Garden Thorn, Part 5

by Nuit du Loup

It was two days later when Moon Hill received guests. Briar had expected that her use of magic would result in some kind of summons or meeting.  What she did not expect was who came to get her. She had thought that they would just send a note telling her where to go, or maybe Isanda would come to retrieve her, but that's not what happened.

Briar sat with two other girls near the pools' output channel and using several basins they were washing clothes.  One of the rules Briar had made was that everyone washed their own clothes. It never sat right with her that the servants were forced to collect and wash all the clothing Gardens discarded all over the place.  Here it was different because it was such an easy chore, since they only really wore one or two things apiece.  It was also a chore that required very little thought, so it let Briar's mind drift to thoughts of Coral instead.

Since both of her dresses were soaked and dripping in her hands as she stood from the rinsing basin, Briar walked naked over to the line she'd strung between two trees. Several other garments were already drying there, so she added hers to them.  It was a wonderfully sunny day so they would be dry shortly, despite there not being any wind inside the artificial habitat. It also felt deliciously warm on her bare, tan skin.

"Are you finally done, Briar?" Lisette asked in a teasing voice. She was laying on her belly on one of the big poolside bed pallets with Oriana and one of the servants. All were unclothed as she was because it was their clothes adorning the line, though Briar knew they probably would have been naked anyway.  The servant was Iris, and was one of those that were freely volunteering to teach them how to read. Kaya would have been here too but she was out on an early request.

Actually, most of the requests had shifted to early in the day and late at night these past couple of days. During the middle of the day there were a lot fewer Sisters about than Briar had seen before.  Something important seemed to be going on, but none of the Gardens knew what it was and not even Sister Claris was inclined to share her knowledge on the subject.

"Yes, but be patient Lisette, Iris doesn't look like she's going to run off anywhere," Briar chided with a chuckle. It was hard to be reproving when Lisette's tantalizing butt was pointed towards her direction and the girl had deliberately kept her legs spread. It was quite a view and one Briar always enjoyed seeing.

"I won't be," Iris agreed. She was a young woman in her lower twenties and she spent all of the time she wasn't working on Moon Hill. She had a thing going with one of the Sisters that visited frequently, but was very friendly to everyone. Briar liked her and had even had the pleasure of having the woman in her bed a couple times.  In that regard she was quite fun and her lushly endowed body was pleasantly enjoyed by all. "Actually, I think Lisette was worried that Oriana was going to get me too distracted for a lesson."

"Were you?" Briar asked, seating herself next to Iris who was holding her book while Oriana was idly sucking at her large breast on her other side.

"Not really," Iris laughed. "It feels very good, but she hasn't been doing it hard enough to get me really worked up yet."

"Her big nipples feel awesome to suck on," Oriana declaimed, after giving the teat a deliberately hard suckle and then detached with a wet pop. Iris's really did have above average sized nipples and they were indeed fascinating to suck on, but Oriana had a weakness in that area, so it was extra enticing to her. "I was going to stop, like I am now, when she got started with the lesson."

"Then let's get to it!" Lisette laughed. Lisette loved reading new stories and took more lessons than anyone. It was also the only time she didn't want to be touched so she could focus. In return for their generosity in being patient with her, Lisette often generously gave the servants pleasure.  "I've been waiting for this all day. I want to see what the ship captain chose to do."

"Alright Lisette," Iris chuckled and opened the book to the marked page. "I think we're all ready.  We left off with Captain Fillion in a bit of a pinch. He was standing—"

"Briar!" Iris cut off as they all turn to see what was the matter, though Lisette groaned as if she was being tortured at the unusual interruption. Her groan ended when she saw Nessa, one of their youngest residents, approaching with three figures in tow; the Preceptor, Isanda, and Corina.

"Good morning Preceptor," Briar said coolly in greeting when they were close enough for conversation. She wasn't all that pleased with their timing either. "Thank you for bringing them Nessa."

"No problem Briar," the girl replied cheerfully. "Do you need me to stay? We were in the middle of a game."

"No, head on back and have fun," Briar answered and then gave her guests a slight inline of her head. "Preceptor, would you care to join our reading lesson?"

"I apologize for the interruption," the woman said, not answering the question. "But there are important matters that need to be spoken of."

Briar's eyes slid to Isanda and she frowned.  There wasn't more than ten minutes that went by that she didn't think of Coral and the night their souls had touched; but she also remember the less pleasant part. "I find it hard to believe that you don't know what my general schedule is. A friend of mine tells me that she sends regular reports about me to you, so it would have been nicer to pick another time."

The Preceptor gave Briar a very level look and her guards tried to hide amused smiles, but Oriana and the others looked a bit uncomfortable. Briar regretted that but this place was her home and whatever the Preceptor's position, there was a limit to how much respect she was going to give for nothing.

"It is not only I who wants to speak with you," the Preceptor said in a less demanding tone. "Unfortunately, that means things like convenience have less importance. The conversation we need to have is an important one and the schedules of the other parties are more demanding than yours, so you lose out."

"I see," Briar replied feeling oddly amused but keeping her face straight. "I don't suppose any of you know a bit of magic that can dry one of my dresses? I am not willing to walk around naked."

"I think I can handle that," Corina laughed, and headed towards the clothes line. "Yours are the black dresses I believe?"

Not waiting for an answer Corina picked up one and Briar watched closely as she worked her magic.  Briar did what she could commit the spell to memory and watched as every tiny bit of moisture was shoved out of the cloth in the wake of an odd ripple in the air. When she was done, Corina gave it a once over as if to check if she missed any and then carried it over as Briar stood. Briar accepted the dress and slipped it on.

"Sorry," Briar said to her friends. "It looks like this is an unavoidable kind of thing, so I need to go. Lisette, you listen well so you can repeat it all to Kaya and me in bed tonight, okay?"

"Sure!" Lisette replied, very pleased by the opportunity.

"In that case, I'm ready to go," she informed her guests.

Since Moon Hill was her home, Briar took the lead until they were out of the concealing trees and on the stairs.  Only then did she allow the Preceptor to take assume leadership.  Corina and Isanda still seemed amused, but the older woman just gave her a considering glance and then started their decent.  As they went down Briar could see the girls playing their game down the length of the narrow, curving valley. There was about ten of them and they were kicking around a small leather ball they'd acquired from somewhere.

"What game are they playing?" Corina asked. "We saw them on the way in until they stopped and that girl came to greet us."

"I'm not sure myself," Briar admitted. "A couple of them invented it yesterday and it seems to have caught on. The objective has something to do with those sticks poking up at either end of the valley. It looks like a lot of fun though."

"It does," Isanda agreed. "I wish we could stop and watch for a while to learn it. But time is running away as it is."

Briar didn't understand the context of that statement but she could tell from the tone that Isanda meant it. After she gave her girls a parting wave she followed the Preceptor through the Garden building and then outside onto the sunlit grounds.  The idea that something was going with the Sisters became more solidified in her mind because there were Sisters bustling about everywhere today.  A sense of urgency was felt from their movements too. 

The Preceptor set off at a quick pace and the rest of them followed on her heels.  Her face was set into that of a person on a mission or with a goal of the utmost importance.  It was from all of this that Briar decided that this meeting had a much larger purpose than discussing just her magic or what happened two nights ago in Coral's dorm.  Something important was looming in the air over everything.

