Beloved Barbarian

By Kathleen Beaver Sherer

The year is 3520 and planet Earth is on the verge of total destruction. Prophecy tells of two who would marry and right the imbalance which is destroying the Earth. Spirited, sixteen year-old Tara Youngling is chosen, to her horror, to be the bride of Derek Roberts, a man whom she has never met. Yet, she classifies him as a barbarian. Tara defies the order of the Elders by refusing to marry. As punishment for her selfish actions, she is sent to Earth's distant past to live among barbarians until she has a true change of heart. The copper haired beauty meets her match when she meets the mysterious, dark haired, sapphire eyed Wolf. He is everything she swore to hate in a man. Can she learn to love a man who has dominion
over her? In order to save her world, will she accept her destiny and return home to marry the dashingly handsome Derek?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469166469

Kathleen Beaver Sherer

Kathleen Beaver Sherer was born in Fannersville, Texas. She grew up on a small fann in the community ofNew Hope until her grandparents moved to Princeton. She has been a resident of Tennessee for the past eighteen years. She resides in the beautiful, historic Tiger Valley area of Roan Mountain with her husband of thirty-one years. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of ten. Kathleen has been an aspiring writer most of her life. After years of putting her work on Hold, she feels that, at last, it is her time. Her favorite past-times are reading, long walks, good movies and spending time with her family.

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Copyright © 2012 by Kathleen Beaver Sherer.

Cover Illustration by Charlo Nocete

Library of Congress Control Number:       2012902602

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4691-6645-2

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4691-6644-5

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4691-6646-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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108129

To my loving husband, E.M,

my four wonderful children: Jolena, William, Heather and Heath, and

to my ten precious grandchildren: Ashley, Shade, Egyn, Damian, Erica,

James, Isaac, D’onte, Ora and Braylon

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Epilogue

PROLOGUE

LIGHTNING FLASHED THROUGH the sky, where purple clouds hovered near the ground. The desert floor was barren of life. It held only craters and an air of deadness. Thunder could be heard rumbling off in the distance. Acid rain had left the land void of any growth. This vast wasteland was known as No Man’s Land.

World War III was only an event in history that had taken place a thousand years before, and the people who had escaped on space shuttles stood more like a myth. To the survivors left on earth, time had continued to the point that there were only stories handed down by historians. There were two separate worlds, now, on one planet. The first of these, Sector One, was known as Arian. The second sector was called Omega.

Sector One was dominated entirely by women. Their council was made up of six women who had been raised for no other purpose in life except that of a council Elder. They had no personal lives or homes. If they had names, they were unknown, except perhaps among themselves. Their ages, though varied, were undeterminable.

The Elders from Sector Two were held in the same high esteem. They, too, were highly educated for their role, but they were elected for the chosen seat by the general public. In this land, dominated only by men, the only requirement to be a member of the voting public was that the person be male. The candidates for the highly regarded position were selected from the higher houses and were never under the age of fifty—five. The most common trait between the two councils was that each Elder held their office until their death.

Each sector had to be enclosed in a life sustaining bubble that looked like a large glass dome. This was done for protection against the elements of nature as well as those brought about by man’s own hand. The ozone layer of the atmosphere was deteriorating at a rate more rapid than ever before, thus letting the heat of the sun burn through hotter everyday, while the cloud cover refused to admit the warm rays of light on most days.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods and tornadoes were becoming a daily occurrence. The man-made terrors were those of clouds with strange hues, colored by the ominous gases still hovering over the world after the massive destruction. There were also unexplained electrical storms stretching around the earth as a blanket. These bizarre shots of lightning were even visible on the rare days that were filled with bright sunlight. The winds that blew across Sector Three, No Man’s Land, caused dust storms reigning total darkness six feet off the ground.

These severe actions of all the elements were causing both Sector One and Two due concern. The Council of Elders from each land knew why this was suddenly happening. It was the imbalance between God and His creation of mankind. They knew, too, that it was being proven through the elements as a final warning. The scholars and scientists reported that unless a solution was found immediately the world would cease to exist in less than forty-five days.

The declaration brought about the first meeting of Elders from both sectors. The conclusion of this meeting signaled that a plan had been formulated. When word spread of the impending doom and of the Elders somewhat miraculous intervention there would be widespread festivities in the celebration to the end of the crisis. This was all part of the plan so that the Elders would not fall from their people’s faith, and in doing so would allow their plan to prosper. It was to remain unknown to all exactly what those plans were until the last possible moment, but it would be told that the Elders would, as always, take care of them.

CHAPTER ONE

TARA WAS STANDING in front of her closet trying to decide what she wanted to wear that night for the birthday dinner her parents were giving her. Tara turned and paced around her room, coming to a stop in front of a full length mirror that stood in one corner of her room. Her face reflected the joy she felt over her new freedom. No more lessons! Lessons that not only included basic education, but archery, swordsmanship, battle strategies and fencing. The thought of fencing made Tara wrinkle her small nose. That was her worst course. She excelled in all her studies but found fencing the most tedious.

Tara turned from the mirror and walked to the bed where she flounced down upon it. She stretched out lazily on her queen size canopy. Her long copper hair fanned out around her. Gazing out her open window, she basked in the once so common sunshine.

