Tara The Great [Nuworld 2] (20 page)

“That’s a good point, sir.” Brev frowned. “I know that too, sir.”

“What do you know?” Tara mumbled.

“Well sir, if I may, I think we have that figured out.” Brev now smiled, reached

forward and doodled slowly. “We’ll plead for their help. Show our respect for their

positions and titles. That sort of thing. They won’t even know what’s happening.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Tara glared at the man.

“No, we can’t do that. They’re too militaristic. We’ve tested the incubators, and they

seem to produce normal, healthy babies. These rulers won’t even know their people are

missing. We should be able to return them within hours of capture.”

“What are you talking about?” Tara asked Brev, who obviously didn’t answer. She

then looked toward the ceiling and asked in a louder voice, “What is he talking about?”

“We’ll be very careful, sir.” Brev now leaned forward and tapped the desk with his

fingers. “In the morning, sir. We’re ready.”

He put down the phone and leaned back in his chair, smiling.

“You’re an evil man, Brev.” Repulsion twisted in her gut, making her sick, while

she stared at the monster sitting across from her.

The door opened and Polva walked into the office.

Tara had to jump out of the way to prevent the woman from sitting on her.

“Did you talk to Toulon?” she asked.

“Just hung up the phone with him.” Brev grinned. “We leave in the morning.”

“And my request?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you mention my request?”

“Polva, I told you. I’ll take care of that when we get down there.”

“I won’t have a child from any of those other barbarians.”

“They’re all barbarians, my sweet.” He smiled and came around his desk.

Tara thought she would be sick if she saw these two being intimate together.

Brev just stood in front of Polva, though, without touching her.

She looked at him casually as if the thought of him touching her never entered her

mind. “They have drive, though. We want our children to be leaders, don’t we?” Polva

continued without letting him answer. “Of course we do. And I don’t want anyone else

to have their children but us.”

“From the records you’ve produced, that might be hard for us to pull off,” Brev

said. “He seems to like reproducing.”

His words were like a blow to the face as Tara realized what Brev had just said.

“My point exactly. These people breed every time they connect.” She made a

repulsed face and intentionally shook her body. “And they like it. They will make

outstanding breeding stock. Our people will grow, and once again rule Earth.”

“They call it Nuworld now,” Brev pointed out.

“A stupid name.” Polva waved her hand.

Tara wanted to belt her.

“We’ll rule Earth together, you and me,” she continued, the cold gleam in her eye

revealing the evil creature that she was. “And our children will rule after us. Toulon can

have his moon. Earth is much bigger. All we have to do is get those people to attack

each other, and they’ll wipe each other out.”

“So that’s what you tried to do.” Tara snorted. “Well, it didn’t work, lady.”

“I’ll finish our packing, Brev. I’ll see you back at home.” With that, Polva turned

and left the office, pulling the door closed behind her.

Simultaneous with the door closing, Tara’s surroundings went black. She felt

lightheaded, but before she had time to fight her new surroundings, she found herself

back at the camp facing the dog-woman with the cup of coffee in her hand.

“There is more, child,” the old lady spoke. “Are you ready?”

“What are you going to show me now?” She quickly took a drink of the still warm

coffee.

Everything was dark again, and Tara felt the texture of the ground change under

her feet. Her eyes adjusted and she realized she was in some kind of tunnel. She heard

screams—loud, tortured screams from a woman. No. From a girl.

“We should sedate her.” Tara recognized Brev’s voice and moved forward through

the darkness.

“It could harm the take.” That was Polva’s voice. She sounded unbelievably calm,

considering the continued screaming.

Tara walked into a large, manmade cave. The walls had recently been dug out,

considering the fresh smell of dirt. Electric lights stood on thin wooden poles, filling the

room with unnatural light.

Tara gasped and her hands went to her mouth. In the middle of the cave was Syra.

She had a chain secured around her neck and was completely naked. A young man,

also naked and with a chain around his neck, held Syra’s hands in one of his, while the

other fondled her small breasts.

Syra fought him, but whenever she appeared to have the upper hand, one of the

Lunians yanked her chain, causing her to lose her footing.

The man jumped on her again.

“No,” Tara screamed and ran forward to stop the naked man. She ran right through

him however and hit the dirt wall on the other side. She turned and saw Syra kick and

scream as the young man forced her two hands to the ground and climbed on top of

her.

