Chapter 24: A Plan Begins to Form
The soft glow of the setting sun bathed the tower in a warm, golden light as John made his way back from the caverns. He had spent the afternoon exploring the winding tunnels and passages beneath Aveliora's tower, guided by the mysterious duo of Oria and Mazara. They had shown him hidden chambers filled with ancient artifacts and whispered secrets, their voices echoing through the dimly lit corridors. John had soaked up every word, every detail, his mind racing with questions and possibilities.
And of course, they had all shown each other all manner of pleasures. When it was time for John to return to the surface, they showed him a path that led to a wooded area just inside the thicket surrounding the tower.
John touched gemstone hanging around his neck and thought of Oria’s slender, dark hands and her lilting voice. Mazara’s image lingered as well, her fiery eyes and eager touch a spark in the back of his mind. It seemed almost inconceivable to think that he had been afraid of her when he first saw her.
Now, Mazara’s courage, her beauty, and the purity of her love for Oria overshadowed the features that had frightened him. The love between the two women made John think of Fawn, who was waiting back in Krivian. He wondered how she was doing and if she thought of him as often as he thought of her.
He wondered if she missed him the way he missed her.
As he rounded the final bend in the wooded path, the grandeur of the tower loomed before him. He paused for a moment, taking in the sheer size and beauty of the structure. It was a marvel of ancient engineering, standing tall and proud against the backdrop of the setting sun.
He took a deep breath and started toward the tower’s entrance. He saw a group of women gathered near the gardens. Most were women he hadn’t met, but he saw the priestess Zenna among them.
Zenna saw John and waved to him. Her group began to disperse. A few of the women gave John — or more likely, John’s naked body — approving looks before walking back towards the tower. Zenna approached John and threw her arms around him for a hug. This time, it was a friendly hug, not an invitation to more.
“Hello, John!” she exclaimed, “What brings you out here?” John smiled and looked down at Zenna, her warm brown eyes meeting his. “I was exploring the caverns beneath the tower. Oria and Mazara showed me around.”
Zenna’s eyebrow raised. “Oh, really? Our little caverns can be quite the adventure, can't they?” Her tone was playful, and John could see the mischief in her eyes. “I take it you had a good time?”
John chuckled. “Yes, they certainly know how to show a person around.”
Zenna smiled. “I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. You look like something is bothering you, though.”
John sighed. “Is there a way I can get a message to someone in Krivian?” he asked.
Zenna tilted her head to the side, considering his question. "There are ways," she said, "but they're not always reliable. Why, do you need to send a message?"
John nodded. "I need to check on someone back home. Make sure she’s okay, and…to let her know I’m thinking about her.”
Zenna's expression softened. "I understand. Let me see what I can do. I might know someone who can help."
John felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Thank you, Zenna. I really appreciate it."
Zenna smiled and patted his arm. "Don't worry about it, John.
I'll make sure you get your message sent," Zenna assured him. "Now, come on. There's a lot to see and do in the tower. Who knows, you might even find some new...friends." She winked at him, and John couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm sure I will," he said, following her towards the tower. As they neared the door, John saw Melia in the distance. She was with Keira, whose wings made her unmistakable, and a man John didn’t know.
“Excuse me, Zenna,” he said, “I’m going to go check on a friend.”
“Of course, John, but be sure to rest up tonight. You’re seeing Daranna tomorrow,” Zenna reminded him.
“How could I forget?” John said with a wink. “Thanks for your help, Zenna. I’ll see you later.” He waved goodbye to Zenna and walked over to Melia and the others. Melia saw him coming and waved him over.
“John! Over here,” she called out.
Melia, Keira, and the man were sitting in chairs that they had pulled into a small circle. As he approached, Melia kissed him on the cheek. John noticed that she smelled faintly of sex and something else, something sweet and foreign. He also noticed the man with them, who was now standing and extending a hand towards him.
“Hi, I’m Othoo,” the man said. His hand was large and calloused, and his grip was firm.
“John,” John replied, returning the handshake. He looked at Othoo, taking in his tall, slender frame and shaggy brown hair. There was something about him that John couldn’t quite put his finger on, but he felt an instant liking for the man. He seemed relaxed and easygoing.
When John glanced down, he thought perhaps he had a clue to the reason for Othoo’s confidence. The man’s cock , even in its rested state, was enormously large. It was almost comical in its size, but even through his shock, John could see that it was well-proportioned and powerful.
"That's quite…something, Othoo," John said, trying to be diplomatic.
Othoo laughed. "Yeah, it's a bit of a problem. The priestesses have...enhanced it, and now it's more of a burden than anything else." He sighed and sat back down in his chair.
Melia patted Othoo's hand sympathetically. "We were just talking about that, actually." She turned to John.
"Othoo has a unique...situation," Melia explained, her voice soft and gentle. "And we were just trying to figure out how to help him."
John raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "What do you mean, a unique situation?"
Othoo sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "It's...complicated. The priestesses...they did something to me. They gave me this...this size. And it's...it's too much. For anyone to handle."
John looked at Othoo, sympathy in his eyes.
"What do you mean, too much? You mean it's physically uncomfortable?"
Melia jumped in. “John, you’re not seeing it in its…aroused state.” She held up her forearm.
“It’s that big?” John asked.
“Bigger,” Melia said, “a lot bigger.”
“It wouldn’t even fit inside either of us,” Keira said.
“We’ve tried.”
John’s eyes widened in surprise. “You have? That must have been…”
“Uncomfortable?” Melia finished for him. “That’s an understatement. But we still want to help him. Don’t we, Keira?”
Keira nodded, her wings fluttering gently. “Yes, we do. But it’s not just about the size. It’s about the magic behind it. The priestesses used Othoo for their own purposes, and now he’s suffering because of it.”
John looked at Othoo with renewed sympathy. “Is there any way to reverse it?
The spell, I mean,” John asked, looking from Melia to Keira and back to Othoo.
Othoo shook his head. “I’ve asked the priestesses about that, but they just tell me it’s beyond their control. They say it’s a magical enchantment, and it can’t be undone.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” John said. “If they can cast a spell to make it bigger, why can’t they reverse it?”
Othoo shrugged. “Maybe they just don’t want to. Xal seems to like it this way,” he said quietly.
Melia’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Xal…she gives me the creeps,” she murmured.
John nodded, walking over to sit next to her. “What’s your story, Othoo? How did you end up here?”
Othoo ran a hand through his hair, looking out over the gardens. “I joined Aveliora’s followers a few years ago. She doesn’t take in many men, but she accepted me. It…hasn’t worked out the way I thought it would.” He lowered his eyes. “I believe I’m helping, but…I don’t know if I like what Xal has turned me into.” Othoo’s voice was tinged with bitterness.
John placed a hand on Othoo’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I wouldn’t blame you for feeling that way. It seems like a lot to handle.”
Melia and Keira exchanged a glance. They had both experienced their own forms of manipulation and coercion, and they could sympathize with Othoo’s plight.
“Have you considered leaving?” Keira asked, her wings rustling softly behind her.
Othoo let out a bitter chuckle. “And go where? I have nothing outside these walls.
I signed up for this, but I hadn't understood the full extent of what I was getting into. I'm not sure I would have agreed if I had." Othoo's voice was heavy with regret.
John squeezed his shoulder again. "I'm sorry you're going through this, Othoo. But you're not alone. We're here to help, if we can."
Melia added, "You're right, Othoo. You don't have to go through this by yourself. We want to help you find a way out of this...situation."
Keira nodded in agreement. "Yes, we do. But it's not just about the size. It's about the magic behind it. The priestesses used Othoo for their own purposes, and now he's suffering because of it," Keira reiterated, her wings rustling softly behind her.
John looked at Othoo with renewed determination. "We'll find a way to help you, Othoo. You're not alone in this."
Othoo managed a small smile. "Thank you, John. That means a lot."
The group sat in silence for a moment, the sun dipping lower in the sky and casting long, golden shadows across the gardens.
Keira looked at the gemstone hanging around John’s neck. “What’s that?” she asked.
”It’s a gift,” John replied, holding it up for them to see. “From some friends I met in the caverns beneath the tower.”
Keira’s eyes widened. “You found someone down there? Who were they?”
John smiled, remembering the unusual duo. “Two women, actually. Their names are Oria and Mazara. They showed me around and…offered their hospitality.”
Melia raised an eyebrow. “Hospitality, huh? Is that what they call it these days?”
John laughed. “Well, they were very welcoming. They taught me a lot about the tower and its history,” John said, smiling at the memory.
“And about other things too. They were…very generous.”
Keira’s wings fluttered with interest. “Generous, hmm? Do tell.”
John chuckled. “They were quite…skillful. And adventurous. It was an educational experience, to say the least.”
Melia raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like it. So, what’s the gemstone for?”
John touched the gleaming stone around his neck. “They said it would allow me to speak with them from anywhere,” he explained. “They said I could also use it to call for help if I need to.”
“Wow,” Keira said, “it’s beautiful.” She looked at the stone as if it was staring back at her. “Have you tried it?” she asked.
“No, not yet,” John said, “I just left them a little while ago. I don’t want to…I don’t know, abuse the privilege.”
Melia leaned in, her black hair cascading over her shoulder. "That sounds amazing. I’d love to meet them, but you’re probably right that you shouldn’t be too nosy.” Despite her words, Melia’s expression showed she was eager to meet Oria and Mazara.
“Alright,” John said, “let’s just say hello to them quickly.” He touched the gemstone and thought of Oria’s voice. To his surprise, the stone began to glow softly.
