The Complete Pendomus Chronicles Trilogy: Books 1-3 of the Pendomus Chronicles Dystopian Scifi Boxed Set Series

by Carissa Andrews

  “Hear—hear what?” he says, trembling. For the first time, I realize his eyes are still shut and he’s practically crouched in a ball.

  “Everything’s okay now, Ammon. We’re safe,” I say, trying to reassure him.

  “If it’s the same to you, I’m going to just keep my eyes closed from here on out. Let me know when we’re back on solid ground.”

  I place a hand on his back, rubbing a small circle between his shoulder blades. The tension he’s holding releases a little bit.

  Tethys glides through the water, not even slowing down when she has to dodge things my human eyes can’t make out. She has a sight I simply don’t have.

  ~Where are we going, Tethys? I need to go to the Helix—to the Vassalage. Why are we underwater? Shouldn’t we be—

  Without warning, four of the rock outcroppings move of their own accord, boxing us inside an underwater cage of rock. Tethys slams against the containment, a surprised squeal emanating from her.

  She wasn’t expecting this. So much for being safe.

  Tethys fights against the containment, and worry replaces all of our previous efforts to calm down. Her shield isn’t very big and there are two of us consuming the remaining oxygen inside. It won’t be long until it runs out. She may be able to filter the oxygen from the water for us, but if the stones remove the water—

  Or worse, squash us in…

  I shudder.

  “Runa, what’s going on?” Ammon asks, his eyes still shut.

  “Hang on, Ammon—just hang on,” I mutter, searching for a way to help. Something I can do. But what can I manage from here and inside her shield?

  I can’t go out and try to use brute force on the stones. There’s nothing to mentally connect with like the Salamanders.

  Time is running out as the rocks edge closer and closer.

  Tethys pulls the remaining swells of water to her, trying to force her way through the stone, but to no avail. It continues to advance on us, mechanically and without remorse.

  My brain feels frozen.

  What can I do? I can’t come all this way only to be squashed.

  How can this even be happening?

  Frenzied thoughts race through my mind as I grasp for answers—searching for a way out.

  “What’s going on?” Ammon repeats, his voice an octave higher. His eyes are open wide now and his mouth is gaped open. “I thought you said we were safe,” he squeals.

  “I did, too,” I say, my voice quivering.

  Ammon covers his head, his arms reaching up and around his ears.

  “Nothing is safe with you,” he says, trembling.

  Tethys is trapped, no longer able to move between the four pillars as they squeeze tighter. Her shield is threatening to burst, and Ammon begins to rock back and forth like a small child. He mutters to himself with his arms still covering his head as if he’s protecting himself from a blow.

  Tethys howls, and every hair on my body stands on end.

  This time, there’s no where to go. No one to help. I don’t have any power over any of this. I’m just a human. A girl with no way of helping in this ridiculous situation.

  I bury my face in Ammon’s back, hugging him close around the waist.

  “I’m so sorry, Ammon,” I whisper to him, “so, so sorry.”

  Throwing down his arms, as if he’s had enough of everything, Ammon screams. It’s a deep, animalistic snarl. All around us, the rock shatters into millions of pieces—bursting like an exploding star as it sets a galaxy into motion. Water comes rushing back in at us, thrusting us from side to side as Tethys equalizes in the commotion.

  I close my mouth, and try to speak. Only to find it drop open again without a sound. This wasn’t me—it was him. Tiny little Ammon. The little boy who I’ve had by my side. Who’s been abused and hurt. The one who never once thought I was strange for having abilities or training to be this — Daughter of Five. All along, he’s had his own set of powers.

  “How did you do that?” I ask, bewildered and amazed.

  Ammon releases a long, slow breath.

  “I don’t…really know,” he says. “It sorta just—happened. I’ve always been able to manipulate rocks. But just little ones. Nothing like this. I just couldn’t let us get squashed,” Ammon’s voice trails off.

  I’d wager everything this is why Videus wanted him. He has abilities beyond the norm. The cavern was an experiment—testing to see what he could do, or how far he could be pushed before he snapped and used his power to try to escape.

