Nuworld: Claiming Tara

by Fitzgerald, Laurie

  The large man approached the dead body. He heaved the limp figure into his arms and dumped it overboard. “Much obliged.” He looked wide-eyed at her as he walked to the other end of the watermobile, evidently making certain no one else was in the water. “Damn thieves.”

  Tara walked to the edge alongside him and listened. She was satisfied they were now alone and turned to look at the man. He didn’t say anything, but walked past the table where they’d ate, leaned over and began stirring a fire to life in an iron stove.

  Tara turned to go back to her cabin.

  “Stay.” It was more of a suggestion than a command.

  She turned and looked at him.

  “I won’t hurt you. Heavens knows I’m no match. I’ll admit you scare me to death.” He smiled and showed off dirty teeth and several dark holes where teeth had once been. “Name’s Taffley. Sit and tell one of your stories.”

  “One of my stories?”

  “Come now, all Runners have stories. I’ve heard some good ones in my time.”

  “What makes you think I’m a Runner?”

  “Several things, lass. You wear the Blood Circle clan symbol around your neck. Your motorcycle is a Runner’s bike, and you’ve just shown me the skills of a Runner.” He pointed to the chair she’d used during dinner. “Sit. If you will.”

  Tara did so and looked up at the stars. Her fingers instinctively played with the telltale necklace. It was unbelievable that she’d forgotten she wore it. Tara loved the necklace and that Darius would give such a precious gift. Although it crossed her mind to rip it from her neck and toss it in the river, instead she let her hand drop and the necklace remain around her neck. Just because Darius had done her wrong didn’t mean she had to take it out on the necklace. She watched as Taffley got up and went over to a cabinet built in the wall.

  He opened it and pulled out a large bottle and two clay cups. Taffley poured some of the contents into each cup, then set one in front of Tara. “The Sea People make an excellent wine. It’s become quite rare lately. Their economy’s crashed, you know.” He offered the information as if it were common knowledge and leaned back down in his chair.

  “You said you’d been south of the border.” She took a sip of the wine.

  “Yeah, Southland.” He took a large drink and made a face, then took another drink and set the cup on the table. “Why d’you want to go there?”

  “I haven’t been there.”

  “A true Runner response.” He laughed and drank the rest of his wine. He offered Tara more after pouring some in his own cup, but she shook her head. “What’s your name?”

  “Tara. Tell me what the people are like down there. Are they warriors?”

  “Well now, some of them are. None to match you Runners, that’s for sure. They were doing pretty well for themselves, had lots of currency to spend ‘til the Sea People started that war up north. From what I’ve heard, they lost pretty badly. They didn’t know them Gothman would go and hitch up with you all Runners. Strange people the Sea People are.” Taffley stopped to wet his mouth. “Ever met one?”

  “No, not personally.” Tara wanted to hear about the south, not the north, but decided to be patient.

  “They come across nice enough. Gave me a fair bit of business there for awhile. Not very trusting people, though.” He sipped more wine and stared at the black water lapping against the side of his watermobile. “Southland is real good for growin’ this opiate plant, you see. All I did for the longest time was haul the harvests across the border. That’s all done now. The towns down there are hurting pretty bad. No reason to grow their crops because there’s no one buying their harvest.”

  “The Sea People don’t want it anymore?”

  “I’m sure they want it. They just can’t pay for it. They’re broke, you see. Plenty of money they owe me.” Taffley poured more wine into their glasses.

  “What should I expect when I get to the border?” She swooshed the purple liquid around in the cup but didn’t take a drink. “How far to the closest town?”

  Taffley thought about how to answer. He imagined what she would see when they got to the border. Saffle had sent that wire. Tara would be picked up the second she got off his hauling watermobile. A twinge of guilt ran through him. She’d saved his life, and now he was turning her in for the money. He focused on the reward. It would clear all the debts he’d created when he still thought the Sea People would pay him for his services. It was a good bargain he’d made. After all, he was risking his life hauling this Runner and her babies.

  “The first town is Semore. On that groundmobile of yours it will be about half a day ride from the border. There’s Pixley, which is further south, but you also have to drive a little west to get to it. The roads starting at the border go to Semore, though. After Semore are Highton and New Hanger. All those towns are under the same government and use the same coins. They’ve got some good ideas down there. It makes sense to have the same rules and money. I guess you’d have to see how they live to understand.” Taffley wondered if she would ever be able to go there.

  “Are they all the same people?” Tara tried to picture what he’d described. Her excitement grew at the thought of being the first Runner to explore a new land. “Who’s their ruler?”

  “Well now, that’s where they are real different. They don’t have a ruler.”

  “What? That would be complete chaos!” She took a drink of her wine and pulled her legs up, getting comfortable in her chair.

  “You’d think. But it’s not. They have a bunch of people in charge. I can’t remember what they call it, but all the people get together every five winters and vote on who the people in charge are going to be.” Taffley got up and pulled a blanket out, shook it, then walked over and wrapped it around Tara. “Can’t let it be said one of my passengers got sick on my watermobile.”