Their destination proved to be the magnificent structure they had passed on Briar's arrival to the Garden.  In daylight its gracefully arched windows of stained glass were particularly striking, as were the three spires atop the roof peaks.  The wide set of stairs at the entrance was just as she remembered, but there were far more of the red-cloaked guard Sisters and the javelin armed women.  When their party surmounted the steps, Briar could feel all the eyes watching them.

The importance of the structure was reaffirmed inside its main doors by a beautifully decorated foyer. Not only was it very pleasant to look at, it was also heavily fortified. The doors leading deeper into the building were solid panels of polished bronze and closely guarded. Only when one of the guards touched the door at their approach did a seam appear in the mighty portal so that it might be opened. The magic operating them was impossibly complex and multi-layered with a sense of seeping danger. It was like someone tossing a hunk of meat to a guard dog to calm it temporarily.

After walking down several opulent hallways and crossing a goodly distance, they came to another set of doors guarded by just two women.  These two had serious, competent eyes that assessed everything and Briar could both see and feel their magic probing outward.  Anything that tried to get into this place uninvited would die swiftly, but their arrival seemed to be expected because the doors opened on their own as they approached and then banged firmly shut once they were in a small spacing hall with an open doorway on the other end. What they then entered into was a room that doubled as a work of art.

It was circular in shape but the walls were lined all they way up with marble columns, carved frescos and several elaborate murals of nature scenes.  The ceiling was two stories up and consisted of a shallow glass window that let in a shaft of ebullient sunlight. That light shone down on the circular pool of crystal clear water that took up almost all of the floor space. Elevated above the pool, was a glass platform like the Sky Lounge, supported by a gold plated central pillar and accessed by a set of gracefully wrought copper stairs from the hall. On the platform was a wide desk made of wood with a marble top on one side, and then a large, glass, rounded-rectangle table with several chairs on the other. Two figures sat at that table.

"Briar!"

Briar perked up immediately at the sound of a voice that penetrated straight into her heart and mind.  She stepped slightly to the side of the others to get a better look and her quick eyes locked onto the small blonde form sitting next to a woman who occupied the head of the table. The girl's face was radiantly happy and just the sight of it, and especially those eyes, sent Briar's heart racing. Coral is here!

Now that they had seen each other, it was all Briar could do to keep her steady pace into the room.  The rope around her spirit was tugging hard to make her speed up, but she held to her iron discipline. She did however return Coral's smile with one of her own and it was just as happy.  She wanted the girl to know that she was as glad to see her as she was to see Briar.  This was easy since the table was arranged so that the head was at the opposite end of the platform from the stairs so that anyone sitting there could see who was approaching.

It was only when they came to a stop that Briar truly noticed the other person sitting next to Coral in the place of honor.  It said a great deal about Coral's new power over her thoughts because the woman was incredibly striking and impressive.  She was much more mature looking than the Preceptor, but her long, lustrous blonde hair had no white or gray in it and her face only had a few lines.  It was her eyes though that really told her true age.  They held more than a few decades of experience, determination and intelligence. They and the familiar shape of her face told her more than anything; this woman was Coral's mother.

"I see you and my daughter have indeed met each other," the woman said in a clear alto that carried both amusement and expectation. "I am pleased to finally meet you, Briar, and I welcome you into my home. Thank you for bringing her so promptly, Greta."

"You're welcome, Your Grace," the Preceptor responded with a small bow. Then she turned to regard Briar. "Briar, may I introduce you to Queen Arianne, Matriarch of the Realm and also, Coral's Uma."

"Uma?" Briar repeated, unfamiliar with the new term.

"We had to come up with some way to differentiate between a child's birth mother and her seed donor, since in our case both are women," the Queen explained with her amusement showing more fully now. "Uma is just another word for mother in another language, but it lets us tell the difference between the parents. It's also simple for an infant child to learn to say."

Behind them the doors boomed open again and interrupted the conversation. They all turned and saw two women approaching side-by-side.  Briar knew them to be Gardens at once and from their body language, they were very close to each other. Both were carrying large platters of food, so Briar and the others who were standing cleared out of their way so that the burdens could be set onto the table.

"What has you so exited, Coral?" one of the women asked, smiling with warm familiarity. She was petite but still pleasant to look at and in her middle years. Her smile made her eyes crinkle in a way that Briar found quite charming. "You look like you're about to leap off your seat."

Coral grinned back and then gave Briar a wondrous expression. "Briar is finally here Mother! Greta and the others brought her."

"Oh?" the woman, Coral's mother, shared a glance with the other Garden and then they both locked onto Briar with frank appraisal. "So this is the young lady who saved you?"

"Of course she is!" Coral had apparently had enough with staying in her seat because she slipped off it and quickly crossed to fling herself at Briar, who was more than happy to have the girl back in her arms where she seemed naturally designed to fit. Just having her there sent hot feelings through Briar's nerves. Coral gave her a quick, affectionate kiss and then squirmed around in her embrace to face outward so she could still talk to and see everyone else while also enjoying Briar's warmth. "See!"

"So we do," chuckled the other woman. She was tall and rounder of figure, but she looked like a person who thought much more than she spoke. Her eyes looked like patient ones.

"Briar, let me introduce you to my wives," the Queen said with a proud, possessive smile. She gestured at the taller woman. "Kanna is the mother of my eldest daughter and heir. Next to her is Coral's mother, Min."

"It's nice to finally meet the girl my daughter has been talking endlessly about these last two days," Min smiled in a friendly way at her. Like Coral, that expression was sunny and glowing on her face. "We have been hearing lots of interesting things about you."

"I know," Briar replied easily and inclined her head slightly to be polite. "The Preceptor's spy friend let me know weeks ago that I was being watched. But it is nice to meet you all as well. This meeting was not unexpected, but it is an honor nonetheless. I am more than overjoyed to see Coral again so soon and to meet her mothers, but I suspect that this reunion is not the only purpose for bringing me here."

"You see only partway Briar," Queen Arianne replied with a small, knowing smirk. "Coral, and your relationship with her, is a part of what we must discuss, but it's only a part of a larger whole. Now, everyone, please be seated so that we may begin, and yes Coral, you can sit with Briar. Separating you two right now would be like teasing a lion with a bloody steak that sits just out of reach of its chains."

The Queen's words were an obvious command and from the tone, she had no doubt that she would be obeyed. Her entire manner and even the way she held her body spoke of confidence and a belief in her own personal power. Briar didn't really know why, but she felt more respect and a stronger liking for this woman than the Preceptor.  The Preceptor treated her in a mostly respectful fashion and like a grown woman despite her age, but their personalities were too far apart for Briar to be really comfortable with the woman past a professional level.

Briar did not hesitate to approach the table with Coral at her hand. Coral resumed her previous position next to the Queen's right side so Briar sat in the next place down and winced internally as the cold seat contacted her bare bottom and wet slit. She resolved then to arrange for some kind of undergarment or pants to go with the dresses, or maybe a different set of garments entirely for meetings outside the Garden building. The Preceptor took the seat opposite Coral and the Queen's wives took the places next to her. Corina and Isanda remained standing behind that side of the table.

Min and Kanna immediately reached for the platters they'd brought and start passing around small ceramic plates and cups. Each had a small prepared meal already on them which consisted of glazed slices of meat, juicy fruit and some hot, crusty bread. The cups contained honeyed tea, which was cool and refreshing. The meal was not something Briar hadn't expected either. She had learned that it was customary to have some kind of refreshment during meetings or lectures that may run on for a long time.  It was also customary to provide drinks to any guests in your home.

