Pendulum

by Ciara Knight

  Pendulum Ciara Knight 233

  Pendulum

  Book II

  The Neumarian Chronicles

  Pendulum

  Book II

  The Neumarian Chronicles

  Copyright ©2013 by Ciara Knight

  All rights reserved.

  Smashwords Edition

  First edition published December 2013

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art ©2012 by Jeannie Ruesch

  Edited by Cora Artz

  Dedication

  To those that have suffered under an iron fist.

  Be bold.

  Be brave.

  Be free.

  Acknowledgements

  Information place here soon.

  Pendulum

  Haunting memories.

  Terrifying dreams.

  Crippling lies.

  Trapped in a world of deception, my sanity rests with the love of Ryder Arteres and our renegade friends. Six months of scouring the ocean floor in a rebel ship fleeing our homeland, delivers us to a possible alliance with the opportunistic European Council. Our only hope is to utilize our forbidden gifts to free our people from slavery, proving our worth. But when a trusted ally turns traitor and a new breed of the queen’s weaponry is revealed, I’m forced to face the terror of my past to save our crumbling future.

  Chapter One

  September 2196

  Eleven years after the Great War:

  I flicked the dull bronze switch, sending the European Neumarian Rebellion ship, Freedom, into silent alert.

  “Semara Valderak, report.”

  At First Officer Mart’s sharp voice, I turned from my viewfinder, displaying a four kilometer area surrounding us. “Still on direct path, Ma’am.”

  My lungs constricted. How had I missed spotting the queen’s scout ship a thousand meters ahead of us? The answer was obvious. I’d been distracted.

  It had been two months since the night of the queen’s attack on the beach near Acadia East and her attempt to kill me, her daughter. My nerves might have settled more if Ryder, the man I loved, his sister, Raeth, and I, along with our few compatriots, weren’t stuck crawling along the bottom of the ocean like a jawless hagfish scavenging the sea floor.

  “Me ship’s designed to ravage and crush the queen’s armada, not roll over and play dead.” Mart folded her arms across her leather corset as her black boot thumped against the metal floor, its bronze buckles clicking together.

  Captain Gordon whirled on Mart, his sandy-blonde hair falling over his eyebrows. “Report to the engine room, First Officer. Raeth, all stop.”

  Raeth’s small frame sank into the bridge chair, her metal leg transmitting her growing tension with each loud tap. “Yes, s-sir.”

  While the captain was kind enough, my friends were the only ones I trusted with my heart and life. Without them, I wouldn’t have escaped my mother’s ship or survived the trip from the Mining Territories to the beach.

  Forcing myself to inhale, I focused on my job. Track, target, and obliterate the enemy. That also meant another night standing for hours in silence, waiting to see if we or the scout were annihilated by an explosion, turning us into sea particles.

  Gordon clicked the view on the large screen at the front of the bridge. “Lieutenant Scabbard, comm.”

  Mart halted by Scab’s side, towering over him. The internal war of who to follow visibly played out on his face with his tight jaw and light eyebrows crooked.

  “Now, Lieutenant.”

  “You heard the captain,” Mart snapped before stomping away.

  It amazed me how Mart’s oil and leather scent always lingered for a moment after she marched from the bridge.

  Once in the lift, she turned. Her waist length auburn dreadlocks twirled about her, almost hiding the hostile glare she flashed me as the doors slid shut.

  Great! Now, she’d complain to Ryder about me again.

  He should be here on the bridge, not down in the engine room. I hated facing danger without him by my side. Ryder, Raeth, and I were the Triune and needed to be together. Alone or as a pair, we were weak. Together, we three were unstoppable.

  Raeth guided our large air and amphibious hybrid vessel down into a ravine. My best friend never stopped amazing me with her talent and intellect. She was proof that the queen’s propaganda was false. Not only did Neumarians have a talent—an ability to control time, matter, or even life itself—but they were also brilliant as Raeth had shown by going from slave to pilot within a week aboard the Freedom.

