Hilda had taken Tara into her home. Given a stranger the room right next to hers: where a girl would be safe. Shead taught Tara how to cookavery patientlyaand Tara knew she wasnat the best of pupils. Torgo had immediately taken to her. He eagerly learned everything she offered to teach him. Head been so excited when he first successfully hit a target. The look on his face when he first rode his motorcycle without her sitting behind him wasnat something shead soon forget. These two had taken her in as family. She loved both of them as well as feeling love for Darius. Now she had two parents as well. Tara never would have expected her life to turn out like this several cycles ago.

aNow quickly, go get some clothes for the next few days.a She followed them up the stairs.

aI still donat like the idea of being sent away from my own home,a Hilda grumbled. aAnd by a Runner no less.a Tara decided not to comment since the woman moved to her room and closed the door. Once in her own room, shead quickly changed into her Runner clothing. Completely dressed for battle, she sat down on the bed and pulled out the little landlink from her black bag she had taken to Reenaas. Scanning for a minute, she looked for a local server to which she could tie in. It didnat take long; soon she was communicating with some of the Runners on the edge of Gothman.

It felt good to be connected with a transmission again. Ever since shead been in Gothman her link had been down. Theread been no main server close enough for her to stay connected. Now that a Runner clan had moved close to Gothman, shead be able to communicate with her people.

aThis is Tara of the Blood Circle Clan,a Tara whispered the words as she typed. aRequesting any known information on Sea People in the area.a Tara sent the message to the two clans shead managed to locate. She would check back soon for a response.

aCome on, letas go!a she yelled as she left her room and headed down the stairs.

aWhoa!a Torgo came down the steps and froze as he saw Tara fully dressed as a Runner sitting on the couch with her landlink on her lap. aTara, is that you?a aTorgo, never fear a Runner.a She beckoned him. aA Runner will never attack someone unless attacked first.a aI wasnat scared. You look cool!a Torgo sat next to Tara and stared at the flat screen. aAnd I guessed you were a Runner all along.a Tara didnat know whether to believe the boy or not, but ruffled his already tousled curls, and then pointed to her screen. aIam linked now. I can communicate with any Runner in the world this way.a She pointed to the map displayed on the screen. aI can also tell where Lord Darius and his army are.a aYouare kidding. How do you do that?a aItas Oldworld knowledge. Itas easy enough though. It wonat take long to teach you.a Torgo was leaning over looking at the screen when Hilda came down the stairs.

aSo, youare a Runner now, are you?a She looked at Tara almost disapprovingly.

aHilda, Iave always been a Runner.a In the older woman, Tara could see some of the prejudice that had obviously kept her son ignorant of other races. aNow go, both of you. Reena is expecting you. Remember, if you see any Runners at her place, theyare not your enemy.a aCanat I stay with you and fight, Tara?a Torgo asked. aWhy are you sending me away with the women? Iam not a child anymore, you know.a aI know.a Tara faced Torgo, snapped her heels together, and clasped her hands behind her back. aStand at attention, and let me give you your orders.a Torgo imitated her stance and grew serious with wide gray eyes glowing in excitement.

aThese women need protection, and right now I have no soldiers to send with them. You will escort your mama to Reenaas. And you will stay there, guarding them with your life. Understood?a aYes. Understood.a Torgo broke out in a grin, and before Tara had time to react he reached for her and gave her a quick hug. aBe careful, okay?a Tara smiled when Torgo released her. aI always am.a Torgo hopped out the front door ready for the adventure. Hilda did not look at Tara as she left.

As soon as the front door shut, Tara jumped up and ran to the shed out back. There was a lock on the door. Tara sighed and looked around the yard to see who might be watching. No one was in sight. She pulled out her laser, and a small blast caused the lock to fall to the ground. Within seconds, she rolled her bike out of the shed and snapped her landlink on it.

Tara narrowed in on Dariusa signal. He was south of town and from what she could tell, twenty or so others were with him. She scanned for local roads and was pleased to find a current map. She took off at top speed.