“No, you can’t do this.” Syra struggled helplessly.

“Just following orders.” The naked man grinned and spread her legs apart with his.

Tara tried to pick up a rock to throw at him, but her hand passed through it.

Apparently, she wouldn’t be allowed to touch objects in this dream as she had in Brev’s

office.

But this wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare.

Syra didn’t have the strength to fight off the bigger man. The teenage girl just

wasn’t as strong. Her skills as a warrior weren’t fine-tuned enough to allow her to think

clearly. And the chain the Lunian continually pulled counteracted what skills she did

have.

“Please stop,” Syra cried, sounding like a child.

“You know none of the lads in Bryton will believe me when I tell ‘em what I got to

do with you, no,” the naked man hissed loud enough for Tara to hear.

“You won’t live to tell anyone,” Syra yelled and kicked with her legs.

“I’ll see to it that I will, m’lady.” The chained Gothman pressed Syra’s arms to the

ground, forcing the girl’s back against the hard floor.

Syra fought to keep her legs free and to kick at the man above her, while she shook

her head back and forth. “No!” she screamed. “This is wrong. You can’t do this.”

Her screams turned to a plea as she lost the struggle to the man above her.

Gothman had raped women for many winters, and the man atop Syra showed no signs

of remorse.

Tears smeared Tara’s cheeks as she stood completely helpless and watched her

niece being raped.

The Lunians huddled at the other side of the room and whispered among

themselves when the Gothman forced his entrance.

Syra’s screams echoed off the walls.

Tara felt bile in her throat, as her vision blurred from her tears. “Crator!” She

screamed His name, matching the velocity of Syra’s howls. “Why would you do this to

a child?”

Syra’s screams turned to uncontrollable crying as the Gothman moved inside her.

She continued to struggle, and managed to free one of her arms.

The Gothman raised his head, and Tara noted his closed eyes as he enjoyed the

deep penetration.

Syra took advantage of the moment. She struck the man hard across the face,

causing him to fall off her.

“You little tramp,” the Gothman hissed.

The Lunians appeared awestruck as they whispered together, obviously discussing

the interaction between the Runner and the Gothman.

“Don’t you touch me,” Syra screamed, although her voice now sounded raspy.

“Got to,” the Gothman hissed and grabbed Syra.

She struggled in his arms, the chains hanging from both of their necks swaying and

clanking against the cave floor. Tara again tried to stop the atrocious act by grabbing the

Gothman’s chain, but it rolled through her hand across the floor, then leapt from the

ground when the Gothman strained to maintain his grip on Syra.

“Get your filthy paws off of me,” Syra yelled and bit the man’s forearm.

“Argh!” He backhanded her.

She sprawled across the cave floor.

Tara could see long red scrapes on her niece’s bare backside.

“You’d do best to let me finish, Runner, or I daresay you won’t live through the

act.”

Syra couldn’t get to her feet before the Gothman once more climbed onto her and

slammed his eager member deep inside.

Tara could see how Syra shook under the man, and how the girl’s eyes squeezed

closed as if she could will the nightmare away. The Gothman had his large hands

pressed against Syra’s wrists, and his hairy legs forced Syra’s willowy legs to spread

wide. His gyrations rocked Syra’s body, and Tara could see how the floor had bruised

the child.

Tara collapsed against the wall. “Crator, you can’t allow this to happen!” She slid to

a squatting position and shared Syra’s pain.

When the act ended, two Lunian men dragged Syra toward a large metal cage with

a solid bottom and top. Bars made up the four walls. One of the Lunians opened the

barred door and the other one shoved Syra into it. They locked it with a key before

dragging the man to another box.

“How long before we can transfer the fetus?” Brev asked.

Tara looked up in horror.

“I’m afraid this method could take a month or so,” a tall man standing next to Brev,

said way too calmly.

Syra screamed inside her cage. Tara cried with her.

Chapter Eleven

Tara felt like she was waking from a nightmare. Her clothes were soaked and her

face wet from tears. “Wait,” she screamed into the nothingness. “Don’t send me back

yet. Give me some clue to fight this. You haven’t told me anything I hadn’t guessed.”

Except the part about Syra, she thought after she spoke. “Please I have to find out where