He told himself her beauty preoccupied him, and she could easily be lying to him. aNeurians have had their way of life stripped from them. Many of our people are without jobs. Regrettably, the dire situation has made us suspicious.a Gowsky got up and stuck her laser into the top of his pants. He opened the door to leave. aIall see if we can contact your trailer so you can talk to your family.a *

Tara stared at the door after Gowsky left, hearing the lock click into place. Cold air rushed her face, and Tara frowned. It felt like winter outside, but if Tara understood the climate pattern this far south, winter shouldnat be here for another five cycles.

She cuddled into the thick comforters spread over the bench and observed the dimly lit room. The floor was nothing more than smooth, packed dirt, and the ceiling was wooden. There were no windows, although sunshine peered through slabs of wood that const.i.tuted the walls.

She couldnat see anything indicating this room led to any other. It appeared to be a type of shed, yet Gowsky had said she was in his barn.

She noticed several different sets of footprints leading from the door to the bench and back again. Apparently many visitors had come and gone while she slept. She could only imagine who they might have been.

Tara rubbed her leg above the cloth wrapped around her foot. She could tell whatever pain reliever theyad given her was wearing off. She lifted her sore foot slowly onto her other leg, unpinned and unwrapped the bandage. There was a three-inch line of st.i.tches along the side of her foot by her ankle She studied the injury. There was no bruising and just a little swelling. As she ran her hand slowly over it, she noticed something that grabbed her attention. Next to the st.i.tches was a faint scar, a scar she didnat remember having received, and it wasnat old. How strange, she thought as she rewrapped the injury and secured it with the pins.

Standing up was easy enough, but she worried about how soon she would be able to walk. She tried standing on one foot but was not successful. If she could master putting weight on her bad foot, she could kick through the wall with her good one. Her prison was not that st.u.r.dy, but her injuries made escape futile at the moment.

She hobbled over to one of the walls and looked through the slits in the wood. She could see a dirt yard and two trees. No other buildings and no roads were visible. She heard no sounds of animals, and no talking. Would Gowsky live outside town by himself? If that were the case, all she had to do was get out of this dilapidated structure and overpower one man. Childas play, if she werenat injured.

Had she really only been there several days? She thought about the faint scar on her foot. Could it possibly be from the injury shead given herself climbing out of the burning building? So, why the new scar? Was somebody trying to make it seem like shead been out of it for days when, in reality, it had been months?

Taraas heart began to pound, and she felt icy fingers creep slowly throughout her body. Something was very wrong. It was definitely wintertime. How long had she been asleep? She thought of her children, of Syra, and of Darius. What did they think? Had they tried to rescue her? She wondered why Gowsky wanted her to think shead only been sleeping a short time.

Tara didnat see him for the next few days. She spent every waking minute exercising, trying desperately to rouse her atrophied muscles. The condition of her body proved to her beyond any doubt that shead been asleep a long time. She was weak and out of shape. And she felt like a caged animal. Her body had always been in prime physical condition, and her lack of strength annoyed her.

Someone brought her a generous plate of food several times a day, usually dried meat and canned fruit. The same person never visited her twice, and no one talked to her. By the sound of their footsteps, she determined quite a few people worked for Gowsky. She could sense the fear of each person who brought her food as they slid the plate through the gap between the door and the dirt floor, and then fled.

Her foot was mending quickly, but she decided it was best to give no indication of this. The room that was her prison was old and unstable. A week or two of recuperation and intense calisthenics, and her escape would be imminent.

In the meantime, icy breezes tormented her, mingling with dreams of her babies and loved ones. The blankets she kept wrapped around her provided little comfort. Taraas imagination made things even worse. She worried that her family was sick with worry, doing everything in their power to search for her, and growing frustrated when they couldnat find her. Yet while their images plagued her, they also added incentive to endure the cold and bring back her body to health.

Gowsky visited her nine days after she awakened. It was a bitter cold morning, and he pushed open the door with one hand and carried a pitcher with a steamy, hot fluid in the other. The morning glare was behind him.

Tara fought to keep her eyelids from shuttering against the light. Head awakened her, and she forced her mind to clear before she moved a muscle.

