Princess Hannah of the Jade Harem CH 53

Hannah copied symbols from her book onto a separate paper where she noted what book and page it had come from. She then used other books to reference their symbols, building a more complete understanding of the magic system.

She sat at her desk in her hidden room with Quinny and Umtha, going through other books to find magic circles that could be referenced. It was all about combining several mages' research into one collection and smoothing out the differences in their findings.

“Have either of you found a conjuration circle yet?” Hannah asked as she looked away from her work.

“Not yet,” Quinny replied as she looked at two books. “But I have one for demonic containment.”

“Let me see that,” Hannah said as she turned. Quinny got up from the floor, where she and Umtha lay on some cushions, the two flirting with their tails. Hannah smiled to see them playing as Quinny carried the book to her. She set it on the desk next to Webster, who leaned over the page to study it. He let out a little squeak as Hannah nodded in agreement.

“Does he know something about it?” Quinny asked.

“He's a know-it-all,” Hannah replied before reaching out to pet him. “But what he said was it looked like somebody spilled ink on the paper.”

“It is kinda jagged,” Quinny agreed as they looked down.

Hannah noted that the jaggedness was just the artist's style, trying to lend some kind of diabolicalness to the rendering. In truth, it could be done just as easily with plain lettering, and once you removed the exaggerated style, it would lead to more information.

“I need to redraw this with less embellishment if I want to make sense of it,” she sighed.

“I bet Chandice can do that for you,” Quinny suggested. “She knows all about this sort of thing.”

“I bet she could, but they have their own lives, and we can't keep intruding on them,” Hannah replied as she used her tail to circle Quinny's waist. She pulled the woman to her lap and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her firmly as she sighed.

“I love you, Quintessa,” Hannah said.

“Ha, when did I become Quintessa?” Quinny asked.

“Just now,” Hannah giggled. “It sounded so much nicer at the moment.”

“I love you too,” Quinny replied as she lay her head on Hannah’s and pet Webster in her place. “I love our family and what we have become.”

“It is a very wonderful thing,” Hannah agreed. “But honestly, how many people could do this sort of thing?”

“Not many, but that’s fine,” Quinny replied. “Most people need one committed partner to feel content, but we are different.”

“We are crazy,” Hannah replied. “I would never have believed something like this could work.”

“It only works because we girls all love each other, and Frank anchors us all to him,” Quinny said.

“I suppose Frank is the center of the wheel,” Hannah agreed. “He makes it all possible.”

“It helps that he had a harem fantasy,” Quinny added.

“Yeah, I suppose that helps, too,” Hannah nodded and rubbed her hands along Quinny's back. “Now I have two beautiful dark angels to hold and love whenever I want. Do you two ever miss being a zombie and a goblin?”

“Not really,” Quinny said. “I guess because I know I could take the collar off and go back any time I wanted.”

“I don't miss it,” Umtha replied. “Flying is fun, and I love having a tail.”

“Well, at least she enjoys it,” Hannah said as the tip of her tail caressed Quinny's cheek. “But when I see you two, I feel something inside. It's a sense of love and happiness I never thought I could feel. Knowing you're mine and you are happy to be that way makes me want to run to Frank and thank him for making me this.”

“The big guy knew what he was doing,” Quinny said. “Blackbast was guiding him the whole way.”

“Yes, but then Blackbast had a reason for all that, didn’t she?” Hannah asked. “Because I asked her to do it.”

“You are still upset that so many people you know are secretly trying to help you,” Quinny said.

“I guess I sometimes feel that too much of my life is this plan,” Hannah said. “And I never know if a person I meet is just a friendly person or secretly part of the plan.”

“For what it's worth, I am not part of your plan,” Quinny said. “I love you even without being told to do it beforehand.”

“Even if you had been told, I would still want you to love me,” Hannah replied. “My sweet Quinny.” Hannah looked deep into her eyes and couldn't help but feel love. She leaned in for a tender kiss, then shook her head. “I promised Blackbast we would work. If she comes in here and catches us making out, she will probably lock me in her alone.”

Quinny smiled and got up, happily going back to Umtha, where the two resumed their game of flirting tails. Hannah went back to the book and began redrawing the circle. It would take some time, but a less embellished symbol would be far easier to use. She also found that copying things helped her remember them. Webster scurried along the desk, tapping at the gold and black puzzle box given to her by one of the rogues.

