The Saga Begins [Nuworld 1] (17 page)

“There are Sea People ready to attack Gothman. I’ll not have you running around the countryside.”

Tara ignored him. She took her Runner clothing out of the bag and set them on the bed. She slid the flat softened leather boots on her feet.

* * * * *

Darius watched her in fascination; this was the first he’d seen of her Runner clothing. More curious to him though were the several guns she’d pulled out of an inner sleeve in the bag and how she checked their ammunition like a seasoned professional. One weapon in particular caught his attention. Darius leaned over and picked up the small laser to look at it. “This is what you used to shoot the trash can that day, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She continued to get herself ready.

He put down the laser, then picked up the largest of the three guns and strode over to the balcony. He opened the doors, aimed the gun at a group of trees outlining the edge of the meadow, and pulled the trigger. A branch of a tree a good half-mile away fell to the ground. Darius grunted as he scrutinized the weapon closely.

Tara reached into the bag and pulled out a small case. She quickly opened it and removed a small flat disc. It was more minute than any coin and as flat as a piece of paper. She placed the disc on the edge of her finger and walked up behind the tall lord.

“I like this one.” He held up the large weapon.

“It has four more shots on this cartridge.” She reached around him and pointed to the attachment on the side. “It works best at a distance. If it’s used at close range, it emits a large explosion. You may keep it. I’ll do with these.”

Lord Darius put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him with some roughness. She lost her breath when he flattened her to him with a possessive grip. He continued to hold the powerful weapon in one hand that fell to his side. But with his other arm, he held her in a death grip.

She put both hands up around his neck and gently stuck the small disc to the back of his neck. The disc held its place under Darius’ curls, and she prayed he wouldn’t detect it. She had never applied the device in such an intimate fashion and managed to keep a neutral expression at her success. Darius didn’t notice what she had done.

“It’s important that you listen to me, now. Gothman is going to be attacked sooner than I anticipated. I want you to be safe.” Darius searched her face with his eyes as he spoke.

Tara pushed away and slipped a harness over her dress into which she slid two guns. “What do you know of the Sea People? Have you had contact with them before?”

* * * * *

He saw something in her he hadn’t noticed before. She was preparing for battle, and he realized it would take many guards and locks and chains to keep this woman at home. The woman was a Runner, though, and staying put wasn’t her nature. He wondered if he would ever be able to calm that trait in her. An emotion washed through him that he couldn’t readily identify. Tara appealed to him because she was wild, untamed, outspoken and beyond sexy. Would taming any of those qualities make her less appealing? He worried the answer to that was yes.

“This is the first time they’ve come this close to Gothman, it is. I’ll not stand for their threats, though.”

“They’ve communicated with you?”

“I’ve received messages saying the Gothman have grown too large and are pushing against their borders.”

“That isn’t true. The Gothman borders run into the Freelands. Darius, have you never been out of Gothman?”

He narrowed his eyebrows and his gray eyes darkened. He wasn’t pleased that she questioned his knowledge or worldliness. “Are you saying I can’t rule this land because I’ve never been outside its borders?” He scowled. “My papa didn’t need the help of outsiders and neither do I.”

“Knowing your enemy helps to defeat them.”

“So now you are telling me how to rule.” He looked fierce, but then he smiled and stroked her cheek. He didn’t have time to get riled at her right now. “You worry about getting back here safely.”

* * * * *

Tara put her black leather jacket over the dress and folded the clothes she had on a minute ago. Grabbing the bag, now empty and ready for Hilda’s herbs, she headed for the door.

He followed her quickly and grabbed her arm. “I expect you home within the hour, I do.” He kissed her firmly on the lips.

“I’ll be fine.” She returned his kiss and looked into his eyes. “You’ll hear from me. You need me.”

She reached up and pulled a band off his leather jacket sleeve that bore the seal of the Gothman and shoved it in to her bag.

“I’ll represent two nations today.” She smiled and kissed him again.

“Tell your people the Gothman would appreciate it if the Runners would stand with them in battle against the Sea People.”

