The Illegitimate Claim (12 page)

45

Lorie O’Clare

her sister’s place would just have to be told later. She’d seen how the Runner

annihilated three large men in a matter of minutes. Who’s to say what she would do if

she found out where her sister had been sent?

“Is there anyone in Gothman that you can trust?” Paleah asked instead. “I could

probably piggyback a transmission off the River People then find a nearby clan to

bounce it off and send a message to them. Maybe you could find out why you’re

wanted so you’ll know what to do.”

Meah thought for a moment as Paleah began playing with her landlink. She

decided quickly. She would send a message to Ana at the Blood Circle clan. She told

Paleah to send the transmission there, and Paleah worked for a few more minutes. Then

she handed the landlink to Meah who stared at it for only a minute then typed, “Why

are you looking for me?”

The Neurians came out to say goodbye once Meah had her supplies and children

secure on her glider. She looked at the three of them and thanked them again, especially

Paleah, for all the help.

“I have a favor to ask in return?” Paleah asked and everyone looked at her. “I want

to go with you.”

“Paleah,” Thern said, and a concerned frown crossed his face. “Your papa wouldn’t

approve.”

“Thern, I can’t go out there.” She looked up at the priest and then at Jasvee. “You

know that we would both be miserable. Now, if I went with Meah, I would be of more

use.”

Paleah looked at Meah who sat on her glider and stared back. Meah didn’t say

anything right away, her thoughts instantly torn. She was flying into a very dangerous

unknown. To enter into Gothman when the Lord of Gothman had a mark on her head

was a fool’s suicide mission.

For Meah, however, there was no choice. It would be wrong to allow someone who

did have the choice to accompany her.

On the other hand, she was flying into the unknown and she was scared. Meah

would need to stay alert physically and emotionally and that could prove to be quite a

challenge with the distraction of her two children.

Having someone along to help care for them would be an asset. Not to mention that

this young lady was true to the word as a Neurian. She had advanced landlink

knowledge and she believed in a mission of Crator. Another reason she would be an

asset. But then again, she obviously was no warrior, and she would be another body

Meah would have to protect.

All these thoughts swirling through her head kept her from responding

immediately. Paleah took her silence as a sign that she was considering it.

“Two heads think better than one, Meah. Although you’re obviously the warrior

and I won’t deny that I’m not, I can fight with a landlink as well as you can fight with

46

The Illegitimate Claim

your weapons. I can be a big help for you. I’ll watch the children if you need to find

your people. I do know how to shoot a laser.” Paleah’s young face looked full of hope.

Meah couldn’t help smiling when she recognized that the girl had a love for

adventure.

“Are you responsible for her?” Meah asked Thern and Jasvee.

“No,” Thern said hesitantly. “We’re all merely traveling companions with the same

destination.”

“This will not get you in trouble with your people?” Meah had to be sure. She

couldn’t burn any bridges before she knew what was going on up north.

“No. The only person who might be upset is the person expecting her to arrive at

his village.” Thern searched Paleah’s face.

“I’ll contact him this evening…as soon as I know we’re safe,” Paleah said quickly.

She turned to Meah. “What do you say? Do you want a traveling companion?”

Meah smiled and sighed. Before she could answer, Paleah turned and ran to her

tent and returned with her bedroll and a traveling bag. Within minutes the two women

were heading north.

“Do we have a specific destination?” Paleah asked when they stopped to eat as the

sun came up.

They had descended into the rocky hills still several hours south of Gothman. All

indications on her landlink showed there were no people anywhere nearby and it

would be a safe place for a break. Meah was already thankful that Paleah was with her.

“I think we’ll fly straight into Taratown. I’m not very familiar with the place but it

might be easier to hide if we’re in the middle of things, so to speak.” Meah watched the

children climb small rocks that protruded from the ground.

“Do you have a comm? I could link it together with mine so we can talk while we’re

flying,” Paleah offered.

“Are they compatible?” Meah handed her comm to the young lady sitting next to

her.

Paleah just laughed in response.

“Can we find out if Ana has found that transmission I sent last night?” Meah

decided to take Paleah’s humor at her question as a sign that the task would be easy for

her. What else was she capable of doing with a landlink?

Paleah grabbed her landlink from her travel bag and then sat back down next to

Meah. She laughed and ducked as the twins came running up just then and dived onto

their mama. Meah gave them both hugs before they ran off again.