  “People say who their leader is going to be?” Tara adjusted the blanket around her, pondering the concept. “Who is in charge right now?”

  “The main guy is Gowsky, I think. Never met him. Don’t have cause to, you see. He’s got a mess on his hands. They were all accustomed to plenty of paper, and coins. They had both. Except now, there is none.”

  Tara never thought how their war might affect so much of Nuworld. People who didn’t know her were struggling to keep their towns going because of decisions she and Darius had made.

  Tara suddenly came to the conclusion that a ruler would indeed be great if he or she were aware of all of the people around him or her, and not just familiar with a little corner of Nuworld. Darius had never been out of Gothman. Would he ever know what life was like outside his kingdom?

  “What you thinking, Tara?” Taffley cocked his whiskery face at her.

  “About everything you’ve just said. I look forward to meeting these people. It sounds like they need help getting back on their feet.”

  “Well now, how would you help them?” Taffley sounded curious.

  “I don’t know. You said they grew something the Sea People needed. Maybe there is something else they grow that another race might use.” Tara was anxious now to continue her journey and meet these people. “Like I said, I don’t know. I’ll have to wait and see what their land is like and what they’re like. What do they think of strangers?”

  “Anyone can come and go through their towns. That’s something everyone knows. Though I don’t know what they’d think of a Runner. They kind of blame you all for their turn of fate, you see. People say the Sea People could’ve beat Gothman if it weren’t for the Runners. I’ve heard that the Lord of Gothman got tricked…”

  Taffley stopped talking, and his mouth fell open. Now, he’d never been accused of being a real bright man. He liked what he did and tried to keep peace with everyone with whom he did business. Still, he’d learned many things sitting at this table with his passengers. He’d almost said that he’d heard about a beautiful woman, who turned out to be a Runner, and had tricked the Lord of Gothman. That’s what he was about to
say, but then he figured something out.

  “You’re the one, aren’t you? No wonder there’s so much money on your head!” Taffley slapped his hand over his mouth. Hell be doomed! Southland wine always made him talk too much.

  “What did you say?”

  “Oh, I’m as bad as an old woman.” Taffley hung his head and pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. He tossed the paper across the table.

  Tara picked it up and held it by the lantern. Slowly she wrinkled it up as she made a fist. Then she started looking really angry.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “I CAN’Tbelieve this. The notice makes it sound like I’m

  his property.” Tara began to fume all over again.

  “Gothman women are property.” Taffley said with a

  shrug.

  “I’m not Gothman!” Tara slammed her fist on the table. Taffley jumped and knew he’d hit a nerve. Was it a bad

  decision showing the paper to her? If this made her angry,

  what would she do when she learned she was floating into

  a trap?

  A loud boom exploded in the night air. Taffley screamed!

  He staggered out of his chair and reached for the bottle of

  wine. He didn’t have his wits about him before another

  boom made his heart race too fast to breathe.

  Bang sticks!

  Tara squatted next to her chair and adjusted her laser to

  scan for life-signs. Whoever fired was too close. The

  explosions had been so loud she wasn’t able to hear if her babies were crying. Although it was a good guess that they

  were.

  She pointed the laser toward the woods along the river,

  judging where the shots had come from. People were

  yelling, and although the red beam on the laser found their

  attackers, she didn’t need it. They were making enough

  noise to be easy targets. She set her laser to kill just as

  Taffley grabbed something else out of that closet where he’d

  pulled his wine. He took off running and the next thing she

  knew he was climbing the ladder to the top of his

  watermobile.

  Hell be doomed! Someone had, more than likely, scared

  her children to death, and for that alone deserved to die.

  Now Taffley was on top of the ferry, and he had started

  shooting. The darn fool was going to get killed.

  Tara shot at three individuals on the bank. A splash in

  the water and a howl let her know one of them had fallen

  in. She saw another fall from a tree. The third jumped in

  the water of his own accord and started swimming toward

  them.

  Taffley aimed his long bang stick at the person in the

  water, and another loud explosion ran through the air. The man in the water let out a bloodcurdling scream. His arm

  floated away from his body.

  Taffley’s bangstick had such a kick she saw him stumble

  back after firing. For a second, she envisioned Taffley

  falling down his ladder, but he steadied himself and looked

  around at the now calm waters.

  “Sure are a lot of thieves lately,” he muttered as he came

  back down the stairs. “We live in a land of no laws. Take

  care of your own, that’s the River People’s law. I’ve learned

  to protect my property. Keeps one on his toes. They say a

  government will stop all this, but I don’t see it happening.” Tara ignored his rambling and ran down the short hall

  to Andru and Ana. Both of her children were crying loudly.

  She almost slid into the room and reached for the twins.

  Tiny hands simultaneously grabbed her fingers and held on

  as if their lives depended on it.

