"Let's go for a walk."

"Let's go for a walk. There's so much to see down here! We should take the opportunity while we can, before they need us to..." Teysa blushed and trailed off. Even now, she was too embarrassed to talk about their ordeal. Luckily, for once Aliara didn't push.

"Let's go." She held out her arm jauntily, and with a wry grin Teysa took it.

The two set off through the tunnels. The warren was mainly comprised of these: wide spaces, about twenty feet across, cleared of most rubble and strewn with webs. The driders had no trouble navigating uneven floors with their eight limbs, but the two women had to carefully pick their way across in places. Glow-jars hung on the walls at intervals, providing just enough light to avoid the major hazards. The tunnels were quiet places, the silence broken only by the occasional skitter of a spiderling or rumble of shifting pebbles. Every so often they passed a drider, most of whom went about their business ignoring the human (and demi-human) in their midst.

"This way, Tey. I want to show you something." Aliara tugged insistently on her friend's arm. Teysa followed. "Alrighty, I'm coming! What's so important you have to hurry? Slow down!" she panted. "I'm not as sure-footed as you!"

"Almost there! Come on, you have to see this."

"What are-- oh..." Teysa's voice trailed off. Rounding the last corner she stumbled into a grotto. About thirty feet across, it was dominated by a deep pool of water. The cave floor ended in a semi-circular ledge that projected out over the pool, about five feet above the surface. The pool sat in a cylindrical basin. Aliara was standing triumphantly on the ledge. "See? Whaddya think?"

"It's... beautiful..." Teysa breathed. The walls of the cylinder were rough-hewn geodes. Amethyst, quartz, and topaz sparkled in the dim luminescence. High above, a carpet of glowing blue fungus coated the walls and ceiling, bathing the whole room in an eldritch azure glow. The light glittered off the still surface of the water and coruscated across the geodes, reflecting in a dizzying array of colors that combined and multiplied. The movement of the water made the patterns of light shift like a living thing. Every wall of the cave was lit up by this pattern, like a sheet of multicolored fire; now orange, now blue, now a deep mossy green.

"You haven't seen the best part. Watch!" The half-elf beckoned her friend to the edge of the ledge. She sat down and dangled her legs over the edge, patting the ground next to her invitingly. Teysa sat hesitantly. Next to Aliara was a pyramid of pebbles. The smaller woman grabbed one and tossed it into the pond. The sudden motion made Teysa start. "Hey-"

She got no further. The pebble hit the water with a splash and disappeared, causing rings to ripple outward from its point of impact. As the ripples caught the light they refracted it and caused the patterns on the wall to wobble crazily. What had been a serene rainbow became a frenzy of color. Soon enough it died back to its previous level, but Teysa still stared in awe.

"Now you try it, Tey!"

The paladin hefted a stone and tossed it. Once again the colors went mad. She looked over at her friend. Aliara's face was currently a bright purple, shifting to a greyish-blue even as she watched, and it had one of the biggest grins Teysa had ever seen.

"Thank you for showing me this, Li. This is incredible." Aliara said nothing. Instead, she rested her head on Teysa's shoulder and wrapped one arm around her waist with a contented sigh.

Teysa shivered. The sudden warmth of her friend's body pressing against her was conjuring up confusing feelings. She had been confused for a while, and it seemed to be coming to a head here.

"Li, I want to talk to you." Her voice sounded uncertain, even to herself.

"You're doing it now." Aliara was her sardonic self.

"No, seriously." Teysa pulled away. "Just please be serious, for once? There's something on my mind."

The half-elf withdrew her arm. "I'm sorry, Tey. I will. Did I go too far? With the arm? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable-"

"No," the paladin cut her off, "no, that's not it. Well, it sort of is. I mean..." She took a deep breath and started again. "Li, listen. I know it's been... weird, these past few months. This isn't how I thought my life would go. I'm happy here, though. I'm happy with you. With you, I mean. That is, uh... I mean, I never thought I would, with anyone, but you're... and, I mean, it just happened that we were... you know..." she trailed off, blushing furiously. "I wish I had practiced this. Li, you're incredible. I always knew that. But I never knew how incredible. I want to... be with you. That is, um. If you want me to. Be with you. You know. Like that."

Aliara couldn't conceal her smile by the end. "That was smooth."

Teysa blushed furiously. "Stop it! This is hard for me! Can't you be serious? Just once?"

Her friend was suddenly sober. "I know that was hard for you to say. And I'm a coward. I should have said something myself. But...I never pegged you for the free-loving type. I figured if you eventually retired you'd marry some priest somewhere. You're brave, and you're strong, and you're loyal, and you're really really patient with me. So yes. I do want you to 'um, I mean, you know, um' be with me. Like that."

