by S. J. Bryant
CHAPTER TWENTY
Aart snatched Nova's arm and pulled her to the side of The Jagged Maw's cafeteria. "Nova, they're onto us."
"What do you mean?" Nova's stomach clenched, she'd been so looking forward to a break, but the panic in Aart's eyes said that wasn't likely.
"The Confederacy. They've found out about us, that we're still here."
"What? How?"
Aart shrugged. "They must have tracked us or something. Either way, we don't have much time left."
"What the hell are we supposed to do? Gather another army?"
"I don't think that will work this time. Here, Jack's waiting for you on Tanguin's communicator."
Nova ripped her arm free and sprinted down the corridor. Her heart pounded against her ribs, straining to break free. She pelted around the corner and skidded to a stop inside Tanguin's room.
Jack's face filled the screen covering one wall. He looked ten years older than when Nova had last seen him on Drigoon. Sweat dribbled down his pale face and he kept glancing over his shoulder, flinching at every sound.
"Nova!" he said.
"Jack. What's going on?"
"I don't have much time. Something's stirring here. I could be shot for even thinking about talking to you, but I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. They've got video of you, and Aart, and the others, breaking into Quadrant Two Headquarters. They've labelled you terrorists. At this second just about every Confederacy soldier in the universe is looking for you."
Nova bit her lip. "We'll run, same as before."
Jack shook his head. "That won't work this time. They've managed to get your bio-imprint from the debris in Quadrant Two. They can chase you anywhere, and they mean to make an example."
Nova's stomach dropped. With a bio-imprint there was nowhere she or her companions could hide. Her own DNA would give her away as soon as anyone scanned her.
Something behind Jack clattered and his head whipped up. "Gotta go."
His screen went black and Nova's heart leapt into her throat.
"Do you think…" Aart began.
"He's fine," Nova said, refusing to consider the other possibility.
Tanguin's pale face looked up at them from where she sat, knees under her chin, on her bed. "They're coming."
Nova slammed her fist into the wall. "Grishnak!"
"It'll take them a while to get a full lock on us," Aart said. "We've got to find a way to get free by then."
"You can't just get free of a bio-imprint," Tanguin said, voice shaking.
Nova collapsed onto the bed next to Tanguin. "We've gotta break the border."
Aart rolled his eyes. "I really don't think now is the time to get lost in your fantasy of getting to the far outers."
"I'm serious," Nova said. "Past the border is the only place the Confederacy won't chase us."
"Yeah. Because it's impossible to get past."
Nova shook her head and leaned forward. "Not impossible. That mob operation does it all the time, and the Confederacy ships get past it somehow. If we stay here we're putting everyone in The Jagged Maw at risk, it's our only option."
Aart gritted his teeth. "Nova, I think there are better—"
"No. There's not. The border is the only thing that'll keep us safe from a bio-imprint. I'm going. You can either come with me, or you can stay on this side and spend the rest of your – short – life running."
"I don't even know how we'd start to get past it."
"We ask someone who's already doing it."
Aart's eyebrows flew up. "You mean the mob boss?"
"Mason Carter, yes. I've been meaning to speak to him for a while, I guess now's as good a time as any."
"Gee, that sounds great, Nova, except that he's got life imprisonment on Ankar."
"Then that's where I'm going," Nova said, her heart fluttering in her throat.
"You're going to break into prison?"
"No, that would be ridiculous. I'm going to get caught." Nova's chest tightened and every breath hurt but she refused to let the fear show on her face. "Call the others. We need to tell them what's happening and come up with a plan."
When Aart left, Nova shivered. A cold shard of fear pierced through her spine and lodged itself in her heart. Getting sent to Ankar was like putting her own head in the noose. She just hoped she lived long enough to look back and laugh about it.
Nova's Journey Continues…
Ankar. A prison moon from which no one's ever escaped.
Nova. Alone, unarmed, and out-numbered.
Somehow she has to convince the toughest mob boss in the Quadrant to give up his biggest secret, and escape the inescapable, or face certain death at the hands of the Confederacy.
It will take wits, guts, and nerves of steel - and even that may not be enough.
Book Eight: Prisoner
Find out more at:
www.saffronbryant.com/books/prisoner
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Find all of Saffron's Books At:
www.saffronbryant.com/books
The Lost Child Saga - An Epic Fantasy Series
The Fallen Star
The Herald of Darkness
The Hordes of Anarchy
The Nova Chronicles
Survivor
Pilgrim
Hunter
Gambler
Justice
Junkie
Adventurer
Prisoner
Stranger
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Saffron Bryant was born on the 17th December 1990 in a small town in North Queensland. In 2010 she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After extensive, life-saving surgery she returned to her home in Queensland to recover and finish The Fallen Star. She received a Bachelor of Biomedical Science in 2011.
Saffron has been interested in fantasy and science fiction writing from a very young age, writing her first story at the age of seven. She has always been fascinated by fantasy stories and has a passion for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Saffron currently lives in Sydney with her partner Michael Lee where she is completing her PhD in chemistry.
Connect with Saffron:
WEBSITE: www.saffronbryant.com
EMAIL: [email protected]
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