Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles)

by Chanley, Deborah

  ***

  When Thane crested the hill, he staggered backwards in shock. A band of Minore, some fifty strong, was attacking the campsite. With a roar of rage, he raced towards the encampment, hoping he was not too late. As he entered the clearing, he hurriedly scanned the area for the princess. First, he spied Donna, fighting alongside Parth. A black-haired girl crouched on the ground between them. Dismissing the girl, Thane was relieved that the human was safe with the large Mlinzi. Thane entered the battle, sword in hand, and sliced the clawed feet off a Minore as it hovered in the air above him, ready to sink its claws into him. The creature's blood soaked his cowl. As it screeched in pain, another fill its place. A winged beast tried to grasp his blade but only received missing talons for its efforts.

  "Stay inside the ring, you stupid girl!" Thane yelled as he saw Valencia crawl out of the protected ring of Mlinzi. Yet, the sounds of battle swallowed his words. Another Minore blocked his path, preventing his forward momentum. Fighting the beast that blocked his path, he saw another Mlinzi grasp the princess's arm and pull her toward the forest. As Thane tried to close the distance between them, a Minore struck the princess's guardian with a huge rock before they could reach the woods. Thane watched as the man's skull burst open and knew his brethren was dead before he dropped heavily to the ground. Alana reached the princess's side as yet another Minore stopped him from reaching Valencia. The princess and Alana put their backs together as they slowly made their way towards the trees. As he tried to get to the Matka-Zem, Thane sliced another creature in two.

  "Valencia." As he drew closer, Thane yelled and he saw her look around. His heart soared with relief when Valencia smiled at him. The love in her eyes was unmistakable. Another Minore flew between them and he quickly dispensed with the creature, clearing a path to the princess.

  With a war cry, he raced towards the woman he loved, yet he was too late. He was powerless to stop the vile Minore from striking the Matka-Zem on the side of her head and she crumpled to the ground. As the creature lifted the unconscious princess into the air, Thane decapitated another beast as it launched itself at him. Thane frantically ran after Valencia as another Minore assisted the first one, carrying the princess higher into the sky. With a hop, he jumped onto a downed beast and sprang into the air, reaching for Valencia's limp hand. Their fingertips slightly brushed before he crashed toward the ground.

  "Nnnoooooo . . .!" Thane screamed his agony and punched the ground with his fist. As he helplessly watched Valencia disappear into the rays of the raising suns, the remaining Minore stopped their attack and fled into the sky. Viktor quickly reorganized the survivors. They had lost two Mlinzi and Alana was missing, captured by the Minore.

  "Where's Donna?" Thane asked the commander as calmly as he could. He'd seen the creatures take both Valencia, and Alana and he worried they had taken the human too.

  "I'm here." Donna pushed through the warriors, towing the black-haired girl behind her.

  "Who is this?" Thane glared at the child and she wilted before him.

  "Don't worry about Gabby, Thane," Donna said in a commanding tone. Her sapphire eyes were wide with worry. "Let's go after Val."

  "You're staying here," Thane said, pointing a finger at Donna. He turned towards the commander. "Viktor, I'll leave a trail. I can sense her presence and will find her."

  Viktor nodded and ordered one of the warriors to locate the main force of the Mlinzi army.

  "I'm going with you." Donna hovered around him as he hurriedly gathered supplies for the journey.

  Thane abruptly stopped in his tracks and spun around to face her.

  "You're staying with Parth." He glanced at the big man, who nodded his understanding and placed a meaty hand on the human's shoulder.

  "Now wait a minute, Thane. I love her too." Donna glared at Parth as she pleaded with Thane.

  "You'll just slow me down, Earthling." The thought of losing the human too was too much for him to bear, and he quickly turned away from her to hide his tears. "You'll be safer here."

  "But I don't want to stay. I want to go with you!" Donna whined in her defense, "I'm safer with you."

  "The answer is no, Donna." He finished gathering the needed supplies and faced his tiny friend. He knelt down on one knee and took her by her shoulders. "Promise me you will stay with Parth."

  "Okay, I'll stay with him."

  Thane saw the set of her jaw and a flash of deception in her eyes, but he didn't have the time to argue with her. He withdrew the short sword from his cloak and handed it to Donna. "I meant to present this to you in happier times. But you need this now."

