Twin Dragons: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 7 Read Online Free PDF Page A

head. “No, most of the miners
were Tiliqua. The Mining Manager liked to have smaller inmates. He
said that they were easier to manage and ate less. The Bastard was
cheap. He worked the two-headed creatures until they dropped. Then…
then he fed their remains to the Pactors. There were a few other
species, but none any bigger than me.”
    “You said there was just you and a boy
left?” Creon asked, glancing toward the dark tunnel behind Cal.
    “Yeah. Listen, if what you say is true, you
know about my planet. I… I want to take the boy back. He… he’s
young. This is no place for him,” Cal said, waving his right hand
out. “We just want to go home to our farm and forget all this ever
happened.”
    Creon heard the slightly desperate plea in
the old man’s voice. His thoughts turned to Carmen. He had a better
understanding and appreciation for the man’s desire to protect and
care for his family now that he had one to call his own.
    “I will do what I can to return you and the
boy to your world, but I can make no promises right now. You
understand that if I do, you cannot mention anything about what has
happened,” Creon said. He held up his hand to stop the old man when
he started to speak. “It will also be a short time before I can
consider it. We are on a mission that must be completed first.”
    “I don’t care as long as you think about
taking us back home,” Cal muttered. “Neither Mel nor I would say a
word. The folks back home would think we were crazy if we did. We
just want to be left alone to live our lives in peace.”
    *.*.*
    Melina pressed back against the rough stone
running along the sides of the tunnel and gently rubbed the small
Pactor’s nose as she waited in the darkness. She closed her eyes
and embraced the inky atmosphere. The young Pactor seemed to sense
her fear and nibbled on the rough, threadbare material of her
shirt.
    “It’s okay,” she whispered as she rested her
forehead against the animal. “I won’t let anything happen to
you.”
    A tremor ran through her as the cooler air
in the shaft and the rock behind her back easily absorbed through
the thin fabric of her clothing. She was wearing the ‘newest’
discards from some of the other prisoners. She refused to think
about what might have happened to the previous owner.
    Tears burned her eyes when she thought of
everything that had happened over the past four years. Drawing in a
silent, calming breath, she pushed back the tears. They were a
waste of time and precious energy.
    If whoever had landed on the asteroid didn’t
kill her and her grandfather, starvation and lack of water would in
a few weeks. Hopelessness swept through her as she leaned her head
back against the rocky surface behind her. The only ones left on
the asteroid were her, her grandfather, and the lame Pactor. The
six other prisoners that had been left had died over the past two
months from a combination of killing each other and illness.
    She straightened when she heard voices
echoing further down the tunnel. Her grandfather was talking to
someone. Melina was torn between going to his side and following
his directions. The Pactor must have sensed her indecision because
it pushed her back against the wall and moved between her and the
direction of her grandfather.
    She didn’t care what horrible things all the
prisoners said about the creatures, they were intelligent and very
loyal if treated right. She had learned a lot about the strange,
alien equivalent of a workhorse over the last few years. The
Pactors she cared for and her grandfather had been her only
companions since they were taken from their farm back on Earth. She
jerked when she heard her grandfather’s voice call out to her.
    “Mel! Come here, boy,” Cal yelled. “It’s
safe.”
    Melina shivered again as she straightened.
‘Safe’ was a matter of opinion. The fact that her grandfather
called her a boy was enough to warn her that all was not as it
seemed, or at least her grandfather