It was barely light when Tara opened her eyes. A good nightas sleep was just what shead needed. She was anxious to get herself organized and hit the road.

The trailer was still quiet when she entered. Tara was gazing at her sleeping beauties when Patha came out of his room.

aGood morning, Tara-girl.a The old man looked over her shoulder at the two babies. aYouave sure done a good job with those two.a aThanks. Theyall be great warriors, Patha. I promise.a aHow could they not be? Look at their bloodline.a Patha gently took Taraas arm. aCome with me. Iave something to show you.a Tara followed Patha out the trailer and across the meadow to another trailer. He unlocked the door and the two of them went inside.

aThis is for you.a aWhat do you mean?a Tara looked around at a place larger than Pathaas trailer. A kitchenette, table, and small couch furnished the living room. An extensive landlink system caught Taraas eye, and she walked over to it.

aThis trailer. Itas for you.a The old man grinned.

aItas mine?a aCanat have my grandchildren running around without a roof over their heads.a Patha walked to the door. aIall see that your belongings are brought to you.a Tara was left alone in the living room. She walked down the hallway and opened the first bedroom door. A nice sized bed and a tall dresser furnished the room. There were shelves in the closet as well as a bar on which to hang clothes. The second bedroom contained a small bed and another dresser. She gasped when she opened the third bedroom. Inside were the babiesa cradles from the house. She walked up to them in disbelief. Who had brought them here? Their dressers lined the wall; all their clothes were in them.

Tara stood in the little room, stunned by what she was seeing. What could all this mean? If Darius was giving her all of the baby things, did that mean he didnat want them to come back? A wave of panic ran through Taraas body. It had never occurred to her that he might decide he didnat want them to come home. She ran her fingers over a cradle, and her eyes welled with tears.

He wasnat willing to change for her. Head made the decision and sent her these things. Tara imagined that the empty nursery had been more than he could bear. The man had no use for baby articles with no babies in the house. And maybe he thought sending her the items would make her react just the way she had. Darius could have sent her everything to scare her into thinking he didnat want hera"a bluff to lure her home.

Tara wouldnat put an act like that past the man. But on the other hand, she had left to teach him a lesson. She wanted Darius to know she had zero tolerance for his behavior. Tara would not live with a man, continuously wondering where he was, and with whom.

As her finger traced the cribsa carvings, she suddenly realized that was exactly what she was doing right now. Oh, how she missed him. Maybe she should have stayed and battled it out.

She shook herself, trying to get her thoughts back to reality. She never could have lived with a man who did not respect her. Tara quickly walked out of the room.

The landlink in the living room was logged on. She hadnat noticed that a second ago. The screen indicated there was a message waiting for her response. Someone had taken the time to program this landlink to use her pa.s.s code. She tapped the screen and realized the message was indeed for her. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out who would know her pa.s.s code. Darius? She tried to remember if shead shown it to him, but she wasnat sure. Curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the message.

ah.e.l.lo, Tara. This is my third attempt to contact you, it is. I hope youall not delete this message. Itas not possible for me to right a wrong when youall not return to allow me to do so. I hope this trailer will show you that my intentions toward you are genuine. Iave made every attempt to bring you back. I am now made to understand that you still do not plan to return, and instead will enter Southland. Tara, your place is here. Weave united two nations, and it is your duty to rule over them with me, it is. You, too, are failing your duty, just as you say I have. Return within one week, or Iall sever all relations with the Runners, disowning all of you. I donat want to do this. My love for you is strong, it is. Return to me now. Darius.a Tara read the message twice. Her blood boiled, and she wondered if Patha knew of this threat. She slammed her fist on the table and turned to leave the trailer. As she opened the door, Syra greeted her.

aHave you heard the news?a Syra was grinning. She had a bag in each hand as she entered the trailer. aI get to go with you. My papa said it would keep me away from Torgo. What an adventure. Which one is my room?a Tara stood there speechless. She quickly regrouped her thoughts. No one must know about the message from Darius. She walked back to the landlink and deleted it. She would not bother to acknowledge such an insult. He didnat control everybodyas life.

aYou want me to go with you, donat you?a Syra apparently misread Taraas silence and looked worried. aI could be a big help with the babies.a aOf course, you can go with me.a Tara smiled, quickly forcing her thoughts to the future.

Just then a jeep pulled up to the trailer. Patha and Balbo entered and began to bring Taraas things into the room. They spent the next hour organizing clothes and saying goodbyes.

