Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles)

by Chanley, Deborah

"I'm afraid, Thane." She drew in a shaky breath as her body trembled with fear.

  "Don't be scared. I'll be here to protect you."

  ***

  Normally, Valencia would have been irritated with his taunting smile, but she found comfort in it now. He was teasing her about her misgivings and it relaxed her. The steady beat of his heart matched the rhythm of her own and her fear dissipated. He had saved her once before and that eased her fears.

  Valencia obeyed the Mlinzi. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on drawing in long, deep breaths. Faintly, like a tiny spark, she felt a speck of energy in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes flew open and she stared into Thane's yellow orbs.

  "I feel it!" she said in surprise. Thane released her hands and she stepped back towards the railing.

  "Let it grow," Thane said, encouraging her to free her Gift.

  Keeping her eyes locked onto Thane's, she opened herself to the power. The spark quickly grew into an inferno. Barely aware of her physical presence, she staggered backward, with only the railing stopped her from plummeting into the ocean. Sweat beaded her brow and she moaned with both pain and ecstasy as she surrendered to the power. The euphoria of energy was tremendous and she was lost in its rapture. Like before, her mind clouded with a swirling mist. Yet this time it was different. Instead of hate consuming her, every fiber of her being was alive. She felt the life around her. From the tiniest insect, to the creatures deep in the ocean, life was plentiful. Deeper still, she felt the mysterious presence as before. She reached out her mind to touch the slumbering being and the rhythm of its heartbeat synchronized with hers. Adrift within the abyss, Valencia felt it stir.

  ***

  "Control it!" Thane ordered, trying to get the princess to focus. Almost toppling into the ocean, the princess staggered against the railing. With lightning speed, he raced to her side and grabbed her arms.

  Valencia did not respond to his words and when he saw her glazed eyes, he slapped her hard across the face. She was so lost within herself, Thane doubted she even felt the blow. The princess's power was stronger than before and he could not touch her with his mind. "Control it!" He yelled again in desperation as Valencia's green eyes rolled back into her head. Her body began to convulse and turn cold beneath his hands.

  "Do something!" Donna screamed. "She's having a seizure."

  "Come back to me, Valencia." Afraid of losing the love of his life, he pulled her tightly into his arms. Not knowing what else to do, Thane whispered in her ear, releasing his restrained love within his words, "Don't leave me, my love. I can't live without you."

  ***

  Thane's softly spoken words penetrated the exhilaration of power. The love in his voice seeped into her mind and allowed her to concentrate on his presence. Like seeing a speck of light from the bottom of a dark abyss, Valencia reached for its source. The light flamed brightly with Thane's declaration of love and she grabbed hold of it with her semi-conscious mind. Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings, all the while pushing the energy into a tightly controlled ball, as she had done a thousand times at the compound. The only difference was that she did not extinguish it.

  "I need to release it." Valencia's eyes focused on the distraught features of the Mlinzi. With an unsteady sigh of relief, Thane guided her to the stern of the boat and helped her touch the water. As she poured the energy into its depth, the energy caused the water to ripple as if a large stone had been dropped into a smooth lake. "Come to me," she ordered, as the last of the power seeped into the ocean's dark depths. With a weak sigh, she collapsed into Thane's arms. Exhausted, with barely enough strength to stay awake, she rested her body against her guard. Slowly she realized their close proximity and felt the closeness between them. Did she just imagine the guard's love for her? Shyly she pushed out of Thane's embrace. Rising to her feet, she stumbled as she took a step. A strong arm wrapped around her waist as the Mlinzi steadied her.

  "I can walk." She gave him a shaky smile and stumbled again.

  "Sure you can."

  Ignoring her protest, Thane scooped her into his arms and carried her to the chair. "Don't you ever do that again," he said. As he glared down at her, Thane's anxiety was plain to see, and his voice quivered with emotion. "I . . . we almost lost you."

  "You told me to let it grow," Valencia said weakly, incredibly tired from the release of energy. What creature did I awaken? Was it Earth's spirit? she thought as she summoned the strength to glare back at the Mlinzi. "Make up your mind."

