"Solaria! Anoint my Spirit with your scalding center!" she cried, "But torch not my hot temple of flesh and blood! Just as you said, I am needed to procreate! Now get me out of here!" She could hear a raspy, muffled, mechanical meow come from within her knapsack, which was still slung over her shoulder. She coughed.
Lina again shut her Eyes. She took a slow, steady breath in, and then out, and found herself Once again Observing her body back up in the High Ocean. She saw her long, smooth figure gracefully gliding in twirls within the all-too-black, totally starless sky; this time she swam alone.
Episode I. The Anointing of Mother Magdalena | Chapter 6.
STARTLED, AND FEELING SUDDENLY ISOLATED, LINA OPENED HER Eyes wide, shook her Head fiercely, found herself back in the crashed pod behind her own Eyes, staring back into the flame. It was growing. More smoke was gathering. She was trembling.
Staring through the blaze, Lina’s vision went out-of-focus, bringing the background images to the forefront. And that’s when she noticed it. Just beyond the fire, Lina caught sight of a small opening, revealing the toxic outdoors.
"Yes! That's it!" she said. "Thank you, Solaria!"
It would be a tight fit, but she thought she could squeeze through the crevice if she could somehow make it through the hungry flames and debris that blocked it.
The brilliancy of her dress was idling, flickering on and off, diminishing rapidly. Its protective effect, it seemed, was continuing to wear off rapidly. “Oh no! My dress!” Lina cried. She coughed several times, her body aching tremendously now.
“Dammit!” she declared vehemently. “What an opportune time to have my powers dim on me!” she stated sarcastically.
