Looking over his shoulder, she saw the raven creatures doing the same with the other defenders of the settlement. Their anguished screams melded with the shrieking of the unholy monsters. Finally releasing the lifeless body, she dropped him carelessly and stood up as though a lightning bolt rushed through her. The power was extreme and all-encompassing.
She was energized by the blood, which was rejuvenating this already powerful body. Shuddering and still screeching with the raw energy pulsing in every cell, Pauline was exhilarated and completely divorced from her previous state of shock and horror.
Somehow she knew that it was perfectly fine for all of this to be happening. There was no remorse or feelings of dread and sorrow over the seemingly needless trauma inflicted on this apparently peaceful tribe.
Once she got a hold of herself, she looked around and saw nothing but carnage. The dry, cracked earth was soaked in dark blood. The creatures turned to look at her with satisfied grins on their ghastly faces, while the lifeless bodies of the tribe’s warriors lay scattered and ripped to shreds.
“What of the womenfolk, Doeliana? Shall we gather them up to save for a future hunt?” One of the creatures asked her in a raspy voice.
Before she could answer, a deafening trumpet sounded out. She was amazed that she knew what it was. The creatures shrieked one more time and transformed back into ravens. Their feathers were even more beautiful than before; blue-black and ultra-shiny. She turned to look back to where they’d come from and saw a large, black craft heading towards them. It was sleek and shaped like a crescent moon, 50 yards long and 25 yards wide, effortlessly gliding along the plains.
She began walking towards it and somewhere inside this body, Pauline was simultaneously entranced and horrified, although she had the dual understanding of the emanation; that this was a vehicle belonging to the ruling class – and that she was their Queen. The inhabitants of this realm were her people and she was in charge of this dark world.
When the craft stopped several feet away, a staircase in the shape of a triangle slid down. She casually walked up the steps, followed by her gang of ravens flying lazily behind her.
As soon as they were safely inside the craft, the stairway drew itself up and the opening slowly closed over. They walked deeper inside the craft to a strange deck with floating chairs.
The main one was the largest, like a throne covered in black leather. She went over and sat down while the craft lifted off and navigated itself, without a crew. Pauline watched through a huge window, realizing that the red tint had dissipated. She saw the desert morph into a blur as they sped along. A male voice came out of nowhere, calm and steady.
“Doeliana. I trust that your hunt has slaked your thirst.”
She nodded and smiled, satisfied and victorious.
“Not a moment too soon.” She replied.
“What am I going to do with you, my wild one?”
She laughed menacingly.
“You will have nothing to say and nothing to do, Jonar.”
The ravens were all perched on a long bar behind her, already tucking their beaks under their wings for the journey.
“Very well. Come home and slake my thirst.”
They both laughed. Pauline wondered what it meant, although she had a hunch that it was sexual in nature. She was annoyed with the sporadic understanding of what was going on. It was like her consciousness was darting in and out. She wondered if it was a protective mechanism. What she had recently been through was terrifying and disgusting, although she was completely aligned with the pleasure of it. She decided that she didn’t like the total immersion, even if it was sporadic.
Wondering how to maintain a separate presence so she could figure out how to get away from this body and this world, she felt a familiar shift.
Doeliana was paying attention.
It seemed that she was curious to listen in on Pauline’s thoughts, however - there was a sense that Doeliana assumed they were her own thoughts. Pauline was amazed to hear Doeliana speak silently to herself, even though – like most humans – there had always been a dual conversation and parallel consciousness in everyday life.
“I shall need to speak to the Priestess. I cannot appear in front of my people with strange thoughts such as these. Maybe it was the blood. That Darbit was filthy!”
Pauline decided to shrink back; to do her best to try and remain undetected so she could look for a way to escape.
Soon she noticed that a different landscape was forming in the window. It seemed to be a huge, concrete land with several built-in hangars jutting out here and there. The craft flew smoothly towards one of them. Pauline saw a massive sliding sheath open up like a concrete eyelid. They slowed down and settled inside the hangar, while the doorway closed up behind them.
