The Saga Begins [Nuworld 1] (23 page)

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sea People have discovered the Runner’s presence and are waiting for reinforcements,” Tara spoke to a small group of men assembled around the table in Patha’s trailer.

“And who would they be waiting on?” Geeves, Darius’ personal assistant, stared at the Gothman map spread over the table and didn’t glance up at Tara.

She finished slicing a block of cheese, although she didn’t take it to the table. She would be damned if she would wait on these men. She left the sliced cheese on the counter and plopped a piece in her mouth as she moved to stand behind Darius.

“They could just be waiting for more Sea People to arrive,” she offered.

“I say we attack now, I do.” Darius hit the table with his fist, and Geeves grunted his approval. “Gothman won’t tolerate our borders lined with Sea People, no.”

“Runners do not attack unless attacked first.” Patha didn’t raise his voice and glanced at Darius as he spoke.

“Tension builds among the men, my Lord,” one of Darius’ commanders spoke from behind Tara as he leaned against a wall by the trailer door. “They are ready to fight, they are, and we have them sit like women.”

Tara cleared her voice, to show the commander she didn’t like his comment.

“I can’t justify leading any Runner clan into combat at the moment.” Patha paid no attention to his daughter. “The Sea People sit on Freelander land. They are not in violation by being there. Everyone knows the Freelanders allow anyone free rein to their land.”

“So Gothman will sit and do nothing?” The same commander behind Tara raised his voice a bit with the question.

“I don’t like it anymore than you do.” Darius pushed his seat from the table, almost backing into Tara. She moved toward the counter as Darius faced his commander. “But I daresay in all of Gothman history, no attack has occurred before the enemy crossed Gothman borders.”

“We shall wait for the Sea People to make the first move.” Patha didn’t bother to stand.

Both Darius and his commander turned to study the Runner leader.

The commander released a few expletives, apparently feeling Tara’s presence didn’t prohibit such language, and left the trailer, not bothering to shut the door.

Tara chewed her lip as she followed Darius from Patha’s trailer. She felt irritated that the men couldn’t agree, and frustrated because she wanted more of the cheese and had left it on the counter. Needless to say, her mood was as sour as Darius’.

One morning, Tara lay on her mat working to pull her pants over her hardened belly. This had become a routine, trying to get her clothes to fit, but this particular morning she realized the pants just weren’t going to go on without her making the conscious decision not to breathe. She absolutely could not fasten her pants. Runner women often wore black, loose-fitting dresses over leggings when they were pregnant.

Tara groaned at the thought that she might have to concede to wearing such clothes. She stared at the ceiling of her tent, her hands still gripping button and button hole of her pants, and her fingers burning from trying to pull the material together over the growing bulge of her baby. She’d be forced to obtain some temporary clothing while her child grew within her, even though such articles would hamper her ability to climb on a bike and perform military maneuvers.

Tara decided to drive over to the Blood Circle Clan site and say hello to Balbo, her stepbrother. She’d been too busy with planning and training to have visited him before. Now that Darius and Patha had decided to create a better fighting mechanism by having the two cultures—Gothman and Runner—learn from each other, Darius had gone out daily with a party of scouts comprised of both groups. This left her the opportunity to leave the camp without any questions. Besides which, Balbo might be able to help her with the clothing issue.

Patha had had two wives although Tara only knew one. His first had died in battle. His second wife, Cloya, raised Tara but died giving birth to twins when Tara had seen fourteen winters. One of the twins died with Cloya, and the other twin was sent to Cloya’s family to be raised. Tara also had a half-sister, Tasha, and Balbo, a stepbrother. Balbo was Patha’s son by marriage—a son of his second wife. He was older than Tara, but since he was not of Patha’s blood, was not heir to Patha’s clan. Balbo was a good man, though, and had always been someone Tara could confide in. Right now she needed a favor.

Balbo hugged and kissed his sister on the cheek as she entered his trailer. Then, looked confused as he listened to her request. “You want what?”

