Transformation by M J Marlow (new reading TXT) 📖

her feetand raised her head heavenward, tears flowing down her cheeks as she spent a brief moment mourning the loss of one who had been motherand friend to her. “She was a wonderful woman, little cousin,” a man said as he stepped out of the shadows nearby. Zen turned to see her cousin, Daren, golden-haired, blue-eyed god-being standing there. “I mourn with you.” “She was a mother to me, Daren,” Zen cried. He put his arms around herand she sobbed, allowing the grief to come. “I am not ready to take her place.” “If she had thought that,” Daren replied calmly, “the lady Atav would not have gone.” He cupped her chin in his hand and looked down at her gently. “You will grow into your role, little cousin.And I will always be near to stand guard.” “Why?” Zen asked him bluntly. She could see the reason in his mindand it frightened her. She took a step back from himand his hand slipped away. “It is too soon.” “Then I will wait,” Daren bowed his head to her, “until it is time. Peace, sweet cousin.” Zen watched him go, wondering when he had started to have such thoughts about her. She was just a child! Daren was a man of great knowledge,and great strength. She knew he would wait, as he had said, but it would be hard. Daren was also a man, as her father was, who wanted his needs met at once. Daren, however, was strong enough to consider the wishes of others. Her father, was not. He would be the one; Zen found herself thinking as she brought the forgotten knife to her. Clutching it to her breast, she returned to the waterfall chamber to begin her new life as a woman of power. Marek watched her face as she dreamedand wondered what had happened to her to cause such a parade of emotions: fear, anger, determination,and outright joy. He did not move from his watching place, choosing to keep eyes on her as she slept without benefit of camp shield. Who was this girl, he thought as he saw her finally fall into a deepand dreamless sleep, that she could walk the world without protection? He had been wondering since the moment they had first met,and that made him uneasy. He had spent most of his twenty years carefully protecting himself from caring about other people; except in a detached manner in his role as the Governors’ agent. This child was causing him to rethink his need to be walled up. He moved off several hundred yardsand set his camp shield to keep curious predators, both twoand four footed, from checking him out too closely. Zen came back to her presentand smiled as she caught his mind, sleeping at a distance from her. She was not alone any longer, her mind cried out in joy. She had found someone who cared. * Day beganand with it came the call. More insistent than before, it left a pain in her head that could not be left behind, no matter how she focused. She traveled for near half the dayand stopped to crouch down by a stream to scoop up some of the water. Her stomach cramped as she remembered that she had not had water to drink in nearly two days. She had forgotten to fill her water bag after the slaver village. She scooped up a handfuland analyzed it carefully. It was pure, it was free of traps; so she lowered the bag into the streamand filled it. Then she drank slowlyand with great pleasure. The peace of the moment passed as she felt minds approaching. She froze as her alarms rose; these men approached with dark intent. Zen rose to her feetand moved into the trees’ shadows. She stilled her breathingand calmed her mind as the dark mind moved closer. A band of three, in garb as dark as their thoughts, moved up to the stream. One of them filled their water bags while a second stood watch. It was the third man, who sank down on a boulderand appeared at rest that was the threat. His body might be at ease, but his mind sought. “If you are wise, small one,” his mind called out to hers, as a slow hungry smile lit his face, “you will not run.” Zen did not answer. She saw the surreptitious signals he gave his companionsand they moved off into the trees in separate directions. She knew she should move, but she was fascinated by the show of laziness the hunter displayed. So at odds with his extremely active mind, his ease of movement caughtand held her a moment longer than she should have allowed. She heard one of the men moving towards her hiding placeand turned her head. Error! Her mind screamed as she heard the hunterand turned to see him standing directly in front of her. She opened the cageand screamed ‘Subdue’ into the minds of her little friends. Then she ran. She heard the cries of the men, but she kept going. The beac would join her when they were done. For the next two days, she ran on with only brief rest periods. The beac joined her that first night, battered by their encounter with her hunters,and less in number. She mourned the loss as if her own children had fallen;and this time the beac comforted her. “Princess,” the hunter’s mind called into hers the second nightand on through the third day. “You have no need to fear us. We mean to take you to people who can help you.” “Never!” Zen’s mind shot back. She could feel his shockand pain as she struck. She could not let him catch her now. He knew her true self,and that meant whoever he would take her to knew it also. “Leave me alone!” Two more days passed in silenceand Zen wished she could relax. There were no more attempts to