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

by Carissa Andrews

  As if appeased by this gesture of words, the Salamander snorts and lies down.

  “Why are you doing this?” I ask, wishing I could get a response I could understand.

  The Salamander nods to the Caudex on the ground beside me, then toward the darkness of the cavern beyond.

  “I don’t understand,” I say, eyeing her movements, “You know, if you’re not here to kill me, I wish we could communicate like Tethys and I do.”

  The Salamander exhales heavily.

  Maybe she does, too.

  I walk to the book, opening the pages slowly, just in case. Nothing appears out of the ordinary. There’s no new passages, nothing to explain the Salamander’s role, or what I’m meant to do next.

  The Salamander stomps the ground, sending a blue arc of lightening down the cavern tunnel. The light dims out the further it goes, and I turn back to her.

  “Are you telling me there’s something I should be aware of deeper in the cave?” I ask, my eyes widening.

  In an odd sense, it sort of feels like home. After all, the Haven and Lateral weren’t unlike this very cavern.

  Fire shoots from her nostrils and into a small circular ring a couple meters away. Though there’s nothing inside the ring to keep the fire lit, it does so anyway.

  I set the book aside and crawl on my hands and knees to get a closer look.

  “How did you— ?” I turn back to the Salamander, but my words cut off as I stare into the darkness of the rest of the cavern around me.

  No longer nearby, or keeping guard, the Salamander has vanished.

  Once again, I’m utterly alone.

  2

  Traeton

  HOW DO YOU KNOW if you’ve lost your moral compass?

  Over the last few days, I’ve considered hunting a man so I can kill him, make him suffer—at least, I think he’s a man—more times, and in more ways, than I care to admit. But do I really have it in me to hunt Videus down and extinguish the light from his eyes? Is it bad if the answer is always a resounding yes?

  My temples throb in rhythm with my feet as they pound over the wet cobbled stones as I walk this corridor of the Lateral for the hundredth time. I’ve practically worn a groove in its firm exterior. For some reason, walking back and forth helps to ease the unrest in my soul. All this sitting around isn’t doing any good, especially for Kani. Hell, who am I kidding? It’s not helping a single one of us.

  I step aside as a young boy with light blonde hair and a book clutched in his hand clammers by. He practically trips over his oversized shoes and baggy trousers, but laughs it off heartily as a brunette boy points and giggles.

  “Nice one,” the brunette laughs, “Ya nearly toppled that guy with the blue hair.”

  “Well, if I wasn’t the one who had to do all the heavy lifting—” The blonde one holds up his book and bops his friend on the head with it as he walks by.

  Neither one can be more than ten, maybe eleven, and they bring me back to a time not all that long ago, when I was running up and down these streets with my best friend with blonde hair. Shaking my head, I try to dismiss the uninvited memories cropping up. I’m not ready for them.

  It’s only been a week since the devastation at the Tree. Mere days since I last saw my best friend Fenton alive. Days since I last saw…

  Runa.

  Her blue and amber eyes haunt me in my already restless sleep. Sometimes I hear her voice in my mind, smell the soft hint of vanilla in my sleep pack. Thinking about her makes the hole in my chest implode in on itself further. Pretty soon there will be nothing left but a black, sucking void. It isn’t fair—any of this. Fenton and Runa should both be with us, and yet…

  They’re not.

  How does a person ever come to terms with this kind of loss? How do you find a way to fill the vacancy of someone you love? I don’t believe you ever can. You just find a way to muster the strength to move forward, step by step.

  It’s been nearly a decade since I lost my father and sister Ava…and even after all this time, their absence still lingers; haunting me into remembering them. Losing them was my fault, too. And here we are—round two for a guy who doesn’t learn, I guess.

  I turn the corner and walk up the steps to Landry’s home.

  “Please tell me you aren’t self-flagellating again,” Kani reprimands as I open the door. When I stop in mid-stride, giving her a confused look, she merely shrugs, “You have that look again.”