She turned to the row of ravens behind her and commanded them to arise.
“Time to alight.”
They all morphed back into the hideous creatures they had been during the bloody feast and waited in formation while Pauline walked on ahead of them. One of the creatures smiled at Pauline as they went down the stairway of the craft.
“We thank you for the hunt, Doeliana.”
“My pleasure.” She answered in a regal tone, before striding towards an arched doorway to the left.
Pauline was mesmerized by the scenery, which was now a wide pathway opening up to a glistening underworld. It seemed to be a subterranean world like a futuristic painting – dark and shiny. The colors were like jewels underwater. Buildings and domiciles made of precious crystals and metals; strange plant-life laid out in geometric patterns leading to various places and structures among other odd features dazzled Pauline.
There were other people who looked like the body she was inhabiting, although it was obvious that she was the Queen. Clothed in flowing silks and metallic satins of all colors, they bowed their heads as she walked past. Pauline secretly enjoyed this level of power. They looked at her with such awe and reverence, that she nearly forgot the hellish killing spree she was recently involved in.
The raven creatures were already mixing with the crowds of strange beings, which consisted of humanoids and nightmarish monsters. The thing was, everyone behaved like civilized entities. They greeted each other warmly and conducted conversations here and there. Sometimes laughter broke through as Pauline walked towards the tallest building.
It was like a stretched pyramid made out of golden topaz. On either side of the main, triangle door were humanoid guards cloaked in emerald and burgundy robes. They nodded silently as she entered the building. Jade and ruby furnishings melded into the beautiful interior which seemed to be sculpted from a kaleidoscope of peacock ore.
Then she was greeted by what looked like a large tiger. Its fur consisted of various jeweled tones in a typically striped pattern. The eyes were cobalt blue and sparkling like diamonds. Pauline nearly laughed when it spoke to her.
“Mistress. Jonar awaits.”
She reached out her hand and stroked his rabbit-soft fur.
“Thank you, Tobas.”
His purr was like a thousand cats purring at once. She followed him to an arched door, which led into a circular room with more strange plants arranged in pyramid shaped, crystal vases; soft furnishings and a huge fireplace filled with gentle and slow lightning bolts flickering inside, warming the room. Pauline was speechless – which was a good thing – as Doeliana was taking the lead and seemingly not in the mood for any interruptions.
A tall, muscular, Asiatic man came through a door which led to a balcony overlooking the jeweled city. He was breathtaking. Pauline noticed a rush of hormones and adrenaline as she sauntered over and allowed herself to be swept up in his arms. His chiseled torso was naked and his partially shaved head sported a long, braided rat tail in the style of a queue hairstyle from the Qing dynasty. He wore loose, satin pants which were emerald green and he was barefoot.
Pauline was mesmerized by his strength and beauty. Unlike the time when she’d pulled away from
Gary in the 1950’s on Earth, she wanted this man desperately and had no issue going along with Doeliana’s lust. His warm, deep voice acted like an electric jolt activating all of her cells and senses like a pleasurable domino reaction.
“Must you go primal, my love? We have all that we need right here in Quarta.”
She nuzzled into his neck and inhaled his scent.
“You know that I love the hunt, Jonar.”
Pauline allowed herself to be swept away by Doeliana’s passion. She reveled in the feeling of Jonar’s arms around her. There was still something familiar about him; something reminding her of long ago, when she first met Jon in Melbourne. Before she could think any further, she felt Jonar lift her up and carry her over to a large bed, covered in the fur from some magnificent blue beast.
As she lay back and watched Jonar take off his pants and come over to her on hands and knees, she ran her hands over the soft fur and then over his warm body. They kissed in the strangest way. Pauline noticed for the first time that Doeliana’s tongue was forked – and hollow. Jonar’s tongue slid into her tongue and started rolling back and forth in the most sensuous kiss she’d ever experienced.
