1-75 Layers of Secrets

Jaina and the others waited as Viylah paced across the courtyard. She looked agitated by what was going on in her mind as she took an uncomfortably long time to begin. Heather sat with Breanne and Quinny on a nearby sarcophagus, the three looking like the closest of friends. Jaina wondered just how close they actually were and why Heather always seemed to be the center of it. Frank stood behind them, framing the scene that looked so much like a harem. Webster nestled in Heather's lap, looking like an eight-legged cat as he purred away. Putting that thought away, she focused on Viylah, who turned her back to the group taking a deep breath before beginning.

“I told you I was betrayed before,” she said with a pained groan. “Well, it was over my special abilities. I have seen firsthand how much value some people put on making a sex slave out of a shapeshifter.”

“Are you saying somebody tried to make you a sex slave?” Quinny asked.

“So it was forced on you?” Heather added.

“It can’t be forced,” Jaina said flatly, not liking the idea of her slavery being seen in a negative light.

“Jaina is right. It can't be forced directly,” Viylah agreed and turned to face the group. “But wicked people have a way of finding loopholes. They will look for a means to put you in a position where you have to make a terrible choice. For example, trap you, then offer you the collar or a reset.”

Jaina heard the others gasp as they understood what Viylah was getting at. Jaina herself could see how somebody might try to do such a thing. She thought of the lengths the slavers for the silk princes had gone to try and trick Roric into selling them. Had their plan worked, he would have sold them all, begging them to go willingly and be happy. Something like this must have happened to Viylah, and the look on her face said it hadn't been pleasant.

“That’s awful,” Heather exclaimed and grabbed at the hands of the women around her. “Did that happen to you?”

“I regret that it did,” Viylah replied. “But a friend came to my rescue and risked everything to save me. Unfortunately, she made quite a few powerful enemies that day. We were both nearly reset in the escape and were hunted for weeks afterward.”

“I am very sorry to hear that,” Jaina replied as she felt uncomfortable about the whole situation. She noted how Viylah gazed at their collars during her conversation, trying to figure out if they had been tricked into them. “Let me assure you that I wear this collar of my own free will. It isn't even locked, and I can take it off anytime I wish.” She highlighted the point by reaching up and removing the collar while Viylah scrutinized her every move.

“That's good to know,” Viylah said with a bit of hope in her voice. Then, she looked to Heather and her girlfriends and asked if their collars were locked.

“Nope,” Quinny said with a shake of her head. “None of our collars are locked. The woman they belong to is using them to help us slip under the radar and not be noticed.”

“We aren't slaves at all,” Breanne added, taking her collar off so her disguise would fall away. “We wear them for the cosmetic disguise.”

Jaina took a good look at the natural appearance of the woman known as Breanne. She was a high, or perhaps even a noble elf, with long flowing black hair that framed her elven face in a silky crown. Her features were sharp and beautiful, with an almost regal appearance and her lips looked full and ready to kiss. Her skin was pale, and there wasn't a hint of the star-like pattern around her eyes. Jaina preferred this appearance as it made the woman look commanding and graceful.

“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Viylah asked in response to the discovery that the collars were for a disguise.

“More than I care to explain at the moment,” Heather replied and set Webster down. “But you’re safe here in the swamp. Nobody knows about this place or that we are here.”

Webster did a little shake and then sprung into the air, landing with feline-like agility in Jaina's lap. The landing startled her, but she quickly laughed and wrapped him up to cuddle to her chest.

“Welcome back,” she said with a smile, then lowered her voice to whisper. “You like being there, don't you?” He chirped, and she sat back, smothering the furry thing under her breasts.

“My spider is a traitor,” Heather said as she observed the display. She turned back to Viylah, who was asking why the disguise was necessary if nobody knew they were here.

“I know I keep saying this, but it's a long story,” Heather began. “We are traveling across the world to return something. Right now, we are far to the north, months away from our home here. There is a magic door nearby that allows us to step from here to where our friends are on the other side. We use that door to visit our home while we are away. We come back regularly and spend time here to relax, but we spend a fair bit of time away.”

