***
The wound burned like fire as Jane's vision lost focus. As she watched Thane clean his sword, his body distorted like a flag in the wind. When the Mlinzi turned to face her, her heart skipped a beat at his unmasked blood lust. His rugged face contorted into a wolf with glowing yellow eyes. She swallowed hard, refusing to be frightened of the Mlinzi and bravely held his gaze. She saw his expression change into concern when he realized that she was injured.
"You're hurt." Thane calmly stated as he knelt beside her. Through the ripped shirt, the Mlinzi gently glimpsed at the cuts then peered into her eyes. "The Glauc-tuko's claws are dirty and are known to be tipped with poison. We need to clean these wounds quickly."
"What kind of poison?" Jane stared into his yellow eyes. Thane's face continued to twist into strange shapes and it made her stomach want to heave. Her head spun out of control and she had to close her eyes to prevent from being ill. She felt weak as a newborn and her muscles began to relax against her will. Practically paralyzed from the neck down, her mind became lost to a deep, dark fog.
***
Thane pulled his gloves off and dabbed his index finger on the cut. Smelling the tip of his figure before tasting her blood, he confirmed his hypothesis. "It's Slaapdrank. They don't want to kill you yet."
"Is she going to be okay?" the human asked with concern as she peeked around the corner of the wheelhouse.
"I'll take her below to tend her wound," Thane answered as he scooped the princess into his arms.
"Okay. I'll keep a watch out for monsters."
Thane gave a slight smile when he heard the teasing in the small woman's tone.
"I can walk," the princess mumbled with slurred words. In spite of her protest, she laid her head on his shoulder.
"Of course you can." He chuckled as he kicked the main cabin room open and laid his charge onto the bed. Searching the bathroom for first aid supplies, he found a small bowl next to a bottle of rubbing alcohol. After mixing soapy water with a splash of the alcohol, he flung a towel over his arm and came back into the bedroom.
Thane was surprised to find the girl still awake. Slaapdrank was a powerful mix of herbs and only a small amount could incapacitate a large man for hours. He sat on the edge of the bed, placing the bowl on the bedside table. He held back a smile when he peered into Valencia's drugged face. Her half-closed eyes were unfocused and when her head rolled away from him, a tiny drool of saliva dripped from her partly opened lips. With a hint of a smile, he tenderly wiped the spittle away with the edge of the towel.
"I have to clean your wounds before using the Ravib Kivi." Not bothering with the formalities, he ripped the princess's shirt, sending buttons flying across the bed. With gentle fingers, he inspected the wide lacerations. Three deep claw marks ran diagonally from her right armpit up to her neck, just shy of her jugular vein. Imbedded in the gaping wounds were fibers from her mangled bra strap and shirt. They were deeper than he first thought, nicking the clavicle and embedding in the base of the neck. Just one more inch and she would have bled out before he had finished cleaning his sword.
"Are you always so rough with your women?" The princess could barely form the words as she rolled her head on the pillow to watch him tend to her wounds.
"Are you my woman, Princess?" Thane gave her a faint smile that lifted only the corners of his mouth. He dipped part of the towel in the water and began to clean the bloody wounds. He couldn't believe the woman before him was the little spitfire he used to watch. Time had changed her into a beautiful woman. She had surprised him when she demanded he rescue the human, proving she actually cared for another living being. Once again, he was her personal guard but this time was different. The emotions that raced through him were in contrast to his training. She was the Matka-Zem and he her Mlinzi . . . but he desired her as a man would a woman. He raised his eyes from the wound and peered into her drug-dazed eyes. Since the kiss on the canoe, he could sense Valencia's attraction to him as well. I'll have to keep myself in line. Thane thought as he watched Valencia's lower lip stick out in a tiny pout.
