JTSS 1-197

It wasn't until well into the morning that Jaina was done with the last man. She guessed it was only an hour or two before the sun would suddenly move and streak the sky with red. The night was over and she was exhausted with sleepy eyes looking forward to proper sleep. To her great relief two harem girls arrived to carry her to a proper bed in the palace.

She was laid beside an already slumbering Gisley, who was clutched to Evalynn. Jaina was laid at her side and quickly pulled into the hug as the harem girls tucked them into the blankets. Hours later, she woke to the smell of breakfast set out on a table on the garden balcony. She and the girls ate and told stories about their adventures while trying to guess how much money the harem had made. Only then did Jaina recall the odd message and think about telling Rajeen.

Roric arrived to greet them and share the information. He had charged a hundred gold a girl, and they had spent the night with nearly two hundred men. On top of what was collected in the dance itself the harem had raked in nearly twenty-five thousand gold. Jaina was staggered by the amount and asked what was to be done with the gold. Roric was going to add it to the harems' coffers to help pay for other things, including some of Hannah’s unusual needs.

Jaina then shared the encounter with the strange mouse woman in red and her cryptic message at the end. Roric looked puzzled, but the message meant nothing to him, so he suggested they visit Rajeen. They found her in the arms of Frank, curled up on a couch after what appeared to be an intense lovemaking. Jaina smiled at the two, who looked so good together, then shattered the moment when she delivered the message.

She had no idea Rajeen was going to react the way she did or that she would grill Jaina for details. Roric asked why this was so surprising and Rajeen demanded they visit Blackbast at the temple.

So away they went, the boys and Rajeen, while Jaina, Gisley, and Evalynn followed nervously behind. Jaina didn't know why Rajeen was so upset, but the fact that she demanded Blackbast be present made her suspect it had something to do with their past. Once inside the temple, they collected Hannah and Quinny, who were kissing in the hall. They found Blackbast in the temple hall, speaking to a red-haired girl. Rajeen walked up to the black cat and demanded they speak immediately.

“I do not like the tone of your voice,” Blackbast said as she folded her arms. “What has brought you in such an ill mood to my temple of passions?”

“We had a visitor last night,” Rajeen replied as she shot Hannah a glance. “Ambersal has come out of hiding to deliver us a message.”

“Ambersal was here?” Blackbast gasped with ears thrust high. “You spoke to her?”

Rajeen shook her head and motioned to Jaina, who was then tasked with describing the encounter with the woman. Jaina had to point out that there wasn't much to tell. She and this woman made love with few words, but then, on her way out, she bid Jaina to relay the message.

“The desert winds have begun to blow,” Blackbast repeated. “Then it has begun.”

“We cannot be sure of that,” Rajeen hissed. “Amber was always playing games.”

“She was his chosen agent,” Blackbast cautioned. “If she was here, then something is happening.”

Frank and Roric exchanged a funny glance before Frank cut in and asked if they wouldn't mind sharing a little more information. They wanted to know who this woman was and how they knew her. Most importantly, what did the message mean?

“Of course,” Rajeen said as she began to pace. “Ambersal is a spymaster for the desert kings. She is gifted in her ability to learn things that people prefer to keep secret. When the wars with Kevin started, she was given many tasks, including spying on the enemy.”

“So why is her return so alarming?” Roric asked. “An old friend coming to call doesn’t seem so important.”

“Amber does not come calling,” Blackbast replied as she rubbed at her chin. “She rarely, if ever, allows anyone to see her. None of us even know for sure what class she plays, but whatever it is, it aids her greatly in staying hidden. If she does appear, it is always to relay a message or warning. This particular message was a code we agreed on when it was clear we would lose the war.”

“And it means what?” Frank asked.

“It means the desert powers are coming out of hiding and returning to their home,” Rajeen replied. “The blowing wind is their might and influence spreading across the desert again.”

Jaina wasn't sure if that was good or bad and had to ask to be sure. Blackbast said it was a very good thing, as it meant they had powerful allies in the West. Rajeen, on the other hand, thought of it as another source of danger. A rising challenge to Kevin, who might just crush them again to ensure they never gain enough power. She cited the fact that Amber delivered the message in the most secretive of ways. To her, it meant that Amber was afraid of being detected by those who might be watching.

“That is how she always operated,” Blackbast argued. “The woman never liked to come into the open.”

“A message of that importance should have been delivered directly to you or I,” Rajeen argued. “That she chose to use the dance as a cover to deliver it suggests there is a danger in revealing herself.”