It was like her mouth was the most powerful erogenous zone. Like an elongated clitoris being stimulated from the inside out, the pleasure intensified with every flicker. She wasn’t even surprised when blood started seeping out of Jonar’s tongue, mingling with the blood coming from her own. The pleasure built up as they kissed and swallowed the sickly sweet liquid building in both of their mouths while they writhed around in delirious carnality.
She wanted him inside her body and when she felt him finally enter her, the moment was complete. She had never felt so completely invaded by a man and after an eon of total bliss, she slipped into a bottomless sleep. It was hours later when she opened her eyes – now wide awake – while Doeliana’s body took a while to stir.
It took some time for Pauline to remember where she was, who Jonar was and what life she had ended up in. When the memories of the murderous feast swam back up to her consciousness along with their bizarre night of lovemaking, she panicked.
Inside Doeliana’s mind, she screamed for her Oversoul to come and save her. There was no way that she could remember where the initial entry point was, not that she could be sure if she would ever get to make it home.
Then Doeliana sat bolt upright and shook Jonar violently.
“Jonar – arise – I have an intruder in my mind!”
He sat up right away and stared at her wide eyed in fear. He reached out and pulled her close to his side.
“What are you saying? What is happening?”
Doeliana wrenched herself out of his grip and rolled out of bed. In an instant she was on her feet.
“There’s something inside me. A spirit. I have been invaded by a Darbit!”
Jonar got up and called to Tobas. The tiger came racing into the room on silent feet.
“Yes, Master Jonar!”
Doeliana ran over to a large glass mirror at the other end of the room. Pauline knew that she needed to calm down but when she saw the Asian Goddess staring straight into her own eyes, she screamed – along with Doeliana. Even though she was beautiful, the pale face, sharp fangs and blood-red eyes were terrifying.
Jonar spoke calmly but firmly to Tobas.
“Fetch the Priestess. Your Queen needs an exorcism!”
Chapter 7 – The Prism
Doeliana chose to have her daily blood bath in seclusion and isolation. Even Jonar and the High Priestess could wait. She recognized that someone was talking to her but still had no idea who or what it was. Pauline continued to reside inside Doeliana’s mind like a pinprick in this emanation’s consciousness; where she observed, experienced and absorbed all the sensations and imagery. By now, her memory banks and sensorial reactors (and inhibitors) continued to wage war within her.
Pauline had grown accustomed to feeling like a twin-soul inside other bodies but felt that she would never get used to the blood lust that pulsed from deep inside Doeliana’s belly. She also continued to be dazzled by the interiors of this golden pyramid. The bathing room had bronzed walls and everything was dark and mysterious. There were many strange plants lined along the walls and the oval shaped pool in the center of this sumptuous room was deep, crystal blue, making Pauline feel like she was sinking into liquid lapis lazuli.
Four attendants – bald and dressed in blue lap laps – stood on either side, while Pauline let the controls switch over to Doeliana. She noticed how much this emanation enjoyed all senses being stimulated. A hush grew over her body and Pauline recognized the feeling of slipping into the trance that teleported her from world to world. This time, she didn’t want to leave – at least until she understood what was going on underneath the surface.
As she focused on retaining her consciousness, she noticed Doeliana fading away into the trance. When she began to float out of Doeliana’s body, she felt an initial rush of anxiety over being separated. When she saw her Oversoul hovering above the scene, her instincts kicked into overdrive. She darted directly to her Oversoul and pulled up only inches away from him.
This time he was appearing as a wisp – like a perpetual vapor flickering like quicksilver.
“I trust that you are gathering material for your evolution, Doelanda.”
“I keep forgetting my soul name. I barely remember my name back in Melbourne – which I assume is my true emanation, right?”