Relief flooded Teysa. She felt suddenly boneless. "Oh, Li. T-thank you." She suddenly threw her arms around the other woman's neck. Aliara hugged her back, then gently pushed her away by the shoulders. She stared into the paladin's eyes. She has lovely eyes, Teysa thought suddenly. Hazel. Then Aliara was putting her hands on Teysa's cheeks and pulling her close and, quite suddenly, she felt the other woman's lips press against hers.

This is really happening. She felt strange, like she was having an out of body experience. Aliara's tongue parted her lips and she responded clumsily, her own tongue probing, questing inside her partner's mouth. The kiss was awkward, Teysa trying with a **** enthusiasm to make up for years of chaste living. Her hand groped desperately at the folds of the half-elf's robe until the other woman grabbed it and placed it on her breast. She squeezed gently and was rewarded by a gasp from Aliara that broke their kiss. Hungrily Teysa pushed back, unwilling to break the connection.

They continued like this for some time, until Aliara gently pulled herself back. "There'll be time later, Tey. We have all the time in the world. Let's walk."

Teysa stood up, trying to pull herself together. Her pussy ached with desire. With difficulty she composed herself. "Right. Later. I think I have a lot to catch up on... later." Aliara giggled and offered her hand. "Milady?"

The two of them wandered for a while longer, not worried about getting lost. There were drider guards posted at the exits to the warren so there was no danger of them leaving entirely. Teysa felt a distinct deja vu-- she couldn't really tell one cave from another, but some of the rock formations were hauntingly familiar. She stiffened as a choked sob caught her ear. Aliara's ears perked up-- she had heard it as well. "W-what was that, Tey?" she asked, drawing closer. Teysa suddenly knew very well where they were. She took Aliara's hand and dragged her forward. This was something she needed the half-elf to see.

The cave was as she remembered it. Devto hung on the wall, and across from her, the blonde woman was still tightly swaddled from the neck down. Next to the door hung the catatonic elf, unmoved from last time. Her lips worked endlessly as she muttered and murmured. Below Devto was a new arrival, a young-looking woman with coppery red hair and light brown skin, who appeared to be ****. Webbing secured her to the wall from the waist down and pinned her arms around the wrists and elbows. Her belly was flat, unlike the others, and she still wore the tattered remnants of a shirt.

The half-orc's eyes narrowed as Teysa entered, and she bared her tusks. "Well, look who it is. The spiders' slut. Have you come to gawk again, human? Who's this with you, your pet?"

Teysa swallowed. "Devto, this is Aliara. Aliara, Devto and I spoke earlier, while you were... pregnant."
Devto snarled. "So she bends over for the bitches too, hm? What do they promise you, whore? Do they fluff you a soft pillow and tuck you in at night? Did they send you here to check on us? See if we need anything? Or are you just sightseeing?"

Aliara's eyes were wide and scared. She huddled behind Teysa and clung to her arm with both hands. The blonde woman spoke, her tone as bored as before. "Look at her, Devto. She's a frightened little thing. She doesn't want to look at us. We scare her."

Teysa spoke up. "I told you I would free you and I will. The driders can be made to see that there is a better way. We don't have to be their slaves. We can be their partners, equals in-"

"PARTNERS?" roared Devto. "How dare you? You think I would willingly carry this filth in my body? The pollution in your womb has poisoned your brain. You've ruined yourself whoring to these demons. If I walked free like you, I would slay them and bring down this hateful place." She spat on the floor and glared.

Her outburst had woken up the brown-skinned girl, who looked up in a daze. Her eyes roved across the room and fixed on Teysa. "Help!" she cried, her voice piping and melodious. "I don't-- what's-- help! Where am I? What's going on?"

Teysa crossed the cave floor and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. She could feel her trembling. The girl looked up at her in confusion. Ignoring Devto's stare from above, Teysa spoke gently. "It's all right. My name is Teysa. What is yours?"

"O-oyanna," said the girl in a wavery voice. Her eyes filled with tears. "Teysa, are you a captive, too? What are they going to do to me?"

The blonde woman called out before Teysa could answer. "No, dear. Teysa is a collaborator. She embraces the creatures that captured you. As for what they're going to do... well, look at Tivya there." She gestured with a flick of her head to the elf that Teysa had seen earlier. Tivya's belly was tremendously engorged, making her limbs look scrawny and atrophied by comparison. Her hair fall in a limp cascade that hid her features. She was fixed to the wall by a patchwork of web strands, some much older than others, that left her hanging like a ragdoll. One leg dangled nearly to the floor, while the other was bent at the knee. Her hands rested on her stomach, fingers twitching occasionally. Her continuous muttering never rose above a whisper. Teysa shuddered at the sight of her. How long had she been down here? How much of her was left? She tried to choose her words carefully.

"Yes, Oyanna. I carried the driders' young, like Devto and Tivya. I am not working with them. I was captured like you were."

"Then why," asked the blonde woman quietly, "are you walking around, while we're hanging here like sacks of grain?"

Oyanna's lip trembled. "T-they're going to put... spiders... in, in, inside me?" There was a hysterical pitch to her voice. "Please, you can't let them! Please, cut me free! I'll give you anything! Anything in my power!"

