Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles)
Page 5
Her power spent, her head spun out of control and she fought the desire to collapse on top of him. Exhausted, she briefly closed her eyes and gripped the edge of the canoe. She felt empty, as if her soul had been fractured and a piece now resided inside the Mlinzi. Her eyes swelled with tears at the hollowness inside her. She felt cold, lifeless, and doubted she could live for long with the void in her spirit. Yet, she did not regret her decision to help the injured man and would do it again, if circumstances required it. She brushed a strand of hair from Thane's face as a single teardrop slid down her cheek and splashed onto Thane's closed eye.
Ever so slightly, she felt the man stir and she leaned over to peer into Thane's piercing, yellow orbs. He parted his lips as he tried to speak but she placed a shaky finger across his dry mouth.
"Don't move," she whispered with concern. "You are badly injured and may start bleeding again."
"What have you done?" Disobeying her orders, Thane raised a hand and grabbed a fist full of the hair at the nape of her neck. With strength no injured man should possess, he forced her head down and planted a painful kiss onto her full lips. Electricity arced between them and bound them together. She tried to pull away, but in her weakened state, she could not break off the bond between them. Too tired to resist any longer, she relaxed and accepted his kiss.
Like a vampire drinking his blood, she felt the warmth of Thane's spirit fill the hollowness within her. Once filled, their energy blended, illuminating them in a soft, blue glow. Desire swelled inside her as she returned the Mlinzi's kiss and, if it were not for their tired and battered bodies, they would have become lovers. The energy they shared blazed into a blinding, white light that engulfed them in its brilliance. In the center of the light, their hearts synchronized in rhythm, their minds touched and mingled together as their souls joined as one.
As their passion slowly abated, the light around them dimmed out of existence and released them from their bond. Utterly spent, their bodies trembled as if they were over-taxed lovers. Thane released his grip on her hair and she dropped her forehead to his shoulder.
"Do you have any idea what you just did, Princess?" Thane whispered in her ear as his fingers tenderly caressed her spine, travelling down to rest on the round curve of her buttock. Shocked by his intimate touch, she pushed away from him as fast as her tired body would allow and put as much distance between them as she could in the makeshift boat.
"I tried to save your life!" she snapped as she settled at the far end of their canoe. She gritted her teeth as Thane softly chuckled.
It must have been a delusion, she thought. She could not believe they somehow blended their souls together. She had read that kissing could be very pleasant and, at times, make your head spin, but what they had just shared seemed out of this world. She slowly removed her jacket and rolled it into a pillow. Totally exhausted she laid down to rest her weary body. She glanced over at Thane and saw a tiny trickle of blood slide down his temple, but she was too fatigued to move. "I didn't do a very good job. We need to get you medical attention as fast as we can."
"Just let me sleep, Matka-Zem." She barely heard Thane's softly spoken words. Too tired to wonder what he had just called her, she stuck out her tongue at the injured man in mock irritation.
"I'll be angry with you later." Exhaustion won its battle and she closed her heavy lids to let sleep claim her. The last thing she heard was Thane's soft chuckle echoing in her head.
Chapter 3
After their kiss, Thane fell into a deep sleep and did not regain consciousness again. Jane feared the worst and wondered if she had caused more damage than good. Guilt ridden, she tried to make the stranger as comfortable as possible and constructed a sunshade for the wounded man's face by hooking the edge of Thane's cloak to a tree root above his head.
"Those bright yellow eyes of yours must surely be photosensitive," she mumbled to the Mlinzi. She'd already done enough damage to the man, but she wouldn't add blindness to the list. Fashioning an oar out of a broken branch, bark, and vine, she learned the hard way to navigate the small canoe around the occasional rapids, as they slowly drifted towards the main river. Once she got the hang of steering the canoe, it became relaxing, even soothing. With a smile, she steered clear of a mother black bear and her two cubs along the riverbank. She giggled at the cubs as they played in the stream, while their mother hunted for food. She watched in awe when a golden eagle swooped out of the sky to skim the water, his huge talons plucking a fish out of the river's depths with ease. If it were not for the injured man lying at her feet, she would have liked the tranquility and freedom and wanted it to last forever. Alas, as the sun slowly sank in the sky, the shadows grew.
The setting sun turned the sky from sapphire blue into a soft magenta. The puffy clouds changed from white to brilliant gold. The shadows of the trees grew long as the orange globe sank slowly behind the tall pines. The creek began to narrow and canyon walls rose above the canoe, blocking what remained of the sun's rays. A sliver of moon peeked its tip from behind a bluff, barely able to illuminate the evening sky.
A faint cry of the Glauc-tuko echoed around the canyon walls, sending shivers of fear down Jane's spine. Although she half expected the creatures to return, the sound of their cry still unnerved her. All plans to maneuver the canoe to shore for the night vanished. As the night deepened, their call became clearer, louder than ever. As the Glauc-tuko grew nearer, a soft voice tickled in her mind. The beasts detest water. She could have sworn the Mlinzi spoke the words, but when she looked at him, he remained asleep.