“So I will be just as alone here as I was in the swamp?” Viylah asked with a concerned expression.

“Somebody is here nearly every single day,” Quinny quickly replied. “I will stay here tonight if you want. I don't need to sleep, so we can talk all night.”

“Oh, I was hoping you would stay with us tonight,” Jaina cooed. Last night had been a lot of fun, and Jaina was looking forward to more time with the zombie girl and her master.

“I could do that again?” Quinny asked with genuine excitement.

“So long as your master is alright with it,” Jaina pointed out. She didn't want to step on Blackbast's toes as she was technically Quinny's owner and Quinny enjoyed playing the role of a slave girl. “I am sure Roric will ask her again tonight.”

“Could you two please talk about this someplace else?” Heather asked as she looked away.

Jaina couldn't be sure, but she detected a hint of jealousy in that tone. Even Frank twitched for a moment, his gaze falling on Quinny as if he was unhappy about the possibility.

“We should all go back soon,” Frank said, changing the subject. “Blackbast was worried about what you were doing here.”

“We were just showing Jaina around,” Heather explained.

“And I like it here,” Jaina replied before turning to the distant mountains. “If there is a large enough space for Evalynn to make her forest, maybe we could settle nearby.” She hoped that was the case, as this place was perfect in many ways. Heather was the local princess, and her mother was the Queen of the whole region. That alone offered them much more protection than they had before. In addition, this was far to the south, exactly where Roric said they should go. She prayed there was suitable land to use and that Heather wouldn't object to them claiming it.

“Why not use the eastern rim?” Viylah asked and pointed to the distance. “The last I saw, it was uninhabited, and the mountains on that side are bordered by gentle hills. It should be good land for a rolling forest.”

“Yeah, that would be perfect,” Quinny said. “My forest is on the other side on the western rim. The swamp and graveyard could be in the middle, and all our homes would be connected.”

Jaina was delighted to hear enthusiasm from Quinny as she, too, felt the possibility of building their home might be close. However, she reminded them that she would have to ask Roric to look at it, as he would make the decision about where they built their home.

“Who knows,” Jaina said. “We might be seeing a lot more of each other.”

“I would like that,” Quinny replied with a flirty bat of her eyes.

“Why don’t we go back,” Heather said and came up behind Quinny to take her hand. “We should put our master’s worry at ease.”

Jaina noted another Jealous tone and the almost possessive way Heather grabbed Quinny's hand. There may have been something brewing between those two that hadn't yet been verbalized and embraced. Jaina didn't want to cause tension, so she smiled the event away and agreed they should return. She pointed out that she was too far away from Roric, and the collar was causing her an urge to return.

Frank added Viylah to his friend list and promised to return later that night to make some adjustments for her. Jaina noticed how she smiled and swayed at his attention, almost as if trying to flirt. Frank then led the group back through the mountain directly to the portal, where he went through first. One by one, the others crossed, and by the time Jaina was across, Frank was already reporting what he had discovered to Blackbast.

“Jaina?” Roric called as the procession ground to a halt.

Jaina leaned out of the door to see Quinny on his shoulders again. She assured him they were fine and explained that Heather had shown her the magic door and their home on the other side.

“You need to see it,” Jaina urged as she climbed off the palanquin to join Chandice and Evalynn on the disk. “They are very far to the south where you wanted to go, and there is a lot of empty land. It might be the perfect place to build our home.”

“That’s their home,” Roric insisted. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on it and hem them in. What if they want to expand that way?”

“We don't,” Heather replied with a cherry tone as she climbed down. “You are welcome to the land so long as you don't mind it bordering a swamp.”

“Could I go see it?” Gisley asked as she fluttered excitedly. “I like ponds.”

“This more like a lake,” Frank corrected. “It stretches for miles and is usually covered by thick clouds of mist. But if anyone wants to go see it, you're welcome to go.”

