Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles)

by Chanley, Deborah

  ***

  Thane blindly ran into the forest, following the Matka-Zem's energy. Although her unconscious spirit guided him toward her, it grew fainter as time passed until he could barely tell which direction to go. Running through the wilderness like a lunatic, he recklessly swam rivers, and crossed over terrain he normally would have bypassed. Stopping only to sip water from a tiny creek and to grab a handful of berries in a futile attempt to sustain his strength, Thane raced across the land. The suns slowly rose, and sank in the sky. Still, he rushed to save the Matka-Zem.

  As the Beta sun kissed the horizon, he finally collapsed. He lay on the edge of the forest that boarded the Jaxop Expanse, a gigantic rift lake that divided the land of the Aprial and the Ipatx. He closed his eyes. A heart-wrenching sob escaped his control and he punched the ground in frustration. As he tried to rein in his emotions, Thane pulled himself onto his feet, weary in both mind and body. When he reached the water's edge, he knelt on his knees and splashed the lake's cool liquid onto his face. Another sob raked through him, as he bowed his head in despair. Even though he had the ability to breathe underwater, the lake was too wide to swim across safely in his weakened state and it would take him too long to travel around it. The thought of Valencia alone and unprotected, ate at his very core.

  "Thane . . ." He heard his name softly carried on the wind. Slowly raising his head, he spied a woman bobbing in the water. At first glance, he thought she was the princess, with her fiery red hair, yet his senses told him Valencia was still far away. As the woman drew near, Thane stared in disbelief at the Nereii.

  "I'm not worthy of this honor, Nereii." He had heard stories of Nereii living in the Jaxop Expanse, but until now, he'd never seen one. He tried to look away, yet his eyes remained fixed on hers. She looked as if she could be related to Valencia, with her red hair and huge green eyes. Gliding out of the lake, she was tall and lanky, and wore a slim, silvery gown, its length so long it covered her feet.

  "Do not despair, warrior." Her voice was soft as an evening fog, caressing his skin. "You must rest and wait for the others."

  "I have to find the princess."

  "You need your strength to enter the mountain." The woman knelt beside him, and placed a cold hand upon his shoulder.

  "You know where Valencia is being held?" Thane stared at the Nereii as his spirit lifted with hope. When her hand fell from his shoulder, he firmly grasped her wrist. "Tell me what mountain!"

  "We will tell you where the Matka-Zem is." The Nereii did not pull away. She gave him a pity-filled smile. "But first you need to rest, Thane of the Mlinzi. Calm your spirit."

  "I can't wait, I have to save Valencia." He released the woman's wrist and rose to his feet. With the intention of swimming across the lake, he walked into the water. Although the bottom was rocky, he sank to his knees as if in quicksand. The rock became a living thing, solidifying around his legs, imprisoning him in the lake. Struggling to free himself, the ground loosened again and he sank deeper, until water crested his chest. Once again, the rock hardened around him. In an attempt to free himself, Thane placed his hands on the firm rock that incased him and pushed with all his might. Instead of lifting him out of the water, in a blink of an eye, the rock liquefied and then solidified, capturing his arms at his sides. He glared at the woman and snarled his anger, "Free me!"

  "You will not be able to pass until you have rested, Mlinzi," the woman continued in a soft voice. The Nereii gave him another sorrowful smile as she slid back into the water. Thane watched in amazement as her legs transformed into a long fluke. The Nereii swam around him, circling him twice before stopping in front of him. "Have no fear. You will save her. Yet she will no longer be an innocent girl. The Matka-Zem is learning how to hate the Torpek and any who stand with them." The fiery-haired Nereii placed her hands upon his shoulders. "You must control her wrath, Mlinzi."

  "She will have just cause, Nereii." Thane did not like this train of thought. He could only imagine the horrors Valencia was facing that would cause the Nereii to make such a comment.

  "After the Batu you must remind the Matka-Zem of her humanity. Without you, she will turn rogue." The whispering words chilled him to his core, and he shivered at the thought of Valencia running amuck, lost in her power. It was well known that the Nereii were Vident-Ara, with the gift of far-sight. However, it was rare that they revealed their prophecies to the other races on Sora. There must be a dire reason for them to come forth in this hour of need.

