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.
"Hit the auxiliary jets!" she yelled at him.
The control board was massive, and nothing looked familiar to him. "What? Which button?" he said, panicked.
"The blue one!"
There was a multitude of blue buttons on the control panel in front of him. "Which blue one?"
The radar alarm continued to sound. The ships behind them were within shooting range.
"The largest one, you lunk!"
"They're all large!" Aidan made a split-second decision and slammed his fist on one of the buttons. The steel supports flew by in a rush of gray.
With a jubilant shout, she sent the ship even deeper into the shadows, closer to the land's surface. They weren't far from the Dark District. Aidan pictured them slamming into a row of greasy shacks with nothing left but a pile of smoking ash.
But the pilot adapted quickly and kept them in the air, barely missing the plasma train tracks that crisscrossed above the darkened neighborhoods. Aidan hung on to the safety straps over his shoulders. The radar became silent, proving the larger ships were unable to chase them in such a tight space. She altered the speed and soon they were gliding comfortably. The gentle hum of the cruising engines filled the space between them.
After a few heartbeats of silence she said, "Are you all right?"
"I'm not sure. Is it normal to have your stomach and heart occupying the same space in your throat?"
She made a sound of vague irritation behind her visor. Soon, the Dark District disappeared behind them. Aidan knew what came next: the tangled forest and then the canyon.
"So," she began. "What are you doing on a ship if you don't know how to fly?"
"That's classified," he said. "And I might ask why someone from the Queen's Guard is being chased by other Queen's Guards?"
She turned to him, and even though her visor was still down he guessed she was trying to read his mind.
"I could tell by the radar," he explained. "It identified both ships." When she turned back to the window he said, "Must be quite a scan- dal. I'm guessing you're flying solo as a result of your need to die in a ball of flames. Is that why you have no copilot?" The tops of the thorny trees reached up from below.
She stayed quiet.
"Nice day for a flight through the country," he said, taking in the view. "I love this ship, actually. I must look into getting one for my- self." With the adrenaline kick easing away, a calmness settled inside his chest. The forest began to give way to thatch shrubbery.
Aidan noticed the speed drop. The pilot wordlessly eased them down into a rare clearing, just at the edge of the tangled wood. She pressed a button and the back hatch lifted open.
"Are we picking someone up? Maybe a long lost copilot of yours?" he wiggled his eyebrows for effect.
She nodded to the door and then looked back at him.
"Honestly, your communication skills are holding you back," he said. "Also your need to remain anonymous is a bit troubling. Is that why you were thrown out of the Guard?" He snapped his fingers. "That's it! You have an unmistakable rebellious air about you." He dropped his voice and leaned closer. "I hope I'm right, because that makes you a whole lot more interesting."
"You talk too much," she said.
"Only when I'm right." He leaned back, gesturing at the expanse in front of them. "I can see it now. You're a flying ace who soared to the top of your class, but you can't stand the constraints of working for the queen. I get it . . . truly, I do. Must be tough living in all the sunshine and opulence."
She let out a long sigh as if weighing her next words. Finally she said, "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not a pilot, I'm a member of the court. And even though it's none of your business, I'm hoping to avoid marriage."
"By stealing a ship?" he asked. "Sounds like you're running away."
"Not exactly, but . . . yes, in a way, I suppose."
Aidan blinked a few times, trying to digest this bombshell. The day was full of surprises. "This fellow you have to marry," he began. "Is he another member of the court?"
"He is royalty, yes."
"Is he cruel? Unbearably disgusting to look at or something?" "No," she said, although her voice was uncertain. "I don't think so." He tried to study her body language. It always served him useful when trying to gauge which pocket to pick, but this woman was impossible to read. "Hmm . . . forced to live in luxury with someone who is neither nasty nor lowly in appearance," he said. "Yes, I can understand why you'd want to run away from that nightmare."
Her helmet mimicked a thoughtful gesture by tilting to the side. "Who are you?" she asked. "I don't recall seeing you before. How did you get access to the landing bay?"
"Sorry," he shook his head apologetically. "That's classified."
"At least six new ships arrived at the palace last night." Her posture straightened. "You were on one of them, weren't you?" She pointed her finger at him. "You're one of the princes rivaling for Princess Delia! How dare you carry on without telling me who you are!"
"She wishes," he snorted. Then he waved a hand at his modest out- fit. The simple pants and collared jacket were hardly royal attire. Still, he silently expressed a small amount of gratitude that even though he was dressed like a palace chore boy, he wasn't covered in rubbish stains, which most days he usually was.
He pictured the prince's fancy uniform with the brass buttons, wishing he'd taken the jacket as well as the dagger.
The dagger! An idea started to form.
"You're right," he said, dipping his chin, feigning guilt. "I arrived on one of the ships last night, but as a worker, not a guest. After all, what kind of prince worth vying for our future queen wouldn't travel without his own trusted . . ." Then he paused—she said she was escaping!
