Celyz crouches to my level and her tendril curls around my slumbering left arm, helping me calm down. I relish how safe I feel here, out of reach from assassins and with an ally that has shown more compassion for peasantry than those who are meant to rule and protect them. Still, there are things I must clarify. Queen Grikyz' orders being one of them.

“How long do I have before you have to assault the walls without holding back?” I ask.

“Not very.” Celyz says. “We have workers preparing the pieces we'll need to build rudimentary platforms to transport our army across the strait to reach the mainland. Mother expects the Izla to be conquered by the time they're built, so a week at the most.”

“Should be enough.” I nod. “I'll give you Meria, but make sure to tell your drones to leave those who don't carry weapons alone.”

“I will.” She agrees.

“I'll need you to attack the wall just before the barges arrive as a distraction, and then two later at night to give us enough time to plan. Do you have a way for us to coordinate over long distances?” I question.

“Unfortunately, we don't. It isn't something that we've had any use for since there is always one of us to give orders.” Celyz replies.

“Then we'll have to work with a fixed schedule.” I say. “Make sure to wait a few hours after nightfall on the second day of our arrival.”

“What if you're delayed?” She asks.

“Then keep attacking every night from that point on.” I respond, gritting my teeth.

I can't allow myself to hesitate, there is no more time. It'll be up to me to ensure our success before casualties pile up. I understand why they're waging this war, but all these deaths for a single Princess and the possibility of reaching a treaty...

“Jessica, you're not responsible for any of this.” Celyz tells me, her tendril clutching at my wrist. “You shouldn't carry this weight.”

She means well, but her words only remind me of the part I played for events to unfold in this way.

“I sent the message that brought Father here and got him...” Hic, the hiccup escapes me and tears form at the corner of my eyes. “I'm the reason Nobles are on edge and so quick to make examples. I even undermined the one person who could've saved him.”

“None of it is your fault, they are to blame.” Celyz says softly.

“They will pay.” I nod, chasing the drops of water away. “Odo was only the first.”

“She should too, for what she did to you.” She adds in a grumbling voice.

“She will... but differently.” I shake my head. “We'll get to a point where we understand each other, once I've... settled things with her.”

“How could you get back with her, after everything she did to you?! You almost died because she toyed with your feelings to give herself a chance to escape.” Celyz grumbles as two of her tendrils unfurl to wrap themselves around my waist.

“It wasn't like that, she...” I try to explain, surprised by how suddenly she seized me but not worried.

“Don't believe her excuses!” She exclaims with ire. “I'm the one who saw you for who you were while she neglected you! Look at me!”

“I need to see this through to the end with her, Celyz.” I reply softly, glancing up to her ovaloid head.

“You don't.” She says, exhaling a large amount of air through the twelve openings that allow her to breathe. “Please tell me you didn't reveal yourself to her.”

“I haven't, but I will.” I lay my right hand on the tendrils around my stomach, touching the oddly smooth and rough surface of the rubbery skin. My gesture seems to appease her.

“She'll betray you.” Celyz affirms quietly.

“That's a risk I'm willing to take.” I tell her with a smile.

“I can't believe you. How can you still think that it'll work out, there is so much separating the two of you.” She sighs and retrieves her tendrils. I do my best not to feel disappointed at losing her reassuring touch.

“She's everything to me, all I've dreamed about since I was old enough to consider such things.” I explain. She doesn't respond, turning around and heading towards a tunnel on my right.

“Come with me, your limb is waking up and there are a few things I'd like to verify.” Celyz says.

I get up and follow her as she guides me out of the underground tunnels and into the morning sun. Celyz then leads the way through construction sites where workers are fitting logs on top of each other to build tall siege towers.

“Yvonne is on the way back from the mainland with good news, it should be about your sister.” I speak up.

“Thank you. I was... afraid to ask.” She admits.

“We'll be able to focus entirely on rescuing her once we're done here.” I say gently.

“And hopefully we won't need to reveal what we did to you to get her back.” Celyz whispers.

