Transformation, M J Marlow [thriller books to read .TXT] 📗

rooms, her fear returned. This was an exact duplicate of the rooms that had been her prison when her father had taken her captive. “The quarters do not please you, sister?” a man’s voice sounded from behind her as she stood at the waterfall that fed the bathing pool. Leonin frowned as she turned with a dark look on her face. “Our hosts went to great lengths to fashion them so that we would feel at home.” “They recreated a prison chamber,” Zen said coldly. “These are exactly like the rooms our sire locked me in to keep me under his control.” She remembered the days before she had died. Her father had kept her drugged almost to the point of immobility to keep her from escaping. Only women had been allowed near her. “He was determined that no man would touch me, but him.” “Our father was planning on bonding with you?” Leonin was horrified at the thought. He had not known this was part of their sire’s plan. “He never seemed that depraved.” “He was lost to his need to dominate,” Zen replied, closing her eyes against the pain. “When he realized what I could give to the man who bonded with me, he decided that he would be that man.” She looked at Leonin coldly. “Is that what you want?” She held up her hand and he saw the tattoo. “It has already been given to a man who has proven himself worthy to carry the power.” “I am not like our sire, sister,” Leonin replied tightly. He saw the shock on her face. “I was not lying to the lord Cardinal, Zenyssa,” he told her. “I am your brother.” “No,” Zen shook her head, “you are not! I do not have a brother…” “I am your sibling, Zenyssa,” Leonin broke in. “Born to Zoranand the lady Ozienne two years before you were. The year you were sent to the lady Atav, I was sent to Ynast’ur; to be kept under the tutelage of our sire’s general, Koris.” His eyes were far away as he remembered. “I heard what our sire was up toand tried to come to your aid, but Koris insisted I remain with him. We had words,and then he attacked me. I killed him, but he injured me grievously.” He looked at her bluntly. “I died never knowing if Zoran had succeeded.” He led her to the wall near the bedand she saw the redstone mirror. “You recognize this, sister?” “Our sire designed the mirrors so he could command me to bond with him,” Zen told him. “When I heard of his foul plan, I went to destroy the mirrors. I was taken down as the bomb went off.” The tears were flowing down her cheeks. “I believed I had destroyed the hateful things.” “All you did was bury them, sister,” Leonin told her, hating what their sire had done to her. “They were foundand dispersed around the planet. Thankfully, only youand I, or those we bound with fully, are able to use them as they were intended.” He looked down at her, his hand moving to her cheek. “How did you stop our father, Zen?” “I broke free at the last possible moment,” Zen told him, shaking with remembered fearand anger, “and I drove a dagger into my own heart. I died so he could be stopped.” She felt his arms around herand she took the comfort he offered. Once the tears had passed, she looked up at her brother. “Why did they never tell me I had a brother?” “I wish I knew, sister,” Leonin told her. “I believe they kept us apart so that I would not stand in our sire’s way. Because if I had been there, Zenyssa,” he said fiercely, “I would have killed him for what he meant to do to you.” “Who are these people who are holding us, Leo?” Zen asked him as she went to pour herself a goblet of water. She held the pitcher upand he shook his head. “What do they want from us?” “What all of these savages seem to want,” Leonin told her. He watched her sit down by the waterfall, waiting for more. “We are beings from the ancient times. We have abilitiesand information they crave.” He saw her mindand wished he could comfort her. “They will do what they felt they must to make us give them access to both.” “So they are no better than our sire,” Zen frowned. She tested the waterand set it aside. “Drugged?” her mind shot into his. “Drugged,” Leonin nodded, his mind answering. He was impressed. “I was not aware that you could analyze, sister,” he continued their mind-to-mind conversation. “Would you allow a sharing?” Zen noddedand he opened his mind to hers fully. She saw that he had been speaking the truth. He was her brother. Unlike her, he had known their father during his childhood. Zen was glad now she had been spared such harshness. Leonin’s life had been made deliberately hard. Zoran had wanted his son to become like him,and Leonin had fought him at every turn. He had learned combat,and politics, but he had not allowed himself to harm without just cause. It was then that Zoran must had turned his eyes to her. If his firstborn would not do as he willed, then he would create another child on the one female worthy to bear for him now. “It was not your fault, Leo,” Zen told her brother fiercely as she felt his guilt. “You could not let him turn you into a monster. It is past,” she sent him, her eyes showing him that she held no grudge towards him. “Let us concentrate on this new situation we find ourselves in.” * The lord Reo went to pour out two goblets of wineand held one out to his sister as she turned from the mirror in her private office. Trel took it with a pleased smile on her face. They now had