He stood above her for a minute before sitting. Her body was stretched out under the comforters. She was on her side and the comforter curved over the outline of her hip. One of her arms draped across her body and her long fingers fell gracefully off the edge of the bench. Her sandy brown hair fell in strings.

aI do believe itas time to bathe you,a Gowsky drawled in his singsong accent.

She focused one eye on him but didnat move. Every muscle in her body ached from the intense workout shead put herself through the day before.

aIave been bathing myself successfully for many winters now,a she answered.

Gowsky chuckled as he placed the pitcher on the ground next to him. aDoes a hot bath sound good to you?a he asked and produced two mugs from his coat pocket. The steam floated up to the ceiling as he poured some of the dark liquid from the pitcher into each cup. It looked incredibly tantalizing, whatever it was. She licked her lips.

aItas good.a He held out one of the mugs. aIt also helps wake you up.a She opened the other eye and stared at him.

aCome on. Youall like it.a He waved the cup under her nose. aCome on.a She felt its warmth brush her face. Sitting up slowly, she tried appearing to be in more pain than she actually was. The warmth of the mug in her hand felt so good that she wrapped both hands around it and sipped slowly. The liquid was thick and had a sweet honey and chocolate taste. She took another, longer drink and then looked up to Gowsky again. He had filled his mug and took a large gulp before setting the pitcher on the floor.

aHowas your foot?a She didnat respond, but instead situated herself on the bench carefully. She had taken the clothes shead worn since shead been there and laid them at the end of the bench while she slept. At the moment, she only wore a white pullover blouse.

Adjusting the comforter over her legs, she noticed he watched the action. His gaze locked on her bare legs, not looking away until shead covered herself. Whether he noticed her muscles werenat as atrophied, or simply enjoyed seeing a partially naked woman, she had no clue. Something told her he enjoyed watching her. She knew interest in a manas eyes when she saw it. But how much had he watched her? For whatever amount of time head kept her here, head kept her unconscious. He could have enjoyed any part of her, and she wouldnat have been able to stop him.

When she met his gaze, he didnat look away but instead smiled.

She didnat smile back. aWhyad you tell me Iad only been asleep for several days?a Gowskyas face looked completely innocent as he raised his eyebrows. aAnd what makes you think you werenat?a aItas almost new winter. Youave intentionally cut my foot and st.i.tched it up so it would look like the injury from the building. How long have you had me here?a aYouave had plenty of time to think in here, havenat you?a Gowsky leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and stretched his long legs out in front of him. aWell, itas true. We made certain youad remain unconscious longer than a few days. It was necessary at the time.a He said this so nonchalantly, the words stung. Anger brewed through her veins slowly, building to a boiling climax.

The Neurians had held her prisoner for cycles.

aI a.s.sume the Gothman and Runners believe me dead.a Gowsky looked at her with dark eyes and sipped from his mug. aLike I said, it was necessary at the time.a aSo why did you bother to wake me now?a She matched his look of apathy. Her mind now, however, focused on a method of escape.

Gowsky shifted position, drawing his long legs underneath the chair and then stretching them out again. He thought of the best way to answer her question. It was one he had antic.i.p.ated being asked and had thought of several convincing responses. He couldnat tell her it was the suggestion of another Runner. He wouldnat say, sorry lady, it was politics, and Neurians need an income.

Head almost talked himself into doing away with her when Fleeders came forward and mentioned that Tara had talked to a guardian in the desert. Gowsky was a man of faith. Head seen the dog-woman in his dreams a lot lately, and theyad made him uneasy. So head brought Tara out of her unconscious state. If anyone discovered her here, Gowsky knew head never be elected to another term He desperately wanted to confide in Tara and tell her everything that had happened. The woman possessed a calmness, a sense of authoritative ease, that led him to believe she could talk through a dilemma and find a solution to please everyone. He wanted to share his dreams that head had during her time in captivity. He knew it meant Crator guided him when he dreamed of a Guardian, and he wanted to share this with her. She wouldnat understand though. She was a Runner, a member of a race without Crator. If she had seen a Guardian in the desert, it only validated his dreams; it didnat mean she understood Crator.

