Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles)

by Chanley, Deborah

  "You will be able to control them with practice," said Thane. The flowers raised as he drew near to take her elbow. "But for now we have to keep moving."

  "Hey," said Donna. "You don't happen to have a Sora for Dummy's book tucked in that cloak of yours, do ya?" Donna fell into step with them. "That would really come in handy right now."

  Clearly missing the joke, Alana said, "There might be some information on file in the Kota Emas libraries." She had taken the rear guard down the well-used path, but she wasn't missing a beat of the discussion. "If you don't find what you want there, Kifo has a complete index of all the plants and animals on Sora."

  "Kifo, huh? You'll have to get me a copy. Or, better yet, I'll go to it." Donna flashed a Cheshire-cat smile at Alana and Thane and Valencia watched as they both shook their heads at Donna. "Why not?" asked Donna.

  "Kifo is the city of the Mlinzi and not a place you can just visit, Donna." Alana placed a hand on her shoulder, encouraging Donna to keep moving down the path. "You have to be invited."

  "I wouldn't want either of you in Kifo, unless there was no other safe haven." Thane's voice was firm for the first time that day. Valencia looked at Donna and both she and Donna started to protest, but the Mlinzi held up his hand for silence. "No more talk of visiting Kifo. The final answer is no." Thane grasped Valencia's hand and tucked it at his elbow as he pulled her down the path. Throughout the day, the Mlinzi had frequently held her hand as he guided her through the forest. His touch made her skin tingle with electricity, heightening her awareness of him. As the day passed, the intimacy between them grew.

  "You know, the Keeper said you had to obey me." She wasn't too keen on being dropped off at the gates of a strange city, and taking a detour to follow her guard was a good idea, but she couldn't help but tease him. She gave Thane a flirtatious smile as she rested her head against his arm. She felt a magnetic pull towards the Mlinzi. At first, she had been shy towards Thane, as he gently bestowed his affection upon her. Yet, as time sped by, it became apparent to her that she truly harbored deep affections for the Mlinzi. She felt like a teenager flirting on her first date. I am a teenager! Valencia silently chuckled to herself as she realized she was not yet twenty. She tilted her head to look at Thane and the Mlinzi peered down at her, giving her a slight smile. Her heart skipped a beat at the desire that darkened his eyes. Thane was a man of thirty, not just a mere boy with whom she could flirt. He would want more from her than childish infatuation. The thought made her insides quiver with both longing and apprehension.

  "I don't have to obey you about this, Princess." The Mlinzi gave a soft chuckle in contrast to his hard tone. "And don't try pulling rank on me." Thane's smile widened as she tried to give him her best innocent, wide-eyed stare. He lowered his voice for only her to hear. "Don't try using your feminine wiles on me either, girl. You will get more than you bargained for."

  "Oh, I think I could handle you," Valencia whispered back, her heart skipping another beat at their sexual banter. At that very moment, she realized that Thane was going to make love to her and it would not be just a casual affair. In his arms, he will lay claim to her. Her response to his statement spoke of her willingness to be only his. It was just a matter of when.

  "One day soon, Princess, you'll learn what you really can handle." Thane's voice rose in volume, no longer in a playful tone. "But first we have to get you to Kota Emas."

  Thane's double meaning was clear to Valencia. Although the sexual tone was obvious and his threat made her go weak in the knees, there was also a deeper meaning. Once in the city she would be seen as the Matka-Zem, not just a young girl curled on a Mlinzi's arm. She gave Thane a stiff smile and pulled out of his grasp. She needed to get her head clear and being in close proximity to the Mlinzi was intoxicating. She had to learn what was happening on Sora, so she needed her wits about her. She gave the Mlinzi a sad smile and received a nod of understanding. The remainder of the hike they kept some distance between them.

  Just before they left the woods, Thane halted their progress. He removed his cloak while instructing Alana to do the same.

  "We need to keep you hidden for a while, Princess." With a squeak of protest from the Krysa, Thane swung the amazingly lightweight cloak over her shoulders and tied the cord at the base of her throat. With a sly smile, he pulled the cowl over her head and tenderly tucked the lose tendrils of hairs inside. "That red hair of yours will make you stick out like a sore thumb."