“I am sure they can go later,” Blackbast said, cutting him off. “What was this about not being alone?”

“They sorta found somebody else in the swamp,” Frank replied.

“Oh, so players have finally started to come to your lairs?” Blackbast asked as her tail swayed.

“No,” Frank grumbled as Heather, and her girlfriends joined his side. “They found a mimic.”

“A mimic?”? Blackbast repeated as Roric looked to Jaina for confirmation.

Jaina nodded and recounted the events that led them to the mimic. She pointedly drew attention to the fact that Viylah was hiding in the swamp, awaiting the return of some long-lost friend. Heather took pity on her and invited the woman to live in their graveyard, and she accepted.

“So Heather just invited her in?” Evalynn whispered.

“It would appear that Heather is a kind and sympathetic sort of player,” Jaina whispered back so Chandice and Evalynn could hear her. “She has a soft streak for monster players who are in hiding. She didn’t even hesitate to ask the woman to join them.”

“That’s risky,” Chandice said as she tapped her lips. “Did she do anything else?”

“Not that I would call noteworthy, but I did notice something odd about Viylah,” Jaina said. “She seems very discreet in what she tells us, and she claims to have been hiding in the swamp for years. Yet, when I asked about land to build our home, she told us the eastern ring was unclaimed.”

“Implying she had been there recently,” Evalynn surmised. “Maybe she wanders a bit out of boredom?”

“Maybe, but she made it sound like she was afraid to move from that spot,” Jaina said. “She claimed that was the last place she had seen her friend and expected them to return to that very location. Heather had to agree to have a sign made that told this friend where to find her before she would go.”

“That’s a bit creepy in a way,” Chandice said. “So desperate to find this friend again that you refuse to move from one spot.”

“It's obsessive, but Heather just saw a player in pain and welcomed her in. I am actually rather fond of her. She seems like somebody with a good heart,” Jaina explained.

“Jaina?” Roric called, drawing the group out of their whispers.

“Oh, right,” Jaina said with a smile and then described how the mimic moved right in. She spent a little time describing Heather's home, from the expansive graveyard to the soaring tower and waterfall.

“So this mimic is a player like you?” Roric asked when she was done.

“She is, and if I had to guess I would say she is somewhere in her mid-sixties to seventies in level,” Jaina said.

“That's very strange,” Roric replied as his ears twitched. “What are the odds of two-player mimics meeting by chance?”

“Are you saying there might be something more going on?” Jaina asked.

“No,” Roric said and waved his hand to dismiss the idea. “It's just so unlikely it's hard to believe. Hardly anyone plays your race, and the few that do are often hunted to a reset. Yet you stumble on another one hiding in the middle of nowhere.”

“I admit it seems unusually lucky, but how else could you explain it?” Jaina asked, as she didn't understand where he was going. An idea suddenly burst into her head, and her hands immediately went to her hips. “If you are having any thoughts about collaring two shape-shifting servants, put it out of your mind. Somebody tried to blackmail her into a collar, and she now has an aversion to it. She looked disgusted to see we were wearing them and demanded to know why.”

“To coerce one into the collar is a crime most foul,” Blackbast growled.

“She is very distrustful about motivations,” Heather added. “When I invited her to live with us, she accused me of trying to lure her into a trap like the slavers did before. I think the only reason she came was because she was so desperate to have somebody to talk with. I feel bad that we immediately left her alone. I wish somebody could go back and spend some time with her.”

“You and Frank do that,” Blackbast urged. “Keep your new friend company through the night and see what you can learn about her.”

“What about Quinny?” Heather asked innocently.

“What about her?” Blackbast asked. “Does she need to spend some time alone with you?”

Jaina tried not to snicker as Heather cleared her throat and agreed to go back with Frank. Legeis also suggested he wanted to go back to begin work on Roric's palanquin. He had a few ideas and improvements he could make but needed time to work out the details.

Roric approached Jaina and the girls to politely ask why Jaina was clutching a giant spider.