“Why would there be a danger?” Frank asked. “Does it have anything to do with Thexis?”

“I doubt it,” Blackbast said as she waved the idea off.

“No, I do not think the insect man and his harem killers are connected,” Rajeen agreed. “But the message is a call for us to return to the desert. The wind is blowing; thus, we are to return and rebuild.”

“Return to the desert?” Jaina gasped as she wondered if their home was about to end.

“Nobody is returning to the desert,” Frank said with a shake of his head. “This is our home now, and the harem has become the center of power. If these lords are reforming and wish to be our allies then we can establish contact another way.”

Jaina was impressed by the man who had risen from his boyish nature to be a powerful leader. Frank took charge of the situation and pointed out that they had created a new power that could offer these desert lords much more than the two cat women could alone. That pleased Blackbast, but Rajeen was conflicted. She said it might be seen as a betrayal to ignore the call and insisted that somebody had to go and investigate.

Frank suggested a team of harem girls with some paid mercenaries, a few of the rogues, and a full strike team of Umtha's goblin assassins. The girls would approach any potential contacts with the mercenaries in support while the rogues and goblins acted as backup. Rajeen said she knew just the girls for such a mission and would see it arranged immediately.

“So this woman is just a spy?” Hannah asked as she spoke up for the first time.

“She is much more than that,” Blackbast replied. “None of us know how she moves about or gathers her information, but she did it with great skill until near the end.”

“What happened near the end?” Hannah pressed as Rajeen shook her head.

“The enemies spymaster arrived,” Rajeen explained. “We have no idea who they are or what they look like, but Amber was tasked with rooting him out. It became her obsession to locate and exterminate this unseen master of shadows.”

“Did she find him?” Jaina asked, now hanging on every word. Sadly, it appeared that Ambersal vanished just after three of the desert lords were assassinated. People assumed it was the enemy's spymaster making a fool of her, but some thought that maybe Ambersal was the enemy's spymaster.

“Hence why we can’t trust this situation,” Rajeen insisted.

“She would never betray us,” Blackbast insisted. “I have no doubt that she was loyal.”

“But there is no way we can be sure,” Frank said as his eyes took on a faraway look.

“Oh, why did this woman have to come and ruin our good night,” Jaina sighed.

“She hasn’t ruined anything,” Roric said as he put an arm around her. “This may all be to our advantage. It will be a huge benefit to have allies with strong ties to Rajeen and Blackbast.”

“Or being their allies might bring our enemies down on our necks,” Rajeen cautioned. “We need to tread carefully until we know for sure what is happening.”

“And to do that, we must send people to the desert,” Blackbast said. “Though I question the wisdom in sending so many goblins. If the enemy is watching, a goblin army might be seen as cause to act. The goblins were the reason the war came to the desert in the first place.”

“Good point,” Frank agreed. “But I don’t like the idea of sending harem girls so far away without a lot of backup.”

“The girls I have in mind can take care of themselves,” Rajeen said. “Some rogues and a dozen mercenaries will do the job.”

“Fine, then we send a team to investigate and, if needed, make contact on our behalf,” Frank suggested. “But they go with a magic door, and we make regular contact.”

“This is going to delay your plan to go after the hand, isn’t it?” Hannah asked as she took Frank’s arm.

Jaina recalled how Hannah and Frank had been discussing going after some artifact from Hannah's past. He had obviously planned to use magical doors but now wanted those doors to go to the harem expedition. She supposed it was the right call, but Hannah seemed bothered that their plans had been put on hold. She and Frank broke into a small argument as he insisted it couldn't be helped.

“Oh, why did this woman have to come and darken our lives,” Jaina moaned as she buried her face in Roric's fur.

“She's just a ghost from their past,” Roric replied. “She came back to deliver her message, not cause us harm. For all we know, this is a blessing.”

“But we can’t be sure because she didn’t elaborate,” Frank said.

“Is there any chance we could find her?” Jaina asked and looked at the others. “Maybe we could just ask her?”

“I doubt it,” Rajeen replied with a shrug. “But feel free to put the guards to searching the city.”

“Likely, she chose Jaina to relay the message because she knew it would give her hours to get away,” Blackbast agreed. “I would be amazed if she was still inside the kingdom.”

“We will look anyway, just to be sure,” Frank said as he turned to Roric. “Could you have Evalynn use her interface to look through the forest for her?”

“Of course,” Roric said with a nod.

