Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles) (29 page)

"
Matka-Zem, I am Milo and this in my brethren Reid. We are honored to be of service." The Syel Mel who spoke was the taller of the two. His white wing feathers migrated from the middle of his back, up over his head, stopping in the middle of his forehead, like a cockatoo. Reid had a reddish cast to his wings and was a good hand span shorter than Milo.

"
Thank you, Milo. Thank you, Reid" Valencia smiled at the Syel Mel. Reid's head feathers were in full extension and she assumed the younger male was nervous to be in her presence. "Are you here to get us off this building?"

"
More than that, Matka-Zem. We are to take you over the walls and past the cliffs where the Mlinzi will be waiting." Milo approached her in the awkward gait of a bird. "Please hold on around my neck and we will be off."

"
Gabby, let Reid take you, and I'll see you on the other side of the wall." When the girl did not respond, Valencia glanced at Gabby with concern.

"
I can't go with you, Matka-Zem." Gabby's soft voice held a desperate tone as the young girl backed away from the Syel Mel.

"
Why can't you?" She moved toward the distraught girl, "You know what will happen if you stay."

"
I can't leave the city. I have Torpek blood and have to stay." Gabby was so close to panic that Valencia grabbed her by the shoulders to prevent the girl from running away.

"
That's nonsense, Gabby. Whoever told you that was full of shit!" She dragged the girl to the waiting Syel Mel. "I am the Matka-Zem and I order you to accompany me. I need you to continue your duties as my personal maid." Not that she needed assistance. She was quite capable of caring for her own needs, but the thought of the young girl staying behind turned her stomach upside down. She gently pushed the nervous girl toward the younger Apria, who firmly took her in his arms.

"
Take care of her," she said to Reid as she patted Gabby's arm in reassurance. "I'll see you on the other side, Gabby." As she watched, Reid beat his huge wings and lifted off the ground. She heard Gabby gasp in fright. Then, with a tiny squeak, Gabby tightened her hold and buried her head in the Apria's chest.

"
That girl really needs to find her courage." Valencia chuckled quietly as the pair flew out of site. As she was about to turn to the older Syel Mel, she felt a slight scratch on her ankle and peered down to see the Krysa on its hind legs, staring up at her.

"
Hello again, Majesty." She squatted by the creature and felt a smile fill her face. "Do you want to join me too?"

In answer, the tiny animal scurried up her arm and perched on her shoulder, then hid inside her hair.

"You have changed, Princess." Milo bobbed his head in approval as he came to her side.

"
Have we met before?" She felt a stab of apprehension at his words.

"
Yes, when you were very young." Milo smiled at her stressful expression. "You were a very mean little girl. The exile did you good." The Syel Mel extended his arm to her. "Now come, let us be away."

As the Syel Mel
's talon hands firmly grasped her waist, Valencia wrapped her arms around Milo's neck. With two strong beats of his mighty wings, they rose into the air. She always wondered what it would be like to fly like a bird, but the early morning hours made it too dark to see the ground below.

"
I'm sorry for being a rotten kid," she said softly to the Apria as they silently soared towards the wall. "I am finding that I have a lot of apologizing to do for my past behavior."

Milo glanced into her eyes and gave her a smile.
"Apology accepted, Matka-Zem." He fell silent as they cleared the wall.

In the darkness, she could barely make out two guards walking the battlement and she was thankful they did not bother to look up.

Once out of hearing range, Milo continued their conversation. "You were just a child raised in an undisciplined environment. The fault lays with the Regent and the Torpek, not you."

It did not take long for them to reach the bottom of the cliffs and she found Alana waiting for them with a round craft that floated just off the ground. Similar to the one she had ridden the first day, the vehicle looked out of place outside the golden city.

"Will this thing work out here?" As Valencia approached the craft, she found Gabby huddled in the back.

"
Once we leave the cliffs," said Alana, "the land is basically flat. It will carry us further, and faster than anything else we have at our disposal." Alana followed a few steps behind her.

"
What did you do to her?" Valencia spied the girl crying softly and peered at the Mlinzi.

"
She tried to run back to the city and I had to . . ." Alana gave her an ornery grin, "persuade the girl to get in the craft."

"
Thank you for your help, Milo." She faced the Syel Mel and gave him a slight bow. "I hope we will meet again."

"
I'm sure we will, Matka-Zem." Milo returned her bow with one of his own. When he raised his head, his expression was solemn. "Be wary, Princess. Once the Torpek realize you have gone, they will try to find you."

"
I will protect the Matka-Zem with my life, Milo," Alana said as she placed a hand on Valencia's arm. "We need to leave now, Princess." She guided her towards the craft before turning back to the Apria. "Will you watch the skies for us, Syel Mel?"

"
I will." He raised a clawed hand in farewell and jumped into the air.

As Valencia sat next to Gabby, Alana stood at the controls of the hovercraft and guided them down the path. Valencia did not say anything to Gabby, only held her hand. She allowed a tiny stream of power to course through the girl who, in turn, gave a small gasp. She willed the girl to be calm and received a shaky smile from Gabby. Valencia smiled back, not just because of the girl
's reaction, but also because she was pleased at how she controlled her Gift. Until Seth had shown her, she'd had no idea she could send energy into another person, much less control their feelings—at least to a certain extent.

"
Where's Donna? I thought she would be here." Her human friend was never very far from her thoughts. Gabby had informed her that Donna had gone on ahead, but she expected her to be waiting for her once she left the city.

"
She is waiting at the rendezvous point." Alana did not take her concentration from the path. "We will travel in this craft has long as the energy lasts, then hike the rest of the way."

