Lady of the Star Wind Read Online Free PDF

irregular intervals. The pendant suspended from the other necklace was black, flecked with gold, but identical in shape. With one hand she lifted the lavender necklace off the hook, pausing for a long moment to see if anything happened.  
    Lights flickered on in the hallway and she heard a sound as if machinery was whirring into life. Gripping the blaster, she set off to explore the place. Realizing she couldn’t afford to have both hands full if she had to defend herself, she bent her head to loop the necklace over her hair. Working one-handed was awkward, and the key tangled in her messy chignon, but eventually she got the chain settled properly, pendant dangling between her breasts.  
    A single short corridor extended from their point of entry. There were two closed doors on the right-hand side, and two open entrances on the left, beyond the bedroom where Mark lay oblivious, snoring. The room next to the bedroom struck her as possibly being a bathroom, with an odd fixture in the far corner and a sunken area like a tub in the opposite corner, although she couldn’t find a way to draw water. Some basins at waist height might have been sinks. Deciding not to experiment further, she went to the next open room, pleasantly surprised to find a massive table, made from stone like everything else here. There were thirty ovals and squares of lighter stone, ranging in color from blue to green, set into the far wall. “Controls maybe? Or storage cabinets?” Sandy waved the key at the closest one, but nothing happened.
    Frustrated, she walked into the hall. Why had she and Mark been so quick to trust Lajollae? Maybe I could have negotiated with Barent. If Mark didn’t kill him first. Her stomach rumbled, and she decided to check his kitbag for something to eat.  
    Sure enough, there were energy bars in one side pocket. Wandering to the bedroom, she sat on the side of the bed, munching on the relatively tasteless item. She derived comfort from proximity to Mark, even if he was unconscious. Being virtually alone unsettled her. An Imperial Princess of the Outlier Empire was surrounded by guards, courtiers, servants, all of whom were supposed to carry out her slightest wish. Give their lives for hers. Even at Portuc’s house on Freemarket, there’d been a maid. His personal guards had watched over her wherever Portuc escorted her, ineffectual though the men might have been. The constant surveillance chafed, but at least someone was always there if needed. Sandy took a deep breath. Here, there was only her. Even Mark, indomitable as he was, had to rely on her at the moment.
    No longer hungry, she folded the remaining third of the bar into its packaging. Fingering the key, she eyed the hallway. Taking a moment to check Mark’s pulse and respiration, she grabbed the blaster and forced herself to walk to the hall and face the other doors. A humming noise attracted her attention, because the whole place had been so silent from the moment she’d arrived. Realizing the sound emanated from behind the door at the end of the hall, she felt hopeful as she walked to it. No indentation or other sign provided an indication where the key necklace might fit. Berating herself for expecting anything so simplistic to work, she waved the key at the door, pressed the lavender to various spots on the slab, and finally retreated in frustration. Hands on her hips, she resisted the urge to kick the offending door.
    All right then, time to explore the remaining doors, if doors they actually were, on the right side of the hall. She waved the key at the first, not really expecting any result, and jumped sideways, blaster raised, as the portal slid noiselessly aside. Inky blackness loomed on the other side of the threshold. Tiptoeing, she crept to the edge of the door and stuck one foot inside. Lights sprang to life, startling her again. The illumination revealed a capacious space, completely empty. Squinting, she saw another door at the far end. After a