“Oh, this cutey likes to be held,” Jaina replied, squeezing Webster tightly to her chest. “He's fond of being warm.”

“I am beginning to think he’s a perv,” Heather interjected as she tried not to stare at Jaina’s chest.

“Do you want him back?” Jaina asked and held him out.

“No, No,” Heather was quick to reply. “He looks content right where he is. In fact, feel free to keep him all night.”

“You hear that, Webster?” Jaina asked as she returned him to his smothering hug. “You get to stay here all night.”

Can I pet him?” Gisley asked as she reached down from Roric's shoulders. Jaina held him up so Gisley could stroke his back, and the spider made a funny little chirp sounding like a bird.

“Why is my spider getting all the attention?” Heather grumbled before a dark form appeared right before her.

“A better question might be, why did you sneak off without telling anyone?” Blackbast demanded.

“I didn't think I needed to,” Heather replied. “We were going to look over the balcony, and then the shack came up. Jaina suspected what it was right away and wanted to see it.”

“You already have my permission to sneak off because you are not truly slaves, but Jaina is another matter. She is Roric's property, and you have no right to take her away without his permission.”

“I pushed them to take me,” Jaina said as she began to follow Blackbast's logic. The cat woman was right, Jaina should have asked Roric first, and pressing Heather was her fault. She wanted to make sure any punishment fell on her shoulders, so she freely admitted it was her doing.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” Roric questioned.

“I got excited when I saw the door,” Jaina admitted. “I didn't think we would be gone longer than ten minutes, and nobody would miss me. But since we are talking about her lair, you really need to see it. It covers a massive area around miles of swamp and forested land. The whole thing is surrounded by hills and mountains, enclosing it in its own little region. Heather says there is a ton of land to one side along the hills that nobody uses.”

“And you would be inside Heather’s kingdom,” Quinny added. “You would have special protections from Queen Gwen and her city to use.”

“Hey,” Heather began as she relaxed her stance. “I wonder if my mother could give them some magic doors?” She paused in her thought and sighed that it was too bad none of them were getting married so Gwen could make an event out of it.

“She wants to give us some of those magic doors?” Chandice whispered.

“We could give one to Rajeen,” Evalynn suggested. “Then we could see her whenever we wanted.”

“I told you she was wonderful,” Jaina whispered back as Blackbast shook her head.

“I am afraid your plan wouldn’t work,” Blackbast sighed. “One of them would have to be royalty of this kingdom for Gwen to claim the points. For that to happen, you would have to marry Roric instead of Frank.”

“She could always marry them both,” Jaina offered and noticed the sudden flinch in the ghoul's claws. Frank obviously didn't think that was a good idea, and she realized she had said something in error. Roric did as well, as he turned on her with a disapproving scowl.

“Jaina,” he snapped. “Do not say things like that. She and Frank are very close, and a joke like that might hurt in ways we don't realize.”

Jaina felt terrible for her careless words and realized she had gotten too familiar with them. In truth, she knew little about them to warrant making such comments, and being called out on it made her feel shame.

“I am sorry,” she said and looked at Frank. “I didn't mean to cause you any worry. Roric would never lay a finger on Heather; none of us would. We can all see she is yours and is going to stay that way. I am just so used to this lifestyle that I sometimes forget that other people don't see it the same way.”

“Why do I feel like everybody knows more about my relationship than I do?” Heather asked.

“Because we do,” Blackbast growled as her tail twitched irritably. “Frank, of all people, has been more open and honest about his feelings than you have.”

Jaina watched as Heather twisted, unable to verbalize her feelings. Jaina wondered if this was the roadblock holding them all back, that Heather wouldn’t say what they were all waiting to hear.

“I forgive you,” Frank said as his shoulders relaxed. He reached up and put a massive hand on Heather’s back demonstrating his affection. “And I am glad people finally know that I love Heather.”