Who would have led Darius to believe he should go south? This was now the question at hand.

Tara considered the matter. The Sea People approached from the northwest, which made sense since their home was to the west. Darius would be protected from any attacks if he was in the southern region, but Gothman would not. Who would want to place Gothman in such a predicament?

Within a quarter mile of the signal, Tara slowed to a stop and scanned for Gothman communication. It wasnat hard for her landlink to pick up their simplex form of transmitting, although static crackled on her multiplex system. Her equipment wasnat accustomed to such antiquated forms of communication. She tapped into the Gothman conversation and clicked on her speakers, which she usually kept off. The audio was poor but leaning forward she heard conversation through the small, attached speakers on either side of her landlink.

aHeall be within sight in a few minutes. Be ready now.a aHave you had any further communication?a aI have. Theyare coming across Runners.a aIs that a problem?a aItas a pa.s.sing clan, it shouldnat be.a Tara eased her bike forward into the forest and slowed to a stop. There, up in the tree, a Gothman was lodged between two branches talking on a walkntalk. Tara killed the motor and sat silently, waiting to see what would be there within a few minutes.

She heard voices and saw movement through the trees ahead.

So did the Gothman in the tree. He pulled a gun from his jacket and aimed at the group approaching.

Tara watched the Gothman focus on his target, and realized with horror who the man planned to kill. One of the voices was Dariusa. He barked orders, and the booming sound of his voice sent a tightness through her insides. Tara slid off her bike without a sound, moved to the tree, hoisted herself up and pulled the man to the ground. Before he could yell out, she shot him in the back. Grabbing the walkntalk she crept behind some nearby bushes and hunted for the dead manas companion.

aWhat is that smell, my lord?a Tara froze, with the walkntalk held out in front of her and watched as Darius approached with a group of his men.

aI smell it too. I daresay it smells like somethingas burned,a another guard answered.

Darius pa.s.sed by without seeing her. aThat it does.a Darius stopped within feet of her.

She focused on the back of his boots from her hiding place in the bushes.

aIt smells like flesh burning.a aShould we search the area, my lord?a The group of men stopped with Darius, and the sound of their boots shuffling over the undergrowth showed Tara they werenat concerned about concealing their whereabouts.

Could she communicate with him on this thing? She didnat know how to switch channels or to make sure a channel was private. Before she could act, however, the box crackled and a voice came through the walkntalk. Tara knew if the guards hadnat been so noisy, they would have heard the walkntalk she held.

aWhy didnat you get him?a a voice said. aMikel will be furious.a Tara frowned. Mikel was Dariusa brother.

There was movement in a tree farther in the woods. She ran forward, and someone jumped from the tree and shot at her.

aWho is firing?a one of Dariusa men yelled.

aOver there!a Darius barked the command. aI see movement.a aYouare a Runner,a hissed the man who had tried to gun her down. He aimed his gun directly at her chest.

aAnd youare a dead man,a Tara whispered through clenched teeth. The whistling sound of the weapon pierced the air, and the man fell to the ground.

It was the guard who had tried to attack her. Now, why didnat that surprise her?

aItas that smell again.a Lord Darius and his men were soon surrounding the dead manas body. They coughed and covered their mouths with gloved hands as they stared at the man who had been sliced wide open by the laser.

aWhat was Judo doing back here?a one of Lord Dariusa soldiers asked, as he stared at the charred body.

Tara watched Darius as he studied the dead man. She guessed head never seen a man killed by a laser before. Yet his expression remained blank. If his emotions were that much in check, then he was a better warrior than she. Her emotions swarmed around her, making it hard to concentrate. Darius needed protection. Gothman could be attacked in the near future. And for some reason, it appeared Darius had an internal problem.

aI thought he was down with the other troops, my lord,a a guard standing next to Darius said. aMaybe he was trying to get word to us about who ever shot at him.a aWeave been all across this land, and thereas no indication that any Sea People have been here. If he wanted to tell me something, Iad think he couldave talked through the walkntalk. Itas right here.a Lord Darius squatted to take the walkntalk off the dead man and then studied the laser wound on the side of his body. He searched the foliage and was silent for a moment.