The Queen used her fork to slide a cut of meat into her mouth and she made an appreciable noise for the taste.  Around the table, everyone took a similar bite of food, Briar included, because it was one of the more formal customs of starting a meal. One did not start conversing until everyone started eating.

"Briar, how much do you know about how the Sisterhood came to be in these lands?" the Queen asked after she'd sampled a little of everything on her plate.

"I know only what my friend Oriana was able to tell me," Briar replied, using the same casual tone the Queen was affecting. It helped that Coral's arm was rubbing slightly on hers. "It was a very general outline of a couple centuries worth of events, but it was logical and many of the salient facts have shown themselves to be true from later personal experience.  There are some points that still confuse me, but that is often the way with a summery from an outside view and given third-hand."

"Were you told about the differences between us, the Gardens, and the general human population?"

"I was. Sometime after your arrival on this land and after you won the war against the natives, you changed into two parts. The first were the Sisters who can use and manipulate magic to affect the world. Garden's on the other hand cannot use magic on their own, but they can give a potent boost to the Sisters in terms of raw power and endurance through sexual release given by a Sister."

"Those aren't the only differences," the Queen prompted.

"No, you are also able to reproduce with each other without a male participant. The Sister is the 'seed donor' as you called it, while the Garden bears and births the child, a daughter, in the normal human fashion. This daughter has an equal chance of being one or the other. From personal experience, I suspect that the Sisters' tongues are the tool of conception."

"Coral," Min drawled amusedly, arching an eyebrow at her young daughter. Briar thought she also seemed a little proud of Coral. "It seems you two had a very interesting first time together."

"The tongue didn't bother you?" the Queen asked, sounding genuinely curious and interested.

"I didn't see a reason that it should," Briar shrugged and then smiled at Coral and got a return one that made her even wetter. "I enjoyed every moment of our brief time together.  I didn't expect it, but I found the experience to be...extremely stimulating."

"So we've heard," Kanna chuckled. "There are stories circulating about that night among the students.  Even for us Gardens, your reaction is very unusual. It's much more common for it to take a long time before we get used to it. You took to it immediately and that has garnered you quite a reputation, and put Coral in a position of considerable envy. Did you really suck on it like they say?"

"Well, yes," Briar answered defensively; starting to feel a little uncomfortable with how detailed this discussion was getting and with her lover's mothers no less. "I loved doing that for her, and we even climaxed from it."

"It took me months to be able to do that, and I never climax" Min sighed, and then she gave the red-faced Coral a proud parental grin. "You are such a lucky young girl Coral, there's no reason to be so embarrassed. We're just teasing you a little because we're jealous mothers. I'm happy you and Briar have found each other."

"I don't really see what the problem is though," Briar said in confusion. "Sure it was an odd sensation at first to have something in my throat, but it felt really good too and that slimy stuff tasted great and made it even more exciting."

"It tasted good to you!" Min gasped in shock. Everyone in the room was looking at Briar incredulously except for Coral, who was now giving the adults a frowning expression that said 'Briar is mine!.' It was an expression Briar actually agreed with. She wanted nothing more at the moment except to take Coral somewhere and make love to her for hours, and only then have this meeting. Reality was unfair sometimes.

The Queen gave an unnecessary cough to get everyone's attention. "Briar, you have just touched on a point as to why you are here. You react entirely different to both Sisters and Gardens and you can use magic on your own. You can take magic in from having sex with your girls,—and yes we all know they are yours­—you can also provide to Sisters because Coral's magic has fully awakened now and her inner reserve has been given a larger boost than I've ever seen. Normally, Gardens don't mind at all when we use our tongues to stimulate their genitals or breasts, but they dislike deep kissing because of the taste and the strange sensation of it. Here again you are different."

"That fluid you described is a combination aphrodisiac and fertility booster. A woman's vagina and uterus are fairly hostile places for both sperm and a Sister's single seed. Our fluid negates that for a very short time and creates a sort of fluid based road for the seed to swim down. Coral is too young yet to make a seed, so her fluids were probably fairly thin and in small in quantity, when she gets a little older it will be thicker and more copious."

"Usually oral stimulation of our tongues is necessary for us to begin producing enough fluids to ensure impregnation, but because Garden's usually flinch at the taste, which is described as metallic and bitter, it takes time to develop a tolerance enough to succeed at this. You however did so without hesitation according to Coral's glowing praise."

"I have heard that you also react differently to the Gardens than we would. I can see even from here that you now leak almost constantly from your slit. Also, several of the Sisters that have visited your home these last few days have commented that while you take in a great amount of magic, there is a second magic that always surrounds you and your partners.  I'm told the end results are quite spectacular."

"Okay, so we're all different from normal human stock," Briar cut in, trying move the focus away her embarrassing, but nice, new traits. "My people probably got this way from interbreeding with you before we hid. What does this have to do with me being here now?"

"Let me ask another question first," the Queen said with a raised finger. "Have you thought about why those people attempted to kill my daughter?"

"Of course I have!" Briar replied seriously, unconsciously placing a protective hand on the girl in question. It was only coincidence that it was Coral's thigh, and very close to her crotch. "It was one of the two things occupying most of my thoughts these past two days."

"I think we can guess what the other thing is," Min laughed, and gave Briar an appreciative smile. "I don't think I could ever thank you enough for saving my daughter."

"The point is this,' the Queen said, pushing forward. "We questioned the two survivors thoroughly and found, unsurprisingly, that they were Jarrick's people. Their reason for attacking Coral was because she is my daughter, she is a Sister, and because she was relatively vulnerable. It was to be the crown of the many depredations committed that night. Thankfully, the Lady's hand was on us and you were there to thwart the effort."

Briar felt a momentary chill. "That wasn't the only attack?"

"No, sixteen Sisters were killed, all Healers, and six of the city ward temples were critically damaged. They used chemical explosives and hid their destructive blasts in with the thunder of the storm so that aid would be slow in realizing something was wrong.  Many of the attackers escaped under the cover of night and tempest, and may even now be hidden within the city by its citizens; which brings us closer to the heart of this discussion. Why, Briar, do you think that the people of this city would invite our hostile neighbors in, allow them to hurt us, and then hide them again?"

Briar's mind raced and quickly went over the conversation thus far. From the subjects raised there was only on thing that really made any sense. "The people here, the normal humans, dislike you for being different."

"Dislike is much too weak a word to portray it," the Preceptor snorted.

"Yes, a more correct summation would be: fear, hatred, disgust and revulsion," the Queen said darkly. "It's not a development that happened overnight though. It has existed ever since we changed ourselves."

Briar's face must have shown her surprise because the monarch laughed. "Briar, evolution in any species, humans included, does not happen in the span of a decade and not in so clear an answer to a specific problem.  Our ancestors used a mighty crafting of magic the likes of which the world had never seen before and has rarely seen since. They dramatically changed our biology and since then we have developed down that new road."

"Back then our numbers were relatively small despite our might and to the general population we were just a strange cult that was helpful at times. As long as we kept to ourselves they didn't care; but we didn't do that, and our numbers grew.  Eventually we became the dominant political entity and ruled over this corner of the land."

"That is a little different from the history that I heard before," Briar said with care.