Jaina then watched as Frank laid out how Quinny and Breanne would be pressed to do the same, scouring the swamps and forest for the woman's presence. Umtha's goblins would search the mountains and northern hills, then press north across the passes until they reached the borders. He hoped they could locate her someplace remote where she might feel more secure about talking. He stressed that this wasn't a witch hunt. He wanted to approach her with open arms and no hint of threat.

“She is a friend, right?” Frank asked the two cats.

“She should be,” Blackbast replied. “She was trusted by those we trusted, but we didn’t truly know her. Only by her reputation as an excellent spy.”

“It makes sense they would use her to find us and relay the message,” Rajeen added. “She is the perfect vessel to relay such information without alerting their enemies.”

The masters then put their plans into motion, sending messengers to the missing girls and beginning the hunt. He wanted to go to Gwen and press her into looking across the entire kingdom with her superior abilities. He took Hannah with him and left, urgently hoping he could find this mysterious woman.

“I feel terrible,” Jaina said as she put a hand over her face. “Everybody was so happy until I opened my mouth.”

“You are not to blame for this,” Rajeen insisted and beckoned Jaina to her lap. Jaina sat across her legs and was rewarded with strong arms pulling her in. Rajeen rubbed her cheek on Jaina's head and assured her this issue had been put into motion long before they met. It wasn't her fault Amber chose her to make contact and relay the message. She also impressed on her that delivering the message had been vitally important.

“I still don’t understand the full significance of the issue,” Roric said as he stood beside them.

“It's what her message might mean,” Blackbast sighed. “You have to understand that long ago, we fought a war we knew we would lose. Not only were we sure we would lose, but our homes and spawn points were sure to be destroyed, leaving us critically vulnerable. Still, we fought, trying desperately to buy the goblins more time in the hopes of helping Hathlisora. But we failed, and when it was clear that our time was running out, we made a plan.”

“What kind of plan?” Roric asked as his tail swayed irritably.

“We agreed to scatter and hide,” Rajeen continued. “Blackbast would return to the desert to wait and see if anyone returned. But the rest of us would fly to the far corners of the world and hide. When the kings were recovered and ready, they would begin the process of rebuilding. Then, they would use agents like Amber to spread the word that the desert wind was blowing. This is a call for us to prepare to return to our old lands to help them rebuild.”

Roric nodded as he realized why this upset the two women. They had moved on and built a home here where their harem was the center of power. They were the rulers now, and this sudden call meant giving up much of what they had built. It also meant that they might be putting themselves in the crosshairs of a countermove by Kevin. He might see the return of an empire that opposes him as a threat and wipe them out a second time.

Jaina had to take Gisley's hand as they discussed how Amber might have slipped in the way she did to spare them from being exposed. Kevin had a spymaster of such skill and ruthless prowess that he or she alone had been a threat to the entire empire. Amber had been tasked with rooting this spymaster out, but vanished. Now, all these years later, she was back, delivering word that the time of rebuilding was at hand.

“Wait, is her name Amber or Ambersal?” Jaina asked.

“Her full name is Ambersal Solthara,” Blackbast replied as she joined the group at the throne. “But those of us who knew of her simply called her Amber. She responded to it as well, preferring Amber and only accepting Ambersal when in an official capacity.”

“I see,” Jaina said as she clung to Rajeen. “Does this mean you two might have to leave?”

“I believe Frank has clearly stated his belief in that,” Rajeen laughed. “But he has no authority to say what Blackbast and I must do.”

“We cannot leave our homes here,” Blackbast countered. “And we will be a much greater asset to the kings from here.”

“Perhaps,” Rajeen sighed. “But we must learn what is going on in the desert. We have to know who has returned and what their plans are.”

“There is always Iskathet,” Blackbast said with a nod.

“Who is that?” Roric asked as Rajeen and Blackbast shot each other heated glances. Jaina was surprised to learn that another ghoul player lived in a pyramid in the desert. She was also one of Frank's past wives, from when Hathlisora went on her rampage. She had no memory of him, just as he had none of her, but she was still in the desert and would know what was happening.

“This woman is one of Frank’s past wives?” Jaina gasped.

“There is more,” Rajeen said with a shake. “She built her pyramid under specific instructions from surviving necromancers. When Frank and his girls found it, they also found a statue of Hathlisora inside an earlier ruined structure underneath the pyramid.”

“So her pyramid and its location are no accident,” Roric pressed.