"I don't know who I am, Thane." The princess's huge, green eyes filled with tears, and a small drop rolled down her cheek. "Will you tell me?" Being her personal guard before her exile, he was closer to her than anyone on Sora. Thane hoped when he spoke his name it would trigger a memory in the young woman, but alas, it was not the case. The Minne-Estrilla was a powerful device, especially used on someone as young as she was. The princess would be lucky to regain a third of her lost memory. The question was; how much should he tell her, before they returned home?
"When your head clears." He watched the lone tear slide down her porcelain cheek. Before he could stop himself, he captured the drop with a finger and brought it to his lips. With a mumbled curse at his weakness, he abruptly returned his attention back to his task. Angry with the young woman for her part in his mixed feelings, he pressed a little harder than necessary
"Ouch!" Pain penetrated Valencia's cloudy mind. The princess pulled away from his touch and glared at him furiously. "You did that on purpose!"
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Princess." He yanked her back to finish cleaning the deep gashes. They heatedly glared at each other before Thane lowered his eyes to finish cleansing the cuts.
"Kiss me, Thane." The question startled him, causing him to stop his work and stare, dumbfound, at the princess. Valencia peered at him with half-closed eyes as she laid her head back onto the pillows. "But not so hard this time." Her red brows pulled down into a tiny frown, and she gave him a little pout. "You know you ruined my first kiss. It should have been more romantic."
"You're drugged, girl." Tongue-tied for the first time in his life, he gave an unsteady laugh, and found it hard to concentrate on her wounds. "And you won't remember a thing in the morning anyway."
"Chicken!" Valencia giggled and looked away from him.
"When we kiss again, you will not be drugged, girl." A touch of frustration fluttered his stomach. Even drugged, the confounded girl still antagonizes me, Thane thought as he firmly grasped her chin and forced her eyes back to his. He peered deep into her green eyes, even though she would not remember his words. "And you will come to me with a clear mind and soul. Do you understand me, Princess?"
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Valencia glared at him with glassy eyes. Thane doubted she fully understood a word he said and gave her a slight smile.
"That's what you are," Thane withdrew the Ravib Kivi from a hidden pouch in his cloak and whispered, "Genees mij." The blue crystal flared to life as if a light bulb was embedded inside.
"Wow, that's pretty." Thane chuckled with humor when the princess's eyes crossed as she stared at the Ravib Kivi.
"Now hold still, this may hurt a little." When he touched the crystal to one of the ugly gashes, it flared a bright cobalt blue. Valencia gasped and sank her nails into the mattress to ease the sting of pain. With gritted teeth, the princess watched the thin blue beam radiate inside the wound. The flesh knitted together like a zipper and the new skin turned from dark pink to white. Only a faint scar remained of the wound. Valencia tried to prevent a gasp each time he placed the crystal on a gash, and Thane had to admire her courage. By the time he finished the last wound, the poison in her veins accomplished its task. Her eyelids drooped into thin slits and she slid down on the bed with a huge yawn.
"I'm so tired!" No longer able to fight the poison, Valencia rolled onto her side to hug a pillow and was fast asleep within seconds.
"Get some rest, Valencia," Thane softly ordered to the sleeping girl. Tenderly brushing a strand of red hair out of her eyes, he stared at the woman before him.
When the princess was still on Sora, she had been a pretty child, stubborn to a fault and spoiled rotten, yet he still liked the little spitfire. Having been her personal guard for over a year before her exile, he had thought of her often during the long years, but only as the child, he remembered. When he finally laid eyes upon her in the barn, his heart
flipped inside his chest. She was more beautiful than any creature he had ever seen. He had been surprised when she attacked him with barely a hesitation, instead of cowering like a Torpek aristocrat. The first thrust of her blade had caught him off guard and she had actually drawn blood, winning his adoration as well as admiration. When he had stared into Valencia's hate filled eyes, it had sealed his fate. Thane had lost his soul to the Matka-Zem.
Chapter 5
When the yacht's motor purred to a stop, Thane left his charge to make his way to the bridge. Stepping onto the deck, he spied the earthling standing at the railing, staring into the fog as if she could see the city lights across the bay. He had doubted the human female had the ability to overcome her fear, but she had proved him wrong when she drove the ship away from the dock.
