The Book
	by Kelly Adams (kelly_h_adams@hotmail.com)

Chapter 2


"Sally? Sally, wake up!"

She was laying on a cold stone floor, and Terri was shaking her,
saying her name urgently. "Huh? Terri?"

"What happened? Where are we?"

Sally opened her eyes and sat up. She was in a library, fairly
large, with many old books on the shelves; except for Terri and
herself, it was deserted. As she reentered consciousness, Sally
recognized where she was. It was someplace she hadn't been in a
long, long time. "Oh my god, it's true," she said, aloud but to
herself. "It's all true. It really happened."

"What's true? Sally, where are we?"

"Unless I'm mistaken," Sally said as she stood up and dusted herself
off, "we're in the library of the great palace of the Sultan of
al-Hazim."

"The what? Of who? Of where?"

"The Library. Of the Sultan. In al-Hazim."

"Wait," Terri said, her brain still slightly foggy. "That was in the
book. On your table. Al-Hazim was one of the places in the stories."

"Terri, I think you'd better sit down." She pulled out a chair at
one of the large wooden tables. Terri took the seat, and Sally sat
down in the chair next to her.

In the center of the table was the book, the book that came from
Aunt Ethel, that Terri had been reading right before they blacked
out. "Is that the same book?" Terri asked.

"Yes. Look, Terri, I know this is going to sound incredible," Sally
began, "and until we woke up here, I had relegated it all to the
realm of imagination myself. But with where we are now, it must be
true."

"What's true?"

"Just listen; I'll explain. The summer when I was fourteen I was
sent to stay at my Great Aunt Ethel's place. As it turned out, I was
sent away because my parents were trying to salvage their marriage.
It didn't work--they divorced that next fall--but that's not the
point of the story. My best friend there was named Amanda. One day,
she and I found this book up in Aunt Ethel's attic, and we started
reading it. It was about the land of al-Hazim and a girl named Ethel
who visited there, which I thought was pretty cool, seeing as she
had the same name as my aunt.

"As we continued to read, we got to a part where two girls, Amanda
and Sally, found the book years later in Ethel's attic and began to
read it. Which was really weird, as you can surely imagine. Then,
the next thing we knew, we woke up here, in al-Hazim."

"So you're saying that you went into the book?"

"Yes. Or through it. Or something. I don't know, and Amanda and I
never really questioned it. Nearly every day we would go up into the
attic, open up the book, and journey to al-Hazim. We'd have amazing
adventures, and when we returned our adventures became the next
chapter of the book."

"This is just too incredible," Terri said, shaking her head.

"I know," Sally agreed. "I didn't believe it myself anymore. In my
mind, I had relegated it all to two girls with overactive
imaginations. But now we're here, don't you see? It was all real--it
all really happened!"

Just then the door to the library opened. In walked a man in his
fifties; he wore a deep purple robe with gold trim and a sash, with
a matching turban. "Who's making all this noise in my library?" he
bellowed as he adjusted his spectacles.

Sally recognized that voice, and its imperious tone. "Suleyman!" she
cried out, jumping up from her chair and running up to the man. She
embraced him in a friendly hug.

"Oh my, who..."

Sally let go of the man and stepped back. "Suleyman, it's me,
Sally!"

"Princess Salima?" Suleyman said. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me, Sully!"

"I can't believe it!" Suleyman said. "After all these years, we
thought we'd never see you again. And you're all grown up now."

"Well, it has been a while, you know. I couldn't stay fourteen
forever."

"No, I suppose not,' Suleyman agreed. His gaze shifted to Terri, who
was still seated, trying to take everything in. "And who is this
with you, Salima? Surely this isn't Princess Amina?"

"No, Sully, this is Terri. She's a friend of mine from my world."

"You mean from Usa?"

"Yes." Sally motioned to Terri to stand up. "Terri, this is Suleyman
ibn-Dawud, head scholar of the royal court of al-Hazim and tutor to
young princesses who would much rather be out riding flying carpets.
Suleyman, this is my friend, Theresa, um... Theresa al-Usa."

"It is an honor to meet you," Suleyman said, bowing.

"Thanks," Terri said. "It's good to meet you too."

"Come, come," Suleyman said to the ladies. "Everyone will be excited
to see you, especially your father, Salima!" He motioned for them to
follow him as he walked out of the library.

"Your father?" Terri asked, somewhat confused.