Tara knew he realized a Gothman gun couldnat have killed in that fashion. She pushed the b.u.t.ton on the walkntalk in her hand. aI need to talk to you alone,a she whispered into the little box. She took a chance contacting him in that manner, but it made sense that the walkntalk by the corpse and the one shead taken from the other dead man would be on the same channel. After all, it appeared as if these two, now dead men, had been collaborating on a scheme with Mikel.

Lord Darius quickly looked around him. His men hadnat heard Taraas transmission. Where was she?

An intense desire to wrap his fingers around her Runner neck overwhelmed his thoughts momentarily. Tara was risking her life out here, and not knowing where she was at this precise moment brought his blood to a boil. His scowl slowly changed to a small smile as he realized he was going to enjoy the challenge of taming his Runner claim.

aLetas head back to camp.a He stood and kept a wary eye on his surroundings. aSomethingas not right here. I want to confirm that the Sea People are south of Gothman, I do. Grab Judo and haul him back.a He stood in the forest watching and listening as his men slowly dragged the body toward the bikes. Tara was somewhere in the woods. He didnat like the fact that she was here, but he couldnat do anything about it.

What was she up to? He thought about all the stories head heard about Runners over the winters. They were rumored to be better soldiers than Gothman. While he questioned that, there was no doubt Taraas body was tuned into a well-oiled machine. He knew that first-handathe toned thighs she wrapped around him with the strength of someone twice her sizeathe way she hung onto hima He shook his head. What was he doing? Now was not the time to get lost in the remembered pleasures of her body.

Closing his eyes, Darius listened. Concentrate, man, he told himself. Donat let a Runner outperform your skills. He squinted to see better and looked in the direction where he thought head just heard something. There! Through the bushes! Something in black. He moved through the trees quickly and silently.

He had her in sight as she reached her bike and straddled it. He approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her with blinding speed and cupping his hand over her mouth.

Instantly, her body lurched backward off the bike. She shoved herself into her aggressor. Her body had more pack to it than he might have guessed. She pulled her legs up and slammed her heels into his knees. He felt excruciating pain, but determination prevailed.

He decided she must know it was him and was trying to convince him she could fight. She twisted her body and thrashed against his. He tightened the arm around her chest until he was afraid he would smash her rib cage if she didnat succ.u.mb.

Darius was impressed by her fight and struggled to keep his balance. He tightened his grip on her just slightly until she was gasping for breath. She stopped thrashing her legs. aWhat are you doing here?a he whispered into her ear.

Tara struggled to turn far enough within the constraining arms to verify that it was indeed Darius holding her. She relaxed as he slowly removed his hand from her mouth and slid it sensuously around her neck.

aYouave been fed wrong information,a she whispered. aHopefully, your spies are dead. I donat detect any other Gothman in the area other than those behind us and about twenty or so down the hill.a She stopped and gasped for breath.

aWhat are you talking about?a He turned her around quickly and gripped her arms.

aThe Sea People are north and northwest of Gothman. Theyare heavily armed and coming in tanks. You need to move your troops quickly.a She paused for a moment, confirming they were alone by listening to the sounds around them. She pulled her shirt down, straightening it. aI do believe Mikel fed you false information to get you out here and kill you.a A look Tara couldnat identify crossed Lord Dariusa face. aI didnat know he was warrior enough to try such a stunt.a aI heard your men talking on their walkntalk.a She paused, trying to read his reaction to what she was telling him. aThereall be a thousand Runners meeting you at the northern border in about two days. Your defense needs to be strong to hold the Sea People off until then.a Tara attached her landlink and began punching keys. She searched for a moment, then smiled. aPathaas on line. Heas verified reinforcement.a aPatha of the Blood Circle Clan?a He frowned. aHow do you know Patha?a aHeas my papa.a aI see.a Tara realized that his lack of reaction meant he already knew about her heritage. That or he didnat trust her answers.