With all her might, she tried to keep the canoe centered in the creek without hitting any boulders along the way. As she scanned the blackness around them, she gasped in surprise when she spied the silhouette of a plump human standing on the cliff above her. She guessed who it was at first glance.
Who else could it be? Jane asked herself as they drew near the shadowy figure. She assumed the reason Inga hunted her was for the power within her. Both Inga and Thane wanted her for their own reasons, but what those reasons were, she had no clue.
"Why are you running, Jane?" the cook's voice echoed against the canyon's cliffs. "You should be one of us. Look at how they treated you. You shouldn't have any loyalties to these people."
"What do you want from me, Inga?" demanded Jane as they floated passed the cook. She could not remember who "they" were and it was true she had no allegiances to anyone. She glanced down at the man by her feet, grateful he had saved her. Yet she was not sure what his motives were either. A vision of mutilated staff stacked in a pile brought bile into her mouth. They were innocence in this cat-and-mouse game and their deaths were nothing but a senseless killing. A forgotten memory flashed in her mind of those very words being spoken to her by the Mlinzi. Jane glared back at Inga, knowing Inga was the one who killed those men.
"All we want is for you to join us . . ." Inga answered as the she walked along the cliff to keep the canoe into view, "or die. It's your choice, Princess."
"Princess," Jane whispered to herself, too confused to answer. Thane had also called her Princess in the form of a title, not an endearment.
"Death it is then," Inga stated in a matter-of-fact tone when Jane did not respond.
Jane silently watched the silhouette of the cook vanish in the dark. Crickets chirped on the riverbank as the sound of running water faintly echoed ahead. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the sound of white water and she raced to the front of the canoe. She strained her eyes to peer into the dark, but saw only blackness. The roar of falling water increased and the tiny boat picked up speed.
"Dear God!" She realized the nothingness was a cliff and it was too late to stop. She grabbed the strand of rope she'd recovered at the clearing and hurriedly tied her body and Thane's to the tree trunk with her body protecting the unconscious man. Mere seconds felt like an eternity as the small raft hung precariously over the abyss. The feeling of weightlessness made Jane nauseous when the canoe tilted and plunged dow
n the waterfall in a terrifying ride.
***
Almost destroyed by the plunging waterfall, the canoe barely survived another series of treacherous rapids and now sat low in the water. Jane sighed in relief when the creek finally merger into the mighty Yukon River. As they slowly drifted on the currents, she cared for the Mlinzi the best she could in between trying to plug the leaks and bail the water from the canoe. Yet she knew it was just a matter of time before she had to abandon the craft and leave Thane by the riverbank to hike for help.
With dumb luck, she spotted an angler and frantically waved her arms to get his attention. With a cry of relief, she saw the man wave back and turn his craft towards the sinking canoe. It was a struggle, but between the older man and her, they managed to transfer the waterlogged Mlinzi into his little boat. As Jane made Thane comfortable, the gruff fisherman explained that they were close to Dawson City, in the Yukon Territory and he was going to radio ahead for an ambulance. Jane sat by the warrior's side and held his hand during the hasty trip downriver. To her relief, she saw an ambulance waiting at the dock to rush Thane to the local medical clinic. She quickly said goodbye to the fisherman and thanked him profusely, then rushed with the attendants into the clinic.
The staff wanted to cut Thane's clothes off, but at her insistence, they struggled to remove the dirty things. She took the clothing from them and shoved the Mlinzi's belonging into the saddlebag, wrapping the heavy sword in his cloak. To her surprise, the blade shrunk to the size of a kitchen knife and slid into a small sheath inside the green folds.
"I'm going to call the for an air ambulance to send him to Whitehorse City," The doctor explained to her as she sat by Thane's side. "I'm not equipped for this sort of thing. I set his arm, but an orthopedic surgeon will have to pin it."
"Will Thane be okay?" She peered at the doctor, but his back was toward her.
"I don't know," the physician answered as he washed his hands. "I fear he may have internal injuries and this clinic is not equipped for that sort of thing." He gave her a reassuring smile and patted her shoulder. "The ambulance will be here shortly and they will take good care of him at Whitehorse."
True to his word, the air ambulance did arrive quickly and they allowed her to accompany them on the flight. In spite of the reason, she enjoyed the short trip. Having never been in the air before, she peered out the tiny window and marveled at the site below. Only once did her heart pound hard in her chest when she thought she spotted Inga in a clearing.
***
Inga reached the end of the bluff and watched in irritation as the little craft sailed around the corner. She really did not want to kill the girl, for she was far more valuable alive then dead. She had been surprised to see the Mlinzi aid her escape and she cursed the old Keeper for summoning another to help the young woman. She had almost captured her in the clearing but the confounded girl used her power to impede their capture.
"And what a Gift it is." Inga laughed sharply. She'd been right about the girl. She was her target. The strength of the girl's Gift surprised her though. The Matka-Zem was powerful indeed. The girl was able to draw upon an alien's planets energy source and make the life forms do her bidding. Capturing the girl alive was going to be more difficult than first thought. At least the wounded Mlinzi would be out of commission for a quite some time, if he survived at all.
