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

by Carissa Andrews

Instantly, I know Trae is still inside, but he’s not currently himself. I knew something wasn’t quite right with him, but I couldn’t figure out what. There’s someone else there with him—occupying his headspace. It’s an odd sensation because they’re both deeply familiar.

  Kani’s body is still inside, in some sort of hibernation, awaiting commands from her new master. I realize now, she’s lost to us. Whatever Videus did to convert her to a Labot has rendered her consciousness inert. I feel nothing inside her, just a blank, haunting nothingness. It breaks my heart, but there’s nothing I can do to help her wake up. Nothing from this point in time, anyway.

  The first of the Salamanders are almost upon us, and I start by tapping into their mind. Like an electrician tinkering with the wiring to make something work, I sense their misfiring and work to set things right. I’m not sure how I know how to do it, I simply do.

  Disconnecting the control Videus has over them, the Salamanders suddenly halt. I leave Tethys to catch them up, swaying them to a new purpose, should they choose to help us. Continuing on in waves with the rest of the Salamanders, I work as quickly as I can to illuminate them all.

  When I feel satisfied I’ve managed to help each of them, I turn to the AirGliders nearby. Understanding their history, I almost feel sorry for them. They were the first to try to help Videus—help humanity. They were the first to make connection and they were used like weapons.

  A squadron of the little gray juncos dive at my head, as they conclude I’m the source of the confusion with their brethren.

  Ducking down as they narrowly miss me, Tethys breaks ranks with the Salamanders to come to my aid. The Salamanders, in turn, begin turning on their feathered friends. Before I know it, the Salamanders and AirGliders have completely turned on themselves. Chaos breaks out as both sides defend their convictions.

  The next wave of AirGliders—the large vulture looking birds arrive on the scene, instantly adding backup to the tiny engagement of the juncos.

  Full on war erupts between the two groups—and I realize I have to get everyone else out of the way. Electricity and fire burst from the Salamanders and the clap back from the AirGliders throws the energy around like a lasso on the loose.

  In all the commotion, I didn’t even notice as Delaney and her team arrives to add human back-up. Relief floods my system, as this means Ammon was able to get out of the Helix safely and complete his mission. However, it quickly abates when I see him amongst Delaney’s team.

  “Ammon—” I call out, running to his side. “You shouldn’t be here. You should have stayed— Things are dangerous here.”

  “Are you kidding? You need all the help you can get,” he says, widening his arms to the scene in front of us.

  Without hesitation, his hands swing in front of him as he maneuvers his hands in correlation with his desire. The ground beneath us begins to move, then shifts aside, creating a wall of stone separating the humans from the fray of two of the Four Pillars.

  Delaney runs up to me, her eyes wide.

  “Are we too late?” she asks. “Where do you need us?”

  I shake my head, “No, your timing is impeccable, actually.”

  I turn to Ammon.

  “Listen, I need you and Delaney to lead everyone away. Bring them to the Haven or the Lateral as quickly as you can. Can you do that for me?” I ask.

  I know this is something he’s completely capable of, and with Delaney’s team helping—everyone should be able to get out of here mostly unscathed.

  Ammon’s eyes flit from the destruction on the field behind me, back to me.

  “But—” he starts, shaking his head.

  Delaney nods, “Look kid, we don’t need to get in the middle of a civil war. If getting the innocent bystanders out is the best option we have, we take it. C’mon.”

  She pats him on the shoulder, then quickly surveys the scene.

  “I’m going to fill Ash in so we can get moving out. Stay safe,” she says, then leaves to talk to Ash. Together, the two of them run off, yelling for others to follow.

  “Please, Ammon. Not everyone knows how to get there. Now’s our chance while the Salamanders and AirGliders are fighting. You’re one of the only ones I trust right now. You need to help protect everyone so they can get to safety.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Baxten asks, suddenly at my side.

  “Both of you—corral the people together. Follow Delaney and Ash’s lead—those two over there. Make everyone listen and get them to safety,” I say, grabbing onto Baxten’s forearm. “Follow Ammon here, he’ll lead the way.”

