Tara The Great [Nuworld 2] (8 page)

“You two are best for this mission,” Patha said simply.

“I won’t go anywhere with him.” Tara’s glare was as icy as her tone. “He’d

probably keep me drugged the entire time.”

“The Warrior Blood Pact is in effect. How the two of you handle each other is not

my affair.”

Tara’s mouth fell. She knew damn well the Warrior Blood Pact was in effect. She

and Darius had performed the ritual during the Runner wedding ceremony, shortly

after the Test of Wills.

The night of the ceremony, Patha had approached and asked them to partake in the

ancient pact. Tara reflected on how honored she had been to mix her blood with Darius’

during the ritual. A small ornate knife had been used so they could prick their fingers

and allow their blood to be combined in a small vial. Both had sworn to lead their

nations. They also swore their allegiance to each other as leaders. The pact stated if

either died at the hand of the other, the other would no longer rule. They’d signed the

pact with their blood. The document was Patha’s insurance policy that they wouldn’t

kill each other.

Tara fought to keep her emotions in check. “I’m aware of the Warrior Blood Pact. It

has been honored. Darius is not dead, but I will not stand by his side.”

Patha turned and walked toward his bike. “Good luck,” he said to no one in

particular.

“Patha!” Tara ignored the look of disapproval Darius gave her, and Patha as well,

when he turned slowly to face her. “If I see Tasha again, she will die!”

She didn’t stand down as Patha walked toward his daughter until he was inches

from her face. “You will obey me without question. You are not the leader of the

Runners, yet. Do not give orders. Is that clear?”

Tara looked at her papa’s eyes for one brief second, then turned and stormed back

into the trailer. She headed for the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Fury

numbed pain as she kicked the dresser until it was in front of the door. The piece of

furniture would not prevent Darius from entering, but she believed it made her point

clear. She wanted nothing to do with him.

She would have loved to throw herself onto the bed and cry, but the action would

hurt too much. Pain from moving the dresser consumed her. Tired as she was, she sat

down at the computer and sent a long transmission to her mama.

There would be no complaints to Reena about a bastard half-breed child being

allowed to live. Reena had given birth to such a child, and that child had been named

heir to all the Runner clans. But Reena had been a caring and compassionate mother.

She had given Tara the opportunity to be raised in the best of worlds.

Tasha didn’t possess that level of compassion. Any child raised by that bitch would

be backstabbing and deceitful, just like Tasha.

Tara would see to it that history did not repeat itself.

Darius moved around in the front half of the trailer and before long she heard him

approach the door. “I need the map from the computer to meet our destination, I do.”

“I found Gothman from Southland without a landlink. Find the mountains

yourself.”

He grunted and walked away from the door. Tara looked up the map and studied

it. She read the briefs Patha sent to them concerning their mission. Disjointed thoughts

jumped around in her head, and she fought blurring vision. Her work would have to

wait until later, and she gratefully crawled onto the bed.

Tara was asleep before she could form another thought.

She swore she awoke a moment later, but the opium no longer infiltrated her

system. Her side ached and pain shot down her arm. A loud pounding caused Tara to

jump. She sat up in the bed and untangled her legs from twisted blankets. The sun

shone through the east window. She saw mountains and realized Darius had obviously

driven through the night.

Tara jumped when the dresser made a screeching sound as it began to move across

the bedroom floor.

“It’s time to get up, yes.” He entered the room and walked over to the closet, then

began tossing several items of clothing at Tara. “Put these on.” Darius grabbed clothes

for himself, as well, then began to undress in front of her, his back turned.

Tara watched muscles move in Darius’ back, and cursed herself for being aroused

by the incredible man, now naked at the end of the bed. She moistened her lips with her

tongue and studied his firm rear end, his legs corded with muscles and covered with

downy blond hair. She wondered if she possessed the inner strength to keep this man

completely to herself throughout their winters, and she knew beyond a doubt that she

wouldn’t be able to live with him if he didn’t remain loyal to her.

Her heart constricted as she thought of his betrayal, and the lump moved to her

throat. She forced the thoughts from her head with a deep cleansing breath that she

exhaled silently.