  "What do you see, Nereii?" The rock began to fall away from his trapped body but he did not try to leave.

  "We see a path of annihilation. The Matka-Zem's hatred will grow and consume all, without your guidance." The Nereii stared deep into his eyes. "We must protect you, so we all can survive." The water became a trickle around his wet boots, but still he did not move. The Nereii floated a few yards away.

  "Where is Valencia?" Thane begged as he stepped backwards to get out of the water. "Litica." The Nereii floated farther away. "You must heed our warning, Thane."

  "What do you wish of me?" Thane watched the woman float further into the deep water.

  "Love her!" With a flick of her fluke, the Nereii disappeared.

  ***

  Donna did her best to keep pace with the swift-moving Mlinzi. Although none complained, they slowed their steps to allow her to keep pace. There were six in all. Parth informed her that each had their own specialty to aid them in their trek. As they hurried through the forest, there was no time to study her companions except the back of the tall Mlinzi in front of her. The ropes fastened to his back made the hair on the back of her neck rise in apprehension.

  "Rock climbing," Donna mumbled with a shudder. She hated the idea of scaling a cliff. In fact, she had never really liked anything about the wilderness. Yet, here she was, stomping through a strange bluish forest, trying to rescue a princess on an alien planet. The thought was actually laughable. "I must really be in a coma and dreaming this fairy tale," she muttered to herself. Twice now, she'd thought of her coma theory and figured it could be plausible.

  They tried to follow Thane's path but often had to find alternative routes to cross areas where it was too dangerous to proceed. As they climbed up a steep hill, she lost her grip on a root and slipped backward. She gasped in surprise when a big hand grasped her buttock and lifted her towards the Mlinzi above her. The man ahead of her turned to grab her arm and pulled her up the hillside.

  "Hey watch the hands, big fella," Donna said in an offended manner at Parth. Ever since Valencia had ordered him to protect her, the Mlinzi never left her side for more than a few minutes and it was becoming annoying. She now had a good idea of how Valencia had felt about having a personal guard her entire life.

  "Hush, Human. We are trying to be stealthy." Parth came alongside her as they stopped for a breather on top of the hill.

  "Hush, yourself, Mlinzi." Donna stared over the huge lake that dominated the valley below and to the snowcapped mountains not far away. "No one's going to follow us through all this."

  "The human is right, my brother." The Mlinzi with the ropes defended her. "Thane's trail is madness. He is not in his right mind going this route. We can't keep following his path." He glanced at Donna then back at Parth, who nodded in response.

  "Hey, I caught that look. I'm holding my own." When Parth gave her a look, she added, "Most of the time."

  "She will be in the way when the fighting starts." The roped Mlinzi ignored her as he talked with Parth.

  "I received my orders to protect the human directly from the Matka-Zem, and I will not fail her. She must come or I would have to stay." Parth patted her shoulder as if she were a pet. "Besides, Chand, we both wanted to go. It solved the problem."

  "By the way, boys, Thane did train me how to protect myself." Donna was indignant and determined to prove her worth. She glared at the roped Mlinzi. His hair was light brown with a shimmer of silver, his face was fair as the Torpek, yet his bronzed skin had a greenish tint. He ha
d the sharp features of the arrogant race yet he wore a thin mustache and goatee upon his face. When he met her gaze, she saw his eyes were the color of caramel.

  "How long was your training, human?" Chand asked, with a trace of sarcasm.

  "A month." She was proud of her training, and even Thane had complemented her on the speed at which she learned. However, both men only snickered at her sincerity, and started down the hill into the valley.

  It was dusk, when they came upon Thane, waiting by a fire. There were several fish frying in the flames, as if he had spent the day leisurely fishing instead of searching for the princess.

  "Are you okay, Thane?" Donna warily approached her friend, while the others spread out in a semicircle.

  "I should have known it was you, Donna." Thane glanced at her with irritation and shook his head. "You just couldn't be left behind, could you, Earthling?"