  "You foolish girl, you almost let your ignorance kill you. You need to think first, woman!" Thane yelled at her as if he were shaken to the core. She could feel his fear and she could not stop the smile that formed on her lips. He actually cared about her.

  "You have to control the energy, or it will control you." The Mlinzi's growl only made her smile grow.

  "Um, you guys," Donna interrupted their heated confrontation. "There's something happening in the water!"

  At her words, they stopped their argument and Thane helped Valencia to the railing. The ocean around the craft bubbled with life. Trillions of tiny krill, and other microscopic animals, swarmed around the ship in a gigantic circle that turned the water pink. Small fish soon arrived, feeding on the krill. Within minutes, shark fins circled their craft. The large, terrorizing killers bumped the ship near where they stood by the railing. As a large great white shark lifted itself into the air, Valencia stretched out her hand to touch it.

  "Don't be stupid!" Thane barked, thrusting her hand away from the shark. "Just because you called it doesn't mean it won't try to eat you!"

  "It wouldn't hurt me!" she answered just as hard, although she was not so sure her words were true.

  "Look!" Donna exclaimed, pointing out to sea. There was a disturbance on the surface, as something swiftly travelled towards them. The sharks disappeared when a super-pod of about a thousand dolphins came into view. The mammals danced around the yacht as they fed on the fish. All three of them reached over the railing to caress the smooth skin of the dolphins when the mammals took turns to see who had called them.

  Donna gave a startled gasp and quickly stepped backward when the water erupted as a Humpback whale rose to the surface. The huge mammal emerged close to the craft as it took a mouthful of krill. Three more of the huge animals swam by, each rolling onto their side to peer at Valencia. To everyone's surprise, a sperm whale glided by, with her calf in tow. Above, sea birds blocked most of the sun as they swooped down to feast on the fish and krill. As the tiny crustaceans disappeared, so did the larger animals, leaving the trio alone once more.

  "My God, Val," Donna said in wonder. "I didn't believe you, but now . . ." her voice trailed off as she watched the last of the whales slowly swim out of sight.

  "I'm so tired." Fatigue swept over Valencia like a tidal wave. Now that the excitement was gone, she felt bone tired. If it had not been for Thane's strong arms, she would have fallen.

  ***

  "You did well." Thane helped the princess to the lounge chair under the awning. He was awestruck by the marina wildlife and was pleased everything had turned out okay. Still shaken, however, by the near disaster of losing the princess, he hovered over her like a protective mother hen. "But you have to learn how to control the Gift, not let it control you."

  "I can't believe that just—" With a screech of terror, Donna fell forwards as something wrapped around her ankle and yanked her backwards with incredible force. Swiftly, Thane grabbed one of the small swords, and raced to aid the earthling. He lunged forward to grasp one of her outstretched hands and tugged with all his might to prevent Donna from falling into the ocean. The earthling screamed in pain as he felt her shoulder pop out of the socket. In sheer panic, the woman wrapped her free hand around his wrist. Her nails dug into his flesh as she clung on for dear life. The unseen creature tightened its grip on her leg and she cried out in agony when the monster wrenched her in the opposite direction, dislocating femur from pelvis. Placing both feet on the posts that su
pported the railing, and putting the sword between his teeth, he used both arms to heave the woman into the deck. Before the creature could regain the lost ground on its prey, Thane took the blade and sliced the tentacle clean through, just below Donna's foot. Like a taunt rubber band snapping in two, the human came flying forwards, knocking him backwards, to land sprawled on top of him.

  Before Thane could remove the injured woman, several long tentacles exploded from the water and wrapped around the yacht. With tremendous strength, the behemoth yanked the bow of the craft underwater. As the craft tilted, Thane and Donna slid across the deck towards the huge, bulbous head that had emerged from the ocean. The monster's parrot-beak mouth opened to receive its prey, as its suction-cupped limbs hauled the craft deeper into the water. Thane kicked his feet at the beast's mouth, while trying to push Donna above his head. The scream that escaped from the woman chilled his blood, when one of the powerful limbs wrapped around her waist and plucked her from his grasp. Helpless to stop the creature from carrying the earthling away, Thane blindly stabbed at the limbs that tried to encase him as well. He spotted the saucer-sized eye and threw the blade towards it. With a sinking heart, he watched helplessly when the small sword embedded into a tentacle that had swerved to protect the black orb.