Tara realized from the way he hesitated that Gowsky wouldnat give her a straight answer. Her mind raced. Darius thought she was dead. Had he claimed another? Was someone else raising her children? What about Patha and Reena? Did her parents believe her dead, as well?

If so, Patha would name someone else to be his successor over the Runners. She would have to fight for her rightful t.i.tle if someone else was named heir in her absence.

Her children were the heirs to two nations. When they grew up, Andru would lead Gothman, Ana would lead the Runners. She would not have that right taken from them. If Tara lost her t.i.tle, she knew Darius would see that Andru became Lord of Gothman when he grew up, but Ana would be without a t.i.tle.

Tara looked into Gowskyas dark eyes surrounded by that handsome face. Darius would never have to worry about her being unfaithful with this man. He was quite possibly as gorgeous as Darius was, but he had ruined her life.

aThe Gothman were prepared to attack us when they thought you were a prisoner. Weare not in a position for such an attack.a Gowsky swallowed. aYou died a warrioras death, saving one of our scientists from a horrible death. We escorted your family safely to a rendezvous point where they joined one of the Runner clans.a aHow long ago was all this?a He sucked in a breath and then exhaled loudly. aSix cycles ago.a Taraas muscles lurched. She wanted to leap from the bench and attack from midair. She wanted to pounce onto him, fists ready to injure with accurate stinging punches. She wanted to kill him.

Instead, Tara used every bit of power she possessed to remain calmly wrapped in the blanket, emotionless. aSo now what?a aWeare not murderers. You were put to sleep to protect our nation. Time has pa.s.sed and our nation is no longer threatened.a His voice faded off as if to say, The rest is history.

aAnd so now you send me home.a Tara seethed with the outrageous suggestion he implied. aJust like that?a Gowsky reached for the pitcher and stood. aWeall discuss this further once youave calmed down.a He walked to the door and opened it, letting cold air rush through the small shed. aGet dressed if you want a hot bath.a Tara sat in the same position for a long time after Gowsky left. Sunlight drifted through the cracks of the wood. She watched the dust rise through the rays of light as they shot through the room.

The Runners and the Gothman believed her dead. Darius had had six cycles now to mourn her and could quite possibly be ready to move on with his life. Andru and Ana would be over a winter old now. They would be walking and climbing and exploring their home.

Where was their home?

Were they living with the Runners? Or the Gothman?

She felt certain Darius would have them. They would grow up in his large house, exploring from attic to bas.e.m.e.nt. The fields and hills surrounding it would be their backyard. And all of Gothman would be their playground. Tara groaned aloud. Oh, how she missed them. All of them. Somehow, she had to let them know she was alive.

Tara dressed quickly and threw the comforters to the side. The cotton pants shead been wearing the night of the fire offered little to keep her warm in the shed. Her shirt sleeves were short, providing no protection for her long thin arms. Her flat leather boots, with their flimsy soles, would not do if she had to walk a long distance. Not only would her clothing not protect her from the elements, they would not protect her during battle, either. Somehow she needed to obtain different clothing.

She stood in the middle of the shed and jogged in place. Her foot had mended. It was sore, but she could live with that. After a bit, she dropped to the ground and began doing pushups. Her muscles were still far from the standard she normally expected from them.

Tara surveyed the walls of the shed. She could put her weight on her bad foot now. She glanced through the cracks in the wall and saw no one. Her time was limited. She took one of the blankets and carefully wrapped it around her leg. Using the laces of her shoes, she tied the blanket around her foot and leg. She stood up and tested the security of the blanket around her leg by jumping up and down. The blanket didnat move. It would serve well to protect her from the wood of the shed. Shead already tested the st.u.r.diness of the four walls and knew which wall was the weakest.

Standing in front of the wall, she jumped into the air and kicked the wall hard with her foot. Several of the boards immediately cracked and a hole, several feet wide, appeared in the wall. The blanket caught in the wall, and Tara fell to the ground with her foot stuck up in the air. She pulled her foot loose and got up to survey the situation.

There was still no one in sight outside the shed.

Tara rolled up the blanket tightly. Quickly, she untied the shoestrings and re-laced her shoe. She draped another blanket over the hole in the shed so that it covered the splintered and broken wood and easily jumped out of her prison.