He murmured, aMy papa knew him.a aSo Iave heard.a aI will confirm your information.a He started to walk away and then turned to look at her. aIad hate to think of what might have happened if you hadnat interfered.a aIam not interfering.a Darius saw her smile through her headscarf.

aWhat are you going to do about Mikel?a aHeall be taken care of.a His voice was quiet, and his gray eyes melted her insides as he looked down at her. He tried to kiss her, but she pulled her bike to the side and started it.

She rolled the bike forward, its engine almost too quiet to hear. aIave made my decision. Iall let your claim stand.a She didnat wait for a response, but accelerated and left him standing there.

Arriving back at the house, she set up camp in her bedroom. She propped the landlink on the desk and opened the balcony doors so she could better hear any arrivals. Confirming she was still on line, she then searched for Runners in the area.

aThis is Tara, of the Blood Circle Clan,a she typed, after detecting one of the clan leaders on line.

aGreetings. This is Jaree, wife to the leader of the Red Star Clan.a Before long, she was deep in conversation explaining to Jaree what to expect when her clan arrived at the north Gothman border.

aThe Red Star Clan is loyal to Patha and the Blood Circle Clan.a Jareeas typed message appeared on Taraas screen. aYou can count on our help if you need us.a Tara worked into the night, briefing clan after clan that had either heard from Patha or from another clan leader. She joined a transmission with several other clan leaders, including Patha who was on his landlink at Reenaas house, and argued the pros and cons of a Runner and Gothman union.

aI see you claim two t.i.tles now,a Patha typed a side message to Tara, while both of them continued to discuss political issues in a group transmission. aYou are not only my heir, but now you claim the t.i.tle of claim to the Lord of Gothman?a aI need to show that I am dedicated to helping Gothman.a Tara felt her fingers cramp as she hurried to express her point to Patha, while continuing to comment in the group transmission. aThis is the first any Runner has heard of our teaming with Gothman. Sharing news of my claim will help strengthen the alliance.a As the evening wore on, news traveled of the union between the Runners and the Gothman.

aIs it true?a One of her friends sent a transmission that popped up on her screen. aHow have you become the claim to the Lord of Gothman?a The questions from Taraas clan members were justified. She typed and typed until her fingers ached and her eyes could no longer focus on the screen. But Tara knew the Runners needed rea.s.surance that Gothman, who had always been their enemy, would now be an ally.

Tara fell asleep before Darius returned that night and woke up with the cool morning breeze coming through the open balcony doors. She was starving and the walkntalk beeped next to her. Getting up quickly, Tara experienced a wave of nausea. She suddenly realized that Reena could be right; she was showing all the signs of pregnancy.

aTara?a It was Hildaas voice. Then, the older womanas voice became m.u.f.fled as if she was speaking to someone in the room with her. aItas Tara. Sheas there, she is.a Reenaas voice came through in the background. aAre you okay?a aYes. Iam fine. What time is it?a aOh, for heavenas sake. We woke her up.a It was Hilda again, apparently speaking back and forth between Reena and Tara. aReena thinks youare pregnant, she does. Is that true?a Tara rolled her eyes at the thought of those two old women having gossiped through the night.

aI donat know, Hilda. What did you want?a aShe wants to know what we want,a Hilda said to the background again, then spoke into the walkntalk. aNow what do you think we would want? We want to make sure youare okay. Is my son there? Did he send you home?a Tara wasnat in the mood to answer Hildaas questions. aYour son is out with his troops defending Gothman as he should be. Iam fine. I donat want you to leave that house. Do you have enough food?a aThe Runner, um, Patha, is here. And yes, my dear, I daresay we have plenty of fooda"even for Torgo.a Tara hung up, amused by the thought of Patha putting up with the two old women.

