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

was left suspendedand immobilized. No one seeing her would come to her aid. All on this world knew this form of imprisonment was reserved only for the most deadlyand criminal;and they would not risk their lives to check. “Be careful with her, dolt!” the hunter’s voice brought Zen awake the next morning. At least Zen assumed it was morning. “The lordand lady will have our heads if she is damaged in the transport.” “Why should it matter?” the first man’s voice sounded petulantly. “They’re just going to destroy her…” There was the sound of skin on skinand Zen felt the man’s pain. “You know it’s truth, hunter. The Directive does not take children this way unless they are a threat.” “This child?” the second man laughed. Zen heard the sound of water sloshing in a vesseland the scent of warmed broth entered her nostrils. “She’s no threat,” he said as he poured it into something. “Except to a man’s libido.” “You just be careful to keep your libido in check,” the hunter snapped from somewhere behind Zen. “This one is marked ‘untouchable’ by our employers.” “They want that pleasure for themselves,” the second man snapped. “We’d be doing her a favor if we just slit her pretty throat now.” Zen ignored the rest of their conversationand put her mind to trying to figure out how she had become known. She had been certain she had wiped her trail at all times. Had there been a point when she had been careless? Perhaps when she had first started her travels. One of them had said they had followed her over half the world; so themistake had occurred some time ago. She had been strong enough to keep them from her trail until this day. Why was it so wrong for her to exist, she found herself wondering as she remained helpless. She harmed only those who sought to harm. She had never gone hunting to damage. This world had confused her greatly from the moment of her release,and she still had too much to learn. Zen had hoped that she would know it well after such time as she had traveled. But she was still considered a mere child by those who judged by their eye,and not their mind. The hunter among this band was a man of mind. He had known her worth, her threat,and he had taken the correct steps to bind her. His companions were men of eye,and it was obvious this was the reason neither of them led this band. Her mother had a sadness that hung like a heavy hood on her mind. There was great fearand also great determination in her as she approached the waterfalland smiled briefly at her child. Zen frowned as she saw how hesitant her mother was to approach her. As if she had become something alien to her mother in her time with Atav. She invited her mother into her chamberand watched as Ozienne paused at the goldstone mirror to make certain every last flame-hued tressand the folds of her garment were correct. Then she sank down on a seatand took nourishment. “Something is weighting your mind, my mother,” Zen said simply as she became impatient to know what her mother wanted with her, or from her. She was not going to enter her mother’s mind without her permission, Zen told herself firmly. She was certain from her mother’s behavior that she would not get that permission. “It weakens you.” “I should never have agreed to this for you, daughter,” Ozienne said as she set her cup asideand looked at her. “You should have been free to marry as you chose, have children of your own…” “I do not regret this choice, Mother,” Zen broke in, frowning now. “You must tell me why you are here. You bring a warning of some kind,” she guessed. “You are in my mind!” Ozienne gaspedand looked at her warily. “You promised me you would never…” “I do not need to read you, Mother,” Zen replied simply, “It is plain from your mannerand your expression. If it is so, speak it out that I may know how to combat it.” “The threat will come to you through your father, cousin,” a familiar voice sounded from the other side of the curtain of water. “That is what your mother is having such a hard time vocalizing. Have I permission to enter, great lady?” “Daren!” Zen smiled as she saw his mind, open to her reading. He came to her with no fear; no apprehension,and she was pleased. She set aside joyand quieted. “You may join us, cousin.” He stepped through the opening her mind formed in the waterand she smiled. Here was a man of great strength of character. One day, he would be her mate. “Tell us then, cousin,” she continued as he sat down on the boulder nearest the exit, the water glistening behind his golden hair. “What is this threat that my father poses to me?” “He means to bond with you,” Daren told her bluntly. “Daren, you must not!” Ozienne gasped in shock. “I will not leave her unaware of the danger forming against her, Aunt,” Daren snapped at her coldly. He saw his aunt’s shock, but did not care. She was a silly woman,and needed to be reminded that her beloved husband was a monster. He turned to Zen. “Your father has devised a means of chaining your power to make you willing for this action. If he is not stopped, Zen, he will destroy this world.” “Using the power he will share with me,” Zen frowned. “This can not be allowed.” She was on her feet, her determination plain. “You must show me to this device, cousin. It must be destroyed at once.” “You can not go, Zenyssa!” Ozienne protested. She glared at Daren. “Let your cousinand his men go to