It was too far down to jump.
“We’ve got to make a run for it,” she said, turning back to the burning staircase.
“What?” The lady looked terrified and began to shake her head. “We’ll be killed.”
“There’s no time to discuss it.”
Tara grabbed the lady and threw her over her shoulder. The lady squirmed in protest, but Tara’s grip was firm. She dashed down the stairs straight through the flames. Heat singed her hair and her clothes seemed hotter than the fire. The stairs cracked and groaned under their weight. Large popping sounds zapped the air above and beneath them. It was deafening. Her foot broke through the last stair, and she pulled with a vengeance to release it from the torn board. Pain shot up her ankle, her knee, then her thigh when she finally freed herself from the burning wood. She grimaced as she put weight on it and limped through the large open room toward the window where she’d entered. The woman made the job harder by squirming and kicking Tara’s thighs.
The ceiling exploded and crashed toward the back of the building, making a deafening sound. Smoke from the collapsing wood weighed in around them, completely blinding Tara. The woman she carried screamed loudly, piercing through Tara’s head. The woman’s body went rigid with fear, and she made an attempt to jump out of Tara’s arms. Tara held onto her with one arm and used her other hand to feel her way down the hallway. She reentered the small room and ran to the window, her boots crunching over the broken glass.
“We can get out through this window.” Tara released the woman. “Hurry! Climb out. The ground is just a few feet below.”
“You’ve saved my life.” The lady climbed into the open window and turned to smile at Tara. “I know who you are now. You are the Northerner I’ve heard about. Do you know about the Lunians?”
“No, who are they?”
“They are a colony living on the moon.”
Tara froze in disbelief at these words as the lady stuck her legs out of the window and jumped. Another crash sounded behind her and she, too, jumped out the window.
Pain shot up Tara’s leg. She fell sideways in response, and the rest of her body hit the hard ground. She still wasn’t safe. Using her good foot and both hands, she moved crablike away from the building to a safe distance. When she stood, putting the weight of her body on her good leg, she looked up in time to see the building collapse to the ground.
The girl she’d rescued was gone. The crowd had dwindled, and the thick darkness, from the night and the smoke, made it difficult to see anything. It was impossible to identify anyone still hovering around the building.
Tara turned and limped in the direction of her bike, thinking about what she had just heard. That lady had said something about a colony on the moon. She had called them Lunians. She said the Neurians had communicated with them. There was no moon tonight. The sky was low enough to touch from all the smoke.
She wanted to know what communication had transpired with these Lunian people. She’d never given much thought to the moon, although she relied on its light at night and had enjoyed its beauty. Maybe with a good viewer she might notice something to indicate a city. Tara wondered what technology the Neurians possessed that had allowed them to discover the people living there.
Without warning, a hand came from behind her, covering her mouth. Then, someone stuck the end of a laser into the back of her rib cage.
Tara turned instinctively and tried grabbing it. Her aggressor was stronger than she was, but didn’t know how to fight. Tara pulled the weapon from his grasp. Unfortunately, she then placed her weight on her bad foot. She grimaced in pain and let out a low shriek as she lunged helplessly to one side, unable to steady herself before falling to the ground.
The glow from the fire silhouetted the figure standing over her. The broad-shouldered man with long flowing hair stood over her.
Still holding the gun in her hand, she aimed it up at him as she slowly forced herself into a standing position.
“I’m not foolish.” He sounded calm, almost soothing. “It’s not capable of firing.”
She focused on his Neurian features. His brown skin was unblemished, and his dark eyes matched the color of his pupils. His white teeth almost glowed in the darkness. “I’m aware of your reputation as a warrior, and I had no doubts you’d be able to unarm me.” His singsong accent was as distracting as his features. “You have not disappointed me.”
Tara looked at his weapon in her hand and tossed it away. Relying on the distraction, she reached for her laser. The distraction didn’t work.
The man’s grin increased as he pulled another weapon. It looked like a large laser. “This one, however, will kill.”
“Fine, you win.” Tara held up her hands. “Now what?”
“Can you walk?” The man continued to look straight into her eyes.
Knowing this to be the perfect way to intimidate an enemy, Tara returned the gaze. “It depends on how far. If I’m lucky, I can make it back to my bike.”
“We’ll get you to your babies. First though, you and I are going to talk.”
With no warning, the man aimed and shot his weapon. Tara’s world went dark.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HER ENTIRE body reverberated with pain when Tara
tried focusing on her surroundings. The throbbing in her foot matched the pounding in her head. She lifted her upper body onto her elbows. Everything around her was spinning. For a second, Tara had no idea why she lay there. She searched her brain, trying to remember what happened before she had laid down. It hurt to concentrate. Tara didn’t like the sensation of not remembering. She never blacked out.
Then it came to her. The fire. She had jumped from the window and hurt her foot. Tara turned her head with effort, the blurred surroundings making her dizzier, and looked at her foot. It also appeared a blur. She blinked and allowed her eyes to focus on nothing while she worked her thoughts into order. It made no sense why pain in her foot would make her brain so foggy. And where was she? She needed to find her bike and get to her children. Tara made an effort to sit.
