Time meant nothing. She did not sleep. Her mind was always alive, always on.
She was on her knees, hunched over in a fetal ball, naked. There was no gravity, no sense of motion, no sense of anything, save the sticky-tacky mirrored surface that surrounded her. Wherever she looked, she saw various, distorted parts of herself. Everywhere. All the time.
She wanted to scream. She used to, she remembered. In the infancy of this new life in which she found herself, she screamed and cursed and pushed back against the boundary, only to have it stick and cling to her body like a molten mirror. It took mind-years to extricate herself from the boundary’s ever-present touch and it was not an experience she wanted to relive.
The only saving grace was that it was all an illusion. Deep down, she knew this. Her present condition was merely a mnemotic translation of her mental state. Or, perhaps, that was her only hope. What if it wasn’t an illusion? What if this was her whole life? Regardless, she was alone, truly alone.
“Solara.”
The voice came from nowhere, everywhere. Female.
“Solara, daughter of Soleil, descendent of SunKrux, wayward seed of the First Ones, I would speak with you.”
Solara licked her lips to give them some moisture. “Who are you? What do you want?”
The reply was swift. “My name is Relia. I want Feld. Where is he?”
The direct answer shocked Solara. Where was Feld? Did he get away? How did she know about Feld? How much did she know? “Feld? I don’t know any Feld.”
In response, the mirrored boundary closed in on her. It pressed against her eyes and oozed its way into her mouth, throat, nose and ears. If this were a physical world, she would have asphyxiated in mere moments. As it was, the mental suffocation was more than enough.
“I will not be trifled with, Solara. I know Feld. I’ve known him for some time now. I’ve seen him with your eyes. I’ve seduced him with your body. Now, tell me where he is.”
The boundary retreated to its previous position. “I don’t know where he is,” came the honest reply. “I do know, however, that he usually sticks around longer when I seduce him. Maybe you’re not doing it right.”
A soft chuckle filled the space within her world. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Solara yelled back.
“Don’t you know the story of Krux, little one? Your ancestor? Krux was a First One. Now, it has come to my understanding that most knowledge and folklore regarding the First Ones speaks well of them. As well they should. However, like any sentient species, some among them had questionable practices that bred questionable reputations.
“In the early days of the Lesser Races, Krux was known among scores of planetary systems. In all cases, Krux was known as a goddess of fertility. To be frank, that was a kind euphemism. In reality, Krux was very much a hands-on sort of deity, who opened herself figurative and literally to her worshippers. In point of fact, SunKrux, your grandmother, was a direct result of an illicit coupling between Krux and one of her high priests. It was a very sordid affair and quite a topic of humor among us. Of course, among the Lesser Races, the powers that SunKrux inherited as a result of a union with a First One were quite extraordinary and did much to elevate her status among you. But such are the ways of the Lesser Races, elevating that should not be.
“And now, whorespawn, I tire of this history lesson. As much as I would like to crush your eggshell mind, that little bit of First One blood in your veins prevents me from doing so. It will be of little consequence, however. I have far, far worse in store for you. But, as a nod to your earlier brazen remarks, I will give you just one chance to avoid all of that. Answer this one question for me and I shall spare you all manner of unpleasantness. Where, in your best estimation, is Feld? If you were to look for him, where would you look?”
Barscape Prime was the immediate, obvious answer, but there was no way in hezmana that she would divulge that bit of information. While steeling every bit of nerve she had, Solara said, “Frell you.”
Immediately, she felt her being propelled through her inner self. With a sudden shock, her consciousness was in her own body. Through her own eyes, she saw a familiar stranger’s face staring back from a mirror. The eyes were hard. The skin, incandescent blue and black electric marble. She tried to move, but couldn’t. She was leashed within her own transformed body.
Slowly Solara turned and walked from the sanctuary and into a temple’s main chamber. She approached a dais, climbed up the steps and walked to the front. There, kneeling on the steps before her, was a small boy, head downcast. He was held in place by three women and a silver tray with a silver knife lay waiting upon it.
“Solara, this child lives or dies by your hand. The decision is yours. Tell me where Feld is.”
Solara wanted to cry, but couldn’t. She was locked in place within herself. Her only freedom lay in the response she was to give. “Askara,” she said in resignation. “In Thuunvaal. He keeps a safehouse in Thuunvaal. When his schemes go wrong, that’s where he goes to lay low and wait for events to settle down. You can probably find him in Thuunvaal.”
Several seconds passed as the three priestesses looked on. Just as Solara allowed herself to hope, Relia said to her, “Foolish woman. Do you not know that I see through your eyes as well? Hear with your ears? Feel the same anticipatory heartbeat as you hope I swallow the bait? Yes, he may have been on Askara once before. But he’s not there now; your own body betrays you.”
With horror, Solara watched her own hand pick up the silver dagger as one of the priestesses yanked the boy’s head back, revealing his throat.
“And now,” the voice tsked, “the first of many harsh lessons.”