The Saga Begins [Nuworld 1] (16 page)

Reena couldn’t help a giggle at this comment.

“I don’t see what’s so funny about this. To be sure, we have a problem on our hands, we do. The Lord of Gothman can’t claim a Runner.” Hilda looked at Reena.

At that moment, a change came over Hilda’s face, and she looked as if she was about to say something. She looked at Reena with disbelief and alarm. Then, she looked from Reena to Tara and back again. Her mouth fell open as if she would say something.

The look on Reena’s face changed as well, and Tara was sure she saw her shake her head ever so slightly.

Hilda closed her mouth.

“Do you love Lord Darius, child?” Reena asked Tara as she quickly turned her attention away from Hilda.

“I think I might.”

“I’ve seen the two of them,” Hilda said to Reena. Her tone had changed, and she sounded like she shared knowledge of a crime committed by Darius and Tara. “They act like they were made to be together, they do. You knew about this didn’t you, old lady? I daresay you planned the whole thing!”

“Ah, she came to me the night she arrived.” Reena waved her hand in front of her as if knocking Hilda’s accusations out of the way. “She wanted to know the life of Gothman, she did. I didn’t know she was coming.”

“Reena, Runners are our enemy. You know as well as I do, she won’t stay here. It’s not her nature to stay put. She’ll yearn for her old ways and…”

“My lady, I’m not your enemy.” Tara put her hand on Hilda’s. “I don’t understand why our people consider each other enemies. We aren’t a threat to each other.”

“Ah, and you think you can change how Gothman feel about Runners, do you?” Hilda shook her head and clucked with her tongue.

“If she’s claimed to the Lord of Gothman, it would be a good start.” Reena was quick with her argument.

“You’d like it if that happened, wouldn’t you?” Hilda stood up glaring at Reena. She looked at Tara, and her hands went to her wide girth. “His lordship must not have known you were a Runner when he made the claim. I don’t know how he’ll save face with his people. He has promise to be one of our greatest leaders.”

“He did know I was a Runner. He knew all along.” Tara wanted to jump up and stamp her foot. Why was she defending him?

“Did he really?” Reena was smiling again. “Hilda, he knew and he still claimed her. Maybe they were meant to be together.”

“Ah, what a day that would be for you, wouldn’t it my old friend? I’m not so old myself that I don’t remember what happened over twenty winters ago.” Hilda snapped her finger in the air. “My claim knew of your goings on with the Runners. Maybe he should’ve been rougher with you.”

“Ah, old woman, but he wasn’t. Then was not the time for Runners to be among us. But now! Times are changing. The Runners have not opposed the Gothman for many a winter. This generation has a fear of a people, but they know not why. You said it yourself. These two are in love. Tara will challenge him, that much I can guess now. Imagine it, Hilda. She could only make his kingdom stronger. For sure, I’ve heard you say a time or two that behind a good man is a good woman. What a match they will be, don’t you think?”

Hilda was quiet. She looked at the clothes and then pushed her chair away from the table to stand.

Tara watched her move over to the clothes and pick up the cloth with the embroidered emblem on it.

Her chubby fingers traced the circle with the red drop of blood centered in the middle. “What is this?”

“It is the symbol of my clan.”

“And what is the name of your clan?”

“The Blood Circle Clan.”

“Ah, and who are your parents?”

“Patha is my papa, but not by birth. He found me as a toddler and brought me into his clan to be raised.”

Hilda started to stomp out of the room, then stopped and turned around just as quickly. Crossing her arms, she glared at Reena. “Did you know she was coming to you?”

“No, Hilda, I told you already.” Reena remained in her chair, but her lips narrowed to a fine line.

An animosity of some kind appeared between the two women, as if some old wound had suddenly been opened. “She caused quite a ruckus in the pines that night. The guards were out thick looking for her. She dodged them and made it to my house. I saw her for the first time when she came out of the woods.”