She ran her hand over the velvet spread. She loved the feel of it. Tara had chosen emerald and gold for her room’s color scheme. The heavy drapes were crafted of emerald velvet and the plush carpet a deep gold. She wanted the color emerald because it matched her extraordinary eyes and represented her family jewel, the precious emerald. Her room was filled with brass and crystal fixtures, a very expensive and exclusive combination. Her bed and dresser showed remarkable craftsmanship in the delicate curves, swirls and sketches carved in love within the gifts.

In the center of her dresser was Tara’s most beloved treasure, a small carousel with eight small crystal leopards that bobbed up and down as the carousal turned to a lovely tune. In the eye of each animal was a tiny emerald. This exquisite work of art was a cherished family heirloom handed down upon the birth of one generation after another. The small, priceless piece displayed the family symbol of the leopard as well as the family stone.

It was from this that Tara had designed, not only her belt buckle, but also the arm band that both she and her mother wore on their left arms; a leopard curving around with the head shielding the upper arm.

The thought of these things brought Tara back to reality. She sprang from her bed back to the closet that ran the length of one wall. Tara thought that having so many clothes was wasteful, but it had been her mother’s hope that having an abundance would help to make Tara more like the other girls her age from the higher houses. Tara had never had any real friendships, except for her private one with Rachel, her maid and companion.

Even as a small child, Tara had been marked as different. All her life people had stared at her rudely and whispered things behind her back. Although she was taller than most, seven inches above five feet, Tara had been told she was remarkably beautiful. Her ivory skin and hip-length copper hair helped add to the mystic air surrounding her due to her eyes.

Tara herself had never really understood the strange fascination that overtook people when they looked into her eyes. She had always thought her eyes were normal enough, only a different shade of green than others with green eyes, but she knew otherwise now. She had overheard her parents talking once and remembered that they had said no one from either side had ever had eyes like them. They had marveled at the brilliance; emerald green that sparkled and glowed, eyes that could hypnotize a person’s soul. They were the mark of something great to come in Tara’s life, something as great and unusual as the brilliance of those shining emerald eyes.

A knock on her door brought Tara out of her thoughts with a start. Come in, Tara called.

Rachel, her hand maiden and secret friend, entered. Rachel was as small as Tara was tall. She had shoulder length blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes. Her smile was set off by large dimples that showed the sincerity of her merriment.

Hi, Rachel. What’s up? Tara asked.

First, happy birthday, and second, would you like something to drink before you begin your trek through that vast wasteland also known as your closet? inquired Rachel.

Tara laughed as she asked, What makes you think that’s what I’m up to?

Well, replied Rachel, I suppose that today isn’t your birthday, and your parents aren’t giving you a special dinner? So there isn’t really any need for you to worry about how you are dressed. I don’t know, you tell me.

Okay, okay. You win. You’re right about everything as usual, especially about something to drink. Thank you.

No problem, snickered Rachel over her shoulder as she left the room.

After Rachel departed, Tara heard the tele-screen ringing and ran to answer. As she flipped the switch on, her mother’s face suddenly came into focus. Hi, Mother, Tara said. What’s up? She had a feeling she had just had this exact conversation.

Felicia Youngling smiled at her daughter and replied, I thought, knowing you, that you had more than likely been cooped up in your room all day trying to decide what you were going to wear tonight. How’s it going?

Tara sat down on her bed, folding her legs up under her and laughed. You and Rachel know me too well, Mother, but all she could help with was some nectar. What do you think I should wear?

Why don’t you show me a few of your ideas. I have a couple of free minutes.

Although Tara did not always understand her mother, they had a close and special relationship. By all rights and law, her mother should be head of the house and her husband, making all the decisions; and yet, she let her husband make them. Her mother seemed happy though, so who was she to question her parent’s strange relationship?

After about fifteen minutes, Tara had to wait while her mother took a message from her secretary. As Felicia read the note given her, Tara picked up her room. Tara, called Felicia, I have been summoned to appear before the Elders in their chambers so I have to sign off, but why don’t you wear the white silk with gold edging? Tell your father I’ll be home as soon as I can, but I may be running a little late. I love you, sweetheart. Bye now.

Love you, too, Mother, bye. Tara said before the screen went blank.

After Tara had bathed and done her hair, she began to dress, choosing the dress her mother had suggested. She slipped on the silk sari which was the common attire for the younger women. It was originally designed to reach mid-thigh, but due to Tara’s height it was a bit shorter on her. She smiled as she remembered her father had exclaimed that it was scandalously short, although he did agree that the style did flatter her long, sleek legs. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought how her mother had been absolutely right. She looked great. Her long copper hair had been brushed until it was full and shimmering.

Tara slid her emerald studded tiara into place and then her arm band. After she clipped her belt together with the leopard buckle, she added a few slim gold bangles to her right wrist. The only other thing left then was her new sandals with the thin, delicate straps and emerald bead work worn only on special occasions. She took one last look at herself before she twirled away to go in search of her father.

Edward Youngling was in his forties. Fairly tall at six foot one, he carried a very distinguished air that was aided by his graying temples and steel blue eyes. His name had once been Edward Canon but that had changed upon his marriage, as the law required. He had made this change without hesitation, even though marriages without a contract for