Transformation by M J Marlow (new reading TXT) 📖

after her. They belonged to each other now. She told him about her days as they lay in each other’s arms at night. He could read her thoughts now, as she could his,and it stunned him. She began to teach him how to control his new abilities until they became as much a part of him, as she now was. The sun was beginning to set as he made camp on the sixth nightand settled down to wait for her, knowing she was coming. He felt her nearness nowand knew she was coming. He jumped as her mind sent warning to him that he was not alone. It had not been necessary he realized, as he felt the minds coming his way long before they stepped into the area. Their thoughts were not congenialand he steeled himself for a fight. He turned to see three men standing on the other side of his fire. “Have we leave to join your camp, traveler?” the hunter bowed his headand waited the proper distance away. “This traveler welcomes honest company,” Marek bowed his head; not fooled for a moment. These men were trouble for himand his pretty mate. They were hunters for the Science Directive; the very ones who had taken Zen captive. “Share our meat.” The men noddedand settled down. Zen kept herself wrapped in stillnessand watched as they took on the attitude of predators. They hunted for other prey this night. It was not herself they sought. The hunter slipped something into a cup of waterand offered it to Marek. Zen had shared her ability for analysis with him, knowing he needed it now. Marek raised the cup,and his mind told him that the water was drugged. He dumped it onto the ground. Two of the men got upand moved behind himand Marek knew his reading had been sound. “You hunt meand I offer no resistance,” he said simply as he held his hands away from his sideand rose to his feet. “To what purpose?” “Trap the sire,” the hunter replied, “with its offspring as the bait.” He nodded to his manand they bound Marek’s wrists behind his back. “We seek your father, Marek Tor.” “And you think you’ll have better fortune than I have,” Marek laughed as they wetted the bonds. He winced as the lucen strips binding him began to dry from his body heatand tightened around his wrists. “I have been looking for the old man myself with no luck.” “You expect us to believe that your own father would abandon you to keep his location a secret?” the hunter sniffed. “Why not?” Marek asked, his anger feigned. “He left my motherand I when I was a month old to go on yet another archaeological dig. When he returned to us five years later, he was a changed man. When he left a month later, he did not return. We were told he had died in the collapse of an old cavern he was exploring.” He glared at the men. “Your employers told us that.” “But you did not believe them, Marek Tor,and began making inquiries on your own,” the hunter replied. “That is one reason why we hunt you.” He grabbed a handful of Marek’s hairand yanked his head to one side. “The other is that your father used banned knowledge to cure your paralysis. He found you a cripple at five summersand, when he left, you were whole. When we eventually return to the Directive, you will be studied by our scientists so they can duplicate what your father did to you.” “Tell your damned scientists to do their own research!” Marek hissed. He could feel the blow coming a moment before it landed. “Typical Directive stooge.” “Your attitude is noted, Marek Tor,” the hunter replied. His head roseand his eyes narrowed as he caught a scent. He rose to his feetand turned to look out towards the boulders. “He is not traveling alone,” he told his men. “I will seek his companion.” Zen drew him out slowly, not wishing a repeat of their earlier encounter. He came slowly, his hand near the net launcher. His mind was filled with an eagerness that did not translate to his easy movements. This time Zen did not allow herself to be drawn by them. This one had already proven to be a danger to her. The hunter stopped right next to her, his dark eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring slightly. He was using every sense at his command to find herand Zen was impressed. This was a lesser being, but he had trained himself to the limits of his natural abilities. His abhorrence for enhancement was blazing in his mind; she shared his memories of the times he had been ordered to observe such experimentsand controlled her shudder. “I know you are out here, little one,” the hunter said as his senses searched the area carefully. “You have no reason to fear us. We want to help you.” His impatience was plain to Zen; as was his lie. “Come out now, child. Before you are hurt.” He whirled as one of his companions came to find him, weapon outand ready. “What?” “We have company, hunter,” the first man said simply. “Ten unknowns moving in around the camp.” The hunter noddedand followed him. Zen smiled as her feint worked. It had been quite easy to make the other men believe that they were under attack. Their minds were not honed to the point of the hunters. She waited until they were back in campand then moved off. She freed her companions from their cageand sent them out to keep the lie going. They were quite eager to play. Zen moved to the top of a large boulderand watched, smiling as a pair of her little ones cut through her mate’s bondsand he was free. Zen was distracted by shared pain as Marek was struck across his back by a thrown cluband