Princess Hannah of the Jade Harem CH 34

Hannah stood in the night air, a gentle breeze ruffling her long blond hair. The sky above was full of stars as the city below settled in for a good night's sleep. She leaned on the railing of the palace balcony, looking over all she and Frank had created. It chilled her soul to think that players far to the north would take offense at what they were doing and actively seek to destroy it.

With a sigh, she let that thought slip from her mind as she turned to something more near and dear to her heart. This was her city, full of her people, and she wanted to wish them a good night. She opened her voice, singing loud and clear as her flower singer powers coursed through her veins. She boosted the effect with a little essence so her soft, melodic tones could be heard even beyond the city walls.

She channeled magic to cause night flowers to bloom, bringing fourth petals that glowed with vivid colors. It sang like a soothing lullaby as she added words to encourage her people to sleep while she watched over them like their mother.

Frank said that the people were starting to call their kingdom the land of song, with its capital the singing city. Her frequent songs had stirred others, and now it was common for women to be singing in various parts of the city, adding their beautiful voices to the home they created.

Hannah finished her song just before Frank's arms came around her, pulling her back to his chest as she melted under his touch. They didn't say a word because they didn't have to. The warm hug communicated everything they needed to know. She loved him with all her heart, so much so that she had given up her desire to go home. She couldn't imagine living without Frank and would follow him into chaos to stay at his side.

Slowly, she turned in his arms to face him, planting her soft lips to his before laying her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her back before picking her up and taking her back to the palace. He carried her through the central room that had become an extension of the Jade harem. Dozens of girls lay in various states of sleep, snuggled together as they dreamed of tomorrow's wonders.

Frank took Hannah to their private bedroom, where Breanne, Umtha, Quinny, and Jaina lay in bed, already near the edge of sleep. They reached up with eager arms as Frank handed her down to them and quickly swallowed her into their embrace. Hannah found herself the center of their snuggle, women clinging to her tightly as Frank settled in beside them. He threw his arm and blankets over their pile, and together, they drifted off, only for Gisley to find them in the dream.

Hannah blinked as she woke in a funny place, looking at what appeared to be the private lake. She quickly sat up to discover her family was beside her, equally as confused.

“Didn’t we go to bed?” Hannah asked as she stood up.

“I think this is Gisley's doing,” Jaina said as she spun around. “Gisley, are you playing with us?”

“Maybe,” came a distant voice followed by a playful giggle. “I had a fun idea, and I thought you guys could be my first test at it.”

“Another test in the dream,” Breanne said with a shake of her head. “Let’s hope this one doesn’t end in a nightmare.”

“I promise it won't,” Gisley replied as she suddenly appeared, her purple skin completely exposed as she stood before them.

“Must you always be naked?” Breanne asked as she looked at the playful woman.

“Why not?” Gisley asked. “Roric prefers us to be naked, and I have made love to all of you several times. Besides, it's not like anybody is going to see us here.”

“Why are we here?” Frank asked as he took in the lovely sight of the fairy.

“Enjoying the view?” Hannah asked as she leaned into him.

“I am,” he replied. “Maybe you all should go naked.”

“In your dreams,” Hannah replied.

“Ha, this is a dream,” Quinny reminded.

“It is,” Jaina agreed as she shifted her form and joined Gisley in being naked. “Isn’t this better?”

“We prance around in our underwear already,” Breanne added. “I doubt being naked would shock many people.”

“I think wearing the sexy underwear is more exciting,” Quinny said. “It's like frosting on a cake.”

“Can we please stop the underwear talk?” Hannah interrupted. “I meant to talk to the masters about that anyway. I think maybe we should go back to wearing proper dresses.”

“Aww, that’s a shame,” Jaina pouted.

“You can’t,” Frank said. “You have to have your back exposed.”

“Ha, he’s right,” Jaina agreed with a smug smile. “You aren’t allowed to cover the tattoos.”

