Abendau's Heir (The Inheritance Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

The ship felt safe with their dad at the controls; even when they’d left planets in a hurry, sure someone was on to them, or in a chase, it had been exciting rather than scary. This was terrifying.
    They dropped through the atmosphere. The lush jungle of Holbec stretched over the planet below. For all his nerves, he’d be glad to get back to base, to decent food, to the outdoors. It had been a couple of months since their last maintenance visit. He’d even enjoy whatever school class they stuck him in this time. Karia, beside him, was quiet, her focus on the ship, not him. When she Controlled she left him behind, going to a place he couldn’t follow. It made the long drop to the planet seem endless.
    “Base is coming up,” he said. Not that she wouldn’t know, but it was what a co-pilot was supposed to do: relay data, check trajectories. At least it made him feel included; if she crashed he was going to be just as dead. Already he could make out clearings in the jungle and the long, low main building of the base. He wasn’t sure his dad approached so quickly. “Karia…”
    “Shh.” A smile danced on her lips, her eyes intent on something he couldn’t see. He sat back in his seat, so tense his chest and back ached, and tried to be as quiet as possible. Surely, surely she was going too fast.
    The ship slowed, almost stalled, and then dropped. He stifled a yell and clutched the seat. He hated this when his dad did it: the drop into the port, the long moments of not knowing when the jolt of landing would come, the hideous turn-over of the grav-reg, the nausea clutching at him. This was worse again, too fast, not safe. He found himself with his eyes closed, and forced himself to open them and focus on the HUD display like a good co-pilot.
    “Brace,” said Karia. She jumped back in the pilot’s seat, and it encircled her, pulling her tight. “We’re coming in hard.”
    He’d known she was going too fast. He ducked his head into his chest, heart racing. They hadn’t even warned their dad to brace. Not that it would have made any difference. An alarm sounded, muted, and that wasn’t good. Another joined it. His stomach climbed into his mouth and lodged somewhere near the back of it.
    The jolt of the ship landing sent his head shooting forwards, then back, even with the braced seat position. Karia let out a yell. The ship rattled, settling into the docking-lock, and then went quiet.
    “You okay?” Karia sounded shocked. “I came in too fast.”
    “Yeah.” He wriggled out of the seat. He thought he was, but was too shaky to be sure. He waited a moment, braced for pain to hit, but he was fine. The seat had done its job.
    He leaned over the control panel and scanned the docking bay, not quite believing they’d made it down. He wanted to say something, to congratulate her, but the enormity of being back hit him. Once he left this ship, everything would change. It wouldn’t just be the three of them, taking decisions for themselves. Suddenly, he wished they hadn’t come back, that they’d shut the door over and ignored everything until things were okay again. But that was a useless thought.
    “You did good,” he said, his voice only barely shaking. “We should get Darwin.”
    “You do it.” She was closing the control panel functions down, calm and in control, and he envied her; she was always better in a crisis, always the more practical. “I need to make sure the ship’s ported right. And…” The haunted look of the last days came back into her eyes, all semblance of control gone. “Dad shouldn’t be on his own. You know, in case someone comes.”
    He did know. Their father was scared enough, trapped in a future that terrified him; to be taken out of the ship by people he didn’t know, to be brought back to a cold, changed reality alone didn’t bear thinking about.
    “I’ll go.” He put his hand on the door, but had to force himself to slide it open. Whether it was because he was worried