Return of the Matka-Zem (The Sorain Chronicles) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sarcasm, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity. She glanced at her feet and saw a discolored tile, out of place from the rest. Peering closer, she realized it was a different kind of tile altogether. Feeling a bit paranoid that eyes might be upon her, she quickly looked around the room before kneeling to the floor. With shaky fingers, she touched the tile and found it to be loose. She scanned the library again, then hooked her short nails under the tile and lifted it from its resting place. Hidden in a shallow hole was a dirty, sky-blue handkerchief. As if frozen to the spot, she stared at the worn cloth. Fear of the unknown made her breath shallow. This was a decisive moment. Somehow, she knew that once she peered inside the cloth, her world would change, for good or evil.
    Her hand shook visibly as she reached for the cloth and withdrew it from its hiding place. Feeling a small, round object wrapped inside, Jane timidly unfolded the handkerchief to reveal a black glass marble, no bigger than a cherry. She glanced into the hole one last time, hoping to find a note of explanation. There was none.
    "Is this some kind of sick joke?" Jane got to her feet and glared angrily at the marble. Hatred for the Keeper flowed into her veins. The old woman had always spoken in riddles, never giving a direct answer to anything, but this just added fuel to the fire. Jane fought the desire to throw the piece of glass across the room, however the mystery of the object unruffled her anger. Not really expecting anything to happen, she nonchalantly poked the sphere with a fingertip.
    As soon as her skin brushed its smooth surface, the marble flashed brightly, temporarily blinding her. A tiny squeak of surprise escaped from her lips as a bolt of energy raced from the sphere into her body. Paralyzed by the force that scorched through her, she could only stare at the tiny black ball. Deep within the sphere, the blackness began to swirl and a soft glow pulsed into life. With each pulse, the ball brightened until it burned her eyes. Her heart pounded in fear when the round object rose from her palm to float in front of her face. Before she could react, the marble slammed into her forehead, violently hurling her backwards until she crashed against a bookcase. With books sprawled around her, she slid to the floor as visions began to flash before her eyes.
    All her senses came into play, as old suppressed memories came flooding back. Flashes of places and unknown people seared into her mind. A male's deep laughter, a loving brush of soft lips against her forehead, a curved blade slicing through a strange creature's breast, glowing yellow eyes and other visions rushed into her brain. The visions penetrated her mind so fast she could not distinguish one from the other. She grasped her head, and with a moan of agony, curled into a fetal position.
    " Come home, daughter," echoed a deep voice in her mind. Out of the rush of memories, a single male's voice pierced the pain. A silhouette of a man emerged from the jumble of images. Jane focused her attention on the stranger and finally the vision became clear. He was a handsome man of middle years. Tall and lean, dressed in golden robes like those of a Greek aristocrat. His fair face looked ageless with a straight nose, and full lips surrounded by shoulder-length hair so pale yellow it was almost white. His pointy chin and high cheekbones only enhanced large, ice-blue eyes that were soft and kind. In his right hand, he held a golden disk wrapped in a new, sky blue handkerchief.
    " This will show you the way home." The vision stretched out his hand towards her. "Come home, daughter," the man whispered one last time before the vision faded into the cluster of memories.
    The visions finally ceased and slipped deep into her mind. Slowly the pain abated and she found herself sprawled on the floor. Several books lay scattered around her, yet she ignored them as she struggled to her feet. Sluggishly, she made her way to