“Fine,” Hannah grumbled. “I will get a backless dress, but the rest of our skin should be covered.” Frank laughed as she glared, then turned back to Gisley to ask what she wanted to try.

“Well, you remember how I took you into that dream?” Gisley began. “I was thinking, why can’t I take you to other places?”

“Like what other places?” Breanne asked.

“You know, places from your memories,” Gisley said as she twisted. “I need one of you to visualize a place you know, and I will try to recreate it in the dream.”

“You mean, from the real world?” Hannah asked as she tried to understand the idea. Gisley nodded and explained that she had already done it for places from her memory. But she wanted to see if she could weave a dream from somebody else and thought one of them might want to try.

“So, do any of you want to try?” Hannah asked as she looked to her loved ones.

“Not me,” Quinny replied. “I don’t have many happy memories of my past in the system.”

“I don't want to revisit my past,” Frank added. “Why don't we go to someplace of yours?”

“Mine?” Hannah replied as she tried to think of a place she would like to visit again. “Umm, sure, I guess,” she said and turned to face Gisley. “So, just focus on it?”

“Don’t overthink it,” Gisley said. “Just relax and let the image float in your memory. Try to feel an emotion for the place. Something that anchors you to that place.”

Hannah nodded and thought back to a place from her past, trying to feel what it would be like to be there. She could feel the atmosphere and smell the scent of being there as Gisley put her hands to Hannah's temples. It was a pizza place, of course, but the more she tried to see it, the harder it became to pick out details. It was like the image became blurry wherever she looked, making it hard to see.

“I can’t seem to pull this image out,” Gisley said as she closed her eyes. “It’s like it isn’t real.”

“What do you mean it isn’t real?” Hannah argued. “That’s Antoni’s Pizza. I have been there a hundred times. I could describe every corner of the place.”

“It’s strange,” Gisley said as she struggled with the image. “I can see it in your mind, but I can’t use it.”

“Maybe you can’t do this trick with other people,” Frank suggested as Gisley gave up.

“I would agree, but it worked for that dream she had,” Gisley argued as she looked sad that it had failed. “Does anybody else want to try?”

“I will try,” Breanne said as she stepped forward. “It can be any place I feel a strong connection to?”

“I am hoping the emotional link will make the image more powerful,” Gisley said with a shrug. “But this is all testing. For all I know, it doesn't help at all.”

Hannah watched as Breanne nodded and closed her eyes as she began to focus on a memory. She told Gisley she had it, and the fairy put her hands to Breanne's temples.

“Oh, I see it, and it feels so clear,” Gisley said. “Let me just pull on it.”

Hannah blinked, and suddenly, they were someplace else, and it was right out of an old movie. They stood in what appeared to be a late fifties dinner, with red leather stools at a long counter and booths along the walls. Outside was a street full of people and cars while a jukebox hummed away with a song Hannah had never heard before.

“It works!” Gisley cried excitedly as she danced around. “Oh, this place is so amazing. Where are we?”

“New York,” Breanne replied as she started to shed tears. “It’s nineteen fifty-nine, and I was here as an eighteen-year-old girl when I met the man who would become my husband.” The group went silent as Breanne walked down the length of the narrow dinner as if seeing the very moment they met. “I was sitting here,” she said as she indicated a booth. “Amy was across from me, with Cindy sitting by the window. I remember they were arguing about seeing a movie or going to the pier.”

Hannah could see the power of the memory washing over the woman she loved and quickly went to her side to take a hand. Breanne smiled as Hannah reached up to brush a tear from her cheek, then leaned in to give her a quick, soft kiss.

“I love how tender she is,” Jaina said to Gisley as they watched the moment of love.

“She’s hurting over her lost husband,” Gisley sighed. “I never thought about how this could stir up painful memories.”

“Oh, I hope this isn’t inappropriate,” Breanne said as she turned to look at Frank. “I don’t mean to be upset over my previous husband. You are my husband now, and I love you very much.”

