Chapter 2: Psylugs

Enzir appeared to be alarmed at the sudden reaction of the prisoner to the psylugs. He had never really used them on any of the prisoners before, but Lankko mentioned that they were very effective in eliciting the truth from those they latched on. The psylugs continued to change colors rapidly and appeared to swell. Enzir was dazzled by the brilliant display of color and seemed transfixed until he realized that the prisoner’s screams had gone silent. Enzir shook his head and blinked his eyes as he saw the psylugs fall off the prisoner's temples to the grimy floor. The psylugs continued to writhe, eventually returning to their original dull gray color.

The prisoner’s body went limp and Enzir saw that he had become unconscious. He turned to the soldiers who were still holding onto the prisoner’s restraints.

"Wake him," Enzir said, turning away from the unconscious prisoner. Lankko heard his master and gave instructions to the soldiers. One of the soldiers tapped the prisoner’s shoulders to see if he would respond. The other soldier looked around the room and found a bucketful of water. He approached the apparatus and threw the water over the prisoner. Still, the prisoner did not move.

"Jad Enzir…” said Lankko, his voice low as he called his master’s attention. “The prisoner is unconscious. I haven’t totally discovered the effects of a psylug attaching itself to a human and attaching two of them is something I haven't done before. I didn’t expect the prisoner to react that way with the psylugs. He was supposed to be paralyzed and answer truthfully any question asked of him.”

“What are you saying?” asked Enzir. He faced Lankko, avoiding the sight of the apparatus and the unfortunate prisoner still strapped onto it.

“He may not survive if we do any more of this," Lankko said, motioning to the limp body of the prisoner.

Enzir glared at Lankko and appeared displeased at not being able to continue with his questioning. After a moment's pause, Enzir said in a loud voice, "Tell me if he wakes up!" He then marched briskly out of the room followed by his soldiers.

Lankko watched Enzir and the soldiers as they exited the dungeon, leaving him standing alone inside the chamber with the box of psylugs still in his hands. He glanced at the motionless body of the prisoner and sighed. He covered the box of squirming psylugs and proceeded to return to the cabinet where he retrieved it earlier, all the while mumbling complaints against his master. 

“Why can’t he just play with his board games like he used to?” Lankko shook his head slowly. “All this questioning the prisoner and making me do all sorts of things so early in the morning is getting tiresome,” Lankko said to himself. “I told him the psylugs are still experimental. I told him to just focus on the affairs of the city instead. Yet, what does he do? I want to be like my father, he says. It’s not like his father did a lot of good in this world.”

Lankko had just set the box down on its space in the shelf when he felt a hand over his shoulder. He shouted expletives in his surprise and quickly turned around to see a slender woman standing behind him.

The woman was wearing a long dress made of intricately woven threads of reds and yellows that revealed much of her slim figure. A white shawl made of translucent fiber and embroidered with intricate floral designs was draped over her breast and left shoulder, leaving her right shoulder bare. Her black hair fell in luxurious cascades over her shoulders and framed her face.

"So, those were the psylugs you were showing me last night!" the woman remarked, her modulated voice was like music to Lankko's ears.

"Mira!" said Lankko in surprise. "You're not supposed to come in here. I told you to wait in the next room and watch from there."

"I did just that, my sweet." Mira touched Lankko's ear and caressed his cheek. "I heard your prisoner screaming ever so loudly and saw those colorful slugs drop off. Then, I got bored."

"The psylugs! I forgot! They fell to the floor." Lankko exclaimed and was about to walk past Mira to collect the psylugs when Mira stopped him in his tracks.

"You mean these?" Mira held the two squirming psylugs in her hands and placed one of them on Lankko's forehead.

Lankko cried in a mixture of surprise and pain as the psylug attached itself to his forehead and started to glow. He raised a hand to pull the psylug off, but the glowing creature was already firmly attached to his forehead and Lankko felt his limbs grow heavy. Lankko did his best to shake off the psylug from his forehead by moving clumsily about. In his struggle, Lankko bumped into the shelves which crashed to the floor along with the boxes and metal implements it contained. After some time, Lankko stopped moving and thrashing about. He collapsed to the floor and stared at the ceiling with his eyes wide open.

Mira approached Lankko where he collapsed and saw that the psylug remained attached to his forehead. The psylug continued to glow in waves of blue and green. Mira looked at the psylug and wondered how much of what Lankko said about it was true. She lifted a foot and gave Lankko’s shoulder a nudge. Lankko did not move.

“At least, what you said about the paralysis was true,” said Mira. She then glanced at the prisoner who still lay strapped motionless to the apparatus at the center of the room. Mira stepped over Lankko's paralyzed body and walked towards the prisoner with graceful and self-assured steps, catlike in manner.

She shook the prisoner's shoulder. “Wake up,” Mira said. “You have to wake up.” The prisoner remained unresponsive. 

Seeing no response from the prisoner, Mira released the straps that held him and untied the ropes that held his body tightly against the apparatus. Then, she held him and let his body slid slowly to the floor. 

Mira held the prisoner’s shoulders and shook him. “Hey, I’m trying to help you. Are you alright?” There was still no movement from the prisoner except for the slow rise of his chest as he breathed. Mira looked around the room and saw a shelf holding a collection of different labeled bottles and jars. She rose from where she was kneeling next to the prisoner and walked towards the shelf. She looked at the jars and seemed undecided on what to do next.

“Yes, Wen, I hear you. There are a lot of bottles here, but which one!” Mira said, lifting one jar after another and looking at the hardly legible labels.

“No, I don’t know which one. You know I don’t have the slightest clue about your herbs and powders,” Mira said impatiently at what seemed to be an invisible companion. She set down the bottle she was holding and waved her hands in exasperation.

Then, Mira said, “You will have to look for it yourself.” She took a few steps away from the shelf and squatted on the floor. She closed her eyes and breathed evenly. After a while, she opened her eyes and rose. She went to the shelf and picked up the jars one at a time to look at the labels. Then, she took out one jar and held it closer to the light to read the label. She nodded in satisfaction and carefully opened the jar. She held it close to her nose and sniffed its contents. Nodding once more, she scooped some of the white crystalline powder onto a shallow dish and poured some liquid from a dark bottle. The powder sizzled and issued a thin smoke. She quickly returned to the prisoner and held the dish close to his nose. The prisoner breathed in the vapors and responded with a cough before slowly opening his eyes.

"Who are you? Why did they bring you here?" asked the woman who until a while ago was Mira. Her voice was soft as she looked at the prisoner with concern. She saw that the prisoner was about to speak and she leaned her ear closer to hear him. The prisoner looked at her languidly and said in a weak voice, "El...Dion… Please… Let me go home…" After which, the prisoner closed his eyes and once again lost consciousness.