Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles) (15 page)

They rarely saw land on their twenty-eight day trip to Port of Ilo, Peru, except during a brief stop at the Galapagos Islands to stock their supplies. They encountered few vessels on their journey, yet they harbored concerns about the law searching for their stolen craft. They decided to dress the part of sea-going travelers with the women in bikini tops and shorts while the Mlinzi had found a pair of Bermuda shorts to wear and went shirtless most of the time. Except for Valencia, their skin had tanned to a golden brown and their hair had lightened a shade or two. At first glance, they appeared to be vacationers on a sailing adventure.

While at sea, Thane continued to hone Valencia
's swordplay and taught Donna how to stay alive when they reach the Gate. He had no delusions that they would not face their adversaries when they reached their destination, and he did not want the tiny earthling's death on his hands. He knew other Mlinzi would have left the human to her fate on the dock or thrown her overboard, regardless of what the Matka-Zem had ordered, yet he had done neither. He had once chastised the young princess about causing a senseless death of an innocent and, though he was going against his Mlinzi training, he saw no difference with the human female. As the days slowly passed, he watched the two women interact and was glad he had obeyed the Matka-Zem's orders to bring the woman with them. In the company of the human, the princess acted like a normal woman, laughing, talking, and even performing menial chores throughout the day. He hoped the Matka-Zem would retain her humanity when they returned home, and wondered if they brought Donna with them, she could insure this behavior.

As Thane watched Valencia from the bridge, his heart pounded hard in his chest when she pulled her long, curly hair into a ponytail. His love for the Matka-Zem had bloomed into a painful pipe dream. Once they returned to Sora, his life would need to be forfeited to allow the Matka-Zem to choose her mate. In the meantime, he would love her from afar and try not to show his true feelings. He was glad Donna was there to chaperone. If they had been alone, he would not be able to control his desire for the princess. With a shake of his head, he pulled himself out of his melancholy. Now that the sun was lowering in the sky, it was time to practice the evening drills.

***

Donna enjoyed and even looked forward to the drills they performed twice daily. Although the morning formations were easier than the evening ones, they both reminded her of a cross between Thai Chi and Yoga. The only difference was they practiced with weapons. Since the beginning of their voyage, the Mlinzi taught them how to use different weapons and practiced with several types and styles of warfare. She wondered where the warrior had gotten all the deadly instruments and did not believe his explanation that he kept them inside his cloak. Thane had to use weapons appropriate for her size when he practiced with her, and she was glad he was a patient teacher. She did her best to prove her worth to the Mlinzi and hoped her efforts were not in vain.

Her heart pounded in fright at the thought of fighting a Glauc-tuko or one of the other fearsome creatures the Mlinzi described during their voyage. She still was not one-hundred-percent sure she wanted to go to Sora, although she might not have a choice in the end. The Mlinzi was positive they would encounter their enemies at the Gate, if not before. If she did leave, would she ever return to Earth . . . or would she want too? Although she had countless relatives, she had never been close to any of them. Not even her parents and older brother, who thought she was nothing but a loser. She wanted . . . no . . . needed to prove to everyone, even to herself, that she was worthy of something.

Before she had met Valencia, she hadn
't liked her life. With a dead-end job, a dumpy apartment she could not afford, and no prospects in the romance area, Donna doubted she would have stayed in San Francisco, even though she loved the city. When she first sat next to Valencia on the bus, she had needed a change in her life. However, she hadn't expected such a drastic transformation. Ever since they had met, she had an incredible desire to help Valencia. The Mlinzi thought it was the magnification of the princess's Gift, but she doubted it. Even though the princess towered over her, Valencia was still young and naive in the ways of life. Donna was six years her senior and had grown up on the streets. She had seen things that would make a grown man vomit and prided herself that she had survived. Yet the princess's innocence triggered her maternal instincts. She felt like her older sister, guiding and supporting her when she needed it the most. With an affectionate glance at her friend, Donna readied herself for the evening drill.

***

Valencia practiced the drill with Donna and Thane with as much grace as she could, but her heart was not into the practice this evening. Her mind wandered as she thought of the teachings from the Mlinzi. She was the Matka-Zem—the very word made her heart constrict in fear. The Mlinzi only briefly explained what she was and he refused to go into detail. Since there was only one Matka-Zem, only she, herself, could teach herself how to rule Sora and use her power. Her Gift was no Gift at all. It was more of a curse than anything, making her feel like a freak. She didn't know how to use the power within her. The only time she had tried to manifest the energy was to heal the Mlinzi and that failed miserably. Pure instinct and self-preservation triggered the other times. She had even got lost in the entrancement of the Gift. The Mlinzi never mentioned, much less explained, how he had saved her when that had happened and she was too afraid to speak of the incident.

She did not want to be this Matka-Zem and rule a planet, especially one that had civil unrest. Bonding with a planet seemed impossible and she feared this most of all. Would she cease to be Valencia, lose her humanity as she linked with Sora? All she wanted was to be normal, with little to no worries, to just live day-by-day, work, play and find love like any other woman. Deep in thought, Valencia missed a step and lost her rhythm in the synchronized formation.

"Focus," growled Thane as he glared at her and stopped the form. "Let's start from the beginning." With another hard glare at Valencia, he positioned himself to start anew.

Both she and Donna moaned as they started the patterns again.