Frank stepped up to join them and took her in his arms as she leaned into him for support.

“This is a memory that helped make you the wonderful woman I love,” Frank replied. “I would never be upset about your feelings for the man who was such a large part of your life. I would be more worried if you didn't.”

“So you’re not upset?” Breanne asked as she looked deep into his eyes.

“No, I am grateful you were willing to share this with me,” Frank replied. “I feel even closer to you now than I did before.”

“Tell me again that he’s not good with women,” Hannah quipped as she shook her head.

“Ha, Frank’s a ladies man,” Quinny laughed. “He’s got a silver tongue.”

“He’s certainly a charmer,” Jaina agreed as she sat on a bar stool. “I bet I would have fallen in love with him if we had met like Roric and I did.”

“What is all this?” Umtha said as she pressed her face to the glass window, looking into a world that took her breath away.”

“Oh, right, you aren't from Earth,” Hannah said and joined her side.

“What are those things? Are they fortresses? How did you get these narrow mountains?” Umtha asked. “It must have taken you forever to carve them down like this.”

Hannah wanted to laugh as poor Umtha tried to grasp the wonders on display before her eyes. She pointed at cars, asking if they were giant beetles and how they ran so fast. Hannah did her best to explain how they were like goblin machines with people piloting them.

Umtha asked if they were part of the army and was disappointed when Hannah said they were transportation. She asked why people needed so many and went wide-eyed as Hannah described just how large a human city was. She stressed it was impractical to walk across the city unless you wanted to spend all day doing it. Umtha nodded but jumped when a big bus went by. She glued to the window, her eyes bursting as she asked if they could go outside to fight it.

“We can go out in a bit,” Hannah laughed as she turned to Breanne.

“One thing first,” Breanne said as she went to a wall with Frank holding her waist. She leaned over a jukebox and looked through the menu before pushing a few buttons. The machine came to life, and a song filled the air that turned Umtha's head as she looked around for the source.

“The only girl I care about has gone away. Looking for a brand new start.”

“I know this song,” Hannah said as Breanne collapsed into Frank’s arms.

“It’s called the rhythm of the rain,” Breanne replied between tears. “By the Cascades.”

“It sounds old,” Quinny said, then quickly shrunk under Hannah's withering glare. “But, I like it. Is it special to you?”

“Yes,” Breanne replied. “And I just wanted to hear it one more time.”

“Well, this is very interesting,” Hannah said as she looked at Gisley. “Are you saying we can visit the real world in these dreams? We can go back to places we miss or hear songs we love?”

“It seems to work,” Gisley replied with a shrug. “You can even have food. I tried it in one of my dreams.”

“I tried to take us to a pizza place,” Hannah grumbled. “But it wouldn’t work.”

“No, something about that memory is faulty,” Gisley said as she looked confused.

“Hmm,” Hannah said as she stepped up to Gisley. “Can you try again with a different memory?”

“No, I want to explore this place a little more,” Umtha insisted.

“You want to explore it, how?” Hannah replied.

“Can we go outside?” Umtha asked as she climbed onto a table. “I want to see the mountain buildings closer.”

“Is it safe to go outside?” Quinny asked as she pointed to a window. “We’re still our fantasy versions of ourselves, complete with horns and underwear. Gisley is still naked. Is it safe to go out in public?”

“They won’t react to us,” Gisley said. “This is Breanne’s dream. They aren’t real. None of this is real.”

“It's like that one movie where the guy goes into the computer world only to discover the world he thinks is real isn't,” Hannah said.

“Oh, god, you honestly can’t remember the name of that movie?” Frank cried.

“Hey, I was very young, and complex movies like that weren't my thing,” Hannah protested. “I did like that Buffy movie, though.”

“Ha, that figures,” Quinny laughed. “I can see you as a cheerleader. I bet you were one of those mean girls.”