Tara eyed the clothes he’d thrown to her, identical to his own—a bright green

pantsuit and a long brown cloak with a hood. Changing outfits would be a trick for her,

but she wouldn’t admit she needed help. Grabbing the clothes, she walked into the

living area, the only other room in the trailer. Changing in here would be no easier, but

at least Darius wouldn’t witness the difficulty she would endure in getting the task

done.

She still wore her Runner shirt with one sleeve gone. She found she could pull it

above her breasts, but when she stretched to bring the shirt over her head, pain raked

through her midsection. Tara had experienced bruised ribs before, and knew the agony

would be with her for a while before subsiding. Well, she didn’t have a while to wait.

She clenched her teeth and pulled the shirt from her body with a single movement, then

stood still until the room quit spinning from the extreme pain resulting from the simple

act.

She shook out the new shirt with her uninjured arm and pulled it over her head.

Sliding her injured arm through the sleeve hole took some effort, and Tara cursed her

inability to move with ease. Putting on the bright colored pants proved to be just as

challenging as donning the rest of the clothes. She didn’t like being slowed, for any

reason. And the fact that her injuries were from her half-sister infuriated her even more.

Darius finished dressing and entered the living room, the long cape swooshing

around his legs. He watched Tara for a second as she struggled with her cape. “How do

you feel?” he asked as he took her cape without permission and placed it around her

shoulders.

“Okay,” she lied.

“There’s more opium.”

Tara wasn’t sure if he was offering it to help with her pain, or warning her to shape

up or he’d knock her out again.

* * * * *

Darius had printed destination plans from the landlink in the bedroom while Tara

dressed, and studied them as he spread out one after another on the counter. Then he

started driving. After an hour, they arrived at the base of the northern mountain range.

He had never seen mountains before. In awe, he stopped the trailer when they first

came into view. He didn’t have time to be moved by their glory, and told himself as

much as he took that opportunity to familiarize himself with their orders. They were to

park the trailer in a large cave covered with vines.

Darius continued driving with orders in hand, until the mountains loomed over

and around them.

His beautiful claim slept again. He stroked her hair, then kissed her cheek before

leaving her in the trailer to investigate their surroundings. Less than a half-hour

walking around the base of the mountain passed before he discovered a cave that

matched the description on the printout.

He returned to the trailer, and though Tara was now awake, drove toward the cave

without speaking to her. Then they set out on foot.

“Why are we on this mission?” Tara asked as she walked behind Darius. “I mean,

why didn’t you send a team of explorers out here?”

“Patha thought it would be a good idea if you and I made up the team, he did.” He

continued walking as he spoke and made no attempt to look at her.

* * * * *

The two continued in silence. They climbed more than they walked as one boulder

after another blocked their path. Tara felt a headache growing, and the ache in her side

turned to pain as she persisted in their trek up the mountain. More than once, she

reached to stabilize herself with both arms, only to feel the stinging retaliation in her

slowly mending arm.

Several days hadn’t proved to be enough time to recuperate before endeavoring

such a hike, yet Tara refused to complain and continued to follow Darius.

* * * * *

After an hour or so had passed, Darius stopped and leaned against a rock larger

than he was. He had paid attention to Tara’s breathing behind him, and noted how it

became more and more labored. The hike wasn’t overly intense, but he could feel the air

thin as they increased altitude, and knew Tara’s bruised ribs would aggravate her as

she took deeper breaths. More than once, he had heard her grab something behind him,

and imagined how she winced in pain trying to use her injured arm. Although he could

have continued, he decided to stop to allow her breathing to ease.

The woman should be home in her bed, with servants seeing to her needs. But

Darius knew Tara would never submit to behaving as a lady should. More than once,

he cursed her determination to behave as a man.

* * * * *

Tara found a smaller rock and sat. Every inch of her body pulsated with pain, and

she was more than content to take a break. She pulled her flat landlink out of her inside

pocket and began typing.

“I’m not showing any signs of people,” she commented after a minute.

Breathing was hard, which made speaking difficult. Every deep breath she took,

turned into more of a gasp, which she blamed on the thin air. Her ribs screamed in

protest as her lungs worked overtime.

“There’s iron in the rocks, there is. Cave people don’t live aboveground. They live

in the mountain, yes.”

“What else do you know about this mission?”

“I daresay Patha heard some disturbing news when he was among the cave people.

He has a source that transmitted information giving us an entry location. We’re close to