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DARK PHOENIX
By
Marly Mathews
© copyright by Marly Mathews, March 2009
Cover Art by Alex DeShanks, March 2009
ISBN 978-1-60394-290-4
New Concepts Publishing
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author's imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
Chapter One
Planet of Delania
The Future
She couldn't, and she wouldn't let them mind rape her. Alora Bishop fought back the desperate tears she felt prickling behind her eyes. Her situation was grim indeed. Every day, the mind wraiths surrounding her attempted to fully infiltrate her mind, and every day, she fought them off. If she failed in her struggle against the mind wraiths, they would take full control of her mind, making her live out her worst fears and then, they would force her to live out her death in her mind before killing her for real. The illusions they made her see in their attempt to totally infiltrate her mind was nearly driving her mad. She still clung to her last semblance of sanity, despite the odds, she would not break.
Her hands were shackled, as were her legs. Her friends were already dead. Crammed beside her in the wagon laid her comrades--their hearts had failed them during the journey through the hot and terrifying desert. She had spent most of the day hitched to the back of the caravan, forced to walk fast enough to keep up with the tamed Manton Beasts that pulled the wagon.
Now, she sat in a living hell, with what was left of her friends.
The mind wraiths inhabiting the wasteland had fed off their psychic energy until they could no longer survive. They had drained every last drop of their life force, leaving an empty shell behind. Those shells were turning rancid under the burning desert heat. No matter what she'd endured she was still around.
She lived.
Hellish though her conditions now seemed--she was half starved, her clothes were a filthy tattered mess, and yet life still flowed within her.
It was a miracle--or a curse.
Her mouth was dry--parched beyond belief. Still, she waited, hoping for a rescue that seemed elusive.
Her people--her tribe revered her as their leader, and yet, she could not feel their pursuit. Where were they in her darkest hours? She kept hoping for a rescue that hadn't come, and in the pit of her stomach, she suspected it would never arrive.
Her psychic powers were strained and nearly drained. Even in her full strength, she had not possessed seer-like abilities. Instead, she was endowed with the even more coveted power among her tribe. She could move objects with her mind, and when at her full strength, she could actually project psychokinetic blasts from her hands.
All of that power failed her five weeks ago.
Their enemy long thought defeated had returned to their lands, thirsting for blood. Her people had been no match for the barbarians--for the barbarians could nullify their powers with but a single projected thought.
Oh, how the mighty had fallen.
Hard.
She looked around her, grimacing at the single action. Now, she would be sold into slavery--her future was uncertain at best.
How many nights had she survived through a harsh beating? How many times had one of her jailers been pulled away, just before he could rape her?
She didn't know why the one barbarian would not allow the other to take her against her will--she only thanked the Gods for bestowing such a simple act of grace on her.
Her luck would soon run out. Soon, she would be sold into slavery--it remained to be seen if she would be sold as a sex slave, or as a laborer. Either way, her entire life as she knew it was over.
"We're here. We should get out and get the dead ones deposed of. I can smell them all the way up here, it's beyond rank."
A decent burial was not to be had for her fallen friends. A thick knot continued to form in her throat. What she would do for a glass of water.
The sounds of a busy marketplace reached her ears. Delania was a small planet. It had one sun and three moons. Her people had settled here long ago, believing the three moons to be a sign from the divine. Now, after seeing so much bloodshed, she wasn't so certain that this planet was their promised land. Perhaps, her people should have remained on Earth--from the rumors that traveled to her from the various star travelers, Earth was a far more idyllic planet then Delania.
"Well, the prissy bitch still clings to life. You should give in and die, you stupid cunt. I don't even know why I didn't dump you out in the desert."
The one jailer that always seemed to want to take not only her mind but also her body eyed her with disgust. "You reek. You smell worse than swine. You smell like you’ve rolled in your own shit." He laughed cruelly. "But then, we can expect nothing less from an inferior piece of fungus like you."
She ignored him, titling her head away from him. To say anything in her defense would be futile. As it was, her mouth was so parched that speaking seemed impossible.
"Take her to the auctioneer, and ask how much we can get for her."
A fat thick hand, reached for her, pulling her roughly forward. "I would whip you again, but we don't have time. We're due back to see the boss soon. He'll be overjoyed to hear that we decimated your tribe."
She kept her body rigid, staring straight ahead. Tears pooled behind her eyes, her nose stung.
She would not cry. Weeping seemed almost a release, no matter what she couldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her weakened, not now.