“I was not!” Hannah replied as she considered her time in high school and how she wasn't very nice to people. “I just had my own friends that I spent time with.”

“Can we please go outside!” Umtha cried as she nearly bounced with excitement.

“Oh, common,” Hannah cried, thankful for the spotlight to shift off her. She took Umtha by the hand, dragging her to the door before swinging it wide. The sound of a busy city greeted the goblin woman's ears as they perked up while her eyes went wide.

“You built all this?” Umtha gasped as they stepped into the street. “And you said my fortress was too big?”

“I didn’t build all this personally,” Hannah remarked as the others began to file out, standing on the sidewalk as the city spread out around them. “This was built by tens of thousands over a hundred years of labor.”

“And even more people than that labored in mines, quarries, and other places to gather the materials,” Frank said. “Then thousands more transported it here.”

“It’s amazing,” Umtha said as she nearly stepped into the street before Hannah grabbed her arm.

“Easy girl,” Hannah cautioned. “Let’s not get you run over. You don’t make a good speed bump.”

“Can we climb up to the top of that one?” Umtha asked as she pointed to a tall skyscraper.

“Umm, no,” Hannah said as she pulled the woman close. “It's a little high.”

“You can still fly here,” Gisley said as she stood naked on the busy street. “None of these people are real. They won't react to a succubus flying around unless I make them do it.”

“I never cared for big cities,” Jaina said. “I am more of a country girl.”

“Is that why you like to run around naked?” Hannah teased.

“And now the jokes begin,” Jaina laughed. “And from the woman who is dressed like a high-dollar prostitute.”

“I am not,” Hannah protested as she looked down at her thigh-high stockings and hot red panties. “I am dressed to make Frank happy.”

“I am happy,” Frank agreed as he smiled at her outfit. “But they could wear a little more leather.”

Jaina burst into laughter as Hannah folded her arms and shook her head. She did her best not to imagine what kind of leather he wanted and quickly turned away.

“Can we go inside one of them?” Umtha asked as she pointed to a large car going by.

“Oh, this is priceless,” Breanne said from where Frank still held her. “It’s very touching to see her excitement.”

“I can’t believe how realistic this dream is,” Frank said as he looked up. “I can’t see anything to indicate this isn’t real.”

“How do we know it isn't?” Hannah asked as she looked closely at a passing woman who noticed the stare and hurried by. “For all we know, they create these places just like they do New Eden. It could all be some sort of digital induced hallucination.”

“We don’t even know if it is digital,” Frank replied. “We know nothing of how the world works.”

“Some people think New Eden is a real world somewhere else in space,” Jaina suggested.

“It can’t be,” Hannah countered. “Or the sun wouldn’t break.”

“Ah, good point,” Jaina relented. “But if it was generated, how are they so detailed?”

“The dream is based on Breanne's memory of the place,” Quinny said. “Even if she can't recall exact details, the subconscious mind records everything, and they can somehow use that to recreate it.”

“Wait,” Hannah said as she saw the massive potential of that fact. “So we could revisit a moment in time and study the details our subconscious mind caught, but our conscious mind didn't?”

“I suppose so,” Gisley said with a toss of her head. “But why is that important?”

“Because in the heat of a moment, you miss important details,” Hannah said and swept a hand to the scene around them. “I can even bring people with me to help analyze it. This is like pulling up memories on a computer and using a search engine to pick out details.”

“But what memories would you pull up?” Quinny asked.

“Nothing scary,” Umtha insisted.

“No, nothing like that,” Hannah assured her with a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “But, there are things we can do to safely further our understanding.”

“Here we go,” Breanne sighed. “She's been here ten minutes, and already she's trying to understand how it works so she can break it.”

“I am not,” Hannah countered as her long tail twitched irritably. “But think of the potential of examining a situation in greater detail.”

“To learn what?” Jaina asked.