The Mlinzi was another mystery to Valencia. His off-handed manner, and occasional growl, did not coincide with the feelings she sensed in the man. Most of the time, his behavior towards her was cold and aloft. Yet, on occasion, he was kind and gentle. Every so often, she would spy him watching her with affection in his yellow eyes. However, if he noticed her gaze, he would mumble something hurtful to her. It was as if he was purposely pushing her way.

When they turned in unison during their practice, Valencia studied his broad, bare back and admired how the muscles rippled under his tan skin. She had to admit she liked the Mlinzi shirtless. His body was statuesque, tapering in a V from shoulders to waist. She liked how his dark chest hair lightly fanned his well-defined muscles and trailed down his rippled abdomen into his pants in a thin line. The desire to touch him made her palms itch and she was curious what his reaction would be if she found the courage stroke his firm back. He jumped every time they accidentally touched. It was as if she shocked him. She, too, felt a tingle when their bare skin brushed together. His behavior toward her must have something to do with her position. Of course, he loved his monarch and, because of that, wanted to protect her. Despite that, it was possible he just disliked her as a person, or worse, didn
't even see her as a person at all. Many times, he had commented on how cruel and selfish she had been as a child. No matter how hard she tried, Valencia could not recall her life before the compound, except in fragmented visions. She could not fathom that she had been as coldhearted and self-centered as he claimed and could only try to prove to him that she was neither. With a deflated sigh, Valencia pushed away the disturbing thoughts and concentrated on the form.

***

After they had finished the drill, they relaxed under the canopy with a cold drink. The light breeze cooled their tired bodies as they watched the setting sun turn the sky into shades of pink and gold. Thane had conceded finally to stop the drill, for the women had worked to the point of exhaustion.

"
I wish I could tan," said Valencia, breaking the comfortable silence with a sorrowful sigh, looking at her companions in envy. "I don't even burn."

"
You wouldn't be as beautiful as you are, if you were tan, Val," Donna replied in earnest before taking a sip of her cold drink. "Aren't I right, Thane?"

"
There has never been a tan Matka-Zem." Thane glanced at Valencia through half-closed eyes. He liked her porcelain skin and flawless features. The human was right, a tan would only diminish her beauty, but he would never tell her so. "Nor will there be."

"
Oh Thane, you're impossible!" Donna threw an ice cube in his direction. "You know what I meant."

"
That's okay, Donna, I don't think Thane sees me as just a person," Valencia said in a soft, sad tone, eyes fixed on her friend.

"
You are the Matka-Zem. There is no other way to see you," Thane lied, seeing the opportunity to keep the wedge between them. He hated to deceive her, but he could not tell her the truth.

"
Oh, come on, Thane!" Donna exclaimed in anger. "Look at her! She's beautiful and you can't deny it!"

"
She is what she is," Thane answered in a smooth tone. Desperate to change the subject, he narrowed his eyes and frowned at the princess. "Speaking of which, why haven't you been practicing your Gift?"

"
There're no plants here," Valencia said in an apologetic voice and lifted her arms to wave across the deck to the ocean before them as if to demonstrate.

"
You can do far more than make plants grow, Princess!" Thane barked a hard laugh. "When you were a child, I constantly had to save you from the creatures you created." He shook his head in frustration. The girl he remembered was fearless to the point of recklessness with her power. Now, no thanks to the Xeral Mlinzi, she was terrified of her Gift. The princess had reluctantly told him how the Keeper punished her when she tried to manifest the power and how it erupted out of her during their escape. "There is plenty of life in these waters. You need to be proficient with your energy, at least to some degree, before we dock."

"
I would like to see you do something too, Val," Donna tried to encourage her friend.

"
But . . ."Valencia started to refuse.

Thane would not hear of it. He leaned forward and glared at her.
"There are no buts, Princess. You have to learn how to control the energy inside you. And the only way to do that is to practice."

"
I'll try." Thane watched Valencia close her eyes, but after a few seconds, she opened them and shook her head. "Nothing," the princess said. "Not even a spark."

Thane knew she was holding back.
"You have to try harder than that!" Thane snapped at her, not just mad at her but at Naji as well. "You are the Matka-Zem. Now start acting like one!"

"
I don't know how!" Valencia yelled as she sprang from her chair. "It only comes spontaneously." She took a few steps away and turned her back to him. "I can't do it!" Her body began to quiver and she buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to!" A great sob shook her body. "I don't want to be this Matka-Zem!"

No longer able to control his feelings for the princess, Thane jumped to his feet and spun her around to take her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair and let the princess cry on his shoulder. His skin tingled with electricity as their bare skin pressed together and he had to fight the desire that swelled inside him. The princess needed his compassion and understanding, not his desire and lust. After a few seconds, he glanced at Donna and saw an approving smile on her lips. He glared at her sternly and slightly shook his head. Surprisingly, she nodded in understanding. Without a doubt, the earthling would want to discuss this moment but, in the meantime, he needed to get the princess to accept her power. With a firm, yet gentle grip, he pushed Valencia away. With a finger under her chin, he forced her to look at him. Once the princess peered into his eyes, Thane captured her hands and placed them on his chest to feel his heartbeat. Speaking softly, he willed her to be calm.

"Valencia, you can do this. Just concentrate." He held her gaze until he felt her relax. "Close your eyes and breathe deeply." Thane could feel her taunt muscles begin to ease. "Feel the power inside you."

"
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.