  "And why are you just sitting here, instead of looking for Val?"

  "I cannot cross the water until the Nereii allow me to do so." Thane grumbled in displeasure at his predicament. The other Mlinzi closed their circle to sit around the fire.

  "You saw a Nereii in these waters?" Chand asked in awe. "I have heard of them here."

  "You mean one of those mermaid people you spoke about on the yacht stopped you?" Curiosity perked, she sat beside Thane. As a child, she had liked the idea of mermaids and pretended to be one when she played. "Will we see one? Damn, I need a camera!"

  "Yes, you will see one, little Earthling." Thane gave a chuckle and ruffled her hair. "She will return at dawn to set me free." He glanced at the others around the fire.

  Following Thane's gaze, she watched two of the Mlinzi as they prepared the fish. The remaining Mlinzi pulled pampa leaves off the closest trees for sleeping mats. She glanced back at her friend and saw his anguished expression.

  "Thane, this is not your fault." Donna placed a hand on his arm for comfort. "We all did our best to protect her."

  "That's where you are wrong, little earthling. I failed her." Thane pulled his arm away from her hand. His voice grew hard as he stared into the fire. "I should have been at her side, instead of finding a good place to bed her."

  "So . . . that's where you ran off too." Although the situation was serious, she could not hold back the chuckle. "I'm sorry, Thane, but that is just too hilarious."

  "You are not at fault, brethren." Parth glared at her for her insensitivity. "You are in the throes of a Kleben. No man can fight the urge to mate with the Matka-Zem for as long as you have and remain sane."

  "Thank you, Parth," Thane grimaced, "but that doesn't make me feel any better."

  Donna could no longer contain her humor, and another snicker escaped her control.

  Rolling his eyes at her, Thane snapped a twig in half and began to draw the layout of a mountain fortress. Donna watched as Thane drew a winding road that lead up the mountainside to a gate. Inside the fort were four buildings with a cliff behind them.

  "According to the Nereii, the Matka-Zem is in the abandoned mountain fortress of Litica." With his stick, Thane pointed at the crude shape of the cliffs and the location of the entrance to the fortress. "Chand and I will climb this cliff," he pointed the stick to the left of the entrance, "While the rest of you will draw their attention to the right."

  "Do you know their number?" Chand asked as he stared at the scribbles in the sand. "I climbed these cliffs many years ago. We will need that distraction, for we won't want to encounter anyone. The rocks are unstable and we will need time to safely climb."

  "Many years ago? Were you just a baby when you climbed mountains?" Donna peered at the fair Mlinzi and said with skepticism, "You can't be any older than me."

  "I passed my trials fifty years ago, Human, and it has been seventy-three years since my birth."

  The Mlinzi all laughed at her baffled expression.

  "Chand has Torpek blood in his veins, Donna." Thane gave her his usual slight smile that lifted only the corners of his mouth. "They are long-lived."

  "Damn, they are like elves." She shook her head and chuckled. "Mermaids, harpies, elves, and dwarfs—this planet is a living mythology class. Next you'll tell me there are unicorns."

  "So that's the plan. We distract them while you sneak in and find the Matka-Zem." Parth stated in an attempt to get them back on track.

  "I don't know how many of them there are, however the Nereii don't think there are many." Thane looked at the large Mlinzi and shrugged. "The Nereii say there was a small band that passed the lake two days past."

  "How can that be? We've only been on this planet for less than a week." Donna counted on her fingers to get the days right. "How did they know Val would leave the city and where to find her?"

  "That's a good question, little Earthling, and it's something we need to find out." Thane spoke grimly. "If they have a Vident-Ara, then the princess will not be safe anywhere."

  "What is a Vident-Ara?" With all the things she had learned in the few short days of being on Sora, Donna's curiosity still had not diminished.

  "They are those who have the ability to see into the future, but, outside of the Nereii, there are very few Vident-Aras," Chand replied. "The Torpek and Ipatx have no history of the ability among their races. The Koylu and Syel Mel occasionally have Vident-Aras, but most are not strong."

  "This one must have a fair amount of ability," Parth said in a quiet tone, as if the one they spoke of could hear them.