  A brilliant white light erupted behind Thane, nearly burning his unprotected eyes. The fulgent blaze enveloped the creature as it tried to withdraw into the water with its prey. The ocean turned black from the octopus ink when another bolt of light struck the sea monster. As the creature jerked backwards, Thane glanced above his head to see his rescuer. Valencia stood on the tilted deck as if it were flat. Radiant light flared around her as it erupted from her every pore. Her green eyes were wide and fixed on the creature, and her red hair flowed around her like a crimson halo.

  "Leave us!" screamed Valencia as she pushed the light with her palms towards the animal again. With a loud plop, Donna fell onto the deck.

  "I said leave us!" the princess screamed once more, and enveloped the sea monster with white, hot power. The stench of burning flesh filled the air as the creature's slimy skin bubbled and turned black. The behemoth screeched in agony and fell back into the murky water. Once released from the monster's grip, the craft bounced out of the water, throwing its passengers into the air, only to send them crashing back onto the deck with a sickening thump. The yacht bobbed like a buoy while water poured off the deck, then settled onto the smooth ocean as if nothing was amiss.

  All was quiet as the brilliant light dissipated. Mired in pain, they all lay on the deck, too exhausted to move. Not spared by the Matka-Zem's wrath, Thane's proximity to the monster had caused him to receive third-degree burns on his chest and legs. The only thing that had saved him was a huge tentacle that had crashed to the deck inches from his head, shielding him from the light. Thane groaned in agony as he slid on his back towards the women. Although in extreme pain, he knew he would heal with a day or two of sleep even without the use of the Ravib Kivi, but the human was another matter.

  "Donna," Thane whispered when he reached the human. "How do you fare?"

  "I'm alive," Donna whispered back, as she opened her blue eyes. "I can't move my leg and arm, and I think that thing broke some of my ribs." She glanced at him with pain-filled eyes. "You look pretty bad too."

  "I'll live," Thane said as he tried to push into a sitting position, but collapsed back to the deck in torment. "I was too close to the beast and received burns from Sora's fire." They both painfully turned to look at the princess. She had crumbled to the deck, totally spent from the exertion. Thane closed his eyes and reached out to her mind. The bond between them allowed him to feel her heartbeat and he was glad to find the rhythm strong. "The princess sleeps," he said, and he tried again to sit. Slowly, and in excruciating pain, he was able to get to his feet. Although the first step almost caused him to black out, with an iron will from years of training, he focused on his task. He needed to retrieve the Ravib Kivi below deck before the human died.

  Surprisingly, there was no water in the cabins and he slowly made his way to his room. With shaky fingers, he found the right pouch in his cloak and withdrew the Ravib Kivi. It flared bright blue as he partially healed his wounds. Although powerful, the crystal needed recharging on a regular basis. Before he left Sora, he had charged all his crystals, but he expected that the wounds on the earthling were extensive and would use what was left of the crystal's energy. With his pain decreased to a manageable level, he made his way back to the women. He knelt beside the Matka-Zem and brushed a strand of hair from her pale face. The princess had already been exhausted before the sea monster attacked. Now she lay totally spent. Her pulse was strong, but she was unable to be aroused from her exhausted sleep. Momentarily leaving his charge where she lay, Thane gingerly made his way towards the human.

  ***

  Donna had lied to Thane when he asked how she was. She knew she was dying from the monster's attack. Her limbs were out of their sockets, and a broken rib had pierced a lung, making it difficult to breathe. Worse, when the behemoth had plucked her from the deck, she had felt something burst deep inside her abdomen. Now, as she lay broken, she feared she would die before she could say goodbye to her friends. She watched as Thane slowly went below deck, to retrieve the little blue crystal he had used to help her sunburn, but she doubted it could heal her now. Donna tilted her head to look at the unmoving princess not ten feet away, but she could not shift her broken body to comfort her. Thane said she was sleeping, but she wondered if that was true. She wanted to reach out and touch Valencia but even the slightest breath brought her horrendous pain. Blood pooled in her mouth and she choked on its thick, iron taste. Her head spun in a nauseous maelstrom and her vision began to darken.

