Maliuth: The Reborn Read online

  Chapter Three

  Maliuth had never been so excited and worried at the same time. The Oracles had come to him and told him that his mate was to arrive in three days. He was to go to the temple, where he would be required to fast and meditate for her safe arrival. Not having been much of a spiritual person, Maliuth had nevertheless hurried to do the Oracles bidding. When it came to mates, all of Abondiel did their bidding. A mate was a rare and precious gift and he wasn’t going to waste his chance at one.

  For three days, he had meditated. Sometimes he would get a vision of his mate. The people around her were calling her “Alea”. She was a strange looking creature, in an even stranger looking world. Not that he would care what she looked like. His mate would be perfect to him. The small female in his visions was sad and full of doubt. He could sense her desire to remain on her world, even though he knew that it was truly impossible for that to happen. It was his duty to see that she wanted to be born again, here on Prion. Without his full dedication to getting her through the darkness, she might be lost to the other world and with it his chance at a mate. He would not let that happen. He was the First Prime of Abondiel. His years of training and determination would hold him in good stead in his fight to get her to Prion.

  When he sensed that her time was short, he had made a final attempt to pull her to him. Using every ounce of energy he possessed he called to her…and she had finally accepted her fate. She came through for him.

  Turning tiredly to the chrysalis pod he waited for her. There was a shuddering and then the sound of cracking.

  “She is coming.” An Oracle yelled out and there were shouts of happiness from his family and friend. Maliuth hadn’t even realized they had been called into the room. His father, Malendroch, his mother, Sartya and his best friend Galan were here supporting him.

  “I am so excited.” He vaguely heard his mother through the blood pounding in his ears.

  With one last deafening crack, the chrysalis fell open. The liquid inside streamed into the grooves on the ground and disappeared as if absorbed by the stone. All eyes were glued on the female lying on the ground. With her head, arms and legs tucked up against her body, she appeared so small. Maliuth watched as the Oracles hurried to her still form and studied her. Muttering things that he couldn’t hear. One finally turned from the circle and spoke to him.

  “She is alive. We must finish the ceremony.” He rushed to move them to the side, “Please wait in the outer chamber.”

  Maliuth could only watch as his mate was swept up and carried out of the room. He could not even get a look at her as they hurried past him in a flurry of robes.

  “You will need this to replenish your strength.” The Oracle that had spoken to him handed him a large drink. “Follow me please.” Turning toward elaborate double doors the Oracle led him and his group into another chamber. There were chaise couches with plush pillows, enough for everyone to get comfortable. Maliuth could not sit though. He paced the room, his long legs taking him quickly from side to side. He stopped every so often to sip his drink. His parents tried to talk with him and so did his friend but he just ignored them. His mind was racing with what could be wrong. He wasn’t familiar enough with the ceremony to know if taking the female out of the room was normal.

  “Is that supposed to happen?” he blurted to no one in particular, “Taking the female out of the chambers?”

  “Yes.” His father called out soothingly, “They take her to be cleaned and dressed. They are not born out of the chrysalis wearing clothing you know.” His father paused, “There are other circumstances but…” he trailed off his sentence when his mother hit him over the shoulder.

  “It is going to be okay.” Her soft brown eyes followed him as he paced, “Maybe you should request from the Oracle a chance to clean up as well. First impressions are lasting ones.” He recognized the look she was giving him now. She was silently telling him he was a mess. He knew he probably did not look his best but he did not want to leave. “Malen, can you ask one of the Oracles to bring in fresh water so Maliuth can clean up.” His mother used his father’s nickname when she wanted something and his full name of Malendroch Stonarch when he was in trouble.

  “What?” His mother raised her eyebrow and inclined her head at him. “Oh. Yes. Clean water and linens.” His father rose off the chaise and went in search of an Oracle.

  “Okay.” He muttered, sure that this was taking entirely too long. “Does it usually take this long?”

