Do Or Die [Nuworld 4] (6 page)

here but I can send over one of the children with some supper for you.”

“That would be nice.” Ana’s stomach growled to emphasize her point. “Would it be

all right if I used your landlink to contact my clan?”

“Of course.” He gestured with his hand and then put his comm around his ear to

instruct food be brought to the trailer. Ana wanted to talk to her mama alone and

decided to watch him as he instructed one of his people to bring meat, vegetables, fruit

and plenty of wine for his guest.

Mog was an attractive man, Ana decided, maybe ten winters older than herself. His

hair was dark brown and straight. It bordered his strong jawline and fell past his ears.

When he looked up, his brown eyes danced and several dimples appeared in his cheeks

when he smiled.

“Well, food should be arriving shortly. I’ll leave you to yourself so you can contact

your clan,” he said, seemingly noticing she was waiting for him to leave before sitting

down at his landlink. “Would you like company while you eat?”

“That would be nice,” she said and meant it.

“Ana, thank Crator, you’re all right!” Tara’s elated smile showed over the monitor

as Ana sat in front of it. She’d asked her Uncle Torgo to ensure their transmission was

secure before notifying her parents that she was calling. “Where are you?”

“I’ve just arrived at the Red Star Clan, Mama. It’s good to see you. And Papa, is he

okay?”

“I’m right here.” Darius appeared behind her mama. “When are you coming

home?”

“Soon, Papa. I promise. I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you before now but I’ve been

trying to investigate some peculiar actions going on up here.” She watched her parents

look at each other and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her brother was trailing

her and probably keeping her parents updated on her actions. “Someone is stealing

Runner weapons and shipping them north. I’ve been running with the thieves who are

committing these crimes so I could figure out what their plan is. I was real close to

finding out when they stopped all their activities because they feared Gothman trailed

them.”

She paused and watched for her parents’ reaction. They simply stared at the screen

and said nothing.

Her heart started pounding and she felt outraged.

“Let me rephrase that. Contact Andru and tell him to leave me alone and stay out of

my affairs. I don’t need a babysitter, especially him.” Ana sounded more cross than she

wanted to but she would have so much more information for her parents right now if

the people Lara was working with hadn’t panicked on the possibility of Gothman

following them.

“I see.” Tara spoke without emotion. “Have you and your brother had an

argument?”

“So you admit that you sent him up here?”

“Don’t put words in your mama’s mouth, no.” Even from over a landlink she

flinched at her papa’s tone. “We didn’t send him anywhere. Andru did leave after you

and has been gone for quite a while, he has. He’s been plagued with visions and is very

worried about you, yes. I want you home now. The new winter celebration is just a little

over a cycle away and you will be here for it, you will.”

“So you can announce my claim,” she said defiantly. “I plan on coming home but I

won’t be flushed out like some wild animal. Contact Andru and tell him to back off. I

don’t want anything to do with him.”

“Why are you so upset with your brother?” Tara’s tone showed her concern. The

twins had always been inseparable and Ana knew she would have to choose her words

carefully or her parents would grill the truth out of her. That would not be an option.

“I’m not upset with him—yes, I am. Mama, Papa, you tell Andru I’ll come home

when he agrees to stay out of my life. He needs to learn that I won’t be controlled

anymore…he doesn’t own me. If he hadn’t been following me I would know why this

Lara person is stealing Runner lasers and clothing. She was taking me somewhere

earlier today and they cancelled everything when they detected Gothman.”

Tara ran her hands through her hair and sighed loud enough for Ana to hear.

“We’ll contact him, but I want you home soon and I want a full report on what

you’ve seen.”

The screen went blank and Ana stared at it for a minute. They would contact Andru

and ask him to explain why his sister spoke so harshly. Would he know why? Did he

remember that he saw her that morning before she left? Did Gilroy realize it was her

he’d shared with her brother? Ana’s stomach began to churn and she ran to the

bathroom and threw up.

Chapter Four

“Oh no,” Ana groaned when she opened the door to the trailer the next morning to

let Mog come in.

“I’m afraid we’re snowed in.” He stomped his feet on the single step outside the

door before entering the trailer. “We got over a foot of snow last night. It might be a

good idea if you stayed with us for a few days and let this storm work its way through

our area.”

Ana nodded and went over to sit at the table.

“You don’t look good this morning. Are you okay?” Mog cocked his head to study

her and she looked up at him. He grinned slightly and she felt her cheeks warm.

