Omega Games Read Online Free PDF Page A

stay small for long. Fasala, Marel’s favorite playmate and the only ClanDaughter of our friends, Salo and Darea Torin, already stood six feet tall.
    “Small females are faster than large ones,” I told her. “Their size slows them down; they can never catch us.”
    She giggled and then sighed. “I like the silver grass and the way the plants sing, too. And ClanUncle Xonea smiles at everyone here.”
    Her ClanUncle would not be smiling when he discovered that someone was hunting me.
    “I am glad.” I bent down and kissed her brow, concealing the fear I felt for my child. My former self had eradicated all material evidence of our daughter’s existence in order to protect her, but if they had found me here on Joren, they might well find her. Before I left, I whispered one of the old Iisleg charms to her. “Dream of rain, daughter.”
    Reever chose to sit and tell Marel stories until she fell asleep, so I went out to the front room and prepared two servers of Omorr tea. I didn’t like Jorenian brews, which were far too sweet, or the bitter, dark teas my husband favored. Squilyp’s mate, Garphawayn, had given me a mellow, Omorr blend that tasted faintly of mint and spice; it was one of the few teas that Reever and I both found palatable.
    Two small, four-legged felines emerged from under the table and came to stand before me. One was a large silver-furred male with luminous blue eyes, named Jenner after an ancient Terran physician my former self had idolized. The other, his black-furred mate, inspected me with her gold-green gaze. Reever called her Juliette.
    I had wanted to kill them and eat them, several times. I was not permitted to slay living things for food, however, and the ensleg were especially fond of living things they called “pets.” Reever convinced me that the two cats were harmless, and provided much entertainment and companionship for him and Marel. I still did not trust them; the felines on my world did not entertain or keep company with people. They were usually too busy ripping out their throats and feeding on their dead bodies.
    “I know the child fed you after our meal,” I advised them. “You cannot be hungry.”
    Jenner rubbed his head against my leg and uttered a deep yowl, as if to say, Your ankles seem appetizing.
    “You should be out hunting your own food.” I eyed Juliette, who chimed in with a higher, more plaintive sound. Her little belly seemed to hang lower than the last time I had looked at her. I reached down to slide my hand under her, feeling a small, clustered mass inside her abdomen. “Do not tell me you are . . .” I took a scanner out of my medical case and passed it over her, and groaned when it detected five distinct heartbeats; one strong, four faint. “How did this happen?”
    Jenner plopped down on his haunches next to his mate and showed me his sharp little teeth as he yawned. How do you think it happened?
    We had just found homes for the felines’ last litter; now there would be another. I uttered the most vicious Iisleg obscenities I could think of under my breath as I took out a container of the dried, smelly bits of protein our daughter called “cat snacks” and opened the lid.
    “I should make a snack out of you,” I told the felines as I dropped a handful on the floor between them.
    “You agreed not to kill the pets.” My husband came up behind me and encircled my waist with his arms. “The tea smells good. So do you.”
    Since leaving Akkabarr, I had been obliged to follow the ensleg custom of cleansing my body at least once a day. Such self-indulgence had never been possible on my homeworld, as drinking and cooking used up most of the meltwater. At first Reever forced me to bathe so often I thought my skin would peel off, but I quickly became accustomed to the curious sensation of being clean all over every day.
    “The female has something in her belly.” I turned around, pressing myself shamelessly against him as I sought the comfort of his