Trapped: Chaos Core Book 1 Read Online Free

the intelligent
seating was upholstered with organically produced cloth. The outside
of the ship always reminded Aspen of a broad-breasted bird that was
about to take flight, if a bird could be red and purple. As one of
the former keepers of the Countess’ accounts, she knew the vessel
was worth more than most luxury estates, and the upkeep was even more
expensive.
    This was the main
transport vehicle for the Countess’ least important guests. It
doubled as an escort craft, with a few extra guns, and she’d seen
most of the inside, but always travelled with the Countess herself on
her craft. The cockpit was a mystery. She knew it was up the stairs
in the main forward hallway, after the crew quarters and the small
galley, but the hatch was always locked up there.
    That damned binding
suit was holding her in place, so she was sitting perfectly upright
in the middle of the seating area. There was no sign of her
crewmates, only two guards who wore the gilded armour that marked
them as servants of the Countess’s house. The white plate would be
more intimidating if it wasn’t adorned with gold and bronze
filigree, making them look dainty.
    The ship touched down
with a brief chorus of creaks and the cockpit door opened. “Right,
ramp’s down, unload quick now,” bellowed the pilot from above
before he slammed the hatch again.
    The guards approached
and Aspen’s suit relaxed its hold on her. The search for any
opportunity to escape began then. “On your feet, if you please. We
do not want to clean up another mess, so don’t injure yourself
again.”
    “Oh, the suit didn’t
stop me from falling?” Aspen asked, a little amused. “Cracked my
head open?”
    “The UCA treated you,
but we had to clean the blood off your suit. There was a lot. Please
move carefully.”
    Aspen knew that the
guards were usually nice to her as long as she didn’t break the
rules. Sometimes they’d even let her bend them as a child, though
she was sure she’d have to re-earn their trust after being away for
over a year. She followed them out of the secondary hold and let them
guide her down the narrow corridor, watching for unlocked hatches,
open crawlspaces or a control panel that she could quickly mess with
to shake them, but didn’t find anything on her way to the ramp
leading off the ship. The smell of fresh lilacs blasted her in the
face as she set foot on a cobblestone courtyard. Its paths were lined
with the purple flowering trees.
    The Countess’s new
palace was even more grand than the last one. Marble and ancient
brick walkways arched from the ground paths leading through a massive
garden to a broad elevated marble platform. Spraying fountains with
cherubs and stone beasts chasing barely dressed maidens adorned the
massive central platform along with benches, several tables and bars
attended by beautiful servants. A long polished stone concourse led
from there to the main building, a tall structure with pillars across
the front. Black vines climbed the façade behind them and the main
doors were adorned with white and yellow gold. There was nothing
subtle about her old master.
    “Aspen?” asked a
familiar voice. Aspen’s mood brightened as Larken ran from the
grass to her left and embraced her. His long blonde hair was soft and
silky, he reeked of lilacs. The oil that had been brushed into his
hair was worse than the trees. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and
held her at arm’s length. “You look good,” he said, surprised.
“The Countess said you joined a band of pirates, that you were no
better than a street rat. I was worried.”
    “I was free, Larken,”
she said. “I would have taken you with me, I thought you were
dead.”
    “I was protecting the
Countess, who is fine now, by the way. She had to spend a week
visiting the flesh crafters, then there was recovery, but she’s
brave, and pulled through.”
    “I don’t care about
her, I’m just glad to see you. I ran because I thought you were
dead. When I didn’t