  "So will yours, Donna." Alana handed Donna her cloak, not bothering to show the same tenderness to Donna as Thane had shown Valencia. "No one has blond hair like yours and you will stick out too."

  "Keep your hands out of the pockets, you two." The Mlinzi ordered them in a firm tone. "We carry some deadly items, and I don't want either of you to get hurt."

  "Not after what we've been through." Donna laughed, pulling the cowl over her head. "We want to be extra careful."

  "Yes, we have been through a lot." Valencia did not look at her friend, but at Thane.

  "Keep your face hidden, Princess." He gave her a knowing smile and brushed a finger against her cheek, before pulling the cowl further over her brow.

  The Krysa chirped with such pettiness that they both chuckled.

  The landscape changed into farmland with houses, similar in style to the cabana, dotting the land. As far as the eyes could see, poorly kept fields and wilted crops spread before them. The gaunt people they encountered barely said a word to them as they listlessly moved about, so lost in their misery; some did not even see them pass.

  "What happened?" Donna asked in a whisper, afraid to speak any louder. The weight of repression hung heavily around them. It felt like a physical presence weighing them down that made each step grow more difficult, hindering their progress towards the city.

  "The Matka-Zem has been away a long time and Sora morns her loss," Alana answered in a hush. "The Koylu feel her grief the most."

  "I caused this?" Mortified by the devastation, Valencia felt tears burn in her eyes.

  "Not just you, Princess." Thane took hold of her elbow to guide her off the road. They were on the outskirts of a larger township, as worn-looking as the fields around it. The sense of desperation hung about the settlement, too. "Let's go around this. It best we don't walk through the town."

  "It was the other Matka-Zem that caused this," Alana answered with heat in her voice. "Your absence just made it worse."

  "What did they do?" Valencia glanced at the female Mlinzi in curiosity.

  "They were inadequate in their position, Princess."

  Thane glared at Alana for her judgmental comment. "There are some things best learned on your own, Valencia, without judging others."

  "You can tell me what you think later," Donna whispered to Alana as the shamed Mlinzi fell back a step.

  "There will be several versions as to why this happened, Thane. I value your opinion of the situation as a warrior of Sora and would like to hear your side of the story." Valencia raised her chin proudly, but was surprised she had quoted the Keeper, Naji, almost verbatim. To her surprise, both Mlinzi chuckled at her words.

  "She really was with the Xeral Mlinzi all those years." Alana shook her head in wonder.

  "Yes, she was. Now keep quiet. We don't want unwelcome visitors." Thane hushed them as they walked between two withered fields. It was the harvest season, yet the plants were brown and stunted in height, barely reaching Valencia's knees. Thane pulled her to a stop when a small, brown object bounced out of the field. A baseball-sized object rolled to a stop at her feet and she knelt to retrieve it. When she touched the ball, she realized it was not a toy at all, but a dried, rotten fruit. She studied the fruit for a second before she noticed a pair of tiny, dirty feet in front of her. Her eyes slid up the length of their owner and she saw a little child no more than six, standing in front of her. She could not tell the child's gender through all the dirt and matted hair. The child's clothes were grey and tattered, with no shoes on the mud-caked feet.
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  "Hello there." Valencia smiled but did not receive a smile in return. The child eyed the fruit with anxiety and timidly extended a filthy hand towards it. Anger bolted through her at how the half-starved child begged for the rotten fruit. Valencia swiftly rose to her feet, scaring the child, who quickly stepped backward.

  "Alana, give this child something to eat." Without waiting for the female Mlinzi to respond, she grabbed Thane's hand and marched him into the field.

  "What are you doing, Valencia?" Thane asked, but he did not try to stop her.

  "Listening to my heart." Valencia stopped in the middle of the field and gave him a smile. "I need you here, just in case." Without another word, she released his hand and closed her eyes. To her amazement, the energy instantly surged inside her as if she had plugged herself into a power socket. She felt like an electrical conduit receiving energy directly from the source. Reveling in the force of the current, she moaned with exhilaration. She sank to her knees, barely aware that Thane prevented her from falling and was gently guiding her down to the ground.