  “I didn’t realize self-flagellation had a look,” I say, dropping into the small couch along the left hand side of the main room.

  Kani takes a seat next to me and pulls her knees in close to her chest. She fiddles with the scarf around her neck, revealing a fresh bandage where Videus had cut open her throat. Lucky for her, the cut was only a surface wound—or I’d be mourning another friend.

  “Of course it has a look. My only question is—are you being productive or a pain in the ass?” she says.

  I pluck at the tattered edges of the couch’s green arm.

  “How can you be so nonchalant about all this?” I ask, avoiding her question.

  “I’m not. I just don’t see how sitting around having a pity party is gonna change what happened,” she says.

  I watch her movements closely for a moment, and she nervously tucks a strand of black hair behind her ear, then the ends of the scarf. Though her words say one thing, the pain hidden deep in the recesses of her eyes screams something entirely different.

  I know the feeling.

  “Perhaps you’re right. I’m working on it, okay,” I tell her.

  “Good,” she nods, as if trying to convince herself, too.

  “Have you seen Landry lately?” I ask, changing the subject.

  Kani bites the inside of her cheek, and shakes her head, “Nope.”

  “He’s really gone off the grid this time,” I mutter. Part of me wishes I could do the same, but there are answers I need. I have to find out what happened to Runa—see if there’s a way we can help her get back to us. Kani thinks she’s gone, since the Tree’s nothing but ashes. But I have to know for sure.

  “He’ll be back. You know how he’s—he needs to piece stuff together on his own,” Kani says, her eyes flitting to the empty chair at his desk.

  The main room of Landry’s place has become a second home, of sorts. Neither one of us have been ready to go back to the Haven. There’s too many painful memories to contend with. I already know it wouldn’t feel like home without the others.

  “Do you think we should go look for him? I really don’t think him being on his own right now is a good idea,” I say.

  “Give him a couple more hours. If he hasn’t contacted us soon, we can go all search party on him. He’s probably with Alina, though.”

  “He’s lucky to have her,” I mutter before I can stop myself.

  “Traeton—” Kani starts.

  I wave my hand dismissively, “It’s okay. I didn’t mean it like that. If Landry’s found a way to reconnect, all the better for the two of them. But it doesn’t help me—us—find answers.”

  “It’s only been a couple days, Trae. He’s only recently found out his only brother is— ”

  “I know.”

  We sit in silence for a long while, listening to the soft hum of Landry’s mainframe. It looks weird without the holographic screens lighting up the back wall.

  “How do we ever get over this?” I ask, not ready to look her in the eye. She knows exactly what I mean.

  “Traeton, life is fragile. You of all people should know that. I hope you know I did— ” Her voice cracks and she clears her throat to recover, “— what needed to be done.”

  “I’m not blaming you, Kani.”

  “Lucky you,” she says, frowning. Her knees drop into a cross-legged position and she stares at her hands as she entwines her fingers and places them in her lap.

  “You were put into a difficult position. One you never should have been put in. Had roles been reversed…I would have made the sa
me call. Fenton was compromised and there was no telling what he was capable of at that moment. Videus was already threatening to use Fenton’s memory against us and we know he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you when he was ready. Just look at your neck.”

  “Aren’t we all compromised? If Fenton could be taken over, any one of us could be. He didn’t even have the eLink connection. But then, I keep thinking, what if I’d waited just a little longer? What if the possession was temporary? What if Videus eventually released him? What if— ”

  “What if you hadn’t put an end to the connection and Videus used Fenton’s body to kill us all?” I say, turning to face her brimming eyes, “Would that have been better?”

  “Well, of course not,” she spits, “but at least we wouldn’t be left with this, this— ”

  “Void?” I offer.

  “Regret,” she whispers.

  “Now who’s the one self-flagellating?” I smirk. Kani’s face flickers, but remains mostly stoic, “Besides, you heard Fenton. He was proud of you. You made the right choice.”

