The Illegitimate Claim (17 page)

“How can you help me?” He sounded suspicious.

“Have we been apart so long that you no longer trust me?” She tried to sound

confident. “Rog, these are my people. I never told you where I was from, but I know

their ways. Give me two days. I’ll have an answer by then.”

She couldn’t believe it when Rog agreed, and then ended the transmission. So much

for going to the clan site. She turned around quickly and headed back to Taratown. The

first thing to do was to talk to Paleah. The Neurian’s landlink skills would be

imperative in this situation.

Lightning ripped through the sky as Meah approached Taratown. Meah’s mind was

in a whirl. The only way Andru could take another claim would be if she had been

declared dead. Why hadn’t Paleah detected that while searching the Runner

transmissions?

And Andru had taken another claim? That hit her harder than being pronounced

dead. Tory and Tia would be bastards with no rights or future. It couldn’t be. Sharay

would go to Rog if he wanted her. She would fight for what was hers—what rightfully

belonged to her children. The Neurian bitch would leave Gothman or die.

Oh Crator, a curse on whoever allowed this to come to be.

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Lorie O’Clare

* * * * *

Paleah mentally rehearsed the berating she would give Beel when she saw him later

that day. The twins were full of energy, and her head pounded from the Gothman wine

he had sworn would not leave her feeling ill. The man had come to her every night for

over a week. He was always conveniently somewhere around the temple when she left

for a walk at the end of each day. If she lived long enough to see the end of this day, he

would hear about his little lie to her.

Paleah smiled to herself in spite of her discomfort as the backside of the temple

appeared through the trees. They’d planned their walk just right, it appeared, as

lightning shot through the sky and thunder followed within seconds. The twins didn’t

mind the whistling wind and booming and clapping of the thunder and lightning. Tory

told her they’d lived outside until they moved into their hut. She wanted to ask him

where the hut was, but Tia suddenly backed up and grabbed her brother’s hand. Paleah

looked up to see what had the girl’s attention.

“No need to be afraid of me, pretty lady.” Beel smiled and squatted down as the

three of them came out of the woods into the backyard of the temple.

“What are you doing here?” Paleah’s hand went to her forehead.

“I wanted to see if you’re as beautiful in the sunlight as you are in the moonlight.”

He held out a pale pink rose.

She glared at him, ignoring the rose. “There’s no sun, and I think you wanted to

enjoy the pain you knew I’d be in today.”

Beel stood, looking sincerely hurt. She ignored him, and tried to walk past him with

the children, but he grabbed her and pulled her to him.

“Please, no quick movements,” she begged, as he wrapped his arms around her.

“You’re a cruel and evil man.”

“That might be true, but I also bring a tonic that will cure that headache.” He

smiled down at her, and then looked at curious gray eyes that looked up at him. He

quickly took in black and gold curls, and the fact that they were twins.

Beel remembered the look on Paleah’s face when he asked why she was here. “Are

these your children?”

“Does this look like a body that has birthed twins?” She frowned incredulously as

she pulled away from him. “Where is this tonic?”

Beel pulled a small pouch from his shirt pocket, and dropped it into her hand. “Mix

this with water and drink it. You’ll feel better.”

Paleah hesitated for a second, and looked down at the children. She shouldn’t leave

them out here alone. Meah was awfully paranoid about that sort of thing. Beel seemed

to see her concern and placed his hand on her back.

“I bet you two are thirsty after your walk. Let’s go inside and help Paleah get rid of

her headache. We’ll get you two something to drink as well.” Beel softened his tone

trying to calm the wary looks the children gave him.

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The children ran ahead of them into the small back room of the temple. Beel sat at

the table and watched as the twins helped Paleah pour water into several clay mugs.

Tory climbed into his chair and stared straight into Beel’s eyes, matching his curiosity.

Tia climbed into the same chair and put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. The young

boy looked at her for a second and then turned and looked at Beel.

“You’re right. He does.” The young boy nodded at his sister.

“They do that sometimes,” Paleah offered when Beel raised an eyebrow.

She poured the white powder from the pouch into the water and watched the liquid

fizz.

“Drink it,” Beel told her and pushed the bottom of her cup toward her face. He

looked at the twins and smiled. “So, what are your names?”

“I’m Tory and this is my sister Tia. What’s your name?” Tory wasn’t shy.

“My name is Beel.”

“My sister thinks you look like us,” Tory offered.

