Nuworld: Claiming Tara (23 page)

Tara wrinkled her nose at her scraped knees and bare
feet. She turned and searched the room and noticed black
leggings, which had been folded underneath the dress. Of
course, she had seen women dressed like this many times.
The leggings were easy to slip into, and Tara decided the
end result was tolerable. She slipped her laser into her
pocket and went on a search for food.

After finding sweet rolls and grapes, Tara sat with her
landlink
and
ate
while
tapping
through
the
screens,
catching up on communications with the other clans. A
groundmobile pulled up outside the trailer.

She waited to see who would come through the door,
assuming one of Patha or Darius’ commanders had arrived
with news or questions. Instead she heard the sound of a
motorcycle being started. Tara rushed to the door and
shoved it open. A runner was sitting on her bike!

“I’d get off of that right now and find your own,” she said
coolly, stepping out of the trailer with her laser pointed
directly at the man’s chest.

The foolish man leapt off her bike, his eyes large behind
his headscarf. “Look, I’m just following—”
“I can see what you’re doing.” She shot the laser at the
ground in front of his feet and the Runner took off running.
Tara spun around at the sound of someone laughing.
Patha and Darius stood alongside the trailer. The longer
Patha stood there, the harder he laughed until he was
holding on to Darius’ shoulder to keep from falling over.
Darius’ baritone chuckle only annoyed her further.
“The poor lad.” Patha shook his head as he wiped his
eyes.
“What’s so funny about someone trying to steal my
bike?” Tara wanted nothing more at the moment than to
slap the large grins off both their faces.
“My lady, the man was following orders.” Darius must
have sensed her anger, because his smile disappeared,
although slowly. “We asked him to drive your bike up to
the shed behind the house.”
“Why?”
“You’ll drive this groundmobile.” He walked over to the
groundmobile parked next to her bike.
“You’re taking away my bike?”
“It’s doctor’s orders,
Taragirl.” Patha still smiled
although he tried to stifle it when he saw her expression.
“And you asked the man to bring the groundmobile to
me?” Tara was quiet for a moment and then smiled at her
own mistake. “That poor man will never come near me
again.”
Tara slipped her laser into her dress pocket and patted
her bike. When Darius approached her, she smacked his
chest. “Well, what are you waiting for, man? I can’t very
well drive both of these into town. You need to get someone
over here to drive my bike to the house.”
Darius moved before she could stop him and wrapped
her into his arms. “Is that an order, my lady?”
“You bet it is,” Tara informed him. “Now let me go. I’ve
got a town to organize.”
Darius watched his claim drive away from the campsite
and hoped his town would survive his Runner claim.