Zoran’s children in their hands. With them as their unwitting information sources, there would be no stopping her or her brother. They could now begin their plans to take over the Directiveand use its resources as they willed. “You have done well, brother,” Trel said as she sank down on a seat near the mirror. “With the siblings in our hands, there is nothing to prevent us from realizing our goals.” “Nothing,” Reo nodded as he joined her. He left Trel watching their prizeand got out the knife. He grabbed his sister’s hand and sliced her palm as he dragged her to the mirror. He laid Trel’s hand on the mirrorand she was drawn inside. He got a ring of bluestone as Trel watched in horror. “Insurance, my dear sister,” he laughed as he blooded the stoneand then put the ring on his other hand. “I need to know that we are will always be working towards the same goals.” “You bastard!” Trel screamedand beat on the mirror from her side. “I am going to kill you!” “While you were putting our plans together, I was studying the Archives,” Reo smiled in at her. “You will remain silent until I say otherwise.” He laughed at the horrified look on his sister’s face. “The mirror puts you under my control, sister. You have to do what I say.” He knew she was plotting his destructionand he was amused. He got his gobletand finished drinking, slowly. Then he nodded to her. “You may speak now, Trel.” “I am going to hurt you, Reo,” Trel snarled as she came to the mirror. She slapped her palms against it. “Let me out of here.” “In a while, my dear sister,” Reo smiled. “It takes a few moments for the chaining to be complete. When I let you go, you will not be able to tell anyone what I did to you. In fact, you won’t even remember it. Can you agree to that?” “Of course I can, my darling brother,” Trel smiled. Reo knew she was lying. Her mind was as clear to him as his own now. He put his hand through the mirrorand drew his sister out. All the murderous intent vanished the instant she stepped through,and a collar of bluestone formed around her throat. Her smile was warm as she looked towards the redstone mirror. “We have done it, Reo! The children of Zoran are ours!” “Yes, sister,” Reo smiled back at her, enjoying his mastery immensely. Obviously the chaining worked as the histories had said. “They are.” He guided her to the door. “I want you to take charge of the hunters now. Find Bemin Torand his son. Chain the father where you find him; give him some task to keep him busy, but bring the son back to us. I will take charge here until you return.” “Of course, Reo,” Trel smiled. Reo watched her goand turned back to the bed. He now had the best of all worlds: an obedient sister,and two powerful slaves. He had only a few more problems to deal with,and he would be ready to begin his drive to take over the world. He ran his eyes slowly up Zen’s bodyand she turned towards the mirror in her cell, as if she knew he was watching her. He was looking forward to the time when his master allowed him to possess the girl. He would teach her what it truly meant to be his slave. Now was as good a time as any, he decided. “Prince Leonin,” Reo said as heand two guards came into the rooms fifteen moments later. “Princess Zenyssa.” He bowed low before them both. “I apologize that I have not greeted you before this moment. I am lord Reo Flox, Ambassador of the Science Directive to Belastia.” “You will go with the guards, Prince. They will take you to the Research Section, so that we can begin the examination portion of your service to us.” “We do not belong to you, Flox,” Leonin snapped, remaining standing between Zenand the men. “My sisterand I will not be your lab animals.” “You have no choice,” Reo replied tightly. “You go with no argument, or you go beaten.” He looked at Zenand her anger made him flinch. These children were accustomed to being in control. They would learn the futility of rebellion. “But you will go.” “You remember what I showed you, sister?” Leonin asked as he looked down at Zen. She noddedand he clasped her hands in his, resting his forehead against hers. “Trust your instincts. They have proven sound thus far.” He stepped away from herand Reo thought he had won. Instead, Leonin veered offand dove into the mirror, vanishing from sight. Reo went to the mirrorand saw no prince. He had the guards hold Zenand he slapped her, demanding to know where her brother had gone. Zen merely smiled at him sweetlyand remained silent. He had never been angrier in his life. He continued to strike her until she collapsed. He sent the guards outand carried Zen to the bed. He had not expected her to be so stubborn. Breaking her, he smiled as he ran his hand along her cheek slowly, was going to be a pleasure. Leonin stepped out of a goldstone mirrorand looked around the waterfall chamber that had been his sister’s home. He could feel her here, he noted as he gathered supplies for his journey. He felt at peace here,and welcomed. He laid his hand on the symbol for the redstone mirrorand saw her lying on the bed. Her mind was blazing with anger at being bested by the lord Reo. He soothed herand undid as much of the damage as he could without being able to touch her. Zen’s eyes openedand she smiled over at him. “It works!” she said as she approached the mirror. “Just as you said it would.” “Only the savages will be chained, Zen,” Leonin