lock holding a clasp in place.

"Anybody find a key on fatso?" he asked the group.

There was much shaking of heads.

"Stay here then. If there's a problem, If anything happens to me, Karyn takes charge." He said as he rose and moved to the back of the empty building.

Taking a small dagger from his pocket he placed the tip between clasp and box. He looked over his shoulder at the group, took a deep breath and levered the clasp from the box.

The clasp gave way surprisingly easily. Indeed, the Emperor's coat of arms on the lid of the box would have been sufficient deterrent to any educated person but Callum and his group were not educated people.

Slightly surprised at the lack of resistance Callum gingerly lifted the lid of the box and awaited the certain doom of a poison dart or similar. None came.

He peeled back the soft blue cloth within the box not sure what to expect and as his eyes rested on the treasure within he let go a sigh of abject disappointment.

The ring was plainly not gold or silver. Indeed the red and black stripes suggested some form of polished clay. It was like nothing Callum had ever seen before. That too was a disappointment as it could probably not be readily sold in the local market.

No the boy had risked his life, faced untold dangers for a trinket.

He turned the ring in his fingers. On impulse he slipped it onto his forefinger, squealing when it tightened around his flesh.

"What is it Cal" asked Karyn as she moved up behind him.
 
"Just a ring" he replied turning the face the girl.

"oh, I thought you hurt yourself" she  said quietly.

Callum looked her up and down. At barely 12 and well undernourished she was hardly a creature to dream about. Still, she was female and suddenly Callum felt extremely randy.

"What are the others doing?" he snapped

Karyn smiled in an attempt to placate the boy and drag his good humour back.

"They're getting some food ready. They're ok. You needn't worry about them all the time you know."

"Come with me" he said taking her hand as he did. "Just going scouting" he shouted back at the group as he headed for one of the ramshackle barricades that covered ancient and forgotten doorways.

He led the girl out of the hideaway and into the deepening gloom of late evening. He led her down a series of well used passages and into another long abandoned warehouse.
"Take off your clothes" he said sternly

"What?" she gasped, eyes ablaze.

Callum reached out and gripped the neck of her flimsy shirt. He tore it down from her neck and heard the fabric give as Karyn squealed. He hit her then. Hit her with the back of his hand and she tumbled away against the wall.

He was on her before she could work out which way was up. His hands tugged and tore at the string and material belt holding up the much too large trousers. Before long they gave and, with her raining blows down on the back of his head, he tore the trousers from her.

He hit her once more. A hard slap to the side of her head and she quietened.

With a glint in his eye and a grin on his face he pulled her spindly legs apart and undid his own leggings as he crawled between her thighs.

There in the dark and the dirt did her protector steal the last vestiges of innocence from a girl he had known for years.

He left her there, crying quietly, and slipped away in the opposite direction to the warehouse hideaway, the red stripes on his ring throbbing slightly in the moonlight.

Far away, I rather more sumptuous surroundings, Lord Miktal sat alongside his Emperor. They shared a platter of fruit and some wine in silence for a while before the Emperor spoke, his voice warm, comforting and even.

"I am pained, my Lord Miktal, that you should come to harm running an errand for me."

"It is nothing that won't heal sire. I am more unhappy at the loss of your treasure."

"Ah yes, the treasure" mused the Emperor.

"If I may be so bold" started Miktal "what was it that I carried?"

"A ring, a ring of incredible power, a ring which does no good on a mans finger and no harm on a woman's" the Emporer replied

Lord Miktal was intrigued.

"Was this ring magical in some way?" he asked

"Indeed it was, indeed it was" the Emperor confirmed quietly as he took a small peach from the platter.

"Tell me again, if you are not too tired, where exactly you were set upon"

Lord Miktal bristled slightly.
"Well sire, I, er, that is, I was rather badly beaten and might have crawled quite some way before recognising my surroundings."

"Indeed yes, but from where were you coming when the ruffians - you did say 10 - attacked you so blatently?"

"Ten, yes indeed, possibly more" Miktal confirmed

"And where" queried the Emperor suddenly "was your pathetic excuse for a bodyguard during all of this eh? We'll hang the fellow when we find him."

"Ah, yes, the bodyguard, well we mustn't be too harsh on the fellow. After all he may have beaten some of them off. He may have saved my life."

"I suppose that is possible" mused the Emperor "We shall ask him"

And as Lord Miktal near choked on his wine the Emperor clapped twice and the heavy gilded doors of the chamber swung open.

Carson, bodyguard to Lord Miktal strode in, bowed efficiently and stood waiting.

"Carson" started the Emperor "I must commend you for the way in which you beat off countless ruffians to save this great man" he waved his hand absently at the space currently occupied by Miktal.

"I thank you my Emperor" said Carson loud and clear "but I had no cause to take up arms on behalf of my Lord this day."

"How so?" enquired the Emperor feigning innocence

"Lord Miktal bade me to take a meal and the meet him in the palace square at dusk. He had no need of my services for the task he had in mind."

"And" said the Emperor grandly "did Lord Miktal detail what that particular task was?"

