Chapter 4
Andrew barely had time to process what was happening before he was pulled forward into the moving crowd.
The higher sister’s grip on his arm remained firm as she guided him along the wooden walkway.
The women around them parted quickly, but not without staring. Their attention followed him as he passed, and many of them leaned in to each other as they whispered.
At first, it only made him more aware of himself: barefoot, half-dressed with a hard-on in his boxers. But as they moved deeper into the city, something else began to take over.
Awe.
The structure of the place became clearer with every step. Walkways curved and branched in all directions, wrapping around the enormous trunks like extensions of the trees themselves.
Bridges stretched between platforms at varying heights, some narrow and swaying slightly in the wind, others wide and steady, supporting groups of women carrying baskets, tools, and materials he couldn’t identify.
The entire city felt alive.
People moved, conversations drifted through the air, and the subtle creak of wood underfoot blended with the sound of everyday life.
Andrew found himself slowing, his head turning as he tried to take it all in.
Everywhere he looked, there were women.
Their bodies were tanned from constant exposure to the sun, lean and athletic from the climbing, carrying, and working. There was strength in the way they walked and balance in the way they shifted.
And they were all dressed in that same style. Light, minimal garments that left skin exposed, practical for movement but also showing lots of skin.
His erection soon faded, replaced by the shock of what he was seeing.
There was simply too much to take in.
Where the hell am I?
The higher sister kept him moving. They crossed another bridge, this one higher than the others, and Andrew glanced over the side before he could stop himself.
The drop was staggering.
The forest floor was barely visible, obscured by layers of branches and leaves. From this height, the city didn’t just sit within the trees—it was the trees, woven into them so seamlessly that it felt like a natural extension rather than something built.
He pulled his gaze back quickly, steadying himself.
As they continued, the structures grew larger.
What had been smaller clusters of platforms and buildings began to give way to something more central and imposing.
The walkways widened, the construction more intricate.
Carvings appeared along the edges of railings and support beams, with patterns that looked symbolic.
The higher sister led him across one final stretch of walkway, before the structure ahead came fully into view.
Andrew slowed. “Holy shit,” he whispered, unable to stop himself this time.
The building was massive.
It spanned multiple trees, built both around and between them, its foundation supported by thick beams that blended into the trunks. Platforms layered upward, connected by internal and external paths, forming a single, unified structure that dominated everything around it.
“This is… where?” he asked, glancing toward the higher sister.
She didn’t look at him. “This is where our Queen resides,” she said.
Andrew let out a breath. “Right,” he murmured.
They approached the entrance—wide, open, framed by carved wooden supports that rose higher than any doorway he’d seen so far.
Two women stood nearby, their posture straighter, more formal than the others.
They had staffs clasped in their hands. They stepped aside immediately as the higher sister approached.
The noise from outside faded as they crossed the threshold and the doors closed behind them. The interior was quieter, the air still carrying the scent of wood but layered with a faint, subtle, almost ceremonial atmosphere.
The space above them opened up, tall and expansive, supported by thick beams that disappeared into the structure overhead. Light filtered in through openings carved into the walls, casting soft patterns across the floor.
The higher sister finally released his arm for the first time since they had left the room, stepping slightly ahead as if to lead rather than pull.
Andrew followed, his earlier confusion still there, but now mixed with anticipation.
He took a deep breath as they proceeded into another room. The room opened up wider than Andrew had expected.
The ceiling rose high above, supported by massive wooden beams that curved and intertwined like the branches of the trees themselves.
Light filtered in from above and along the sides, soft and natural, illuminating the space without ever fully brightening it.
Shadows lingered in the upper reaches, giving the entire room a quiet, almost sacred weight.
At the far end stood a raised platform. And on it a chair.
No, not just a chair. A throne.
It wasn’t made of gold or adorned with jewels like something out of a storybook, but it didn’t need to be. It was carved directly from the wood itself, shaped with precision, its structure rising slightly above everything else in the room.
And seated on it was a woman. The way she sat; upright, composed, completely still, carried a presence that filled the room without effort.
She wasn’t older than the others by much, perhaps in her late thirties, but there was something about her that made her feel like a leader, unquestionably in control.
