The Illegitimate Claim (31 page)

over to Andru’s side.

Andru breathed heavily, and then leaned over and slapped the front of his leg, just

as his parents came running out the back door. “I daresay that was worth the show.” He

laughed loudly as he straightened and threw his head back.

“What in the hell just happened here?” Lord Darius glared at his son. “You let that

little vixen get away?”

“We’ll get her.” Andru waved his hand in the direction Meah flew. “Don’t worry,

Papa.”

“And what will you charge her with?” Tara asked as she stepped around her claim.

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“Charge her?” Andru smiled widely. “I’m claiming her, Mama, not charging her.”

All three of them looked surprised. Darius looked at his son as if he were crazy. “I

could see taking her as a mistress, but you can’t claim the likes of that, son, she’s wild,

beyond control, she is.”

Again Andru laughed. He walked over to his mama and stroked her cheek. “That’s

true, Papa. And Mama always said I was just like my papa. I guess us Bryon men like

our Runner women slightly untamable.”

“Shall I send out scouts?” Gilroy still looked confused. Privately though, he was

thrilled to hear Andru acknowledge that she wouldn’t be charged with treason.

“No, my friend, you and I shall go get her.” He slapped his dark-haired friend on

the arm then literally skipped as he walked over to his glider.

“Crator help Gothman,” Darius mumbled under his breath as he watched the two

young men board their gliders and take off.

“And I hear that Meah could be half-Gothman,” Tara said as she wrapped her arm

around his. “Sounds like she may be a lot like her mama-in-law.”

“Do I get to know what’s going on here?” Gilroy asked, as the two flew next to each

other toward Taratown.

They flew at high speed. Meah wasn’t in their view but she was easily picked up on

the landlink and not too far ahead of them.

“She’s no spy,” Andru said, a relieved sigh coming through with his tone. “I should

have had you in there, when she listened to the disc. You would have seen how she

reacted.”

“Listened to the disc? Do you mean the one with Rog? It recorded?” Gilroy hadn’t

thought to try listening to it after Rog’s words.

“Apparently Meah put something on my leather jacket that counteracted that stone.

I was embarrassed to say I hadn’t confirmed Rog was telling the truth, and that I hadn’t

tried the disc. But when we played it…the expressions on her face.” Andru turned and

looked at his friend through his dome. There was a concerned look on his face. “It was

more than that, my friend. Of course, she denied any connection to the ambush and

swore the dog-woman sent her.”

“That’s what she told me.” Gilroy allowed the memory of capturing Meah to run

through his thoughts. Her determination had more than impressed him, although he

had kept that thought to himself.

“But, and I know this sounds pompous, it was more in the way she looked at

me…the way she responded to me. She loves me, Gilroy—I know it.”

“What made her run?” Gilroy wasn’t convinced Meah loved Andru. He

remembered her hesitation when he demanded to know her heart.

“I suggested her lover attacking Gothman would be too much of a conspiracy for

her to be my claim,” Andru said, as he gave his first commander a beguiling grin. “I

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told her I would have her and put her and her children in a nice home. Then I said I

would claim Sharay and she could be my mistress.”

“Your mistress?” Gilroy exploded.

“I told her she would never be able to prove I’d claimed her.” Andru chuckled. “I

believe that’s when she pounded my face and kicked me in the shin.”

“She’s too wild,” Gilroy grumbled, secretly applauding the nerve in the woman.

“I know.” Andru smiled wickedly.

“My lord, look over there.” Gilroy’s expression suddenly grew serious, as he

pointed over Andru’s shoulder. The lord turned and they both saw a glider far in the

distance flying in the opposite direction.

“It doesn’t show up on my screen,” Gilroy added as he glanced down and tapped

several buttons. “I didn’t detect anyone up in the hills right before that ambush either.”

“Do you think it’s a Neurian?” Andru focused on the lone glider.

“Just one Neurian?”

The two men looked at each other for one brief moment before realization hit their

faces.

“It’s Meah,” Andru shouted. “I bet she took off to get her glider and now is headed

back to Bryton. She’s altered her equipment so we can’t pick her up. Why that

little…about face, my friend. Let’s go get us a wild vixen.”

“Ana, I need your help,” Meah spoke into her comm. She’d waited to contact

anyone until she was on her own glider since it couldn’t be tracked on a landlink.