“I need a pair of pants, mine don’t fit anymore.” She privately begged that he wouldn’t ask why.

“Eating to much of that Gothman food, are you?” He laughed and then looked at her closely. “Tara, your face is gaunt. And why are there dark shadows under your eyes? Have you been to a doctor recently?”

“No, and I feel fine. I just need a larger pair of pants.”

Balbo left the room for a moment, returning with a pair of pants. As he handed them to her, he gave her that brotherly look she had hoped not to see. “Tara, I’ve never interfered with your life, and I won’t start now. But, what’s the harm in stopping in and seeing Dr. Digo while you’re here?”

“We’ll see.” She hugged her brother and thanked him for the pants. “I wanted to say hello to a few people I haven’t seen in awhile. Maybe, I can see the doc, too.”

Tara no longer had any doubts as to her condition, but she decided to pay heed to her brother’s advice and see if Dr. Digo was busy. He’d been her doctor all her life, or as long as she could remember. He’d tended her first laser wound and set more bones than she cared to remember. He was a good man, and she didn’t mind stopping in to hear the latest stories.

“Tara, child, how you’ve grown. Why, you’re not even a child any more, but a beautiful woman. I’ve heard the stories about you…how you started a revolution. Doesn’t surprise me a bit. Here, have a seat, tell me a good story.” The old man patted the chair that was reserved for his patients and assumed his doctorly position, leaning on the examination table.

“Okay, here’s a story.” She squirmed in her seat. “This young girl has reached the
Age of Searching
and is drawn to places she’s never been. She enters into a culture unlike any she’d experienced. Doctor, I tell you, she is exposed to a way of life she had only heard about in many exaggerated stories. An old lady takes her in and teaches her about the culture and provides her with clothes so she will look like one of them. It was harder to give up her way of life than the girl thought it would be. Then, one of the men in this culture takes an interest in her. He knows her for what she is, but she doesn’t know this. She thinks she has him fooled. She comes to discover later that he not only knows her for what she is, but he knows more about her than she knows herself. I guess it was inevitable, fate some may call it, but she falls in love with this guy.”

“And, this man, does he love her too?” Dr. Digo looked interested.

“Yes, he tells her this, and then proves it by his actions again and again. It’s just that their cultures are so different. She’s not sure they define love the same way.”

“So, what happens next?”

The old doctor had already moved over to the cabinets along side the wall of his trailer and started opening drawers.

She ached from the tight pants she wore and tightened her grip on the pants in her lap. “I don’t know.”

Dr. Digo pulled a syringe out of the cabinet and moved over next to Tara. “Shall we find out?”

Tara didn’t answer but took off her jacket and pulled up her shirtsleeve.

Dr. Digo smiled as he drew the blood. He’d seen this look of concern and worry on many young women’s faces. They always approached him with the obvious staring him in the face and telling him they didn’t know. He never argued and always let them be the first to know or to admit it out loud.

Tara remained quiet as the doctor took the blood over to the equipment on the table.

He turned the monitor so Tara could see the results as soon as they were available.

“Tara, you’re definitely pregnant. Would you like an examination?”

She consented and it was done.

* * * * *

She left the office wearing the pants her brother had given her. They fit much better but she knew they wouldn’t work for long. Dr. Digo told her she’d have a baby in five cycles, right before the New Winter. Only five cycles before her entire life would change—she would be a mama!

She drove away slowly, lost in thought, which is probably why she didn’t pay much attention to the young Runner standing outside Dr. Digo’s trailer.

The young boy leaned along the backside of the trailer watching her as she mounted her bike and disappeared into the camp. As soon as she was gone, the boy reached up and turned on his comm.

“I found her. She just left Dr. Digo’s trailer.”

* * * * *

As Tara entered the Gothman camp, mulling over how she would handle a pregnancy, a war, and being claimed by a Gothman, Darius and Patha slowly pulled up in front of Dr. Digo’s trailer.