“Isn't that the main component of Grikyz' plan to sign a treaty?” I ask.

“It is, but we don't need to implement it here.” She says. “The war isn't as much in our favor as we'd hoped it would be at this point in time since we lost the initiative because of the advance warning the Izla received. Mother would be satisfied with recovering Cetyz and pulling out of Caeviel to return to our Silver Hive. We'll be able to pressure the Empire more effectively from there anyway.” Celyz explains. “There is also the fact that we'll be able to rally support from the First Hive with the information you provided us to improve our drones' intelligence. The Grand Queen will no doubt want to settle this problem with the Empire so that our Hives can spend the next few centuries working on that without outside interference.”

As we reach the edge of the Rykz camp, we come across patrols of warriors and scouts. Celyz signals a good hundred of them to gather around us as she keeps walking without stopping. Where is she taking me? I glance around the plains but there's not really anything interesting, just grass and hills with the forest in the distance.

She heads out towards a dip in the terrain. As we approach, I hear water trickling along. We soon find ourselves in front of a stream, one just large enough to bathe in. There are many workers not too far away, they're using buckets to fill barrels of water and, once full, they put those away on a four-wheeled carriage.

“Strip.” Celyz says, almost an order.

I blink, taken entirely by surprise. I glance at all the warriors and scouts that are spreading out around us to form a perimeter.

“They don't care, besides, I've seen you without clothes before and I can see your body right now.” Celyz chuckles. “You need a bath to get rid of the blood and I need to inspect your connection to the limb.”

Her words disturb me a little but the idea of showing myself to someone who won't think me monstrous is engaging and slightly exciting, especially since she admitted being attracted to me this morning.

I shake my head and strengthen my resolve. I can't let a moment weakness put my relationship with Leomi at risk, no matter how much I want someone to hold me right now.

“I want some privacy to bathe, Celyz, you don't need to be here.” I say.

“I do.” She replies firmly. “The parasite will awaken completely when plunged in fresh water to have its fill, I need to be with you.”

“That's it?” I ask. She nods. “Alright, fine.”

I haven't finished the sentence that her tendrils are already slipping under my clothes to shed them off of me. I let her do so as I can use the help with my currently unresponsive left arm, and it's too late to stop her since my shirt is already off and my pair of pants follows within seconds.

I unfasten the straps holding the sleeve glove in place and remove it. I then kneel to take my boots off. I notice a moment too late that the movement is naturally splitting my legs. I am not aroused to the point of being wet, but I haven't enjoyed myself in a long time and she must be able to perceive how pent-up I am.

“Are you certain you don't want me to...” Celyz says.

“I am.” I reply, my voice not as firm as I'd like.

I hurriedly make my way down to the stream and enter the cold water, pushing forward until it reaches up to my waist and conceals my sex from her perception. When my left hand touches the liquid, it twitches reflexively and I regain control as it starts drinking.

Celyz walks in and closes the distance with a couple long steps. Her tendrils extend outward to wrap around my waist and back. She gently lays me down on my back, keeping me afloat inside the water. She runs a few of her appendages along the scars on my body. She starts rubbing off the dried blood on my hands and along the small thin cut on my chest.

“I've read up a lot on human biology, I have a much better understanding of it now.” She tells me, assembling a black healing construct in the air above me. “Especially female.” She adds, anchoring the flow to my torso.

“Is... is that so.” I stutter, feeling my desire grow, the pull to tangle with her. “Is the limb... reacting to you?” I ask, suspicious.

“It is, and you to me by association.” She replies with a roughness to her voice. “Relax, I'm simply making sure that the parasite isn't trying to take over.”

I keep my attention on the tendril that she passes around the back of my head to brush against the back of my skull, where the parasite recently attached itself. Celyz' body temperature is noticeably rising, especially in the center of her chest. She is slowly pulling me closer to herself. I stop the movement by pushing on her flat stomach with my hand.

“So, what can you tell me?” I ask.