Tara watched Patha closely. If her papa knew of Dariusa threat, he gave no indication. He spoke only of his concern that Tara stay in touch with him and let him know what the people of Southland were like.

aLet me know when you are safely in Semore.a Patha hugged his daughter soundly. His eyes looked moist when he pulled away.

aAnd take care of my daughter,a Balbo added.

aI will.a Tara held her hands out to both of them. She hugged Reena and Torgo then climbed into the driveras seat.

The rocky road led down a cliff and took a long time to navigate. The attached trailer with the bike on it swerved from side to side, and Tara crawled along, fearing it would fall off the edge of the road. She was glad when they finally came to the road at the bottom, and she was able to gain speed.

The town of Semore was unlike anything Tara had ever seen. It had been built around ruins from the Oldworld. There werenat many ruins like these in Trueland. Small flat buildings made out of white bricks lined each side of the road. People walked along sidewalks. Tara saw more cars than shead ever seen at any one time. After trial and error, she figured out that the tall poles with lights at intersections, indicated to drivers where they could stop or go depending upon the color light displayed at any given time. What a concept.

Her attention was drawn to oil pumps slowly moving up and down at the edge of town. Oil was something Runners and Gothman needed.

Ahead on the right, Tara spied a sign saying, aRooms Available.a She pulled the trailer into a parking area covered with small red gravel.

A dark-skinned, white-haired older man with black eyes and bushy white eyebrows told her about a small boarding house at the edge of town where she might be able to park her trailer. He gave her such an odd look; she decided not to ask him if she could pay with gold pieces.

She drove to the place head specifieda"an older house set back off the road. It had a flat-roofed porch covering the front of the white clay building. The structure was longer than it was wide. Beyond it, the land stretched endlessly.

ah.e.l.lo,a she said to a young woman leaning against a counter just inside the house. aI need a place to park my trailer for a short time.a The young lady looked past Tara out the window at the trailer. She studied it for a minute and then looked back at Tara and studied her. The womanas hair was black as coal. She had it twisted in the back in several braids. Her skin was also as dark as night and her inky black eyes looked curiously at Tara. aWhere are you from?a aNorth of here.a aNorth? There isnat much north of here. You live in that trailer?a The girlas dialect was not like anything Tara had heard before. She liked it. The girlas words ran together, sounding almost melodic. Tara listened carefully to understand what the girl said.

aI do for right now.a Tara smiled, knowing her voice must sound very foreign to the young girl as well. aI have a couple of babies. Weare looking for a new life, so to speak.a aSo, you come to Semore?a This seemed to surprise the girl. aThings arenat good around here right now. I mean, if youare looking for work, I donat know if youall find any.a aIad like to try. Could I park the trailer for just a few days?a aI guess we canat turn away a mama with babies. Pull it around back and Iall bring out the paperwork.a Tara thanked her and parked the trailer in the indicated spot. The young girl came out the back door within minutes. She handed the paperwork to Tara and peeked past the open door of the trailer at Syra and the babies inside.

aIave never seen such blond curly hair before,a the girl commented. aWhere did you say you were from?a Tara was saved from answering by two men who appeared in the buildingas doorway. Both were tall, with dark skin and hair. One of the men, however, caught her off guard. He had long black hair falling to his waist. He was thin with broad shoulders and his black eyes glistened as he looked at her. The other man gestured for the girl to come to him, and the three disappeared into the building, leaving Tara alone to fill out the papers.

The young girl appeared again before long and smiled shyly as she walked toward Tara. aMy husband wants to know if someone is going to come after you?a aI donat think so.a aDo you have money?a aI have gold. Iall exchange it if you tell me where I can do that.a She shook her head. aThat wonat be necessary.a The girl took three gold pieces and told her it would cost her the same amount for each day she was there. aYouare welcome to join us for a midday meal shortly. Youall hear the bell ring when itas ready.a The girl took the papers and disappeared into the building.

Tara watched her walk away and couldnat help but wonder which of the two men was her husband. She thought of Darius, then the dark man, and then she pushed both images out of her head and went to her children.

The food was not identifiable, but it was good. The couple served the meals, but didnat eat with them. In fact, over the next several days, Tara and Syra were not sought out by any of the town folk. Nor did anyone pay much attention to them, although their fair skin and sandy brown hair made them conspicuous among the dark-skinned Neurians. Even Taraas attempts at conversation in the food market went unheeded.

The landlink system in the community was quite elaborate. Semore was connected to nearby towns, and Tara studied everything she could about them and their residents. She discovered that a number identified every citizen on the landlink system. Everything in the town was on the landlink. She was able to obtain a guest number and visit many of the local merchants through their networking system. Her frustration grew, however, when a message continually appeared on the screen saying her aguest statusa did not allow her to view her selection. She was prevented from viewing anything about their government.