destroy this thing, if they must. You must remain where you will be safe.” “This threat to me,” Zen chided her mother, “is a threat to our entire world. I can not sit backand do nothing while others risk their lives to keep me free.” She packed her supply bagand called her guardians to her. “Protect my lady-mother, little ones. She will need you now.” She nodded to her cousinand he led the way. She was helped onto a mountand the band of men moved off with her to the east. The site of the devices, they told her, lay in that direction. She questioned their minds surreptitiouslyand saw no betrayal in them; only a great desire to prevent her father from doing what he planned. Zen agreed with them. There was no way that she would allow herself to be used in this fashion. It was abomination. They arrived at the cavern where the devices were stored. She remembered entering the cavernand seeing four of them, set up in a circle. They were beautiful pieces of workmanship, but she could felt the threat in them. As she watched the men lay the explosives, Zen realized that the mirror in her waterfall chamber was part of this device. Somehow Atav had managed to get one of them awayand put it in the one place Zen’s father could not reach. Zen sent a silent thanks to her former mentor,and followed the men on a hill near the entrance to the cavern. She pressed the controland the ground rockedand shattered as the explosives did their work. “That was a waste of time,” a man growled from behind herand her band as Zen got to her feet. She turned to see a man in her house’s uniform glaring at her. Behind him was an entire squad of her father’s guard. “Take the princessand her cousin alive. The others can be destroyed.” Zen felt intense painand darkness as the paralytic struck. She could not move, could not speak, as she was yanked to her feetand lifted up to the man. He held her before him as he rode off towards her reunion with her father. The last thing she heard before darkness claimed her was the death screams from the minds of the men who had tried to help her keep the world free. She would find a way to stop her father, she vowed to them as she slipped into a deep sleep. Her father would not win. Marek stiffened as her mind screamed into his. He felt her pain, her grief,and he ran in the direction he felt it came from. He found her abandoned campand her supply cord,and knew she was in danger. He did not need to see the larger footprints to tell him this. Marek banked the fireand gathered her belongings, then followed the trail her captor had left. He was not in the least worried about being followed, Marek noted. That could mean only one thing; Zen was in the hands of Science Directive hunters. * Zen did not like this immobility, she decided, as the hunters’ voices moved awayand she was alone. She could not tell if it was day or night. She could not tell if the wind was blowing; of if it was hot or cold. All she knew was a numbness that ate away at her confidenceand made her feel like the terrified child they assumed she was by her looks. She would not succumb to such a useless emotion. She might be helpless at the moment, but it would not always be so. She would get an opportunity,and then she would be free. There was a difference on the eighth day, she could feel their reliefand knew the time was soon coming for her to be handed over. She was laid down on a hard surfaceand the liquid nourishment was given. But they had added something to itand she choked as her bodyand mind told her that jevis had been included in the liquid this time. She could have cried for joy as her body began to warm with the fever the drug began in her. Zen could almost hear the crackling as the lucen disintegrated under the mounting temperature that raged through herand radiated out in reaction to the drug. “What the…” Zen opened her eyes as she sat up on the tableand saw the first man eyeing her in shock. She knew what he was seeing. Her body was blazing with fever nowand her hair was flowing away from her head as if on an invisible wind. The cords binding her braids had disintegrated with the covering. The table she was seated on was in flames. She got offand shook from the pain in her mindand body as sensation returned. The second man found a coveringand wrapped it around her, wincing from the heat coursing through her. He moved away, eyeing her in sudden fear. The hunter returned from his errand and saw what had occurred. “The girl reacts negatively to jevis,” he frowned. “This was not known to us.” He cupped Zen’s chin in his hand and looked into her eyes. “It would appear the spell is over. Return her to the lucen.” Zen saw the first man bringing over another hood,and she did something she had never done before. She bit the man who lowered the hood over her head before he could knot it at her throat,and he pulled back, cursing. She shook it off her headand faced the three of them. They had removed her from her trailand she had lost journey time. The pain was screaming in her mind now. She used her mind to lower her body temperatureand the net fell to the ground. She stepped away from itand pulled the lucen strips in their packs out with her mind. “I must answer the summons,” she said as she bound the men in the lucen as they had herand left them pinned to the wall near the burning table. “I can not delay.” “A goddess!” the innkeeper hissed as heand his staff came