Page 28 of Abducting Sarah

“When we are young, we learn about our bodies,” Deacon said, absently playing with my hair. “As we get older, we learn what our bodies are good for. We do not allow for nonconsensual behaviors, not for any reason. There are other taboos—”

“Like what? Are there problems with homosexuality or—”

“What’s that?”

So, I explained it to him. But by the end of the explanation, he was still lost.

Deacon asked, “Why would anyone have a problem with that?”

I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to explain it, but thousands of years of human history felt like too much toget into, so I simply said, “It’s a long story, but it boils down to religion, pretty much.”

He thought about it for a moment, then said, “Our gods are better.”

“They don’t have a problem with that then?”

“Of course not,” he scoffed. “Our gods decide what body you are given when you come from the ether, they control the flow of water and our weather, they even speak to the ghosts sometimes, but they do not care where we put our cocks. It is Ladrians who have rules about where we put our cocks and release, but that is only to ensure our bloodlines remain strong. Our gods do not care about anything like that.”

I smiled and sighed. “Sounds freeing.”

“If your gods care where you put your cocks, then human life sounds like a trap.”

I laughed and nodded. “It really can be.”

He glanced out the window and said, “We will be landing on Orhon soon. You will need to dress and transmogrify.”

“That’s the mogging thing, right?”

“Yes.”

I bit my bottom lip. “What is it, exactly?”

“There is no need to be nervous, Sarah. It is painless.”

I didn’t like that he already knew my nervous face. “Well, what happens when you mog?”

“We will put you into one of my crew’s uniforms and attach a mog belt. You press the blue button, and your body will go through many changes. Your cells will expand to their proper size and change until you look properly Ladrian. I am excited to see how your cells change. I’m not sure if I will like you better as a human or a Ladrian.”

He sounded so excited, and I laughed at the thought. “I’m not sure if I should feel insulted right now. You seemed to like me well enough as a human.”

“I do,” he said earnestly, “but you might be fetching as Ladrian, too. There is only one way to find out.”

“You promise it’s painless?” I couldn’t help but ask.

He smiled with a serenity in his eyes that set my mind at ease. “I promise. There will be no pain.”

We found a uniform close to my size. I was lucky Drift was on his crew—he wasn’t much larger than a human man, so his uniform draped on me, but not as badly as the first one Deacon had me try on.

He wrapped the mog belt around my waist and said, “Blue button to change to Ladrian. Purple button for human. When we are on Orhon, you will want to remain as a Ladrian. I am told the change can be awkward, at first. You will be much taller, your limbs longer. Do not be surprised if you knock things around. Watch your surroundings more carefully, and you will be fine.”

“You were told all this?” I asked curiously as I fiddled with the belt. “You don’t mog?”

“I have been doing it since I was a child. I am accustomed to the alterations.”

“Oh.”

“Ready?”

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Let’s do it.”

---