Nuworld: Claiming Tara

by Fitzgerald, Laurie

  “I’m okay.”

  Tara took off again, but didn’t make it far. At least ten

  men on motorcycles were driving straight at them. They

  were well-armed, Tara noted as they spread out and

  surrounded her, forcing her to stop.

  One of the riders in the middle glared at her with cold

  eyes as he yelled. “Okay, lady. I know you’re a Runner, and

  I’m sure you’re well-armed. Slowly, and I do mean slowly,

  you and the boy get off that bike.”

  He raised his large bang stick with practiced skill and

  pointed it at her head. He wasn’t nervous, Tara observed.

  His moves were premeditated and calculated. It wasn’t the

  same with the other men. They were shifty and not as

  certain of their next move.

  The man yelling at her thought his mock army would be

  more intimidating, which made him a fool. A simple

  diversion would send all of them into a panic. They had a

  plan by the glances they kept giving their leader, as if

  waiting for a signal, but she guessed there was no backup

  plan.

  Tara climbed got off the bike. She could easily pull the

  eliminator and take out at least half of them. But, it would

  take just one of them to fire back, and she or Torgo would be hurt. Or worse. There would be no brave attempt to escape this time. Her babies needed a mama, and she

  wouldn’t risk Torgo’s life.

  “I can take the guys on the right, and you take those on

  the left,” Torgo whispered at her shoulder.

  “No. A good warrior knows when he’s outnumbered. I

  told you that already. There’s always time to escape. Right

  now isn’t the time.”

  “Silence!” The leader yelled. “Be careful, boys. Runners

  are sadistic warriors. They keep a calm look on their faces,

  but their minds are scheming your death.”

  He gestured at Tara with his bang stick as if using her

  as an example while teaching young warriors. “Get away

  from the bike!” He curled his lip as if her looks repulsed

  him.

  Tara complied, walking several steps toward him. She

  seriously hoped Patha would arrive very soon. She took a

  few more steps, and every laser instantly bristled in her

  direction. She was less than a man’s length away from the

  leader.

  “Let the boy go.” She looked straight at him. “There’s no

  price on his head.” She paused. “Let him go and fight me like a true warrior. I’ll show you how a Runner does it.

  Then you won’t have to make up stories.”

  She glared at the leader and tried her best to let the fury

  in her eyes shine through. He was scared. She saw it now.

  All she needed was one small distraction.

  He didn’t need to yell with her so close but did anyway.

  “The boy is Gothman. I’m sure their leader will pay for him

  just as he will pay for you. The way they treat their women,

  I’m sure he wouldn’t care if we had a little fun with you

  first.” The leader laughed, and the men around him joined

  in.

  This was all the distraction Tara needed. As she raised

  her eliminator to fire, the singing of lasers resounded

  through the woods in all directions. Apparently she hadn’t

  been the only one waiting for that perfect distraction. She shot the leader. Laser fire took out the other men

  before they knew what hit them.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “I MUST say, this will be the best story for quite a long

  time. I can’t think of many Runners that coul d have made it this far being hunted, Taragirl.” Patha sat with his family around the fire later that evening. “And you did it with two babies as well.”

  Tara accepted another piece of apple pie from Reena, who was smiling at her.

  “I’m just glad you’re all alive and okay. I was worried sick.” Reena sat next to Patha and took Ana from him. “This is no life for my grandbabies.”

  “My grandbabies, too.” Patha bounced Andru on his lap. “Traveling is in their blood. But being hunted isn’t. What are your plans?”

  “I know. You’re both right.” Tara looked at her babies as they giggled in their grandparents’ arms. “Patha, there are towns south of the border. I’ve heard some things about them, and they sound fascinating. Did you know that people decide who leads them down here?”

  “Who’d have thought of such a thing?” Reena looked up from the pie she was feeding to Ana, shaking her head as she tsked. “How do these people know who would be a good leader?”

  “Yes, the Neurian government. I’ve heard of them,” Patha nodded. “Gowsky is the head of their council. He’s a young man with lots of ambition.”

  Tara was surprised. Patha seemed to know everything.

  “Did you know their main export was a crop to the Sea People? When we won the war over the Sea People, this Neurian government lost its main form of income.”

  “So you want to help these people?” Patha asked.

  “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “How do you propose to do this, child?” Patha narrowed his gaze on her. “You don’t know these people. They are nothing like Runners, or even Gothman. They live a very different life. You won’t be able to waltz into their country, change your clothes, and fit into their culture.”

  Tara smiled at Reena, remembering her first days at Gothman. “Maybe not. But I’m going to try. It’s time I find a new life for myself.”

  Both Patha and Reena looked up at her quickly as she said this.

  “Tara, I…” Patha started.

  Tara lifted her hand to cut him off. “No, Patha, please. I can’t go back to Gothman. Darius isn’t going to change. His definition of love is obviously very different from mine. There’s no way we are going to become compatible. I won’t put my children through a life where their parents don’t love each other.”

  “It’s a little late to be coming to these conclusions.” Patha studied his daughter’s face. “You don’t run away from your problems. That’s not how I raised you. You need to place a time limit on this adventure of yours.”