She looked at him with surprise before she pulled away and left the room. Her leather boots were silent as she ran down the stairs.

Hilda looked at Tara’s outfit as the girl reached the bottom step, but didn’t say anything. She saw her son standing at the top of the stairs with the large Runner gun in his hand. Her mouth opened, but she closed it and quietly handed the keys to her car and the herbs to Tara.

Hilda’s car moved a lot faster than Reena’s, but it still seemed to Tara that it took her forever to get through the town and up the hill toward Reena’s house. Two Runner motorcycles were parked in front of Reena’s house when she pulled up. Tara immediately recognized one of them to be Patha’s. She got out of the car and ran to the house.

There was no one in the living room area, and the house seemed very quiet. Instinctively, she pulled out the small laser and held it in front of her as she silently moved toward the hallway.

The door to Reena’s bedroom was open, and she pointed the gun at the empty room. She walked to the window opening to the backyard, but she didn’t see anyone. A group of five pictures on the dresser next to the window caught her eye.

The first picture she saw was of a small child picking flowers in a meadow. Others depicted the same girl at different ages.

The last picture was of a girl in her adolescence sitting on a small motorcycle. Tara cocked her head sideways in puzzlement. The motorcycle looked very familiar. She looked back at the other pictures again.

They were all of her!

Tara’s heart raced, and she wiped her suddenly damp palms down her hips while staring at the pictures. What in the name of all of the heavens was Reena doing with pictures of her at different ages? She hadn’t even known they had been taken.

“Tara?”

She jumped at the sound of her name coming from the other room. She heard the front door close, and it sounded like several people were entering the house. Tara walked to the doorway, gun in one hand and pictures in the other.

Reena called out again. “Tara?”

“I’m here.” Tara took in the scene greeting her.

Reena stood in the middle of the room while Patha and one of his guards struggled to help a Runner she didn’t recognize to the couch.

“Did you bring the herbs?” Reena asked.

Tara nodded and pointed to her bag on the edge of the couch as she ran to the large old man, setting the gun and pictures on the table beside her. “Patha! It’s so good to see you.”

After settling the Runner onto the couch, Patha reached his arms out as she literally jumped into them. He picked her up off the ground and hugged her so tightly she lost her breath. When he put her down, she felt dizzy for a moment and had to steady herself on the back of the couch before she could smile up at the man she called Papa.

“What brings you this far from home?” She looked from one Runner to the other and then at Patha.

“Reena’s the best doctor in the area, and we needed her.” Patha squeezed her wrists with powerfully large hands. “Look at you, child. You look mighty sharp in that dress.” He held her hands out in front of her and took a good look. “I do believe she’s put on a little weight.” Patha looked at Reena for confirmation. “What do you think?”

“Maybe Gothman suits her.” Reena had mixed together a salve from the herbs and coated the Runner’s wounded leg. She finished by tying a bandage around it then stood and moved to stand by Patha. “Your man should be fine. Mind you, those wild boar lashes can get infected, but I’ve got him good and cleaned up, I do.”

“We’re closer to you than the clansite right now,” Patha said. “I knew you could take good care of him.”

“Tara, what have you brought here?” Reena picked up the pictures from the side table and flipped through them quickly.

“I found them on your dresser when I was looking for you. They’re pictures of me. What are you doing with them?” Tara watched Reena glance up at Patha and she studied both their faces. Her papa hid his thoughts well, but he was definitely concerned about something. Then, as if in silent communication, the two older adults turned their gazes to her. She narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on here?”

Reena looked at her patient, ignoring Tara’s question. “How does that bandage feel?”

“I’ll make it,” the Runner answered and reached for the other man, who helped him to his feet and allowed the Runner to use him as a crutch.

“Let’s put him in the bedroom on the right, yes,” Reena instructed. “I’ll watch him for a bit, I will, make sure no infection sets in.”

“Reena, you didn’t answer me,” Tara persisted, after the two men had entered the bedroom.