The bitter morning air slipped easily through her thin dress, and she shivered. Wrapping one comforter around her, and carrying the other under her arm, she glanced at the clear sky and got a sense of her direction.

Semore was north. All indications showed Gowskyas house to be on the southern edge of the town. If she moved south, shead be out of town sooner. Then, shead work her way west before heading north again.

Tara ran quietly through the yard. There was still no sight of anyone. She had no warm clothing, no food, no weapons, and no way to communicate with anyone. The odds for survival were not in her favor.

Within minutes, she stood surrounded by a clump of trees at the large yard. Tara turned back and looked at the house.

That was too easy.

Tara surveyed the abandoned shed back by the house. Did he want her to escape? Gowsky had said they werenat murderers. She guessed that they didnat know what to do with her. Were they just going to let her go?

aNo,a Tara said out loud to herself as she pulled the blankets tighter to fight the chill. aIt would be foolish to let me go back to my people and tell them Iave been put to sleep for six cycles by the Neurians.a She looked around at the trees and focused on the land south of her. Aware of how technologically advanced this society was, she searched the topography for potential restraining devices. An icy breeze rustled through the trees. Was it her imagination or did the trees half a dozen yards away not appear affected by the breeze? She reached down and picked up several rocks and threw one at the trees in question. The rock came back to her with such force she instinctively ducked.

So that was itaa force field of some kind. She walked in what she believed to be a parallel path to the invisible field, determining its location by tossing rocks until they bounced back at her. No wonder no one was pursuing her. She was fenced in.

Again, she studied the house. Were they watching her? Studying her? Figuring out what abilities she possessed?

Tara was perplexed. Without a landlink, she had few skills to handle her current situation. She couldnat just look at the field to see what it was made of, determine where it began and ended, or identify weak spots. She could throw rocks all day and quite possibly not learn a thing.

She climbed one of the nearby trees so she could perch high enough to see into the distance. Her blankets slipped and attempted to trip her several times, but she managed to settle on a branch, relatively hidden by dead leaves, and wrap the comforter around her. The force field contained her, but she would not surrender easily.

Sooner or later, someone would come out and check on her. Obviously, her whereabouts were important to these people.

Gowsky would probably be the one to find her. After all, he had risked much, holding her as he had for the past six cycles, working to keep her alive. He wouldnat revive her simply to let her sit out here, undisturbed, possibly freezing to death. His curiosity would get the best of him. His landlink would locate her.

Patience was a virtue, the Runners taught their young warriors. Tara had never done well with that lesson. She felt impatient. How long had she sat on this branch?

Tara thought she heard a noise so she listened for sounds other than leaves rustling. There it was again. Two Neurians were approaching her from either side. She immediately thought of the five Gothman shead taken out in the forest the day shead entered that nation. The memory brought a smile to her face. So, the Neurians wanted to see what she was made of, did they?

Two men, each carrying handguns, wandered through the trees toward her. They were looking in her direction, but she felt sure they couldnat see her. As they approached each other, they turned around slowly, focusing on the area beneath her. Their landlinks had led them to her.

She waited until they were within a handas reach of each other. Slowly, the two men looked up into the branches of the tree above them.

Wait. Wait. Taraas muscles tightened, her adrenaline flew, and the breeze brushed her neck. Icy fingers crawled from her spine to the rest of her body. The excitement of the hunt sent chills through her. Her body and mind had been deprived of this for too long. She inhaled the cool air deeply. Wait. Wait. She watched the two heads tilt back, and then two sets of eyes looked up until they saw Tara.

Now!

She pounced onto them, the comforter acting like a cape as she took both to the ground instantly. One of the men pointed his gun at her. She grabbed the front of it with her hand. With the force of gravity to a.s.sist her, she fell to the ground, shoving the b.u.t.t of the gun into his face.

aDo you plan to kill me?a she hissed.

The b.u.t.t hit square on his nose, causing him to squint and howl simultaneously. His own blood blinded him. Grabbing the gun from his hand, she turned and shot the other square in the face. She landed on the ground, the two men underneath her.

aYou broke my nose,a the man howled, as he covered his face with his hands.

aIam sorry, but I donat like it when people point guns at me.a Tara tugged her blanket free from under the dead man and seized his gun.