“I don't know,” Hannah replied. “But so many things have happened here that I never had time to consider. We were either in a hurry or had to run away, and I am sure we missed details.”

“Can you point out an example?” Frank asked as he struggled to see her point of view.

“Hmm,” Hannah said as she thought back. “Alright, I have a place in mind.” She turned to Gisley and asked her to bring the dream up, so Gisley put her hands to Hannah's temples.

“What is this place?” Gisley asked as she struggled to see the image.

“It's where I found the crown,” Hannah replied, and suddenly they were there, on a rocky island, looking at a raised platform where the horned crown rested, waiting to be claimed by Hannah.

“I thought you said it wasn't going to be scary!” Umtha cried and ran to Quinny's arms. Quinny wrapped her in a hug as Frank and Breanne approached the crown, sitting on the simple crystal platform.

“So this is what you saw?” Frank asked as he studied the device that none of them trusted. Hannah explained how she and Webster crossed the narrow bridge behind them to arrive at the crown. She then suggested they look over the side of the small island into the abyss below.

The group looked into a blackness so empty it defied any ability to discern it. However, far below was a swirling red fire, slowly turning like a distant galaxy.

“What is that light down there?” Quinny asked as she dared to look over the side.

“This place isn’t right,” Umtha insisted. “It feels hungry.”

“This is where I went to get your crown,” Hannah said as she pointed to her head. “How can you be afraid to be here?”

“I didn't know what was behind that door,” Umtha replied. “For all I knew, it was a sunny meadow.”

“It's like a void,” Frank said as he looked around the rocks and edge. “Like a video game version of the Abyss.”

“Let’s pretend I am not a gamer, oh wait,” Hannah began as she smirked.

Frank shook his head and explained that in many games, there was a place simply called the abyss. It was an endless pit broken only by massive islands or, in some cases, whole worlds suspended in a void of nothingness. He stressed that in most games, the abyss was so deep that it was theorized to go on forever and was the home of demons.

“So, this is where my race comes from?” Hannah asked.

“You're a devil. You come from the hells,” Frank corrected.

“Ugh, I will never understand this difference between demons and devils,” Hannah grumbled.

“That’s in a lot of games,” Quinny said. “Demons and Devils usually hate each other.”

“So I noticed with the sand demon,” Hannah remarked. “But do you see how this could be used to go back and study something we didn’t have time to study before?”

“I see your point,” Frank agreed as he looked into the absolute blackness. “But take us someplace else.”

“Like where?” Hannah asked.

“Take us to that room you and Breanne went into inside the ruined necromancer’s tower,” Frank suggested.

“Oh, that place,” Hannah replied as she nodded. She went to Gisley, who put her hands on Hannah's head and worked on the image.

“I see it, but you are having trouble holding it,” Gisley said. “Just relax and try to feel like you are there.”

‘I was only in the room for a few minutes,” Hannah replied. “It’s not like I have an emotional connection to it.”

“Just try,” Gisley said, and suddenly they were someplace else.

It was an enclosed room of polished stone bricks and thick columns. Sun rays filtered through a massive hole in what they could only assume was the ceiling, creating a dance of dust moats that floated in the air. The group could see clouds high above as they blinked in the sudden change of brightness from the abyss to this hidden space.

The room was full of twisted metal objects and ruined books thrown about as if an explosion had occurred. There were shelves on one wall that long ago collapsed with age, dumping the moldy tomes to the floor. In other places, work tables, now rotted and bowed, barely stood intact. Scattered across them were shiny objects and metal items lying among other trash.

In the center of the room was a raised stone platform. It was perfectly round and filled the bulk of the room. There were narrow metal lines laid into the surface, forming an eight-pointed star. The platform was polished to the smoothness of glass except where etchings were carefully made on the surface. A metal framework wrapped around the platform's outer edge, with empty sockets where something appeared to have once been inserted. Bits of the same metal lay twisted and bent around the room as if torn away by the same explosion that opened the ceiling. The group gathered around the strange central platform to see what appeared to be a map of the southern world.