A moment later, a shimmering light emerged from the stone and floated out in front of John. It slowly took shape as a shimmering reflection of Oria. Mazara appeared next to her.
“Zhohn!” Oria exclaimed, “Oraa!”
“Hello, John,” Mazara said in her flowing accent, “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” John said, “my friends wanted to meet you. This is Melia, Keira, and Othoo.” John gestured to each of his companions.
“Hello,” Mazara said, the image of her face flickering and shimmering as she looked around the group.
Oria looked around as well. “Oraa,” she said to each of them, followed by other words of greeting in her language. She paused when she caught sight of Othoo. Her eyes flicked downwards and then widened in surprise. "Se’ama," she said, her voice filled with admiration and a touch of curiosity.
Mazara translated for Oria. “She is…impressed with you,” the Tideborn woman said to Othoo.
“Um, thank you,” Othoo said.
Mazara tilted her head. “Do you not enjoy having such a gift?” she asked Othoo. Her voice was soft and curious.
Othoo sighed and looked down, his hands fidgeting in his lap. “Not all the time,” he said. “It's...complicated.”
Melia spoke up, her voice firm and protective. “It's not a gift,” she said, “it's a curse. A spell forced upon him by one of the priestesses.”
Mazara translated this for Oria, who nodded. “Roslozor una se’ama,” she said, “Ullaa norro,” Oria said.
“She said you are too big because of dark magic,” Mazara said.
Othoo nodded, looking miserable.
“Yes, that’s right,” Othoo said.
Oria looked at Othoo, her expression serious. “Orr una mutum,” she said. Then she looked at Melia and Keira. “Orr yayo uana,” she said to them.
Mazara translated quickly, “Oria says that she is sorry you are suffering. And that she and Mazara want to help.”
Melia and Keira looked at each other with hopeful expressions. John could see the excitement and relief on their faces.
“Thank you,” Melia said to Oria and Mazara.
Mazara spoke to Oria, then turned back to John and his friends. “We cannot talk this way long. We will think of what we can do to help. Come see us in two days,” she said. The image of Mazara and Oria was already fading. “Your friend may have to leave the tower to break the sp—.” The image vanished, cutting off Mazara’s words.
Keira looked disappointed but hopeful. “Two days? That’s not too long to wait,” she said, her wings rustling in anticipation.
Melia nodded, her eyes gleaming with excitement and curiosity. “This is our chance to help Othoo,” she said. “And maybe find out more about this tower and its magic.”
John smiled, his gaze flicking between Melia and Keira. “I think we should be prepared for anything,” he said. “Who knows what kind of help they might need from us?”
Othoo looked intrigued.
“Leave the tower? How would I do that?”
John shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m sure Oria and Mazara will have a plan. They’re resourceful. And I think they genuinely want to help.”
Melia smiled, her eyes gleaming with hope and determination. “I’m sure they do. We just need to be ready.”
Keira nodded, her wings fluttering softly behind her. “We’ll need supplies, though. Food, water, maybe some blankets. We can’t just walk out into the wilderness unprepared.”
John raised an eyebrow. “Wait, Keira…” He looked around at all of them. “I have to leave once I talk to Aveliora,” he said, “and I was waiting to tell you, Keira, but I asked Melia to come with me so she could keep trying to learn about her past. I can see why Othoo might want to come with us but…this is your home, Keira. Do you really want to leave just like that?”
Keira looked back at John without a shred of doubt in her eyes. “Of course I do,” she said, “This isn’t my home, John. Not anymore. Not since they left me in the forest, not since I found all of you, and not since I got my wings. Wherever my path is leading, it’s out there somewhere.” Keira’s wings fluttered with excitement, her small body brimming with an energy that belied her tiny stature. “And I want to find out where that is. With all of you.”
John smiled, his heart warming at Keira’s determination. “Alright, then.” He turned to Othoo. “We’ve only just met, Othoo, but I hope you’ll join us. We could use your strength and determination.”
Othoo looked at John, then at Melia and Keira. He nodded. “I’m in,” he said, his voice firm with resolve. “I need to get out of here, and I trust you all.”
Melia smiled at Othoo. “Good. Now, let’s start planning. John, you said you have to leave after talking to Aveliora. When is that happening?”
John looked thoughtful. “Tomorrow, I hope, but I’m not sure. I’m supposed to meet with a woman named Daranna tomorrow. I’m sure Aveliora will see me after that.” He thought for a moment, then continued, “I still have a lot of the supplies they gave me in Krivian, but that was just for me. We’ll need more to support four people out in the wilderness.”
“I’ll see if I can scrounge food from the kitchens that we can bring with us,” Keira said.
“I can look for other supplies we might need,” Othoo added.