  Almost as if it understood the need for silence, Freedom didn’t even whimper as we halted. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve sworn the ship was sentient and in love with Raeth by the way it reacted to her touch.

  Mopping sweat from my brow, I displayed the vessel archives on the small panel before me. It was critical I discover what type of ship our target was.

  A second later, Freedom powered down. An orange glow illuminated the console. We had sufficient energy to supply all our vital systems, but without giving away our location.

  The large screen at the front of the bridge flickered then brightened. Our target was passing overhead and had activated some kind of searchlight. Its beam cast a silver hue for kilometers. Luckily, we were deep enough that darkness enveloped us.

  Ignoring the glow, I forced my attention back to my duties. My fingers glided over the keypad while rummaging through images of various enemy crafts. The target ship’s nose was pointed, but expanded out to a barrel-type cock pit. Beyond that, the blackness of the ocean made it impossible to discern anything else.

  Scab pointed a long dark fingernail at the screen. “Captain,” he hissed.

  A gasp filled the room.

  I refocused my viewfinder and spotted a cylindrical object with hundreds of arms and millions of suckers float into view. Protruding from the outer ring of each sucker were small, prickly red shredders, ready to skin and eat anything in its path. I shuddered. It was a Chinese hybrid weapon used to clear the Pacific and Indian Oceans during the Great War—the dreaded Sha Pi.

  What is it doing in the Atlantic?

  “Shh.” Gordon held a hand above his head, reminding everyone to remain quiet. The gold cuff of his coat sleeve gleamed in the dim light.

  While Freedom would sustain heavy damage if that Kantian freak-of-nature decided to attack, it would survive. I hoped. We needed to leave and fast, before that thing decided it was hungry.

  Flicking through dozens of pictures and specs, I finally found a ship with a similar front to the one above us. OS-49. Small class ship with limited range and communication capabilities. An ocean scout designed to check for Neumarian activity, or threats. If destroyed, a beacon will eject and provide a warning signal. The device is too small for detection and will attach to the nearest vessel, providing location of enemy ship.

  Not good.

  I eyed the vessel one more time to make positive identification, but there was no need. I already knew this was it. I waved my hand to gain Gordon’s attention. “Captain Gordon,” I whispered. “Identified the ship, sir.”

  Gordon approached, eyeing each of the men and women on the bridge as he made his way over. For a long moment, he stood and stared at the vessel hovering overhead then down at the ship’s information I’d pulled up.

  The Sha Pi circled back around and hovered. Enormous dark eyes staring through the screen kept us all frozen in our places. The ocean scout ship scuttled along a circular pattern above, catching the Sha Pi’s attention.

  “Ryder, torpedo four,” Gordon whispered into the com
m.

  “Can’t blow it up,” Mart’s stern whisper echoed back from the comm.

  My stomach lurched. If we launched, the Sha Pi would turn on us and attack our ship instead. And should we survive, once the target vessel exploded at this close range, the beacon would surely attach itself to our ship.

  Holding my breath, I scanned the pages of specs for the little ship above. There had to be a better way.

  “Perhaps I can melt the other ship,” I offered.

  Gordon shook his head. “Too risky. You need more practice. Your abilities are still too volatile. Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” His eyebrows tipped up, his facial muscles softened. His expression differed from when Mart asked him questions. Perhaps because I wasn’t his first mate.

  My fingers shook with anticipation and I longed to be next to Ryder. He should be on the bridge with us, but all he cared about was weapons and fighting. Gordon claimed he’d be an amazing addition to the rebels.

  Raeth smiled and I was thankful she was still with me. It had been weeks since she’d regressed into her own world, playing with her ball and humming to herself. Instead, when the stress got to be too much, she’d recite various parts of the ship, weapons and computer systems, as if memorizing everything on board.

