ROGUE PRINCESS (Sample Chapters)

Chapter Three

Aidan didn't have time to reply to the female pilot before his back rammed into something hard. The pull of gravity kept him in place as the ship powered forward. Through the windshield he saw the opening of the landing bay grow bigger at an alarming rate.

"Oh no!" The pilot jumped up and clambered her way to the control panel. She strapped herself in and started to manically press buttons and flick switches.

Just as the ship freed itself from the landing bay there was a moment of gliding; then the nose of the craft dipped at a terrifying angle. Aidan's stomach twisted. The sky was replaced with a blur of darker colors as the ship began to plummet. He tumbled from the back of the ship, slamming into the copilot's chair. The pilot had her hands on the control stick, but she was still leaning forward.

"Pull up!" Aidan cried out. "We're going to crash!"

"Are you mad?" she asked. "Secure yourself in the chair!"

Aidan noticed her voice was laced with annoyance instead of fear.

He could only stare out the window, gripping the sides of the chair to keep from falling into the front glass. They were heading straight for Black Lake, the water that surrounded the base of the palace. A crash at this speed would be like hitting steel itself.

Aidan heard his mother's voice, ". . . always safe."

Then at once, he was lifted as the pressure of the dive eased away. He slumped to the floor as the ship leveled off, sucking in gasps of air, amazed he was still alive.

"Secure yourself," she ordered him again. "Unless you have a death wish."

Yes, ma'am.

Shaking, Aidan crawled into the copilot's position and pulled the straps over his shoulders. He took in the scenery and was lost for words. They were barely skimming the water, a trick he wouldn't even try on his sky dodger.

His earlier panic was replaced with awe as the pilot eased up on the controls enough to slip over the embankment, clearing the high wall. Once they were over this last safety perimeter of the palace, the urban part of the kingdom came into view.

Most of the manors in this area were raised on massive stilts, creating whole new neighborhoods in the sky. He stared enviously as the ship glided over the sparkling buildings. The lush greenery of the gardens and decorative shrubs was a stark contrast to Aidan's home.

He was more familiar with the Dark District below, and its dim streets. The housing units built side by side reached for the sky—but not high enough to escape the shadow of the larger, more expensive neighborhoods above them. The kingdom was one of varying heights, built on stilts when land ran out. The higher your home, the higher your rank in society. The twin suns always shone on those at the top.

Gazing at the magnificent homes, Aidan was reminded of the in- credible risk he'd taken, a lowly chore boy for the palace had no place inside a Queen's Guard ship. He snuck a peek at the pilot. Her visor was still down, but he could tell by her grip on the steering stick that she was comfortable in this machine. Still, he noticed the rise and fall of her chest, and saw she was breathing faster than him.

He cleared his throat and tried his hand at a casual tone. "My stop is coming up. Perhaps at the next clearing you can—"

An alarm sounded on the radar. The pilot cursed, something he couldn't quite make out.

"Hold on!" she said, pulling the controls sharply to the left. The ship dipped into darkness, disappearing under the broad platforms of the stately homes. The pilot twisted side to side, sending them into a dizzying slalom around the steel risers. Aidan saw on the radar that two larger ships were closing in on them.