Born of Sand (Tales of a Dying Star Book 5) Read Free Page B

the Melisao."
    Mira took a bite from her bread. Though stale, to her pleasure she found it hearty, without any hint of sawdust having been added to the dough. She gestured with the other half of the roll. "You may be a green-eyed Praetari like me, but you surely work for the Melisao. Why else would you come after me for stealing?" She looked around the room. "I've never seen the inside of one of their prison cells, but this is what I'd imagine they look like."
    "This is not a Melisao prison cell. This--"
    He cut off as someone banged three times on the metal door behind him. He responded with one knock from his side, and the door opened with a squeal of rusted hinges.
    She shielded her eyes from the blinding light, and when she removed her hand a new man stood in the doorway next to Farrow. Scrawny and tall, his dark hair was tied in eight thin braids that ran down past his shoulders. His eyes were blue.
    Blue eyes.
    Melisao .
    "Bind her," said the new man.
    Farrow approached and bent, pulling her arms behind her and wrapping them together. "Why did you even bother lying?" Mira asked. "At least be true to yourself. Don't pretend you're not a dog for the Empire when it's true for all to see."
    The new man bellowed laughter.
    "Shut up, Spider," Farrow said. He glanced back at Mira, said, "Be honest," and left the room. The door closed behind him, and then she and Spider were alone.
    She hadn't noticed the object in his hand. Suddenly it crackled to life, a red laser arcing between two prongs. Some sort of electric prod.
    The room glowed red in the flickering light.
    "Scrawny bitch," he said in a deep voice that did not match his slenderness.
    It was a strange juxtaposition. Out on the sand she had been ready to die. Eager for it, even. She'd made her peace and accepted her fate and had surrendered to the inevitable. Even when snatched by Farrow she clung to that expectation, so near to the end, waiting for the release. Farrow would kill her, or a sand monster would get them, or they would perish before returning to the city. Wandering the desert had changed her, drained away all that she was and left her with the hollow shell of a woman who had nothing for which to live.
    Real or not, seeing that spaceship rising out of the sand had reminded her that she could escape. Food and water renewed her desire to live. She was not alone. There were other people. And somewhere, her daughters still lived.
    And then Farrow replaced Spider, who watched her the way those carrion birds had watched her in the desert. Calm and hungry. Mira tensed on her cot, arms now bound behind her back.
    "How did you find this place?" he asked, scratching his thumb against his thigh, making a scraping sound against his rough tan pants.
    "What?" Mira blurted. The question didn't make sense. "I didn't find anything. You found me, and brought me here."
    Spider stared at her, fingers scratching back and forth.
    "I wandered out into the desert to die. I was ready. I laid down on the hot sand and surrendered, and that's when Farrow found me."
    "You saw him coming," Spider said, gesturing with the electric prod. "Laid down, came up with that story. A bad story. You steadfast lovers think because you're dumb, everyone else will be too. But I can smell your lies. They hang over you like a stink."
    He sniffed the air, then looked back down with a half-smile, half-snarl.
    Steadfast lover? Mira didn't even know what a steadfast was. "I've admitted my crime to Farrow. I stole credits from an electroid factory. I did it for my daughters, to buy them passage off the planet." She ignored the fear and stuck her chin out proudly. "I regret nothing. I would do it a thousand times again, if given the chance. Nothing you do can change that, now."
    Spider laughed deeply. "Your story changes already. Sure, Farrow told us everything. He said you admitted to helping the Empire, to ensure the safety of your daughters. That you came out here to spy on our compound for