Bid of a Space Tyrant Volume 1: Refugee by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers, Anthony
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

little sister! If I let her die when any action of mine could save her, how could I even endure myself?

I tried to use my talent to determine the intentions of the men, but I simply had not interacted with them enough to judge. I. could not tell to what extent they were bluffing.

“I will buy her life,” my mother decided.

The crewman smiled. I started climbing down into the Commons, going through the hole in the netting and using one of the guy ropes that held the netting in place so that I would not sail down sidewise and attract unwanted attention.

“No!” Helse hissed. “Don’t do it, Hope! You can do nothing except make it worse!”

I paused, knowing she was right. Yet how could I remain idle while my mother prostituted herself to save my little sister?

While I debated this, hanging on to the guy rope, my other sister, Faith, approached me. She had put on makeup and arranged her luxuriant hair, and looked like a goddess. She wore a rather tight skirt and blouse. The half rations seemed not to have diminished her at all; probably she accepted them as just another diet. “I can’t let this happen,” she said.

A new horror gripped me. “Faith, stay out of it!”

She met my gaze. “You understand, Hope.”

The terrible thing was that I did understand. Faith felt she had nothing to lose; now she could redeem her lost honor in some measure by saving her mother and sister from this awful dilemma.

“You promised, Hope,” she reminded me.

I could not say her nay, though I hated every aspect of this. Slowly, unwillingly, I nodded.

Faith made a tiny quirk of a smile. I had, in my fashion, given permission, and this was a thing she required. I had implicated myself in the decision, and would have to defend it. I was sending her in to be raped-again.

Faith took a breath and walked up to the men. She was slender and full and lovely and young, standing out like a beacon amidst gloom, and in a moment all their eyes were locked on her. It was obvious that none of these men would choose any older woman if he had a chance at this young one. I could appreciate the feeling myself, shamed as I was by the thought; / would choose a girl like Faith instead of a woman like my mother. God! What abominations infested my thoughts!

“How many children can I buy?” Faith asked them softly.

“Faith!” my mother exclaimed, shocked.

“Better me than you, Mother,” Faith replied. “I am already lost; you must care for the family.” And Charity Hubris could not deny her, any more than I could.

Faith turned back to the men, breathing deeply-and when she did that, she was spectacular. “How many?”

“All of them,” the officer said, impressed. “Given time.” His gaze flicked to a lieutenant beside him. “See to the valuables.”

Chapter 11 SACRIFICE

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BioofaSpaceTyrant

“No,” Faith said. “You shall not rob us also.”

“No?” The officer seemed amused.

“Take me-on your ship. Nothing else.”

“Faith!” my mother repeated.

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