  “You’re safe, sweet babies. I swear it,” she promised and

  scooped both children into her arms. It was all she could

  do to calm her outrage in order to soothe her babies. Taffley walked to the edge of the hallway, but respecting

  her privacy, talked to her without coming to her door. “I’ll

  keep a watch tonight. You don’t worry none about them babies. I’ll keep them safe. Ain’t no thief ever boarded my

  hauling watermobile.”

  Tara doubted Taffley’s ability to keep them safe, but

  thanked him and pulled the children up on the bed. Within

  moments, the three of them were sound asleep.

  It seemed just minutes later when Tara opened her eyes

  to the sun streaming through the open window of her

  room. Ana lay cuddled next to her, sleeping soundly, while

  Andru played with his feet. He smiled broadly at her when

  she looked at him. The smile looked just like his papa’s.

  Tara lay there, holding both of them tightly, feeling pain

  from the loss of the only man she’d ever loved. Tears came

  to her eyes and she let them flow.

  It wasn’t long before both babies were fully awake and

  ready to play. Tara had to put her own thoughts aside and

  focus on her children. As she sat on the floor of the small

  room, tickling and playing with them, she heard Taffley

  whistling through the wooden walls as he prepared

  breakfast. Every now and then he groaned. She imagined

  he was either hung over from the wine, or not used to firing

  that large bang stick of his.

  The bell announcing that food was ready came shortly,

  and Tara picked up the babies and headed out to the table.

  She was surprised to feel how warm it was outside. “We’ve had someone following us through those trees

  over there,” Taffley said as Tara secured the babies into

  their chairs. “If you want to eat in your room, I can set the

  table in there.”

  Tara looked at the trees and heard the low rumble of a

  motorcycle. She squinted and saw two people riding the

  bike. They were matching the pace of the hauling

  watermobile and staying just out of view through the trees. “If you’d help me push the babies chairs to my room, I’d

  appreciate it.”

  She walked back to the room, pushing Ana in her chair.

  Taffley followed with Andru. Her son talked gibberish in a

  very demanding tone. It made her think of Darius. Not the

  gibberish. Andru spoke in such an insistent manner. He

  sounded as if he had the answers and wasn’t too patient

  about explaining them, just like his papa.

  Once again she shoved the man out of her head. Andru

  would never be like Darius. Tara would raise him to be

  better than that.

  She watched the bike through her window as she fed the

  babies their breakfast. Why wasn’t its rider attacking like

  the others? They paced the hauling watermobile—

  watching, learning, yet not attacking. It was a Runner

  strategy, but that wasn’t a Runner bike.

  “Tara?” A voice shouted her name.

  She jumped, startled, and rushed to the window. “I don’t

  believe it!” She ran out of the room and onto the deck. “Stop the watermobile,” a voice yelled.

  “Not on your life.” Taffley raised his bang stick to fire. “Taffley, no!” Tara cried out, but it was too late. Taffley fell to the ground as laser fire shot across the

  water and knocked him off the deck. He yelled loudly and

  looked at his smoking leg. Dark blood started soaking

  through the torn material of his pants.

  “Put that laser down now!” Tara yelled to the shore. She ran over to Taffley and propped him up against the<
br />
  deck.

  “Tara, you’ve got to make him stop,” Torgo yelled. He

  and Syra were now visible on the shore of the river. “Who are they?” Taffley was grimacing from the pain. “A couple of kids. What they’re doing here is the

  question!” Tara looked back at the two sitting on Torgo’s

  bike.

  “Tara, can you hear me?” Torgo yelled.

  “Yes, I can hear you.”

  “You’re floating into a trap. There’s a mob down there

  just waiting for you. They’ll turn you in for the price on

  your head.”

  Tara looked at Taffley, who kept his eyes pinned to the

  deck. “How do we stop this thing?”

  He got up slowly. Holding onto his bleeding leg, he

  limped to the back of the watermobile. She didn’t follow.

  Her babies wailed. Tara hurried to them, deciding the many

  mothers in her clan who had always appeared calm as the

  clan travelled had to have been very good actors. Taffley yelled at her. “Hold onto those little ones. I’m

  dropping the catch hold. When it digs into the river bottom,

  it will cause quite a lurch.”

  Tara gripped the sides of the babies’ chairs and braced

  her feet as the watermobile jerked to a stop. It was

  suddenly very quiet all around them.

  “Word is traveling all over the place that you are on a

  ferry headed to the border,” Torgo yelled, breaking the

  silence.

  Tara left her children with their breakfast, hoping the

  calm surrounding them would be enough for them not to

  cry.

  “I wonder how they found out.” Tara marched on to the

  open deck and glared at Taffley.

  “All I knew was that you were a Runner. People ‘round

  here’s scared of Runners. I’d already let you on my hauling

  watermobile when I saw the reward being offered.” Taffley

  looked sincerely forlorn as he stared at her. “I don’t know

  why you’re wanted, but I can’t imagine whatever you did

  was all that bad.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong.”