by Zara Zenia
On those nights, he swept into our chambers, bringing a wave of cloves and lavender with him. He snatched my hand from my side, or wherever it was, and brought it to his lips to kiss my knuckles. Then he told me I just had to bring the baby to see his wife and children after it was born.
"When you are feeling stronger, of course," Carzon said. "I remember well how delicate a time the carrying can be for human women."
There was a time when Carzon's slick manner would have annoyed me. But after months of listening through the door while he and Zarbonov talked, I learned that Carzon was more cunning than vicious. The fact that he thought my mate had a brilliant strategic mind didn't hurt his status in my eyes.
As the rainy season started, my symptoms started to improve. The headaches disappeared one morning and never came back. I had more energy every day. No surprise, since my appetite tripled once I could get out of bed.
Poor Ingendia resorted to serving two full breakfasts two keep up with my appetite, one when for Zarbonov and I to share, the other for me to eat alone. That trick worked for a few months. Then Ingendia had to beef up my mid-morning snack. As I closed in on month seven, Ingendia enlisted the help of the kitchen staff.
They never came farther into the house than the main room. Ingendia was the only servant in the house with that right, and the further my pregnancy progressed, the more territorial she got about it. I got the sense that there was a struggle brewing among the servants, but other than telling Ingendia I would kick anyone who messed with her in the shins, I stayed out of it.
Zarbonov insisted, and he had ways of convincing me of things. Most of the time, I was still too tired for sex, but our playtime in the mating chamber had inspired all kinds of games. Some nights, he would lay me down in bed, tracing his fingers over every inch of my naked body until I shivered and begged him to stroke me. Others, he settled between my thighs, lapping my swollen lips to orgasm after orgasm until I fell against the bed in a pleasure-induced haze.
Then one night, fourteen months to the day after I’d first laid eyes on the Bay of V'Dal, the healer returned to our chamber. Giving birth to a half-Xiban, half-Human baby was harder than carrying one. It was harder than I ever imagined, and I needed help from the healers along the way.
But it was worth it. Growing up the daughter of a rich man who would as soon throw things at me as hug me, being kidnapped from a party and taken to a strange alien world—the lessons, the struggles, the failures—everything in my life leading to that moment had been worth it, because for the first time, my reality was better than any dream.
I had the love of my life at my side and our baby boy in my arms.
My name is Ella jan Zarbonov, mother of Arran vin Zarbonov, and I am home.
Benzen Preview
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Benzen: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance
Chapter 1-Benzen
I think it’s all working out with our escape plan, everything going as it should. I think so right up until the very last minute, when the engine fails. It comes as a violent shudder, the sound of metal crunching and stuttering, coughing like a dying old man before giving out completely. The next thing I feel is the terror inside my gut as we hit a speed I scarcely thought possible.
We’re tumbling, flying, falling fast down to the nearest planet. I see it come closer, a glowing blue orb the color of lightning bolts and vegetation. For a moment, as we plummet down at breakneck speed, I wonder what the puffy, white substance is that caresses the atmosphere of the world we’re about to land on. I ponder it until we’re right in the middle of its softness and realize they’re clouds. They moisten the sides of the ship as we stab through them, a ball of mechanical fire falling to disintegration.
The ground comes up fast, then faster, then faster still until I hold my breath, certain that we will crumble upon impact. Glancing around at my crew, I see them more terrified than I am. Victorinth, her eyes are ablaze in fear, her gaze following mine out the window as the ship falls sideways. She’s holding onto her seat, gripping it as though it’s the last connection she has to her life before it became a disaster, before we felt the fear of falling.
Our eyes meet over the chaos, panic surging between us like a tangible energy. Horror is etched into Victorinth’s face, and I see her lips twitch as she tries to tell me something, but I don’t hear a word. All that enters my ears are the rapid sounds of the craft cracking up around me and the rush of air as it escapes through the gaps in the falling wreckage. It hits my face, cold and caustic, the force almost burning my skin.
The last thing I see before we crash is a large building on the edge of a city. If I knew of its importance to the crew, I would have feared nothing, but in that moment, I’m stricken with an intense fear, one that grows the closer we get.
It’s right before my eyes, the ground black with symmetrical white stripes, and it’s coming up fast. I resign myself to fate, it will swallow me up and I will live no more. There’s a crunch, Victorinth screams, and the crew falls into a mass of tangled-up terror as the ship splinters at the edges.
Before the blackness arrives, I look up and see the large building beside us. There’s a sign on the wall in an alphabet I’m not familiar with.
RICHMOND CITY MALL
I squint in an attempt to decipher the symbols, but as I strain my eyes, shock takes over my body. Then, nothing but darkness.
My eyes are stinging, blistering with the pain of unseen molecules. It would seem where we’ve landed has something in the air we’re not used to. It takes a few breaths to adjust to the light. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before. The sky is dark like the blackest onyx, but every now and again, items are illuminated, like buildings or vehicles of sorts. As I glance out the window, I can see there are various other crafts. Some are larger than others and in different colors, but they are mostly of similar length, or at least much smaller than our craft.