"The Sultan, Mustafa Abu-Jalal ibn-Khalid al-Hazim. He's not really
my father--he sort of adopted Amanda and me when we first arrived,"
Sally explained. "He's great. He made us princesses, which was
really cool."

"And all this really happened to you?"

"As real as it is happening to us right now."

Sally felt her old memories flooding back to her as they walked
through the palace. It was as if nothing had changed; the
tapestries, the tile, even the guards were in the same places.

A portion of their path took them outside on a walkway connecting to
the main building. "Oh my!" Terri exclaimed as she stopped to look
out at the view. It was still breathtaking, Sally thought, even
after all these years. Many multicolored tapered domes dotted the
skyline. From the height they were at they could look out over the
palace walls to the bazaar, and even further out to the oasis, where
the sun was beginning to set behind the lush palm trees.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Terri asked Sally, looking for
confirmation. "I mean, the sights, the smells, the sounds--dreams
just don't feel this real."

"It's not a dream,' Sally confirmed. "I don't know for sure if it's
real or not, but it definitely isn't a dream."

"Wow," Terri exclaimed softly, her voice vastly understating for
effect.

"Come along, girls," Suleyman called to them. "You can stare blankly
out over the city later."

"After all these years," Sally muttered to Terri, "he's still a wet
blanket!"

-----------------------------------

Minutes later, Sally and Terri stood at the back of the royal court,
watching the Sultan hold an audience. He was in deep conversation
with his vizier and other advisors, though the women couldn't hear
about exactly what.

"Who's that standing next to the Sultan?" Terri asked Sally.

"That's Jalal, Mustafa's son--my 'brother,'" Sally told her. Sally
noted that Jalal had grown from the awkward young boy of twelve she
had last known into a rather handsome young man in his twenties.

"Who's that on the other side?"

"That's Fakhr al-Bajara, an old friend. From where he stands, I
gather he is now head of the palace guard."

"He looks orange," Terri remarked. "And fuzzy."

"That's because he's a tiger," Sally explained.

"A what?"

"A tiger. You know: big cat, sharp teeth, long tail."

"But he's standing upright, and wearing clothes, and carrying a
sword..."

"And he talks too. Look, this is fantasy land," Sally told Terri.
"There are talking tigers, dragons, djinni, enchanted lamps, flying
carpets--the works."

"This is going to take some getting used to," Terri said, trying to
grasp everything that was happening.

Their presence was starting to cause a slight commotion among those
in the court, as some people started to recognize Sally. Eventually,
the hubbub proved to be a distraction to the Sultan.

"What is all the commotion?" Mustafa asked, his voice loud and
forceful, though not booming. The crowd immediately silenced.
"Al-Jahiz, is that you? Who have you brought into my court that
causes such a fuss among those assembled?"

'Al-Jahiz'--literally 'goggle-eyes'--was Mustafa's nickname for
Suleyman. The two had grown up in the court together, and were best
friends. "I have brought visitors, your excellency. One of whom you
haven't seen in a very long time."

"Well then, let these visitors present themselves," Mustafa
commanded.

Sally stepped forward, pulling on Terri's arm to join her. They
stood in front of the Sultan and bowed, Terri following Sally's
lead. "Greetings, your highness," Sally said. "We bid you welcome
form the land of Usa."

"Salima? Daughter? Is that you?" Mustafa asked, his voice exhibiting
a rare instance of surprise.

"Yes, father, it is I," Sally said. A collective gasp filled the
courtroom upon hearing the revelation. Sally stood back up, as did
Terri.

"You have returned, just as I always knew you someday would!"
Mustafa was overjoyed. He hugged Sally with a great show of emotion,
kissing her cheeks.

"And your friend, this is not Amina," Mustafa observed. "Who is
she?"

"If it may please the court, I'd like to introduce my friend,
Theresa al-Usa."

Terri wasn't sure what to do at that point, so she curtsied. "Hello,
your highness," she said, hoping that she wasn't making some
horrible faux pas.

"Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of the court's," Mustafa
pronounced. "Welcome, Theresa al-Usa." He hugged Terri and kissed
her cheeks, though without the familiarity with which he had
embraced Sally.

"Tell me, what of my other daughter, Amina?"

"I do not know," Sally said with some sorrow. "We parted ways, soon
after we left here last."

"Well, let us hope that she finds her way back to us soon, the same
as you have Salima."