Aliara tugged at Teysa's arm. "Let's get out of here, Tey," she whispered. "This is getting ugly. Just go, this isn't our problem. This isn't our fight."

Oyanna's eyes were filling with tears. "Please!" she bawled. "Please, set me free! Oh, God, don't leave me here! Please!" She dissolved into plaintive sobs. Teysa shot an angry look at the blonde woman, but she was staring sadly at Oyanna, and Teysa felt her anger drain away into despair.

"Shut up!" growled Devto. "We all bore it, you will too! And you, traitor, why are you still here? Do you want to torment us further? Spare me your pious bleating about how badly you want to free us. Run back to your mistresses and have them stuff your cunts to bursting!"

Aliara grabbed Teysa's wrist and pulled. "Come on, Tey, let's go. Leave this bitter bitch to her misery." She sounded on the verge of panic herself. Teysa let herself be dragged away. Her head spun as they retraced their steps into the corridor outside. Her last sight was Oyanna's face twisted into a mask of terror and panic.

A wave of futility washed over Teysa. What was she thinking, playing house with Aliara in this prison? They acted as though they were newlyweds planning a life together, but they were prisoners and their home was a cell. All of Teysa's high-minded moralizing about the importance of setting an example was wasted down here. Aliara was squeezing her hand so hard it hurt. "Tey? Tey? Talk to me, love. What happened back there? Did you know those women?"

"I met them once before," Teysa replied. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken you in there. I should have known better."

"Well, it's alright. We're well rid of them now. That half-orc, she was so vicious! Like it was our fault she got captured!" Aliara frowned. "Teysa, you can't solve everyone's problems. We have to focus on ourselves for now. If we go looking for trouble, it could ruin everything."

"I'm sorry, Li, I can't do that. I told you I wanted to free those women. I still plan to."

Aliara's face fell. "With what? Are you just going to march in there yourself and cut them down? Tey, the driders will kill us! Don't rock the boat!" She shuffled nervously from foot to foot. "Look, you and I can still go. Today. I bet we could find our way to the surface. If you want to get out of here, then let's get!"

Teysa shook her head. "I can't. I can't leave these women behind." She tried to orient herself towards the center of the warren and set off at a quick march. Aliara caught up quickly and laid a hand on Teysa's shoulder. "Tey, what are you doing? Tey? Please! Think about this, ok!"

Soon they began to move through wider caverns and tunnels, tunnels even Teysa could remember. They were nearing the audience chamber of the drider matron. Aliara shut up, but she followed closely behind. Teysa tried to think of what to say to placate her, but her own mind was whirling. What would she say to the matron? What could she say?

Two armored guards stood outside, spears crossed. When they saw the women, one advanced. "What is your business?"

Teysa stepped forward. "We seek an audience with the matron."

"Let them enter." The voice came from within. At once the guards scuttled aside and the two women passed into the chamber.

The matron sat on her throne-pillar, wearing an elaborate headdress vaguely reminiscent of a noble lady's wimple. Her hair was piled up in two great horns that curved towards the ceiling. She regarded her guests imperiously. "What bringssssss hyou to me?"

Teysa's throat seemed suddenly dry. She tried to find the words.

"Matron, I encountered other... guests of yours, while wandering the caves. I did not mean to trespass, but I accidentally stumbled upon... that is..." she cleared her throat. "Those women. Devto, Tivya, Oyanna. They are bearing your children. Could they be freed? Like we were? It seems needless to keep them hanging from the wall like slabs of meat."

The matron stared down at her for a while, her expression as unreadable as ever. Then a faint smile played across her lips.

"The orc issss dangerousssssss. We bound her handssssss when she would not ssssssssssstop fighting. She would ssssssssslay her own ssssssspawn, if we let her. She attacked another broodmother and would have sssssssslain her had we not sssssstepped in."

"Maybe because that is the only freedom afforded to her. Matron, I will speak to her, to convince her not to do **** to your children. I wish only to see her freed so that she might birth your children in comfort, as we do. And the others, as well."

The matron stared a while longer. Finally, she spoke. "Child, what are thessssse women to hyou? Thissssss orc woman issssss a killer. She would sssssslite hyour throat if she thought it would help her esssssscape."

The paladin returned the stare. "Still."

The last pause was the longest of all, and Teysa began to fear that she would be dismissed or worse, before the matron finally responded. "Very well. I have need of hyour sssservice. It isssss a matter of some... delicacy. Aide me, and I will free thessssse women."

"We will. What do you require?"

"We do some trade with Yth'niel, the city of the drow. My mossssssst recent caravan hasssss not returned. The drow have a new empresssssss, and I fear she doesssss not ressspect the pact made by her predecesssssor with our kind. I cannot sssssend a drider to invessssstigate. It would be... unsssssubtle. I need hyou to go invessssstigate. Find out what hassss happened."