The Illegitimate Claim (15 page)

“So there are two women.” An old Runner walked into the temple from a narrow

door to the side of the altar.

Meah and Paleah turned to face the old man who approached them. Once, the man

probably had the body of a warrior, but his barrel chest seemed to have sunk to his

waistline. Behind him, a tall, thin Runner woman with her hands clasped in front of her

followed slowly.

“There was only one when I came to get you,” the Runner woman said

indifferently.

“Kind sir, we have just arrived in Taratown after traveling Nuworld serving Crator.

I come to serve if you’ll have me.” Meah spoke slowly and scrambled through her

thoughts for some kind of sign as to how she should introduce herself.

“As you can see, there aren’t many here to serve.” The old Runner smiled at her and

then down at her children.

“Then that’s how I can serve. You need help bringing the people to the temple.”

Meah wasn’t daunted.

“Can you do these things?” The old Runner surveyed her from head to toe as he

questioned her abilities.

“I’ve just helped to form a village of Crator’s followers to the west of us,” Meah

offered.

“I see. What do you call yourself?”

“I am Meah,” she said, unable to think of a suitable Neurian name. There was no

way these Runners wouldn’t have seen the transmission placing a mark on her. But if

Crator wanted her here, she would show her faith that he would protect her. “And this

is Paleah and my children Tory and Tia.”

“We can put them in the small room at the top of the stairs,” the old woman spoke

up. She offered no indication that the names meant anything to her. “If nothing else,

they can help with the grapes.”

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The old Runner nodded. “I am Jog and my wife is Scura. We are from the Four

Circle clan but agreed to come here when the lord advertised he needed a caretaker for

the temple he’d built.”

“Lord Darius built this temple?” Meah tried not to sound too surprised.

The old Runner laughed. “I don’t believe Lord Darius has ever set foot inside this

temple or the one in Bryton, for that matter. No, his son, Lord Andru built the temples.”

He pointed to the two paintings. “The heir to Gothman sees the dog-woman and she

guided him.”

“You said something about grapes.” Paleah pulled Meah from her thoughts of

Andru.

“We grow grapes for the wine used down at the Taratown Inn,” Scura told them.

“There’s not much work to do here at the temple and the vineyards needed tending.

They run up the hills behind us and they can be more work than there is day.”

“My sister and I know something of gardening. I’m sure we’ll learn the specific

needs of the grape quickly if you’re willing to teach us.” Paleah smiled knowingly at

her “sister” as Meah gave her a confused glance.

“The two of you are sisters?” Jog pointed from one of them to the other. “You don’t

look a thing alike.”

Paleah laughed and waved her hand at the old Runner. “I’m full Neurian but my

sister is only half. We’re both bastards though and so have nothing for us at home.”

Jog and Scura nodded and, much to Meah’s surprise, seemed to accept the answer.

* * * * *

Paleah helped Meah bathe the children later that night and then sat on the floor of

the small room they would all share.

“You know, I was thinking earlier, I’m sure I can link in with the Gothman

transmissions and give them the impression that we’re communicating with each other

from another location.” Paleah reached for her landlink and flipped up the attached

monitor.

“What do you mean?” Meah looked up with interest.

“The Lord of Gothman is looking for you for some reason. And when you sent that

message, the return message said you were in danger.” Paleah paused and tapped the

side of her landlink with her finger absently while she thought through how they

would handle this situation. “So we want to give them the impression that we are

somewhere other than where we are, right?”

“I’m following you so far, but what did you mean about communicating from

another location?”

“Easy. First I’ll send a message that says something like this.” She typed a message

and then held the screen up so Meah could read it.

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The Illegitimate Claim

“I’ve thrown the Gothman off my trail. Is it safe your way?” Meah read the words

on the small screen out loud. “Where will you send it?”

“I bounced the signal off a transmitter that is fifty miles south of here and then

piggybacked it onto another transmitter that is thirty miles west of that one. If someone

intercepts the message it will appear that it came from that destination.” Paleah looked

at Meah for approval.

“Where are you going to send it?” Meah started to show her enthusiasm for the

young lady’s abilities.

“I’ll send it one hundred miles north of that origination spot. There is a colony of

Freelanders living there. Their technology is primitive and I doubt they’ll detect we’re

borrowing some space from them. I’ll let the message hang there until tomorrow and

then we’ll send an answer.”