"Just get a move on, Jim. I'm tired and hungry. Plus, I can't wait to get back to my wives. I'm due for a good fucking."
"Well, you should have just let me do this bitch--then, I would have let you sample some of her wares."
"You can't risk touching her. She might infect you with a contagion that would make your balls shrivel up to the size of peanuts. Remember what happened to Dirk? He turned out to be a whole lot of sorry for taking that one girl from a neighboring tribe of this bitch's. She cursed him while he was giving it to her…and four weeks later, he died. But you do recall what happened to him first, don't you?"
Jim's face turned a sickly color. He almost looked green. His eyes were stricken with the worst fear. His hold on her slackened.
"You're right, Del, thanks for reminding me." He shuddered. "You won't catch me touching her in that way again, I can sure as hell tell you that. I'll be sure to keep my lips sealed when I take her to the slave auctioneer. They won't know squat about her being the filth she is."
"Good plan. I'm off to report back to the boss. I'll see you in ten."
Ten minutes, and she'd be free from one butcher and sent into the hands of another man that would alter her life forever.
She swallowed past the dryness in her throat as they walked past vendors selling food. Her mouth almost watered when she saw a woman reach for a glass of liquid. It was cold. She could tell that by the way the glass frosted. In her hand, she held a bag of popcorn that said "straight from Earth". She coughed.
Her stomach ached with hunger. Sourness boiled within it, and if she weren't careful she'd throw up all over Jim's boots. When she looked down, her eyes snapped to attention at the sight of dry blood caked on his boots. Her stomach rolled again.
Jim tugged her forcefully along. People moved out of their way, clearing a path not only because Jim had a huge body, he was built like a Rhonderan Mountain Bear, but also because she did stink to high heaven. People probably smelled her before they saw her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a man that made Jim look like a mouse. He wore a long crimson colored cloak. The hood was pulled over his head, shielding his face from her line of sight. For some reason, nervousness started to flutter through her stomach. The man exuded power. It radiated off him in strong almost suffocating waves. Even with her powers suppressed, she could feel and taste his strength, and it made her weak in the knees. This man was someone you wanted on your side--not working against you.
She wanted him on her side. With him working with her, nothing and no one would ever be able to hurt her again. She yearned to be free.
Why didn't anyone even try to help her? Couldn't they see past her tattered clothes, to realize what station in life she had held before Jim and his crony had taken her captive?
Her only comfort was that she had killed many of the warring Barbarians before her powers fizzled out.
Her head throbbed. Her gait faltered, and she fell to her knees.
Jim just pulled harder on her chains. The metal once again cut into her ankles and wrists. She grimaced when she saw the new rush of fresh blood around the cuffs on her wrists. Pain no longer bothered her. She was numbed against it.
"Stop it."
The stranger spoke the two words as a command, not a request. Blood hammered in her ears at the sound of the crimson-cloaked man's voice. Her heart did a jig in her chest. She couldn't get up. All of her strength finally abandoned her. She wanted to die.
"Come on, you dirty little skank. Get up." Jim turned back to her, his hand reached out for her and he slapped her hard across her jaw. Blood trickled from a cut on her face. Sweat dribbled down from her forehead blurring her vision.
"Maybe you didn't hear me the first time, asshole! I told you to stop it."
Jim whipped his head around. A sneer cracked his scarred and pockmarked face.
"I don't listen to someone like you. You don't belong here. I'd hasten away, little man. I'm connected to some pretty powerful people in this town."
"Really? Then, I'll give their asses a good whooping too if they come down to lend you a hand. That's not the way to treat a woman."
"I'll treat this little piece of shit, any way I see fit."
"Not while I'm around."
She didn't know why he was trying to help her. She finally recognized the crest on his robes. He was a mystic traveler from space. His home planet was light years away. Some people even whispered that they didn't come from this dimension, but she knew better. This man was real. There was nothing too fantastic about him. True, he made Jim look like a runt, but he was still shaped like all of the other human men she'd come into contact with. Everything on his anatomy seemed to be in the right place…of course, his robes covered up much of his body…but still…. Her mind wandered as he stepped forward and his hood fell away from his face.
She gasped.
He looked like a God. He gave off a light causing her heart to flutter. Peace flowed through her. His flaming red hair caught the sun and seemed to command its vibrant rays.
His face affected even Jim.
"I…" Jim stuttered. He glanced down at her. Panic shone in his eyes.
