Tara The Great [Nuworld 2] (21 page)

they are!”

An incredible invisible force seemed to prevent her from standing. She fought with

more muscle than she thought she had. Her body screamed in pain while she struggled

to free herself from the force and run back to the dark tunnel that had led her to the

underground cave. Nothing would stop her now. This had to be the way to the surface.

There were no other tunnels leaving the cave.

Tara grinned with satisfaction when the short tunnel went directly uphill. Tara ran

through several people standing outside the tunnel entrance. She stopped quickly and

looked around.

A canopy covered the entrance to the tunnel. Surrounding the canopy were many

tents with people walking among them. She scanned the horizon and looked at the sun.

Then she collapsed to the ground.

* * * * *

“Tara!” Darius couldn’t believe the strength she’d possessed to free herself from his

arms. He’d feared for her safety when she began running like a crazy person across the

field. Darius had to dive through the air after chasing her and knocked her to the

ground.

She’d gone limp and he quickly moved off her, then cradled her in his arms.

“Please, my lady, come back to me.”

Tara blinked and looked up at him. She seemed confused and slowly worked

herself to a sitting position on the ground next to him. “Crator showed me what’s

happening,” she mumbled against his chest.

Tara made no attempt to fight Darius as he carried her through the quiet camp and

back to their tent. He stooped and pushed the tent flap to the side with one arm, while

keeping her limp frame pressed to his chest with his other arm.

She looked drained of color and exhausted as he placed her on their pile of blankets

and secured the tent flap, allowing them privacy.

“You didn’t enjoy what you saw, I’d say.” He threw his large leather coat around

her shoulders, taking care not to bump her injured arm.

“I saw Syra being raped. She was chained.” Tara coughed and shivered as she used

her good arm to secure Darius’ coat around her. She chewed her lip and looked up at

him with damp, blue eyes. “There was no way she could fight back. And I couldn’t help

her.”

“My lady, that must have been awful for you.” Darius brushed several strands of

her sweat-soaked hair away from her face.

* * * * *

She met his eyes and realized rape was a part of his culture. She wouldn’t censor

her statement. Somehow she would make Darius see that forcing someone to do

something against their will, anything, was wrong. He’d probably taken part in the act

himself more than once. She shuddered at the thought and struggled to stay focused. “I

know where they are. We have to leave right away.” She worked to get to her feet.

“You need to see a doctor first, you do.” Darius helped her stand. “I’ll be told you

haven’t aggravated those injuries before I put you on active duty, yes.” Darius brushed

his fingers through her hair.

Tara looked at him, shocked. “There isn’t time for that, Darius.”

“I won’t have you chasing after some dream, when you need help standing.”

Darius sounded firm, but kept his voice quiet.

Tara hated the fact that he felt he had final say over her actions. Nothing frustrated

her more than continually reminding him they were equals in their relationship,

especially when he didn’t appear willing to even hear what needed to be done.

“I think we can prevent this,” she spoke slowly. “I think part of what they showed

me hasn’t happened yet.”

She turned toward the tent entrance, and he grabbed her arm. Tara spun on him,

anger rising at his hesitation. “These people are going to impregnate our women, hold

them for a month, then take the unborn child from them.” She spit the words in his face

as she moved very close, challenging him. “I’m going to stop this. You may come or

you may stay.”

She yanked her uninjured arm from his grasp and pulled open the tent flap. After

storming out, she let the cloth door fall behind her.

Tara straddled her bike and started it simultaneously. Yanking the bike around, she

began to take off when Darius grabbed the handlebar. His hand crushed hers and his

gray eyes turned as dark as a thunderhead waiting to explode. His powerful jawline

twitched as his teeth clenched together. The bike almost left the ground in an attempt to

take off as the front tire spun. Tara released her grasp and the bike decelerated.

“Scoot back.” His growl was low and controlled.

She stared at him.

“Now!”

Tara moved back on the bike and he climbed on in front of her. The bike then left

the ground, in spite of the extra weight, as he accelerated with all the energy his temper

provided. The Gothman warriors were slowly waking up and jumped to one side,

appearing startled by their lord flying past them.

Darius began speaking, although Tara couldn’t hear what he said.

She watched as he flipped off his comm, then back on, and spoke again. Darius

probably issued instructions to his commander of the Gothman unit they’d just left,

then contacted Patha about his insubordinate daughter.

