The sky is a lonely shade of cobalt, the color of television spied through the windows of an ex-lover.
Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed has been a finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards. His fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, IGMS, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clockwork Phoenix 2, PodCastle, and other venues. His fantasy novel Throne of the Crescent Moon is available from DAW books. His website is saladinahmed.com.
The Faithful Soldier, Prompted
If I die on this piece-of-shit road, Lubna’s chances die with me. Ali leveled his shotgun at the growling tiger. In the name of God, who needs no credit rating, let me live! Even when he’d been a soldier, Ali hadn’t been very religious. But facing death brought the old invocations to mind.