  “Yes.” His mother called out again and Maliuth noticed his friend just shrugged. “It takes as long as it takes. Stop worrying.”

  Maliuth thought that was easier said than done. He was about to say so when the door opened and thinking it was his mate, he jerked a few steps in the direction of the open doors. It was his father, followed by more Oracles with water, soap and cloths. When he realized it was not Alea he ran his hands into his hair in frustration.

  “Take the time to clean up Maliuth.” His mother rose from the chaise to lead him to where the water was set up. “You need to occupy your mind right now.”

  Maliuth could not argue that he smelled and his hair was a greasy mess. A good shave wouldn’t hurt too. He quickly took off his shirt and tossed it aside not caring if he got it back or not. It was the white shirt all males wore when not in ceremonial dress and it was easily replaced. All he had on now was black pants and boots. Pouring water over his head, he scrubbed his scalp with the soap, not caring if he got any in his eyes. His normally silky dark blond hair was limp and bedraggled. His face had a fine coating of hair which he quickly lathered up and shaved. When he nicked himself in his haste, he did not even notice the bloody spots.

  When he finished with his face, he eyed himself critically in the mirror and could not find further fault with his appearance. His brown eyes were framed with dark eyelashes and straight brows. His nose was straight not hooked. His lips were full and his chin chiseled. When he smiled, there were two small dents in his face that his friends teased him about. There was nothing in his reflection that he had not seen before. Taking the soap to his body, he washed as fast as he could under his arms and along his chest. Since he had removed his shirt that left the water to be absorbed by his pants. He rinsed quickly and water flew everywhere. At this moment he did not care, he just wanted to get as clean as possible.

  There was a sudden flurry at the door and Maliuth stood frozen at the mirror. He could not seem to move. The Oracles made a grand show of entering the chamber. Their frail bodies in the large robes made it impossible to see into the inner circle where Alea must be standing. To not see her head above the Oracles told everyone in the room that this female was exceedingly short. The Oracles were about five foot seven, so his mate had to be around five foot five or smaller. That would put her at about a foot shorter than himself. He was not sure what he thought of that when the Oracles stopped and with a flourish stepped to the side.

  Then he could not think at all.

  Chapter Four

  She had a vague memory of wanting to step into a shadowy place. A male was calling to her and she wanted to go to him. Maliuth was his name…he was a new beginning for her. The shadows had talked with her as she was struggling to get to him.

  “What color of hair do you prefer?”

  Amazed that she got to choose she paused, thinking for a second she said, “Let’s go with black.” She had always admired women who had long, naturally black, silky hair.

  “How long do you want it?”

  She wasn’t sure that any of her choices would fit in with the world she was going to and for some reason, she felt good about saying, “Mid back will do nicely.”

  “How tall do you want to be?”

  Not too tall…not too short, she thought to herself. “Five foot five. That seems like a nice even number.”

  “What color eyes?”

  That was a good question. What had her science class taught her in High School? It was genetically hard to have blue eyes with
black hair, green eyes with red hair and brown eyes with blond hair. Why not go for it? She called out, “Bright cobalt blue.” She was going to be a genetic anomaly if this worked. For some reason she found it rather fun to be choosing her appearance.

  “What body shape?”

  Pear…no that was my old shape. “I want an hourglass figure, with large breasts…but not too large!” She had always lamented her small breasts but didn’t want stripper sized either.

  No further questions came out of the nether and she had been deafened by a loud cracking noise. Alea woke with a very nasty taste in her mouth. Gagging and vomiting she struggled to get up.

  “You are safe Alea.” A soothing male voice spoke to her. She felt a cloth against her mouth wiping away any grime. “We are the Oracle in charge of helping you after the Rebirth.”

  “Where am I? How do you know my name?” Opening her eyes, she looked around and saw what on Earth would have looked to be religious men.

  “You are on Prion. We don’t expect you to know where that is. As to how we know your name…we know everything.” She was surrounded by the robed males. Their hooded features hidden from her. “Suffice it to say, you are a welcome addition to Abondiel.”