  Red flashing ignited the tension on the bridge, the clicking sound warning of the launch. Inhaling stagnate air, I clutched my sweaty jumpsuit clinging to my chest and willed Ryder to not shoot that weapon.

  Clank…swoosh…bang…rumble.

  Damn! We’re doomed.

  The ocean scout ship stuttered and the Sha Pi swirled about above us, as though studying it for a second.

  This was our chance to escape. I swiveled my chair and shot a look at Raeth to get us out of there.

  Boom.

  The torpedo collided with the scout ship. Metal and meat blasted from the missile, but the scout ship remained intact. The expected pressure wave didn’t crash our craft into the canyon wall or rain rubble onto us.

  I stared at my monitor, trying to make sense of what had happened. Above us, the Sha Pi paused then scrunched together like an accordion, body tight, arms arched. Before my dry tongue could attempt to moisten my equally dry lips, the Sha Pi shot in the direction of the Kantian scout craft.

  I exhaled a quick breath. “Brilliant.”

  “Figured that might come in handy one of these days. I got the idea from you and Raeth.” Gordon whirled his finger in the air. “Let’s get out of here before the Sha Pi finishes its evening meal.”

  The hybrid monster chomped down the Kantian vessel in one gulp, beacon and all.

  Gordon squeezed Raeth’s shoulder. “Good job.” Then he made his way to my station.

  “How did Raeth and I give you the idea?” I asked.

  “You mentioned that all the creatures were designed to eat, sleep, and kill, based on programming from the Kantians or Neumarians. There had been reports of the Sha Pi and other creatures migrating into the Indian and Atlantic oceans.” He shrugged. “Knowing the Sha Pi fed on metal or meat I figured, how about we change their focus from our ship to the enemy’s. Ryder invented the actual missile, though.”

  Ryder?

  Of course, he’d obsessed over war tactics and training with Mart in preparation for joining the rebellion once we arrived in the United Kingdom.

  I, on the other hand, didn’t have a plan. No real place in this war. A Kantian princess, hated by the Neumarian rebels, and loathed by my mother, the Kantian Queen.

  Grinding my teeth, I had to remind myself to stop acting like a spoiled princess and focus on what was important. Staying alive and winning this war with Ryder and Raeth at my side as we, the Triune, helped clear the planet of my mother’s evil.

  Chapter Two

  It had to be a conspiracy. Just when I finally got a moment with Ryder, the illuminators dimmed, instructing all personnel to return to their quarters prior to lights out in twenty-minutes. Living under water meant we relied on others to instruct us when it was time to eat and sleep.

  Scab ran by with an arm load of sheets and a goofy grin, headed to the laundry chute. “Good evening, Semara and Ryder.”

  “Night, Scab,” I said.

  He didn’t stop to chat, walk the halls or work the brig like most guards, not with Mart ordering him around and using him as a personal punching bag.

  Ryder took my hand in his and leaned against the metal wall, his hair appearing jet black in the shadows. His eyes sparkled next to the dull brushed-silver wall.

  I leaned into him and sighed, reveling in the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me, tugging me against him. He’d always been strong. But the last two months of training had toned his body, reminding me of the pictures of Greek statues I’d studied as a child. Where the jacket of the cadet uniform he’d been given upon joining the crew had been loose, now, with each movement, it looked as if the seams were about to rip apart at his biceps, along his shoulders, and across his back.

  I closed my eyes and enjoyed a few moments of stolen peace. How I wished we could sneak into my quarters five meters down the women’s hallway. But it was a useless dream. Even if there weren’t guards everywhere, Raeth would already be waiting for me in our cabin.

  “Miss you.” Ryder pressed his lips to my scalp, sending tingles down my neck. I never grew tired of his touch. Of course, it had only been in passing since we’d boarded Freedom during our escape from my mother’s wrath. Not that she’d given up on finding and killing us. During those first five weeks, she had blanketed the ocean in depth charges. The bombing had only stopped a couple of weeks ago.