goodness, old woman. Hurry up. She is here
!”
“I’m coming.” Hilda waddled down the stairs as fast as
her plump legs would carry her.
Torgo galloped past his mama and flung open the front
door. “Wow, do you look pregnant!” He ran down the front
open room stairs to greet Tara.
“And you have grown.” She smiled at the boy as she got
out of the groundmobile.
He greeted her with a big hug and a smile that went
from ear to ear.
“Miss me, did you?”
“It was awful boring with two old women bossing me all
the time.” Torgo peered into the back of the groundmobile
at all of the landlink equipment. “Especially with a war
going on. What’s all that?”
“I’m in charge of the soldiers in town. I need this
equipment to help me keep track of what everyone is doing.
I’ll set up in my bedroom.”
“Oh, Reena, look how big she is.” Hilda clasped her
hands to her mouth.
“Of course she’s big. She’ll have that baby in a couple
cycles.” Reena sounded sure of herself.
“I wish I had only a couple cycles to go,” Tara said with a
laugh as she kissed each woman on the cheek. “But the
baby won’t be here until around the New Winter.”
Tara instructed the guards standing in the driveway to
unload the equipment and take it up to her room. There
was no time like the present to show them who was in
charge.
“I’ll be wanting to do a thorough exam, lass.” Reena
rubbed her chin as she studied Tara’s belly. “I’m wondering
about that fancy doctor of yours.”
Tara doubted it would do her any good to argue. “I’ll
make sure you get to do your exam.”
“And soon,” Reena said, and wagged her finger. “Don’t
be putting me off.”
“As soon as I have everything in order with the troops,”
Tara promised.
The women hovered a bit longer, but bored quickly when
Tara began arranging her landlink. They left her to her
business with promises of a warm meal as soon as she was
settled.
“Can I help you?” Torgo hovered in Tara’s doorway. “Or
I’ll just watch if you’ll let me.”
“Come on.” Tara smiled at the boy and he joyfully leapt
to her side.
“I’m a quick learner, you’ll see.”
“You watch and see what you can figure out. Once I
know all is in order, we might have time for a lesson.”
Torgo took to the landlink like a natural. Over the next
few days, Tara organized shifts for the
men in town,
established military tactics, confirmed the layout of the
town
on
the
landlink
was accurate,
and discussed
procedures with Patha and Darius. Since the schools were
closed for the safety of the children, Torgo had plenty of
time to learn. He was careful not to get in the way, and
Tara enjoyed his company and enthusiasm.
“Tomorrow morning I’m going to drive into town and
take a look at the damages.” Tara leaned back and
scratched her stretched-out belly. Fatigue was setting in
after a day of handling what seemed like one crisis after
another.
Torgo decided that Tara was one of the most unfeminine
women he’d ever met. He liked that about her. She didn’t
snap at him to sit up straight or tuck in his shirt. In fact,
she didn’t seem to notice when he plopped down in her
room with dirty shoes or clothes.
“I can show you exactly where the bombs hit.” He
wanted so much to be part of it all. “Some of the buildings
downtown are all the way gone.”
“Did many families lose their homes?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. My mama won’t let me wander too
much. I saw the buildings downtown when we came back
from Reena’s. They’re rubble on the ground. That’s why
Mama says I have to stay near the house.” Torgo looked at
her, hoping she wouldn’t make him stay home, too. “Please,
can’t I go with you?”
“I guess that would be up to Hilda.”
There was an argument at the breakfast table the next
morning. Not only did Hilda not want Torgo to go, neither
Hilda nor Reena thought Tara should go into town.
“I’m not convinced that Runner doctor is right about
your baby coming around the new winter. You’re just too
big.” Reena still wanted to give Tara an examination.
Reena was convinced Tara would have the baby in the
next two cycles. To make matters worse, the first snow had
fallen the
night
before.
The
women had noticed
how
cautious Tara was walking on the uneven ground. They
knew she would have a difficult time maintaining balance
in the snow. Both women ganged up against Tara, saying it
was not wise for her to go anywhere. Torgo looked forlorn
when
the
two
women looked
triumphant
with their
argument.
“Are the two of you quite through?” Tara leaned back in
her chair after eating and stared at both women. “I’ll be
driving into town today. I’ve spent many days in much
colder weather than this, and I’ll be fine. I think it might be
a good idea to take
Torgo with me. Look at it as a
compromise. He can be my chaperone. It will help to have
him with me.”
Hilda threw up her hands in the air. “I don’t have the
fight to keep up with you, girl. Will it be anytime soon that
you’ll act like a Gothman claim?”
“How’s this,” Reena suggested, saving Tara from having
to answer. “You take the boy, but when you get back, I do
the examination. Will that suit you, Hilda?”
Hilda looked at Tara.
“I reckon it suits me. It’s man’s work inspecting what’s
left of those buildings. He’ll be a man soon enough. I guess
it’s time he learned how to be one.”
“Great!” Torgo jumped up from the table. “When do we
leave?”
“Soon.” Tara helped herself to more bacon.
“That’s right. Sit, boy.” Reena smiled. “She’s eating for
two now.”
“Dr. Digo says that’s the type of thinking that makes
women fat,” Tara said in between bites.
“Ah, and this same man says you’re due in four cycles
as well, huh?” Reena shook her head and scooped more
food onto Tara’s plate.
Downtown looked so different than it had before. Tara
remembered coming to the stores for the first time with
Reena. As she parked the groundmobile and walked with
Torgo
hardly anyone
was around,
unlike
before
when
women and children bustled about chattering. The grocery
store was open, but most of the other shops were closed.
Tara pointed to the side street where she’d first met
Torgo. The two buildings on either side of the service road
were gone. They walked past the rubble. Two women
hurried across the street with long coats pulled tightly
around them to block the cold. Neither one of them looked
their
way—unlike
Gothman
women who
another
time
would have eagerly welcomed gossip about how the lord’s
claim looked good and pregnant.
“We need to organize a team to clean this up. These
people need hope. Gothman isn’t used to the hardships of
battle, and I fear morale is low. The town will have to be
rebuilt sooner or later. If we have a crew start on clean up
now, it will help everyone’s morale.”
“None of the men are here to do it,” Torgo pointed out.
“What’s wrong with the women, and all of you young