  Baxten turns to the small frame of ten-year old. I see the skepticism on his face, but for once, he trusts my call.

  “Okay, kid. You heard the woman. Let’s go,” he says, patting Ammon on the shoulder without a second thought.

  Relief floods through me as the two of them start to jog away together.

  Ammon slides me a sideways glance, his face scrunching in irritation, but he does as he’s asked.

  “Everyone—this way. Follow us, we need to get out of here,” he calls out.

  The two of them run off, corralling as many people as possible, along with Delaney and her team.

  ~Everyone, you need to get out of here. Let me handle the rest. It’s important you each get to safety. Follow Ammon and Baxten, or Delaney and her team. They’ll lead the way to a safe place.

  I broadcast the message, knowing it will be far more effective than everyone trying to yell over the crowd. I also push out images of who Baxten, Ammon, Delaney, and Ash’s are. They don’t need any further confusion on who’s whom.

  Instantly, the group as a collective turns their heads, searching for those I’ve described. As the masses pinpoint Ammon and Baxten, or Delaney, they begin to move like one giant unit. My brothers, along with Delaney and her team manage to make their way to the front, leading them away from the fray.

  Tethys stays by my side, ready to unleash her protection. But I dismiss her attempts to engage her shield. I know I need to be out in front—vulnerable, if need be. I have to connect to the rest of the AirGliders and disconnect their link with Videus. I can’t do that as easily when Tethys’ shield surrounds me. It muddles things up and makes it slightly more difficult to sense them all.

  ~Just stay by my side and keep a watch.

  I pat her on the back, and smile. Tethys grunts in acknowledgement. She doesn’t like it, but she doesn’t question it, either. I close my eyes, trying to silence out all of the beings who are not the controlled AirGliders. I want to engage only with their frequency—no one else.

  After a moment, the others begin to fall silent—not gone, but simply muted. Interestingly enough, I can still sense Traeton—which makes me pause. What’s happened to him? Has an AirGlider gotten to him? Has Videus taken control of him?

  I try again to disengage Trae from whoever, or whatever is inside his mind. But I’m instantly shut out. It’s almost as if he wants the intruder there.

  Shaking off the surprise, I refocus my intentions on the AirGliders. I filter my consciousness from the one inside Trae, to the others nearby. I work on each, disengaging them from the commands of Videus. As they’re freed from his direction, the birds stop fighting in mid-flight—taking to the tree branches, confused and dazed. They begin to chatter amongst themselves, trying to make sense of what’s happened.

  Pausing, I don’t know whether to follow everyone to the Lateral, or to head back to the Helix for Trae.

  What would Trae do?

  He’d tell me to take care of the others. To get them to safety first.

  But if roles were reversed, he’d go inside after me, of course.

  Tethys warns me this is not the wisest of decisions. She keeps close to my side, unwilling to leave me to the chance of anything Videus may have planned now.

  If he captures me again—I doubt he’ll let me live. And yet…it’s a chance I have to take. I can’t leave Trae behind.

  “Tethys, we need to get Trae
out. What more can I say? Are you going to help me?” I say to her.

  She grunts, shaking off the extra energy and adrenaline from the fight, and gearing up for another one. I pat the side of her head, and pull myself up onto her back.

  Everything inside her is screaming to get as far away as possible. But she pushes through it, engaging her shield and propelling us toward the Helix. I keep my senses locked on Trae, tracking where he is so I can get a better idea of how to get him out.

  He begins to move, though—making his own way from the Vassalage, toward the stairwell leading out. As we get closer, I realize he’s making his own escape.

  Relief floods my body. After everything, he’s still Trae. If he makes his way out of the Helix, he won’t have to escape alone, but luckily, we’ll be here to get him out.

  Tethys reads my mind, following the signals I give her on Trae’s whereabouts. As we reach the Helix, Trae bursts out of the hole we created. He jumps out, hitting the snow in a roll, then getting up and running.