“Great!” John exclaimed. “We should talk about where we’re going. I have many more names on my list.” He explained his quest to recover his memories to Othoo.
“I’ve heard of Melusina,” Othoo said. He asked about the names on John’s list. John mentioned the next two names, Kaelith the water nymph and Sylvara the huntress.
Melia shuddered slightly at the mention of a water nymph.
“Not all nymphs are dangerous,” Keira said. “I’ve been doing some research. From what I’ve learned, Kaelith isn’t dangerous like that…I mean, she doesn’t kill people, but she can be tricky.”
“Tricky how?” John asked.
“I’m not sure,” Keira replied. “The texts I’ve found don’t go into a lot of detail.”
“Keira,” John asked, “have you been researching the women I need to see to get to Melusina?”
Keira nodded, her wings rustling softly behind her. “Yes, I have. I told you I want to help. I know where to find Kaelith. I don’t know exactly where Sylvara is, but I know how to find her. I have some ideas on how to find the other women, too.” She smiled at John.
“I…I don’t know how to thank you, Keira,” John said.
“You helped me when I was lost in the forest. You saved me again when…” She looked awkwardly at Melia before continuing, “but it’s not just that I owe you. I want to help, and I want to come with you.” She looked at Melia again and added, “All of you.”
Melia smiled warmly at Keira. “We’re in this together, Keira. All of us.” She looked back at John. “I’ll see if I can find out more about Kaelith and Sylvara, too. Maybe I can even find some information about the others on your list.”
John nodded. “That would be amazing, Melia. Thank you.”
Othoo looked thoughtful. “I don’t know much about these women you’re looking for, John, but I do know some things about the wilderness. I could help guide us, if that would be useful.”
John’s face lit up with gratitude. “Thank you, Othoo.” He addressed the whole group in a quieter voice, “I’m not sure who we can trust here. It doesn’t seem like we can trust Xal, but anyone could be working with her, or could have their own agenda. I worry they might try to stop us from leaving.” He looked around at all of them. “We need to be careful. Stick together. And maybe figure out how to protect ourselves if we need to.”
Keira’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Xal. “I’ve heard whispers about her. She’s definitely not someone to be trusted.”
Melia nodded. “I agree. And I don’t think she’s the only one we need to worry about. There are others in the tower who are just as bad. We need to be on our guard.”
“What do you think, Othoo?” John asked, turning to the man. “You’ve been here longer than any of us.”
Othoo sat back in his chair. “I don’t trust Xal,” he said, “but I don’t know if she would try to stop us from leaving. I’ve heard priestesses, acolytes, and other people taking about the two of you.” He pointed to John and Melia. “They’re very interested in your magic. So interested that they might not want you to leave. I wish I could tell you who has been saying these things, but usually I can only hear their voices.”
“That’s ok, Othoo. Any information helps,” Keira said.
Melia spoke up, “Let’s try to act as normal as possible. We’ll start gathering supplies. Tomorrow, John will see Lady Daranna. The next day, we’ll all go see Oria and Mazara. Hopefully we’ll know what we need to do after that.”
“So we all just pretend like everything is normal?” Othoo asked.
“It’s our best option for gathering information and supplies without making the wrong people suspicious,” Keira said.
“Then, when we meet with Oria and Mazara, we can decide on our next move.”
John nodded. “That makes sense. Are we all agreed?” When everyone nodded, John continued, “Okay, let’s get started. I’ll go meet with Daranna tomorrow, and Melia, you keep digging into your past. Keira and Othoo, you focus on supplies. I’ll also try to find out more about Xal and the others. Maybe I can talk to Zenna again.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Melia said. She stood up and headed towards the tower, her dark hair swaying behind her. John couldn’t help but admire how the woman who had tried to kill him barely a week ago had adapted so well to being human — or at least mostly human — again. He watched Melia’s wings flutter as she walked away.
When she was out of sight, John turned to Keira and Othoo. “How is Melia doing with her wings?” John asked.
“She can’t fly, but I think they’re getting stronger,” Keira said. “They’re definitely not as weak as they were when we first found her.”
Othoo nodded in agreement. “I’ve seen them, too. They’re impressive, even if she can’t use them yet.”
John smiled. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad she’s adjusting to being…mostly human again.”
Keira’s wings fluttered softly behind her. “It’s not easy for her, John. She’s traumatized by the memories of what she did as a wood nymph. She’s dealing with a lot of guilt and shame, but she’s trying. And she’s been incredibly helpful to us.”
John looked at Othoo. “How about you? Are you adjusting to this place? You’ve been here longer than any of us.”
“I’m…managing,” Othoo said, his voice heavy with resignation. “I joined Aveliora’s followers thinking it would be a place of peace and enlightenment, but it’s turned into something else. If leaving here will help me break this spell, then I’m ready to go.”
John nodded. “We’ll be out of here soon enough,” he said.