“This is what you found?” Frank asked in amazement as he looked over the picture.

“It’s a map,” Quinny said and pointed to a part. “That’s where your old graveyard was.”

“Parts of it are damaged,” Frank said as he brushed rubble from the surface to reveal areas that had been pulverized. Worse, an intentional gouge was made across the north as if trying to erase what could be found there. “Somebody blasted their way in here through the ceiling and defaced this map on purpose.”

“I can't believe you didn't tell us about this,” Quinny said as she cleared more of the surface to examine the map.

“I did tell you,” Hannah insisted. “As I recall, you said it sounded like a room full of junk, and let’s not forget Breanne was with me.”

“I told them what we found,” Breanne said. “But they needed to see it to appreciate it.”

Heather nodded, but her memory tickled her as she recalled that conversation. When they entered the room, Breanne made a funny comment about it being their future. She had even responded to Quinny's junk comment, stating there was plenty of use to the room; they just needed time to understand it. She wondered why that off statement had passed out of her memory so easily and turned on the woman to ask her what she meant.

Breanne looked shocked that Hannah had brought that up, then looked away as she sighed.

“I was dreaming,” Breanne replied. “This room is a tiny glimpse of the glory that was the necromancer empire. When I first met you and discovered you were a necromancer, I thought maybe those days could return. It was a silly thought, but it stuck with me during those early days. Then we came here and found this room, and I saw the fire in your eyes. You were hungry to know what it all did and why. I thought maybe, just maybe, you could restore that glory, given time and encouragement. But I quickly learned how dangerous this idea was, and you were so determined to get out. I gave up on any notion that you might pursue this path.”

Hannah saw her shoulders sink and went to her side to comfort her. Breanne accepted the hug, apologizing for pushing Hannah in a dangerous direction for greedy reasons. Hannah assured her it wasn't greedy and that if she could think of a way to restore that golden age safely, she would. For right now, all she wanted was a home for her family where Breanne was able to love and be loved, free from worry.

“What were these metal arms for?” Quinny asked as she picked up a bent metal bar.

“I have no idea,” Hannah replied as she released Breanne from her hug. “But there were tools for mapping on the tables. I assumed this was some kind of charting room.”

“This is goblin engineering,” Umtha said as she picked up more of the metal. “A framework that hung over the map for some purpose.”

“I figured it had to be a framework,” Hannah agreed. “I assumed it was for charting stars.”

“No, it must have been part of the map,” Umtha insisted as she leaned over the table. “It did something to or for the map. Maybe it measured distances?”

“Why would you need a big machine to do that?” Frank asked as the mystery grew.

“This is so neat,” Gisley said as she looked over the tables handling various small tools. “Where is this place?”

“In the south,” Frank replied. “Right next to some spawn points.”

“So, what did this device do?” Quinny asked as she picked up more twisted metal and inserted it into slots along the platform.

“That's the mystery,” Hannah said. “And most of it is missing. Somebody broke it and took parts of it away.”

“Wait a minute,” Frank said as he looked up. “You carried a smaller map out of this room. A polished disk with rings along the side.”

“Yeah,” Hannah replied. “It’s in the tower where most of my junk is. But the dream copy is right there.” She pointed to a broken table that lay half buried in crumbling books. Frank walked to the table and scooped the device that was about the size of a dinner plate up. It appeared to be made of a highly polished metal, maybe silver and was etched with a map similar to the one on the table but had no roads, rivers, or key details. Around the outer edge were eight rings of the same metal that seemed to serve no purpose.

“That had to be important to this machine,” Frank said as he held out the device. “Why did we never look into what it was for?”

Hannah honestly couldn’t answer that question and had to chalk it up to her state of mind. She was still reeling about being trapped in New Eden and wasn’t ready to immerse herself in its mysteries. She went to Frank and took the device from him as she tried to remember why it hadn’t seemed important at the time.