Jaina and the others watched as Heather turned to look into his horrid ghoul face. Jaina couldn't tell what she saw in that visage, but it clearly wasn't revulsion. Without hesitation, she leaned into his chest and closed her eyes, accepting a careful hug as he folded his long ungainly arms around her. Jaina realized that Heather was better at demonstrating her love than speaking about it. She wondered if maybe Heather had a history of being lied to or perhaps had been a liar herself and was trying to overcome it. Whatever the case, Heather preferred not to speak about her feelings and only showed them in action.

“Aww, their love is so sweet,” Gisley sighed.

“It is about time they openly showed it,” Blackbast said with an approving smile. “Now, if you two are done delaying us, why don’t you put your women on your shoulder so we can move on.”

Jaina didn't miss the plural use of women and realized that Blackbast knew about the strange relationship brewing between Heather and her girlfriends. Frank's hands were so massive he was able to wrap a single hand around Heather's waist. He carefully lifted her to one of his broad shoulders before turning to Quinny, who waited for her turn. She was placed on the other shoulder, and he wrapped an arm over their legs to help them balance.

Jaina settled in with her sisters as Gisley remained on Roric’s shoulders. He ran off at a jogging pace to keep up with Legeis as they jogged down the lonely road far to the north of the spawn ring.

“So they had a graveyard?” Chandice asked as they traveled along.

“It's massive,” Jaina replied and did her best to describe the scale of the yard. She described the swamp and the boat road across the dark waters and how the willow wisps danced in the distant mist. Eventually, they arrived beside a broad stream as the moon rose and filled the sky with silver light. Roric called a halt and suggested they camp by the water as Gisley bounced in excitement.

Jaina and the others climbed down as Blackbast spoke with her group. Heather and Frank were still holding hands, or more so, Heather was holding one giant finger.

“They are so in love,” Chandice said and took one of Jaina’s hands. “Just like me.”

“Us,” Jaina replied and looked into her lover's eyes. “I love you.”

“Are you saying that because Roric told you to love me?” Chandice asked.

“I am saying it because I love you,” Jaina replied and leaned in close so that their noses were nearly touching. “I want my love for you to outshine theirs.” She was pleased to see Chandice blush and even more pleased when Chandice wrapped her in a hug.

“I love you too,” Chandice replied. “I would do anything for you.”

“Are you two being all lovey and sappy?” Gisley asked as she fluttered over, her wings fully spread and sparkling in the moonlight.”

“Oh, are you jealous that I have a girlfriend?” Jaina teased.

“I have a girlfriend,” Gisley teased back. “She’s a beautiful summer fairy, and I love her.”

“When do we get to meet your future wife?” Chandice asked.

Gisley squealed in delight to hear the suggestion that she and her lover might marry. The burst of joy caused a flash of glitter to fly into the air and sent her darting for the water. Jaina and Chandice laughed while following the fairy, going to the water's edge as Gisley began to sing.

The song had no words, only sounds that somehow touched the heart in a way Jaina found hard to explain. She began to sway seductively, reaching her arms high as she danced under the moonlight. Her wings burst into currents of silvery glitter that flowed and spiraled in the gentle breeze. It bathed the landscape with her magical power, enchanting the world around them. The moonlight appeared in rays of silver that streaked in the air in a sparkling display. Magical lights appeared in the dark trees, and fireflies swarmed out of the night, dancing along with Gisley in great clouds. Night flowers suddenly bloomed, their petals glowing with a silver or blue light.

Heather asked how Gisley was doing this, and Blackbast answered.

“This is the magic of a heart full of love,” she said. “You will never find a gentler spirit than the one inhabiting that child.”

Jaina thought that was an excellent explanation, but she wouldn't exactly call Gisley a child. She had taken hundreds of men to bed and enjoyed slipping into their dreams to share decadent moments. Gisley was more of a woman who was free of bitterness. She had no hardness in her heart and longed to share love with anyone who needed it. She had meant to play a sort of paladin of love, fighting to bring that level of happiness to people's hearts. She may have picked the wrong class, but Gisley had put her prostitute skills to good use. Her passion was legendary, and men raved about the ravages of the purple woman who shook them to their very core.