“What are you looking for?” One of my team shouts from behind me.
“I don’t know yet,” I answer. “I’m still figuring things out.”
I see something move, another being. They’re tall, slender, ethereal, and calm as they walk across the space in front of me. I see them enter one of the vehicles, then watch as it disappears around a bend.
“What was that? I hear something.”
I can hear the team behind me spruce themselves up and get back on their feet.
“Is anyone hurt?” I turn around to check everyone.
They all look themselves over before shaking their heads.
“I’m scared,” says the youngest, Victorinth.
“Me too,” I admit. “But we’ll be fine if we stick together.”
We all nod at one another to show we’re in agreement.
“But what was that?” asked Victorinth again. “What was that noise?”
She rushes to the window and looks out. Seeing nothing, she turns back around.
“It was a craft,” I explain.
“Like this one?” She runs to her brother, Jarick, and clings onto him.
“No. It looks nothing like this one. It was smaller, much smaller, and did not leave the ground,” I explain.
“It didn’t leave the ground?” Jarick asks, bewildered. “How strange.”
I can see him churn the idea around in his mind, the cogs of his brain whirring as he tries to figure it out.
“Then how did it move?” he finally asks.
“With wheels on the ground.”
“Like… What the primitives used back in the olden years?” He’s aghast.
“Yes, something like that.” I look solemnly to the ground. “But never mind that. We have to formulate a plan for ourselves.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Ethazol says, stepping forward. “We can’t stay here forever, we’re a sitting target.”
“Always the sensible one,” I smile at him.
Walking back over to the window, I look out once more for signs of danger. Every now and again, the beings pass by, but they do
n’t so much as look over at us. It confuses me.
“I don’t think anyone can see us. Not the craft, anyway. It appears the body work done before takeoff works here too.”
“You mean the diversion worked?” Jarick asks.
“Yeah,” I keep my sight outside the craft. “We’re safe for now, I hope.”
I’m so busy being lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice the human getting closer and closer until it’s too late. It’s striding purposely right to us, as though it doesn’t know we’re here. He’s walking briskly, so briskly in fact that it's only a few breaths until he’s right at the window.
“Look!” I shout at the crew.
They all huddle around the window and gasp as they see him approach, closer and closer until…
“Argh!”
We hear him yell. He’s walked right into our craft, his face crumpling against the metal fragments of our broken ship. He pulls away hurt. There’s a red substance coming out the center of his face. It trickles down into his mouth and covers his teeth.
We all remain silent as we try to figure out what has happened. The human looks to be in a state of shock. He tries to walk again but once again he hits the window.
“What the hell?” We hear him say.
He takes a couple steps to the side and tries to walk again. Yet, just like before, he walks into the craft. He takes another couple steps to the side and repeats and still, he can’t get anywhere. I watch as a look comes over his face. It’s a look of terror, one that shows his ideas of reality tearing at the seams.
“I almost feel as though I want to go out there and help him,” I say as I see him fail over and over again to get to where he’s going.
“You’ll do no such thing.” Ethazol claps a hand to my shoulder. “We are in enough trouble,” he explains. “No use in complicating things.”
Yet we watch enraptured for a long while as the man attempts to get around the ship. At one point, we watch him stop for a little while. He looks exhausted and just stands still, looking down at his body. It’s then that he places a hand on his gut and then examines his fingers.
“Oh my god…” We can hear him muttering through the walls. “What is this?”
As we look at his hands, we see there is a peculiar green substance attached to his fingers. It seems as though his body has come into contact with our jet fuel, and we can only hope that he remains safe with the chemical on his body.
“Don’t go out there, Benzen.” Jarick turns to me. “I know what you’re like. You want to help everyone, but right now you have to focus on just helping us get out of this ship and somewhere safe.”
I nod.
“Very well. It appears you know me too well.”
We’re all silent for a moment as we contemplate what we have to do.
“What were those things on his body?” Victorinth blurts out eventually.
“I’m not sure,” I answer.
“It looked like some sort of body armor, but not for combat,” she says as she bites on her lower lip in deep thought.
“Yeah you’re right,” I agree. “That is what it looked like. I saw the others out there wearing them too.”
“Well then, we’ll have to get them,” Ethazol commands. “Or we’ll be noticed.”
We Orbas wore very light attire, usually a large piece of cloth across our bodies. Unless, of course, we are in battle.
We all stand around looking at one another, trying to figure out how to get these items onto our bodies.
“I have an idea,” I say, glancing out the window and seeing the man still out there, examining the jet fuel on his body. “I need to concentrate, but I think there’s a chance I can do it.”
“What are you talking about, Benzen?” Jarick laughs. “You and your ridiculous ideas,” he shakes his head.
“Me and my ridiculous ideas might help us stay alive,” I explain to him without anger in my voice. “So just bear with me.”