Hilda stood there for a minute, thinking. Then, she picked up the clothes and handed them to Tara. “Put these on. I want to see you in them.”

Tara took the clothes and looked at Hilda confused.

“You’ve been with us for over a cycle now. You’ve lived like a Gothman, but you’re a Runner. My heritage means a lot to me, and I daresay your heritage means a lot to you, it does. Put those on and feel your heritage. Do it now, girl.” Hilda’s voice shook with emotion.

Tara left the room to change her clothes. She trotted up the stairs, feeling queasy from the excitement of being able to wear her Runner clothing again. A tightening in her gut also existed, because she didn’t understand the undercurrent between Hilda and Reena. There was something the two of them weren’t telling her.

The leather felt so good next to her skin. Her feet rejoiced to be in her boots again. She wrapped the cloth around her face and went back in to the dining room. Her soft boots were quiet on the floor, and the two women did not hear her return.

“I want her to be able to tell me she’ll not have my grandchildren and then leave in the night, I do. Those clothes will bring back reality to her, I daresay. She’s been pretending, and she’ll come to her senses if she faces who she is, she will.”

“You want her to leave,” Reena’s voice sounded strained.

“And you can’t make her stay anymore than you could make her papa stay.” There was a sting in Hilda’s voice.

“You’ll not speak of that. I have your promise!”

“She can’t continue to deny who she is and where her place is.”

“I am not pretending, my lady. I’ve known who I was the entire time I was here.” The two women looked up as the Runner entered the room.

Hilda gasped.

“I’ve taught your youngest son to ride a motorcycle and have raced his lord through the hills on my motorcycle. Lord Darius had it brought here. It’s in the shed right now. I’ve not been able to suppress my heritage, although, at first, I’ll admit I tried. If I stay here, I’ll stay as a Runner, and Darius knows this.”

Tara proudly stood in front of the two women. She wished she could live among these people openly wearing the symbol of her clan but she knew that wouldn’t come to pass…at least not yet.

“Ah, I see. Well Darius asked you to tell me and so you have. Now I know. It’s done. I’m an old lady, I am. If his Lordship is asking for my blessing, he knows how I feel about you. That has not changed, no. You have a good heart, lass.” Hilda sat back down and looked exasperated.

Tara moved to the old lady, bent, and kissed her on the cheek. She then did the same to Reena. “I don’t know your reasons, but you are a responsible party to all of this and I mean to find out why,” she whispered in Reena’s ear.

“Well, child, you best get back out of those clothes before someone thinks you are attacking us instead of kissing us, yes.” Hilda grabbed her cloth napkin and dabbed her cheeks and neck. “Go now.”

Tara noticed the woman’s hand shook, then ran upstairs, changed, and returned her clothes to the bag under her bed. She came back down in time to see Reena gathering her things and preparing to leave. Tara followed Hilda and Reena on to the front porch.

“I’ll be seeing an announcement to a claiming party before long, I expect.” Reena walked across the yard to her car. “We’ll have to make her a dress for certain, old woman. Goodness knows she can’t sew a stitch.”

“I wonder why she’s so anxious to see me claimed to your son.” Tara watched Reena drive away and then turned to face the plump older woman.

“Now, child, I can’t go and tell you her thoughts, I can’t. She’ll have to do that herself.” Hilda headed upstairs, claiming exhaustion and the need for a nap.

* * * * *

Lord Darius returned the next afternoon and was greeted in the yard by his younger brother.

“I’ll help fight if you need me.” Torgo sounded delighted at the thought.

“Ahh, will you now?” Darius didn’t look at his brother but slid off his bike and stretched.

“I can ride my motorcycle pretty well,” Torgo continued. “And I could run errands, or do anything you wanted.”