Mustafa summoned the Chief Chamberlain and bid him to prepare a
banquet that evening in honor of his daughter's return. The Chief
protested, saying that there was no way that he could prepare a
proper feast with such short notice. But the Sultan would have none
of that, saying that if the Chief could not prepare a proper
banquet, he was sure that he could find another chamberlain to
assume the role of Chief. The Chief assured the Sultan that such
measures would not be necessary and scurried off to begin the
preparations.

The Sultan then commanded Fakhr to escort Sally and Terri to the
bath, so that they could get cleaned up and properly dressed for
their banquet. The girls bowed and then followed the large tiger out
of the court.

"It is good to see you again, Princess Salima," Fakhr said. He was
large and imposing, at least 6'5", but radiated a warmth like a
loving house cat.

"Give me a hug, you big fuzzy!" Sally embraced Fakhr, barely able to
wrap her arms around his wide muscular girth. "So, you're still
around," observed Sally obviously. "Does this mean that your land
and people are still held captive?"

"Gladly no. With the help of your father and his men, we were able
to free al-Bajara from al-Qa'ids's rule," Fakhr explained. "But in
doing so, I incurred a debt to your father, so I stay on gladly
serving as head of the palace guard."

"I'm sure you serve with honor," complimented Sally. "Oh, where are
my manners; Fakhr, meet Terri. Terri, Fakhr."

"A pleasure, my lady. You are as beautiful as the white sands of the
oasis."

Terri blushed, assuming that it was a compliment--she had never been
complimented by a giant talking cat. "Thank you. I'm glad to meet
you as well."

They were met at the entrance to the bath by four servant girls,
dressed in simple white robes. Fakhr bid them farewell; men, even
large male cats, were not allowed in the bath at the same time as
women.

The bath was a rather large chamber, with the pool the size of a
large, oddly shaped stone pond. Built upon a natural spring, several
medium-sized fountains poured water into the bath, allowing for the
warm water to circulate.

Sally and Terri were undressed by the servants, two per, and then
led down the steps into the water. Sally found herself admiring
Terri's naked body. Though a few inches shorter than Sally, Terri
was very curvy and womanly, her large breasts like two ripe fruits
perched proudly on her chest, and her fleshy ass forming an enticing
heart shape.

The servants kept their robes on in the water as they attended to
the two women, washing them clean with a series of perfumed soaps
and applying gentle massages to their tired muscles. "Oh, this is
heavenly!" Terri remarked. "I could really get used to this!"

Sally felt herself become aroused--not at the hands which were
pawing her as they cleaned, but rather at the sight of Terri, her
naked body enveloped in the warm water, obviously enjoying the
hedonism that the bath and attention provided.

After the bath, the women were led into an antechamber where they
were toweled off, then dressed. They were fitted with wrapped silky
skirts and bra-like tops which left their midriffs exposed. "Hey,"
Terri remarked, looking down at her bely. "I just noticed--my
stretch marks are gone!"

"I'm not surprised. When we come here, our bodies seem to lose their
imperfections," Sally explained. "As a teenager, I loved the fact
that my acne was wiped away when I came."

Sally's long hair was braided and wrapped up with a flowered
garland, which Terri was fitted with a silk headdress. "I feel kind
of ridiculous in this get-up," Terri said wen they were done.

"Well you don't look ridiculous," Sally told her. "You look
beautiful."

"If I look half as gorgeous as you do, I'll be fine. You look
absolutely stunning."

Fakhr was waiting for them when they exited the bath area, nearly
two hours after they had first entered. "You look lovely, Salima, as
do you, Theresa."

"Thank you, Fakhr," Sally replied. "And you look as handsome as
ever." Fakhr had changed into his 'dress' uniform, an all-white
affair with a tunic and 'poofy' trousers.

"Shall we head for the banquet?" asked Fakhr, not really a question
but more of a statement of intent.

"Please, lead the way."

As they once again were escorted through the halls, Theresa
expressed some concern. "Do we have time for this?" she asked Sally.
"Shouldn't we think about returning back home? John's going to be
awful worried when I'm gone and he can't reach me!"

"Relax, we'll be fine," Sally assured her. "Time seems to flow
differently between here and our world. We can be here in al-Hazim
for hours, even days, and only a few minutes will pass by at home.
Likewise, we can spend a long time back in our world, and only a
couple of hours will have passed here in al-Hazim. It's kind of like
being able to live two lives instead of one!"

When they entered the great hall, the banquet was already underway.
Everyone stopped and bowed as they entered, except of course for
Jalal, the Sultan, and Sabira, the Sultan's wife.