  “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Now that I’ve heard about these people, I’ve got to check them out. They live so differently from anything I’ve ever seen—and apparently they’re doing it well; or they were until our war ended their main source of income.”

  “She’s living her culture, Patha,” Reena pointed out. “She’s doing what Runners do best. Love isn’t going to keep her in one place.”

  Patha looked grave. “Is there a message you’d like to send to Darius?”

  “I would think he would have a message to send to me.”

  Patha shook his head. “I believe he’s sent you messages, but it appears they are deleted before they’re read. I’m sure he’s sorry.”

  “Sorry means you won’t do it again. Tell him to call off this hunt. I won’t have my children continually shot at by gold hungry fools.” Tara picked up Andru, who had fallen asleep in Patha’s arms.

  Reena got up with Ana, who was also asleep. She followed Tara into Patha’s trailer and helped put the babies to bed.

  “I’m not accustomed to offering motherly advice, Tara. And I know your mind is set. But I want to say something to you.” Reena paused outside the bedroom where they had put the twins. “Lord Darius has done you wrong. I don’t blame you for your reaction. In fact, I admire you. There are many women who would forgive and do their best to forget. They convince themselves they can handle it.”

  “I know. And they would look the other way when it happened again and again. I can’t d
o that, Reena. I would kill him.”

  “I believe you.” Reena smiled, but it didn’t cover the sadness in her eyes. “I think what Patha wants you to see, and what I want you to see as well, is that you started something in Gothman. It was you who brought Runners and Gothman together. You’re the one who insisted women should have rights. You’ve started something and have walked away without finishing it.”

  “That’s not fair.” None of this was her fault. “I loved Darius and would have led our nations together. He said things to me, made promises. He lied to me. He’s the one who quit without finishing, not me.”

  Reena looked away without saying anything.

  Tara watched her. For some reason it dawned on her how much she wanted Reena’s support. They moved into Patha’s kitchen and she sat at the table across from Reena, waiting for the older woman to say something, anything.

  Finally, Reena spoke. “Tara, I’m Gothman. I always will be. I have no choice but to be loyal to Lord Darius.” She lowered her voice and continued. “I can’t help but say that I feel you’re more of a man than he is, so to speak. You might just have to make the first move.”

  “I don’t know that I could ever trust him again.” Tara felt defeated.

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “I don’t know.” Tara got up and moved to the door. “Patha said he’d let Torgo sleep in the spare room tonight. I’ll send him in so he can go to bed.” She paused in the doorway. “You know, Torgo has been loyal to me. He would make a great lord. But I doubt he’ll ever have the opportunity to prove that.” She sighed. “I’m leaving tomorrow, Reena. Tonight, I look forward to lying under the stars. It’s beautiful out there, and I think sleeping in the night air might help clear my head. Good night, Reena.”

  “Goodnight, Taragirl.” Reena hugged her daughter. “Don’t worry about those babies. If they wake in the night, I’ll take care of them.”

  A short time later, Tara threw her bedroll on the ground next to the fire by Patha’s trailer. The stars glowed larger than usual and filled the sky. She didn’t have a chance to enjoy them, though. Sleep overcame her the second her head hit the pillow.

  It was barely light when Tara opened her eyes. A good night’s sleep was just what she’d needed. Now she was anxious to get herself organized and hit the road. The trailer was still quiet when she entered. Tara was gazing at her sleeping beauties when Patha came out of his room.

  The old man looked over her shoulder at the two babies. “You’ll do a good job with those two.”

  “They’ll be great warriors, Patha. I promise.”

  “How could they not be? Look at their bloodline.” Patha gently took Tara’s arm. “Come with me. I’ve something to show you.”

  Tara followed Patha out the trailer and across the meadow to another trailer. He unlocked the door and the two of them went inside.

  “This is for you.”

  “What do you mean?” Tara looked at the kitchenette. A table and small couch furnished the living room. An extensive landlink system caught Tara’s eye, and she walked over to it.

  “This trailer. It’s for you.” The old man grinned. “It’s mine?”

  “Can’t have my grandbabies running around without a roof over their heads.” Patha walked to the door. “I’ll see that your belongings are brought to you.”

  Tara was left alone in the living room. She walked down the hallway and opened the first bedroom door. A nice sized bed and a tall dresser furnished the room. There were shelves in the closet as well as a bar on which to hang clothes. The second bedroom contained a small bed and another dresser. She gasped when she opened the third bedroom. Inside were the babies’ cradles from the house. She walked up to them in disbelief. Who had brought them here? All their clothes hung in the closet.

  Tara stood in the little room, stunned by what she was seeing. What did all this mean? If Darius was giving her all of the baby things, did that mean he didn’t want them to come back? A wave of panic ran through Tara’s body. It had never occurred to her that he might decide he didn’t want them to come home. She ran her fingers over a cradle, and her eyes welled with tears.

