Chapter 5
By the time they left the palace—as Andrew had now started to call it—he felt like he had stepped out of something unreal.
The walk back followed the same winding paths as before, though now he recognized parts of it. The wide bridge. The carved railings. The clusters of platforms that branched off in different directions.
Trina walked ahead of him this time, her pace steady, her presence quiet.
She hadn’t said much since they left the Queen’s chamber, and Andrew hadn’t pushed. His mind was too busy processing everything that had just happened.
He couldn’t help but take her in from behind: her straight posture, athletic build with wide hips. He didn’t know anything about her, but felt strangely closer to her after she had made him orgasm. He was intrigued by her and wanted to know more, but kept his mouth shut.
Trina seemed intense and duty-driven. He didn’t feel like he could just chit-chat with her. He would just start rambling anyway. Maybe later.
His mind went back to what had been said in the palace. Because of all the weight behind the Queen’s words, he still didn’t actually understand anything.
Seed Bringer?
He guessed that was the answer he had been waiting for. It all sounded important, but none of it made sense.
They want my… Seed?
His semen, cum, jizz, whatever word you made of it: that’s what they wanted? The way they had studied it, even tasted it… A restless whirl in his stomach gave him both anxiety and made him feel strangely excited.
He didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, not just yet. He regretted not asking more of the Queen, but he felt he would be seeing more of her…
Right now, his shoulder still hurt and his brain was fried from the orgasm and the countless impressions this strange world was giving him.
Andrew ran a hand through his hair as they crossed another bridge, his gaze drifting outward again.
He realized that the city had changed. Or maybe the light had. The sun was lower now, dipping toward the horizon, casting long shadows between the trees. The golden glow softened everything, stretching across the platforms and walkways in a way that made the entire place feel warmer.
Andrew slowed slightly, frowning. “How long was I in there?” he muttered.
There was no answer.
No clock. No phone. No sense of time beyond the position of the sun. He had no idea how much time had passed since he’d woken up.
Minutes? Hours? It could have been anything.
“Keep moving,” Trina said without turning, her voice firm.
Andrew exhaled quietly and followed.
As they passed along the walkways, more women stopped to look. Conversations quieted. Eyes followed him openly, without hesitation or embarrassment. The curiosity from before seemed to have deepened. Like word had spread.
Andrew shifted slightly under it, resisting the urge to fold in on himself.
They crossed one final platform, and the familiar structure came into view. Ayla’s place.
Andrew felt a small, unexpected sense of relief. At least it was something he recognized, and he couldn’t wait to get out of the open and away from all those staring eyes.
Trina stepped ahead and pushed the door open without knocking.
Ayla stood near the center of the room, turning quickly at the sound. The moment she saw Andrew, her expression shifted with surprise flickering across her face. “You’re back,” she said.
Andrew let out a breath and stepped inside. “Yeah,” he replied. “Apparently.”
Trina entered behind him and closed the door, sealing them back into the quiet of the wooden room.
“The Queen has not changed her decision,” she said, addressing Ayla directly.
Ayla straightened slightly. “Then… he stays here?”
“He remains under your care,” Trina confirmed. “You will house him for now. Observe him. Ensure his condition stabilizes.”
Ayla nodded quickly. “Of course.”
Andrew glanced between them. “Hold on,” he said. “We’re just deciding this without—”
Neither of them looked at him.
Trina continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “I will return later,” she said. “There are preparations to be made.” Trina’s gaze shifted slightly toward Andrew. “For the testing.”
Andrew felt something tighten in his chest. “The testing?” he repeated.
Trina turned her attention to him fully now, but she didn’t elaborate. “It will be done tonight. We’ll be coming by when night has set in the city.”
Andrew’s heartbeat picked up. He didn’t know exactly what the testing meant, although he had a very strong suspicion after being ‘relieved’ at the palace.
He let out a slow breath, trying to steady himself. “Right,” he muttered, not sure what else to say.
Trina studied him for a moment, then gave a small, almost approving nod, as if his reaction—or lack of one—meant something to her. “Be prepared,” she said. “Rest.”
Then she turned and moved toward the door.
Ayla stepped aside as Trina opened it and left without another word.
The door closed behind her, and the silence returned.