“Come in, Patha, you’re not hurt, are you?” The doctor’s smile lessened as Lord Darius entered the trailer behind Patha. He looked at the tall blond man, as the lord stood expressionless, returning the gaze.

“Digo, my friend, I’m not hurt.” Patha accepted Digo’s extended hand and shook it with both of his. “I’d like you to meet the Lord of Gothman. Lord Darius, this is Dr. Digo. He’s cared for my family as long as I’ve had one.”

Darius appraised the stocky older man, guessing his age to be closer to Patha’s than his. And the doctor was definitely nervous. Darius decided he didn’t really care as long as the doctor told them what they wanted to know.

“Digo, we won’t take up much of your time. I imagine you’re quite busy.” Patha crossed the room and sat in the chair behind Digo’s desk.

Dr. Digo stood to the side as Darius moved as far as the middle of the room. He could sense the doctor studying him, but could only wonder what Tara had just told the man.

“We’re here to talk to you about Tara, we are.” Darius didn’t want to waste time on civilities. He wanted to know what happened between the doctor and Tara.

“Patha, you’re an old friend, but you know I can’t talk to you about my patients.”

“As Patha said,” Darius interrupted, looking down at the doctor. He didn’t like speaking to the doctor and then having the doctor address the answers to Patha. “We won’t take much of your time.”

“What can I do for you?” The doctor looked nervous, but held his ground and continued to focus on Patha.

“What did you find out while Tara visited you?” Darius used his tone that had a quiet, unquestionable authority.

“I can’t tell you that.” The doctor rubbed his hand through his hair and sighed deeply. “This is a very sensitive situation.”

“How pregnant is she?” Darius knew in his heart that the child was his, but he had to hear it from the doctor. He had to make sure Tara didn’t arrive in Gothman already pregnant.

“Answer the question,” Patha ordered when the doctor hesitated.

“About four cycles,” the doctor sighed again. “She’ll give birth before the New Winter.”

“Thank you,” Patha said and stood.

Darius knew it had been a good idea to pay the Runner lad to follow Tara after one of his men had reported that his claim had left camp. Tara would learn soon enough that the Lord of Gothman’s claim would always be watched. She may view a claiming as demeaning, but to Gothman, she was a valued woman.

When the lad reported that Tara had gone to the Runner doctor, Patha had told Darius he would go with him when he learned why the Gothman lord wanted to see the doctor. Darius had accepted Patha’s offer, knowing the Runner leader would play diplomat. Still, Darius guessed the older man wouldn’t have wasted words if the doctor had shown reluctance in offering what Darius wanted to know.

Dr. Digo showed Darius he did have a backbone when he turned and gave the lord his attention. “She shouldn’t be in this environment. It’s not good for the baby.” He then turned and looked at Patha. “While Tara has always been good about ordering ladies in her command to step down when field maneuvers become dangerous for the unborn child, I detect confusion in her. I fear you will have to remind her it’s time to remove herself from the battlefield.”

Patha and Darius looked at each other and left the trailer. Neither one looked forward to implementing the doctor’s advice.

* * * * *

Tara awakened the following morning and realized Darius was not next to her. They’d made love most of the night, and she’d overslept. She had hesitated the night before in telling Darius about her visit to the doctor. And he’d appeared to be preoccupied. Now, he had left without waking her, and she had no idea where he had gone.

She lay there a moment trying to convince herself to get up. She felt absolutely exhausted and merely wanted to sleep several more hours. Tara knew the time had come to remove herself from the battlefield, but she had responsibilities here. Of course, several good candidates existed to take over her duties. But damnit, she wanted to be amidst the action.

Tara jumped to her feet when a sudden large explosion rent the air, causing the very ground beneath her to quake. Screams and the sound of running footsteps permeated her tent from every side. Instinct took over, and Tara dressed in a flash, hobbling to the entry as she shoved the second boot on her raised foot. Another explosion rocked the ground before she got out of the doorway.