  I lean back a bit, letting the realization sink in. All the possibilities of what Videus could manage if he could manipulate stone and rock. Ammon would be the perfect weapon.

  A weapon against—the Lateral or the Haven. Against the rest of humanity.

  Against me.

  The memory of the crater left behind from the Lateral in the future flashes in the back of my mind. I never realized how important Ammon really was. I figured he was just someone else Videus was toying with… I should have known it was bigger than I guessed.

  I need to keep Ammon safe—

  Tethys begins to move forward again, slowly pushing through the debris field and onward to our destination. The pit of my stomach starts to swell, making me feel as if I’m doing something terribly wrong.

  Maybe heading to the Helix now isn’t the answer. It isn’t safe for Ammon.

  Tethys maneuvers us through more tunnels of water and darkness, then picks up speed. We enter a larger underwater cavern and light shines through the rock above us. It streams through what looks like cracks in the ceiling, but with more geometry and patterns than should be. As I look up, the ceiling is supported by what appears to be five spokes shooting outward from the center of a main hub. It almost looks like a spider web.

  Tethys slows down, then hovers in one location. The water around us begins to boil, surrounding us and her shield. It gives her more power as she catapults us straight up.

  I grab onto Ammon, who buries his face into Tethys’ invisible back. Once again, I brace for impact as we head toward the streaming light and rock up above. Breaking through the levels of stone, we come to a halt in the middle of an empty street.

  As the debris settles, I get a good look around.

  We’re in the middle of the Lateral.

  It only takes a moment to realize that I know this street. I know this house. I’ve been here before, but it feels like it’s been so long…

  We’re right outside Landry’s door.

  As much as I wish I could run inside, trepidation begins to fill my body. As amazing as this is, we can’t stay. I can’t explain it—but being here isn’t safe for anyone. My eyes rest on Landry’s door. I wish I could go inside—maybe my friends are here. Then again, maybe the other me is.

  As the reverberations from our blast settle, people pop their heads out windows and doors. Their expressions of shock and bewilderment transform into concern and upset as they take in the mess of the street.

  Feeling terribly exposed, I stay put on Tethys’ back, staying hidden behind her shield.

  ~Tethys, I know you meant well, but we can’t stay here. We’d be putting everyone in danger. We have to go. We need to go from here, now.

  For once, she heeds my warning. Just as she drops back into the depths below, the door to Landry’s swings open.

  I capture the slightest glimpse of Traeton—my Traeton—as we sink back into oblivion. Ammon’s hands raise toward the light, squeezing his fingertips into a small fist. The gaping hole left by our arrival vanishes as quickly as it was made, cutting off the light as we descend. All evidence we were there, quickly extinguishes.

  “That was easier than I thought,” Ammon says. “I don’t know why, but it’s like I’ve passed my own trial. Or maybe I’m just getting the hang of it now.”

  I consider his words for a moment—his own trial. It certainly feels that way. It’s awoken me to a new realization of the gravity of Videus’ plans. This extends much further than just bein
g the behind the scenes string puller. What does this mean? Are there more like him? Like us?

  Now that I’m aware of Ammon’s abilities, no where feels safe enough.

  Where in the world are we supposed to go now?

  My mind races through a million ideas as it scenario-builds.

  What if there are many of us who can do things with our minds? Or have special powers? How then, does that make me any different from them? I’m just another person who can fall in line. There has to be more to all of this.

  ~Tethys, take us to the Archives. We need to get there before the other version of me does. I need some answers.

  18

  Runa

  GAINING ENTRY TO THE ARCHIVES was surprisingly easy. Tethys knew precisely where to go, as if she’s been here a thousand times. We leave her standing guard, our invisible lookout. With Ammon’s special powers, we didn’t need the key to open the door. It slid along easily with the wave of his hand.

  “Ammon, I have to know—have you always been able to do this?” I ask, unable to contain myself.

  He makes a face.

