Nuworld: Claiming Tara (43 page)

The Gothman were not familiar with this method of
fighting, and most Runners had not studied it. Patha had
taught Tara and Kuro the ancient fight when they were
teenagers.
Kuro knew this would be the final proof he needed to
convince himself that this Runner indeed the first, and in
fact, only love of his life. Love as he understood it, of
course. Tara was worth the fight, because with her came
the rule of all Runner clans. When he’d lost the first battle
for her love, he’d spent winters plotting and scheming. It
was round two with Tara. This time he’d win.
Kuro began moving slowly around the arena, stepping
lightly, and keeping his knees bent. He watched as the
woman in front of him matched him move for move and not
a peep came from the hundreds of onlookers. With speed
quicker than the eye, Kuro darted toward her and chopped
with his hand.
She blocked the chop with her arm, spun and kicked
him while jumping into the air. He took the blow and
returned one of his own. They continued to match each
other, blow for blow. The crowd cheered, then grew silent
after each attack.
Thirty minutes passed, and Tara had had enough of
Kuro’s style. He was mocking her and the ancient method
of fighting. She unleashed her power, raging at him with
blow after blow, not allowing him a warrior’s courtesy of
returning each blow.
Kuro went on the defensive, eager to find an opportunity
to return to the offensive. The fear of defeat rose inside
him, and not ready to accept it, he lunged and wrapped his
arms around her.
She twisted, kicking and punching as he lifted her from
the ground. She elbowed him hard in the ribs, causing
instant pain throughout his body. He couldn’t breathe. She
damaged his insides but Kuro wasn’t giving up. He knew
how to defeat Tara.
As he let her go, he ripped her headscarf from her face.
Both
Gothman
and
Runner
alike
howled
as their
suspicions were confirmed, or realization hit them. As
suddenly as they had gasped their amazement, the masses
quieted, wondering how a dead woman was standing before
them.
“What is this Test of Wills that you would have me fight
a ghost?” Kuro turned and yelled to Patha. “No wonder she
can defeat each warrior entering this arena. Will we let
ourselves be ruled by a dead woman?”
The crowd stirred, murmuring as unrest created an
unsettling feeling in the air.
Patha looked across the arena to Darius who returned
his gaze. Neither wanted a riot to break out.
Tara glanced from Patha to Darius and guessed their
thoughts. It would take little to stir the crowd. She glared
at Kuro who
had turned
away as he
uttered
his
disrespectful outcries to Patha. She jumped up and kicked
him hard in the square of the back.
“Does that feel like the blow of a dead woman?” she
screamed.
The
crowd roared
with laughter
as Kuro
stumbled forward.
Tara showed no mercy and kicked him again, and he
fell. Once on the ground, she hit him so hard in the side,
he was unable to rise. She jumped on him and pulled his
head back by his hair.
“Which part of me do you think is dead?” she said as she
punched him on the side of the head. She threw his head
to the ground and leaped to stand on his back. She
jumped, landing on him so hard not an inch of breath was
left in his lungs.
“I’m not dead and have returned to the land and people I
love.” She shook her head enjoying the cold breeze on her
sweat-soaked face.
The crowd cheered and slowly began to chant her name.
“Tara! Tara!” The sound grew louder and louder. Gothman
and Runner jumped to their feet and roared. “Tara! Tara!”
Kuro appeared lifeless at her feet, and for a moment she
wondered if he were dead. A doctor was escorted into the
arena and soon called for a stretcher. With relief, Tara
watched Kuro carried through the crowd.
She
now stood
alone
in the
arena as the
crowd
continued to chant. She turned to Patha, who looked at her
with a hardened look she knew well. He wasn’t happy to
have been left in the dark. She clasped her hands in front
of her and bowed low in respect.
Patha stood and was assisted down the stairs by several
attendants.
Tara noticed how slowly he moved and hurried toward
him as he
entered
the
arena.
He
waved
away the
attendants and took Tara’s hand as she helped him move
to the center of the arena.
The crowd slowly sat and waited for the ruler of all clans
to speak. Patha bent over and picked up her headscarf. As
he reached to place it back on her head, she stopped his
hand.
“No,” she said loudly enough for all to hear. “I wear the
clothes of the Runner to show the pride I have in my
people. But, from this day forward, I will not cover my head
so that I may honor my mama’s people, the Gothman.”
The
crowd gasped
as they
heard about
her
mixed
heritage for the first time. “I stand before you as rightful
heir and future leader of all Runner clans. I also stand
before you as Lord Darius’ claim, the leader of Gothman.”
Patha turned to Darius and raised his hand to salute
and show respect to the Lord of Gothman.
Escorted by his guards, Darius led a small procession
into the arena.
Patha took his hand and placed it in the hand of his
daughter. He then turned and faced the crowd. “This day
will be remembered for many winters to come. All of you
have witnessed a great event in our history. We can tell our
children and our grandchildren that we were present the
day Runners and Gothman were truly united as one nation
with two races that will never be defeated.”
At this, the crowd stood and cheered loudly.
Darius turned to Tara and pulled her close. “You were
incredible,” he whispered.
She smiled up at him. “Crator told me I’d be victorious.”