"You did well." Thane said softly, his hands resting on the railing. He glanced at the small woman when she did not respond and found her staring at him, with fire in her sapphire eyes. He suppressed a smile and steeled himself for the female's wrath.
"You were going to let those things kill me," The human stated in a firm tone. She placed her hands on her hips and turned to glare at him. "Weren't you?"
"Yes." He saw no reason to lie to her. Thane faced the woman and met her angry stare with a nonchalant expression. "You are not my charge."
"And my friend is?" The human spat, but he saw that her curiosity already began to simmer her wrath. Thane's smile barely lifted the corners of his mouth as the earthling studied him at length. "How is Jane? Was she hurt badly by those things?"
"Jane?" Caught off guard by her question, it took him a few seconds to realize whom she meant. "You mean Princess Valencia?" He gave the human a half smile at her shocked expression. "The girl is fine and now sleeps."
"Wow, Jane's a princess?" Donna mumbled to herself. "Jane . . .um . . . Valencia doesn't know who she is."
"No, she doesn't." Thane confirmed the girl's words. He was not surprised the princess's keeper, Naji, had not informed the princess who she really was and her importance to their world before her death. Nevertheless, he silently damned the old Mlinzi for her cruelty. Living with no memory must have been hell for the girl.
"And what are you, her royal guard?" The human asked with a slight bite to her words. "By the way, my name is Donna."
"Yes I am." Thane saw the inquisitive look on Donna's face and decided to put an end to her questions before they began. "Go below and tend to the princess. It's better that you care for her, than I." He studied the small woman with intrigue, then added; "You may have to scour that gore off you and the princess."
"Hum...you may be right at that," Donna peered down at her clothes as if it was the first time she felt the sticky mess on her skin. She frowned at him for a second or two before she spoke. "Won't I wake her?"
"No." Thane said, his smile widening enough to show his teeth. "She has been drugged by the Glauc-tuko's claws, and she will not wake for a while."
"Would you like me to come back to stand watch while you shower?" Donna asked before she turned to leave.
"That won't be necessary." Thane gave a shrug of his shoulders but did not turn to face the woman. "Get some rest."
"Suit yourself." Donna huffed and went below to help her friend.
When Thane heard the door softly close behind the woman, he began to study their surroundings. Not for the first time, he was thankful that his unusual vision that allowed him to penetrate the thick fog as if it were nonexistent. He was pleased to find that the tiny earthling had positioned the yacht close to a small island, not far from the pier they had just left. He could see the flashing lights of the human's emergency vehicles at the pier and farther up the street where he first encountered the women. Thane blinked his sensitive eyes at the brightness of a spotlight flashing over the fog as the humans searched for the missing yacht. He doubted they could find anything in the thick mist, but there was no reason to take even that slim chance of discovery.
Retrieving from his cloak two small, white crystals, called Nevidni, Thane placed one at the aft of the seventy-foot yacht and whispered an incantation over the small stone, causing it softly to glow. He repeated the same task at the opposite end of the craft. Placing himself in the center of the craft, he sharply slapped his hands together. Only his unique eyes could see the hot, white flare of the crystals as they formed a barrier around the ship. Satisfied that they were invisible to the naked eye, he returned to the aft and took off his cloak. After a brief inspection of the long material, he was thankful it did not stain from the gore from the Glauc-tuko. Although his sensitive ears still smarted from the loud report, he had to give credit to the human for her quick thinking. He wondered why the princess was in the company of the female in the first place. Regardless, the small woman had proven useful in their plight.
Thane removed his soiled clothing and dove into the icy water of the bay. As he rose to the surface, he took a sharp breath from the biting cold and quickly washed the stinky goo from his body. With a mighty heave of his arms, he pulled his frigid frame out of the black water and set to washing the bloody pile of clothes. With his keen hearing, he heard the off-tune hum of the female as she started the water for her bath. With a faint smile, he mentally congratulated her for taking care of the princess first. Wrapping his frozen body inside his cloak, he headed to the warmth of the enclosed wheelhouse to hang his wet clothes, and settled into his watch.
