Tara The Great [Nuworld 2] (30 page)

Tara didn’t like the way her papa talked. He sounded so tired, almost defeated.

This wasn’t the way her Patha acted. At the first sign of battle, he’d be up pacing the

floor barking orders right and left. Now he sounded as if it wasn’t even his problem.

“Patha,” Tara whispered his name soothingly as she laid her hands on top of his.

“You’re the leader of the Runners. I will fight until you say it is done.”

Patha slapped her hands away.

She jumped back, falling against the back of her chair in bewilderment. What was

wrong with him? They had a serious battle ahead of them. All indications were that it

would be a war involving more than one continent. Why was he acting like this? They

shouldn’t even be sitting here. They should be on their way to battle.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child,” he reprimanded her so loudly she jumped. “I’m

not a senile old man. I know who I am!” He got up from his chair slowly, then slammed

it under the table.

“Look at you two.” He growled at both of them now.

She had no idea where he was going with this.

“You two are so busy fighting each other, you don’t see what is going on around

you. People with no passion for sex should scare you. They’re desperate and will do

whatever it takes to survive. The jealousy you feel over each other will prevent you

from making clear choices. My god, woman, look at your face. When are the two of you

going to figure out you can’t control each other, and it’s not your job to do so?” He

broke down coughing, holding onto the edge of his chair.

Both Tara and Darius jumped to his side.

“Get away from him.” Reena shoved open the door and pushed Tara from her

papa. The older woman wrapped her arms around his wheezing chest and stroked his

back until he’d caught his breath. “Sit down, old man.”

“No.” Patha put his arm around Reena and moved toward the door. “I’m done

here.”

“Patha,” Darius began.

Patha stopped and turned back to them. “Here’s how it is. I can’t die peacefully in

my sleep until I know you can rule the Runner clans as I’ve taught you, Tara-girl.” He

looked deeply into his daughter’s eyes and continued, “This one is all yours.”

“Patha, don’t talk like this.” Tara quickly moved to her papa, grabbing his arm.

“You’ve taught me well, and I promise I won’t let you down.” She wrapped her arms

into his and felt Reena’s hand rub her arm.

But Patha took her hands and backed her into Darius. “You belong by his side

now.”

She felt her claim’s body behind hers and his hesitation before he gently put his

hand on her waist. She swallowed hard and looked at her papa, unable to comprehend

what he said. She and Darius had already been bonded together by every treaty Patha

had been able to think of.

Patha went on. “From now on, you are leader of the Runner clans. Show me you

can do it, Tara-girl. Let me die a happy man.”

She was the ruler now? Tara’s heart skipped a beat. Then it did a double beat.

Breathe.

A rush of thoughts tumbled through her brain at the same instant. She wanted to

leap for joy. Scream at the top of her lungs. Sit on the floor and cry like a baby. Smack

her papa across the face so he would come to his senses.

Her heart raced now, and her legs felt rubbery. The leader of the Runner clans?

“What are you saying, Patha?” It was all she could do to speak.

“Call it a trial run. Get yourselves out of this mess.” He turned to Reena and

brushed her cheek with his hand. “Take me home, old woman.”

She smiled and led him toward the door.

He paused and looked back at them. “Oh, and quit hitting each other.”

Then he was gone.

Chapter Sixteen

Tara felt frozen in time as her papa’s words rang in her head. Darius’ hand was no

longer on her waist. When had he moved it? She wasn’t even sure he still stood behind

her. Her feet might as well have been lodged in stone as she worked to turn around.

They were equals now. And Tara’s heart pounded out an irregular beat as she

wondered how Darius would react to that knowledge. The one thing he held over her

had just been taken away. She should be elated, she told herself. Equality had been

something she’d fought for since the beginning.

While Darius had grown up thinking of women as little more than property, she

had to give the man credit that he didn’t treat her as such. But to know officially they

were equals…how would he handle it? It took all the effort she could muster to turn

and stare at those dark gray eyes.

His gaze attacked her with incredible force.

She stood silently.

“We need to decide what to do.” That was all he said as he stood as solid as a brick

wall looking down at her.

“What we need to do is get those Gothman warriors on the road.”

“Agreed.”

Darius spoke into his comm and turned away. Walking toward the door, he opened

it and stepped to the side to allow her to exit. His movements were mechanical.