path through the crowds for Patha, Tara, and Darius. The
leaders’ motorcycles were brought to them, and once they
were on them and surrounded by even more guards, they
were able to move through the crowd with more ease. They
rode slowly down the main street toward their home. A lot
of the crowd followed, cheering their allegiance.

The party would continue into the night. Tara and
Darius planned on joining them after a private family
reunion.

Tara entered the house through the front door this time.
She was nearly attacked by Reena and Hilda. Syra and
Torgo were not too far behind. Hugs and kisses and tears
followed. Then, of course, there were the twins.

Tara collapsed to the floor and gathered her children
into her arms. She felt immediate panic and dismay when
the two did not respond as eagerly and, in fact, pulled
away.

“Don’t worry, child.” Reena patted her shoulder. “You
did the same thing to me when I had an opportunity to see
you at times when you were young. They’ll learn who you
are once again. It won’t take you long to gain their love.
Syra, be a good lass now and take them upstairs. Tara can
come see them privately in a short while.”

Syra reluctantly led the two toddlers by their hands and
slowly climbed the stairs. “I miss out on everything,” she
mumbled.

“I can’t believe you’re alive!” Torgo
exclaimed,
and
unceremoniously gave her a hug.
He had grown a lot taller than Tara in the past six
cycles. He was as skinny as he was tall, but his muscle
structure
indicated
he
would soon look
just
like
his
brother.
“I couldn’t believe I was dead.” Tara laughed, feeling
happier at that moment than she had in a long time.
The boy stood next to his brother. “You were incredible
today. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that before.”
“It
was
an incredible show,” Darius added.
“More like unbelievable.” Tara faced her family, beaming
from ear to ear.
“Unbelievable is right.” Patha entered the room. “Leave
us everyone. I wish to talk with Darius and Tara alone.”
The tone in his voice was enough to clear the room.
Patha stood in front of his daughter with his hands on
his hips. “Absolutely unbelievable!” Patha walked to the
other end of the room before turning and glaring at his
daughter.
She looked at him blankly, her smile fading. She glanced
at Darius and then at her papa. “I can’t take all the credit,
Papa.”
Patha walked quickly to his daughter and slapped her
across the face with his glove.
She stood frozen; not able to remember the last time
Patha had struck her.
Darius’ muscles tightened, but he didn’t allow his facial
expression to change. Gothman were taught as children to
respect their parents and their rulers. He remained silent.
“That was an incredibly stupid stunt you pulled. You
almost started a riot. And why? Your pride and that damn
ego of yours. What were you trying to prove out there?”
Patha snapped. Then he turned to Darius. “And you? You
knew she was here. You probably thought this was all
rather amusing. You two are pathetic!”
Patha turned and paced across the room again. He
walked back and forth as the two stood there, motionless
and
expressionless,
like
two
children
waiting
for
punishment. Patha stared out the window, down at the
town, which was lit up for the celebration. “How long have
you been here?”
“I arrived yesterday, Patha. But I didn’t do any of this
out of pride or ego.”
“Enough. You’re my heir. The Test of Wills did not need
to happen. Why didn’t you contact me and let me know you
were alive?”
“I didn’t have a landlink. After crossing the border I
came across a clan, and they took care of me. Patha, all
their stories were about the Test of Wills—the glory it would
bring them, the triumphs they would have. If I announced
that I was alive, Runners would have been in an uproar. All
those who entered the Test of Wills had attracted followers,
individuals who believed, for whatever reason, that their
applicant would be the best ruler for the Runners. I saw
such turmoil in this one clan. All the other clans would be
in a similar state.”
“And you wanted all Runners and Gothman to follow
you unconditionally. Well, Tara-girl, you have that. They
will! But you could have sacrificed everything if you’d lost.
Those were not good odds. It was foolish.” Patha was still in
a rage. He turned on Darius, “You went out to see if the
written test came from Tara and came back and lied.” He
glared with unleashed fury. “If you were my son, I’d flog
you for that. As my daughter’s claim, I believe I still have
that right.”
Patha stared at one and then the other. After a moment
of silence he spoke, his tone quieter. “I’m very happy that
you’re alive, Tara-girl. I simply will not tolerate being lied to
ever! Is that understood?”
Both of them nodded silently.
“I fear your thinking is still too reckless to rule two
nations,” Patha continued and at this both Tara and
Darius stirred.
“That’s not true—” Darius began but didn’t finish when