  “Not exactly. It’s been getting stronger the older I get,” he says. “And obviously, today.”

  “How did you know? When did it first happen?”

  My questions come flooding out, and I’m unsure how to stop myself. I need to know everything if I’m going to figure this out. It’s like pulling a string in the middle of a tangled mess to find out where it leads.

  “The first time it happened was a couple of years ago. I was playing with my Dad…” Ammon eyes drop to the ground and his lips turn downward. “Anyway, we were playing with a ball at the Lateral, but it hit some rocks above his head. They were about to crash down on him and I covered my face because I couldn’t watch him get hurt. Only, the rocks never hit the ground.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “When I realized there wasn’t a crash, I looked up. My Dad’s face turned upward and—well, above him, all the rocks were floating in mid-air. Only—” Ammon sighs, swallowing hard.

  “Only what?” I prod.

  “Only, when I stopped to look at them, it must have broken my concentration. I was too surprised about the whole thing. Plus, I didn’t know it was me. At least, not really. I suppose a part of me did,” he says, his eyes distant.

  Tears well up, and he bites his lower lip.

  “Oh, Ammon—” I whisper, taking him into my arms, “I’m so sorry.”

  “I didn’t know,” he says, trying to restrain a sob, “Had I just learned sooner. Or realized it was me… I mean, he was safe. For a moment, he was safe. He could easily have walked away before I dropped the rocks. But we were both just too shocked, I guess. I’ve never tried to use it. Well, until today. I was too mad about it. Like it was a curse or something.”

  “Is that why you didn’t tell me about it?”

  He nods, and says, “It’s why I wasn’t scared of what you can do. I knew we weren’t all that different.”

  “We aren’t,” I say, messing up his hair. “In all the commotion, I didn’t get the chance to thank you. What you did was incredibly brave. I wish I had the ability to move stone.”

  “How do you know you don’t?” Ammon asks, raising his eyes to mine.

  “I guess I don’t, but everything I’ve been able to do so far is more mental. At least, that’s how it feels when I connect to it,” I say, thinking back. There have been a few times when it felt like there was more I could do, hidden under the surface. But it has never really transpired into much.

  “Well, we make a good team then,” Ammon says, trying to smile.

  “We sure do,” I say, nodding. “C’mon, we need to see if we can get more details about us. I need to know if there are more children like us who have powers. If so, where are they?”

  “Who’s Baxten?” Ammon asks as we head to the small mainframe Fenton and Trae used—or will use soon, considering.

  “He’s my brother, the one I was talking about before. He was taken by the Salamanders and I have to get him back.”

  “Hey, at least now we have a mission. Well, beyond just getting weird tattoos that glow.”

  “Very true,” I say, sitting down in front of the mainframe.

  “Wow—I’ve never seen one of these so old,” Ammon laughs, leaning in. “How long has this been sitting here?”

  “I honestly have no idea. It could be centuries. My friends said it’s left over stuff from the colonization,” I say, placing the Caudex beside me as I take a seat.

  Ammon’s amber eyes widen.

  I turn to the holographic screen, then back to Ammon. “Any chance you’d know how to use one of these?”

  Apprehensively, Ammon shakes his head.

  “Not even a little bit. If it was a Physics simulator, I’m your guy. But then again, how hard can it be? I think between the two of us, we can figure it out.”

  Ammon and I have sat in the Archives for what feels like forever. So far, with Ammon’s help, we’ve been able to get inside the Helix. Unfortunately, we’ve come up empty handed on the few searches I’ve been able to manage. There’s no indication there are children like me, let alone others—like Ammon. Either the information is here and hidden in a different format, or there isn’t anything to be found.

  “Can I try something?” Ammon asks, pointing toward the holographic screen.

  “Be my guest.”

  I back out of the way and let him take control for a bit.

  “Runa, do you mind if I look up your hProfile from the Helix?”

  “No, go for it,” I say, pacing behind him.

  “I thought it might be a good place to start, just to see how the Helix classified you and your brother. Did you know this?” his little finger points at the screen.