“Oh, look at this. You’ve got a response.”

Meah snapped her neck to look at the landlink. Paleah handed it to her and Meah

stared at the one-line response. “You’re in danger. Come to me.”

47

Lorie O’Clare

Chapter Seven

Ana climbed her stairs slowly and then walked down her wide hallway to her

bedroom. She was exhausted. The sun was up and finally she would go to bed. She

didn’t regret being up all night—it had been worth it. If she hadn’t gone into the Blood

Circle clan last night she might not have discovered the message. And if her mama had

discovered it—well, she wouldn’t think about that. It hadn’t happened.

“There you are.” Gilroy walked across their bedroom and placed his hands on her

arms.

She looked up at him and smiled. He’d just showered and his inky black hair fell to

his shoulders like shiny threads of silk. He was clean-shaven and smelled of leather. His

sky-blue eyes searched her face and then he lowered his head to kiss her gently. Ana

collapsed into him, partially due to her exhaustion and partially because it was hard not

to submit to him.

He lifted her into his arms after kissing her soundly and gently placed her on their

bed. “Are you hungry, my lady?”

“No. Sleep sounds good.” Ana couldn’t help but grin mischievously as he pulled

her boots off her feet then slid off her pants.

“And sleep is what you’ll get, you tempting wench.” He lifted her into a sitting

position, pulled off her shirt then reached for her long nightgown. He allowed himself a

brief look at her bare breasts before smiling and making a show of closing his eyes. She

giggled as she allowed him to pull her gown over her head.

“I do believe that’s the first time you’ve put my nightgown on instead of taking it

off,” she teased him, and he pulled her to him.

“Don’t get accustomed to it, my lady. Now before you sleep the day away, tell me,

did Torgo get the transmission opened?”

Ana had checked for any transmissions from the other Runner clans when she first

arrived at her mama’s trailer the night before. She’d just left a family meeting where her

papa announced that the daughter of Dorn Gowsky would arrive the next day. She still

couldn’t believe Andru had willingly agreed to meet the Neurian woman and see if

they would be compatible. Andru told her it would cause less suspicion if he went

along with the plan. Darius contacted Dorn Gowsky and told him that his son wouldn’t

readily agree to a claim without the opportunity to meet the girl. Andru told Ana it was

the best plan in order to stall for time until they found Meah. Andru was playing with

fire.

48

The Illegitimate Claim

If Meah was pronounced dead and Andru took another claim, the best Meah could

ever be to him if they found her would be a mistress. Both agreed Meah would never go

for that.

When the meeting ended, Ana needed to clear her head before going home. The

whole situation just got her blood boiling. Her papa was manipulating her brother, and

her brother was allowing it. She didn’t like it.

After discovering the low-powered transmission all she was able to confirm was

that it was an incoming printed message. She couldn’t open it. After an hour of trying,

she’d copied the transmission to a disc then deleted the original.

“I worried about you after you told me what you were going to do last night.”

Gilroy stroked her hair as she lay sleepily on her pillow. “You need to contact me from

time to time when you are gone so long…especially all night. It would have been quite

the scene if I’d come looking for you.”

She smiled lazily but simply said, “Of course, my lord.”

Ana had stopped at the house after leaving the clan site and told Gilroy about the

message but that she couldn’t read it. He knew by the look on her face that she

wouldn’t rest until she knew what it said. So he’d allowed her to go back out into the

night to seek out help. The second she left, he’d contacted Andru and filled him in on

what his claim was doing. Partially because he knew a drunk Gothman might forget his

place if he saw her out so late all by herself and partially, he knew, he contacted the heir

to Gothman out of loyalty. Andru would consider it an act close to treason if Gilroy

permitted Ana to go out by herself so late at night and something happened to her.

“So, you went to Torgo?”

Ana looked up surprised but then relaxed at the all-knowing look on her claim’s

face. He’d talked to Andru, probably more than once throughout the evening.

“No,” she said to spite him. “I went to Syra. I told her what I’d found and that I

couldn’t open it. She left me in their living room while she spoke to Uncle Torgo. I

know she needed the time to feel him out, to see if he’d turn and give the information to

Papa. Andru showed up while I waited and then Torgo finally came down and asked to

see the disc. Gilroy, all it said was, ‘Why are you looking for me?’”