As young Orbans, many of us are trained from an early age to partake in activities that suit our minds and bodies the best. Ethazol’s particular talent, for instance, was being authoritative and intellectual. That is why he was taught from a young age to have engaging leadership skills and a clear thinking mind that could deal with problems in front of him. However, his talent does not extend to thinking outside of usual situations, and so he is only performing at his best in already learned scenarios.
I, on the other hand, inherited my talent. It came from my mother, a being so vastly special that she could create any talent she pleased. Yet she only chose ones that could be good for the planet, ones that would benefit others before herself.
When I came into being, she chose a talent for me that she said suited my personality. She waited until I was old enough to form opinions and congruent thoughts before she sat me down and asked:
“Benzen… What do you want to do when you are older?”
I thought for a second, looking into her opal eyes before I answered:
“I want to be able to move anything anywhere, but with my mind.”
I remember watching her sit back in thought for a moment before she raised her hands and declared:
“Very well,” she held me. “I will give you the ability to have a mind that transcends the body.”
“All of us Orbans are also warriors by nature. We only use our training when our race is threatened by another group of lifeforms.”
Now, inside the ship, I wish that she were here to guide me through the ability she had gifted me. It has been so long since I used it, but I'm sure that deep down, I have not forgotten its inner workings.
“Crew, you must support me for a moment. Stay calm and remain quiet.”
They all look at me as though I am not behaving in the most appropriate way. Yet they're quite used to this, as I'm always the one that strays behind the rest. I’m smaller than they all are, but not by much. I am six feet tall, but they are only a few inches taller. I act in different ways at times, but they now see that I can do something most extraordinary, and that there is a great happiness that comes from being peculiar.
I have been alive for 24 years thus far. Victorinth was born after me, but by only one year. The rest are a few years older than me. I will eventually be as tall as them, but it just takes some more time to grow to their height.
I crouch at the window and look to the man outside. The look of terror has not left his eyes, and I knew that at any moment, it could only get worse.
“Stay calm, Benzen,” I whisper to myself. “You can do it.”
Focusing my mind, I put all my strength into remembering my mother as I look at the man and… transfer his clothes from his body, through the ship and onto me.
“Well done, Benzen!” Victorinth cheers.
“Quite the talent!” Jarick slaps me on the back. “Now all you gotta do is find five more of these creatures so you can camouflage the rest of us.”
Chapter 2-Benzen
It takes a while, waiting for five more people to walk past the ship, but once they do, obtaining their cloaking is easy. However, seeing their unarmored bodies is most peculiar. Once their outerwear is taken away, they shriek and panic, running around in circles in the most confused manner. Of course, we mean them no harm, but… we are pleased we can look like them now.
I glance at my crew and see that we are all covered and more or less look like the same creatures that are outside, save for the dark blue color of our bodies. Yet the people here vary in so many ways. Some are tall, some are short, some are thin like us, and others are wide. They have varying shades of skin color, and no two have the same coverings. This is good for us, as it means our differences will not look so out of place. We can only hope…
“I think I can lead us from here,” Draygus steps forward.
He is a wise member of the crew and has been studying the humans for quite some time. Without question, we follow him out the craft and into the open air.
“It smells so….different,” Vict
orinth remarks, wrinkling up her nose.
“And it’s cold, too,” I say.
With my feet pressing into the new ground, I feel its texture and the way it feels solid against my toes. Our world back home has a spongier disposition and more give when you walk on it. The ground back home is softer, but this is…harsh.
The most confident member of our group, Voland, is ahead of us all. He’s staring up at the bright lights of the building, his eyes glazed over with wonder.
“I always dreamed of seeing new lands,” he says. “Yet I can scarcely believe we are here.”
“We have made it safely,” I lay a hand on his shoulder. “Let us go inside.”
As we walk in through the door, we see the space is vast and expansive inside and well lit. It reminds me very much of a spacecraft, yet one that is bigger than any others I’ve seen. We all look to Draygus for guidance as we cross the threshold of the building.
“What now?” I whisper, scared that we will be noticed. “What do we do in here?”
“I think I know what is going on,” Draygus says in a deep tone as he walks by my side. “I have read about places like this in books. They are safe places.”
“Safe?” Victorinth huddles by his side. “How do you know this?”
“Because,” he points up towards to sky. “Because there is so much light.”
We gaze up to the brightness raining down on us.
“Why are you so sure it’s safe?” I ask.
“Humans always feel safe in well-lit spaces. It is the darkness they fear. Places with great amounts of blackness are dangerous to humans and are avoided at all costs,” he explains to me in a voice he puts on when trying to make us feel like children.
We nod at his words and look all around us at the many sources of light, trying to cultivate the feeling that they are keeping us safe.
“Very well,” Draygus nods. “We’ll keep moving.”
I have to admit that as we make our way through the building with our new footwear squeaking against the floor, I have a strange and nervous feeling inside me. Everything is so new and bizarre. There are countless things I don’t understand, devices I see people holding, and I don’t know why. There is a great cacophony of smells permeating my nostrils all at once. We pass by one place in particular that seems the worst to me, despite the person outside being friendly.