  "It's beautiful." Donna stared at him with her wide, blue eyes. She quickly buckled the new weapon at her side. With a silent cry, she flung her arms around his neck. With her face muffled in his cloak, her words were barely audible. "You'd better be careful."

  "You are like a sister to me, little Earthling." Thane gave her a firm hug. "Stay with Parth. He will protect you." He rose and gave Parth his hand. The big man enfolded a meaty paw around his. "I'll find Alana too." Not waiting for a response, he ran off into the woods.

  ***

  "You do realize he didn't mention anything about where you had to be," Donna said as they watched Thane disappear into the forest. "We may not be able to keep his pace, but we will be faster than the whole army." Donna waved her hand over the field of Mlinzi. The main force had begun to arrive and they were disheartened to learn of the Matka-Zem's capture.

  "The Earthling is right." Viktor stood behind them and gave an order to Parth, "Prepare a squad to follow Thane. Get those cuts cleaned and healed, too." He peered at her as Parth left to follow his orders, "I agree with my brother, though. You are safer here with the main force."

  "I'm going, Captain." She was not sure what rank he was, and really didn't care. "You'll have to tie me to something in order to stop me."

  "Are all you humans this stubborn?" Viktor placed his hands on her shoulders, spun her around to face the camp and gave her a soft push. "Go . . . gather your things and fill your water skin. Be quick about it."

  "Thank you and take care of Gabby for me." Donna gave Viktor a broad smile and scurried away to gather her things.

  ***

  With a soft moan, Valencia opened her eyes and saw nothing. The room was devoid of light. The lack of light caused total disorientation. It took a few seconds to clear her head and she realized she was hanging by her wrists, her feet unable to touch the floor. As she hung in the blackness, she visualized hanging over an abyss by a frayed rope, and a shiver of fear raced through her.

  "Hello . . ." Valencia's voice stuck in her throat, "is anyone here?" She listened to the echoes of her voice to determine the size of the room. The sound quickly returned. With a heavy sigh of relief, she gave thanks she was not hanging over a cavern. Good thing the room is smaller than I thought.

  "Princess," Alana's voice sounded muffled, as if something was in her mouth. Valencia sensed movement to her right, and strained her eyes to try to see Alana. There was only blackness.

  "Where are we?" she lowered her voice to a whisper, then gave a short laugh. "Why am I whispering? They could be standing right next to me and I wouldn't know it."

  "We are alone, Princess," Alana's muffled voice was hard to understand. "Stay calm. We will be found."

  "By the sound of this room, we are underground." Valencia's head throbbed, and a gooey mass matted her hair. As she fought the desire to sleep, she focused on something constructive to keep awake. "We must be in a cave of some sort. I hear water dripping to my left."

  "Are you hanging, princess? I can hear something swaying."

  By the sound of the Mlinzi's muffled voice Valencia was able to pinpoint Alana to her right and lower than where she hung.

  "Yes, I am," Valencia answered Alana's muffled question. "Where are you, Alana?"

  "I'm pinned to a wall with my hands and feet stretched out." Alana was hard to understand and Valencia had to strain to hear her.

/>   "Let me see if I can swing to you," she said as she pumped her legs to try to swing. It did not take long before she was swaying like a pendulum. She felt something splash on her forehead and realized it was blood dripping from her wrists. She could feel the warm, sticky stream oozing down her arms and the centrifugal force of her swaying body caused it to spatter onto her face. Her hands were numb and her shoulder burned, yet she kept swinging. Even in a wide swing, she still could not touch a wall.

  "There's nothing around me. This place must be bigger than I thought." Valencia shivered in the cold dampness. "It's cold in here."

  Time stood still in the blackness. The steady drip of water began to grow louder and the pounding in her head increased. Occasionally she heard Alana grunt and wondered what the Mlinzi was doing.

  "How long have we been here?"

  A faint light pierced the darkness, forestalling an answer.

  "Someone's coming." Alana whispered in a muffled voice, "Be brave, Matka-Zem."