When he’d turned off the comm, she hit him on the shoulder and pointed. “Go to

the east.”

He turned his head and yelled, “We’re going home first.”

“Darius!” She tightened her body around his, wishing she could shake sense into

his thick head. “I have no clue how much time we have. Do as I say or get off this bike!”

“Enough, woman!” he yelled back. “You do as I say!”

“Darius, please.” She softened her voice and leaned her chin on his shoulder so she

could speak directly into his ear. “Send troops to the east. They have tents there and a

canopy covers a dugout tunnel leading to an underground cave.”

“You don’t know that their camp is there yet, you say. We’re looking for landlink

activity in that direction.”

“And in the meantime, they could seriously hurt Syra, not to mention the Gothman

hostages they have.”

They argued back and forth as Darius drove at high speed across the high lands

north of Gothman.

It was not quite lunchtime when he pulled into the drive of his large house. Guards

immediately took the bike to clean it as the two of them dismounted and entered the

living room.

Patha called from the top of the stairs, informing them food would be brought to

them. Tara realized she was famished.

After dismissing Torgo and the two other Runners from the landlink room, Tara

explained every detail of her vision to Patha and Darius. They listened intently and sat

silent for a moment after she’d finished.

Two young Gothman girls timidly entered with trays of food. She and Darius

eagerly dug into the food while Patha clicked on different screens at the landlink in

front of him.

Tara insisted the servants bring the twins to her. They immediately began climbing

over her to better reach for cheese and apple slices. Tara divided her attention between

them and the screens of info as Patha reviewed activity in the area.

More than once, Andru or Ana would grab her injured arm or lean against her

injured rib cage. At first, she accepted the pain just to be close to them. But she couldn’t

pull Andru away from the tray of chocolate and fruit without grimacing.

Patha frowned at her, and she noticed he exchanged a look with Darius. Darius

grabbed Andru from her and placed the child on his lap. Tara focused on the contents

of the landlink screen to take her mind off the pain.

Patha’s expression changed while he watched the monitor, his back straightening.

He flipped screens and reached for his comm.

“What is it?” Tara looked at a screen identifying locations of Runners and Gothman

through the personal landlinks on their bikes.

“Torgo is headed east outside Gothman,” Patha spoke into his comm. “Did he tell

anyone where he was going?”

“Oh no.” Tara started pounding on the keys of the other landlink. “Torgo had this

base unit set to audio.” She looked at Darius. “He listened to our entire conversation.”

Darius wrapped the comm link around his ear and adjusted the mouthpiece. “I

want Torgo stopped and brought to me at once,” he spoke sternly and was obviously

upset as he firmly placed his son on the floor. The child began climbing up his papa’s

leg once again.

“Eavesdropping is a high crime, Darius.” Patha also had a firm look on his face.

“And he’ll pay for the crime he’s committed.” Darius picked up Andru and went to

the window. “I’ll not have this insubordination.”

Tara watched him, wondering what he was thinking. Probably reflecting on Torgo.

She knew Darius considered him weak and spoiled, and with some justification. Darius

felt the guilt of not spending more time with his brother, training him to be a warrior.

He had good reason to worry about the young man. Torgo could get killed or captured

before he freed Syra.

“I don’t suppose you spoke to him like I asked?” Patha asked Tara.

Darius turned to look at her.

“I didn’t exactly have an opportunity to do that, Patha. After I spoke to you, I had

that vision.”

The two men seemed to accept this response, and Tara noticed Darius didn’t ask

what she was to speak to Torgo about. These two knew each other’s thoughts, and she

felt a bit left out. They made a dangerous team, and she wondered if she and Darius

would ever have that bond. She also cringed at the thought that Torgo would receive

the wrath of both of them once he was brought back.

“I’ll talk to him as soon as he returns.” And she would administer his punishment.

Darius was in no frame of mind to be punishing a child.

“I’ll deal with Torgo.” There was a chill in Darius’ voice as he spoke. “You’re way

too gentle with him, you are.”

“Maybe Torgo wonders the same thing I am wondering,” Tara threw out to the two

men.

“What is that?” Patha narrowed his brow.

“What the Lunians will do to Syra when they discover she’s on anti-conception

medication,” she spoke quietly after turning off the audio on the landlink. “How many

times will they repeatedly rape her, and each time be unsuccessful in making her