All For One [Nuworld 3] (35 page)

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around him like he’s some kind of criminal while I walk around free. He didn’t do

anything wrong. I did.”

“You know, I know how to braid hair the way the Tree People women do when

they’re trying to catch a man. Do you want me to do it to your hair?”

Ana’s face lit up. “Yes, I do.”

It was several hours later when Ana left the trailer with parts of her hair braided

and beads woven through the braids. She felt sexy, older, and walked with a new

assurance. It was late afternoon and the sun angled on the edge of the field. She

couldn’t see Roth in his cage as she strolled past the jail toward the Crator temple.

“I know you.”

Ana turned around and stared at a boy standing behind her. She did a double take

for a moment at the similarity in the boy’s appearance to her brother’s, and then her

eyes opened wider.

“You’re Beel, from the Barringswood tribe. What are you doing here?”

“I’m really Gothman and I’ve been rescued so I can be with my people,” he said

proudly. Beel was maybe an inch or two taller than she was and wore Gothman

clothing. His blond curls had been trimmed and fell loosely around his face. He let his

eyes travel up and down her, taking her in, before he looked once again at her face.

“Who are you exactly?”

“My name is Ana.”

“And you’re a Runner? What were you doing with Ma—I mean Roth? And your

hair—” He reached to touch one of her braids and she backed up instinctively. “It’s a

different color.”

“I’m half Runner, my papa is Lord of Gothman.” She paused and looked around

the quiet field. Most of the trailers were a ways from them. She felt uneasy around Beel.

He knew too much about what she’d just been through and his questions unnerved her.

“And I was, um, with Roth because I wanted to be.”

Beel nodded understandingly. “He’s your lover.”

She was about to protest his blunt comment about her relationship with Roth when

Beel suddenly looked at her earnestly.

“Do you think you could help me?” Now he looked around the field nervously.

“Your papa helped bring me here. He took me to this old lady’s home and told her to

teach me how to be Gothman. I thought he was happy that I was with my people—that

I was no longer a servant. But I’ve been hidden away, like they don’t want anyone to

see me. I can’t take it any longer. I ran away and there are guards looking for me.” His

expression turned forlorn. “I didn’t ask to come here, and they make me feel like my

being here is a crime.”

Beel looked over Ana’s shoulder and suddenly his eyes grew large. Ana turned to

see Andru approaching them. He got within a few feet of them and then froze in his

tracks. The two boys looked each other over carefully and Ana studied both of them as

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well. They looked identical. Andru stood several inches taller and his body was slowly

taking the shape of a man’s. He looked like he had several winters on Beel but

otherwise—they could be brothers.

Beel looked at Andru for the longest time then turned his head to Ana. “You two

are twins,” he said simply.

“Beel, I’d like you to meet my brother Andru.” She held her hand out toward her

brother then turned and held her hand out to Beel. “Andru, this is Beel. He was among

the Tree People and apparently our papa has just brought him here.”

“It was your papa and another man, Torgo,” Beel added.

“Torgo is our uncle,” Andru said without emotion, still studying Beel. “Why were

you brought here?”

“They told me it was because I was Gothman. I thought I might be reunited with

my family or something—but I’ve been kept locked up.”

“Beel just asked for my help,” Ana told Andru. “I met him when I was with Roth.

He was Roth’s mama’s servant. Apparently, after I saw him there, Uncle Torgo and

Papa stole him away, or something.”

“Torgo and a woman, Syra, brought me to your papa,” Beel said quickly.

“But now he tells me they’ve kept him at some house and won’t let him go see

anyone. So he’s run away.”

“There are Gothman guards looking for me right now. I haven’t done anything

wrong. I just want to go somewhere and find work, maybe a home where I can go to

school.”

“How old are you?” Andru almost looked stern as he studied Beel. Ana thought she

felt mistrust.

“I am thirteen seasons old.”

Andru looked confused.

“He’s thirteen winters old,” Ana offered.

“Do you know who your parents are?” Andru caught sight of a large dog running

behind Ana and Beel toward the trees at the edge of the clan site. He turned quickly to

see the dog better and both Ana and Beel jumped and turned as well, obviously fearful

of being caught in this conversation. Andru turned and looked at both of them. “Sorry,

it was nothing.”