  Valencia's heart pounded in fright, as the light grew brighter and the sound of feet echoed off the walls. She glanced around the room to discover they were in a fair-sized cave with bars across the entrance. Water dripped down the left side of the cave and formed a puddle the size of the width of a large melon. Without much thought, she realized the water must trickle out through some fissure. She was hanging roughly ten feet from the ground in the center of the cave by a thick chain, with the end of the chain tied to a hook by the bars. Valencia spied Alana to her right. All four of Alana's limbs had been shackled against the cave wall, about two feet off the ground. There was a rope between her teeth, but it wasn't tight enough to prevent her muffled speech. The Mlinzi's left eye was swollen shut, and her bottom lip had been split wide open. Blood covered the front of her tunic, yet she proudly raised her head and stared straight ahead, seemingly unafraid as to what might come. Valencia took heart at the Mlinzi's bravery and did her best to follow suit.

  A group of ten men stopped marching just outside the bars. All were dressed in Torpek armor. The heavy bars squeaked in protest as one soldier swung them aside. Another soldier carried a torch into the cave. Three more soldiers followed, each placing a torch upon the walls. The remaining six stood at attention, blocking Valencia's view of the tunnel. The Torpek soldiers did not speak, merely waited for their leader. The men stiffened their backs as he approached.

  "Liam," she hissed with bitterness when the vain Torpekian entered the dungeon. He was dressed in silken robes as he had been in Kota Emas, which were distinctly out of place in the cold, damp cave.

  "Hah! Here is my future mate with her lackey." Liam waved a hand to have her lowered closer to the ground.

  Inches from the floor, Valencia felt the energy of the planet tingle against her feet. She wiggled her toes to stretch towards the dirt, hoping she could use her Gift to free them.

  "You can stop trying, Matka-Zem. You're never going to touch the ground until we are sealed together." The vision of Liam raping her while she hung by her wrists revolted and frightened her.

  "You're crazy, Liam. I'm never going to . . ." A painful punch stopped her words. Her jaw throbbed and stars dotted her vision. As blood filled her mouth, she spat it at the Torpek lord. Another blow struck her face and she fought the spinning blackness to keep it from overcoming her. When she regained her senses, she glared at the guard who hit her. "You're going to regret that." She spoke with unusual calmness. The guard just laughed as he pulled his fist back for another swing.

  A high-pitched keen vibrated against her ear, when the little Krysa launched itself at the guard. The man cried out in pain, as the rodent's fangs sunk into his right eye while its six razor-sharp claws raked deep gouges in his face. Stumbling backwards, he fell onto one of the torches upon the wall. Like a tinderbox, his long, silvery hair was ablaze. Valencia saw the Krysa jump from the burning guard, as the man ran out of the cell. His screams echoed down the corridor as the smell of burnt flesh filled the cave. She watched the rodent scurry into a slit in the wall. Valencia closed her eyes to concentrate on the Krysa. She pushed past the pain in her jaw to touch the animal's mind with hers. "Get help. Find Thane." She imprinted her need into its thoughts. She opened her eyes to glare at Liam. Visibly shaken, the Torpek pressed himself against the wall as his eyes searched for the tiny creature.

  "You can't even do your own dirty work, Liam." She taunted the Torpek, getting his attention off the rodent, so it could escape to find Thane. "You're nothing but a pampered ass."

  "You're going to learn who your master is, bitch." Angered by her insult, the Torpek straightened his robes and stormed towards her. He grew close enough that she could feel his stale breath upon her cheek. He hissed into her ear, "I will be your mate, Princess. Whether you are willing or not." Liam ripped open the front of her shirt to reveal her bosom, and brutally grasped her breasts. As the Torpek kneaded her bosom, she closed her eyes and thought of Thane. With her mind, she reached out to the Mlinzi and touched his thoughts, ever so slightly. Her heart squeezed with hope when she felt Thane's response.

  Liam savagely pinched a nipple and she lost contact with a groan of pain. As he sucked the nub with his hungry mouth, she tried to twist away. For punishment, Liam viciously bit her breast, severing the nipple. Blood poured down her chest as she bit her lips to keep from crying. Hearing Alana's cry of anger, she locked eyes with the warrior.

  The Mlinzi struggled in her bonds, trying unsuccessfully to break free to come to the Matka-Zem's aide. Growling in fury, blood streamed down both of her arms as she pulled against her restraints to get away. Unable to do so, she watched helplessly as the Torpek lord ravaged her.