“It isn't infiltrating the inside of your chest, it's leaving your heart and lungs alone. That would be the first step that a parasite would take before attempting to consume its host.” She explains.

“Will it?” I say nervously.

“Not unless my Queen made a mistake, which is unlikely in this case, but you're the first one of your kind so there are a lot of unknowns.” She replies. One of her tendrils touches the scar on my left breast. “It has almost recovered its exterior appearance, apart from the nipple of course.”

“You care?” I question, frowning.

“No, but you obviously do so I'm glad for you.” Celyz says in a smiling tone. “Some of those will disappear, but not all.”

“I'm past the point of minding a few scars, to be honest.” I reply.

“I want to link with it to make sure that it isn't forgetting Mother's orders.” She says. “Are you okay with me doing that?”

“Yea, I want to know.” I nod.

She unexpectedly lifts me out of the water and heads out of the stream, holding me inside her tendrils. I reflexively close my legs to hide myself despite the fact that I can tell how useless that is, being able to distinguish the details of my own body through the limb's sense.

Celyz stops at a high point and turns to face the rising sun, holding me out so that I receive its rays. She then takes root, plunging her toes into the soil. She remains immobile as my flesh dries and warms up.

She then fully bends her reversed knees and sits down, pulling me into a hug, closer until my bare breasts rest against her slender torso. The pull for her strengthens. I find myself panting and lustful, my intimacy moistens. The Rykz part of my body trembles, even those anchored to my bones. Being held like this makes me feel so safe and wanted.

She curls two tendrils around the limb. I detect a complex signaling construct entering my body and I slowly fall into a daze when she activates it. My mind wanders and I start seeing odd colors as electrifying currents run inside the parasite. Those things each contain underlying meanings that I fail to comprehend, too basic and primal for me to analyze logically.

The contact is intense if incomprehensible. I become aware that Celyz dearly values me for who I am, not what I can do for her, but not in such simple terms. It is neither a reasoning nor a conclusion, it is a vague certainty mixed with too many emotions to sort out. Another evidence is the fear she has for her sister's well-being. I think to wrap my hands around her but realize that they already are.

“Jessica?” Celyz asks, sounding distant to my ears.

“Hm?” I mutter.

“I'm done, you can let go.” She tells me with a rough fluctuating voice.

The tendrils she's holding me with are squirming tensely, the sight is mesmerizing. I squeeze her even tighter, the string-like muscles under her rubbery skin are thick and strong. I lay a small kiss in the middle of her flat brown chest. I want her, I don't even know how it would work, but... I do.

“Your field of detection should grow up to twenty meters as the parasite finishes linking with your spine. I haven't found any sign that it deviated from the symbiotic balance, but remain careful.” Celyz reports calmly, a tone that clashes with the visibly agitated state of her body.

I extend my hands out. She seems to understand my intention as she wraps her tendrils around my fingers and forearms. I did my best to fight the intoxicating pull, but can't anymore, I want this. My forehead is feverishly hot, my heart wildly beating.

“Can I take it as you accepting my offer?” She questions, her head inclined and facing my bare figure.

“Yes.” I whisper. “How do I... touch you?” I ask, barely realizing that my lower body is lustfully moving back and forth.

“Gently.” Celyz replies in a rumbling voice.

“Like this?” I propose, slowly closing my fingers to caress and slightly squeeze the curled tendrils.

“Yes.” She says joyfully.

I feel something pass between my bare thighs and touch my wet lips, it doesn't even pause before going for the small the mound of flesh to caress it. I gasp and take revenge by bringing my hand up to my mouth to lick one of her tendrils. Celyz tastes smoky and sugary, her rubbery skin is coarse but soft under my tongue. She writhes under the assault.

“More.” She utters shakily as the tendril between my legs moves to fit itself between my sex' lips to start rubbing along its length.

My back arcs as I lose control of myself, held adrift by anticipation. I take the appendage I'm licking in my mouth and start sucking on it, using my lips and saliva to please her while my fingers graze the sides of her slender waist.