  They had enveloped her in some type of wrap and rushed her through a room. Before she could look around or ask any questions, they had arrived in a room with a large sunken bathing tub. The water was steaming and since she was already naked, they helped her into the hot bath water. The tub was so large that she had splashed around having fun for a moment then laid back and let the water relax her. She had her eyes closed and was leaning against the side when she heard one of the males clear his throat.

  “Maliuth is waiting in the outer chamber for you my dear.” The leader of the group had been standing watch over her, while the others had made a circle around the tub. He had a cherubic face and warm brown eyes. “It was due to him that you were able to make it through the shadows. I am sure you do not want him to wait overlong.”

  “I do remember him calling me. Of course I’ll hurry and get clean.” Alea had stopped her laziness in the tub and got down to the business of washing. Dunking under she used the soap the male handed her and was washing her hair when she let out a shriek. Since she was under the water, she had swallowed what felt like half the tub and came up coughing and choking.

  “What happened?” The head Oracle was frantically pounding her back, his robes floating in the water.

  “What is wrong with my ears? Was I damaged in this ‘Rebirthing’?” Alea was taking her fingers and running them along the length of the earlobe. The action caused her to laugh uproariously. Her ears were extremely ticklish. The tops felt longer than they should be and were pointed.

  Waiting for her laughter to die down the Oracle said with a smile, “Your ears are perfectly formed. You are as you are supposed to be.” He struggled out of the tub, his robes heavy with water.

  “My ears are supposed to be this way?” If what she was gauging was accurate, this must be some kind of Elven world. She would put her ears somewhere between WoW and Lord of the Rings. She thought about what that might mean for a moment and then went about washing herself some more. The rest of her body was as she could have expected. Ten fingers, no webbing between the digits. Looking at her feet…ten toes, again no webbing, or scales. Just creamy smooth skin.

  Seeing that the Oracle was just standing there she asked, “What is your name?” She wanted to try to make the situation less uncomfortable and thought making small talk might help.

  “My name?” he seemed incredulous that she would ask.

  “Yes. I assume you have a name.” She smiled at him then continued to wash.

  “No Reborn has ever asked my name before.” He supplied, “It is Orihin.”

  “Do you mind if I call you Ori for short?” She went on washing not noticing Ori’s silence, “Well, Ori...you can’t have met very many nice ‘Reborn’ people if none have asked your name.”

  “Reborn are only women.” He waved a towel at her and she took the hint that it was time to get out. “Babies born on Prion are always male and our females are all Reborn.”

  “How do you get enough females for your male population if they all come from being Reborn?”

  Ori looked uncomfortable, “There is a shortage of females and when one is chosen to get a mate by The Elder, it is always a happy occasion.”

  “Who is The Elder?” Alea watched as water ran along the floor and back into that huge tub.

  “The Elder is the leader of our order. He reads the signs and when a male’s name is heard, that male is allowed to enter this temple to pray for his mate. Not all are successful in getting one.”

  “How horrible for them.” Alea muttered sadly. Ori moved her to stand before a mirrored vanity table and her attention was turned. She was happy to see that she had got her wish when going through the shadows.

  She seemed to be about five foot five, she had pitch-black hair, and her cobalt blue colored eyes were staring out at her. Taking a peek inside the towel, she saw that her breasts were large but not too much so. Her body wasn’t overly plump, but she had an hourglass shape that one might call a bit “Rubenesque”. When she felt hands on her shoulders, she looked up. Ori was gesturing for her to take a seat so she did. One of the other Oracles then proceeded to apply some pleasant smelling perfume to her collarbone and wrists. When he reached to add some between her legs, her hand shot out automatically and slapped his hand away.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.” She apologized, “Please do not try that again.” When she looked at his arm, she saw that there were red marks along his skin. How could she have done that, she had barely touched him. “Let me see those marks?” She looked at Ori in shock. “Did I do that?” When the Oracle placed his arm in her outstretched hand, she saw that the wounds were blistering and a strange colored blood had pooled along the edges. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She was horrified at the damage she had done.

