Shit. He’s probably going to try to get us to join the congregation.

  The priest continued, “On this glorious day, we await your advent, Sol. It is a day of new beginnings.”

  The priest walked through the pillars, returning with a veiled woman, whom he led by a leash. The contours of her shapely body protruded beneath her white robe.

  The congregation was perfectly silent. Every muscle in Brune’s body became tense.

  “This is the day we offer Sol a new wife,” the priest continued. “We offer him a fertile womb—a virgin of incomparable beauty!”

  Dropping the leash, the priest put his arms behind the girl, taking hold of her robe. “This is a day of pushing open. Of bursting through. Of going deep inside.

  “It is a day… of deflowering!”

  With a dramatic flourish, he removed the girl’s robe, revealing her pert breasts, slim waist, and plump thighs.

  Phia?

  Brune sprang forward with one idea in his mind. Get Phia the fuck out of there. But Lilly flew in front of him. Her arms were around his neck and her lips against his ear.

  “It’s not Phia! Wait, Lord Brune. Look. No tail. You see?”

  Just as Brune noticed it was, indeed, not Phia, the priest removed the girl’s veil. Black hair fell about her face. Her chest rose up and down, and her cheeks flushed. But her lips parted as she raised her chin high and looked at the congregation.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Brune said. “Maybe the trail continues on the other side.”

  They started making their way around the congregation, trying to stay close to trees that were scattered here and there. But no one seemed to notice or care about their presence—except the bunnykin.

  The little fellow finally succeeded in catching Brune’s eye. He waved at them with the self-important air of a volunteer organizer and gestured towards the congregation. Brune shook his head and refused with a wave.

  The girl lay down on the altar. The congregation was dead silent. She squeezed her legs together and arched her back, slowly running her hands up her rib cage to her breasts.

  Holding an atomizer bottle over her head, the priest sprayed it several times. The girl closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. Whatever the substance was, it wasn’t the same as the stuff that was used on Brune and Phia, because the girl didn’t laugh.

  Instead, her chest rose with deep breaths. She massaged her breasts and moaned.

  The priest took out a knife.

  Brune stopped. “What. The. Fuck.”

  The girl panted as the priest put a hand on her stomach. He slipped his fingers under her panties and used the blade to cut them. Then he yanked them out from under her and held them up as if to show the congregation.

  There was a murmur of approval.

  “Let the scent of this flawless virgin fill the grove. Let it tempt Ignapius and ignite a fire in his loins.”

  “Ignapius?” Brune said.

  Lilly shrugged.

  The priest waved the panties around, and then pressed them against his face, taking in a deep whiff.

  “Ignapius, we call upon you to take your new wife, on this day of deflowering, this day of opening…”

  A fearful energy buzzed in the air, and the congregants stirred uneasily. Off to the side of the stage, something heavy moved among the elms. Gasps of excitement rippled through the audience as they turned their heads.

  Out of the trees came a gigantic, muscle-bound demi-human, even bigger than Brune. With hoofed feet and massive hairy arms, he walked through the grass, an enormous cock swinging with each step.

  Lilly let out a yelp of shock.

  A red beard covered Ignapius’s square jaw and fire burned in his eyes. He stopped and smelled the air as his engorged member jumped up and down.

  The girl on the altar squirmed as Ignapius ducked under a side door and stepped onto the stage.

  “Come on,” Brune said. “We don’t have time to watch perverted sex rituals... As much you’d like to.”

  Ignapius grabbed the girl’s knees and thrust her legs apart. She screamed as he put his face between her thighs and lashed her cunt with his tongue. Her body convulsed, and she moaned hysterically as Ignapius dragged his rough tongue over her cunt, again and again.

  “That’s what I’ve been missing,” Brune muttered as he walked out of view of the stage. He suddenly realized Lilly wasn’t with him.

  Huh? Where the fuck is she?

  Looking over his shoulder, he saw the fairy still hovering over the same spot where he’d left her. She was watching the spectacle with a wanton expression, hugging herself and squeezing her thighs together.