"Yes, because most Sisters alive today are not proud that we used our power to force our way into control.  It is now seen as our greatest mistake because it exacerbated the negative associations the human population has towards as. Many have adopted worship of the Lady, but they still despise us.  This was made worse again by the fact that human population growth increased several fold whilst ours has remained at a fairly stable rate.  Now there are just over ten thousand of us, to several million humans in this city alone. From their perspective, we are no longer capable of lording over them, and in many ways, they are correct. Please take a look at this."

The Queen stood and walked to the center of the platform. Briar almost gasped aloud as a mighty torrent of magic flowed from the woman and all the water in the pool below them heaved up into the air in one massive surge. The walls of water roared at an almost deafening level as it rose and came together at a point directly over head and began coalescing into a sphere. It grew until the pool was dry and every drop had joined the thing.

With a gesture from the Queen, the sphere changed and distorted. It's uniform exterior shoved outward or sank in various places. Bright, glowing lines of white light traced over the raised areas and one particular area was rotated towards them even as the top of the thing frosted over.  The shape of the raised area seemed very familiar.

"Very dramatic, Your Grace," the Preceptor said in a dry tone. "It's a rather impressive globe, but couldn't you have made a much smaller one?"

"I could have, yes, but as a Queen I need to do impressive things once in a while," the Queen replied blithely. "Plus, I doubt Briar has seen a globe of the world before, so I made it that big for the extra detail."

"That's a map?," Briar said, suitably impressed. Now that she looked closer she could make out the same coastline she'd seen on the Preceptors maps. The world was a lot larger than she'd ever thought it could be if the scale of the representation was right.

An area Briar recognized as the Realm from the earlier maps became covered in a blue light and then several other colored blobs appeared around it. "Those other colored areas represent our neighbors," the Queen informed her. The red blob to the west flashed twice. "That one there is where Jorrick has his little fort.  He's a very minor nobleman, but the ruler of that kingdom sees his vileness as a way to inflict small wounds upon us before the main uprising and invasion begins."

"They are only holding back while they gather their courage and numbers. Our long ago power still remains, and they know what we can do with it to hurt them. However, what they don't know is just how few of us there are compared to the many thousands in the vast armies surrounding us.  We have also been very careful about what kinds of magic we show to the outside world, because we have been wary of showing them too much that might frighten them into early action, or weakness which would make them fall on us like jackals. The attacks two nights ago were probing pinpricks. Our enemies are to the point now where they want to see a real reaction from us to gauge our true strengths."

"Are you going to give them one?" Briar asked, feeling a kind of angry heat in her belly, even though these people were not really her own. Only a tiny pocket of their number was important to her, but the thought of anyone trying to harm her friends, or Coral, was enough to get her fighting instinct riled.

"Oh yes, by tomorrow morning Jorrick and his followers will be punished and removed from every map.  The attack will be a flashy cataclysm and completely overkill by necessity to buy us some time, but I can't say that I will sleep any worse knowing they're dead. When his king protests my actions, I have those to prisoners to wave in his face. Hopefully the resulting posturing and boasting that will follow will last long enough so that we can do what must be done. And for that we believe we need you Briar, and Coral."

"Me!" both of them responded in synch will equal disbelief.

"Uma, I'm only eleven!" Coral's face was even paler than usual. "I haven't even started my magic studies yet. Why isn't my sister here instead?"

"And I am not even one of you," Briar pointed out. "I've lived here for exactly three weeks and three days, so I don't see how I can be of much use."

The Queen ignored Coral's protests and focused on Briar whilst she pointed a finger at her daughter. "Do you love my daughter?" she said with a seriously straight face.

At first Briar was nonplussed by the directness of the same question that had been turning constantly in her mind lately, but she answered it honestly. "What I feel for Coral is something greater than I've ever felt towards any other person. I don't know if it's love because this is a new feeling for me, but the word does feel right to describe it. Coral calls to me in a way that touches my soul, even though we have only spent a few short hours together. As we sit here I can feel the ties binding her to my heart. That is how I feel about her."

"A simple yes would have sufficed," the Queen said slowly, "but love is never a simple thing. I can attest to that myself. Coral, how do you think about Briar?"

"Oh gosh!" Coral's face turned bright pink because she had been staring with open wonder and joy at Briar, and the question caught her cold. "I'm not really sure of the right words. My heart feels all fluttery and happy when I look at her and when she holds me I want to melt there forever. When she was with me, it was like the whole rest of the world didn't exist anymore. I even forgot Tessa was sitting four feet way. Sitting next her make me feel warm and fuzzy."

"And wet I'll bet," Min teased her daughter with a glowing, happy smile. "It sounds quite wonderful to me, dear."

"It is!" Coral chirruped back, grinning at her mother and then Briar.

"The reason I asked you both that question was because there is a plan to save us all, and avert total disaster," the Queen said more solemnly, getting back on task. "Construction has already started, but we feel that the two of you will represent the fundamental changes that the Sisterhood and the Gardens must undergo. These changes are necessary for our survival because our plan is this; we will be founding an entirely new colony consisting of just ourselves. The only straight humans to be taken along will be the female servants that want to come, because where we are going, there are no humans at all right now."

A new colony? Briar's mind was abuzz at the concept and she was quite capable of coming up with a multitude of problems such an undertaking would engender without much difficulty. The last part though didn't make sense at all. "Where can you go where there aren't or won't be other humans eventually?"

"You haven't received much of a magical education yet, but not long ago one of our brightest came up with something called the Many Worlds Theory," the Queen explained proudly. "It's too long a thing to explain right now, but it has been proven true. There are uncountable worlds in existence and many are just slightly different from this one. At my behest, the same woman who discovered this also probed a couple of these worlds. A year ago she found what we needed; a world that operates exactly like this one, but has no residents other than plants and animals. No human has touched its soil. It seems fantastical and impossible, but it is true."

It was indeed a nearly impossible concept to grasp, but Briar shoved it aside because she had to operate on the assumption that this was all true, because the woman telling her did not seem lying and was founding her peoples' hopes on it. What would a world be like with no people on it? "What role do Coral and I play in this?" she asked, her mind still running down multiple thought trails.

"Again, I must answer you with a question. What do you think we would need if we were to take every single Sister and Garden to this undeveloped world?"

This was an even more complicated question, but an interesting one. The Queen was asking her for something that so many variables effecting it that it almost made her brain hurt, but it was fascinating enough that she began pulling chinks of the problem off for easier mental digestion.

"Well," she said, speaking slowly as the first few things began to slide into a general shape. "If you wished to even come close to approaching the level of development I've seen here you would have to bring the means to support it. Because this place is totally empty, that means building from scratch"

Briar hummed a little as more pieces jiggled loose. You would have to bring a large store of food too, kept in separated locations for redundancy and also a large quantity of seeds for planting. Agriculture will be extremely important so knowledge of growing various crops would be a high priority, as would the crafts that support it." The quandary of food would be an important one. It would be the kind of thing that might kill them all if they had problems procuring it. "You would also need to bring an initial supply of livestock until local animals can be domesticated."

"This city has wagons, drivers, butchers, stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters, and all sorts of different trades that allow for the large population that is supported here.  You probably won't need or want all of these industries at first, but the knowledge of how to do them would be beneficial when they become needed again, right?" Briar frowned adjusted herself in her seat. "After food and water, shelter is the next most important requirement, I think. If people don't have someplace they can think of as a home, they'll hate it and cause problems. You seem to be very good builders, so I don't see much problems there, but you won't have access to things like metals and quarried stone at first. The knowledge of how to find, mine, and then refine metals would be something to take along for later. That will be interesting though, when it happens."