“Be careful with that,” Hannah said as the spider pushed it an inch. He looked at her with a row of black eyes and let out a squeak, followed by a low whistle.

“I have no idea what's inside,” Hannah replied. “Knowing my luck, it's a prison for some demon king.”

“Maybe it’s like that one movie,” Quinny offered. “You know chains with hooks on them fly out.”

“Gee, thanks for that image,” Hannah said. “Now I am even more worried about what it holds.”

“It’s probably a gem,” Umtha suggested. “Or something really valuable.”

“Why would you think that?” Hannah asked.

“We goblins build similar things,” Umtha said. “We put our spirit totems inside them to keep them safe.”

“I assume a spirit totem is something valuable?” Hannah asked.

“We believe our spirit is inside the totem, and it has to be protected,” Umtha replied.

“So, yes, that sounds valuable,” Hannah agreed and looked at the strange box. She suddenly desired to play with it but was getting off task. She put the thought aside and focused on transcribing, copying the circle to her notes, and then denoting important information beside it. She went on to copy a dozen more circles and symbols before soft hands came to her back. She looked up to see Breanne smiling down and was rewarded with a kiss on her forehead.

“You have been in here for hours,” Breanne said.

“I am not allowed to neglect my research,” Hannah sighed. “Blackbast refuses to let me skip it.”

“Well, I brought you and your little gremlins some glitter bombs,” Breanne said, pointing to a tray on the table where three tall glasses of sparkling blue liquid stood. There was also a bowl of steaming meat in a red sauce and a second bowl of bread pieces.

“You are a lifesaver,” Hannah said as she got up and turned into Breanne’s arms for a kiss. “How is our husband?”

“Busy,” Breanne laughed. “It's very odd how most people who come to the temple are women.”

“Tell me about it,” Hannah laughed. “We had a busy first day, but then it slowed down. Blackbast hardly needs us now that she has four other girls.”

“I am sure there will be plenty of men for you,” Breanne assured as she went to the table and picked up a drink. She handed to Hannah with a smile before leaning against her back.

“Come on you two, I know you are thirsty,” Hannah said before taking a sip. Quinny and Umtha jumped up and went to the table to each take a drink. They dug into the meat, using the bread as scoops to enjoy the feast.

“So I take it they had a wild hunt on the menu,” Hannah said.

“They did, but I didn’t want to carry four meats, so I just swiped the one,” Breanne replied as she began to rub at Hannah’s shoulders. “So, are you anxious to start with men?”

Hannah took another sip as she considered the question, then shrugged. She wasn't all that concerned about men and didn't feel any need to look beyond the harem. If they came, so be it, but she was content with the girls thus far. Her answer made her consider another question and pushed her to ask why this was so easy to talk about. Here they were, a big family of wives and a husband talking about intimacy outside that group. Why was such a thing so easy to consider when, in the real world, it would have been taboo?

“You never watched any of the news about New Eden?” Breanne asked.

“I never once entertained the thought of coming here,” Hannah replied. “Why waste time learning about it?”

Breanne sighed and rubbed her back more firmly while assuring her it was alright. She then launched into a lengthy explanation to explain the theories about this world. The most popular theory was that people found this world difficult to accept as reality. They remained detached and never fully embraced it because they were so fully rooted in a previous reality. As such, they treated the world like it was a dream, and in dreams, anything was possible. This opened the doors for people to fantasize about things they would never consider. After all, what harm can it cause if it's just a dream?”

“So people don’t feel like this is real?” Hannah asked.

“No,” Breanne replied. “They had a term for it, but it escapes me.”

“Avatar syndrome,” Quinny called from the table where she was devouring meat on bread. “It’s what they called people who treat their lives here like a character in a video game.”

“That’s it,” Breanne agreed.

“So I am alright with all this craziness because I subconsciously don’t believe it’s real?” Hannah pressed.

“It's not that you don't believe it's real,” Breanne retorted. It's that you feel disassociated from the world and, as such, don't care as much about what is happening. You have taken the view point of embracing this as one big fantasy, and as such, you are having fun.”