  "Control it, Valencia." Although he spoke in a whisper, Thane's words were loud inside her. In her mind's eye, a hand materialized and drew her back from eternal bliss. She felt the Mlinzi's firm hold on her shoulders and she opened her eyes to peer into his face.

  "Focus on what you want to achieve," he said softly.

  "Grow," Valencia whispered as she leaned forward and placed her hands flat on the ground. The energy flowed through her into the planet. She heard Donna's cry of surprise as the ground heaved under them like a single enormous heartbeat. The energy spread like a tsunami racing across the land. All around them, crops sprang to life and quickly grew before their eyes. Astonished shouts from the village filled the air, along with the songs of birds that had quickly flocked overhead. Strong hands grasped her tighter and she collapsed against the Mlinzi.

  "That wasn't exactly stealthy, Princess," Thane chuckled in her ear as he helped her to her feet.

  "How could I let these people starve when I had the ability to help?" With Thane's strong arm around her waist, she barely had enough strength to walk back to the others. "See why I need you? We are a team," Valencia whispered to the Mlinzi, but she only received a chuckle for response. Once again, Thane had guided her back from the euphoria of the Gift.

  The cowl had fallen off her head, revealing her fiery hair to the world. Holding a nibbled piece of bread in a dirty hand, the child gawked at her in astonishment. When Valencia peered into the wide brown eyes, the child squealed in fright and fled, yelling that the Matka-Zem was in their field.

  "We better keep moving," Thane ordered in a stern voice, wanting to avoid the rush of people into the fields. Within a matter of minutes, the fields had sprung to life and now plants reached for the rays of the suns. As the companions hurried down the path, the fields continued to grow, concealing them from prying eyes. They rushed out of the fields as the villagers poured out of their homes to stare at the miracle. The Mlinzi realized she was too weak to keep the swift pace, for he swung her into his arms and carried her into the steep hills below the city walls. Closing her eyes, she lay her head on his shoulder and listened to the rhythm of his heart. She liked the sound of it. The steady beat caused her to doze off just as the Mlinzi reached a steep pathway at the base of the cliffs.

  She woke as Thane lowered her onto a flattened boulder.

  "It's time to wake, Valencia,"" said Thane, "you've been asleep for an hour."

  Still gathering strength, she looked with the others as they peered over the valley and marveled at the fields before them.

  "You sure know how to make an entrance, Val." Donna whistled as they stared at the valley below them. The once withered fields were now erect and blooming, with some of the plants ready to harvest. Every plant and animal seemed to flourish for as far as the eyes could see. Jubilation had replaced depression as the townspeople celebrated in the fields.

  "I wonder how far your power traveled," said Donna.

  "Across the whole planet," Alana answered with a wide smile. "The Matka-Zem has revived Sora." Alana and Thane each placed a fist to their heart and lowered to one knee, giving Valencia a formal bow of respect. Donna gave her friend a bow too, but with a giggle, that brought a smile to her lips.

  This time, Valencia did not feel anxiety about the Mlinzi's formality, only reserved acceptance. Although she was exhausted, she liked the feeling of bringing life and hope back into the world. She acknowledged their gesture with a slight bow of her head.

  "After you rest a little, we have to keep moving," Thane said. He sat next to her and took hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers. "The city will be aware of your arrival by now and your father will be waiting for you."

  "My father . . . I remember only bits and pieces about him." She stared at their entwined hands and thought she saw sparks arc between their fingers. "Do you know him?"

  "Yes, I do. He's a good man, although misguided." Thane squeezed her hand before letting go. "Don't judge him too harshly."

  "You're speaking like the Keeper again, Thane. She always spoke in riddles too," Valencia said with authority. After touching with Sora and seeing the good she could do, she no long felt like a scared child. She was the Matka-Zem and deserved the truth. "I hate riddles. Please speak plainly to me."

  Thane shifted his hips to face her. Looking into her eyes, the Mlinzi lectured her like a teacher to student.

