Nuworld: Claiming Tara Read Online Free

stories to tell around the fires. Tara folded and set the
headsgroundmobilef on the couch next to her.
She placed the mug of coffee on the wooden table in
front of the couch and eagerly tasted the sweet dessert. It
was as good as promised.
“I’m thinking if the Gothman guards knew they were
chasing such a beautiful wench as you, they’d have fought
a bit harder to capture you.”
The woman’s laugh made it hard not to smile.
If a person was judged by their home, then Reena was a
warm, caring person with patience and a solid foundation
in her
culture.
The
small wooden house
permanently
attached to the ground offered several different aromas that
Tara easily distinguished.
The wooden walls and floors smelled of the spicy scent of
the forest. The pungent smell of brewed coffee mixed with
the sweet bouquet of baked apples. Other aromas floated
through the air as well, not as easily defined—the pungent
tang of
spices and herbs used
either
for
cooking
or
medicinal purposes, and a sterile smell, possibly soap used
for laundry or bathing also hung in the air.
There were a variety of handcrafted items in addition to
the faded patchwork quilt on the sofa: a knitted blanket
hung over the back of the rocker where Reena sat, and
several stitched wall hangings framed the walls. These
items offered pieces of a story about the woman sitting
across from her, smiling peacefully and glancing at her
occasionally with gentle blue eyes.
    Reena tried hard not to stare at the beautiful young
woman sitting on her couch. Tara’s light brown hair fell
past her shoulders and was as supple and shiny as silk.
Her complexion was fair. That Runner garb would prevent
her from being tanned by the sun. Her skin was smooth, at
least what Reena could see of it, with no battle scars,
which was a relief to see. The girl’s sapphire eyes took in
everything around her. They glowed with intelligence and a
bit too much cockiness for her own good.
    Not that she should be surprised, Reena thought with
silent resignation. It was what got Tara this far, and was
what would keep her going. She’d waited so impatiently,
knowing Tara was on the Age of Searching and would
eventually show up. But now that she was here, all Reena
wanted to do was insist Tara remain with her and not go
further into Gothman. That wouldn’t work though. Tara
would continue her adventure and nothing Reena would
say or do would change that. She knew Runners all too
well. If only that glow would stay there, these next few
cycles might be tolerable for all of them.
    “My goodness, you’re
so beautiful. The men of these
parts won’t be leaving you alone. Now you know Gothman
women don’t know the skills you’ve learned. It will be hard
shielding yourself. And a Runner found inside Gothman
will be killed.”
“So I’ve heard.”
    R
eena had to try, although Tara’s unconcerned answer
wasn’t surprising. “Well now, that’s good then. What’s your
name, and whose stories bring you here?”
    “I’m Tara of the Blood Circle Clan.”
“Ah, Patha’s stories sent you here.” Reena nodded and
started to rock in her chair. It wasn’t as if she had doubted
who this Runner was, but now she knew for sure. She
would never have the skills of a Runner woman. But it was
her own adventures and stories that kept her calm and
quiet at the moment. Those were the skills Reena had
mastered over the winters, wearing a mask indifference.
“I’m Reena and you may call me that. Now, are you Patha’s
daughter?”
“I gained that honor at the age of four, but not by birth.”
Tara chewed as she spoke. “I’m on the Age of Searching and have heard the stories about you. Those stories also
told me that Gothman don’t like women.”
Reena laughed, but then worried she’d insulted Tara. It
was hard not to get up and move closer to this young
Runner.
“Gothman like their women just fine,” she said, and
smiled when Tara looked confused. “They like them in the
kitchen and in the bedroom.