“Paleah, you are a genius.” Meah smiled, and then much to the young Neurian’s

surprise she hugged her.

“It’s nice to be appreciated.” Paleah blushed and then pulled away. “Now, I think

I’ll take a walk around the town since the sun is down. Neurians are accustomed to the

heat but not this thick air. The desert air is thin in the summer.”

“I don’t know that you would be that safe out there. Remember, you’re in Gothman

country now.” Meah frowned. “Jog said something about a Taratown Inn. Don’t go

anywhere near it.”

“I was going to ask you about that. Working my way around a transmission might

be as easy as slicing bread, but I don’t know anything about fighting.” Paleah closed her

landlink and slid it back into her bag.

“I can teach you if you like.” Meah smiled reassuringly.

“So in the meantime, what do I do about the Gothman men?”

“Seriously?” Meah raised an eyebrow, and Paleah nodded as she stood up and

straightened her dress with her tiny hand. “Well, you either run like hell or…you pull

your skirt up quickly so it isn’t torn from your body.”

Paleah’s mouth fell open until she saw the twinkle in her friend’s blue-green eyes.

The corner of her mouth curved when she realized Meah was joking. Or was she?

* * * * *

“My lord, I believe I’ll bid you farewell for now,” Beel said into his comm as he flew

alongside Gilroy. “I think I’ll stop at Taratown for some wine.”

“As you wish.” Gilroy nodded to Beel.

Beel dropped down and cruised slowly down the main street toward the Taratown

Inn. He’d never before seen the young Neurian woman he’d spotted earlier at the

temple. The thought of a new conquest appealed to him, and he wondered if she would

still be in the town. He thought he might take on one of the local girls for the evening,

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and then search for the dark-skinned woman in the morning. He couldn’t believe his

eyes as he lowered the wheels to the road, and noticed a young woman with skin as

brown as melted caramel, walking away from him down the sidewalk. Her long

Neurian dress with its light material hung to her body in the heat. She was grown, but

barely. He had enough experience with women to tell by her firm body and tiny waist

that she hadn’t birthed any children. Black hair as dark as midnight had been pulled to

the top of her head and then a thick long braid fell down the center of her back. He

almost drooled as he pulled up alongside her and stopped his glider.

“It’s not safe for a beautiful woman to be walking alone after dark, my lady.” He

smiled an incredibly roguish grin.

Much to his surprise, she looked almost delighted to see him. It threw him off

guard. He was accustomed to a look of terror when a young lady found that the Bryon

bastard had decided it would be her tonight. He didn’t have a ready strategy for this

reaction.

“I’m not alone anymore, am I? I’m Paleah. I saw you earlier today.”

Her outgoing nature confused him as well. Gothman women were shy and quiet,

and Runner women were ready to fight him if need be. He got off his glider slowly, and

moved to stand in front of her. She didn’t move but simply looked up at him, smiling.

She was ravishingly beautiful with her black eyes and caramel skin. Not once did she

blush as he let his eyes slowly take her curvy body into memory.

“My name is Beel,” he said as he continued to study her.

“Beel.” She made his name sound like music, with her singsong accent. Long

eyelashes hid her dark eyes as they strolled down his muscular body, studying him as

he had just done to her. “I remember now. You’re Lord Darius’ bastard. I’m a bastard

too, although you got a bit luckier out of the deal from what I’ve read. My papa wasn’t

quite as generous as to allow me into his home. He was willing enough to send me off

to a mate, but I didn’t want the man—so I ran away.”

“Who’s your papa?” he asked although he wasn’t sure why.

Dark eyes were definitely seducing him. “I don’t know that I’ll tell you that yet. I

need to know you better before I’ll trust you with that knowledge.”

He nodded, looking indifferent.

“Have you just come back from wherever you were going earlier this morning?”

“That I have, my lady. And you? Have you been outside the temple this entire

time?” He nodded to the steps behind her and then raised an eyebrow quickly when

she rolled her eyes at him. Had she no knowledge of Gothman? The tiny woman

seemed completely at ease with him.

“Of course not. The old Runner couple gave me a room in return for my knowledge

of vineyards.” She dared to look up into his pale gray eyes and saw something that

looked like confusion. He didn’t challenge her claimed knowledge though, and she

decided not to push her luck. “I’m not accustomed to your thick air. I thought with all

these rocks and hills that there might be some kind of creek or pond where I could go