Briar frowned deeper as more glaring problems occurred within her forming outline, big red ones with fire for emphasis. "This however supposes that you have a normal population trained in various trades or crafts. I don't know all of what you Sisters learn, but you have a glaring problem staring you in the face. I heard that there are about four Gardens for every Sister, so that means the vast majority of your colonists would be dead weight that are too used to being taken care of in every respect. I mean, how many Gardens can even cook or light a fire?"

"Some Sisters let the Gardens in your care use their minds and contribute, but most I've seen just sit around all day or have sex all the time. I know many of them have incredible sharp minds because the most common hobbies are artistic ones, like sewing, sculpting, painting and knitting. There are a few who even spend their time writing and singing songs. If you want even a hope of survival you would need to change this situation."

"And how would you do that," the Queen prompted with a knowing smile on her face that Briar never noticed because she was too deep into tearing the problem apart. It was far more complicated than making her circle had been, but it was also more interesting. It was building new from the ground up, literally.

"First, you would have to start thinking of the Gardens differently," Briar thought aloud. "Instead of treating them like gardens to be kept safe, tended and beautiful to look at, you would need to make them the foundation upon which the entire society can run."

Briar nodded to herself when she liked where her reasoning was going. Next to her Coral was listening closely and the other women were giving her forming thought rapt attention." I would set it up so that the Garden's, not the Sisters, were the ones running all the households. They would do all necessary jobs a new community is going to require, like tending the home, watching over the children, and adopting all the trades that are done now by the people of this city.  They would be the potters, the glass blowers, the scribes, and do a thousand other tasks. This would let you Sisters do what you've been good at doing; using magic to the benefit of all. You could be the engineers, the healers and all the things you already know how to do."

"But that would require other changes," Briar said, arguing with her own plan. "Things are set up at the moment to allow for that kind of thing."

"To make it really work there would have to be fundamental changes to portions of the social structures. Since you can't keep the Gardens as they are—and I would change the name to 'Tenders' or something instead because that's that they would be doing from now own—it would make more much sense to adopt a polygamous marriage system."

Briar paused for a moment because she liked where this idea was going. "Ideally, each Sister would marry more than one Garden, but it would have to be voluntary because I've heard about some Sisters that seriously abuse the Gardens they request. It would encourage them to treat us better if they know they'll be weaker than their peers because they can't attract wives due to their behavior. The more wives they can attract, the more magic they'll have."

"What about living arrangements?" the Preceptor asked. "If we lived that way, we would need thousands of individual homes."

"No you wouldn't!" Briar insisted excitedly, she was really getting into this and the pieces were sliding together nicely. She picked up her fork and drew a circle on her plate using some meat juices. "I'm not really a designer of any kind, but I would make the homes something like this. All of us, Sisters and Gardens alike, thrive and love living in close community together. I've only lived this way for a few weeks and it would bother me to have to sleep alone now. So you could make it like this where there are apartments or suites all around a circle with a communal center area for things like meals, bathing and child play areas. I think it would reduce the resources needed for each home too, but I'm not sure about that part."

"Doing it this way," Briar jabbed her crude illustration, "you could actually stack these circles on top of each other as long as you built them really sturdy and then you'd have a place where each household has their own private area and direct access to their friends.  The Gardens are already used to living in a large mob, so they wouldn't find this as being a huge change. It would also allow for a communal contribution by each household to give time, skills and other things for all. Meal preparations could be shared and things like cleaning could be rotated so individuals spend less time on them."

"Leadership?" asked the Queen.

Briar mulled that over. "A little ticklish I admit, but again, we Gardens operate mostly on an unvoiced electoral method already. They follow the leader they like for as long as they like them. Each 'house' could vote on a set of leaders consisting of both Sisters and Gardens that would act as the guiding influence for the micro-community. They could also deal with minor rule infractions and with making sure the building is being maintained."

Briar pointed at each of their plates. "Say each of these is a 'house' containing up to a couple hundred individuals." She poked her fork into the middle of the table. "I would build a structure here for the central leadership, meaning you I guess. The ruling household, meaning the Queen and her daughters, would deal with whatever it is a Queen does exactly, while their wives could serve as the main contacts for each of the homes. It would also house all the central administration."

"This set-up would conserve a lot of the land for use in trades, farming and other needed jobs. Whenever the population grows to a certain point and the existing houses can't be built any higher without excessive crowding, and the related health problems that go with that, you could start a new one. You would just have to plan carefully for sanitation and water, and for the inevitable problems with things like fires."

"Is that all?" Kanna chuckled, intrigued amusement crossing her features.

Briar blinked and then realized that everybody in the room had been paying very close attention to her explanation. Most of them seemed amused, but not at all in a mocking way. Coral looked as if she was still thinking it all over. "You asked what I might do, so I gave a general outline of a possible way to make a survivable colony with only Sisters and Gardens. There are probably flaws all through it because it's so short notice; but I think it's a good generalization."

"Briar, in twenty minutes you came up with a plan nearly identical to the one we've spent months on," the Queen replied gently and with proud admiration. "You took the problem that you were given and ripped it apart, and then arranged for solutions to the smaller pieces. Personally, I like your housing idea better than the one we came up with. Ours are communal too, but with a rosette of interconnected home units around a common center.  We also thought of the marriage idea, which is why I call my wives that, and not my bonded partners like most Sisters do.  But your observations confirm that you are exactly what we are looking for."

"Which is?"

The Queen gave her and then Coral a wickedly pleased smile. "We want you and Coral to lead and settle the first evacuation wave of colonists."

"Uma!" Coral looked stricken. "I'm still only a student!"

"And so you'll continue to be," the Queen nodded. "You and all the students will be part of the first group because it will be easier for you to learn the new things we need to survive there and because we need to keep our newest generation of Sisters safe. You are going as my direct representative because I will need your sister here for a while yet. It will also allow you to learn from the very beginning, how to lead and run a community much like Briar described. You won't be alone though, because Greta will be going along as well to stand as your regent until you are an adult or until the rest of us arrive, whichever happens first."

"That sounds quite logical," Briar said, giving the monarch a measuring look. "But I don't see why you need me, if as you said; you have already thought this plan through. I am barely even a citizen as it is."

To her surprise, the Queen chuckled deeply. "Briar, you have a strong, natural gift that makes people want to follow you. That is what I need. The first evacuation won't be large. It will consist of all the students and their instructors, roughly 200 and 25 respectively, and about three-hundred and fifty of the youngest Gardens. While Coral and Greta will provide the overall leadership, you will have full control and authority over the Gardens."

The queen raised a hand to forestall Briar's objection. "I am aware that you are also very young. That is why we will be sending the youngest Gardens and those older ones that have shown a willingness to learn new things. Like you did with your friends, I need you to take these young women and help them learn the new skills we'll need to live, so they can in turn train the follow-on groups."

"This may seem like a major undertaking, and it is, but we have paid close attention to the Garden these last few weeks.  Your name passes more lips than anyone else's does and it is usually spoken of in tones of respect.  Those that don't do so are those that dislike your changes. I am not asking you to do this in a single day, week, or even a month. This will be something that will take generations, so what I am asking you to do, is help build the foundation and create a future."

"Also, you won't be alone. If you agree to this, all your friends will go with you too.  You will have their help and support, as well as a number of the Sisters that know you. You can take your friends into your household and have them around you."