  Brune marched all the way back and grabbed her by the wrist. “What’s wrong with you? Come on.”

  Lilly’s face was cherry red. “Sorry, Lord Brune.” She kept watching even as Brune led her away.

  The girl gasped as Ignapius pushed a finger inside her and started fucking her with his thick digit.

  “It’s just, in Automnova, we fairies don’t have any males to mate with. I lived all my life without ever seeing humanoid males.”

  Lilly yelped and looked towards the altar. Ignatius had grabbed the girl’s legs and yanked her towards him.

  “He’s mounting her!” She slapped Brune’s arm.

  “I don’t care. I don’t want to see that shit.”

  The girl screamed as Ignapius thrust himself inside her.

  “I’m trying to keep us focused right now, Lilly,” Brune said as they rounded the stage.

  “I think you liked it, too, Lord Brune,” the fairy said in a teasing voice.

  Brune scoffed. “You’re the pervert around here, not me.”

  “Oh yeah?” Lilly leaned on Brune’s shoulder and pointed down at the bulge in his pants. “What’s that? Just like the monster back there.”

  “That... doesn’t count. I can’t control what happens down there.”

  Lilly put her arms around his neck, bringing her lips close to his cheek. “Lord Brune. Um, can… can you maybe do those things to me?” She ran her fingers over his chestplate. “I mean, if you ever wanted to do those things to me, I wouldn’t mind.”

  Brune swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t mind doing those things to you. But right now, we—”

  “Pardon me! Hello there.” A voice called out behind them as hurried feet pitter-pattered in the leaves.

  The bunnykin scampered up to their side. “Sorry to come charging up to you like this.”

  The portly little fellow had furry white cheeks, long ears, and very large buck teeth. He was stylishly dressed, in a frilled shirt, a bottle-green vest, knee breeches, and silk stockings.

  He was evidently very proud of his appearance.

  “If you wanted to attend the deflowering ceremony, I could find you a seat.”

  “No, thank you,” Brune said. “We actually have to be going.”

  “I understand. You’re friends of the bride, I take it? Miss Callidora?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “Are you heading for the fourth floor now? I’m awfully sorry to be such a nosy parker. It’s just, a big group of us are going there in about an hour. It will be easier to come with us if you don’t know the way. I beg your pardon. My name is Bumford—Bumford Bunny, as I’m known around here.”

  Lilly released Brune’s neck and floated to the ground. The bunnykin was about the same height as her. “Aren’t you adorable!” she said.

  Bumford’s whiskers drooped and his nose twitched. “I—I’m president of the organizing committee for celebrations in Tower Village.”

  “I appreciate the offer,” Brune said. “But we’d rather not wait that long.”

  “Oh. You didn’t hope to see Miss Callidora before her deflowering, did you?”

  Brune winced. “Actually, yes. We... we wanted to see her off.”

  “Well, I don’t think that will be possible for you, Sir. But the lady might be able to. That is, if you were able to get there in time. But—”

  “Could you tell us the quickest way?” They stood on the edge of the field, near another lantern-lit trail through the elms.

  The bunny hesitated for a moment. Then he turned towards the trees. “You really have to hurry if you want to make it in time. You’d better follow me. I can take you to the Tower Library—that’s the third floor. You’ll be on your own from there, but I can give you directions.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Bunny,” Lilly said.

  “Come now,” Bumford said. “We’d better run.”

  Brune started running. Lilly flew. Bumford hopped.

  Lilly couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of him. He shot an offended look over his shoulder.

  “I think you made him self-conscious,” Brune said.

  “I wasn’t making fun of him! He’s adorable.” Lilly covered her mouth to smother another giggle.

  Bumford turned away from the trail, leading them through the elm trees.

  “This is the fastest way,” he said.

  “Thanks,” Brune said. “So we’ll be skipping the boss, then.”

  “The boss is preoccupied at the moment.”

  Brune and Lilly exchanged glances. “Ignapius.”

