Hannah was frustrated and helpless. She knew what she had to do, but no idea how to accomplish it - and she didn't know who she could trust.
"Emily has definitely been corrupted by Shaper," Ashley said. They'd had this conversation a million times, but Hannah wanted a different answer.
Hannah drummed her fingers and sat in sullen silence. Dull thuds periodically reverberated through the walls of Heron's hideaway deep beneath Bag End. The Island was being shelled continually by an ever-growing ring of naval forces and the girls had grown used to it over the past few weeks. The Island's perimeter seemed to be impervious to the assault, but the accumulation of multinational military forces around them put everyone on edge. They were obviously never going home, but now what?
Hannah didn't care about any of that. "You've said that a hundred times, Ashley, but how do you know?"
Hannah, Ashley, Nicole, and Elizabeth spent most of their free time huddled together underground. The girls had outfitted the cramped storage room with a few comforts - a few cushions, some chairs - and gradually spent more and more time hiding away from their responsibilities with the students above. Hannah was grateful to Nicole for handling the bulk of that burden - it was for the best, in the long run, considering what was coming. Right now, only one thing mattered...
Ashley bowed her head and spoke softly. "I felt it when I was inside her. I tried to pull it out, but Dr. Wilcox stopped me. It would have killed her."
Hannah shook her head. How could Ashley really know? Was she even telling the truth? Hannah had been forced to torment her to learn as much as she had. The others trusted her, but they didn't know everything Hannah knew. "Enough talk. I'm going to get her and see for myself. Ashley, you're going to take me."
Ashley leaned back into Nicole's arms and trembled - she was obviously frightened, but she nodded. "Are you going to set her free?"
Hannah stood up and stretched. Now that she had decided on a course of action her mind was clear and her body surged with energy; she shook off the torpor that had gripped her since they had arrived on the Island. "I've got an idea for how to test her. Shaper's influence connected to a girl's sexual response - that's why Dr. Wilcox worked through you when he tested Emily before."
Nicole tilted her head in thought and wrapped her arms around Ashley to steady her. "So, you think you can read her better than Dr. Wilcox could?"
"Nope," Hannah said triumphantly, turning to Heron. "But he can."
Heron straightened and shook his head. He seemed generally uninterested in anything but himself - and ogling the girls. "No way. I'm not going anywhere. If I show my face, Shelly is likely to throw me in the ocean."
"If you don't help me, I'll throw you in the ocean."
Heron shrugged and sat back. "Either way, you lose. Instead of threatening me, how about a trade? I've got something you want, and you've got something I want."
Hannah stared at him intently. "You know we're forbidden from any kind of sex with you. Look, but no touch."
Heron raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise. "Of course! I would never impugn your virtue and innocence. In fact, quite the opposite! It seems to me there's only one way to guarantee my future."
When his meaning dawned on Hannah she was stunned. "You can't be serious."
Heron stood up in front of Hannah, dropping his smile. "What's more serious than life and death? I'll help you rescue Emily. I'll help you with whatever crazy scheme you think up next," he said, and fell to one knee before the naked girl, taking her hand. "If you'll marry me."
The shock in the room was palpable. Hannah broke out in a sweat despite the cool dry air. The musky smell of the girls in the confined space made her pussy moist. Heron's hand was hot on hers. His eyes were earnest, even desperate. He didn't love her, but dozens of girls had been married in the past weeks to men they'd never even met. Hannah would be married soon anyway, to someone Dr. Wilcox had picked out. Someone better suited to her than this scoundrel. But not someone who could save Emily.
Hannah took a deep breath and looked down into Heron's face. "Yes."
--
Returning to the Robinson Treehouse under the cover of darkness brought a lump to Hannah's throat. The thick forest engulfed her, Ashley, and Heron, and heavy wet air muffled their movement as they crept along the dimly lit path. Occasional inhuman screams pierced the night, interspersed with blasts from naval artillery, but the sounds washed impotently over the trio. No one was outside this late at night, and the hardest part of their sneaking had been getting Heron out of Bag End without waking the other students. Fortunately, the nightly orgies left everyone exhausted.
Ashley led them off the path and around the huge trunk that supported the treehouse far above the canopy. Hannah and Emily had spent their first night together up there almost two years ago, shyly exploring their bodies and finding an unexpected joy together. Hannah had never even kissed another girl before, and Emily's smooth, warm, wetness had captivated her.
As they made their way through the undergrowth at the base of the tree Heron broke into Hannah's thoughts with his typical subtlety. "I love going in the back door," he winked.
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Yes, I get it. When we're married, you're going to fuck me in the ass." The banter made her pussy wet, or maybe it was just the excitement and exertion. Or her memories of Emily. Her nerves buzzed with electricity.
Heron stuck out his tongue. "You're no fun."
Ashley bent down between some roots, her small naked body glowing in the moonlight. "If you two lovebirds are done flirting, we're here." Her hands moved in the shadows and the roots spread open like legs to reveal a stone corridor and stairway descending beneath the tree. The stones were engraved with silvery, shimmering runes. Maybe Ashley was turned on, too, because she reached up between her thighs before slipping into the tunnel.
Hannah followed her down and Heron was close behind. The runes at the mouth of the staircase glowed brightly as they passed through and Ashley pointed to them. "Dr. Wilcox probably knows we're here now, so there isn't much time." She took Hannah's hand and pulled her down into the pitch black, and Hannah reached back to hold Heron's hand with her other.
Hannah couldn't see anything as they descended the spiral that mirrored the stairs circling the tree above. Years ago she had first admired Emily's butt as they ascended, but here in the depths of the earth there was nothing to see except Ashley's strangely glowing eyes. Somehow she could find her way down. Even if this was a trap, Hannah had no choice but to trip it.
Hannah's thighs burned from the descent despite the cold subterranean air. After uncountable minutes Ashley led them through another archway of gleaming runes and into a small antechamber with several doors, all closed. The room was dimly lit by the runes that covered every wall, shimmering with movement like sunlight through the surface of the water. Ashley looked small and frightened and didn't release Hannah's hand.
"We can still go back up," she said. "It's not -"
