Chapter 11

Her thoughts turned to childhood. Faint memories of Earth flashed through her mind. She hadn’t realized how the memories would resurface upon her arrival to Zarmina. Sunshine on her face. Wind carrying the scent of grass. Looking into an endless sky. She had abandoned these things when she boarded the Duskrider. She did not realize how much she had looked forward to experiencing them again once she returned to terrestrial life on Zarmina. Feelings resurrected in a strange and perverse mirror image.

After some unknowable time the light reappeared. Was she still dreaming? A door opened in the distance, jarring her back to reality. Footsteps approached. Trepidation overcame her.

“Stand back!” a devilish voice shouted.

Lena quivered at the voice and winced back to the far wall. A deafening clang jolted her. The door opened and a blinding light flooded the room. Lena squinted in the harsh glare. She saw the silhouette of a robed figure wreathed in blazing light. In its hand it held a cruel trident. She shielded her eyes with her arm. The figure advanced on her, and she cried out.

“NO!” she screamed in defiance.

She stood shakily and the figure struck her behind the knee with the butt of its weapon, bringing down. It bent down, grabbed her shoulder and forced her onto her stomach. She struggled against a heavy knee between her shoulder blades pinning her to the floor. Another set of feet appeared. A sharp pain bloomed in the back of her neck. She assumed it was the tip of the trident pressed firmly into the base of her skull. A white-hot sensation filled her head, almost reaching into her thoughts themselves. It shot down her spine and fizzled at the very tips of her fingers. She cried out in pain as her face dug into the stony floor. But then, as soon as it appeared, it was gone. Her whole body tingled with electricity.

“Clean,” one of them muttered. Hands gripped under her shoulders and brought her to her feet. Her body was limp, and her knees buckled under her weight. A blindfold was cinched around her head, and she was led from her cell.

The hallway leading from her prison was short. Once they were beyond it the air pressure changed. Lena felt suddenly as though she was being led through was a cavernous tunnel. The sound of footsteps echoed from far walls, confirming her suspicion. They marched on through smaller passages, up uneven slopes, and through more large rooms. Finally, they stopped and she was seated.

A heavy door shut behind her. She could tell they had stopped in a small room from the sound of the slam. They bound her to the chair with rough ropes around her waist, arms, knees, and feet. Tears ran down her cheeks. She hung her head. Her breath came erratically.

“Who are you?” The garbled voice came quick and sharp, like a dagger to her chest.

She jumped in surprise, fumbling for words. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find her voice.

“L-Lena,” her voice quivering.

“Lena? Why are you here?” the inquisitor demanded.

“W-what?”

“Why are you here!?” it repeated, louder.

“I-I don’t know,” she sputtered. She paused, trying to come up with a better answer. Her blind was removed as she searched for words. The light flared. A hand struck her across the face, leaving her in a daze.

She looked up at her assailant. A robed figure, its hood drawn over a terrible, metal face. An android. It leaned in close. She managed to look into its eyes, but they were void. Black empty pits. It spoke quieter.

“How did you find this place?” it inquired.

She looked, wide-eyed in fear at the masked face.

She closed her eyes, focusing on her answer. “I-I was led here.”

“By whom?”

She gave a trembled answer. “Sh-Shel. An android. He led me here, b-but he couldn’t get past s-some kind of barrier, so I went the rest of the way without him.”

The hooded figure leaned back.

“To whom does Shel belong?” it continued.

“I-I’m not sure.”

The interrogator rose.

“I don’t know!” she screamed. “Jael!”

It froze.

“What did you say?” it asked, calmly now.

She stared at it a moment, breathing heavily.

“I-I was hired by a man named Jael. He owns a nightclub in Rhod. Vermilion.”