  My first instinct is to race to him, but for some reason, I hesitate.

  Where is Videus? Surely he knows the others are missing by now. Perhaps the disengagement of the Salamanders and AirGliders has set him back? Maybe he’s trying to find a way to get them back online?

  The disconnection for them is permanent, I felt it. But if I’m not careful, they could be manually returned to the flock. If Videus captures any of them, he could start all over again. I need to find a way to unite them to our cause.

  Shaking away the thoughts, I say, “C’mon Tethys, let’s get Trae—”

  She takes off, pulling the snow’s energy and shooting us toward Trae at high speed. He’s running as fast as he can, as if he’s being chased. It makes it more difficult to pull him into Tethys’ shield with me.

  Behind us, an explosion rocks the Helix. I look over my shoulder to see fire blast out the hole and a portion of the Helix fall in on itself. The explosion sets off a chain of reactions throughout the building, collapsing sections as they go. The devastation is worse than just the building itself. I feel every life as it’s extinguished in the destruction. I gasp as I realize Kani is one of them.

  Trae falters, stopping to witness the destruction. His body and face are so mangled, and he holds his side as he catches his breath. His wrists have marks from restraints and there are more cuts and bruises across his handsome face.

  Tethys takes the opportunity to pull him into her shield. I slide off her back, walking up to him slowly. He twists around, blinking wildly when he realizes I’m by his side.

  “How? Where? Where in the hell did you come from?” he asks.

  Tethys urges me to do something to subdue him.

  I ignore them both.

  “Did you do that?” I say, pointing back to the smoldering Helix.

  Trae’s good eye opens wide, but he nods.

  “We—I had to do something. Couldn’t just let him keep torturing people—” Trae says, shaking his head. “But I didn’t mean for the whole thing— There were innocent people in there. I just wanted the Vassalage to blow.”

  “I know, Trae. We need to get out of here. I need you to trust me,” I say, leaving his side to climb on Tethys’ back.

  “But we need to help the innocent—”

  “We have to let them go, Trae. Those who can, are already finding their way to safety,” I say.

  It’s true—I can feel the energy of the place. It’s as though a common cause has united them and awoken them from their slumber.

  Trae’s eyes widen further and he looks as though he’s about to lose it. Tethys urges me to use my gift—the one she gave to me. To pass it on to him. She relays information of how her bloodline—the Waterbears—they’re a part of me as well. Confused, I pause.

  What does she mean? Her bloodlines?

  Another explosion bursts from the side of the Helix and I realize we don’t have time for any of this. We have to get out of here.

  Without further hesitation, I slide off her back and touch Trae’s forehead. I only wish I could take away the physical pain he’s enduring. Remove the bruises, and broken ribs. But this is the next best thing for our situation. I feel the veil lift from his eyes and he steps back, slamming against the bubble of Tethys’ shield. I’m not sure what’s changed—why I can do so easily for him what Tethys had to do so brutally. Perhaps it’s the trials? Or the mixture of all the bloodlines. Whatever it is, I’m grateful.

  “What—what is this?” he asks, taking in his surroundings inside Tethys’ shield.

  Then, something shifts inside of him. His shoulders unclench and he relaxes slightly.

  “She’s my guardian, Trae. I don’t expect you to understand, but—”

  “She’s the last Waterbear,” Trae finishes, his eyes flooding with wonderment.

  “How did you—?” I say, quirking my eyebrow.

  “Runa, I have something I have to tell you—but we need to get out of here first. Videus won’t be far behind. Can—Tethys—get us to safety?” he asks.

  “How? How do you know her name?” I say.

  “I just sorta knew,” he says, shrugging. “Didn’t you say it?”

  “I—don’t know. Maybe I did. Well, c’mon. We need to get out of here. And yes, she’ll get us to safety,” I say, pulling myself up on her back, then lean over, offering a hand to help him.

  His tongue slides across his lower lips, drawing my attention. So much has happened these past few months.