  "I'm going to enjoy you, Princess." With a sardonic laugh, Liam licked the flow of blood that ran down her chest. "In time, you will learn to like my touch." The Torpek lord grabbed the waist of her pants and started to yank them off her hips. Frantically, she kicked at him with all her strength. Liam quickly slammed his fist into her stomach, taking the fight out of her. With a satanic smile, he removed her pants and pulled the remains of her tattered shirt from her arms. His uncaring movements sent sharp, tearing pain racing through her shoulders and she could no longer control the groan of agony.

  The Torpek smiled in delight at her torment and stepped back to study her nakedness. Liam slowly strolled around her, as if inspecting a horse ready for stud. With the flat of his hand, he smacked her bare bottom, before he grabbed her hips with both hands. With a groan of desire, Liam rubbed his manhood against her buttock, until he grew hard. As he moaned his pleasure, his hand snaked around to stroke her sex.

  "No!" Valencia tried to squirm out of Liam's grasp, as he pressed her buttock firmly against his hard shaft. She gasped as he roughly thrust a finger deep inside her. His free hand returned to her bleeding breast and cruelly kneaded the painful mound, smearing fresh blood over her torso.

  With a sweeping glance at the guards, she saw lust sparkle in their eyes. One guard was even stroking his hand over his pants, as he enjoyed watching her rape. Closing her eyes at the sight, she hoped it would be over soon, yet she had the awful feeling that Liam was just getting started. She felt the tingle of Thane's mind trying to connect with her, but she suppressed the Mlinzi's attempt, not wanting him to witness her humiliation.

  "How I enjoy taking virgins." Liam groaned in her ear. "I will be gentle if you submit to me, Princess," the Torpek whispered so tenderly that Valencia wanted to vomit. His thin robes were the only barrier between them as he pressed harder. "Share your Gift with me, Matka-Zem and be my mate."

  "Never!" Valencia fought the desire to struggle against his assault, remembering how he had enjoyed her fight during their last encounter on the balcony. "I will never share anything with you."

  "One way or the other, Princess, you will learn your place." The Torpek spun her around to face him and firmly grasped her chin. She shuddered at the evil in his pale blue eyes. Liam lowered his head to plant a punishing kiss on her lips. As his mouth cl
osed over hers, she sank her teeth into his lower lip. With a scream of agony, the Torpek pulled back. She yanked her head in the opposite direction, ripping a huge hunk out of his flesh. Valencia spat the piece of skin out of her mouth and gave him a murderous glare.

  "You're going to pay for this, Liam!" Valencia held her head high, to show that she was not afraid. Her glare took in the guards as well. "You all will."

  Liam grabbed a cloth from a soldier and held it to his mouth. With a moan of pain, he pressed the cloth firmly to his lip and blood soaked the rag.

  "You took a piece of me. I'll take one from your Mlinzi," Liam growled through the rag. "Besides it's her payback for rudely interrupting us the other night." With a nod of his head, the soldier standing next to Alana, grabbed the Mlinzi by the hair and, with practiced ease, sliced off her right ear. Alana only gritted her teeth and glared hatefully at the guard. At Valencia's gasp, the Mlinzi turned her gaze towards her and Valencia recognized the look. The Keeper had taught her countless things she had thought were useless, yet now those things came to her aid. With her eyes, Alana told her to be quiet and wait. Valencia bit back the angry remarks and held her tongue.

  Liam studied Valencia's expression. "Hum . . . that didn't seem to faze you too much." He spit out an order to the guard. "Take a finger."

  Obeying his orders the guard sliced off Alana's little finger on her right hand.

  Valencia bit her tongue to keep from crying as she watched Alana grit her teeth in pain. Still, the Mlinzi did not make a sound. Alana continued to stare at her, her eyes ordering her to remain mute.

  "Let's see if you still refuse me when I return from healing my lip." Liam grabbed Alana's severed ear from the guard and shoved it in her face. The smell of Alana's blood as he smeared it onto her check caused her stomach to flip with nausea, but Valencia bravely held Liam's angry gaze. "If you continue to act like a self-righteous bitch, I will have your little guard carved into pieces until you beg me to fuck you." Liam words were barely audible with the rag to his mouth. He gave another groan of pain and with a wave of his hand ordered the guards to follow him out of the cave. Darkness slowly engulfed them as they left the dungeons.