“Faster!” I urge as Celyz shudders.

She does so, accelerating the pace at which she is stroking the surface of my intimacy. More than a dozen of her small limbs take hold of my body and start caressing it, brushing against my nipple, seizing my breasts. A tendril presses itself on the surface of my mouth.

“Jessica.” She says in an urgent vibrating voice. “Take another, please.”

I open to allow it in. They start dancing with my tongue as I engulf them both. The sweet taste of her fills my mouth and overwhelms me, making me even wetter with desire. Celyz' temperature reaches a high point as she vacillates and starts swaying side to side.

“I'm going to... oh, Jessica.” She whispers and leans in to press her ovaloid head into the pit of my neck. “Ayhz!” The small sound travels directly to the inside of my ears.

She gains in ardor, the tendrils inside my mouth slip out to tease and pinch my nipple, still wet with my saliva. The one playing with my sex moves so that it can run its tip along the entire length of my femininity, it then curls around my erect bit of flesh to exert a rotating pressure. It induces a sensation of free-fall.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.” I repeatedly utter, dizzy. The inside of my vagina tightens and spasms. I make unintelligible gasping sounds as I experience ecstasy, a quaking blissful orgasm. “Yes!” I scream in delight, shutting down the void that speaks of betrayal when it emerges.

I almost fall backward but she catches me in time. My thighs are convulsing weakly, I feel out of strength. I kiss her ovaloid head where a mouth would have been and caress her flat chest, sensing the strong string-like muscles hiding underneath. She explores my body with more patience but less restraint, running one of her thin limbs between my buttocks and massaging my breasts.

“Jessica.” Celyz whispers. Her tone still that of arousal but less intense, receding. “Stay with me tonight.”

I don't respond immediately as I attempt to regain some clarity of thought, find my balance. I allow her to keep touching, enjoying the sensation of her many tendrils over my skin, and how safe I feel in her embrace. Yet, regret is already poking at the back of my mind, spoiling the wonderful moment and taking me out of the reverie.

“I have to leave for the creek tonight, Celyz. I'll need to take a large detour to avoid being seen from Meria.” I reply gently, kissing her again.

“I know.” She sighs, the air she expels disturbs my hair. “It was amazing. You're wonderful.”

“Thank you, for doing this.” I say, despite blaming myself for breaking my promise to my Lady. I can't lead Celyz on. “But there won't be another time.”

“Why?! You didn't like it?” She asks, showing fright for the first time since I met her.

”It was exactly what I needed.” I caress the side of her face. “But it wouldn't be fair to you or her. I need to resolve my feelings for Leomi first, one way or the other.” I tell her softly.

“That woman lost her chance to take you for herself! She doesn't deserve another.” Her resounding voice is filled with resentment.

Her tendrils suddenly wrap around me, gripping tightly and carefully. She rises to her full height while pulling me close to herself. I worry a little, having never seen Celyz like that. She pauses, inclining her head to the side. After a small moment, she lets me go and gently sets me down.

“This was supposed to be simple. I wanted to do something for you just this once, Jessica. But you asked about how to touch me, and then you did, you... shared this with me.” She explains hesitantly. “I'm sorry, I should have realized what I wanted before offering or accepting.”

“It's my own messed up problem, you're not at fault.” I shake my head. “Friends?”

“Always.” She responds warmly.

There is a faint hint of desire in her body language, the way she's swaying, the movements of her tendrils. I turn away, losing sight but still able to sense every detail of her. I feel naked, exposed, free. I walk up to sleeve glove and fit it on. I look for my other clothes but don't find them. I assume a worker took care of it while we were... busy.

“Hope you have spares for me.” I comment, sprawling down in the grass to enjoy the sunlight.

“I like you better like this.” She says, joining me despite the difficulties she encounters to lay on her back.

“Say, why do you have one of those sheet beds in your room if it's so hard for you to get in this position?” I ask.

“For you.” Celyz replies quietly.

“Oh, thanks.” I say with a grin.