Sally and Terri went to the head table to be seated. The tables were
low to the floor, and everyone sat on pillows. Sally was seated to
the Sultan's immediate left, with Terri next to her; Sabira and
Jalal sat on Mustafa's right. Fakhr did not sit down to eat, but
rather took up a position standing guard behind the assembled royal
family.

The food was plentiful, with garlic-lemon chicken and lamb-kabobs
for meats, and there were numerous fruits, nuts and dates as well.
Terri was put-off at first to discover that there was no cutlery,
that everyone ate with their hands. But she quickly learned to use
the available flat bread to turn her food into a sandwich.

There was constant entertainment, with a stream of musicians,
jugglers, belly dancers, and mock sword fighting demonstrations.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Everyone, that is, except
for Jalal, who after finishing his meal was standing off to one side
with a frown and a bit of a sulk.

"What's your brother's problem?" Terri asked Sally as she bit into a
honey-sweetened tart.

"I dunno; I'll go ask."

Sally stood and walked over to Jalal. "Hello brother. What is wrong?
Are you not happy to see me?"

"Sorry Salima. Of course I'm happy to see you," Jalal said, forcing
a smile. "It is always good when a prodigal daughter returns."

"Then why the long face?"

"Affairs of state weigh heavy on my mind, sister," Confessed Jalal.
"Although our father is overjoyed at your return, it is the only
good news he has had in some months."

"Tell me."

"A princess should not have to worry about such things."

"I'm not a young girl anymore, Jalal. I can handle the truth. Tell
me what is wrong that worries you and our father so."

Jalal sighed. "There is great unrest in the kingdom these days,
especially to the north. We fear an invasion from al-Hamara is
imminent."

"Al-Hamara? But we've always been at peace with them!"

"Many years have passed since you were with us, Salima, and many
things have changed. When Nur-al-Din passed on four years past, his
son, Zayd, assumed the Sultanate. Things changed soon after that, as
Zayd began to mass an army for unknown purposes. Reports are
unreliable and hard to come by, but it is suspected that Zayd has
fallen in with a woman rumored to be magician, and possibly with an
evil Djinn as well."

"This is most distressing. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You help by being here, Salima," Jalal told her. "Your return has
brightened our father's spirits, something which is sorely needed."

Sally knew that there must me more that she could do to help, but
said nothing. Jalal never appreciated her skills as an adventurer
when they were younger, and she was sure that there was nothing she
could say that would change his opinion now. She would have to talk
to Fakhr and Suleyman in the morning, learn more of what was
happening, and devise a course of action. It would be just like old
times! Except, of course, that Amanda was not here to share the
adventures with her.

-----------------------------------

The banquet would go on well into the night, but Sally and Terri
left soon after Sally's conversation with Jalal. They had had a
long, exhausting day, and Sally planned on getting an early start
the morning of the next.

Fakhr assigned two of the palace guards to escort Sally & Terri to
Sally's bedchamber. Sally realized that, while she had once had the
run of the palace, she was now being escorted everywhere. After her
conversation with Jalal, this didn't surprise her.

The bedchamber was just as Sally remembered it: large, with many
tapestries hanging on the walls, and ornate rugs covering the floor.
Several ornate chests dotted the room. The 'bed' was a large stuffed
mattress, much like a futon, laying on the floor, with numerous
pillows of varying sizes and colors.

"There's only one bedroom," Terri observed.

"Yes," replied Sally.

"And one bed."

"Also true. They probably assumed that you and I would be sleeping
together," Sally explained.

"Why would they assume that?" Terri asked.

"Because Amanda and I did. We were lovers, Terri," Sally told her.

"Oh. But we're not."

"No. Not yet, at least."

"What do you mean 'not yet'?" Terri didn't seem angry, just
confused.

"Terri, when I invited you over to my apartment, my intention was to
seduce you," Sally confessed.

"Seduce? Me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Terri, you are a beautiful, sensual woman," Sally placed her hand
softly on Terri's arm. Terri didn't flinch or shrug it off. "It
pains me that you are not finding sexual fulfillment. I wanted... I
want to help you find it."

"But, I'm not gay," Terri protested. "I'm married."

"That's okay; I am, and I'm not," Sally told her, smiling. "I can
give you pleasure, Terri. Here, in this place, right now. If you
decide you don't like it, no one will ever know--we can return back
to our world, back to our lives. But imagine what it could be--how
we could be, together."

Terri said nothing. Sally could tell that she was a little scared,
but more than a little intrigued.

"I would be honored if you would allow me to make love to you
tonight, Terri," Sally said, looking deeply into her friend's eyes
and lightly stroking her arm.