"My household?!" Briar felt a little stunned by how fast this was all coming at her. She glanced over at Coral and saw uncertainty warring with a hopeful expression. She wanted to hold Coral so badly! Coral saw her looking and gave her a questioning smile.

"Yes!" now the Queen was grinning openly, as were her wives. "Your assessment of the new role the Gardens must take on is the right one. So it must start with you, their new leader. To do so, you will run the new Royal Household, in your capacity, as Coral's wife."

"Her wife..." Briar trailed off and locked her eyes onto Coral's. They glittered in equal amazement at the request.

"Yes Briar," Queen Arianne laughed in shared enjoyment with all the other women. "Like I said, your idea is the right one. My wives are such because that is how we address each other, and how we think of each other. I would like however, for you and my daughter to be married formally and publicly. Not only would it cement you two together, it would also point the arrow for everyone else. I know many Sisters already consider their partners wives, and would leap at the chance to have a formal declaration of their unions. As Queen, I think this is something that is way past due. What do you think? Will you help build this future?"

Still staring at each other, it was Coral who spoke first after a long, pregnant pause. Her clear voice was as fragile as the most delicate wineglass. "Uma, may Briar and I have some time alone, please?"

"Of course you can!" the Queen answered, maternal assurance backing her words. She turned, still standing under that stupendous globe, and waved a hand at the back wall as she worked another complicated bit of magic. A carved mural of swimming fish turned soft and runny. Stone flowed like a viscous liquid from the newly opening hallway into a set of stairs to the platform. It was done so fast that Briar knew it was something that had already existed; the Queen had only just activated it. "You can use your old bedroom, but please don't take all night. You have evening chores later on and classes tomorrow and we really do need an answer."

When Coral stood and then conscientiously smoothed her soft, flowing pants, Briar stood as well. "Uhm, please follow me Briar," the young girl said a bit shyly, and then turned towards the newly opened passageway. Before she could take more than a step, Briar took Coral's tiny hand in hers. Coral gave her an appreciative, heart-melting smile, and then they started walking together.

The passage led into what had to be the private quarters of the Queen and her family. After the initial stone entryway, it was warmly lit and comfortably appointed with thick carpeting and paintings graced the walls. It ended at a cozy little sitting room with a tall, arched window and several soft looking, time-worn chairs.  The air was scented with something vaguely fruity. Coral led her to one of the room's three exits, still holding her hand tightly.

They walked down another long, window-lit hallway and past several closed doors. She was unsurprised when they passed a ubiquitously spacious bathroom that had no door. No matter where you went, everyone here treated bathing as a public activity. Briar enjoyed having things this way, it was kind of fun. They stopped briefly at a rather plain looking door, just long enough for Coral to turn its brass knob and open it.

Coral's bedroom definitely looked like it had once been occupied by a very young girl. The walls were painted in a light-plum color and near to the door was a small table with four chairs, all painted white. There was a small bookcase on one wall, filled with slim volumes. On top of it were small, carved figurines of animals, each from a different type of stone. The bed lay under a pair of curtained windows. It was rather small and covered in a flower patterned comforter, but it looked like it would be wonderful to sleep in.

"Coral, I—" Briar cut off, because as soon as she'd pushed the door closed, Coral was leaping into her. She caught the girl easily since they'd only been feet apart, and automatically lowered her face to match the younger one heading toward hers. Their lips met hungrily and Briar felt her pussy drooling profusely down her legs. When they parted, they were both panting and staring meaningfully.

"Sorry about that," Coral said sheepishly, but grinning a little with her tongue peaking from between her teeth. "I've practically been dying to do that since I saw you again. These last two days have been the longest of my entire life! Do you even know how hard it's been for me to concentrate during classes?"

"I'm more than happy to see you again too," Briar replied laughing, and feeling quite heated between her legs. She gently moved them towards the bed and when she sat on its sinfully soft surface, Coral wasted no time climbing into her lap, facing towards her and straddling her legs. When Briar put restraining hands on Corals shoulders to prevent another kiss attack, it was one of the hardest things she had ever done. "Coral, maybe we should get the talking done, before we get too carried away? If you come at me again, I won't be able to stop for a while."

"Yeah...okay, good idea," Coral sighed deeply in a calming effort, laying herself forward and against Briar's shoulder. "I feel like I'm going to explode though. Either that or I'm going to melt onto you." Coral giggled against her chest.

"What do you think of your Uma's ideas and plans?" Briar asked, stroking the girl's back to try and calm herself down too. This was hard because the room was already starting to smell of her arousal and her nipples were trying their hardest to puncture her dress. But business needed to be taken care of first, while they both had their wits about them. It was a very good thing that Coral was so obviously bright and self-controlled as well.

"It seems too unreal," Coral replied, frowning prettily in thought. "Since my older sister is the heiress, I never thought much about what my role might be. I thought I'd just be another Sister and I'd find a career to pursue.  Now my Uma is telling me she wants me to go and rule a colony in her stead. It's totally crazy!"

"You would have a regent though," Briar pointed out. "The Preceptor has always struck me as an intelligent woman, and teaching is part of her job. We would be starting small and learning as we go, so that by the time the follow on waves arrive, we'll have more of an idea of what to do. She wouldn't ask you to do something you're incapable of."

"We?" Coral pulled her head up from where she'd been resting it on her breasts and looked Briar very intently in the eyes. Her face was flushed again with arousal and girlish delight.

"Yes, we," Briar quipped back, matching Coral's growing smile. "You heard what she said. You and I would be working together from separate ends of the same problem.  Plus, we'll both have our friends along for company."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it, Briar!" Coral huffed with an amused smile.

"I know," Briar smiled back. "Did you not like that part of the plan?"

"You really want to be my wife?!" Coral seemed pleasantly astounded by the idea and her slim hips made a wriggling movement that was impossible to ignore. "We only just met two days ago, and I'm only a student, and practically a kid! That doesn't bother you at all?"

"Coral, look deep into my eyes and see the way that I am looking at you right now," Briar replied, letting all the heat she felt seep into her voice. At the sound of it Coral colored further and shivered a little. "We will both have others in our beds, pleasing our bodies and tasting us. But it is only you, Coral, that makes me ache inside when we part.  I have been thinking about you all the time since that night, almost to the point of distraction. You are younger than I, that is true, but when my eyes touch on any part of you, my body comes alight with a fire I have never known before. I yearn to know all about you. When I am holding you like this, I feel a sense of rightness and completeness."

"When I am having passionate, mouth watering sex with Oriana and my other friends, I do it because I care dearly for them, because it feels really good, and because it fulfills a needing hunger of my body. With you however, it sates a deeper hunger coming from my soul. I love my friends Coral, and very much so, but my love for you exists on different level. So no Coral, it does not bother me. If you ask it, I will be your wife."

Tears shimmered in the eyes of the young girl for just a moment, but they were blinked away and chased off by a brilliant smile. "Briar...I don't have the words to respond to something like that.  All I can really say is...I want you too. Seeing you and touching you gives me so much happiness. I mean, I'm almost crying right now because it feels so damn good! Does this mean you want to accept my Uma's proposal? All of it?"

"I do," Briar nodded, lowering her head to place several kisses just under Coral's left ear. "Being with you will be the most pleasant part, but the challenge of the plan calls to me too. It sounds like a lot of work and there will likely be times when we both want to just scream in pure frustration, but the test this plan offers excites me. I want to face it. Having you with me just makes it that much better."