  “It was unintentional.” Ori soothed her, “I am sure that Jerr will heal.”

  Alea bit her lip anxiously, she knew that the Oracle’s arm would sting while the skin healed and she couldn’t stand that she had hurt someone. The thought that she wished he would heal flashed through her mind and to her astonishment, he did. The blood faded and the damage disappeared.

  Laughing Alea felt relief flood her. “You should have told me you were quick healers Ori. I was worried for Jerr for nothing.” Turning back to see Jerr she saw him holding a brush in his hands but wasn’t moving. “Do you need me to style my hair?”

  Jerr seemed to be in a trance and didn’t answer her. He just stared at her for the longest time. Turning from him to Ori, Alea raised an eyebrow when he seemed to be in the same state. “Hello?” She waved her hands in front of their faces and Ori snapped out of it.

  “Yes?” He looked at Jerr and then the brush. “Jerr. You can give Alea the brush. I think we need to discuss something with the others.”

  Jerr handed the brush to her. Then the Oracles that were standing around the room, Ori and Jerr all made a circle and started talking in whispers. Shrugging her shoulders, she started to brush out the tangles in her hair. It was longer than she was used to and took her awhile to finish. When she was done it was still damp, but there were no tangles and it shone in the reflection of the mirror. Placing the brush down on the table, she sat patiently and waited for the Oracles to be finished with their meeting. After a few more minutes Ori and Jerr moved toward her table, the others left the chambers.

  “Some kohl on her eyes…and then her dress.” Ori stated and Jerr picked up a small bottle off the table along with what looked like a small make up brush and indicated for her to lift her face. Alea closed her eyes and felt a light pressure on her eyelids. Then she felt fingers running in her hair. She opened her eyes to see Jerr holding another bottle in his hands.

  “This is to keep your hair smooth and in place.” He showed her t
he bottle and Alea memorized it’s markings so she could use it again. If it kept her from having to brush her hair constantly, then it would be worth it. Looking from Jerr to the mirror, she let out a soft gasp.

  Her black lashes and brows framed eyes that were huge in her heart shaped face. The blue color contrasted against her skin and though pale, she radiated health. Her nose was pert and her lips were full and pink. Her cheekbones hadn’t been rouged but had a nice peachy glow. She had been right about the elf ears. They were similar in shape to depictions of Elven people she had seen in comics, games and in movies. As you went along to the top part of the ear, it elongated to a point. She would guess only an inch longer than a normal ear. Hoping she was going to appear attractive to Maliuth, she stiffened her resolve.

  “Thank You Jerr.” She smiled warmly at the helpful male, “Am I ready?”

  “Only if you want to go in that drape.” Ori teased her and she blushed hotly that she hadn’t realized she was still naked under the towel.

  “Your clothing is this way.” Jerr moved toward a set of doors and she followed with Ori right beside her. When they entered the next room, she saw that it was a large closet. There were dresses of every size and material. Another Oracle she hadn’t met yet hurried forward with a dark blue colored dress and Alea knew that he had tried to match her eye color. Bending at the waist, he handed it over to Ori who smiled and nodded.

  “This one will do nicely. You may wait outside.” He turned and gestured for her to drop the towel.

  She wasn’t used to being naked around strangers but she knew there was no other choice so she dropped the towel. Ori kept his eyes on her face as he draped the material over her head. It was so soft and silky feeling that she sighed. When the material was placed to Ori’s satisfaction, he turned her to another mirrored wall. She saw that the neckline was open from shoulder to shoulder and swooped to just show the top of her breasts. There appeared to be about one inch of material at each shoulder holding the thing on. The dress was clinging to her curves and when she looked down, she laughed. The bottom of her gown was pooling along the floor. If she had to guess, it was about five inches too long.