Around the room, positioned in a loose semicircle, stood several other women—each dressed similarly to the higher sister who had brought him here: braided hair, layered necklaces, carved ornaments, and trinkets hanging from their clothing.
No two looked the same, but they shared the same air of authority.
As they entered, the room fell silent. Dozens of eyes turned toward him at once.
Andrew felt it hit him like a wave.
They stopped several paces before the raised platform. The higher sister stepped ahead, lowering her head slightly. “My Queen,” she said, her voice steady but respectful. “He has awakened.”
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the woman on the throne stood up. As she stepped down from the raised platform, Andrew got a clearer look at her.
She was striking. Not just in appearance—though she was beautiful—but in presence. There was a quiet strength in the way she carried herself, a certainty that made everything else in the room feel secondary.
Her gaze settled on him. She studied him as she approached, her expression calm, searching.
Andrew resisted the instinct to shift under that attention, forcing himself to hold her gaze even as his pulse ticked upward.
She stopped a few steps in front of him. “At last,” she said, her voice smooth. “The gods have finally blessed us.”
A faint murmur rippled through the women behind her, which quickly subsided.
Andrew swallowed a lump that had been forming in his throat.
The gods?
She stood still and kept his gaze. Her eyes were intense. While there was more distance, she was almost as close as Ayla had been. Like her, the queen had long blonde hair that flowed in luscious locks.
He looked away for a second, her gaze giving an excited whirl in his stomach.
When he looked back, she smiled. “What is your name?” she asked, her voice calm and warm.
“Andrew,” he said, his voice but a hiss. He cleared his throat. “Andrew,” he said again, firmer now.
“Andrew,” she echoed. “My name is Echophyna, Queen of these people.”
Andrew stayed quiet, still overwhelmed and confused by it all.
The Queen kept her eyes on him while she spoke: “Trina, what was all that commotion about at Ayla’s house?”
Andrew noticed how the high priestess who brought him here stepped forward, right next to him. “Ayla said he had gone outside and was noticed.”
The queen sighed. “I told you I wanted to keep this under wraps for a while longer.”
Trina straightened. “I am fully aware. I told Ayla—“
“You should’ve at least kept a few sisters there to keep an eye on things,” the queen interrupted her. Her eyes didn’t leave Andrew’s.
Trina kept silent for a moment. “I apologize.”
The queen sucked her teeth. “It’s of no matter. It’s known now that there is a man in our midst. I will make the official announcement later today.”
Trina stepped forward. “May I suggest having him stay at the temple? Like that, he—“
“No. Ayla found him,” the queen said, finally looking away. “That was a sign. I don’t want to upset the gods. He will stay with Ayla, for now.”
Ayla found me?
Andrew briefly looked at the higher sister, who clearly didn’t agree, but seemed to swallow her opinion. “Yes, your Highness.”
A sudden touch on his cheek made Andrew flinch. His eyes shot back, finding the queen close to him with a grin on her face.
She shushed him. “It’s okay, don’t worry,” the queen said softly, patting his cheek. Her fingers were soft and trailed down his chest. It was a sensual touch that gave him goosebumps.
The queen noticed and smiled. Her eyes went up and down his body. “You are quite the specimen.” Her eyes stopped at his crotch. “But are you capable?”
Andrew frowned, and again flinched as her fingertips softly grazed the outline of his cock.
The touch had an immediate reaction on his body. Suddenly, he was more aware of how close she was, how full her chest was, and how it made her top strain. Her scent was calming and attractive. He breathed her in. As he let it out, his breath slightly shook as she grazed his cock again.
She suddenly took a step back, her eyes on his boxers. “Take those off,” she said, voice firmer now.
“Wh—what?” Andrew stammered, his voice but a whisper.
A second later, Trina yanked his boxers down.
“What the—“ There he stood, with his boxers on his ankles, his cock out for everyone to see. It was already half-hard thanks to the Queen’s gentle touches.
The Queen’s eyebrows shot up as she released air from her nose. “That… looks very promising,” she said, a small smile curling at the corner of her lips. “But I need to see it in its fullest glory.” Her eyes met his again. “Get hard.”