Tara couldn’t help but smile as Torgo tried to receive his brother’s approval. She’d been walking through the pines at the edge of the meadow, and her heart jumped when she heard Darius’ motorcycle pulling into the backyard. She wanted to run and greet him and let him know how she had missed him. Instead, she stood, sheltered by the branches surrounding her, and watched the strong man push his bike around the back of the shed, amusement on his face as he listened to Torgo ramble.

Torgo finally ran to get water and rags so Darius could clean the mud from his bike and returned just as his older brother was opening the shed. The young boy disappeared inside along with Darius. She wished desperately to hear what the two were talking about, but since that wasn’t possible, she continued walking across the backyard toward them.

Torgo saw her first and ran to greet her.

Darius turned and watched as she moved toward them. Their eyes met, and there was a look on his face she had not yet seen. He looked exhausted and very serious.

Guilt ran through her blood as she thought of him creating strategies and hearing reports from his scouts while she sat and dined with old women. She felt she should have been at his side. She had knowledge of the Sea People. She had heard many stories and had briefly encountered them herself.

Tara wanted to draw his bath for him, and rub the exhaustion from his body, as he told her the stories he’d experienced. She had grown up watching men and women greet their warrior spouses after a conflict. Much romance occurred after the return of troops. But Darius wasn’t to the point where he would share his experience with her, she feared.

If the rumors of the pending invasion proved true, she intended to share her knowledge. She knew the Sea People to be an untrusting lot, greedy and paranoid. They sought only what would suit their own needs. They were a people not to be trusted. Many of the stories she heard said they were a race addicted to some type of opiate drug, and that was how their ruler kept them in line. She found such stories extraordinary and had a hard time believing them. If they were true, she knew their actions would be hard to predict in battle.

As she neared the shed, Torgo grabbed towels to clean the bike, and Darius reached for her.

“I raced some of the other boys after school,” Torgo said.

But Tara hardly heard him.

Darius stroked her cheek, but then slipped his arm around her when she walked into him for a hug. “I will be…” he whispered in her ear, but wasn’t able to finish.

“Tara, oh my dear, there you are. Come at once, the walkntalk made its noise, it did.” Hilda waved her arm toward the house.

Darius broke off what he was about to say, instead looking at his Mama.

“And I do fear there is some importance to it, yes.” Hilda’s tone was strained, and the pair hurried to the house.

They entered the kitchen and found Hilda rushing about, a distracted look on her face, but she didn’t offer an immediate explanation for her behavior. As she moved items around on the pantry shelves, they heard her mutter to herself, “I’m losing my mind, I am. There aren’t good times ahead, no.”

“Woman! Have you gone batty?” Darius spoke from behind Tara.

“My Lordship, son of mine, I answered the walkntalk.”

“You said that already. What is so incredible about the walkntalk, woman?” Darius’ frustration sounded in his tone.

“Oh dear. Tara, Reena called and asked for you at once. She said, uh, there are,” Hilda began, but then turned in the pantry doorway with several small jars in her plump hands. Her pallor didn’t look good. “I mean, she has company, yes. She said some of your, uh,” she paused as Torgo slipped into the kitchen eyeing a plate of food on the counter. “Your family has arrived. She needs you to take these herbs to her. I know they are used for medicinal reasons, so someone must be hurt.”

Tara didn’t wait to hear more. She rushed from the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.

“Tara!” Darius’ bark echoed off the walls.

She ignored him as she ran to her closet and quickly flipped through her dresses until she found one more practical than the frilly thing she had on at the moment. It was made from a knitted material that moved easily with her body and would allow her freedom of movement to help in whatever way she could.

“What are you doing?” Darius appeared in her doorway. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched her.

Tara glanced up and realized she’d forgotten to shut the door. Already having taken off one dress to put the other on, she worked desperately to get the zipper in back to close. “Would you help me with this zipper?”

He walked toward her, turned her around, and zipped her dress. “You’ll take the herbs and come right back.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I find out why there are Runners at Reena’s.” She squatted down on all fours and reached under her bed.