Read Alien Chronicles 3 - The Crystal Eye for Free Online

gambled and sniffed dust.
    Growling to himself, Elrabin opened his eyes and faced them all. His grip tightened on the weapon, and he tucked it grimly into his pocket. He was no killer, never had been. But he could do what he had to, if it meant survival for himself or those whom he loved. And he loved Ampris, as a friend, as family, in a way that Velia still could not understand. Ampris would want him to take care of the group and her cubs, but Elrabin knew that Ampris was an excellent leader, the best they could ever have. Without her, the group would suffer.
    He met Paket’s gaze. “We’re going after her.”
    Approval filled the old Kelth’s eyes, and he nodded at Elrabin, who felt relief at having made the right decision.
    But Velia’s eyes grew stormy. “Fool,” she said sharply. “I might as well start mourning now.”
    He didn’t want to argue with her in front of the others. Embarrassed, he gestured for her to step aside with him. Taking her inside the shadowy interior of their small shelter, he ducked his head to keep his ears from brushing the roof poles and cradled Velia’s muzzle between his hands.
    “Have a little faith in me,” he said softly, his hurt evident in his voice. “I been around a long time, see? I can take care of myself.”
    Her hands gripped his, and her breath puffed warm against his palms. “But who will take care of me if I lose you?”
    “You ain’t going to lose me,” he said.
    She whined softly. “I am afraid for you. You take terrible risks, and I cannot live without you.”
    His heart softened and he gave her a gentle lick between her ears. “Ampris would do the same for me.”
    “But she has no family, no—”
    “She has her sons.”
    Velia pulled back her head in scorn. “Those creatures! They are monsters—”
    “Hush,” he said, gripping one hand around her muzzle and giving her a tiny shake. “That ain’t Ampris’s fault. And that ain’t got nothing to do with the problem in front of us right now. Time’s getting away. I gotta go.”
    She clung to him, holding him tight as she wept against his chest. Sighing, Elrabin circled her with his arms. How he’d hoped that with time, Velia would grow stronger, would find courage. But at every crisis she fell apart. He knew she’d been badly abused before he met her, but at times like this he felt powerless to help her. Ampris kept saying that he should give Velia time. But right now he had to go.
    “Here,” he said softly, digging into his capacious pockets. He pulled out a plump grain head and placed it in Velia’s hand.
    She stopped weeping and pulled away from him. “Food!” she said in astonishment, her tears forgotten. “But I thought you failed. Why didn’t you tell us at once you had some food? Robuhl has been crying. Twice today I grew dizzy and thought I would faint. Tantha has been half-wild with hunger.”
    Elrabin shifted away, uncomfortable. He thought about the numerous basketloads of grain Ampris had concealed behind the shed. They would have feasted beyond their imaginings tonight if all had gone as planned.
    Instead, here they were with the scant amount he could stuff into his pockets as he’d run like a coward from the first sign of trouble.
    “Never underestimate me, my love,” Elrabin said. He pulled out three more heads, each one of them large and heavy. “If you can stretch ’em right, there should be enough to feed everyone tonight.”
    “Oh!” Velia said, cradling them happily in her arms. “I have some chuffie roots that Tantha found this morning, and there are still a few greens. If I use the last of the pepfrike for seasoning, and boil these until they can be mashed, I can—”
    To stop his mouth from watering, he slid his muzzle against hers in a final caress and ducked out of the shelter.
    Blinking in the light, he saw that Paket had taken the opportunity to fill a water skin and sling it across his crooked shoulders by a leather cord. The old Kelth had armed himself