"
How long will that take?" Valencia stifled a yawn with the palm of her hand. She'd left the ball as soon as she could without arousing suspicion, which was still quite late in the evening. Together with the vivid dream of Thane making love to her, she hadn't gotten much sleep.

"
The suns will raise in a few hours, so get some rest, Matka-Zem." Alana glanced over her shoulder and caught her yawning. With a sheepish smile, Valencia wrapped her warm cloak around her tired body and curled into a ball, like a sleepy kitten, next to Gabby.

***

Kifo was not a normal city with businesses and homes scattered around a central market or castle. No, Kifo was no mundane city. The home of the Mlinzi was gorged out of a monolith of black granite that soared four-thousand feet from the ground. The gigantic stone face was slick as glass, with faint swirls of gold interlaced throughout its ebony structure. Lost from memory, no one knew how the city came into existence. Throughout the city, no tool marks marred its smooth surface. Some said the first Matka-Zem used the Gift to carve the city for her guardians.

There were no shops or family dwellings within the city. No children played in its dark streets. In the center of the slick cliff sat a mammoth cave called the Dewan Besar, where the Mlinzi ate, relaxed and preformed menial tasks such as mending their clothes, braiding and waxing their hair and sharpening their weapons, while socializing with others of their kind. Deeper still within the cave were the kitchens, armory, and dungeons. Sleeping pods only large enough to hold a small bed and a carved trunk snaked up the western side of the stone fortress, each assigned to a Mlinzi. Below the pods were meditation areas, devoid of light and sound. On the eastern side of the cavern, was the Hall of Astraea, where the Mlinzi Council resided. Surrounding the magnificent cliff were huge black walls, formed in a semicircle, a hundred feet in height and eighty feet in width. The courtyard was a constant training ground, where the Mlinzi trained, practiced, and performed any disciplinary actions. Not a second passed without the ringing of steel, the rustle of feet, and the echoes of pain from injuries.

As he crossed the yard, a faint smell of blood filled Thane's sinuses, and the taste of iron tingled upon his tongue. A smile touched his lips as he watched a pair of young Tyros sparring with dulled swords. A few yards behind the pair were three older Tyros, hanging by their ankles, each trying to escape, while their trainers instructed them on technique. A crack of a whip turned Thane's head and he witnessed a red welt swell upon a young man's cheek.

Expecting to have a long wait to gain audience with the council, Thane was surprised to receive instructions to enter as soon as he arrived at the Astraea. He entered the hall with his head held high and stared straight at the Mlinzi council. They consisted of five elders who had survived past their prime. Behind their dark cowls, they peered down at him from their high desks. With his unique vision, he could see their features hidden inside the cowls, but he respectfully avoided staring directly at them.

"What do you want, brother?" The deep, rich sound of the central female counselor echoed around the room.

"
I seek your approval to complete the Kleben with the Matka-Zem!" His voice echoed throughout the chamber. Silence grew, as the elders absorbed his words. As they leaned close to discuss his statement among themselves, he saw their shocked expressions. As still as a hunting snake, he waited for their response.

"
Your minds have bonded?" As the Council separated, the woman spoke in a monotone. He peered into each darkened cowl but their expressions returned to stone. As he'd expected, they didn't wear their feelings on their sleeves. "Explain how this came to be, brother."

"
Yes, our minds have touched, but we have not fully bonded." Thane explained how the princess started the Kleben in her attempt to heal him, and how he, in his weakened state, accepted her bond. After he finished his tale, the council conversed again. Even with his acute hearing, he was only able to make out a word or two. To his surprise, one member actually chuckled. He had the feeling something was not quite right. He had expected a different reaction than the council's subdued resignation. They did not act surprised, nor angry at his story. In fact, they seemed relieved, as if a great weight had just lifted from their shoulders. Thane had expected to argue his case and possibly fight his way out of Kifo. However, the council's questions put him off guard.

"
And what is your intent, brother?" The woman's voice held a hint of softness.

"
I plan to complete the bond and make her my woman." He lifted his chin and stood tall, daring them to deny him his right. Once again, they remained unaffected, even when he taunted them by adding, "With or without the council's blessing."

"
Do you understand the responsibility of that decision?" The woman's voice remained monotone, as if the subject bored her.

"
Yes I do," Thane said with conviction. He would become Regent of Sora, but he cared little for such a position. All he cared about was being with Valencia, to be free to love her, as a man would love a woman. He understood the consequences of his actions and he would perform his duty to the best of his ability as long as the princess was by his side, loving him as he did her. They would, he promised himself, rule Sora together for as long as they lived.

The Mlinzi council remained quiet for some time. He felt their eyes upon him while they intently studied him from under the cowls. He remained motionless in his stance, although his stomach clinched with nerves. If they denied him, they would try to imprison him until his execution. As the council
's silence grew, he tensed in anticipation of the need to fight for his escape. He scanned the room for the nearest exit, knowing there was only one. He had lived in Kifo all his life, knew every nook and cranny of the city, but fighting the whole Mlinzi nation to get out was insane. He wondered how close he would get to the gate before his death.

"
The council does not condone your decision for initiating the Kleben with the Matka-Zem." The woman's voice remained soft and nonthreatening, but Thane slid his hand to the hilt of his sword, planning to cut her head off first. "Nonetheless, your motives are pure. You seek only the love of the woman, not to control the power within her." The woman paused and his hand relaxed. "Leave to fulfill your destiny, Thane. However, make haste to complete the Kleben before others learn the truth. Both your lives are in danger until you are bonded." She hesitated as she lowered her cowl. She was old and weathered like a dried carcass, with sunken eyes that held a hint of sadness. "Remember, brother, once you are bound to the Matka-Zem, you will be the Regent and no longer a Mlinzi."