  “Yeah, I know…” Kani stands up, brushing off her legs as she does so, “I’ve been thinking—we have a mission now.”

  “We do?” I say.

  “Damn straight we do. We’re gonna avenge Fenton and Runa. Right? I mean, I know I’m not the only one who’s been thinking it.”

  I blink hard, “You’re not.”

  “So, c’mon. I can’t keep sittin’ around waiting for this hole to heal itself. I need to make an impact. Take some action. Make that bastard hurt as much as…” her voice trails off, but her jaw is set in determination.

  “First of all, we don’t know if Runa is really gone, gone.”

  “Trae, I know you want to keep hope, but we’ve been over this. There’s no Tree left. You have to assume the worst and hope for the best,” Kani says.

  “I agree, but I’m not giving up on her until I have a reason to believe otherwise.”

  “Alright. Then I have your back,” Kani says, tipping her head.

  “There has to be something more about Runa, or the Tree somewhere. If she was this important, there has to be more of a record. I know there was supposed to be the caudex thing, but who knows where it is. As for Videus, we don’t have much to go on there, either. We have the tiniest bits of intel from when we researched at the Archives but that wasn’t much. We need to know more so we can hit him where it hurts. At least now we know if we’re not careful, he can take over people’s minds and control them. Hell, like you suggested, maybe even if we are careful,” I say, shaking my head.

  “See, I’ve been thinking about that. Fenton didn’t have the eLink hardware embedded like we do. We were running off the assumption the eLink was made mandatory so Videus would have a way to control people’s minds. How do you think Videus did take over Fenton?” Kani asks.

  “I have no idea. I would have thought if anyone was susceptible, it would have been us; you, me, hell—Runa. I watched him turn people into Labots right in front of us when we were in the Helix.”

  “So strange…” Kani mutters, beginning to pace, “This is more Landry’s deal than any of us. He’s the one who could crack the reasons—if he were here. Maybe we should go look for him.”

  “I agree. Landry’s our best bet to understanding how Videus does it. If for no other reason, he knows the intricacies of how a ComLink or eLink works. Maybe by understanding better, we can defend against another takeover. In the meantime, though, we know Videus has got his vassalage thing, but we have no real idea where it is. Maybe that’s our best start? If we could find the vassalage, maybe we’ll get more details on Videus’ real plan. At least we’d be helping Runa, too. She wanted her brother found.”

  Saying her name out loud makes me flinch internally. Thinking about her like she’s going to come around the corner at any time makes me feel so damn insane.

  Kani nods, “That’s a really good point. If the vassalage is a prison, we should be able to poke around, or find out who else he’s kept there. His agenda can’t just be about some girl and putting an end to her life. There has to be something bigger than that.”

  “People do strange things when their livelihood is in jeopardy,” I offer.

  “You think that’s it? He feels threatened?”

  “Sure…but of what? He’s gone to some pretty great lengths to make sure no one even knows he exists. What could he really lose?”

  Kani continues to pace for a moment, shaking her head. “Doesn’t make sense, does it?”

  “None that I can think of until we have more of the puzzle.”

  “Maybe we need to do a bit more digging into Runa’s past, too… Things aren’t everything they seem to be with her, either. What if the key lies with her?” Kani says, “I mean, what’s up with her paternal code? Why would the Helix not have her father on record? Would they have erased him from the database completely when he died?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” my words fumble out and I stare at a bunched up piece of the area rug.

  “Traeton—are you okay?” her question lingers in the air.

  I wave my hand dismissively and say, “Let’s just focus on this. You’re bringing up some great questions. Ones that need answers. I’d rather be proactive, than reactive, wouldn’t you?”

  “Let’s do it,” she says, as she moves to the pile of crumpled packs and supplies. “What should we do about Landry?”

  “If you pack up, I’ll go to Alina’s and check on Landry,” I offer, nodding at the bag in her hand, “But if he’s not ready, we need to be prepared to do this without him.”

  Her almond-shaped eyes widen, but she nods.

