Priestess of the Eggstone by Jaleta Clegg Read Free Book Online Page A

Leon.”
    “Uhhh.” Leon drooled under the table.
    “We show them the stunner he used on us and Patrol goons will laugh themselves silly as they march us off to prison. You knew about the smuggling all along, didn’t you? How much is Belliff paying you?”
    “Barely more than I’m paying you. I knew nothing about the smuggling.”
    “Then you’re either stupid or naive or both.”
    “What about you? You’re the one with an entire species chasing you. I’m just going to get us arrested. You’re going to get us killed!”
    “You’re doing a good enough job of that without my help!”
    We stood nose to nose in the narrow aisle.
    Leon squirmed. “Can you be quiet? I’ve got a splitting headache.” He stretched across the cabin floor, his head under the table, his legs folded next to the locker under the bunk.
    “That’s your own stupid fault.” I used my foot to shove him back under the table. He moaned loudly.
    “Why didn’t we just stay on Viya?” Jerimon ignored Leon. “So the Patrol locks us up for a while and asks us questions. Eventually we go free.”
    “Unless the Sessimoniss kill us first.” I glared at Jerimon. “You have an awful lot of faith in the good will of the Patrol.”
    “And you’re too suspicious of them. What are you hiding?”
    “Where are we going? Freeport?” Leon sounded desperate to end our quarrel.
    “Tebros,” I answered.
    Leon huddled farther under the table. “Bad, bad,” he muttered.
    “What’s so bad about Tebros?” I kicked him, but not very hard. It was like kicking a sock puppet; pitiful but not quite sympathetic.
    Leon shook his head, muttering under his breath.
    “We’ll get it out of him later.” Jerimon pushed me toward the tiny cargo bay, stepping over Leon’s twitching legs.
    “Don’t push me.”
    “Let’s look in those crates. Then we can try to figure out how to get out of this mess you got us into.”
    “Me? Leon did it. And I thought you wanted to leave them sealed, Jerimon.”
    “Leon had lots of your help. You didn’t have to activate the engines.” He pushed me against the wall, leaning past to hit the door controls.
    I squirmed. He was too close. I backed into the cargo bay as the door opened. “What about the mess you got me into?”
    “So we’re even.” He followed me inside. The door slid shut behind him. “Which one do you want to open first?”
    I unhooked the net over the larger crates, deliberately putting space between us. He was even better looking when he was angry. “How about one of these?” I set one on the floor.
    Jerimon unhooked the clipboard with the manifest sheet from the wall. “What number is it?”
    I turned the box around until I found the label.
    “Should be spare machinery parts,” he said as he checked the manifest.
    “It’s heavy enough. I need something to cut the seal.” I rummaged through the tool locker.
    “Do you want help with that?” He hung the clipboard back on the wall.
    “I’ve got it.” I pulled a screwdriver from its slot, slamming the locker door shut as I turned back to the carton. Jerimon stood in my way. I tried to back up but I had nowhere to go. The cargo bay was too small. “You’ll have to move.”
    “Where?” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
    The ship lurched. I stumbled and fell right into Jerimon’s arms. I stared into his blue eyes, my heart racing. He had a funny look and I suddenly thought about kissing. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. I put my hands on the wall on either side of him and pushed. His arms tightened around me. The door slid open, spilling us into the cabin. Alarms buzzed. The engines whined.
    “I think that’s an important noise, isn’t it? Something’s broken in the engine.” Worry wrinkled Leon’s face. He’d wriggled out from under the table and to his feet.
    I said a bad word and scrambled for the cockpit, knocking him onto the bunk in my hurry.
    Jerimon was right behind me as I dropped into the pilot’s seat. The