people too young to fight, doing it? There’s no reason why
you can’t help. You’ve nothing else to occupy your time
with school closed. It’ll keep the kids out of trouble. And
I’m sure the women want to help, too. That way, when the
men do come home, they can focus on rebuilding.”
“I’m game, but I don’t think many of the women around
here would help. We aren’t like you, Tara. If the men came
home and found their women had been doing their work,
they wouldn’t be happy.”
Tara thought for a moment and then looked up smiling.
“I have an idea, come on.” She hurried
back to
the
groundmobile.
“What are you thinking?”
Tara drove toward the camps. Torgo held on as she
bounced over the rough road. He got excited when he saw
where they were heading.
“My brother is going to be mad.” He was grinning.
“Don’t worry about your brother. I can handle him.”
She drove to the Blood Circle clan.
“I’ve never seen so many Runners,” Torgo whispered.
“They’re people just like you.” She pulled up in front of
Balbo’s trailer and got out of the groundmobile. She didn’t
see her brother, but his daughter came out and greeted
her. Syra had fourteen winters and was of age to wear the
full Runner clothing. The young girl bounced down the
trailer steps to greet them, wearing her headscarf, which
Tara guessed she had put on when she noticed she had
company. Tara remembered reaching the age when she
could finally don full Runner garb, and how anxious she
had been to wear it at every opportunity.
Tara noticed the looks Torgo and Syra gave each other.
They were the same age. Torgo hadn’t mentioned any girls
to her, but appeared to be appraising Tara’s niece with
interest.
“Where’s your papa, Syra?”
“They should be returning soon. I just got word from
him.” The young girl tilted her hear and studied Torgo, who
sat in the groundmobile. “He went down to the front with
the other men last night.”
“If he returns before I do, let him know I wish to talk to
him, okay?”
Tara got back in the groundmobile and headed to the
battle site, which was also the same direction as Patha’s
trailer. She didn’t make it to Patha’s trailer when he and
Darius came toward them on their bikes. She was delighted
that she was able to see Darius while here. A quarter-cycle
without
him
made
her
heart
ache.
Torgo, however,
slouched down in his seat.
“You are about to meet my papa, who is also the leader
of this clan.” Tara looked at the boy as they pulled up in
front of Patha’s trailer with a rumbling motorcycle on either
side of them. “Be sure to show all signs of your warrior
training, understand?”
“Yes.” He straightened.
“What are you doing here?” Patha had parked his bike
and approached them with long strides.
She climbed out of the groundmobile and Torgo scurried
around the front to stand by her. “Patha, I’d like you to
meet Torgo, younger brother of Lord Darius.” Tara ignored
the question and instead offered the introduction.
She swore a slight smile appeared on Darius’ face when
the young boy stood alert, did not smile, and showed all
the signs of a future great Gothman warrior.
Patha acknowledged Torgo with a solemn nod, as he
would a grown warrior.
“I’ve come to recruit several young people to take care of
some work I want done in town.” Tara looked from one man
to the other.
“What work is that?” Darius pulled her into his arms
without asking. “You shouldn’t be doing any work, my
lady.”
“I won’t be doing the work. Several of the buildings
downtown are nothing more than rubble.”
“Which buildings?” Darius frowned at the news.
Torgo looked ready to respond but a sharp look from
Tara reminded him of what she’d taught him. A young
warrior doesn’t speak to a superior unless spoken to
directly.
“The building next to the grocery store is gone. It’ll need
to be rebuilt. A few others are badly damaged. Almost all of
the shops are closed.” Tara pushed against Darius’s chest
when her belly started constricting. The rest of her reacted
as well to all of that hard packed muscle. She stretched her
fingers over the steady beat of his heart in his chest and
stared into his seductive gray eyes. “This is necessary,
Darius. The pride of the Gothman people has taken a stab,
which is normal during war. If we show we’re ready to
rebuild, it’ll boost their spirits. They need to see that life as
they know it will return soon.”
“It’s a good idea. But that doesn’t sound like work for
children,” Patha frowned. “Hauling rubble is dangerous
work, Taragirl.”
“The Gothman women won’t do
the
work.
I
want
teenagers too young for fighting to work. The school’s been
closed, and they need something to do. I want Runner, as
well as Gothman teenagers, to start hauling this rubble.
It’ll allow them to get to know each other. And if the
Gothman girls are allowed to work also, it will help them
start to learn how to work alongside men, doing the same
task.”
“Could you do this work?” Darius now addressed Torgo.
“Yes, I could.” Torgo stood tall as he spoke.
Darius then looked down at Tara, his tone changing to a
soft rumble when he spoke. “And what do you think the
young girls’ mamas will say when you tell them you want
their not yet claimed daughters to do a man’s job?”
“I’ve seen the kind of work these women do around the
town. They could rebuild the buildings themselves with
instruction. My first thought was to have the women do the
work. It was Torgo who said they would fear what their
claims would say when they returned. I know they’ll be
reluctant. I hope if they see Runner girls working it will
show them that it won’t ruin their daughters to let them
help.”
“Whether they can do the work or not isn’t the point.”
Darius rested his chin on the top of Tara’s head and moved
his hand over her growing belly. She looked so pregnant.
He was sure she’d almost doubled in size in the quartercycle since he’d last seen her.
There was a folding chair by the trailer, and he set it
next to Tara. Placing his hand gently on her shoulder, he
made it clear she was to sit. “Some things are simply men’s
work,” he tried explaining. “Your culture isn’t as different
as you’d like to think. A man will carry heavy items while
the woman takes care of the children. Your women may be
warriors, but they don’t mind the chivalry of a man.”
Tara smiled, determination clear in her eyes. “I still want
the children.”
“Stubborn as they come,” Darius said to Patha.
“The town people won’t go for it, Tara.”
“They will if you tell them to.”
“Could we ask your niece to help?” Torgo spoke up,
forgetting about not speaking unless addressed.
“What?” Darius turned a foul expression on his younger
brother.
“Nothing.”
Tara ignored Torgo and kept her attention on Darius.
“Your people will do what you say.” She was not going to