  I pushed the memory from my mind and relaxed against Ryder’s hard chest. The constant sway of the ship lulled me into believing it could be night. However, after several months of intense training and living deep in the ocean, my body and the rhythm I’d lived by no longer controlled me. Only the different colored lights and the commands to eat, sleep, and be on the bridge when ordered ruled me.

  “I miss you, too. It seems like there’s always a reason to keep us separated and I hate it. It’s been months since we’ve been able to be alone. Dred hasn’t woken from his coma. Raeth and I share a room yet barely talk. Oh, and let’s not forget about Penton or Bendar. Penton’s been training hard and Bendar is always in the engine room. When we all boarded this ship together, I thought nothing would separate us all again.”

  Ryder tipped my chin up and pressed a kiss to my forehead. At feeling his suppressed desire and longing, I nuzzled his neck, seeking more, wanting to touch him, not through his uniform but his bare skin.

  “Shh. You need sleep. Nightmares have been keeping you up. You’re exhausted. Wish I could be there to hold you through them, but we should arrive at the ENR base soon. It’s been too long.” His hand slipped to the nape of my neck. “Once we reach land, no one will keep us apart.”

  Heat surged to my face and I leaned into his hands. “Nightmares? How did you…oh, your sister. Great. Guess Raeth can’t keep a secret.” I knew Raeth only told her brother out of concern, but I’d still chastise my best friend when I got back to my room.

  “She just confirmed what I’d felt through our bond.” Ryder drew a circle around the tip of my nose with his. “What you been dreaming’ about?”

  His closeness weakened my resolve to keep it from him. He’d think I was crazy.

  “Tell me,” he urged, brushing his lips across mine in a feather-light touch.

  My breath hitched and the memories of beatings and torture faded when his thumb glided down my cheek. “It doesn’t matter. Kiss me.”

  His lips claimed mine with a too long-suppressed urgency. He needed and wanted me as much as I did him. If we didn’t make it to land soon, they’d have mutiny on their hands.

  I inhaled his scent, absorbing it into my soul. Even after all this time beneath the sea, a hint of Earth remained and I savored the aroma. He’d always smell the same to me. A musky, earthy smell, with a hint of freedom. The aroma wrapped around my body lik
e a shield of strength.

  Steps thumped down the corridor and he broke the kiss. “Tell me. Before we have to go.”

  I panted and shook my head. From the moment we’d met, he twisted me up inside until I’d share whatever he wanted to know. “Images mostly. My mother, my father. I never see his face, but I see hers.” I suppressed a shudder. “None of it makes sense. It’s almost like I feel physical pain, but I can’t see the memory.”

  Ryder’s eyes narrowed. “What’s Gordon been doing to you during those sessions?”

  “Gordon? Nothing. He’s been helping me remember things. He says I’ve been reprogrammed. He’s trained in opening the mind back up and he thinks I could remember something that would help the rebellion.”

  Ryder glanced down the hall. “Maybe so, but I don’t like you suffering. Mighty easy for him to push you into helping. But you need to know when to back off. You been training so much and been working with Captain Gordon, you haven’t gotten any rest.”

  “Maybe that’s because I don’t want to.” I stared up at him. “I’m frightened, Ryder. Terrified my mother’s programmed me into being some kind of weapon.”

  “I won’t let that happen.” He kissed me again then rested his forehead against mine. “We, just the two of us, need to find some time alone.”

  I struggled to stay calm, to not let my frustration and jealousy out. I failed. “The last time I tried to take some time off, you were busy with Mart and her training. Can’t you train with someone else, like me? Why does it always have to be her?”

  “Jealous?” The side of his lip quirked up into a teasing grin.

  Yes! “No! No more than you are of Gordon.”

  He straightened, his hand moving down from my neck to my lower back. “Let’s not do this. It’s late. I don’t want to argue.” Hugging me, he lifted me into the air until I was at eye level then he nuzzled my neck. “Rather do other things with you than fight.”