She searched for something to eat and settled on some crackers and juice. She then returned to her landlink and planned her strategy for the day. She remembered the walkntalk and pulled it out of her coat pocket. Could she reach Darius on it?

Tara might not have knowledge of such antiquated devices, but she was sure they were not a secured means of communication. How had a nation become so large on such primitive equipment?

What information she had obtained last night led her to believe the Sea People were slowly obtaining more sophisticated equipment. The Gothman would have to be armed with better tools and weapons than this if they were to survive. Tara made a note to do something about it immediately. She prayed Darius wouldnat grow stubborn and challenge her for taking these matters into her own hands.

Tara decided the walkntalk was more suitable as a childas toy than a communication device and put it back into her pocket. The landlink was much better.

Now, where was that man? She opened the program monitoring the disc on Dariusa neck. A map appeared on her screen, and a red dot blinked, indicating his location. He was close to the northern border of Gothman.

Tara closed her landlink and carried it out of the house to her bike. The few guards on duty were alongside the house gossiping, much like the Gothman women did. Tara could tell these people werenat accustomed to combat. They didnat know how to react to the threat of attack. Darius would have to work to train his troops better. But for the moment, she was glad they didnat notice her climb onto her bike and disappear around the other side of the house.

The morning air was cool and the sky, a magnificent blue. She traveled north on an obviously seldom-used rocky road heading for the location indicated on her screen. Half an hour later, she noticed several black trailers coming across the meadow to her west. Within minutes, many motorcycles became visible as well. It was a Runner clan and a rather large one at that. The scouts leading the clan approached her first, and she slowed to greet them.

aIdentify yourself, Runner.a The voice was female although the headscarf and large jacket gave no indication of gender.

aIam Tara of the Blood Circle Clan.a She scanned the open area as more motorcycles came into view.

The Runner spoke into a microphone clipped around her ear and extending to her mouth. The comm was used by most clans, proving the easiest way to communication while on a bike. Tara knew that one of the black trailers contained the clanas base unit, and the female Runner was informing those inside the van of her contact.

aIam to tell you that Redo of the Red Star clan greets you. Heas received your communication and has brought his clan to a.s.sist.a aIam very grateful to all of your clan for your willingness to help with the Sea People. Iam on my way to meet Lord Darius of Gothman. Will you all ride with me?a The woman spoke into her comm again and then quickly responded, aLead the way.a Taraas screen indicated that Dariusa exact location was beyond the oncoming hills. She and the clan began making their way toward him, slowing their pace over the rough ground so the trailers would be able to keep up with them.

Pride in her heritage surged through Tara as she rode with a scout on either side of her, the remaining members of the clan behind them. She was well aware that she and her fellow Runners were creating history with every pa.s.sing moment. The noise of their approaching motorcyclesa"several hundred in alla"roared through the hills like thunder, louder than a tornado, sending tremors through the ground like an earthquake.

One of the scouts pointed to a large number of bikes, and scores of tents being a.s.sembled. Theyad arrived at the Gothman camp. As the Gothman became aware of the approaching Runner clan, all hands dropped what they were doing. But while a commotion stirred in the camp, Tara could tell it had been notified of the Runnersa impending arrival since no shots were fired. Nevertheless, Gothman guards at the edge of the camp pulled their guns and stood alert.

A line of scouts now drove in unison, leading the clan, and Tara alerted them to slow down. She stopped the clan within twenty feet of the Gothman guards. It would appear to any bystander to be quite a standoff, with Runners lined up along a quarter mile area and Gothman guards on alert in a similar formation.

aHalt your clan and wait for my instructions,a Tara told one of the scouts.

She drove slowly to the guard that wore the armband of highest rank.

aIam Tara of the Blood Circle Clan. This is the Red Star clan, here to a.s.sist the Gothman. Inform Lord Darius we await his instructions.a He yelled to another guard who was standing next to him, and that man turned and ran into the camp toward one of the tents.