Every morning, Tara walked down the street to buy one of the newspapers sold in the town. It primarily covered the townas current events, but Tara found a few political news items, as well.

Theyad been in Semore a week. Tara was lonely and thinking of Darius as she walked back to her trailer. The time frame head given her to return had expired. Shead spoken to Patha every day, but he had never indicated whether or not he knew about Dariusa threat. Darius hadnat sent her any more messages, and she wondered if he really would disown her, as head put it.

She walked slowly along the street, reading the paper, and looking for possible work. If she were home, there would be plenty of work to do. But here, there wasnat much call for overseeing military training, or resolving conflicts among clan members.

Briefly, she wondered who had a.s.sumed her tasks among the Runners. Darius had learned a lot about thema"had he taken on her responsibilities? If so, how would members react to Darius mediating a clan dispute?

Tara stubbed her toe and let out a curse. Thinking of Darius would not help her right now. Maybe Patha had been right. Head said she wouldnat be able to fit into this community easily.

As she half-heartedly scanned the paper, a new ad caught her eye. An a.s.sistant was needed in one of the government offices to do some landlink work. This was exactly what shead been looking for. Excited, Tara read the ad closely. She was startled when she walked into something. Looking up, she realized shead walked right into a man coming toward her.

aIam so sorry.a The man looked up from a landlink printout, obviously thinking it was he who had not been paying attention. He seemed to contemplate saying something else.

aNo, itas my fault,a she began.

aYou just arrived in Semore, didnat you?a he asked after some hesitation. He glanced around the street as if to see if there was anyone watching. aFollow me.a Tara followed out of curiosity as he led her through a nearby door and down a poorly lit hallway. He was possibly five to ten winters older than she, very thin, with black straight hair that fell to his shoulders.

He turned toward a closed door at the end of the hall, tapped on it, and then opened the door slowly.

Tara tapped her pocket, rea.s.sured by the hard metal of her laser.

The dark man glanced at her and moved through the doorway.

She followed. Tara faced three men. The one shead followed, along with two others who sat by a desk in what appeared to be an office. One of the seated men was quite heavy; the other had long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail. The silver-haired man looked older than Patha.

They all stared.

She returned their stare, noticing that they seemed nervous.

aWe, uhaa The man standing by her began speaking, stopped, and looked at his friends. aThat is, um, we know who you are.a aThatas nice. But I donat know who you are.a She forced herself to appear unconcerned.

aFleeders,a the tall man pointed to himself then to his friends. aSnith and Tilk. We, uh, work here.a The room was well lit with an overhead light and a lamp next to the landlink. There was another desk in the room with a landlink on it as well. The shelves lining the walls were filled with landlink parts and discs. After shead studied the contents of the room, she turned to stare to Fleeders. aWhyad you bring me here?a aTo talk to you,a Tilk, the old man spoke up, and the other two looked at him with worried glances. aWeave been monitoring your communications.a aYouave been what?a aItas our job,a Fleeders said quickly. aWe understand that youare not happy about this. But, we monitor all landlink activity.a aGowsky has us do it.a Snith wiped sweat from his upper lip. aItas not really common knowledge, but weave been through bad times.a aWe know youare Tara, daughter of Patha, leader of the Blood Circle Clan. You joined with the leader of the Gothman, and you defeated the Sea People,a Fleeders said awkwardly. He added quickly, aWe know youare not here to hurt anyone.a There was a chair next to the empty desk, and Tara sat in it, spreading her long legs out in front of her and crossing her feet. A small smile crossed her face. These men were scared to deatha"apparently of her!

As they should be. She could kill all three of them in this small office and return to the street without anyone realizing it. For some reason, theyad decided to speak to her. It had been a sacrifice for them, since they were obviously terrified by her presence.

aSo why am I here?a Tilk and Snith looked at Fleeders. So did Tara. He cleared his throat again, something head done often in the short time Tara had been in his presence.

aGowsky found out you were here several days ago. Maybe heas known longer, Iam not sure. Heas convinced youare here to start some kind of revolutiona"take over the Neurian Government. We were asked to monitor your communications and give him a report at the end of the week.a Tara listened closely as Fleeders spoke. She still wasnat accustomed to their singsong accents. aSo youave monitored my communication. Anda?a aWe donat think youare here to start anything,a Snith said.

aWe think youare here out of curiosity,a Tilk said. aAnd to get even with your husband.a He added this last sentence quickly and quietly.

aYou did make one comment about our oil.a Fleeders looked at his friends, instead of her.

aSo you know all about me.a Tara twisted in her chair and looked at the landlink next to her. It was a lot bulkier than the Runner landlink. The three men didnat say anything as she brought up the screen. It displayed a directory the main landlink offered to every Neurian. Tara had already accessed this on her landlink and was somewhat familiar with its contents.

aYou use a similar binary code in your programs.a She turned and looked at the trio. aSo what will your report say to Gowsky?a aThatas just it,a Fleeders lowered his voice just a little. aThat is why we brought you here, or I should say, decided to try to get you to come here.a Tara looked up curiously.