Turning, she hardly had time to aim as a third Neurian, this time a large woman, lunged at her. The target was close, and Tara took her down easily. Two more Neurian women were right behind her. They, too, proved easy targets.

An incredible blow from behind sent Tara flying forward.

She hit the ground with excruciating force. Tara squirmed, absorbing the pain inflicted by rough ground tearing into her flesh. She scurried to her knees and crawled to grab the gun that had flown out of her grasp when she fell.

aHold it right there.a Tara aimed the gun straight into the mouth of a young Neurian man. His eyes doubled in size as her finger tightened on the trigger.

aThatas enough!a A voice boomed through the air, jerking every muscle in Taraas body as she jumped in surprise.

She turned to look at the man whoad shouted the command. aYou steal six cycles from my life, and then tell me this is enough?a Tara pulled the trigger and shot the Neurian in the mouth. At the same time, she grabbed the other gun from her pantsa pocket and fired on the man who had issued the command.

The side of the manas face exploded. The sound of him falling to the ground echoed through the surrounding trees. Then, all was silent.

Tara turned quickly, arms outstretched, aiming the Neurian gun and her laser at anybody fool enough to step closer. Seven dead bodies lay on the ground around her. The smell of blood and gunpowder from the Neurian gun drifted as the breeze increased. She did not feel the coldness of it. Breathing hard, her body tensed. She listened to the silence and glanced quickly in all directions.

There were more. She could hear the occasional leaf crumple, the small twig snap. Gowsky walked slowly out from behind a nearby tree. His hands were outstretched, his movements slow and deliberate. She aimed one of the guns at him.

aDo all Runners fight like you?a He raised his hands higher, letting her know he was not armed.

aIf theyare good, they do.a Tara raised the gun and aimed it at his face.

aWe definitely have a problem on our hands.a He smiled at her. aDo you shoot in cold blood?a Gowsky must have believed she wouldnat shoot him, since he appeared before her with outstretched arms. But she knew he didnat trust her when four Neurians appeared from behind the trees. They aimed their guns at her.

Chapter Eighteen.

aI only shoot in cold blood if itas appropriate.a Tara let the guns fall to the ground. The breeze whipped through the trees. This time, her sweat-soaked body felt the chill.

Gowsky noticed the seductiveness of her body through the clinging thin materials of her clothes. Tara had many sides to her personality, he noted. Those who didnat know her well would think she was simply a happy mama of two small children, looking for a new life. Head seen what he wanted to see, however. She was the most incredible warrior head ever known. Briefly, Gowsky wondered why Kuro hadnat given him better warning of her unbelievable fighting skills.

Tara watched the four men closely, at the same time aware that Gowsky was summing up her abilities. Had he set her up simply to see what she could do? Her instinct told her this was probably the case. The man had sent seven of his warriors on a suicide mission to test her. For her part, Tara had no problem showing the Neurians her skills, or letting them know she would fight for her freedom. Now, she was curious what Gowsky planned to do with this knowledge.

Movement beyond the surrounding group of trees caught her attention. Automatically, she turned her head and looked through the trees. Something moved again. It was the old woman from the desert! She stood partially visible behind one of the farthest trees, returning Taraas stare. She gave the old woman her full attention.

Gowsky noticed Taraas attention was focused elsewhere so he followed her gaze. Concentrate as he might, he saw nothing, yet she was alerted by something. He stared harder. Still nothing. What was she doing?

Tara narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the old woman, who had finally stepped out from behind the tree and had begun walking toward her. Tara reasoned that the old woman had either been on this side of the force field or the shield had no effect on her.

To check her own wits, Tara shifted focus to the others. The four Neurians still held their weapons on her, and Gowsky was staring at her. None gave any indication they noticed the old woman approaching. Tara looked down at the ground and then slowly lifted her eyes in the direction of the old woman once again.

She walked into the open, allowing herself to be seen by the small group. Yet they didnat appear to notice her.

Were they testing her again? Tara tried to give no indication that she noticed the old woman approaching. The woman stopped next to Tara. She looked up and met Taraas eyes. It was the same woman shead seen in the desert.

aWhy are you here?a The old woman looked up at Tara. Her deeply creased dark brown face appeared healthy.