fell to the ground. “I don’t know how you are doing this, little one,” the hunter hissed as he pressed the muzzle of his weapon against the back of Zen’s head, “but you will stop it now. Marek Tor is not as important to us as you are. We can continue the hunt without him in tow.” “He is more important than you know,” Zen replied as she rose to her feetand held her hands out. She turned to face the man. “Taking him from the hunt for Bemin Tor would be disastrous.” “You are not the one to give orders here, girl,” the hunter replied. He secured her wristsand guided her back to camp. He made her sit down next to Marekand frowned when she nestled into her fellow prisoner. They were mated? He pulled Zen up on her feetand checked her finger, noting the mark there; seeing its mate on Marek’s hand. “We now have two pieces of bait. Let us see what we trap with them.” He pulled out his communications unitand punched in a code to secure the line. “Sir, it is Hunter Blue 7. We have secured Tor’s sonand the princess. They have bonded. Your orders?” He frowned as he listened then nodded. “Yes sir. It shall be followed.” “What are the orders?” the first man asked as he moved in. “We are to assist them with their hunt,” the hunter told his companions. “Our superiors want us to find Bemin Torand bring them all in at once.” He settled down by the fire. “We will begin the hunt in the morning. I will take last watch.” Marekand Zen bonds were cutand they were immobilized in a shared lucen netand staked down to the ground. Zen whimpered in her sleep as Marek held her in his armsand watched her closely. He finally fell asleep a few hours later,and sheand Marek were trapped in a dream state, their minds filled with confusion,and mounting anger,and desperation. Marek was standing in a cavern of crystaland gold, looking around in wonder. He tried to movedand found himself trapped in stone, looking at an altar. A man with copper hairand golden eyes was standing by it, with a golden knife in his hand. He smiled down at Zen as two men, Marek knew to be Temple dogs, held her on her knees. He sliced her hand and she was dragged over to a wall where a mirror with orangestone glass surrounded by a golden frame waited. He cried out helplessly as she was pulled inside of it, his fists beating on the stone surrounding him. Zoran laughedand bloodied a ring with Zen’s blood, then slipped it on his finger. “She is mine now, Marek Tor,” the man laughed as he approached the column. His eyes were blazing with triumph. “Once you are dead, there will be nothing standing in my way.” Marek was dragged out of the columnand forced down on the altar. He was chained in place as Zoran moved towards him with the dagger. Marek could hear Zen’s screamsand looked over to see her beating on the glass from the other side of the mirror. Zoran looked over at her,and his laughter was cold. “Don’t grieve for this worm, daughter,” he said as he locked eyes with her. “You will soon have a new mate! One worthy to share your power.” “No!” Marek watched as the glass disintegratedand Zen came out. She ran at her fatherand the guards caught her. Zoran turned back to Marekand the knife descended. He closed his eyesand consigned himself to his fate. But the blow did not strike. Instead he heard cries of alarmand opened his eyes to see Zen subduing her guard. Her eyes were cold as she rose to face her father. He had never seen anything more terrifying, or more beautiful. “You want me, Father?” Zen said as she grabbed the knife from his hand. “Very well.” She attackedand he put up his hand to defend himself. “We shall be together in limbo!” “No!” Zoran cried in terror as she laid the knife on the ring on his hand. “You can not do this!” As he was dragged towards the mirror, he caught her hairand dragged Zen inside with him. “Zen!” Marek’s chains fell off of himand he ran towards the mirror. Sheand her father were inside. She turned towards him, tears falling down her cheeks. He felt her regret, her acceptance of this fate. Then she stepped to the glassand laid her palm against it. Marek looked around desperately for some way to free her, but there was nothing. He leaned his forehead against the glass, grieving. “This was the only way to stop him, beloved.” Zen’s soft voice touched his mind,and eased his emotions. “Keep our world safe from such men. I love you always.” Marek could feel the power building inside of herand watched as her body began to glow. He was shoved away from the mirror as the power cascaded out. As he struggled to his feet, he watched in horror as the mirror shatteredand then vanished. There was nothing there when he finally regained his feet. It was as if the mirror had never been. Marek woke to find her shivering in his arms, her mind filled with grief over their shared dream. He pulled her closer,and vowed that such a fate would not be hers. He would die before he would allow such a thing to happen to her. They were one now,and he would do everything in his power to keep her safeand free. * Marekand Zen were yanked to their feet in the morningand removed from the net. Their wrists were bound together as the hunter told them to hold hands,and then they were marched towards the west by the hunters. The chill that they had both woken up feeling began to easeand Zen allowed herself to pay attention to their trail. So many things had changed since her time. There were so many new life forms that she would