  I miss him. I miss being just us, stumbling through what I thought was life. It was messy and there was so much I didn’t know—but those lips. They felt like home to me. In a strange way, they showed me what it was like to be me—just me.

  Shuddering away the flood of emotions, I flick my fingertips to urge him up. Trae grabs my forearm, and places one hand on Tethys. He pulls himself up, sucking in a sharp breath. Without a second thought, he slides his arms around my waist, taking a moment to let his body rest. Then, he takes a closer look at Tethys, and shakes his head.

  “This is so—she’s so—wow, amazing actually,” he says.

  “She is,” I agree. I don’t know what I’d do without her.

  Tethys takes off, propelling us quickly toward the Lateral’s entrance. By now, I hope everyone else has at least managed to get to the safety of the cavern system.

  “Runa—I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you in there,” Trae says after we’ve cleared the vicinity of the Helix.

  Looking over my shoulder, I tug my eyebrows in.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about,” I say.

  He shakes his head, but falls silent.

  I know there’s more he wants to say. More he needs to discuss, but I don’t want to pry him open. I want him to finally talk to me. To finally open up and tell me what’s been happening on his own.

  Tethys begins to internally debate the best route to get us to the Lateral. Oddly enough, she finally decides on the Haven’s entrance, rather than the small outlet by the Archives.

  “The entrance is blocked, Tethys. Remember?” I say out loud.

  “What’s that?” Trae says.

  “Sorry, I was talking to Tethys. She wants us to go through the Haven’s entrance, but I’m not sure how. Has anyone dug it out after it collapsed?” I say, trying to look over my shoulder.

  “Not as far as I’m aware. It’s been pretty much useless.”

  Tethys just chuckles internally at the fact I don’t understand her abilities better. Then I remember the last time we were trying to get to the Lateral. She’d come up from underneath, breaking through stone, ice, and much more to get us there.

  “Actually, come to think of it—why not bring us that way again?” I say.

  Tethys shakes off the suggestion. She sends the impressions of Videus, and the need for discretion— for some reason we need it, even in the Lateral.

  13

  Runa

  WITHIN A COUPLE MINUTES of silence, we arrive at the entrance to the Haven.
Instead of pummeling through the way she had when we broke through the channel, Tethys pauses. Taking in the scene around, her body is tense and alert as she spreads her own consciousness through the snow, making sure the coast is clear.

  Then, the snow rumbles from the base of her shield, making a direct path all the way to the packed snow filling the entrance. As if exposed to a flash of heat, the snow in the entrance boils itself away. The water that remains pools on the floor of the entrance. It curls itself up like a wave, crashing down on the remaining boulders blocking the entrance. Then, Tethys calls the water to herself, rebuilding her shield and taking in the extra elemental nourishment.

  A couple of smaller rocks and rubble remain, but nothing so large that we couldn’t manage to squeeze our way through.

  I slide off Tethys’ back and Trae immediately follows after.

  “Are you ready?” he says.

  Standing at the entrance, the irony isn’t lost on me. In a way, this is where my connection to everything began. Because of Trae’s selflessness, I was introduced to this side of the world and became part of the prophecy.

  Sighing, I nod at Trae, and take his hand. I push my own consciousness out to the immediate vicinity, sensing any energy signatures or consciousnesses nearby. Deep in the ground, the Lateral lights up in my mind like a bright focal point. But the Haven is now a barren, isolated place.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” I say.

  Tethys releases the shield, sending a warning to be careful and be swift. She reminds me the actions I take now affect not only me and Trae, but the entire planet. Too much has been set into motion. The longer I stay in the Lateral, the more I put at risk. There’s more to the story somehow and I need to find out what I’m meant to do next.

  Trae remains stoic as we make our way to the entrance. We climb over the rocks and boulders, slowly working our way to the main tunnel of the Haven. A few yards from the entrance, Trae pulls up short. His lips purse and his eyelashes flutter quickly.

  “You okay?” I ask. “Being here for me it’s—So, what about you? Are you going to be alright?”