The Jeger searched the riverbank through the night and part of the next day. She found the abandon canoe. To her disappointment, the only thing she found was a blue handkerchief. She hoped she would be able to catch the girl before she reached civilization but with a curse, Inga watched an airplane flying low towards the southwest. She had the feeling her mark was on that plane but still she did not change direction. She needed to know where the girl was heading. It was just a matter of time before she caught the princess.
***
"Are you his wife?" a nurse led Jane out of the emergency room while the doctors worked on the injured man. "Do you have your medical cards?"
"Yes I am." She lied without hesitation and was surprised how easily the fib passed her lips. "And no. We lost most of our things in the accident." Through the fabric of Thane's cloak, she tightened her grip on his sword. She briefly wondered what other items he carried in the mystical garment.
To her dismay, the nurse handed her a small stack of papers to fill out and sent her to the waiting room. She only glanced at the sheets, not sure what to say, before she completely abandoned the task.
As she impatiently waited for news of the Thane's injuries, she studied the other people in the waiting room. In comparison, she literally towered over them, with her long, slender limbs, torso, and neck. Her skull was larger, with eyes twice the size of the others in the room. From the events of the last few days and her unusual appearance, she concluded she and Thane were no more human than the Glauc-tuko was a dinosaur.
She could feel the humans' eyes upon her but when she glanced their way, they quickly adverted their gaze. Every once in a while, one of the office personnel would peer at her from behind her desk, as if she was the star attraction at a freak show. There was no reason to think she was an alien from another world. In fact, the idea was ludicrous to most people. She was just an extraordinarily tall woman, possibly with an abnormal growth gland, and so was her "husband."
Trying to make herself look less conspicuous by busying herself with rummaging through the backpack, she found a set of clean travel clothes, two large rolls each of $100 and $50 US dollar bills, a compass, and a long, curved knife. Deep inside the bag was a sealed note addressed to her. She warily glanced around the emergency waiting room before she slid a fingernail under the letter's waxed seal. Unsurprised, she saw that the parchment was in the Keeper's handwriting:
Jane,
The Minne-Estrilla has restored your memory, but it may take time before you can recall your past. Be patient. Your Mlinzi will reveal the truth to you at his discretion. It is imperative that you return home. Thane will escort you to The Gate. Listen to him. He is the only one you can trust. Do not use your Gift, for it will attract your enemies. The key belongs to a safety deposit box in San Francisco. Below is the address. Go there first! Then head straight for The Gate. Be wary! They will be watching!
Keeper
"More pieces to the puzzle," she grumbled in irritation. She peered inside the backpack again and found a passport identifying her as Jane Doe from Seattle, Washington. With a bitter laugh, she shook her head in disgust. Even in death, the Keeper still refused to identify her. A hundred questions filled her mind and the only person who could answer them was laying on a gurney in a hospital. The urgency to get to the mysterious Puerta de Hayu Marca pounded inside her brain, and she anxiously glanced at the entrance of the emergency room. If Thane did not recover soon, she would have to leave him man behind and hope he would be able to find her when he recovered from his wounds.
It was over an hour before Jane could see him. The physician took her into a private room and began asking her questions beyond the scope of Thane's medical condition, making her uneasy. Fearing the doctor had realized Thane was different, she kept her answers curt. With a deep breath and a shake of his head, the physician explained the Mlinzi's condition. She hoped, beyond hope, that Thane would recover, but the physician was not so optimistic. Although, the MRI showed no brain damage and the healed laceration on his forehead would leave only a small scar, Thane remained in a coma. They had no clue why and planned to run a battery of tests to find some answers.
"You are going to be fine, Thane." Jane brushed a strand of his brown hair off his forehead. She was relieved to see his color had returned and his breathing was normal. Although, they barely knew each other, she felt a connection to him. The Mlinzi had said they had known each other, and from his tone, it must not have been a pleasant relationship. "You're safe here." She leaned over to give him a tender kiss. "Take care," she sighed. A slight arch of electricity sparked between their lips and she quickly pulled away.
Soon after she left the small hospital, she hitched a ride with a long-haul trucker to Fort Nelson, Canada. He was an older man with a small potbelly, and a black, handlebar mustache. He was a man of few words, but, when he spoke, it was quite colorful. Heeding the Keeper's words, Jane stayed awake throughout the eleven-hour trip. With a hand on the curved knife's handle, she stared out the window for most of the ride, too wary of the man to feel tired. She was thankful when they finally reached Fort Nelson, and she parted ways with him, giving him only a curt thank you.
It took the better part of the day to find another ride. Jane continued to walk south on the Alaska Highway, sticking her thumb out the way she had read about in one of her books. Few cars passed her and when the sun passed the noon hour, she needed to rest. As she searched for a safe, dry place to sleep, a motor home slowed and stopped ahead of her. When she hesitated, the side door opened and an elderly woman stepped out of the vehicle.