“You’ll feel better in a few minutes,” a male voice said. She jerked her head toward the voice. Her vision started returning.
The man who’d shot her sat several feet away in a metal chair. His features were perfect. Eyes like a starless sky stared at her. His long lashes almost reached thick black eyebrows. He had pronounced cheekbones and a long, straight nose. Tara noticed strands of his long hair were braided, but otherwise his hair fell free past his shoulders and behind his back.
His long legs disappeared into boots made of animal skin that were tied with leather straps just below his knees. He smiled, and his dark skin showed off his white teeth.
She noticed her laser sitting on his lap. “Where am I?” Tara continued her effort to reach a sitting position. Her head still pounded.
“You’re in my barn.”
Tara moved slowly to the edge of the makeshift bed, which felt like nothing more than a bench with several quilts thrown over it. As she shifted her legs over the side, one foot hit the floor, and she felt incredible pain shoot upward. When she leaned over to massage it, she noticed it was bandaged. She grimaced, swiping her hair over her shoulder. For some reason, her hair seemed longer than it should be.
“It was a pretty nasty scrape. Our doctor cleaned it up. He said it would hurt for awhile.”
Tara glanced up at the man.
“Would you like something to eat?”
She shook her head, still dwelling on the pain in her foot.
He handed her a plate of sliced light-colored meat and a small vine of grapes.
Although she’d declined his offer, her stomach groaned loudly in protest, and she hated to admit she was famished. Reluctantly, Tara accepted the food.
“I figured you’d be pretty hungry. You’ve been asleep for several days.”
Tara was stuffing one of the slices of meat into her mouth and had begun to chew eagerly when she heard his last words. She al
most choked when she heard how long she’d slept. Instantly, she thought of Syra and the babies. What would Syra have done when she didn’t come home? Tara immediately feared the worse. There was no satisfactory outcome. Andru and Ana would have cried for her. Syra hadn’t known the children that long. She wouldn’t have been able to calm them.
“I’ve been asleep for several days?” Tara spat remnants of meat from her mouth and glared at the man. “How dare you keep me from my children for that long!”
“You were injured.” The man shrugged.
“What about my children?” Tara raised her voice and felt the pain increase in her head. She rubbed her hands over her face trying to understand what was happening. “Why are you holding me here?”
“Your brother’s daughter has been notified. Your children are fine.”
The man’s calm demeanor made Tara want to smack him. “You haven’t answered why you are holding me here,” she said through clenched teeth. “And why did you keep me asleep for several days?”
“I don’t run Semore by myself. The fate of all Neurians must be considered. It’s obviously no secret how your war has affected us. Northerners are very different…your beliefs, your priorities—”
“And what do my beliefs and where I come from have to do with you holding me and keeping me from my family?”
“We have a duty to the Neurian people to ensure their safety.” The man shrugged again.
Tara slowly stood, testing her foot. She started to put weight on it, then stopped. While she probably could walk, she decided it might be best not to let him know that fact. She was also very aware of her laser in this man’s lap. “You seem to know more about me than I know about you. Who are you?”
Dorn Gowsky watched her slim figure as she hobbled a few feet away from the bed. He knew very little about Runners, other than they were supposed to be incredible warriors, and they had helped Gothman defeat the Sea People. Tara was beautiful, even in her current state. Those blue eyes…like the color of the sky…and that pale skin…she was quite the distraction. He’d never seen a woman like her before, other than in pictures.
She limped slowly, but there was very little sign of discomfort on her face. He guessed even in her drugged state, she had enough training to prevent her expression from betraying emotion. His best approach would be to not second-guess anything about her, but continue to watch her and learn.
He’d heard that she’d united two nations and could claim leadership over both. What power, what beauty! He wanted to know the type of person capable of mastering such a feat. She would be intelligent, with negotiating skills and the ability to influence others. Otherwise, people wouldn’t respond to her. From the research he had done while she had been there, not enough good things could be said about Tara.
He was definitely attracted to her. But if his plan was to work, he had to remain true to the role he’d agreed to play. Crator help him. He hoped he could pull it off.
The council hadn’t accepted his ideas on how to handle Tara, at first. Finally, he’d decided to keep most of his decisions about her from the council. They knew she’d been taken hostage. He’d brought her to them after he’d shot her. But they didn’t know she was here, at his home. And they didn’t know how long he’d kept her here. The council wouldn’t have approved, but he knew he acted with the Neurians’ best interests at heart. His conscience was clear.
He’d watched her as she lay under the covers, unconscious from the drugs. She became his sleeping beauty. There were nights when her presence haunted his dreams. He could have had sex with her, and she’d have never known. But that wasn’t his style. He liked his women able to enjoy his ability to please them. It would have been rape, so he hadn’t touched her—except in his dreams.
It had all started when the Runner, Kuro, approached him.
“You know there is a way to turn around the Neurian economy,” Kuro had told him one night after they had enjoyed a fair bit of the Sea People’s opiate wine. “And it would make you a hero.”
“How’s that?” Gowsky had asked, although he thought his friend a bit too intoxicated to be taken seriously.