Paleah coughed and looked from the twins to Beel. He noticed her cup was empty

but also noticed the look of fear was back in her eyes. He turned back to the twins.

“I noticed that too. Maybe we’re related to each other.” He smiled at them and then

looked back at the beautiful Neurian woman who was growing to be a distraction to

him. She didn’t look up at him but instead seemed fascinated with her empty cup. He

noticed she bit her lip and wondered what it was she was hiding.

Just then the door opened and he saw Paleah noticeably jump, before he turned to

see a Runner enter from the backyard. Paleah jumped up quickly as Meah froze in her

tracks.

“Mama!” The twins jumped up and ran to Meah. She put a hand on each of their

heads but her eyes were locked on Beel. He looked back at her and then down at the

twins. Meah watched understanding cross over his face.

“So, my lady, this is the secret I’ve seen in your eyes for this past week.” Beel

backed his chair up slowly, but didn’t take his eyes off Meah.

“We thought you’d be gone all day, Mama.” Tory bounced around her with

excitement.

Lightning shot through the backyard, and thunder exploded around them at the

same instant.

Paleah looked ashamed for a minute but then looked at Beel. “Maybe you should

leave,” she whispered.

“This is who you’ve been going to see every night since we arrived?” Meah’s

vehement tone was one Paleah hadn’t heard before. But she’d seen Meah in action and

that wasn’t something she would ever forget.

Beel stood up quietly and moved around the table slowly toward Meah. “You’re

one clever woman, Meah. What better place to hide than right under our noses.”

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She ignored Beel’s comment as she reached up and ripped off her sweaty headscarf.

Her streaked hair fell out of her braid and around her face, causing her to have a wild,

rather possessed look about her.

“You set me up, didn’t you?” Meah set her glare on Paleah. She released her

children and advanced on the young Neurian woman who backed away quickly. “You

knew Andru was with your sister and you didn’t say a word.”

Meah fought the tears that stung her eyes. The thought of Andru with another

woman…a woman he would claim…a woman brought to him from another nation…it

all cut too close to the quick. She dived at Paleah, grabbing her neck and pushing her up

against the wall. The terror in the girl’s eyes fueled her fury.

“In fact, now that I think about it, you offered to come up here after I told you who

their papa was…and you knew the whole time why there was a mark on my head.

They want the twins, don’t they? It’s not me at all. I’m expendable, aren’t I? Admit it.”

She lifted Paleah off her feet, and shook her like a rag doll. The young Neurian dug her

fingers into Meah’s hand, desperately trying to free herself.

“Stop it, Meah.” Beel grabbed Meah’s shoulder and yanked her backwards. “You’re

choking her.”

Meah dropped Paleah, and turned her rage on Beel. With a quick jab she slammed

her fist square into his jawbone. He fell backwards into the chair and took it with him as

he sprawled across the room, desperately trying to maintain his balance.

“Beel!” Paleah screamed and darted past Meah to the Gothman as he rose to his feet

slowly. “You’re wrong. You’re wrong. I don’t know anything, Meah.”

“Meah, calm down.” Beel watched her warily, as he rotated his jaw back and forth

to make sure it still worked. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

Meah glared at both of them as Beel tucked Paleah behind him, but kept his eyes on

the outraged Runner in front of him. He shot a look at the twins who looked on, but

stood expressionless, absorbing what they could.

“I tell you no one knows anything about your children. I didn’t even know they

existed until ten minutes ago.” He watched her for any signs of her calming down and

saw none.

“I told you to keep them out of sight,” Meah said with enough animosity to cause

Paleah to flinch.

“Meah, I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was coming over here. Up until now, I’ve only

seen him at night after they were asleep. I promise I never mentioned you, or them, to

him at all.” The begging look in Paleah’s eyes made Meah see that she was telling the

truth. The girl meant no harm. It was Meah who had been the fool to trust her.

“Good Crator, Beel, do you realize how young she is?” Meah said after studying the

two of them for a minute. The silence was deafening and she could sense their

discomfort.

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Beel straightened and prepared his defense but Paleah jumped in front of him,

suddenly enraged. “Now you wait one minute, Meah. I’m a fucking bastard. You have

no idea what that kind of life can be like. I have a papa who wouldn’t let me in his

house, but was embarrassed by the, um, lifestyle I was leading. He ships his daughter

up here, which, by the way, she didn’t want to do, and then tries to ship me off to