"Okay," Terri said softly. Sally responded with a smile. "How do we
do this?" Terri asked.

"Just relax," Sally told her as she moved around behind Terri. "Let
me take care of pleasuring you." She removed Terri's headdress,
setting it aside softly on the floor. She held Terri by the
shoulders and began to kiss the back of Terri's neck.

Terri breathed in deeply, then exhaled. Sally felt Terri's
reservation begin to melt away at her touch. She began to undress
Terri. She started with her top, untying it and slipping it off her
shoulders. She reached around in front of Terri and cupped her
generous breasts. They were slightly conical, tipped with large
nipples. Sally began to squeeze Terri's nipples gently, feeling them
get hard at her touch.

Sally then undid Terri's skirt, dropping it to the floor. She let
her hands trace down Terri's stomach to the vee between her legs.
Terri let out a small gasp as Sally began to gently rub her pubis.

After a few moments, Sally stopped petting Terri's mound. Taking
Terri by the hand, she led her over to the bed. "Lay down, on your
stomach," Sally told her. Terri bent down, kneeled on the mattress,
then slowly lowered herself down. She crossed her arms beneath her
head in a makeshift pillow. Sally gazed admiringly at her friend's
backside, from her supple shoulders down the gentle curve of her
back down past her rounded buttocks to her shapely legs.

After taking a moment to remove her own clothes, Sally went over and
opened up one of the chests along the walls of the room.

"Sally? Are you still there?" Terri asked, unable to see where Sally
was.

"Yes, my sweet," Sally replied. "I'll be back with you in a minute."
She found a vial of oil, made with a slight scent of rose oil, and
brought it back over to the bed. Kneeling beside Terri, she slowly
drizzled the oil down along Terri's spine and into the small of her
back. She capped the vial and set it aside, then began to rub the
oil into Terri's skin. She worked it slowly, sensuously into Terri's
shoulders and back, then moved down to massage Terri's cheeks and
legs.

"Ooooooo," Terri moaned gently. "That's very nice."

"Roll over," Sally told her, which she did. With Terri now on her
back, Sally once again opened the vial, then straddled Terri's
pelvis. She tilted the vial, letting the oil fall onto Terri's upper
chest. She then moved it lower, drawing a line down between Terri's
breasts. Sally then began to rub the oil into Terri's bosom,
enjoying the feel of the firm yet pliant mounds in her hands.

Sally raised herself and scooted down Terri's body, until she was
between Terri's legs. She spread Terri's thighs open. Terri proved
to be rather limber, so she pressed her knees back against the
mattress. Terri's outer lips parted, reveling the tantalizing
pinkness found therein.

Sally felt Terri begin to tense up as she lowered her head down
between Terri's thighs. "Relax," Sally told her, then began to
lightly lick along Terri's slit. She gently ran her tongue along
Terri's sex, then teasingly flicked up to stimulate her clitoris.

"Oooohhhh," Terri moaned with pleasure as her legs started to press
around Sally's head. Sally wrapped her arms around Terri's thighs
and opened them back up, then began to press her tongue deeper
inside Terri's hole.

Terri tasted somewhat sweet, her juices like nectar dancing on
Sally's tongue. Terri began to move her hips, grinding slowly around
in a small circle. Sally lifted Terri's pelvis up off the mattress
and began to lick faster. Terri was moaning quite loudly now as
Sally licked and thrust with her tongue until Terri came, her entire
body shaking with delight.

The smell of roses now filled the air, as Terri's body heat had
reacted with the massage oil. Sally crawled up on the mattress next
to her new lover, holding her in her arms and kissing her deeply.
Terri didn't seem to notice the taste of her own sex on Sally's
lips--or didn't care.

"That was... amazing," Terri said finally. "Thank you."

"I enjoyed pleasing you, Terri," Sally told her as she combed her
finger's through Terri's short blonde hair. "I hope you'll let me
please you again sometime."

"Is tomorrow too soon?" Terri asked with a girlish giggle.

"No," Sally replied, smiling. "It's not too soon at all." They
continued to caress each other softly, until finally they fell
asleep, naked in each other's arms.

[end chapter 2]

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Fine Print: This story is copyright 2001 Kelly Adams. 
Permission is granted to distribute via and archive in 
alt.sex.stories.moderated and ASSTR in accordance with a.s.s.m. 
guidelines and policies.

Visit my story site at http://www.asstr.org/~Kelly/
