(Warning: Graphic Content – Recommended Age 18+)

What frightened Pauline about this emanation was how – once again – she was like a prisoner inside another body. As Julie in the 1950’s (back on Earth) she was still able to control her movements. She was also horrified with the cold, dark thoughts projecting from this mind. Even though she was enjoying the physical sensations of the warm wind against her mostly bare skin and the muscular strength – the ravenous taste for blood was taking center stage.

She heard the caws from the ravens and the ruffling feathers, like all the sounds in this world were so clear that it was more lucid than any vivid dream or any visceral experience she’d had in her real body. It seemed like an eon ago when she’d been in Melbourne, sipping a delicious Cappuccino at the market with Jon. Her emotions were getting the better of her, but the power of this emanation’s compulsion for feeding seemed to be swarming like a collection of dozens of clouds in a stormy sky.

The land was stark and endless. There were sharp, pointed mountains in the near distance and the top layer of sandy soil was cracked. Her swift feet moved effortlessly as she strode across the plains. Now she was almost running as she neared what looked like a settlement at the foot of the closest mountain range. Her pulse quickened as one of the ravens darted ahead, cawing loudly to the others.

She heard growling and grunting coming from her throat – like an excited, inner urging over the expectation of a feeding. Now only fifty feet away from the settlement, she saw that it was a grouping of small huts and lean-to’s – like a makeshift shanty town. There were frames with strange, small creatures stretched out and drying on rough netting; various baskets of all shapes and sizes made from grasses and reeds – as well as many little campsites with odd looking ground birds waddling about.

She didn’t falter or flinch when several people came racing out of the dwellings, yelling as they scattered and circled around to prepare their defense. Many females ran off to the foot of the closest mountain, gripping their young ones tightly and screaming fearfully. Pauline was terrified but this body continued running into the fray, twisting and twirling the scepter over and over in her hands skillfully. She screeched like a banshee while the ravens formed a circular barrier around her.

Then two of the men called out in horror – voices trembling to the point of nearly crying.

“Halt, we beg you – Queen Doeliana!”

“Please, no!”

They were dressed like Bedouin nomads, but their clothes were rough like hessian and stopped at the knees. Their head gear seemed to be made from beige leather, hanging down their faces in ragged strips. They were barefoot and waving spears around, but the fear in their eyes spoke volumes. It was obvious that they knew they were about to die.

What happened next freaked Pauline out to the degree of nearly fainting – while trapped inside this body – which continued to be unaware of her presence. The ravens descended – still in formation – but transforming into humanoid beings. They still had wings and were blacker than pitch, with long, jagged teeth and bright green eyes. As the screeching continued to propel itself out of her mouth, the creatures began to tear into the smaller people – some of them women – like wild beasts ripping their prey apart.

Pauline felt the blood-lust like a tidal wave, coursing through her veins and pounding in her head. All of a sudden the scene became awash in a red tint, as the mutilation and murder played itself out like the worst horror film she’d ever seen. When one of the men dropped to the ground – entrails flailing and mouth wide open in futile panic – she jumped on him and hunched over his still writhing body.

Now she was one with the emanation. The desire for blood was intense. Thrusting her face into his hot neck she opened her mouth wide as the fangs sunk deeply into his flesh. She felt the effortless piercing of the tendons and veins, while all her teeth secured him for the feeding. When the rushing blood was sucked into her hungry mouth she nearly climaxed. It was truly horrifying to Pauline but at the same time she was laughing like a mad woman.

Swallowing like a rabid beast, she arched her back as her face pushed further into his neck, bringing him up and back with her in the tirade of orgiastic feasting. She thrilled at his tortured screams while his hands grabbed hopelessly at her arms and back. Her left hand cradled his hard head as she fed, while her right hand twisted his arm behind his back.

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 shaped like a crescent moon the size of half a football field – both points turned downwards and 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!”

Stay tuned for Chapter 7 – next week!