“Correct.” It said with a shivery voice. “Although all your emanations are true representations of your total soul. The only reason you think the life in 2016 Melbourne – in that particular ripple in the Universe – is the only true soul, is due to your assumption that all the emanations have found a doorway to the parallel portals.”
“Oversoul, if that’s what I call you - why did I have to experience this emanation’s life? It was terrifying!”
The wispy, silver ribbon pulsed brilliantly for a few moments.
“Oversoul is fine, unless you find another name that feels right. As to this emanation, you needed to see different perspectives, especially those which disgust you or make you recoil in horror. We rarely allow ourselves to see that we too, have nefarious elements lurking in our subconscious. The question is, how did you really feel about even the most terrifying acts? Was there any time where you found yourself enjoying – even reveling in the experience?”
Pauline was feeling another wave of paranoia hit her. These ones were more difficult to deal with as they were linked to her fear of being a non-material entity – far removed from the emanation where she felt most comfortable. She knew in a theoretical sense that the life she’d left behind was a mild – maybe even boring level of experience. Why shouldn’t she grasp at the opportunity to grow in ways that most humans are not afforded?
“Doelanda, you should take heed. The longer you stay away from your current incarnation, the harder it is to get back. Always remember each initial entry point. If you make it back there within a twenty four hour Earth cycle, you will be able to go back to 2016. Then you’ll have time between each emanation to reflect and absorb what you’ve experienced.”
“What happens if I can’t get back?” Pauline asked, feeling her soul trembling.
“You’ll be stuck in whatever reality and emanation at the time – no matter how terrifying. The automaton in your place will then start growing a soul of her own, which will make it even more difficult to return, unless you happen to find a way in the Prism.”
Before Pauline had a chance to ask another question, they noticed a misty white cloud lighting up the bubble in time, where they were conversing. When she looked down, she saw Doeliana getting out of the blue bath and being dried off by her attendants.
“She will be meeting with the High Priestess soon. She intends on exorcising you from her body. If they are successful, you could be lost in spirit form forever, without the possibility of ever being able to enter another body – anywhere – at any time.”
“What do I do?!” Pauline asked in a spiritual panic.
“Go back into the body. Gain control. Get her to board that same ship that you rode into the city. Once aboard, meditate on exactly how you felt and what you saw when you first awakened in this world. The ship is thought-guided, so it will take you back to the initial entry point. From there, you must focus on getting back to Melbourne.”
Pauline hated not having hands to wring or hair to twirl.
“Really? What if their guards chase me?”
“Doelanda – you have all that you need within reach. Your fingertips are almost touching it. Allow the memories of the attack on the Darbits to feed your resolve. I hope that you will succeed.”
When the silver wisp disappeared and she was catapulted back into Doeliana’s body, the inertia took a moment to work itself out. She heard Doeliana thinking aloud to herself.
“I’ve never felt an infection like this before. What if that Darbit possessed me? They have magical powers. They dabble in the Dark Arts. We all know it. I must demand that the Priestess performs this rite as soon as possible. I will not allow a demon to usurp me!”
Pauline felt like she had a gargantuan struggle ahead of her. Every time she tried to get a hold of Doeliana’s consciousness, she felt the wall slamming in front of her face. Every now and again, it was a wall of electricity – like trillions of bees stretched out in a blanket of searing pain. The only thing Pauline could think of, was to fantasize about the kill. The revulsion was a huge tidal wave to overcome.
The visions started off as little flickers across Doeliana’s mind. The taste of blood and the orgiastic feeding. The pleasure of total annihilation and slaking a deep thirst started blanketing her mind even more, until Pauline allowed for one final push, where she immersed herself in the memories of being lost in the flood of blood.
The desire in her loins matched the fire in her throat. She longed for the taste of the sweet liquor of life that pulsed so provocatively in the veins of others. In seconds she was not only marching on her way to the ship; Doeliana sent a telepathic message to her army of ravens. When she saw them swoop down on the ship her heart skipped a beat.
Parallel Portals Page 6