  “Yes. All of his attention will be focused on his new wife for the rest of the day.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  THE TOWER LIBRARY was a labyrinth of bookshelves. Bumford gave them directions based on sections of the library, so they were constantly checking the shelves to see where they were.

  He’d warned them that the library would seem quiet and sleepy. But if they strayed outside of the area he’d delineated in his directions, they’d be attacked relentlessly.

  As they made their way up the various levels within the library, they only encountered two other people—both scholarly-looking men. Neither of them took any notice of Brune and Lilly.

  Brune figured the floor boss was probably a mage or priest, or something similar. But he was glad not to find out for sure. There was no time for an annoying boss battle.

  Following Bumford’s directions, they eventually came to a door that led to a vast chasm. A cliff face loomed in the distant gloom. Following from the doorway, a rocky path ascended along a narrow bridge of land that disappeared in mist high above.

  Brune had to be careful climbing the trail; it was a steep climb with a seemingly endless drop on either side, and the ground was soft with loose rocks and dirt. When the path took him into the mist, he could only see the ground around his feet.

  Lilly flew ahead, impatient to reach the fourth floor. After disappearing into the mist for some time, she flew back down to Brune.

  “The clouds clear up ahead, Lord Brune! And there’s a blue sky. It’s like we’re outside.”

  Taking big strides, Brune finally ascended above the fog. An orange-hued light broke the darkness, and the space above them became blue as he climbed higher.

  The cliff face loomed ahead, rising to grassy slopes that were lit by morning sunlight. The land bridge continued before him, though the incline wasn’t very steep now.

  Brune watched Lilly soar over the path and alight on the grass. She turned around and waved her hands at him.

  Running over the rocky trail, Brune soon reached the grassy slope. A light breeze rustled Lilly’s hair, and the smell of sweet flowers and herbs was in the air. A well-used trail cut through the grass.

  Looking up the slope, all they could see was grass and trees before the sloping hill cut their vision off. Lilly floated in front of Brune, shading her face from the sun.

  Brune squinted his eyes at the sky. “Less than two hours until noon, I’d say, judging from where the sun is. Come on, let’s follow the trail.”

  “Strange that we can see the sun,” Lilly said. “But I suppose nothing makes sense in the tower. I’m going to fly up and see what I can see!”

  “Hang on—Be careful!”

  Lilly probably didn’t hear him, because she was off like a shot. Brune watched her get smaller and smaller until she reached about 10 stories in height. She slowed down but kept ascending.

  Suddenly, Brune saw her arms flail around. In the same instant, a flat stone surface appeared above her and then faded. Like a bird flying into a window, Lilly had smashed into the invisible ceiling of the tower.

  Flying back down, she landed beside Brune and walked alongside him, rubbing her head.

  “I saw lots of trees. And some buildings over there.” She pointed up the hill and to the left. “It looks like this trail leads there.”

  “Alright, let’s pick up the pace.” Brune started jogging.

  Before long, the ground leveled out and the trail took them into a forest of beech trees. Brune kept up his pace, heedless of any dangers that might lurk in the forest.

  A girl’s scream echoed behind a thicket of trees.

  “I saw a man!” her outraged voice shrieked.

  Horrified gasps and frantic splashing answered her. “A man! Where? Where?”

  Walking past the trees, Brune looked down at a glistening pool just off the trail. Three breathtakingly beautiful girls were bathing in it.

  A redhead, apparently the one who’d spotted him through the trees, squatted down into the pool all the way to her chin. Brune couldn’t help but notice a pair of large breasts beneath the rippling water.

  A second girl stood waist-deep in the water with her back to Brune. Her blonde locks clung to her shoulders as she looked around in confusion, covering her small breasts.

  The third girl stood on the rocky ledge beside the pool, her brown hair still dripping wet. She held a towel around her middle, but it barely covered her nakedness. She stood about the same height as Endellion, but her hips were wider. When her eyes fell upon Brune, her face contorted with all the rage of Medusa.