“That’s it,” Quinny said. “I remember that.”

“I do, too,” Breanne replied. “But let's not be so hard on ourselves. We were in hiding, still trying to figure out how to keep what Hannah was a secret. Despite how much I hoped she might lead to some great revival of the past, I didn't think this was important. All our attention was focused on remaining inconspicuous and helping Hannah with her desire to go home.”

“None of you should be upset that this slipped your minds,” Jaina agreed as she looked at the map. “And let’s be honest. Now that you’re here again, has anything changed?”

“You mean, does it mean anything more?” Frank asked as Jaina nodded. He looked at the disk in Hannah's hands and sighed. “I suppose it only means more now because of what we learned in the meantime.”

“It’s seeing Legeis and Chandice’s machine that makes this seem more important,” Hannah said. “Now that I know something magical could be built like that, I have to wonder what this table used to do.”

“We should bring Legeis here,” Umtha suggested. “Let him use his tools to study the table. If it had a strong mechanical element, he might learn something we wouldn't otherwise see.”

“That’s another good idea,” Frank agreed. “We need to focus on studying things like this to learn all we can.”

“Well, this is a change of direction,” Hannah said as she turned the strange map disk over in her hands. “Months ago, I carried this thing out and put it away to never look at it again. None of us wanted to delve too deeply into what I was or the potential that I might be Hathlisora. Now we all accept it as fact, and we are kicking ourselves for not focusing on these things sooner.”

“Our perspective has changed,” Breanne replied. “Back then, we were unsure of our future and what we wanted. Now, we are a family, and we know what we want. We want to build a life together and a kingdom to show players how wonderful it can be. But we are no longer blind to the truth. We know you, Frank, Umtha, and potentially more of us had a past shrouded in chaos. We can no longer afford to be blind to the past if we truly hope to build that future.”

“Very well said,” Jaina agreed as Gisley nodded and added that the Lovewood depended on them as well. If Frank and Hannah’s home fell, so would theirs, and they would do anything to keep that from happening.

Hannah saw her logic and was thankful for her insight as she considered the wild nature of her early days in New Eden. She realized that now was the time to readdress some of these issues and begin learning the truth, not just for herself but for her family. She smiled to think that family included Jaina, Gisley, and their family, as well as the girls of the Jade Harem. It even, to some extent, included their kingdom, as Hannah felt a keen responsibility to protect the people.

“Well, I think this proves we can use this dream ability to return to key times and places to study them,” Hannah said as she felt a page had been turned. “We should put this to use going forward.

“This is a good idea,” Frank agreed. “And when we have a chance, we should show that disk to Legeis and take him here in the dream. If he thinks it's worth the effort, we should travel to the tower and see what he can learn.”

“And pick up that skull,” Hannah added, reminding them all that she had a plan to use speak with the dead to answer some questions.

“So this worked better than I imagined it would,” Gisley said with a pleased smile. “But it's strange how I couldn't get at that memory of yours.”

“Yeah,” Hannah said as she began to ponder why.

“So what should we do now?” Quinny asked as the tower faded away, and they found themselves on the hidden beach once more.

“Well,” Hannah replied as she looked over the group. Her eyes fell on the man she loved, and a wicked idea came to mind. She smiled as he backed away, reading her mind as she swished her devilish tail. “It would appear we're alone on a secluded beach with our husband and master.”

“Oh, yummy,” Jaina laughed as she and the others turned on Frank.

“What will us six girls do with ourselves?” Hannah pressed as they approached him.

“Would any of you believe me if I said I was tired?” Frank asked as they surrounded him. “I guess not,” he said right before they pounced.

Hannah and the others spent the rest of their dream enjoying the fruits of their very unique bond. They were a family like no other, a huge mass of women happy to share their love with each other and the few chosen men they called masters. It was a life worth fighting for, and they were united to ensure that no one would ever take this love from them.