006 - Giants by the Sea

One of the Alchemists guards received the youths inside the gate, leading them silently down the mud track past several stone cottages to a large farmhouse. Every door had a thick padlock, a few barns further up the valley had more metal fences around them.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Festus waited at the farmhouses open door. He wore a leather apron over his robes. "Ah, Magnus. And your friend?"

"That's me, sir." Rolf said.

"Good, good. Well, don't stand about, come in!" Festus led them into the house, a number of low benches were arranged in rows. "Sit down, make yourselves comfortable. One to a bench, please. Here," a guard with a bronze platter made his way around the room. "Take one pill, don't eat it yet!"

Magnus examined the pill he'd been handed - it had a coarse surface and smelt strongly of medicine.

Festus clapped his hand; "Everyone got one? Good. Alright. Well, before we begin there are a few things that must be said. Am I going to fast? No? Now, there is a chance, a possibility that this treatment will lead to your deaths. A good chance, mind. Each of you will be subjected to a differently modified potion. This is something that I have been working on for a long time, and unfortunately the results are somewhat unpredictable. Alright? Good. Anyone want to back out? To go back to the town?"

Festus looked around the room, not one of the youths said a word. Magnus felt a flutter - a chance of death? If he backed out now, would he ever have a chance like this again? A chance to be a giant! Magnus' and Rolf's eyes met - neither moved, none of the youths in the room moved to back out.

"Good!" Festus smiled. "Very well, the pills will numb your bodies for a time. Take them and lie back, do not struggle. You will be awake but unable to feel anything, you should be able to see and hear and talk. Ok?" Festus talked throughout, one of the guards in padded armour sat on a chair in the corner of the room taking notes.

Magnus took the pill and lay back, one of the silent assistants tied his hands and legs to the bench. It felt spicy on his tongue, as soon as he'd taken it it turned to liquid and he felt a cool numbing sensation down his throat and then spread out from the pit of his stomach. A short while later he felt nothing at all. Turning his neck he could only see one of the youths who'd taken the bench to his left and Rolf to his right.

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Festus started from the other side of the room, working his way down the row of benches. He only spent a little time at each before moving on, soon he was at Rolf. Magnus lifted his neck to see, Festus held a long silver needle which he stuck in Rolf's arm, taking a vial of gold flecked liquid he withdrew a drop and let it fall into Rolf's mouth. Then he moved over to Magnus, repeating the action. All the time he spoke, the guard in the corner writing everything. Magnus tried to pay attention to the words but they were all foreign, a familiar word here and there but most of the words were simply unknown to him. He felt nothing when the needle was pushed into his arm, Festus stood over him with a black vial and let a single drop fall into Magnus' mouth and a bitter acid taste filled his mouth.

Festus moved on, finishing the treatment on all the youths and said; "It will take some time for the effects to kick in. Just lay there and relax, when you wake up everything will be over. Good as gold, right?" Festus laughed lightly and sat opposite.

Magnus felt nothing, his chest rose and heart thumped against his ribs. Slowly, creeping up from his feet, a chill, his heart slowed. He felt the world slow with him everything go cold - the excitement drained, cold, so very tired.

Something was wrong. Something must be wrong, Magnus fought to stay awake, no, no, everything was fine. This was all part of the treatment. Festus had said he would lose all feeling . . but Magnus couldn't move, the light faded from his eyes, every part of him grew still, his heart slowed and stopped, the chill spread through every part of him, up his spine, up through his face and the an overwhelming sleep took hold, Magnus lay still as death, slowly going cold, slowly slipping into a deep irresistible sleep.