  "I thought psychics had to touch something that belonged to the person?" Donna was puzzled about how this Vident-Ara worked. "And if that's so, then they must have gotten ahold of something of Val's that first night in the city."

  "Not necessarily so, human. The Nereii can see without touching the person or a belonging of that person." Chand answered. "The weaker Vident-Ara do need some physical object to help them. So there is a possibly that whoever saw her had free access to the Matka-Zem."

  "There were the slaves." Donna shuddered at the thought of someone owning another person.

  "It was probably the child." Parth nodded his head in agreement. "We will question the girl when the battalion arrives."

  "Surely you don't think Gabby could be psychic?" Donna chuckled at the thought of the timid girl having the gift of sight. "And I refuse to believe she would purposely try to harm Valencia."

  "Mixed bloods are known to have special abilities." Parth shrugged in uncertainty, "But I am not sure about the girl."

  "I'm not going to let any of you bully Gabby. She is too timid and fragile to handle an interrogation." Donna felt defensive about Gabby. She hadn't liked leaving Gabby with the horde of warriors, but Viktor had promised to keep an eye on her. "You're not going to let anyone hurt the girl, are you, Thane?" She stared at her friend and saw him staring off onto space. She reached out a hand and touched his shoulder, "You, okay?"

  "Valencia was trying to connect with me." Thane shivered as he brought his attention back to the group. "But she wasn't able to maintain the link."

  "Is Val all right?" Her heart pounded at his words. She feared for her friend and Alana.

  "I don't know." She saw Thane grit his teeth in frustration. "Our contact only lasted a few seconds. I felt something cold and damp and everything seemed dark."

  She saw something else in his expression, but the Mlinzi only shook his head.

  "I suspect they have her in the dungeon," said Chand as he picked up a stick and drew a tunnel on the right of Thane's map. "I explored the old fortress when I climbed the cliffs, and there are many subterranean corridors deep within the mountains."

  "If that's the case, we will need the rest of the Mlinzi to get her out," said Parth. He looked grim, but Thane only shook his head.

  "We can't wait for them." Thane threw another log on the fire. "I'm not leaving her there any longer than I can help it."

  "It's going to take some time," said Donna, "to go around this lake. And on foot, it's going to take forever to get to those mountains." Without warning, s
he yawned loudly "I'm sorry. I'm not used to all this outdoor exercise."

  "Get some rest, little Earthling, Tomorrow will be another long day for all of us." Thane smiled down at her as he rose to his feet. "I'll take first watch."

  "You need your rest too, bro." She frowned at his back.

  "I'll get rest, my sister."

  She felt a swell of pride at his endearment.

  "The Nereii will not let me pass without it."

  ***

  Once the Torpek guards left the cell, Alana resumed her desperate attempt to get free of the shackles. Her head throbbed from the loss of her ear and blood flowed down her neck. In spite of the pain in her right hand, she was thankful the soldier had taken her little finger, instead of one of the others. Plus, the blood from the wound could be used to lubricate the shackle at her wrist. She was not afraid of the fate that surely awaited her. Death was part of the Mlinzi life and very few lived past their forties. Her fear was for the Matka-Zem. She bent her hand to let the blood drip down her hand and wiggled her wrist around to smear it under the shackle. With all her might, she yanked her arm downwards and felt the skin rip as her hand slid out of the restraint.

  "My right hand is free." With her hand free, she yanked on the rope between her lips and pulled it over her jaw. Even though the movement caused fresh blood to flow Alana exercised her sore jaw. She was thankful for her years of training, which allowed her to loosen the rope across her mouth. She feared that without her encouragement the Matka-Zem would have succumbed to her torture.

  "Great! Hurry before they come back," said Valencia. Alana heard chains squeak as the princess added, "I have a feeling Liam will not take long."

  "Just long enough to be healed, then he will be back." Her tongue felt swollen and the taste of iron caused her stomach to bubble, yet Alana continued her struggle to be free. "That was good thinking to bite him. With part of his lip missing, it will take some time to heal, even with a Ravib Kivi. You have bought us some time."