"I never thought of it that way," Coral replied thoughtfully, arching her neck to give Briar's mouth and tongue easier access for the new, pleasant sensations being given to her. Also, she didn't know when it happened, but her student vest had been unbuttoned and one of Briar's hands was rubbing her bare back under it. The crotch of her pants was soaked and stained.  "I always like it when I get hard questions or problems in class because it feels better when I solve them. This is kind of like that, right? But on a much larger scale."

"As long as you remember that failure here will affect other peoples' lives," Briar agreed seriously. She could feel the heat and sweat coming from her young love. It was really testing her control.

"I can't forget that," Coral nodded seriously in return. Then her face lit up again in amusement. "Does your wanting to be my wife mean you want kids someday too? You want to be a mama?"

"Having dreams of motherhood already, my little Coral?" Briar teased. "Yes actually. Before I was brought here, my village was going to have me get pregnant from a man before I could advance any further. The thought of bearing a child never bothered me at all. I just didn't want to lay with a man to have one.  Think of it as a reward for succeeding in the Queen's plans. If our new home is running well, then it is logical for new generations to be born there, and if we reach that point, I will happily and proudly have a daughter or two with you. I'll certainly enjoy it when you put it in my belly!"

"Will you tell me about your people?" Coral asked curiously, letting more of her lust take over now that the meat of the conversation was obviously done with.

"Someday," Briar promised. "We are going to have plenty of opportunities for sharing our stories."

Briar decided that she'd had enough with talking for now.  So she slid the vest off Coral, who didn't resist at all, and kissed her again. Coral was just as highly aroused as she was, so she moaned gratefully when she wrapped her tongue around Coral's and sucked it into her mouth. She could see how others might find such a long, wet appendage gross, but to her it felt amazing and powerfully erotic.  Even her gag reflex ignored it when Coral really thrust it in deep and drove her wild.

One of her hands went to Coral's tiny left breast and while using it to hold the girl still with her fingers, her thumb pressed on and rubbed over the turgid nipple. Coral was wriggling and groaning almost non-stop, so it wasn't much of a surprise that she went immediately into an orgasm when Briar shoved her other hand down the front of her wet pants and onto her small pussy. Briar felt hot liquid coating her fingers, but instead of stopping, she started stroking up and down the creamy slit.

From there, Coral was an utter mess.  Briar continued sucking and licking the girl's wonderful tongue while working between Coral's slim legs.  Coral's pussy was tremendously tight, so just having one finger inside seemed to drive her wild.  Briar would work her up slowly and then when she was quivering, she'd attack Coral's little clit.  Every time the result was another trembling orgasm that sent spurts of delicious fluid into Briar's mouth.  Briar wasn't sure how many Coral had, but it seemed like a lot before the girl slid like a wet noodle onto the bed, shivering and shaking. Her pants were wet to the knees and pulled down enough to expose her rounded behind. More important though was the happy smile Coral wore.

"That...was...ooh" Coral trailed off into tired, girly giggles. It was musical.

"Glad you liked it," Briar said warmly, lowering her sweat soaked body down to embrace Coral's. "I came twice just from the pleasure of doing that for you."

"Oh Lady!" Coral exclaimed and gave her an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry I just sat there like that. It just felt so good."

"Sorry for what?" Briar chuckled, giving her a quick kiss. "I liked making you cum over and over again for the last hour and some."

"Okay, but it's my turn now," Coral grinned impishly. She quickly shucked her soiled pants and practically dove down between Briar's legs. Briar willingly rolled onto her back and crowed with delight when she felt her pussy being eagerly licked.  Coral teased her by only occasionally invading her with that tongue, but it felt too good to complain.  She was on her fourth bed-soaking orgasm when a knock sounded at the door before it swung open.

"Coral," it was Coral's mother, Min. She was naked, sweaty and had obviously been enjoying sex as well. Her pretty face wore an expression of motherly regret as they lay in a panting heap before her. "You two have been back here for almost three hours now and its getting late.  You need to head back to the dorms for the night and Briar needs to get back to the Garden before her friends worry too much, and you both need to answer your Uma."

"I suppose," Coral sighed regretfully, still flushed and looking at Briar in a way that said she wanted more. Briar understood that sentiment. Her body was far from done and wanted more too. But she smiled and gave Coral a quick, sweet kiss. Min was right.

"Coral, we will get to enjoy this again soon, but we both have obligations," Briar told her lovingly. She sat up and looked to see where her dress had gone. It lay in a wet lump on the floor by Coral's equally soaked pants.  She didn't really want to put it on in that state, but it was the only thing she had.

"Looks like you two really made a mess," Min said in tones of parental admiration and amusement. She was openly enjoying her view of Briar's body, but Briar was used to this kind of thing so it didn't bother her. "I really must thank you again for saving and loving my daughter Briar. I don't have much time to spend with her now that she's a student, but I'm happy she has found you."

"Mom!" Coral moaned with embarrassment at her mother and then winced as she tried to pull on her pants, which ruined the effect of the complaint.

"Sorry Coral, but mothers worry a lot about their pretty daughters," Min chuckled. "You'd better get those pants cleaned soon or those stains won't come out. Your Uma has ruined dozens that way."

"I know, but they're all cold and wet," Coral said resignedly, frowning down at the offending garment. "Next time I'll make sure I take them off first."

Min led them back into the sitting room where Queen Arianne was naked, flushed from sex and calmly reading a book while Kanna appeared to be sleeping with her head in the Queen's lap. Outside the window, night had fallen.  When she saw them enter, the Queen set her book down and gently stroked her sleeping wife's head. The woman groaned and sat up groggily, she was naked too.  All the nudity was keeping Briar very aroused and Coral could see it because she looked highly amused by her predicament. She'd have to remember that aspect of her love's sense of humor.

"Well?" the monarch prompted with a warm smile, clearly in a good mood.

"We both agree that we would like to follow along with this plan," Briar answered, wondering if it was appropriate to openly ogle the naked Queen. All the women in the room were very pleasant to look at, but the Queen had a glowing vitality to her like Coral did. "It sounds challenging, but I think the end result will be worth it."

"Somehow I don't think marrying each other was a hard decision though," Kanna chuckled sleepily. She was still leaning very heavily on the Queen.

"Not really," Briar agreed. "But I do have one request of my own. If this land is inevitably going to erupt in war, could someone please inform my people? It would be grossly unfair for them to be embroiled in another conflict and one they are unaware is forming.  They will end up involved because now they are no longer such a secret."

"That won't be a problem Briar," the Queen replied with a knowing smile. "I sent them a very detailed message yesterday that also includes an explanation of what happened to you. I sent fast couriers so a reply should be forthcoming in a week."

Briar felt immensely relieved by the news. Now her people would know of the troubles growing around them and the why of her disappearance. "Thank you," she replied gratefully. "I suppose that I will leave you to your evening now."

When Coral and Briar exited the Queen's Palace, which Coral explained also doubled as the true administration building, there was a small contingent of guards waiting to escort Coral back to her dorm.  They exchanged a few last kisses, then they parted, both smiling with love in their eyes. Briar watched her young lover go for a few minutes before setting off for her own home, her body still aquiver.

Her arousal must have been fairly visible because the whole way back she received heated looks and several offers to share a bed for the night. Briar smiled at the former and politely declined the latter, no matter how tempting it was. She had friends to get back to; so it seemed like the walk back to Moon Hill took almost no time at all.