“I heard about the Neurian ambush.” Ana’s voice crackled—Meah obviously

needed to work on the alterations she’d made on her comm. “Did you warn Gilroy that

it would happen right before they attacked?”

“Yes, I did. Although no one I’ve talked to seems to believe I was actually trying to

warn him.” Meah quickly relayed the details on Gilroy capturing her, and then turning

her over to Andru in the Crator temple. Once again she didn’t mention how Gilroy had

groped her. She did tell Ana about flying back to Bryton to listen to the disc.

Since Ana hadn’t seen Andru after his return from his visit with Rog, she wondered

if he’d told Tara these details. Surely her brother would have immediately reported to

her papa and her papa would tell her mama. But no one saw it fit to give her this

information. Ana scowled. Gilroy knew, and he didn’t tell her. Outrage rushed through

Ana when Meah told her what Andru had said to her after she told him Rog lied to him.

“He said he would take you as a mistress?” Ana was shocked. “That doesn’t sound

like Andru.”

“Well, that’s what he said,” Meah almost whined. “I need your help, Ana. Please.”

“Well, of course. I just don’t get why Andru would say those things. Something

doesn’t sound right here.”

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“Ana, do you know where Sharay is?” Meah asked.

Ana was silent for a minute. “Why do you want to know?” She knew Meah wasn’t

given that information on purpose for Sharay’s protection.

“I’m going to take her to Rog,” Meah said defiantly.

“You’re going to what?” Ana whispered.

“It’s where she wants to be. I’ve heard her transmissions to Rog. She couldn’t wait

to see him less than a cycle ago. I can’t believe she would change her mind about him in

that short amount of time. Are you going to help me do this?” Meah glanced around for

other gliders, not trusting what her console told her.

The sky was a pale blue above the town, and she appeared to be the only one up

there. Andru and Gilroy were close, she just didn’t know how close.

“She’s in a cottage just southeast of Bryton. It’s surrounded by the woods down

there. I’ll meet you.”

“Okay. I’m about ten minutes from the woods right now. I’ll look for it.”

“I’m sure Andru is having you followed,” Ana added.

“Oh, I know he is. I passed two gliders on my way back from Taratown. They

turned around and followed me. My console tells me it’s Andru and Gilroy. I’d say

they’re about fifteen minutes behind me.”

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Chapter Sixteen

“Whose place is this?” Meah asked, as she stood next to Ana outside the small stone

cottage. A beautifully maintained flower garden filled most of the backyard, and the

sweetness of the flowers was obvious in the moist evening air.

“It’s Bryon property,” Ana said simply, deciding not to mention the number of

mistresses the cottage had housed over the winters from previous lords. “I think my

great-grandpapa had it built.”

“It looks beautiful. Have you been here a lot?”

“No. But the layout is simple.” Ana studied her flat console that she held in her

hand. “I don’t see anyone out here other than the one guard in the backyard and one in

the front.”

Without another word, the two women silently moved out of the trees and toward

the backyard. Ana adjusted her laser to stun and shot the Gothman guard, knocking

him out, before he even noticed they were there. Then in their full Runner garb, not

making a sound, they entered into a small kitchen.

Meah was surprised at how much Sharay looked like Paleah. No wonder Andru

made such a fuss when he first saw her Neurian nanny. The woman sat by herself in the

living room, the house quiet other than the sounds of some birds right outside the open

window. She worked at weaving a mat, and long strands of dyed straw lay around her.

Sharay gasped and her hands froze in front of her when the two Runners walked

into the living room and stood in front of her. Meah and Ana pulled off their

headscarves and met her gaze. Sharay looked from Ana to Meah and then back to Ana,

obviously seeing the physical resemblance to Andru. Her gaze then settled on Meah,

her gaze narrowing.

“Are you Sharay?” Meah asked quietly.

“Yes, I am.” Sharay stood, and straightened the pale lavender dress she wore. She

was incredibly beautiful with her thick, blue-black hair falling loosely around her.

“Sharay, I’m Meah.”

Sharay’s gaze grew cold and her black eyes widened. Her tone turned venomous.

“What do you want?”

“You have no reason not to like me. I’m not your enemy. I want to take you to

Rog.”

Sharay raised an eyebrow. “Now why would you want to take me to Rog?”

“You want to be with him, don’t you?”

“You want to be with him too, right?”

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“Wrong. Now get your stuff, we’re leaving now.” Meah barked the words coolly.