contact her with his mind, but she knew he was still chasing her. The touch of his mind on hers had allowed her to see into his thoughts. He was determined to bring her in,and he was not a man to lose his prey. Zen entered the foothills leading to the mountains surrounding Norest’un,and her waterfall sanctuary. There she would be safe from this hunter. He would not be able to touch her there. As she set up camp on the third evening, the beac suddenly rose up in alarm. She watched as they began to pulse in angerand concern. Then they were screaming in pain, their light fading as the pain increased. “Stop it!” Zen cried in alarm, knowing it was the hunter doing this. “You’re hurting them.” She saw the truth of it. “You’re killing them!” “It was your doing, Princess,” the hunter’s mind laughed into hers coldly. “You had only to accept our offer of escortand they would have been spared.”’ “I go nowhere with you, murderer!” Zen cried out in anger. She pulled the beac back into their cageand secured on her supply cord, then turned to face him. Her mind healedand comforted even as he stepped out of the shadows of the trees near her camp. “I leave now.” Before she could move, he had cast the netand she was held immobile, pinned against the tree she was standing near. She could not reach her guardians. He hooked a finger under the top line of the netand pulled her out into the light so he could see her. The net closed in around her as it pulled free of the tree, seeking warmth to surround. He left her supply cord lying next to the campfireand hefted her over his shoulder, carrying her back to his own camp several miles away. He sat her down on a log near their fireand settled down to accept the cup of broth from one of his companions. “This is the one we have tracked across half the world?” the second man sniffed as he looked her over. All he saw was a young girl with a dirty faceand ragged clothes. “Who would be afraid of a child like this?” “It is not ours to question the order given,” the hunter replied, his eyes locked on hers. He saw no fear, no anger, only a waiting for opportunity. “This child will act the moment we relax guard. She will be immobilized as instructed.” He signaled to the first man. “Bring the suppliesand set up our camp.” “We do it here?” the first man asked, even as he did as he’d been told. “Where we can be seen.” “Who questions hunters for the Directive?” the hunter asked him. “The girl is to be immobilized after her netting. This is the order given. That is the order followed.” He pulled something out of his packand Zen saw the dampening hood. She had seen it in useand it frightened her. The device set inside its layers put a damper on the minds of those who wore it. They could not think for themselves, only obey. She shook her head as he came towards herand tried to back way. “You have no right!” Zen protested as she struggled to free herself from the hold of the other two men. “I have done nothing to warrant prey status!” “You exist,” the hunter replied as he came closer. “That is all that matters to those who employ us. Hold her fast, brothers.” His companions held her still. “Peace to you, little princess.” “No!” Zen screamed. She attacked with her mind,and with her handsand feet. She was released, as the attack stunned the men holding her with its ferocityand precision. “I will not go!” “She’s just a girl!” the first man hissed, as he rubbed his jaw as they ran after her. “How could she know such moves?” “You can ask her,” the hunter snapped, “when we get her back!” He took out the weaponand nodded for his men to move off in either direction as he continued straight after her. Two hours later, they found her. She rose to her feet, her eyes cold with anger. “You are coming with us, Princess.” “I go nowhere with you,” Zen snappedand turned to run. She found her way blocked by the second man, a lucen noose in his hands. She turned a different directionand the first man was there with the net. “This is not right!” she protested as they backed her against a tree. “Let me go!” “I think not, Princess,” the hunter replied. He nodded to the second manand he bound Zen’s wrists. “Our employers were quite insistent that you be brought to them.” Zen froze as he put the hood over her headand knotted it around her neck. It had three holes cut into it; two for her to breathe throughand one she could be given nourishment through, but that was all. It did not matter. The hood might keep her physically blind but it only slightly numbed her mind, so she was seeing in a different fashion. She could see everything as they sat her against a treeand removed her bootsand her travel devicesand set them aside with her bags. The netting came offand they removed her outer garments, adding them to the pile of her belongings. She was left in her shiftand shorts as they pulled a lucen bag up over her bodyand lowered her into the water. The breathing holesand the eating hole were cutand she was in the dark, numbed by cold that was amplified by the lucen cloth. Her mind told her still what occurred, but she could not interact, could not influence, only observe. They suspended the bag from a tree branch near the fire they set for their campand the heat of sunand fire dried the lucen until it tightened on her skin. She could no longer move. A straw entered her mouthand a warm liquid was poured down her throat. Nourishment given; she