"Nothing but living it can describe it. There aren't enough words harsher than 'slave' and 'torture' and 'hell'. And having lived with another Yeerk as my sole company for years, I can tell you that her feelings about hostlessness don't even come close to being infested." The anger's back in her voice, her neck and mouth tight, looking past Dani as if she can picture Edriss just behind her.

"Hostlessness is utter helplessness. It's blindness and fear and uncertainty, but it's not the same as spending your every waking moment having to wait for someone else to sneeze and see and breathe for you, having one of those things treat your most sacred memories as playthings, having to beg and plead and watch as horrible things are done to your family and friends. It's not the same as helplessness. They can speak and move on their own accord. They can communicate their own opinions and desires. Controllerdom is knowing that you are nothing except a warm corpse, that you might as well not even exist."

There are tears in her eyes that she blinks back, and her knuckles shine white on her clenched hands.