After hundreds of lashes, and when Red Feline appeared to be unconscious, the flogging stopped. The Man in Black looked at Red Feline's back, full of bloody whip marks, she was trembling, but hardly moving, her head was thrown back, her red hair over her shoulders.

The man approached his victim, and grabbed her head, forcing her to face him.

Red Feline's eyes were closed, her breathing was soft.

The Man in Black took Red Feline's head and pushed her up to him, to meet his face so he could place a kiss on her mouth. Red Feline's mouth was soft, tender, her tongue was dry. The man forced his tongue inside of her mouth, opening it, without much resistance from her, until he was fully inside.

Red Feline didn't react, she just opened her mouth and didn't do much. She couldn't, she was in the second world, looking down at the scene, trying to make sense of what was happening.

She could see the hand of the man holding her head but she could not feel it. She could see him kissing her but did not feel the kiss.

She felt nothing, but she knew that was not what the governor of the province expected from his slaves.

As soon as Piroska lined up with the other young women to be chosen, she made sure everyone would know she was not going to submit. The governor liked the spirit of the young woman, he decided to take her as his slave. She would serve in his house. His wife didn't like the young, defiant slave. "She's trouble...why don't you just have her fed to the lions and save yourself some headache?". "I'll tame her!", he laughed.

From the second world the sight was not welcome. Something was about to occur that demanded Red Feline's attention. She was still above herself, looking down at the Man in Black, who, after kissing her, paused to gaze at the young, beautiful woman and then proceeded to lean to the rock below where the nasty looking nails were waiting.

Red Feline's legs were trembling and her heart began to pound with anticipation, she didn't have to open her eyes to see what was happening. She could clearly see the nail on the rock, the big, rusty, nail, and the hand that grabbed it.

The man took the nail and checked it to see if it was sharp enough.

Red Feline, her eyes closed, her heart pounding, her muscles tense, saw him reach up, nail in hand.

She wanted to open her eyes, even if it was not necessary, she could still see from above, which was more simple. She was in between the two planes now, not here, not there, just in between, seeing part of her ordeal, feeling the other part, as if in a dream that is too real to be a dream but is a dream nonetheless.

She felt his arm passing over her chest.

The man grabbed Red Feline's body, pressing her breast with the palm of his hand. He took the nail and proceeded to insert it into her back.

He picked a spot where the shoulder blades and the muscles meet, with enough flesh to sink in but nowhere near anything vital.

Red Feline shook in pain as the nail went in. She opened her eyes and became fully aware of her situation. She was no longer looking from afar, she was in the middle of her torture. The nail slowly penetrated her back.