  He wasn’t willing to change for her. He’d made the decision and sent her these things. Tara imagined that the empty nursery had been more than he could bear. The man had no use for baby things without babies in the house. Or maybe he thought sending her Andru and Ana’s things would make her react just the way she had. It would be just like him to send her everything to scare her into thinking he didn’t want her—a bluff to lure her home. Tara wouldn’t put an act like that past the man. Originally she’d left in anger but now she wanted to teach him a lesson. She wanted Darius to know she had zero tolerance for what he’d done. Tara wouldn’t live continuously wondering where he was, and with whom.

  As her finger traced the crib’s carvings, it dawned on her that was exactly what she was doing right now. She missed him. Maybe she should have stayed and battled it out.

  She shook herself, trying to get her thoughts back to reality. She wouldn’t live with a man who didn’t respect her. Tara hurried out of the room.

  The landlink in the living room was logged on. The screen indicated there was a message waiting for her response. Someone had taken the time to program this landlink to use her pass code. She tapped the screen and saw the message.

  Hello, Tara. This is my third attempt to contact you. I hope you’ll not delete this message. It’s not possible for me to right a wrong when you won’t return to allow me to do so. I hope this trailer will show you that my intentions toward you are genuine. I’ve made every attempt to bring you back. I am now made to understand that you still do not plan to return, and instead are entering Southland. Tara, your place is here. We’ve united two nations, and you are meant to rule them with me. You, too, are failing your duty, just as you say I have. Return within a quarter-cycle, or I’ll sever relations with the Runners, disowning all of you. I don’t want to do this. My love for you is strong. Return to me now. Darius.

  Tara read the message twice. Her blood boiled. Did Patha know of this threat? She slammed her fist on the table and turned to leave the trailer. As she opened the door, she almost ran into Syra.

  “Have you heard the news?” Syra was grinning. She had a bag in each hand as she entered the trailer. “I get to go with you. My papa said it would keep me away from Torgo. What an adventure. Which one is my room?”

  Tara stood there speechless. She hurried to regroup her thoughts. No one must know about the message from Darius. She walked back to the landlink and deleted it. She wasn’t going to bother acknowledging such an insult. He didn’t control everyone’s life.

  “You want me to go with you, don’t you?” Syra apparently misread Tara’s silence and looked worried. “I’ll help with the babies.”

  “Of course you can go with me.” Tara smiled, trying to force her thoughts to the future. And not the past.

  She looked past Syra at the sound of a groundmobile pulling up to the trailer. Patha and Balbo entered without knocking and began bringing Syra’s things into the trailer.

  Apparently they hadn’t considered that Tara might say no to Syra going with her. She glared at the boxes, feeling a wave of grouchiness swell inside her. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t as if Syra moving in with her made her trip into Southland more of a definite move. She’d already insisted to Patha that she was going. Patha was simply taking her at her word. Darius’s transmission had been an attempt to bully her. She’d already deleted it. Heading south was the right thing to do. And, she’d just told Syra she had no problem with her coming along.

  Tara forced a smile on her face. She made her grouchiness go away. The pain in her heart, however, refused to budge.

  They put away clothes and hauled furniture. Tara watched Patha closely. If her papa knew of Darius’ threat, he gave no indication. He spoke only of his concern that Tara stay in touch and report regularly on what the people of Southland were like.

  �
��Log everything that happens to you daily.” Patha wiped sweat from his brow. They had just finished putting her new trailer in order.

  “I will,” Tara said as she stood outside the door to the twins’ room. She watched Syra and Reena sitting on the floor with Andru and Ana as they played.

  “You’re breaking ground for Runners.”

  “I know.”

  “Keep track of every detail, even if it doesn’t seem important at the time.”

  “I will.”

  “Let me know when you are safely in Semore.” Patha hugged his daughter soundly. His eyes looked moist when he pulled away.

  “And take care of my daughter,” Balbo added, coming down the hallway.

  “I will.”

  “Syra, bring the babies outside. I think we’re ready to go.”

  Tara continued listening to Patha’s instructions as he followed her through the trailer and together made sure everything was secure for travel. Countless times in the past they had performed this task together. Except now it was her trailer, and she wasn’t traveling with her clan.

  “Take care of yourself, Patha,” she said before they stepped outside. “And…”

  “Yes?”

  “Nothing.” Tara gave him a fierce hug, not sure what exactly she would have said. What was the point in asking Patha about Darius’s threat? This was her private war with Darius and she didn’t need reinforcements. Everyone said their goodbyes once she was outside. She hugged Reena, Torgo and Balbo then climbed into the driver’s seat.

  The town of Semore was unlike anything Tara had ever seen. It was built around ruins from Oldworld. There weren’t ruins like these in Northland, at least none she’d ever seen.

  Tall rectangular beams jutted into the air like the skeleton of an ancient, gigantic metal beast. Other beams crossed horizontally above the ground. Tara slowed and she and Syra stared in awe at a gigantic sign, as long as her trailer, with strange red shapes on it. It was made of material that looked like hard, thick paper. It wasn’t though, but instead a material she’d never seen before.

  “What is that?” Syra asked, twisting in her seat as they drove by.

  “Ruins from Oldworld.”

  “We should stop.”