“I grew up in a Runner clan known as the Blood Circle Clan,” Kuro had told him. “Their leader, Patha, has a daughter, Tara. She’s a manipulative, hardhearted bitch. She is Patha’s bastard child, but she managed to lie and cheat her way into becoming Patha’s heir. She’ll lead all the clans after Patha dies.”
“And what does she have to do with the Neurian economy?” Gowsky had no idea why his friend was talking to him about this.
“She charmed her way into the pants of the Lord of Gothman and gave him an heir.” Kuro had poured more wine and leaned back in his chair. “This is where it gets good, my friend. Tara and her children have entered Semore. They are right here in your town.”
“You are talking about the pale woman I saw yesterday?” Gowsky had been running errands when the young woman had driven her trailer into town. He had listened while she asked where she might keep her trailer, and had offered gold as payment. The woman hadn’t impressed him as cold hearted or manipulative, and Gowsky thought of himself as a good judge of character.
“She must be killed, Gowsky.”
“Huh?” Gowsky choked on his wine. “Why does she have to be killed?”
“Gothman and Runners need oil. Your land is floating with the stuff. But Tara won’t negotiate for it. Right now, she is probably devising a plan to take it without the Neurians knowing. That is how she is, my friend. But with her out of the way, the Neurians would be able to sell the oil to a just Runner leader. Your economy would be better than you’ve ever known.”
“And who would be the new leader?” Gowsky hadn’t liked the idea of murder, but reestablishing the Neurian economy was imperative.
Kuro grinned. “Simple my friend. Me.”
Gowsky pulled himself out of his reminiscing and focused on Tara. “I’m Dorn Gowsky,” he said to her. “How’s that foot?”
Tara glanced sideways at Gowsky. He watched her as if determining the answer for himself. That was something Darius often did. Guilt tugged at her. Noticing this man was handsome was no crime, so why did she feel odd? She concentrated on his question and not how he looked physically. “Your doctor’s done a fine job. Please thank him for me. I would like to check on my children. Am I free to go?” She knew the answer before she asked it, but decided to play his game and met his gaze with an innocent smile.
Gowsky smiled back. “Your children are fine. I would like to ask you some questions, if I may?”
“I’d like to see my children first. It’s important they know I’m fine. I’ll be more than willing to answer your questions after I see them. After all, I have nothing to hide from you or your people.” She took chance and started hobbling to the door. There was no doubt in her mind he wouldn’t let her go, but she needed to make sure. If he had questions for her, he’d better start asking.
“Your children aren’t in Semore anymore. Your trailer pulled out of here yesterday.”
“You’re a fool!” Tara spun around on Gowsky. The rage burned in her eyes and her body tensed. She saw the amused look in his eyes and her anger intensified. “You better let me contact my family so I can tell them I’m all right.”
“I might be able to arrange that.” Gowsky stood and walked over to Tara, took her arm, and calmly but firmly escorted her back to the bench. “You handle pain well, but I wouldn’t give that foot too much of a workout too soon.”
She yanked away from him and sat. Once again, her hair streamed over her shoulder. Lifting several strands in her hand, she noticed her hair was definitely longer.
Gowsky dropped into the chair across from her, a serious expression on his face. He stared at her once again.
She glared back. “Go ahead with your questions.”
“Why did you come to Semore?”
“I’ve never been south of the border. I simply wanted to visit your town.”
“You were loo
king for a job with our government.”
“I liked it here. Your people have…” She hesitated.
“We have what?”
Tara reminded herself she had nothing to hide. “You have oil. We need oil. Getting a job with your government seemed like a good way to convince you to trust me so I could begin negotiations.”
Gowsky was surprised by her answer. Was it possible she was telling the truth? He suddenly worried he’d made a grave mistake. But he didn’t make a mistake. He knew he hadn’t. There had been so many hours of meditative walks while praying to Crator. Every morning he’d awakened with the same thought clear in his head. Keep the Runner here. He was doing Crator’s will. It wasn’t his place to question that based on what Tara said to him now. He told himself her beauty preoccupied him. If she were manipulative, as Kuro suggested, she might be a very good liar.
“Neurians have had their way of life stripped from them. Many of our people are without jobs. Regrettably, the dire situation has made us suspicious.” Gowsky got up and stuck her laser into the top of his pants. He opened the door to leave. “I’ll see if we can contact your trailer so you can talk to your family.”
Tara stared at the door after Gowsky left, hearing the lock click into place. Cold air rushed her face and Tara frowned. It felt like it was almost the New Winter outside, but if Tara understood the climate pattern this far south, winter shouldn’t be here for another five cycles.
She cuddled into the thick comforters spread over the bench and observed the dimly lit room. The floor was nothing more than smooth, packed dirt, and the ceiling was wooden. There were no windows, although sunshine peered through the walls, which were just slabs of wood. Her prison appeared to be a type of shed, yet Gowsky had said she was in his barn. The Freelanders had barns. They were very large and animals lived in them. Apparently Neurians only used theirs to keep people prisoner.
She noticed several different sets of footprints leading from the door to the bench and back again. It looked as if she’d had many visitors she slept. She could only imagine who they might have been.
Nuworld: Claiming Tara Page 34