When the song ended, Heather and Frank excused themselves and went back through the portal to speak to Viylah. Jaina and her family retreated to their tent and sat down for a moment as Roric shut the flap and turned on Jaina.

“We need to talk about what you did,” he said firmly.

Jaina was surprised by his sudden change of demeanor, and so were the others who looked up in concern.

“What did I do?” Jaina asked nervously.

“Nothing you need to be ashamed of,” Roric assured and moved to sit beside her on the bed. He took her hands and rubbed them gently as he let out a little sigh. “I appreciate your desire to find us a home, but I have some serious concerns about that group.”

“About Heather?” Jaina asked. “The woman’s a sweetheart. Look what she did just today. She asked that poor mimic to live with her and thought about giving us some magic doors.”

“I know what she did,” Roric agreed. “But I have to wonder why? Why is this woman so trusting of others and so quick to help? Doesn’t it all seem strange? What do we really know about her?”

“We know she is in disguise,” Chandice said. “And people are hunting for her.”

“Exactly,” Roric agreed. “We know for sure that they are in trouble, being hunted, and cloaked in layers of secrecy. So why would anyone with that much to hide be so open with you?”

“Maybe she’s a good judge of character?” Jaina suggested.

“I doubt we have even begun to probe the layers of secrets around them,” Evalynn suggested.

“I am sure we haven't,” Roric agreed. “They are still hiding something they are terrified we might learn.”

“I wonder if it has anything to do with that egg?” Jaina said as she thought back to the strange artifact.

“What egg?” Gisley asked, so Jaina went ahead and described the whole scene. Roric wasn't pleased to hear that their secret door went to a secret room with a second secret door to yet a second secret room protected by a magical secret door. He pointed out once again why anyone would need that level of protection and then drew attention to where their homes were.

“Could she be laired in the south because they are being hunted in the north?” he asked.

“It would make sense,” Evalynn said. “But why risk coming back this way to return an egg?”

“It has something to do with the goblins,” Jaina said as she thought of how that female goblin wouldn’t let her come near the egg.

“I wonder if this is related to the goblin wars,” Evalynn said. “I was in a group that went north to fight when I was only level ten. I never saw so many goblins at once. I swear they were traveling in groups of two to three thousand. We were swarmed and overrun a dozen times before we called it quits and ran home.”

“Why would she be involved in the goblin wars?” Gisley asked. “I was on the server when people came to town asking for volunteers to help fight them. I don’t think Heather was, at least not by what Quinny said.”

“Yes, Quinny did say that Heather was new to the server,” Roric agreed. “And yet she is traveling in disguise as a slave to return an item important to the goblins.”

“Maybe we should just ask her?” Jaina suggested.

“If they had something important to protect, letting them know we are suspicious might not be a good idea,” Chandice said.

“I agree,” Roric said.

“Didn’t all the goblins die in some final battle in the desert?” Gisley asked.

“I heard they were caught in that wizard battle with a sand demon that turned a huge section of the desert to glass,” Evalynn replied.

“Oh, now I feel terrible,” Jaina sighed. “I really thought we had met some wonderful people and that we might be able to build our home.”

“Don't give up on that hope,” Roric corrected. “But let's not rush into anything. We know they have something to hide from us, so let's bide our time and see what we can learn first. For all we know, their secret is harmless to us and no cause for alarm.”

“I hope so,” Jaina said as she thought of Heather. Deep down, she knew Heather was a good person, but something about her was hard to explain. Still, she couldn't help but see those beautiful eyes and wonder what it would be like to kiss those soft lips. With a sigh, she put the silly thought aside and turned to Roric, falling into his arms with a hungry need. It had been too long since she last had an orgasm and her addiction was making her restless.

They spent the rest of the night making love before falling asleep. Gisley ensured they were covered in glitter and slipped into the dream, eager to see if Idris was waiting for them.