Fleeders continued. aGowsky stopped by yesterday and told us to infect your landlink so you could no longer communicate with your people.a Tilk interrupted. aHe told us he was going to pick you up and charge you witha"a aCharge me with what?a Tara interrupted as she leaned forward in her chair and slapped her hands on her knees so hard the three men jumped.

aItas just what weave been told,a Tilk said, sounding apologetic. aCharge you with conspiring to start a war.a aI see.a Tara stood and began pacing while her thoughts raced. aAny defense I come up with will likely be shot down in your government. I could leave right now, but I would have accomplished nothing.a She stopped and stared at the men.

They looked at her glumly.

aWhy have you told me all this?a aNeurians have been devastated by the loss of trade with the Sea People. We could rebuild if we could ship out our oil. Weave researched you and your Runners since we had access to your landlink system while you were talking with your papa. Youare an advanced race. More advanced than Neurians think you are. Weall try to explain all this to Gowsky, but I donat think it will make any difference. He wants you brought to him.a Fleeders shrugged and sincerely looked sorry. aWeare telling you this so you know the Neurian government is watching you.a aWe donat know what you want to do with this information,a Tilk added. aNow you know whatas going to happen.a aI know exactly what Iam going to do.a Tara walked to the door.

Chapter Sixteen.

Tara froze as she heard loud voices at the end of the hallway. It sounded like several men headed in her direction.

aItas the police.a Fleeders looked nervously at the door.

aIs there another way out of here?a Tara looked around the room.

A small window was the only other option. Not waiting for an answer, she ran past the three men, jumped onto the desk and lifted the window. She was out of the office and in an alley within seconds. She heard the window shut behind her as she ran down the alley. She slowed to a walk and headed down the sidewalk toward her trailer. No one stopped her on the street, and she wasnat followed.

aYou forgot the paper.a Syra looked up when Tara walked into the trailer and plopped down on the floor next to her children.

They immediately dropped their toys and climbed onto their mama. She hugged and tickled them, but she was distracted. aSorry. I guess I did.a aWell, can I go get one?a Syra stood up and stretched. aI sure could stand to get out of here for awhile.a Tara had been so caught up by her thoughts; shead barely heard the desperate plea. At once, she focused on Syra. Itas true, the youngster had been cooped up with the babies pretty much since their arrival at Semore, and it wasnat fair. aGo ahead. Make sure you take a comm. Call me right away if you have any problems.a She looked at the long sundress Syra had on. aGirls here wear pants, though.a aWhen itas cold, they want me in dresses. And when itas hot, they want me in pants,a Syra mumbled as she walked back to her room to change.

The children napped while Syra explored the town, leaving Tara time to reflect on what Fleeders had told her about Gowsky. Here was a man, a council, paranoid after having been stripped of the commerce upon which they relied. These people hadnat antic.i.p.ated that their main income would disappear. Their opium was ample. It didnat run out. It was their buyers who had deserted them. Now they were frustrated, desperate, and not thinking clearly. On the other hand, the Neuriansa precious oil was important to Runners and Gothman. It made sense they would want to discuss this with her.

Tara decided she must speak with Gowsky, which shouldnat be difficult since he wanted her brought in. The question was, should she let them capture her? It probably wouldnat be long before his police showed up at the trailer. Or should she seek him out on her own, maybe tonight after the babies were asleep? Could Gowsky be the man shead seen her first day here?

She decided to take a walk with the babies. The children squealed in delight as she pushed them in the wagon across the sand and tiny stones behind the trailer. The heat from the sun made the horizon appear wavy in the distance. It was a good sun thougha"warm and refreshing on her skin.

Tara moved on, slowly trudging across the desert that lay south of the town. She pa.s.sed several large tree-like plants with leaves the texture of rubber. They were quite beautiful and provided an abundance of shade from the hot sun.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Tara squatted down next to her children, talking to them quietly, as she surveyed the area.

aWhat do you think it was?a Tara smiled at Andru as he squinted his eyes to look with her. Andru smiled and giggled, and Ana kicked at him and also giggled.

aLook, there it is,a Tara whispered to her children and pointed to an animal crossing the field. It looked like a large dog of sorts: dark brown with thick hair and a long tail, walking on all fours. It moved toward them slowly.