"Give her to me!"
"No."
"I said, give her to me, and I shall let you walk away alive."
"I was supposed to sell her."
"Hand her over to me, and I'll let you live--that's a fair bargain."
"I can't…"
"Do you know who I am?"
Jim nodded his head. Sweat beaded across his brow. "Oh, hell, yeah."
"Do you want to live to see another day?"
"You bet your ass I do."
"Then, run. Fast."
Her body trembled with exhaustion. Jim released his hold on her and took off like his ass was on fire. She still hadn't moved. The hard gravel cut into her knees. She couldn't move even if she tried. Her body failed her--even if her mind had not.
"Come on, lass. Get up." His voice softened.
Her ears burned, while her eyes watered. Being overcome by emotion wasn't like her--but she'd been through so much, everyone had a breaking point, didn't they?
She shook her head. He seemed to understand what she meant even though she hadn't uttered a word. Strong arms picked her up.
"Gads, you need a good scrub. But first, I have to get you off this godforsaken planet. If they come for me, I won't be prepared unless I'm on my ship. That little piss ant is no doubt ratting on me as we speak. I came to this planet for a woman. I guess, I'm leaving with you."
She shook her head. "NO!" her voice was a weak rasp.
He chuckled. "Actually--yes. I can't leave you here, and since you were the one that screwed up my plans, you'll have to be the consolation prize. I wanted a woman from here because no one on this planet should know who I am--but that prick sure as hell did."
He cradled her in his arms. Why he wanted her was beyond her comprehension, but so far he seemed a better man than Jim. And, at least she hadn't been sold into slavery. His long strides covered a great deal of distance in a relatively short amount of time.
"Your name?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"I take it that you don't want to tell me anything about yourself, but I can tell one thing…you've been to the gates of hell and back, little one. All of the blood over your outfit…is it yours?"
She shook her head.
* * * *
She drank in his comforting scent. He smelled like cinnamon. Her stomach grumbled.
"I thought as much. I will make them pay for hurting those close to you." Coldness blanketed his voice. Rage lined his features. Tightly controlled rage--but rage nonetheless.
Silence resonated between them.
"I think we're going to have company soon." She looked over his shoulder, at the men on horseback that rode toward them.
"Damn, when someone told me this was a backwater planet, they weren't shooting smoke out of their ass. Does anyone know how to act civilized on Delania?"
She shook her head.
"You know, we're having a great conversation." He chuckled again. The husky throatiness of it made her skin tingle. The ship he ran toward was larger than any other space faring ship she'd ever seen.
She couldn't let him take her off the planet.
Delania was her home.
She tried to struggle in his arms. Truth be told, she was at his mercy. With the way she had grown so weak, she wouldn't even be able to fight him even if she wasn't chained.
"As soon as we get into space, I'm getting those chains and everything else off of you."
Warning signals flared in her mind. He could strip her naked, and rape her. She was helpless.
His gaze met hers. "The spark is ebbing from your eyes. I'm thinking you need medical treatment, like yesterday. What did they do to you?" His voice wavered with emotion. Maybe he wasn't the type to violate her after all.
She closed her eyes. Weariness tore through her body. After sleeping fitfully for the past five weeks, she finally had to give into the exhaustion that plagued her. Maybe she would get lucky, and fall asleep, never to awaken. She wanted to forget. If she could erase all of the pain and hardship she'd suffered she would. Whoever told her that ignorance was bliss had been correct. She wished she could just drown in her sorrows.
"Shit. Don't look like that. I can sense what you're thinking. No. You will not die on me. Not after I sullied my robes, and put my reputation on the line…no way. You are going to cling to life with every last shred of your will….do you hear me?" He reached for her chin. Pulling it toward him, he grimaced. "I'm going to hate myself for doing this!"
His lips met hers in a torturously sweet kiss. He teased her mouth open, and thrust his tongue inside. She didn't know what he was doing, but something rushed into her as he made contact with her. The pain in her head faded away. It was a kiss before dying.
"You're not going to die. Not today…hell, now, you'll probably even outlive me. You're one lucky little lost soul."
She shook her head.
"Oh, aye. You are. Because now, you've just shared a spiritual kiss with an Immortal of the Hidden Realms of Magick, and if you truly become mine, you will share my immortality."
Her heart stopped. The legends were true.
And now, she was not just a prisoner for life. She was his prisoner for all eternity.
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