“I might be coming down with something. I’ve felt queasy the last few days and all

I want to do today is sleep.”

Mog studied her for a minute and then walked into the kitchen to start water

boiling. The clean kitchen gave evidence that she’d not eaten yet today and he grabbed

several eggs out of the small refrigerator then put them in a pot and filled it with water.

She watched as he pulled a loaf of bread out of the cupboard and began slicing it. When

she stood to help him he held up a hand.

“Sit. You are my guest. Allow me to serve you.”

“That hardly fits your rank.”

“Are you or are you not the heir to all Runner clans?”

“You’ve been studying up on me?” She smiled and his eyes danced.

“There’s not a lot to do when you’re in the middle of a snowstorm. I also received

communication from Tara. She wants to make sure you’re treated well while you’re

here.”

And guarded heavily, she thought to herself. Mog fed her soft-boiled eggs with

bread and butter. He also managed to offer hot, spiced tea and orange slices. Mog sat

and made small talk with her discussing the different tasks he undertook daily as leader

of a clan. She was familiar with everything he mentioned but commented little while

she ate. Once, he got up and buttered more bread for her, which she accepted

appreciatively. She couldn’t believe how much food she ate and was glad Mog didn’t

say anything about her appetite.

It continued to snow over the next several days and Ana grew concerned she

wouldn’t be able to dig out her trailer if she didn’t deal with it soon. She also grew

concerned about something else. She was over a week late in having her cycle flow. She

had taken the anti-conception medication before she left her clan and being late

wouldn’t have triggered any alarm with her normally but she’d noticed a pattern of

nausea every morning now for the past two weeks. Crator, please don’t let me be pregnant.

Mog paid close attention to her and seemed to notice her sporadic eating habits,

lengthy naps, and he’d been there once when she’d gotten sick. He gave no indication

that he suspected anything amiss about her but continued to be a gracious host. She was

aware of his ever-observant gaze, though, and felt he was mentally keeping notes on

her. At first she suspected that her mama had asked him to report on her daily activities

but then she decided that they wouldn’t do that. Andru would, though. In fact, Andru

would go a step further. He would demand it.

Early the next morning Ana took off on her glider before Mog showed up to have

breakfast with her. She fought off bouts of nausea as she pulled the glider into the air.

The countryside was beautifully covered with sparkling snow but her stomach turned

too much for her to enjoy it. She focused on her tasks for the day. She needed to check

on her trailer and hope and pray she could unbury it. But she also planned on flying

into Ransboot and picking up some roots and herbs. She remembered the recipe from

her grandmama and knew it was the only solution.

The terminating potion. She’d drank the potion once before when she had only

sixteen winters—she never thought she’d have to drink it again. But it wouldn’t hurt

her to drink it if she wasn’t pregnant and she wouldn’t risk going to see a doctor and

word getting out that she was pregnant.

And she couldn’t be pregnant. Not under these circumstances. Not when she

wasn’t sure who the papa was. Not when the papa could be her twin brother!

The trailer was as buried as she feared. Snow had drifted up against it and the area

around the trailer was covered with drifting snow. She worried about landing and that

she wouldn’t be able to get off the ground again. The best thing to do was go to town

and get what she needed then come back and dig her trailer out of the drifting snow.

She also would contact Mog, thank him for his hospitality, and announce that she was

headed home. If not, they’d have every Runner in Nuworld out looking for her.

It was lunchtime when she returned to the trailer and Ana felt weak from hunger.

She buried the glider as she landed and snow literally collapsed in her lap when her

dome lifted. She’d bought a shovel while in town and pulled it from the glider. She’d

put the small bag of herbs in her inside coat pocket and began digging a path toward

the trailer.

More than once she was sure someone was behind her and several times she turned

around quickly to search the wooded area. Of course, she saw no one…but they were

out there. Of that she had no doubt. Andru was watching her. She could sense him, feel

him, smell him, hell, she could hear his thoughts. She sensed concern and something

else. Was it remorse? Fear? She couldn’t tell, but it was something. She scowled at her

surroundings and sent out her own mental message back to him.

Go away! I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to talk to you. Don’t try to interfere with

what I must do.

Several hours later she was able to open the door to her trailer. Nothing appeared to

be touched, much to her relief. She assumed Lara might be looking for her as well but

she had no idea how to contact her and wasn’t sure she wanted to. Right now, all she

wanted to do was go home and crawl into her warm bed and let the servants take care