"I believe, my Emperor, that her name is Rosie from the Sunrise Tavern." Replied Carson.

Miktal had stopped chewing, stopped swallowing and was now red as a beet as the play of words unfolded before him.

"um" mused the Emperor "I am advised that the rear entrance from that particular tavern leads out onto some rather uninviting and unpatrolled areas of this my fair city. Areas which are teeming with vagabonds and cut-throats. What say you Miktal?"

"My Emperor" Miktal started to shake "I may have taken a small detour but I meant no harm."

"Enough!" stormed the Emperor "It is bad enough that you took your personal pleasure to be more important than the task that I set for you, but to compound that insolence with blatant lies whilst taking food with me is worse than treason!"

"My Emperor" started Miktal.

"Enough! Guards remove this man. Strip him of any chains of office and find him a nice small dungeon whilst I decide his fate. Carson!"

The bodyguard snapped to attention.

"Your honour is sown by your honesty to your Emperor. You will be given title of the lands of Lord Miktal. I would suggest that you give a week or his family to move out but that is entirely up to you of course."

"Most generous my Emperor. A week it is." The former bodyguard replied brightly.

For two days Callum had hunted the area. He had been cautious to keep away from his old patch and had been hampered by his lack of familiarity with this neighbourhood. Still, he had managed two more girls. One, about 8, had been bathing and Callum had slipped in through an open window whilst her mother saw to other children and the other had been tending a grave in the local cemetery. She had cried loudly as he thrust into her on the freshly dug earth.

He felt hungry now. Two days without food or water and yet his hunger sought out the female of the species and nothing else.

"There he is!" screamed a voice from behind.

Callum looked behind him at the rag tag army of brats and urchins hurtling down the lane towards him. Once they had been his army. His to command, to control.  Now they wanted blood. His blood.

Callum sprinted away as fast as his weakened body would allow but no fast enough.

His world slowed to a crawl as those arms wrapped around his ankles.

He felt every change of angle as he toppled forward, arms outstretched. He felt the red and black band loosen around his forefinger and felt it slip towards his finger tip even as he tried to clench his fist to save it. Callum saw the ring sail through the air. He watched it until he hit the ground with a thud and his vision was blurred by the kicking feet of the gang around him. He listened for the tinkle of it falling to ground, vain hope that he would later find it giving him comfort as his ribs cracked and his eyes and lips swelled under the onslaught. He never heard it fall.

Squinting through bloodied eyes, his strength evaporating, Callum saw Karyn peering down at him.

"Hi" he managed with an attempt at a smile. 

Karyn brought the brick down with shattering force and little girls slept safer that night and for many more to come.

In a reality far way 13 year old Katia pushed past the boys blocking her way.

The group were harmless enough, all aged between 12 and 14 and all hoping to cop a feel of the lithe teenager's body as she slipped past.

"C'mon Kat" jeered Carl "show us yer tits"

"You'd like that wouldn't you" the girl replied without thinking it through.

"Too true, you show me you're an' I'll show you mine" he laughed as guffaws broke out all around.

"No chance" Katia hissed as she slapped a last hand away from her breasts and walked on.

Once away from the group she did allow herself a wry smile. Carl was a good looking boy. So was Ben and so was Patrick come to that. She didn't know the names of the two or three younger lads that were with them, though she had seen them around school.

She looked back as she crested the rise and saw the group breaking up. She had been their final attempt of the day. She smiled again, glanced at her watch and headed home.

As she passed a dark alleyway something hit her on the side of the head. It didn't hurt, more shocked the girl. She looked around puzzled and noticed a faint glow in a tussock of grass at the mouth of the alley. Moving closer she saw an unusual ring. It was ceramic of some sort and covered in red and black stripes. Quickly, Katia picked the ring up, slipped it into her pocket and hurried on.

The following morning, Saturday, Katia zipped through breakfast exchanged brief pleasantries with the people she lodged with, they called themselves parents, and announced that she was off to see Julie and would be back around 6.00. 

Katia dragged her thin jacket over her shoulders as she walked down the path.

The next question, she thought to herself, was whether she walked for an extra 10 minutes and went around the park or whether she ran the gauntlet of Carl, Ben, Patrick and co by cutting through the park.

Deciding that she would make a decision from the top of the rise she walked on passed the alleyway that seemed so much less intimidating in sunshine.

The alleyway! Remembering the ring she slipped a hand into her jacket pocket and pulled it out. Yup, just as she remembered it, ceramic or stone with red and black stripes. She couldn't wait to show Julie.

Katia wandered on turning the ring over in her pocket as she did. She arrived at the edge of the park and moved towards the crest. If the boys were there she would walk around, otherwise she would cut through and save time and energy!

She peered over the crest of the rise and saw at least two boys, probably Carl and Ben down near the narrow section of the path. She pulled back and turned towards the road even as she turned the ring over again and it slipped onto her third finger.

She quickly dragged her hand out of her pocket. 

It looked good and despite it appearing so huge last night it fitted perfectly. In fact she wasn't going to be able to get it off without some soap and water! She grinned to herself, turned back into the park and started down the path.