  “Good. Give me an hour to convince him. If he won’t do it, then we head out tonight. We’ll start at the Archives and follow the trail from there.”

  “Sounds like as good of a plan as any,” she says, dropping the pack and walking toward the allayroom.

  I clutch the handle of the door, feeling the cold, smooth texture as I walk out with a sense of renewed purpose. Whatever happens now, at least I’m not sitting and stewing. I’m taking direct action and control. Fenton would be proud of that.

  Alina’s house isn’t far. Landry’s probably been to see her—but whether he’s still there or not is anyone’s guess. Losing Fenton was just as hard on him as it was on the rest of us…maybe more so. The two of them always operated more like twins than merely brothers, even though Landry is almost four years older. Sometimes, I even wondered if they shared the same mind; they were that close. I can’t even really imagine how this must be hitting him.

  I walk up the stone steps of Alina’s small house and as I raise my hand to knock, the door swings open. Alina’s piercing blue eyes stare back at me from under her black bangs.

  “Hey, Trae,” she says, clutching at the side of the door.

  “Is he here?” I ask, tipping my head at the space behind her.

  Alina looks over her shoulder, then back at me, “He’s not doing real well. I don’t think now’s— ”

  “Look, we’re going to the Archives to do some recon. We want to hit Videus where it hurts, and we could really use Landry for this. We have questions only he can answer. I understand how he’s feeling, believe me, but— ”

  “No Trae, I don’t think you can understand.”

  “Can I at least just talk to him? Explain what we’re doing, so if he changes his mind he can— ” I ask, taking a step forward.

  Alina pulls the door in tighter, “I’ll pass along the message.”

  Her eyes fill with sympathy, but she means business. I’ve known Alina long enough to know not to mess with her judgment. If Landry’s not ready, he’s not ready. I kinda figured it might be the case anyway.

  “Fine,” I nod, “Let him know I’ll take a ComLink with me, but we won’t use it unless absolutely necessary, just in case it’s how Videus was able to control Fenton.”

  “Okay. Good luck, Trae,” Alina says, offering a faint smile.

  �
��Yeah…” I say, raising my hand in acknowledgment. The vein in my right temple pulses, making my eye throb. I walk quickly, pressing my fingertips to the vein, trying to get it to relax. I shouldn’t let this stress me out.

  When I get back, Kani has three packs spread across the table, couch, and counter top in various stages of being filled. She enters the main room from Landry’s bedroom with some of his clothing.

  “So is he—?” Kani’s words cut off as she sees the look on my face.

  I shake my head.

  “Okay—won’t need these,” she says, throwing them without care back the way she came.

  “What more needs to be done?” I ask.

  “We need water filled, food sorted. Do you have an idea of how long you want to be away from the Lateral for this?”

  “Who knows? Could be days, could be weeks. It’s not like the Archives are far, though. We can always come back if we need to. For now, let’s aim for at least a week’s worth,” I say, stepping past her and looking for the canteens in the cupboards beneath the sink.

  “You realize we won’t be able to carry enough water for a week,” Kani says, raising her eyebrows as I take two canteens out of the cupboard.

  “Won’t need to. There’s a fountain in one of the other sections.”

  Kani snorts, “Nice of you boys to clue me in on this little tidbit.”

  “You never asked,” I shrug.

  “Wonder what else the two of you never told me…” she mutters under her breath, continuing to pack.

  I grin, turning away and heading to the stash of tech supplies Landry keeps for times like these.

  Kani works at organizing the food rations, while I search for a set of ComLinks. I have no idea if they’ll even be tuned into the right frequency—or whatever the hell Landry does to make them active. As leery as I am to use one, I figure it’s better to have them, than not at all. Placing two in tiny storage containers, I cram one each into our packs.

  “Did Landry say he’ll keep in touch with us?” Kani asks, as she zips up her pack.

  “Nope.”

  “Ah,” her eyebrows flick upward and she takes a seat, “Then why the ComLink?”