  It felt like an eternity before she saw the Mlinzi returned from the cabins. She couldn't help but smile at how Thane tenderly caressed Valencia when he knelt by her side. Donna had heard his declaration of love for the princess, and she watched him tenderly stroke the unconscious woman now. Yet, for some unknown reason, he would not express his feelings towards her friend when she could hear him. The princess was too young and naive to realize her own feelings towards the Mlinzi, but Donna knew she cared for him too. She yearned to play matchmaker between the two. If by some miracle she survived, she vowed she would find a way to bring them together.

  ***

  "No!" Donna wheezed as blood dripped from her mouth when Thane knelt before her. "Heal Valencia first. She's more important."

  "True enough, little earthling," he responded, with a hint of a smile. At this request, his respect for the human grew. He had doubted she had the courage, or the will, to protect the princess. However, at that moment, she had just offered her life to the Matka-Zem. The human did not have long to live and any delay would be her undoing. He peered into her pain-filled eyes to see her true being and deemed her worthy of life. "However, the Ravib Kivi cannot help the Matka-Zem." Thane gave the dying woman another smile. "Besides, Valencia would be angry if I let you die."

  ***

  "I don't think that thing can help me, Thane," Donna whispered as she watched him pull the crystal from his pocket.

  "Genees Mij," Thane whispered into the blue shard. He gave her one of his slight smiles. "Do you really have so little faith in me, earthling? Be strong, Donna, this will hurt."

  Without another word, he touched the blue crystal to her temple. It had stung when the Mlinzi healed the sunburn on her back, but this was something entirely different. She moaned in agony when she felt her muscles and bones begin to knit together. Her insides twisted as they too mended under the crystal's power. The pain was too great. With a sigh of resignation, she sank into a dark pit of nothingness.

  ***

  Valencia fought her way out of the fathomless, black abyss and opened her eyes. The dim light barely illuminated the small cabin, yet it still caused her head to pound. With tremendous effort, she managed to sit at the edge of the bed. The room spun in a nauseating cir
cle and she had to close her eyes to keep from vomiting. The last thing she remembered was Donna falling on the deck as something yanked her backwards. She could not remember anything else. Concern for her friend extinguished the desire to lay back down on the bed, and she forced her shaky legs to hold her weight. A quick wash in the bathroom revived her strength and Valencia gingerly made her way to the deck. Seeing no one there, she headed towards the bridge. Peering through the door's window, she found her companions in deep discussion, and by the look of them, it was not very pleasant. Donna wore a scowl on her pretty face, with hands on hips, as if she were scolding the Mlinzi. Thane looked miserable, and if she had not known the man, she would have sworn he was close to tears. Valencia opened the door to announce her presence and the pair turned in unison.

  "Well, sleepyhead, you're finally awake!" Donna exclaimed when she saw her. The small woman practically skipped to her side and gave her a gigantic hug. "You are the greatest, Val. You saved our lives."

  "I did?" Valencia quickly glanced at Thane, who nodded his head in confirmation. "How?"

  "You used Sora's fire, Matka-Zem." Thane placed a fist to his heart and lowered his eyes in servitude as he bowed his head. "It's fabled that the first Matka-Zem could wield such power, although none have possessed such power in centuries." Thane gave her a perplexed stare, as he slightly tilted his head in thought. "I'm not sure how you managed to draw it to you though, with you being on Earth."

  "I don't remember," Valencia said in a dejected tone, but the memory of the mysterious being she had awakened tickled in her mind. Pushing the thought away, she looked at Donna. "It happened so fast, it's all a blur. The last thing I recall was seeing you being pulled off the deck."

  "Well, Thane was the one who helped there." Donna gave a huge smile to the Mlinzi, who actually smiled back, before she continued her explanation. "But, you were the one who really saved us!"

  "Oh!" when she saw the Mlinzi give Donna a genuine smile, full and heartfelt, the green-eyed monster of jealousy raised its ugly head. Valencia looked suspiciously from one to the other. She stiffened her back and tried to control her errant emotions. "Well, it really doesn't matter anyway. We still might not survive when we reach this Gate."