Tara knew from experience that most wild animals were not aggressive unless provoked. If she were threatened, her laser would easily kill the animal. She remained squatting next to her children as they pointed with curiosity at the animal.

As the dog moved closer, the heat rising from the ground distorted its features. The waves drifted up, making the creature appear to be walking on only two legs. As the distance between then lessened, Tara realized it was walking on only two legs. What she thought had been a dog was now a person. Her eyesight was strong and she questioned what shead just seen. Had the creature transformed from beast to human?

To be more exact, the creature approaching her was an old woman. She walked hunched over, slowly, a deeply creased leathery face with large dark brown eyes focusing on Tara. Her darkened skin, a shade more orange than the Neurians, was covered with a loose animal skin dress. Her boots were made of the same material, laced up to her knees.

aA blessing to you, child,a the old womanas voice cracked as if from lack of use.

ah.e.l.lo.a Tara squinted up at the old woman who now was no more than five feet in front of her.

aWhy are you here?a aIam taking my children for a walk.a The old woman came closer and reached out to touch Ana. Taraas body tightened and the old woman noticed her uneasiness. She pulled her hand away from Anaas head and instead placed her deformed fingers on Andruas head. She glanced at Tara with each move to a.s.sure her that no harm would be done.

aThe children will see and learn a lot. But why are you here?a Was this old woman crazy? Tara looked at her, and the old woman stared back with dark, gla.s.sy eyes.

aDo you mean why am I here with these people?a The old woman continued her glazed stare and didnat respond.

aWe need a new life. Weave moved here from the north.a Tara tried to change the subject. aDo you live around here?a aYou arenat through with your old life. You still have much to do.a Now it was Taraas turn to stare. The old woman was out of her head, she decided. Old age and the heat of the desert had done her in.

aCrator knows your fears and your pride. You must put that aside. Thereas no time for it. You have so much to do. None of it will happen without you. Do you realize that?a The old womanas eyes were gla.s.sier than before and they seemed to penetrate through Tara. It was almost as if they were focusing on the ground behind her.

aI donat understand what youare saying.a aThat is your fear. Crator knows youare strong. Overcome it.a Tara didnat know how to pursue conversation with the old woman. She felt sorry for a people who didnat take care of their elderly. The woman was delusional and possibly lost out here. But what she said did apply to Taraas life. Was that delusional? She reached into the wagon for a bag of bread pieces and fruit shead brought for the children.

aWould you like to have a snack with us?a Tara pulled the food from the bag and then looked back to offer it to the old woman. With a shock, she saw nothing except a large dog running away from her across the field. She watched until it was out of sight.

aThere you are.a Syra smiled at Tara and immediately got up from the table to help with the children as Tara entered the trailer. aI wondered where you went.a aWe took a walk,a Tara said, deciding not to mention the lady in the desert.

aWell, thatas what I did, too.a Syra slid Ana into the toddler seat, attached to the table with clamps, and then struggled to strap her in while the child pulled her hair. aFolks here arenat too friendly, are they?a aWe look a lot different than they do.a Tara managed to get Andru into his seat, and then walked to the cold box for two bottles. aMaybe in time they will warm to us.a aMaybe.a Syra shrugged and began dicing cheese and apples for the children. aI got a paper and read a few stories in it while you were gone. Sounds like they have an organized government here.a Syra commented on a few of the stories in the paper.

Tara didnat hear much of the conversation. The old woman occupied her thoughts. Who was she? What had she meant by her words? Was she simply a disillusioned old lady? And who was Crator?

After supper, Syra bathed the babies and prepared them for bed.

Tara sat at the landlink and decided to see if the Neurian network said anything about a Crator. She wasnat connected for long when a message flashed across her screen. aWhy are you looking for Crator?a She panicked for a second, but a few clicks told her the message was from Fleeders.

aCan I talk to you?a she typed.

aThis line isnat secure. Log off.a Tara wondered why anybody cared if she researched the name. Who was Crator? She logged off and grabbed her jacket.

aIam going for a walk,a she whispered to Syra who was rocking Ana to sleep. Andru lay stretched out in his crib. Tara gently kissed his forehead then kissed her fingertip and placed it on Anaas head.

The night air was brisk. A chill ran through Taraas body, and she quickly zipped her leather jacket. Moving her laser to her front jacket pocket, she began walking behind the trailer. The open wilderness lying in front of her seemed dark and forbidding. Who was out there? What was out there?

Another chill caught her body. It was from fear. Tara was not accustomed to this emotion. Shead faced many enemies who had posed a more obvious danger than an old woman who babbled. What was there to fear?