Tara didnat move, and the Red Star clan sat perfectly still with the Gothman watching them. Over five hundred people stood firm in the meadow. Their silence was dreadful. Tara wondered if they could put aside their prejudices long enough to fight this battle together.

Suddenly, Tara heard rumbling behind her; she turned to look back toward the Red Star clan. Behind them, at the bottom of the hill, another clan approached.

Tara shouted to the Gothman warrior, aTell your men to hold their position, and I will see what clan this is.a She drove back to the Runner scout and told the woman to communicate with the other clan, have them identify themselves, and then ask them to hold their ground until they received further instructions.

Tara turned back to the Gothman at the sound of an approaching motorcycle. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Darius.

aLower your weapons, Gothman!a He barked with enough ferocity that his men turned on a dime to face him. aThe Runners are here to a.s.sist us. Get back to work and get this camp in order!a The guards returned to a.s.sembling the tents and preparing the camp for battle, although many kept their eyes on the arriving Runners. Darius drove his bike around the Gothman guards and pulled up alongside Tara.

aHow many Runners are here?a Dariusa tone was quiet, authoritative.

Tara recognized the warrior chain of command. He addressed her as a leader would another leader, and not as a female he wished to control. aI donat have a count, yet. Iall get one.a She left him and slowly drove up to the scout. aLord Darius wants a count of Runners. How many are there in the Red Star clan?a aWe are two hundred and fifty,a the scout responded. aTwo weeks ago, our clan numbered over seven hundred. The Sea People attacked us because they thought we were destroying a field where some opiate plants grow. We were all but destroyed by them. Itas an honor for us to join the other clans and the Gothman and return the Sea People to their place. They are a no good race of drug addicts, and we would all do better without them.a Tara could see the anger in the womanas eyes as she spoke.

aThe Blood Circle Clan is behind us. They number twelve hundred, and Patha sends his greeting to you, Tara.a The woman smiled through her headscarf.

Taraas face lit up. Her people had come. This in itself was a moment in history to remember, as far as Tara was concerned. She started to turn back toward Darius when the woman raised her hand.

aWait,a she said. aPatha is coming forward. His clan will maintain their location until further orders, as will ours. Patha says no further action is to occur until he meets with Lord Darius.a It was well known among the Runners that the Blood Circle Clan was the largest and Patha the leader of them all. Head established the large networking system existing among the Runners when he was a very young man. It was due to Pathaas ingenuity that the Runners were able to communicate with each other no matter how far away they were from their clans. Head encouraged complete equality among the clans, insisting all Runners would work to their maximum ability if they were treated with the same respect.

Tara was proud of Patha, her papa. She watched eagerly as she noticed a man on a motorcycle approaching the front line of the Runners. She glanced at Darius, and he too watched the figure approach.

She returned to his side. aItas Patha. Heall want to speak privately.a *

Darius watched her as she looked on at the large man approaching. Completely covered by her Runner attire, it was still very obvious how beautiful, she was. He wondered what made her more desirable, her incredible good looks, or the power she possessed with her clan.

He said, aOf course. My personal tent is ready.a Darius quickly looked at Tara. aOur personal tent is ready.a Darius sat on his bike studying Patha as the Runner leader drove toward them. He was impressive in his black clothing, a large leather jacket and thick black gloves. The Blood Circle Clan emblem was embroidered on a sash that crossed his chest. Several other pins of achievements were attached to the sash as well.

Darius acknowledged the great warrior, and sat proudly on his bike, his face expressionless.

aPatha, Iam so glad youave arrived.a Tara sat tall and proud as well. aI would like to present Lord Darius.a Darius noticed Pathaas eyes travel from his Gothman warrior clothing to the Gothman seal wrapped around Taraas arm.

Looking at Tara, Patha said, aIall speak with you two privately.a

Chapter Eight.