Reena kept her back to Tara as she stared at the hallway and the open bedroom door where the two Runners were. “Tara, I’m your mama.” Reena spoke the words barely above a whisper, and she didn’t turn to face Tara.

“What?” Tara gasped, certain she had misheard. “It sounded like you just said—”

“I did,” Reena interrupted and turned to face Tara. “I am your mama.”

Tara reached for the back of the couch to steady herself. Her mouth fell open without her noticing and the room suddenly began spinning. “My…mama?” She could barely utter the words.

“Come outside with us, child.” Patha pulled Tara to him and placed his other hand gently on Reena’s shoulder. “It’s time you knew the truth.”

The uninjured Runner appeared from the hallway, and Reena turned to him. “Slice some pie for you two,” she said, gesturing toward her kitchen.

Tara noticed Reena’s hand shaking and turned to the kitchen, thinking she could help make the Runner feel more at home.

“I can handle it.” The Runner smiled at Tara and waved the group toward the door. “Go share your stories. If there is pie in the kitchen, I will find it.”

Patha chuckled and again placed his hands on the two women, guiding them to the door.

Tara followed them onto the front porch in a dazed stupor. She settled on the steps while the two of them sat in the porch swing together, Patha’s large fingers around Reena’s small hand.

Her gaze strayed to their intertwined fingers. “I thought my mama died and that you never knew her name. I never guessed…I mean, I never dreamed.” She shook her head, all the while keeping her gaze on their clasped hands.

“Child, I don’t know where to begin.” Reena’s eyes welled with tears. Oh, how she’d waited for this day. “Patha and I have known each other for a very long time. He would come see me from time to time, but staying for too long was not his way, it wasn’t. I’d been established as the doctor of these parts, and Lord Jovis would not permit me to leave.”

Reena took a deep breath.

Patha patted her hand. “Lord Jovis had a fine time looking the other way, when I continued to come see you,” Patha chuckled, and Reena nodded, both silent for a moment as they relived the memory.

“When I found out I was pregnant I was so happy. I had a part of Patha that would stay with me, and I was free of the claiming forever, I was. For a while, I entertained the thought of Patha settling down with me here, yes. Ah, but Lord Jovis would not hear of it, and Patha was not the settling down type. I kept you until you were about three, I did. Ah, you were beautiful even then.”

“Why didn’t you keep me?” Tara pulled her knees to her chest, forgetting the Gothman dress she wore. She turned on the porch steps, so she sat facing her Mama.

“Lord Jovis wanted to have you claimed to his son, his first-born son that is, with you both being just children, yes. Tara, it wasn’t the life I wanted for you. I wanted you educated, free to make your own choices, I did. It wasn’t the life you would have in Gothman. The next time Patha came through we talked about it, and he agreed to take you with him and make you part of his clan.” Reena wiped a tear off her cheek. Another one immediately replaced it. “My dear child, it was the hardest thing I ever done in my whole life, it was. I just about couldn’t hold my emotions when you told me who you were the night you arrived here. Oh dear girl, you’re everything I hoped you’d be, you are.” Several streams of tears traced paths down her cheeks now, and Tara moved over quickly and sat at her feet.

“I had no idea.” Tara was completely overwhelmed. Her throat felt thick, and she realized she was shaking. “Patha, why didn’t you tell me? You really are my papa? I wish you would have told me.”

“Reena didn’t want you to feel any obligation to visit her. She was afraid you’d be claimed once Lord Jovis knew you were back. He wanted you for his son almost before you were born. The man felt you came from good blood, I guess.” Patha chuckled and wrapped his arm around Reena. “As you grew and became more beautiful, we both knew the second you were on Gothman territory, the first man who saw you would have you. When you told me you were leaving to do some exploring, it didn’t surprise me when I got word you were here. I knew no man would mess with you if you didn’t want it. You are a trained warrior now, not the helpless child you once were.” Patha shook his head at his daughter. “I would actually pity the man who would take you on. You’ve two very stubborn parents, child. And you are an incredible warrior.”