“I think she’s trying to build the fantasy that makes her happy,” Umtha suggested.

“Hmm,” Hannah said as she enjoyed her rub. “So all this harem stuff is just me trying to cope with my inability to accept a new reality?”

“It's more likely you are trying to build a safe space,” Breanne said. “You didn't come in willingly, and it was all a shock to you. If I had to guess, you are trying to surround yourself with people you can trust to create some measure of safety.”

“You are probably right,” Hannah nodded. “I had no idea how badly I was suffering.” She looked at the desk before her and wondered how many of her decisions had been made to create a region of normalcy. She had become a daughter, married, joined a harem, and embraced multiple wives. Was it all just so she could shield herself from the chaos around her?

“Are you alright?” Breanne asked when she had been silent too long.

“I am fine,” Hannah replied with a pleased smile. “I was thinking that maybe some of my past decisions had been influenced by this avatar syndrome thing. But then I realized that I am genuinely happy with how things are, and I am grateful. I'm surrounded by people who love me and want to be a part of my life. Yes, I have missing memories, but we know all about that now. It isn't so scary when I have all of you to hold my hand through it.”

“I thought you were upset because you didn’t know what to do next,” Quinny said.

“I do know what to do next,” Hannah replied. “I am going to do some studying, add questions to my list to ask the skulls, continue testing the crowns and the spells placed on me, and finally go after the items that used to be mine.”

“You mean Frank's plan to go after the hand,” Breanne nodded. “So you are ready for another long trip?”

“I am, I guess,” Hannah replied with a shrug. “But it won’t be the same as before. We will bring the door with us so we can make our public appearances. We can travel all day and then come home to sleep in the harem. Nobody will even know we are gone.”

“I suppose,” Breanne said as she worked firmly at Hannah’s shoulders. “But are you ready to learn more?”

“More than finding out Blackbast is part of the plan, and Frank and I are sharing nightmares?” Hannah asked.

“When you put it like that, it does sound silly,” Breanne agreed, then leaned over to kiss Hannah's cheek. “I am proud of you for being so brave. I love how relaxed you have been since we settled here. I hope this peace never ends.”

“I am over the shock of being abducted and finding out I had previous lives,” Hannah said. “Now I am married in a magical relationship with you and the others. I also happen to love being a slave in the harem. It's like having a hundred girlfriends who are always happy to see me.”

[DING! New levels reached] Hannah blinked as she realized she had just leveled and looked around in surprise.

“How did you level in here?” Umtha asked as Breanne began to laugh.

“It has to be Frank,” Breanne said. “He’s the only one in her collar that isn’t here.”

“Oh, my god, how many girls came over today?” Hannah asked. “Has Frank been going all morning?”

“It was a lot,” Breanne said with a nod. “There were probably three girls to every man waiting in the lounge.”

“Why does everyone want to sleep with our husband?” Hannah demanded.

“I hope he’s not too tired tonight,” Umtha said. “I want to make love to him.”

“He’s undead, he’s never going to be tired, but I worry he will get bored,” Hannah said. “There has to be a point when he’s just had enough.”

“I don’t know that men can reach that point,” Breanne said. “It’s usually more a matter of stamina. They just wear out.”

“Frank likes to cuddle anyway,” Quinny said. “I feel safe when he holds me.”

“He is rather fond of holding us,” Breanne agreed. “I like that about him.”

Hannah smiled as she considered how Frank liked to hold them. His strong arms would press her to his chest, and she would feel like nothing in the world could harm her. It was a place she often longed to be, as it was truly the only place where none of her worries could trouble her.

“I love him,” Hannah sighed as she thought about Frank. “And he's down the hall, cheating on us.”

“He’s not cheating,” Breanne laughed and rubbed more firmly. “And you could always go join him. I am sure he would be happy to share the women with you.”

“Then Blackbast would put me to work,” Hannah countered. “Besides, I am cataloging magic circles and their related symbols. I want to see if I can identify all the layers the necromancer circle is made with. I am hoping they had the system right, and it will give me some insight into the proper organization of magic schools.”

“Still don't trust the books,” Breanne surmised.

“Which one do I trust?” Hannah asked. “None of them agree on how it works. That’s why I am sorting them out one by one and hoping to figure out how the necromancers arranged them.”