  MOTHER: Absala Cophem

  FATHER: Genetic Match Unknown

  “What in the—?” I lean in closer. “This makes no sense. I was there when my father died.”

  “That’s odd? Wonder why it says this?”

  “It must be a glitch. Or maybe when someone dies, they erase them so they’re no longer in the database?” I say, trying to make sense of it.

  “Could be, I guess,” Ammon shrugs. “But you’d think they’d keep better records of the stuff.”

  “I agree.”

  I suddenly get a mental warning from Tethys. The others are coming. I barely have time to log out of everything on the mainframe before I hear the heavy metal hatch slam shut at the other end of the long hallway.

  “Ammon, we have to hide. Now—”

  Picking up the Caudex and racing to another section of the Archives, we hide behind a large shelving unit out of the way just in time to see the large round door roll to the side. One by one, my friends, walk into the entry—followed by a different version of me.

  “Whoa,” Ammon mutters under his breath. “I’ve gotten used to your short hair with the purple underneath. Almost forgot you used to look like that.”

  He points toward the other me as she says, “This place…is beautiful.”

  I didn’t notice before, but the entire time, Trae had his eyes trained on me—not the Archives. He mutters something under his breath, but we can’t hear from here. I vaguely remember him agreeing with me at the time, but now I’m not so sure.

  “We can’t stay here, Runa,” Ammon whispers.

  Watching my friends, knowing all that’s about to transpire is a strange experience. Everyone was on edge, humming with a tension I couldn’t place at the time. I’ve learned so much since this moment. For instance, Trae was pushing me away because he was afraid to get too close to me.

  Glancing back at Ammon, I see little orbs dancing along the walls…bobbing up and down as if leading me in another direction. It’s been a while since I experienced the orbs. So long since I’ve seen them. I’d almost forgotten about them.

  I poke Ammon, just to be sure.

  “Do you see those?” I ask.

  Ammon turns around, looki
ng over his shoulder cautiously, “See what?”

  He turns back, his eyebrows pulling in.

  “I see little orbs of light dancing down that dark hallway. I think they want us to follow them.”

  “Of course they do,” Ammon mutters, a hint of consternation fleshing out his meaning.

  “We can’t stay here anyway. The others will be all over this place soon, digging through books and artifacts. We need to give them some space to work or we’ll be caught. Maybe the orbs are trying to lead us out of here?”

  Standing up, I start following the dancing light as they lead the way to a deeper, darker extension of the Archives. I never made it down this far, but there was enough to look at where we were. The large open hallways go on for a long ways, and in many smaller side halls.

  “Runa, where are we going? What are the orbs doing now?” Ammon continues to whisper, as he slides his arm under mine, linking them together.

  “Just stay with me and I’ll lead the way. Trust me, we’ll be okay.”

  I have never been able to put a finger on why I trust the orbs, even when I first saw them. I just always have. There’s a peacefulness around them. Serenity.

  The orbs lead us from the dark hallway to a smaller opening, then to a doorway at the end of a tiny circular room. If I had been looking at the space without guidance, I’m not even sure if I’d notice it was here. The walls are adorned with paintings of landscapes, flowers, and sunlight. In the center is a circular table covered in ancient looking books, not unlike the one in my arms. I pick one of the smaller ones up out of habit, blowing off the dust and running my hand along its cover as I set it back down.

  “Well, so much for your orbs. They’ve led us to a dead end,” Ammon scratches the top of his head, and for the first time, I realize his dark hair is starting to grow out. A thin light blonde line has appeared at his roots.

  Pushing the book back in place, I smile.

  “Actually,” I tip my head toward the little door, “you may be mistaken.”

  He turns his head, following me as I head to the door. The faintest outline of its existence is hidden between the paintings with no handle or obvious way to open it. The orbs settle along the surface, spreading out like a blanket over the entirety. Their light grows brighter and as the rays interconnect, the doorway begins to dissolve in front of my eyes. I can clearly see into a hidden area beyond.