Andrew stood there for a second, staring at it. Then he looked at Ayla. “I’m going to need you to explain what ‘testing’ means.”
Ayla met his gaze.
And for a brief moment, the curiosity in her eyes returned. “I believe,” she said slowly, “it means we will find out if you truly are what they think you are.”
Andrew exhaled sharply. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s exactly what I am confused about.” His pulse was still elevated, a steady rhythm that refused to calm. “The seed bringer… “ he murmured.
He wanted to ask her more, but Ayla shifted and spoke up first. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
The question caught him off guard. He paused, then realized—“Yeah,” he admitted. “Actually… yeah, I am.”
It hit him all at once. He hadn’t eaten since before everything went sideways in the forest. The adrenaline, the confusion, the constant barrage of new information had buried it, but now that things had slowed down, his body made itself very clear.
Ayla nodded, as if she had expected that. “I will prepare something,” she said with a smile, already moving toward the table.
Andrew watched her for a moment as she began working. Nothing rushed, nothing wasted. She handled everything with care, arranging items, lighting something small beneath a shallow cooking surface, and adding ingredients that looked like meat and herbs.
He let her work and drifted toward the window. The curtain moved gently as he pushed it aside, and the night air brushed against his skin.
It was cooler now, but not cold—just enough of a breeze to carry in the scent of wood and leaves.
The city had changed again. Where daylight had shown everything clearly, the night softened it.
Lights glowed throughout the trees, warm and dim, scattered across the many platforms and along walkways. Some came from candles like the ones behind him that Ayla had just lit, others from small crystal-like objects that gave off a steady, gentle glow.
The effect was magical. For a moment, he simply stared.
The massive tree structures faded into silhouette, their outlines defined by scattered points of light. Bridges stretched between them like threads in the dark, faintly illuminated as figures moved across them.
And there was sound. Faint, distant, but unmistakable present. A low rhythm of drums. The soft, winding notes of something like a flute. Voices, too, rising and falling somewhere far off, blending into the night.
Andrew leaned slightly against the frame, taking it all in.
Behind him, Ayla glanced over briefly, a small smile touching her lips before she returned to what she was doing.
He realized he was still wearing only his boxers, but he had somehow gotten used to it and had practically forgotten it.
After a moment, Andrew spoke again. “You’re not worried about those?” he asked, nodding toward the candles and glowing crystals around the room. “I mean, open flames with all this wood… seems like a bad idea.”
Ayla looked up at him, and for a second, her expression shifted into something close to amusement. “What do you mean? With the crystals present?” she said. “There is no danger, of course.”
Andrew frowned slightly. “What does that even mean?”
She tilted her head, as if the answer was obvious. “They balance the flames,” she said simply. “It cannot spread beyond what is intended.”
Andrew stared at her for a second. “Right,” he said slowly. He still had no idea what that meant.
But at this point, that wasn’t exactly surprising.
Ayla let out a quiet breath that might have been a suppressed laugh.
A brief silence settled again, filled only by the distant music and the soft crackle of the food she was preparing.
Andrew turned back to the window, trying to peek down between the platforms, but finding nothing but darkness.
“Are you thinking of escaping?” Ayla asked.
Andrew glanced over his shoulder. He considered it for a second. “Maybe,” he said. He watched her carefully as he said it, curious about her reaction.
She didn’t look shocked, but smiled again. “Good luck with that,” she said.
Andrew raised an eyebrow. “That confident, huh?”
Ayla gestured lightly toward the window, toward the vast drop beyond the trees.
“Finding your way down alone would be difficult,” she said. “And even if you managed it, you wouldn’t get far.”
Andrew turned fully now, leaning back slightly against the wall. “Oh yeah?” he asked. “Why’s that?”
“Our trackers would find you,” she said with a light shrug. “Before you made it more than a few steps.”
“You think you would be able to find me?” he asked with a smile as he crossed his arms.
“Of course,” she said. “I found you before, didn’t I?”
Andrew stilled slightly. He had forgotten about that. The Queen had mentioned it to Trina. “You did, huh,” he managed to say.
She nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I was part of the group that brought you here.”
Andrew remained silent.
She had been there. In the forest. When he fell. He opened his mouth to ask more, but the warm smell hit him first. It was rich and savory.
His attention snapped back toward the table.