He must be in shock, too. She wasn’t sure why that thought startled her.

Tara followed Darius outside. Standing by the side of the garage, she watched him

go into action.

He organized the Gothman he’d chosen to ride the gliders. Torgo drilled them on

how to navigate. Test drives were taken. Directions were programmed into the gliders’

landlinks.

Tara felt the shock wear off. Wait a minute! She’d just been given what she’d

worked for all her life. Leadership of the Runners! Why was she just standing there?

She knew what to do. All her ideas, all plans she’d made, all of it could be implemented

now.

Darius spoke with his personal assistant on the other side of the yard. He knew

what he was doing.

She had a job to do, as well. “Torgo,” she said as the teenager hurried toward her

with a landlink in his hands. “I’ll be at the Blood Circle camp if anyone needs me.”

“Okay.” He smiled at her but kept walking, focusing on the small screen of the

portable instrument.

They would all be busy for a while.

Tara dashed up to her room full of ideas and bursting with excitement. She plopped

down in front of the landlink and sent a message to all the Runner clans announcing

Patha’s decision. At the same time, she spoke through her comm, contacting several

Runners in the Blood Circle Clan whom she had in mind to become personal assistants.

Her children burst into the room screaming with delight at the sight of their mama.

“I’m sorry, Tara.” Hilda followed the vivacious twins into her room. “I didn’t

realize you were up here, I didn’t.” She already looked frazzled from spending time

with the twins even though it was still quite early in the morning.

“Look what I have, Mama,” Andru said, showing perfect baby teeth as he grinned

at Tara.

“What is it?” Tara went to her knees and smiled at her adorable children.

Andru pointed a laser at her.

Tara blinked, then instinctively reached to take the weapon from her son.

Andru moved before she could grab it and began making exploding noises with his

mouth as he “shot” at items in the room.

“I want it,” Ana cried and tried to take the laser from her brother.

“I told you already,” Andru said, pushing his sister away from him. “I will protect

you.”

“Make him give it to me, Mama,” Ana cried. “I want to protect me.”

“One of the guards gave it to him, yes,” Hilda offered when Tara finally managed

to wrestle the weapon from her son. “I’m told it is broken, it is.”

Tara inspected the laser until satisfied it couldn’t shoot, then smiled at her children.

“The two of you will need to share this.” Tara ruffled her son’s blond curls. The boy

would look just like his papa someday. “Has Ana had a turn with it, yet?”

“I will protect her,” Andru insisted, and tried to grab the laser from his mama.

“No. It’s my turn.” Ana lunged at her brother, and the twins toppled to the floor in

a mass of arms and legs.

“I’m sure I’m at my wit’s end with those two, I am,” Hilda said as Tara separated

the twins.

“Neither of you will play with this if you are going to fight,” Tara reprimanded. She

looked up at Hilda. “Sorry, Hilda.” Tara allowed both children to climb onto her lap,

offering hugs as they both eyed the laser greedily. “I didn’t know you were watching

them this morning.”

“Tara-girl, I declare. You’ve noticed those two servant girls are gone now, haven’t

you?” Hilda’s hands went to her hips.

“Yes, I noticed. But please, don’t worry about the kids. They can stay with me. We

have quite a busy day ahead of us.” Tara smiled down at her children.

The usual daily activities were underway when she arrived at the clan site with

Andru and Ana. Most of the children were in school, but the young ones ran through

the scattered evergreens playing with each other. The few people she passed raised

their heads to acknowledge her, but continued with their business. Several girls, old

enough to have finished their formal schooling, hung laundry on clotheslines. A

handful of older Runners, men and women, stood around the cool fire pit in a lively

discussion over something.

She was about to turn this clan site upside-down.

The three Runners who’d agreed to be her personal assistants were already at the

location she’d chosen. The trailer she’d used to travel to the southern continent was

being backed in among several large evergreens when she pulled up.

“I see one of my first duties will be finding you a nanny,” a female voice said, and

Tara turned to acknowledge the Runner.

A tall, stout, dark-haired girl jumped out of a parked jeep. She walked eagerly up to

Tara and stuck out her hand in greeting.

“It’s good to see you again, Jolee.” Tara shook hands with the muscular woman,

then turned to her children. “I would definitely say that would have to be done before

we get any other work accomplished.” She laughed as she grabbed Andru, who was