“That seems like something that would be in your necromancer's book,” Breanne said.

“I am looking through it,” Umtha replied as she flipped some pages.

“Are you using the song to look?” Breanne asked.

“The song!” Hannah cried and slapped her forehead. “Why didn't I think of that? Of course, something like that would be hidden behind the song. They wouldn't want anyone else to know they figured it out, and putting it on a printed page would be too risky. Sometimes, I think I am doing something so smart when I am actually stupid.”

“Don’t say that,” Breanne urged. “You have had a lot on your mind lately and some big changes going on around you. Honestly, I am surprised you can focus enough to study.”

“It needs to be done,” Hannah replied as she looked at Umtha. “Sweetheart, go back to the beginning, where it talks about the magic layers, and sing your song.”

Umtha nodded and went back a hundred pages or so until she was looking at diagrams and magic circles. She began to sing the song Hathlisora had taught her, the one that made her magical dress of flowers dance. Suddenly, the ink on the page seemed to blur as it faded away, revealing a text beneath. Hannah wanted to scream when she saw it, the diagram of magical alignment arranged in seven layers.

“Is that it?” Quinny said in shock. “Was it really that easy?”

Hannah couldn't answer until she had time to study it, but everything she was doing was right there in beautiful simplicity. Magic was like a ring of spheres inside larger spheres inside larger ones still; they overlapped and connected, creating a spiraling pattern of power. It seemed like it both trailed off into infinity and yet grew beyond the page, like trying to fill a void. There were symbols on each layer that didn't appear magical, but she was certain she had seen them before.

“Breanne, I love you,” Hannah said as she took the book to the desk and leaned over it, lost in the spiraling beauty.

“I love you too,” Breanne said, wrapping an arm around her as she leaned over to look at it. I have to say, it's beautiful.”

“It's simple and yet complex,” Hannah said as she traced a line. I don't see a beginning or an end. There is no logical place where it is all encapsulated.”

“Maybe it isn’t,” Quinny suggested.

“This is why nobody can figure it out,” Hannah said. They keep looking for a ridged order that clearly defines everything. But it isn't a ring, or a star, or a logical form; it's a spiral that turns in on itself.”

“It’s inside a ring,” Breanne said as she traced the page.

“No, Look,” Hannah said as she showed Breanne how the arms of the spiral breached the ring. She looked closer to see that only two paths reached far enough to breach all seven layers to what the page labeled Draco Magnus and Draco Nullicus.

“What powers are those?” Hannah asked as she looked through the complex spiraling paths. “The different powers only reach so far.”

“What do you mean?” Breanne asked as she tried to follow Hannah’s tracing.

“Look,” Hannah said as Quinny and Umtha joined to see. “All the varieties of power merge into paths, but each path only reaches so far. Necromancy breaches two layers, meaning it can't go very far, but look at these two.

“Holy and Unholy,” Quinny said.

“Right,” Hannah agreed. They reach five layers in but can't go any further. I bet the places the necromancers were trying to reach were beyond the second layer. It was probably four or five.”

“What are you saying?” Breanne asked.

“The necromancers were trying to open doors to places they were not supposed to go, but they couldn't do it,” Hannah said. “If this chart means what I think it means, only a holy or unholy player could take them where they needed to go. They needed somebody with unholy powers.”

“A devil,” Breanne said as she looked at Hannah. “A devil like Hathlisora.”

“That must be why they needed her,” Hannah said as she looked more closely at the intricate pattern. But I doubt those powers will do it alone.”  She traced the edge of the symbol, noting the wavy blue lines reminiscent of waves around it. She wondered what that represented and if there was any way to reach them.

“This is a huge step forward,” Hannah said as she tapped the page. “I need Chandice and some of the harem girls with a background in summoning and translocation magic.” Umtha offered to run off and get them as Hannah marveled over the image. It was a perfectly symmetrical shape, but too many people tried to make it fit a wheel without a concept of how the magic spheres overlapped. Every school of magic was its own sphere, but three of these made up greater spheres that overlapped the greater sphere next to them. Some lines ran to the center of the pattern to a region that seemed more like a hole than a location.

“It’s a spiral over a toroid,” Hannah said as she began to see the logic.

“You lost me,” Breanne said.