Patha raised his hand.
“It is true. What would you have done if someone had
started to win over her? Would you have shot them? That
would have started a war. And a bloody one at that.”
“Patha, I knew I wouldn’t lose.”
“And how did you know that? Are you returned from the
dead? Can you no longer be killed?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s Crator. He told me I would win, if I
had faith.”
“Crator? Is that what you said? And what do you know
about Crator?”
“Do you know about Him?”
Patha didn’t answer. Instead, he moved over to the
couch and took his time sitting. He looked up at his
daughter with raised eyebrows, and Tara saw how he’d
aged in six cycles. “So has the dog-woman come to you?”
Tara gasped, but then sat across from Patha and smiled.
Patha always knew everything. She shouldn’t be surprised.
“Yes, she’s come to me. I’d never have made it home
without her.”
“And now you believe? You have faith?”
“Yes, I do.” She looked up and reached for Darius’ hand,
and he moved to her side. “Darius has seen her in his
dreams, too.”
Patha looked up at Darius. “I’ve also seen her in my
dreams,” he told both of them.
“So Crator has spoken to all of us,” Darius said. “We
now have an entity guiding us and protecting us. Tara, we
can claim all of Nuworld!”
“I think Crator has always been guiding and protecting
us. We’re just now figuring out He exists.” Tara looked first
at Patha, then at Darius. “If we plan to claim every nation, I
fear we’ll work very hard to do so.”
“But it will be possible.” Darius grinned at the thought,
completely putting the reprimand out of his head. “Look at
what happened in that arena today.”
“Are you saying I couldn’t fight like that on my own?”
“According to you, you’ve never fought on your own.
Crator has always helped you.”
“It was an incredible fight, wasn’t it?” Tara grinned.
“I don’t think this Crator would have stopped you from
making a fool of yourself, though.” Patha still scolded. “You
need to start acting like a ruler, Tara-girl.”
“I can rule.” Tara felt challenged.
“Then no more running away from your problems!”
Tara was taken aback by this.
Darius shifted his weight and looked awkward.
“You will prepare a report for me outlining everything
you know about the Neurians.” Patha slowly stood. “In six
cycles, both of
you
will perform the
Runner
wedding
ceremony. In front of all Runners and Gothman, you will
take your vows to rule these two nations, remain with each
other ‘til death, and be loyal to each other from this day
forward!” He looked at them fiercely, then walked to the
kitchen door. “Now, prepare yourselves for the celebration.”
Tara hurried to the nursery after she’d showered and
changed. The twins delighted in the attention, although
Tara was no more than a friendly face to them. She sat on
the floor and let them show her their favorite toys and
bring books to her. But if one of them got hurt or wanted a
toy the other had, they ran to Syra, and then to Darius,
when he entered the room. They did not honor Tara with
this attention.
“They don’t remember me at all.” She was overwhelmed
with sadness as she stroked the soft curls falling past
Ana’s shoulders.
“Give them time.” Reena had stuck her head in behind
Darius, and now entered. “They’ll be demanding all your
attention before you know it, Tara-girl. You’ll see.”
Tara didn’t want to leave them but affectionately hugged
and kissed each child before she finally did. They were
absolutely beautiful children, and she vowed that she
would focus all her time on them starting tomorrow. They
had a mama who loved them, and she wanted them to
know it.
It was bitterly cold when Tara and Darius left the house.
There were more people on the streets of Bryton than had
been there earlier that day. They cheered and waved as the
two drove by. A few children who had been allowed to stay
up late chased after them as they rode their bikes slowly
into town.
The valley at the end of town was consumed by activity.
Hundreds of Gothman and Runners flooded the area. Three
huge fires were obvious from the distance. The closest one
appeared to be a good fifteen feet up into the air and was
eight to ten feet in diameter. A small crowd, all in black or
dark brown
leather,
stood
around
the
massive
fire,
laughing and talking loudly.
The crowd parted to allow Darius and Tara close to the
fire. Tara accepted a mug of ale and soon lost sight of
Darius as she
mingled
with the
crowd, moving from
conversation to conversation.
Several drunken Gothman standing nearby were loudly
making jokes about the female Runner who defeated all
rivals in battle that day. Their comments insulted her
gender, but she knew she would have to let the two races
work out their differences. If she’d ordered their silence at
that moment, they wouldn’t be any closer to accepting the
equality of men and women.
She watched with interest as several Runner women
approached
the
men
and
began
challenging