"How far exactly are you planning to go in this ship?" He smiled, hoping it looked charming. "It would be a shame not to let it stretch its legs. Let's see how fast you can get this machine going! How about another planet? I'm quite handy to have around, plus I can pay you." Would she take the dagger as payment?
The pilot remained silent.
He tried another tactic. "And don't take this the wrong way," he continued with an alternate line of persuasion. "But someone travel- ing the galaxy alone is at risk and, if I may add, hints at unpopularity. You need protection."
"Protection?"
"Absolutely." He smiled again, putting a hand to his chest. "I come highly recommended. My family has been protecting royalty for gen- erations." He even had a fancy dagger to prove it!
There was a gasp from behind the visor. Then she mumbled a few words under her breath that Aidan was quite certain were curses. "You're a bodyguard?"
He held up his hand as if taking an oath, pleased she'd helped him out with this brilliant lie. "One of the best in all the Four Quadrants." "Then why are you on this ship? I'm assuming the job description of a bodyguard is to guard another body."
The smile froze on Aidan's face. He gave himself a mental slap. "Er, the truth is . . . my prince is absolutely awful. I loathe him so much I fear that I might kill him myself. In fact, he should have a bodyguard to guard him from me."
"Which prince?" The tone of her voice hinted she already knew the answer.
"I can't say," he whispered. "It's classified. Plus, I'm hoping to es- cape with you, so what's the difference anyway?"
"That's not going to happen," she replied smartly.
"I completely understand your hesitation," he lied. "And I promise we can talk all about it once we get to whichever planet we're escaping to." He put his attention back on the control panel. "Now, which button gets us back in the air?"
"You're not coming with me," she said. "I appreciate your situa- tion, but I have bigger problems to deal with."
"You mean the handsome and rich fellow you're being forced to marry?"
A small nervous laugh escaped from her. "My mother would like you," she said. "She thinks I lack passion."
"I doubt anyone who's ever met you would underestimate your passion. Certainly not anyone who has ever flown with you." Then he frowned at her. "Sorry, who is your mother again?" he asked, as if he knew any women at all.
She gestured at the open door again. "You need to leave."
"You're letting me off here? This close to Pirate's Canyon?!"
"So?"
"So that means there are pirates close by." He stared back at her incredulously. "Obviously you've never encountered them. Then again, most people don't get a chance to talk about them since most of them don't survive the first encounter. Are you getting the picture? You're sending me to my death."
A bird began singing outside. "Pirates were outlawed ten years ago," she answered smartly.
"Yes, but nobody told them."
She checked the radar again. "I can't take you with me," she said, the plea in her voice obvious. "Trust me, the guards will pick up my signal soon."
Aidan weighed the danger of risking another flight with this dare- devil or the wrath of what might be waiting for him back home. "Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?" he asked.
"If they catch me the penalty will be severe; however, if they catch us together—I can promise whatever penance the queen has in store for me will be one hundred times more miserable for you."
Aidan mulled this over. Perhaps, he'd stretched all his luck for one day. At least he was out of the palace alive. He should be grateful for that. In addition, he still had the dagger to sell. Be- sides, this woman, whoever she was, seemed unstable and erratic, not exactly the finest qualities in the person flying the ship you're riding in.
"You've got a point," Aidan agreed, unbuckling his harness. He made his way to the back, but then paused at the doorway.
She was still strapped into the pilot's chair, but was turned around, facing him.
Without warning a sudden heaviness settled in his bones. "Will you grant me one last grace, then?"
She nodded.
He pictured himself sneaking around the palace, staying in the hiding places as he spied on grand rooms full of courtiers, eyeing jew- elry and dropped coins. But if he knew this woman's name, he'd make sure not to steal from her. "Maybe tell me your name," he asked. "Or at least let me see your face?"
After a moment's hesitation, she flipped up her visor.
The dizzying trip in the ship earlier was nothing compared to the falling sensation Aidan felt as he looked into her eyes. He'd never seen her this close up before . . . and in person.
In the small cottage, directly above his cot, was an old infoscreen, battered around the edges with spiderweb-like cracks distorting the images of the daily updates from the palace. But even then, there was no mistaking the rich brown eyes and aquiline nose.
I've been riding with Princess Delia this whole time.
He bowed his head, partly in respect, but more so in embarrass- ment. "Beg pardon, Your Highness." In a daze, Aidan jumped out onto the soft forest floor. He backed up a few steps, staring at the ship. He had to admit, to land in such a small clearing took a considerable amount of skill. It was a shame they'd never fly together again.
A twig snapped behind him. Suddenly a massive bulk dropped onto his shoulders.
Author Note: I hope you like the image of Aidan at the top. And don't forget about the Preorder Campaign. Just send me a screen shot of your order or library request plus your address to rogueprincesspreorder (at) gmail (dot) com. See comments below for the direct link. Everyone receives a book mark, signed bookplate, personal note from me, and an original artwork postcard by the cover artist, Audrey Estok. Happy reading.