“Her pyramid is an exact copy of the one Frank dreams of building,” Blackbast said. “There can be no mistaking that she plays some important role in their plans. But neither he nor Hannah has any memory of what that role is.”

“Another ghoul player,” Jaina said as she felt dizzy. “What are the odds? Do you think they may have come in together to be a pair like Roric and I did?”

“We do not know,” Rajeen said. “But it seems likely. She may have been at his side before he even met Hathlisora.”

“I bet Drellis knows,” Jaina pressed. “Hannah told us he has memories of her from when they were part of Kevin’s team. I bet he knows all about her.”

“Do we want to dig deeper into this?” Roric asked. “Frank is trying so hard to steer Hannah away from all this and focus her on being a sex slave.”

“She is desperate to know,” Jaina argued. “She hides from it all with the sex, but deep down, she wants to know.”

“We do not need to do any digging into their past,” Blackbast interjected. “We simply need to put a team together and send them with a letter to Iskathet to ask for her help. Then, the team can learn what she knows and scout the desert a little before reporting back. They do not need to discuss Frank or Hannah to get the information we need.”

“I agree,” Roric said with a nod. “We shouldn't dig too deep into their past unless they ask us to help. Right now, all Frank has asked me for is help training Hannah. I intend to do that with all my skill and make her the perfect slave girl.”

“She is already perfect,” Blackbast said with a pleased smile. “She isn't just playing at this; she has made an honest effort to embrace being what she is.”

“I think so, too,” Rajeen agreed. “Your training will only help open her up a bit more.”

Jaina didn't think Hannah needed much opening but didn't want to say anything. She was looking forward to spending more time with Hannah and sharing her love. For Jaina, having Hannah beside her was the only thing keeping her happy despite the recent revelations.

With a sigh, she got up and asked if she could go to the balcony to clear her head. Roric asked if she was alright, and Jaina shrugged, unsure how to answer. Once outside, she leaned on the stone wall and looked over the city below. How could this amazing land and city be so hated by so many? Why did everyone fear the idea of monster players actually achieving a level of note?

“You are not alright,” came Blackbast's voice as she joined Jaina at the rail. “You should not let these things trouble you so. Frank is right. None of us are leaving for the desert just because of what Amber said.”

“But what happens if the team you send comes back to report the kings have returned and want you to come?” Jaina asked.

“As I said, I believe we can do more good for them from here,” Blackbast replied. “We have far more resources, a loyal base of players, and the might of Gwen to back us up. Not to mention, the goblins are here in their thousands. If you look in the cities below ground you will see they vastly outnumber the players, and their numbers keep growing.”

Jaina understood, but there was always something poking at the peace and happiness of their home. She just wanted to know that there wasn't an army of zealots about to descend on them and destroy all they had built.

“I know what will make you happy,” Blackbast purred as she put an arm around Jaina’s back. “Why don’t you bring that friend of yours to the temple tomorrow.”

“You mean the centaur?” Jaina said as she did indeed feel better. Blackbast nodded and said that Hannah would be working in the temple tomorrow. It would be the perfect time for them to meet and share a moment of passion. Jaina smiled and leaned into the cat, asking why things had to be so difficult.

“It is the way of things,” Blackbast replied. “When Hathlisora and Kevin became enemies, a storm that neither of them could contain was let loose. I do not know how to resolve these things but I do know that we all fear the inevitable.”

“That Kevin will discover that Hannah is Hathlisora and come in force to deal with her,” Jaina nodded.

“I am afraid their path is destined to cross again,” Blackbast said. “One way or another, she and Kevin will have to settle this battle once and for all.”

“I just want Hannah to be my sister in the collar,” Jaina said. “I don’t want her to have to face any of this. I wish there was a way to free her from it so she never had to think about it again.”

“Oh, you are upset,” Blackbast said as she rubbed her back. “But let me ask you a question. If there was a way, but it was costly, would you pay it?”

Jaina turned to look Blackbast in the eyes as she assured the woman she would pay any price to free Hannah from this curse, no matter the cost. Blackbast nodded as if thankful Jaina had been so resolute with her answer. She stepped back and said she had to return to her temple but that Jaina should bring the centaur in the morning while Hannah was in the glory hole. Then she walked away, leaving Jaina to wonder what Blackbast had been getting at. Why ask her if she would pay the price and walk off like nothing had been said? Jaina couldn't understand why things were the way they were but she did know one thing. She would do anything for Hannah, and if there was a way to free her, Jaina would see it done.