their
accusations. The Gothman humbly begged forgiveness but
continued to insult the women with their suggestive lewd
comments.
“I must say I like the way these Runner women look in
all their leather.” A large, drunk Gothman grabbed one of
the Runner women.
“I wish I could say the same about you.” The Runner
woman smiled as the Gothman grabbed her then sent a
hard blow straight to his stomach.
The two other Gothman burst into laughter and slapped
their legs as the first Gothman stumbled backwards and
slid on the packed snow. “Looks like someone needs to
teach you some manners,” he said, working to gain his
balance on the frozen ground.
The Runner knocked the man back to the ground before
he could stand. She lunged at the other two Gothman but
they backed up. “We don’t want to hurt you. We’re just
having a little fun.”
“Oh, please, hurt me.” The Runner woman mocked the
men as she followed them, grabbing the back of their
pants. “You’re too cute to leave alone.”
Disgusted, the men walked away.
The Runner laughed as she turned to face Tara. “Not
bad, huh, sis?”
“Tasha, is that you?” Tara stared dumbfounded.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own sister? Although
I guess I’m not as exciting as you are with all your
adventures. Who would have thought you’d show up for the
Test of Wills?”
Tara noted disappointment in her sister’s words. “I take
it you were cheering for someone else?”
“Well, Kuro, of course. He’s wanted to lead the clan for
so many winters. If you hadn’t broken his heart the way
you did, he’d be heir to lead.”
“I think he wanted to lead the clans more than he
wanted me, Tasha.”
“It sounds like you just don’t know how to keep your
men happy.”
Tara didn’t like the tone in her sister’s voice.
“It’s a shame, that’s all,” Tasha continued. “Kuro had
everything worked out so well. Considering how intelligent
the Neurians are, who would have thought they’d turn out
to be so superstitious.”
“What did you say?”
Tasha hesitated for a second, then smiled again. “You
should congratulate me, you know.” She’d quickly changed
the subject.
Tara was processing her sister’s words about Kuro and
didn’t respond to her last statement.
“Fine, don’t congratulate me. You’re not the only one
who can provide grandchildren, though. I’m pregnant!” she
said triumphantly.
“Congratulations,” Tara said simply. “Do you know who
the papa is?”
“Of course I do. I won’t upset you with the details
though. I just hope it grows up to look and act just like its
papa.” Tasha smiled. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again
soon.”
Tasha walked
away,
leaving Tara repeating Tasha’s
words in her head. What did she mean by her comments
on the Neurians? And when had her sister become so loyal
to Kuro?
Snow started to fall, and slowly the crowd thinned. Tara
found herself near the makeshift hospital that had been set
up for the wounded of the Test of Wills. She didn’t feel
obligated to see each and every contestant she’d injured.
That would insult their honor. However, she wanted to see
how Kuro was doing.
After politely listening to the opinions of several older
Runners on how navigational training should be taught to
the next generation, Tara excused herself and entered the
large tent.
“Now don’t tell me you’ve discovered an injury.” Dr. Digo
smiled as she entered the sanitized environment.
“I’m sure I’ll be sore in the morning.” She smiled back
and rubbed her arms.
“I’d be surprised if you’re not. So, Tara, what can I do for
you?”
“I thought I’d see how Kuro is doing.”
“Oh?” The tone in the doctor’s voice told Tara he
remembered their steamy teenage romance.
“Yes, is that okay?”
“I don’t see why not. He’s behind the first curtain.” The
doctor hesitated. “Tara, you should know, he’s seriously
injured. If we get him through the night, he may survive.”
Tara nodded but didn’t respond. She didn’t regret their
fight.
The large tent had cubicles with walls made from animal
hide. The thickness of the hides added to the warmth in
each room. However, machines rumbled inside the tent to
force heat into the pseudo-hospital.
Kuro lay on
an elevated,
thin
metal bed.
It
was
collapsible, and therefore could easily be set up, torn down
and moved, as needed. He had a bandage wrapped around
his head with visible red stains on it. His chest was bare,
thickly wrapped with more white bandages. Tara glanced at
them, wondering how coherent he would be.
“Hey, beautiful.” Kuro opened his eyes and smiled at
Tara. “We put on quite a show out there, didn’t we?”
“I got a serious reprimand for it.” Tara smiled back at
Kuro. “How’re you feeling?”
“It’s not as bad as it looks. How’re you feeling?”
“My bruises are well covered,” Tara lied.
“I’d love to rub salve on them.” He smiled wickedly and
then winced as he shifted position in the bed. “So, how did
you like the Neurians?” Kuro struggled with a short
chuckle. His eyes were glazed from the drugs the doctor
had probably given him.