  Normally Brune would have made some smart-ass quip, but there was no time for that.

  “Sorry, ladies,” he said. “We’re looking for Phia. Have you seen her?”

  They probably didn’t hear him amid all their shrieking.

  Brune and Lilly continued along the trail, eventually coming to a small country house with a well-kept garden. Brune marked the sun’s place in the sky: probably not much more than an hour to high noon.

  “Shit! We have to hurry.”

  More shrieks and screams could be heard inside the house as they walked up the stone path. The door opened just as Brune approached it.

  Inga appeared in the doorway, hand on hip. “That’s far enough. This is outrageous, Mr.… ”

  “Hargish.”

  “Mr. Hargish. What do you think you’re doing here? You should be ashamed! How did you—”

  “I don’t have time for this shit. Take me to Phia. Now.”

  Inga faltered. “But… Mr. Hargish. This is a sacred place. You aren’t supposed to be here.” She smoothed her dress with trembling hands. “You’ve seen the virgin nymphs bathing. Do you understand what a grave violation this is?”

  A flourish drew Brune’s attention to the upper window. The blonde girl—or rather, nymph—from the pool was looking down at him. They must have hurried back via some shortcut. She fell away from the window, and Brune heard a chorus of shrieking and chattering.

  “Is Phia inside?” he said, stepping towards the door.

  Inga’s eyes widened with outrage. “Mr. Hargish! You are not to see Miss Callidora before the wedding. Now, really, I—”

  “There will be no wedding. I am Phia’s guardian, and I never agreed to this marriage.” He stepped closer. “Now, for the last time, tell me where she is.”

  Inga slumped her shoulders. “She’s in the sacred meadow.”

  “You will take me there. Now.”

  Inga reluctantly put her shoes on as two nymphs came down the stairs and looked at her curiously.

  “This is a transgression,” she whined as Brune led her down the garden path. “Violation of sacred rites... The Cardinal did not approve of this, I know that.” She stopped and looked at Brune with pleading eyes.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Brune said, taking her by the wrist. “I already told you, I didn’t approve of Phia being married.”

  “That’s all very well, Mr. Hargish. But this is sacred ground. No man is supposed to go near the bridal meadow.”

  “I was told a big group was coming to watch,” Brune said.

  “They’re coming to the public wedding ceremony between the Cardinal and the High Priestess. That’s not in the sacred meadow. The sacred meadow is for the union with Sol. It happens in private. The only other people present are the three virgins. Even the Cardinal rarely steps foot in this grove. It isn’t—”

  “Miss Inga! Miss Inga!”

  The tall brown-haired nymph was hurrying along the path with the blonde trailing behind her. Even farther away, the redhead was fumbling along, still fixing her clothing as she went. The nymphs’ hair was still wet, and they were all apparently furious that they hadn’t had time to make themselves up.

  Each girl wore a white robe that ended above the knees. The silky fabric hugged every curve of their bodies. They wore sandals on their feet, with crisscrossing straps around their calves.

  “Miss Inga! What’s going on?”

  “Oh, I don’t know what’s going on, dears.”

  “Don’t slow down,” Brune said, still holding her wrist.

  “You don’t know how important this day is for many people, Mr. Hargish,” Inga said. “These nymphs are devoted to Saint Theodosha. They were meant to lose their virginity in the deflowering ceremony.”

  Brune smirked. “So Sol gets to deflower four maidens in one go.” He couldn’t help but grin. “Not bad.”

  Lilly, flying alongside Brune, elbowed him in the arm. “You would like that, wouldn’t you, Lord Brune?”

  The trail faded away, and they walked through green bracken. Inga stopped, trying to pull her arm back from Brune. “Please, Mr. Hargish, I don’t think—”

  Brune gripped her wrist and pulled her in front of him, giving her a gentle shove. “Just show us where it is.”

  The nymphs walked up close to Brune and Lilly, scrutinizing them suspiciously.

  “Miss Inga,” said the tall one with brown hair, “Why are you taking this man here? The ceremony will start soon!”