“The Barringswood tribe took me from the Lunians. They had no idea who my

parents were and I’ve lived with them all my life. I don’t think your papa or uncle know

who my parents are either.”

“Hmm.” Andru rubbed his chin and wondered what message Crator wanted him

to see in all this. Certainly that was why the dog-woman just ran past them. It was a

warning of some kind, an indication that his senses should be alert.

He and Gilroy spent a fair amount of time on the landlink researching the Tree

People. Torgo had compiled information and targeted paths that were easy for them to

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find and follow. They’d found a source that focused on laws and legends. It was the

unwritten law of right of first refusal that concerned him the most. If a man took a lady’s

virginity, he had the right to say whether he would claim her or not.

Could Roth be trying to take Ana’s virginity so he could claim her and her right to

lead the Runner clans? Andru had spent the past few hours praying in the Crator

temple over the meaning of this knowledge. Now, he’d come out of the temple and met

this boy. Was Beel the answer to his prayers somehow?

“Well, wandering around the clan site won’t do you any good,” Andru said, and

shoved his concerns to the side for the moment. He looked around the field once again

then back up the hill from where he’d come. Tara was standing outside the Crator

temple talking to one of the priests. “Great, Mama will be here in moments.” He

suddenly grabbed Beel’s arm. “Come with me. Ana go up and meet Mama and tell her I

went ahead and will meet you at the house for supper.”

* * * * *

“What did you do with him?” Ana whispered to her brother as they left the supper

table later that night. Their papa seemed grossly distracted and they assumed it was

because he couldn’t find Beel.

Andru didn’t answer her, but instead took her upstairs and down the hallway

toward the new addition where their bedrooms were. He opened his bedroom door and

then shut it behind him. Beel sat at Andru’s desk, studying several framed pictures of

Andru with his sister and another shot of their parents. The boy jumped when the door

opened and then let out a sigh of relief at the sight of them.

“Why do you think we look so much alike?” Beel asked quietly as Ana sat on the

edge of Andru’s bed and Andru perched on the corner of his desk.

“I think it’s quite possible we’re related in some way.” Andru’s answer made Ana

look up quickly.

“How would he be related to us?”

“I don’t know, but there’s no question he and I could be twins. If we were the same

age I’d swear we were triplets but obviously that’s not what happened.”

“What happened?” Beel gave Andru an odd look.

Andru waved his hand at the boy sitting next to him. “I don’t have all the answers

yet, but I will. Now, what we need to do at the moment is figure out where to put you

for the night.” He looked around his room, grimaced, then walked over and opened his

closet door. “It’s not the best accommodations and for that I apologize, but I have

enough extra blankets in here. Would you mind sleeping in the closet?”

Beel got up quickly and walked over to the large closet.

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Andru turned and faced him, momentarily blocking the entry to the small area.

“Before you go one step further, I want you to swear loyalty to me.”

Beel looked surprised, and Ana stared at her brother.

“Swear to follow me and to be loyal to all of Gothman. I will leave this room and go

downstairs to get my papa right now unless I’m assured you are in no way here to

endanger my nation.” Andru stood tall and almost shadowed the boy.

Beel pulled himself up and looked like a smaller replica of Andru. “I swear my

loyalty to you and all of Gothman,” he said seriously.

“Good.” Andru stepped to the side and handed Beel several blankets. “I daresay

you’ll obey me unconditionally.”

“I can do that.” Beel smiled.

Andru nodded but didn’t smile. Ana wondered when he’d mastered the skillful art

of being a leader. He acted just like their papa.

“Stay in there and don’t come out until I say you can.” Andru closed it quietly and

then guided his sister out of the room.

“Go to bed,” he said when they were in the hallway and outside her bedroom door.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going out for a while.”

Ana envied his ability to come and go as he wished. She knew she would fight off

aggressor after aggressor if she went out with her brother in the evening hours. It was

bad enough being around Andru’s friends in the daylight. She could protect herself

easily but she’d heard stories of several of the Gothman boys ganging up on some of the

girls who dared to go out at night. There was no way a girl could fight all of them off.

“I want to talk to you first.”

He nodded and slipped into her bedroom after her.

“Andru, I want you to talk to Roth.”