  "This is where you will make your life choices, Valencia. In the next few days, you will learn who you really are—and how everyone thinks you should be. You will have to make some important decisions soon and I do not want to influence your opinions with judgments of my own." Thane tenderly brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Do you understand my reluctance?"

  "Yes I do, but you also must understand that I trust you and value your opinions. Don't be surprised when I call upon you to be one of my advisers." Valencia gave Thane a little smile. "Most of all, I can't use my power unless you're around, Thane. We are a team, you and I. You brought me back to reality three times now and I will need you to do so again." A hint of fear flashed in her eyes. She realized wielding the Gift alone was dangerous. Once again, his words had brought her from the brink of total, irreversible bliss. "I don't understand how my Gift works. When we first escaped the compound, the power surged to live on its own, but when I call upon it, I get lost within myself.

  "I don't know exactly how it works either, Princess, but I think your subconscious takes over when you're in trouble. Self-preservation is a powerful instinct." Thane grasped her hand again and played with her fingers. She felt a tingle of electricity arc between their digits. "Anyway, I won't be gone for long, Valencia. I must report to the Mlinzi council, but we will be together again soon."

  As they fell quiet, content to hold each other's hand, she peered down upon the lush valley. Jubilation sparked through the land and she wished she could stay among the Koylu for the night of celebration that was sure to follow.

  After a short rest, they all began to hike up the steep pass to the city gates. Kota Emas shined like molten gold in the setting suns. The towers of Kota Emas were in stark contrast from the skyscrapers on Earth, which were mostly square and boxy. Spiraling towards the heavens with elegance and grace, the city's towers soared above them. The city walls were stone, adorned with gold and silver that sparkled in the setting suns. On top of the wall stood a handful of Torpek soldiers, dressed is golden armor and spiked helmets. The main gate was made of silvery steel that stood open to allow her entrance. Four Mlinzi waited outside, while an armed escort of Torpek soldiers controlled the waiting crowd. Her step faltered when Valencia saw people waiting for her to appear.

  "This is where we say goodbye, Princess." Thane pulled her to a stop and turned her to face him. He unhurriedly removed the cloak from her shoulders. Valencia held her tongue due to the lump in her throat as she watched him don his cape.

  "Goodbye?" asked Donna. "You're leaving us
?" She gasped in shock and stared at the Mlinzi. "But I thought . . ." She looked from Thane to Valencia and back to the Mlinzi. "You're breaking up the team?"

  "Remember, I will always be with you, Valencia." Thane ignored Donna and tenderly cupped her chin and rubbed his thumb over her lips before placing two fingers on her forehead. "I'll be in here." He lower his fingers to her heart. "And in here." With a sad smile, Thane stepped back and faced Donna.

  "You can't leave us, Thane." Donna frowned at the Mlinzi as tears shimmered in her eyes. "Didn't you two solve your problems last night?"

  "Don't worry, little earthling, all is well. Besides, I'm sure I'll have to rescue you again one day." Thane squatted before Donna to brush a tear from her face, then he ruffled her hair like a big brother might.

  "You take care of yourself." Donna threw her arms around Thane's neck and Valencia overheard her whisper, "Don't do anything stupid, okay?" She released him just as abruptly and marched to Valencia's side. With a nod to all of them, Thane walked away. Valencia and Donna quietly stood, hand in hand, until the Mlinzi disappeared from sight.

  "Well, at least we're together," said Valencia. She looked at the gate and squeezed Donna's hand for reassurance.

  "I won't leave your side, Val." Donna took the first step forward, clearly intending to keep her vow.

  Chapter 11

  The human's vow was broken within the first five minutes of entering the gate. People filled the courtyard, crowding to see the return of the Matka-Zem. As the Torpek guards tried to control the excited crowd, a group of veiled women swarmed around the princess as soon as she cleared the threshold of the walls and hustled her through the thong of people before anyone was the wiser. They roughly pushed Donna to one side and pulled the princess down the courtyard before anyone could form a retort. Alana tried to keep pace with the Matka-Zem, but the women were pushing the princess along so fast that she lost sight of her in the mass of bodies. Cursing under her breath for her lack of height among the tall Torpek people, Alana hopped onto a statue to peer over the crowd.