Esania came awake slowly. Her head was fuzzy, her eyes were gritty, and she could feel the beginnings of a terrible migraine coming on.

Bright light flooded her vision. She looked up and saw a riot of glittering color. An ornate ceiling stretched above her, and she had to blink several times to fully process what she was seeing.

What is this?

Then it hit her.

They were gemstones. Thousands of tiny glittering gemstones, arranged in the most intricate designs. Starbursts, swirls, fractals.

Am I dreaming?

She was lying in some sort of bed, still dressed in her original clothes. In a daze, she glanced to either side of her and saw folded wings.

Wings?

Black, hard, curving wings. With menacing claws at the ends. Esania’s heart hammered as it took her a moment to realize that they weren’t real wings, but carvings that encircled a massive oval-shaped bed frame.

She stretched her arms and legs. There was nothing on the bed, not even a thin sheet to cover herself with, but the surface beneath her was impossibly soft and comfortable.

Glancing to one side, she saw a polished stone floor that extended out as far as her eyes could see.

Where am I?

She was in a large room, a light, airy space with ornately arched ceilings and walls of smooth white stone. The construction was more sophisticated than anything else she’d seen on this planet.

She definitely wasn’t in Vradhu territory anymore.

Overhead, sunlight streamed in through high windows. One of them appeared to be broken, allowing a balmy breeze to enter the room. To her right were a pair of massive black doors, decorated with incredibly detailed carvings of flowers and foliage. Big grey metal bolts studded the borders, giving Esania the impression these doors could have been found on Earth during medieval times.

What am I doing here?

She shook her head. At first her thoughts were a slow, fuzzy trickle, but then realization struck her, and Esania gasped.

She sat up in alarm as the terrifying memories returned. She’d been abducted by a monster of Khira; a pale, winged, flying demon. He’d taken her up high, where the air had become cold and thin, making her grow lightheaded from the lack of oxygen.

Then he’d done something to her; something that had made her drowsy and weak.

She’d passed out.

Esania took a deep, shuddering breath. For the first time in her life, she felt like bursting into tears.

Don’t be ridiculous. Pull yourself together.

Humans cried. Primeans didn’t. She was going to get through this. She was going to use facts and cool-headed logic to get herself out of this mess.

Ha. Look at where her so-called decisions had led her. From the Serakhine to a Fiveways mercenary ship, to this forsaken planet on the other side of the Netherverse. Even the most sophisticated behavioral prediction algorithms couldn’t have accounted for cause and effect and the utterly human emotions she’d experienced when she’d found out that Sara was pregnant.

Somehow, her integration score had never accounted for her own vulnerabilities, but none of that mattered anymore, because deep down, she knew that what she’d done was right. Did being right always lead to justice? In the real Universe, probably not. But she could damn well fight for it, all the same.

She might be the prisoner of a pale, winged alien who could suck the strength right out of her with just a touch, but at least she was alive.

Clearly, she was of some value to him, because he could so easily have killed her.

Trembling, Esania rose to her knees, trying to get a better view of her surroundings, which were partly obscured by the strange black wing-carvings of the bed frame.

Something flickered in the distance; a large, imposing figure of shimmering white and gold.

Her heart skipped a beat.

He’s here!

“You…” She froze, momentarily forgetting to breathe. He sat so still that at first she’d thought he was a statue, but no, he was very much alive.