Now that the princess was safely in his care, Thane relaxed enough to contemplate his dilemma. When a Matka-Zem chooses a mate, she performs a Kleben, giving him part of her soul and, in return, he shares his, binding them together in both mind and body. Through her innocence in trying to heal him, Princess Valencia had inadvertently preformed the Kleben and he had greedily took a piece of her soul. When their lips touched, he could have and should have refused the Kleben, by pushing the energy back into the naive princess. Even in his weakened state, he had known better. Yet he had not rejected her energy. Instead, he accepted her unintentional offering, in return giving her part of his soul, and allowing their minds to intertwine as one. However, the Kleben had not been correctly preformed and only a small piece of their spirits merged, allowing them to sense each other only if they concentrated. In addition, the Kleben had not been fully completed. They would have to join physically as mates to seal them permanently together. However, due to their weakened state they were unable to complete their bond. This left him in a precarious position. Until they joined as man and woman, the Kleben could be broken with his death, which would free the princess to merge with another of her own choosing. Once sealed, the Kleben was for life.
Thane briefly wondered if they could make a new life on this planet. He shook his head at the fantasy that he and the princess could live happily-ever-after on this strange world. Together or apart, they would have to return to Sora and face the consequences of their actions. Never in the history of Sora had there had a Kleben between a Mlinzi and the Matka-Zem. Chaos would surely occur when the knowledge spread to their home world. Of course, Thane would kneel before the Mlinzi Counsel and forfeit his life for the greater good of Sora. He would accept their ruling, regardless of their decision and prepare for his death with dignity.
As Thane watched the city lights twinkling in the foggy night, he spoke his confession to the night. "I would rather die than live with the knowledge of Princess Valencia joining with another man." With a mumbled curse for his weakness, Thane donned his still damp clothes. What am I thinking? We Mlinzi are trained fighters, ordered to protect the Matka-Zem with our lives. He reflected on the numerous punishments by Naji herself when he'd shown kindness or love, for the Mlinzi were all supposed to suppress such feelings. The beatings hadn't changed anything—he had only learned how to suppress the unwanted emotions. He wondered had the Xeral Mlinzi selected him to protect the young princess because of his compassion? With a deep sigh, Thane returned to the deck and walked its perimeter.
***
With a moan,
Jane rolled onto her back and gingerly opened her eyes. The bright light of morning sent a bolt of stinging pain through her head, and she quickly closed her lids to ease the discomfort. With another moan of agony, she drew the covers over her head and hoped the throbbing pain behind her eyes would go away.
"Well, it's about time you're awake!" Donna pulled the covers off the sleepy princess. "We have things to do before we leave."
"Leave?" Jane moaned in agony from the throbbing headache as she struggled to sit on the side of the bed. She felt disoriented and it took a few seconds before reality penetrated her foggy brain. "Where?"
"Out to sea, silly girl!" Donna laughed as she helped her to the bathroom. "We first have to get you to the bank, and then buy some provisions."
"Oh yes, the bank." Jane tried to recall the events of the night before, but to her disappointment, all remained a blur. "What happened last night? All I remember is jumping on the boat."
"Well, Valencia, you got hurt by one of those monsters, but your guard healed you somehow." Donna watched her don the set of clothes she had found in her backpack.
"What did you call me?" Jane stopped in the middle of tying a lace and stared at Donna in surprise. She had heard the name before and chastised herself for her stupidity. The Mlinzi had called her that before, but it had never fully registered in her mind until now.
"Thane told you who I am?"
"That's your name. Princess Valencia. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Donna said, as if this was old news. "That guard of yours didn't tell me much. In fact, the only reason he told me was because he didn't know your fake name when I asked how you were." She gave her a wary smile. "He doesn't speak much, you know, just gives you mean looks with those yellow eyes of his."
Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles) Page 9