Two of the three moons were overhead when Briar surmounted the steps to her home and they cast their twin lights down, giving it an evanescent appearance. She heard moans coming from the bath chamber and they were like a welcome home to her ears, for she knew the voices. When she passed the entrance to the baths, she smiled warmly at seeing Thera and Sister Claris making love in the water. Another pair was quietly kissing on one of the pallets. When she finally arrived at the main chamber, the night's festivities were well underway.

Several voices called her name in appreciative greeting, but no one got up. Every pallet was occupied by a writhing group of girls and young women, all making passionate love to each other singly or in groups. Others weren't even on a bed and were content with soft patches of grass.  She passed by Mira's spot and amusedly saw that tonight she had four girls with her and she was making them all moan lustily with her skills. She received many invitations to join in sex and lots of caresses on her legs, but Briar kept going, heading towards her pallet in the center.

She was unsurprised to find her pallet already occupied by several girls, but they were the ones she had been hoping to find, plus one extra. Iris had stayed the night and was leaning on her arms with her head thrown back as Kaya ate her pussy with her ass in the air. Oriana was sucking happily at Iris's large breasts and her eyes gleamed with welcome when they caught sight of Briar.

Lisette, laying on her back with her legs spread and her slit drooling was apparently recovering for another round. She gave Briar a joyous smile and held out an inviting arm. Briar smiled back and after absently casting her dress aside, took the offered hand and let herself be pulled down onto her friend's skinny, hotly sweaty body.

"You smell nice and strong of sex again," Lisette chirruped playfully near her ear that was accompanied by a sensuous lick. "This time I get to clean you, right?"

"As long as you have enough energy later to tell me the story like you promised," Briar agreed, even as she felt Lisette's hot mouth and tongue descending over her skin to her breasts.

"Oh I surely will," Lisette laughed, and gave her right nipple a pinch that nearly made her cum. "You were with your young love again weren't you? Your whole body is practically vibrating! When does your family get to meet the special girl that can do this to you? I really want to meet such an impressive person."

"Family?" Briar moaned, feeling her pussy spasm and drip wetly.

"Yep, all of us girls here are a family, and you're our big, sexy sister," Lisette said as if that was plainly obvious. Then she laughed delightedly. "That makes me your precocious little sister that needs lots of looking after I think."

"Thank you for that," Briar replied appreciatively, and then moaned gutturally as she felt a finger slip up inside her. "In answer to your question, you'll get to meet her very soon. But I'll tell you about it in the morning. I don't think I can talk much anymore right now."

"Good idea!" said a voice from behind. Before she could look, Briar felt someone spread her ass cheeks open. It turned out to be Iris and she was smiling wide with the other two moving in to join her and Lisette. "It's been a while since I tasted you Briar. You look quite nice though and you're already so excited."

"Do you mind if we do a group thing tonight?" Oriana asked hopefully, slipping down with them. Her slim form was as sweaty as everyone else and she looked so delightfully sensual. "You really look like you need some attention Briar, and its getting us all worked up with you."

"Sounds...ooh!...fun," Briar agreed, rolling through a small orgasm as Iris's tongue wormed into her ass.  Oriana responded by leaning in to suck at both her and Lisette's nipples. Briar could see Kaya behind her, using her hands to pleasure Iris and Oriana at the same time. It was going to be a long night.

Briar's mind kept slipping back to Coral, but none of her friends seemed to mind. They were happy for her and more than willing to physically stimulate her imagination.  Her terrible arousal seemed to infect the others and the entire community ended up having sex for hours.  They only stopped when nearly all tongues, breasts and holes were sore.  As promised, while Briar lay in blissful exhaustion, Lisette cuddled into her side and happily whispered today's story into her ear while the others slipped off into slumber. When she was done, they gently fingered each other into one last gasp of an orgasm that depleted the last of their energy and sent them to sleep with the others.

Late in the morning, when everyone starting groaning into wakefulness to find themselves pleasantly sore in places, they received another guest. She was a tall, younger Sister with very long blonde hair and little chest to speak of under her green cloak and uniform. Sister Claris walked her in while clucking worriedly and using her magic to sooth some of the more uncomfortable girls.

"You're Briar?" the woman asked with a broad grin as she looked down at the full pallet of drowsy, naked young ladies. She had something tucked under her right arm. "I wish I'd come last night, it looks like you guys had fun."

"You would have been unwelcome last night," Briar replied honestly, she just wanted to peacefully enjoy Oriana's and Lisette's bodies against her for a bit. Her pussy and ass were both a little sore and her tongue felt odd. Kaya was sitting up next to them and she nodded emphatically in agreement.

"Really?" the woman seemed more intrigued than upset by the response. Then she shrugged as if it didn't really matter. She adjusted her burden and held it out. Briar took it and after unfolding the bundle she was holding a student vest and white pants. "I'm here to inform you that from today forth I am going to be your magic tutor and teacher. You will wear that uniform whenever you go out in public because it is the law. New magic users can be dangerous, so students wear this uniform to indicate their incomplete education and as a warning to Sisters around them because they become equally responsible if you do something stupid and they don't stop you."

"I see," Briar replied bemusedly as all the girls within earshot turned to listen to the conversation. "I had forgotten about my using magic, but this response makes sense. Do you have a schedule in mind already, Sister...?"

"Nia," the Sister finished, smiling. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Yeah, I was told that you already use your mornings and evenings for training or some such, so we will do it then. I also heard that you are a quick study, so it will work well with just me."

"Sounds like a lot of work for you though," Briar said, testing for any resentment from her new, but necessary teacher.

"It will be, but I like work," the young woman chortled perkily. "Actually, I was pretty much ordered to move in here and live with you until you know enough to be safe and study on your own. I'll also be going with you in the first wave of colonists. I know you guys have a special thing going here, so if you want I can just sleep off to one side so I'm not an intrusion."

"Well, if you fit in well enough you won't need to do that," Kaya smiled in a pleasant fashion, she pointed at Iris who was unfairly perky for how much she had participated last night. Briar could remember giving the woman several strong orgasms herself, right before Oriana took a turn. "She's not a Garden, but we love having her around anyway. So if you need to be around to teach Briar magic, then just be friendly and participate."

"Hmm, well the Preceptor said something about me fitting right in when she shoved me out of bed this morning," Nia mused aloud, finger at her slim lips. "She also said something about my brain being between my legs too much one time, so who knows what she was talking about. But I think I'm friendly, and I love meeting new people."

Briar smiled and tried not to laugh. It wouldn't do to offend her new teacher on the first day and Nia seemed nice enough, if a little ditzy. "In that case, maybe you'd be willing to join us this morning for our exercises, bath, and breakfast?"

"Exercises?" Nia looked totally baffled by the idea. "What kind?"

Wolfish grins spread around the whole clearing at this statement. Oriana had a particularly mischievous look on her adorable face when she stood and spoke. "Sister Nia, why don't you come with me and I'll show you, okay?"

"Okay, sure thing," Nia agreed up and let herself be led away while openly ogling Oriana's beautiful naked butt. Briar shook her head and wondered if Nia would survive her girls' attentions. After last night, they were going to be in a mood to seriously work out their sore muscles and she didn't think Nia was used to activity that strenuous. But if she did survive, she would be an interesting addition.

Shrugging the worry aside, Briar stood, signaling to the others the start of the morning. In one, pleasantly chatting group, they walked out naked into the sun to start the day. Briar followed with her closest friends, feeling quite good.