“It isn't a flat image,” Hannah said as she tried to show where lines curved. It's a three-dimensional map of the flow of magic. It's always traveling in both a spiral and a circle at the same time, like an ebb and flow of power that focuses in key locations.”

“Should we be worried?” Quinny asked as Hannah stared into the abyss of magic.

“Hannah,” Breanne urged, “Please step back and clear your head.”

“I’m fine,” Hannah replied as she leaned back and closed her eyes. “But my head is starting to hurt.”

“I am amazed you aren’t dizzy from looking at that mess,” Breanne said. “How can you follow all those patterns?”

“I was always good with patterns,” Hannah sighed, enjoying her rub. She kept her eyes closed, trying to clear her thoughts as she explained how she was good with puzzles. Anything with a logical pattern tended to make sense to her and she was always fascinated by a problem to solve.

“You are perfectly suited to this task,” Breanne laughed.

“Yeah, but I feel tired just from looking at that,” Hannah replied as her lip felt wet. She lifted a hand to wipe at her nose to see blood. Breanne saw it as well and leaned around her to gasp at what she saw.

“You're bleeding from your eyes and nose,” Breanne cried and turned to Quinny. “Go and get Blackbast!”

Quinny ran from the room as Hannah stood and went to a mirror to see a startling face. She was indeed bleeding from her eyes as if crying blood and began to frantically wipe to make it go away. Blackbast arrived with Frank behind her and rushed to Hannah to see what was happening.

“Why am I bleeding?” Hannah cried as her hands trembled.

“Just relax,” Blackbast insisted and helped her back to the chair.

Hannah felt the reassuring grasp of Frank's hand as Blackbast began to pull at her cheeks to open her eyelids. She studied the injury briefly before going into a healing spell that quickly stopped the flow. She refused to give up Frank's grasp even when assured the bleeding had stopped. She jumped up and threw her arms around him, hugging him firmly to feel the safety of his embrace.

“What happened?” Frank asked as he stroked the back of her head.

“I was just reading my book,” Hannah said as she began to cry. “I don't know what happened.” Hannah felt a sudden swelling of emotions pouring to the surface as she felt frightened. She couldn't explain why she was so startled by a little blood, but it had rattled her nonetheless. Thankfully, Breanne stepped in and explained how they used Umtha's little song to reveal a magical pattern in the book that Hannah felt explained the organization of magic. She was deep into studying the pattern when she began to complain that she felt dizzy and her head hurt.

“That's when she stopped to close her eyes, and they started bleeding,” Breanne finished.

Frank and Blackbast warily looked at the book on the desk to see the complex pattern, and Frank carefully closed the book.

“Why don’t we take a break from that,” he suggested.

“Why would that cause me to start bleeding?” Hannah asked. “It’s an important discovery.”

“Some kind of magical defense?” Breanne suggested. “Another way to keep the uninitiated from reading what was not meant for them to read.”

“I suppose that would be possible,” Blackbast agreed. “I felt pain just glancing at it.”

“I did, too,” Frank agreed. There was a stabbing sensation in the back of my head.”

“But shouldn’t Hannah be the one who can read it?” Umtha asked. “All this was left for her.”

“Yes, these things were left for her, but we have been warned time and time again to take it slow,” Blackbast reminded. “Perhaps she is not yet ready to take this step.”

“Great, so now my books are booby-trapped,” Hannah groaned. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“Ask the necromancer's skull,” Frank suggested.

Hannah looked up to meet his gaze as she smiled at the ingenuity of her husband. He never ceased to amaze her at how quickly he came up with simple solutions to problems. That would be the perfect way to learn how to study the magic pattern by asking someone who helped create it. She would add that to the list of things she needed to know and look forward to asking. For now, she needed a break from her studies and asked if she could maybe spend an hour or two with her family.

“I don't see why not,” Blackbast nodded. “Come, let's go to the gardens. I think you have been locked inside long enough.”

Hannah was carried by Frank with her bare feet dangling in the air as they went down the hall. She was happy for the discovery as it meant she could move on to figuring out the necromancers were trying to open doorways. Still, she couldn't put it to use until she could study the symbol in detail. She would have to wait until she was ready to speak with the necromancer skull and finally ask the questions that needed answers.