“It would be difficult to dye my hair with a shirt on. Wouldn’t want to turn it blue,” he grins.
I back up slightly, his proximity makes me light-headed.
“That makes—perfect sense,” I nod.
“I thought it might,” he laughs. “I’m nothing if not reasonable. Well, unless I’m not.”
I clutch the vial in my hand tighter, but look up into his dark, mysterious eyes. There’s so many years of secrets hiding in their depths now. They’ve seen so much more than the Trae of my time. Part of me wants to stay here, learn all that he’s witnessed; hear his stories.
“Well, it’s a combination of that, and honestly, I like the way your innocence makes you blush. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to see it,” he grins. “There’s so much I miss. So much I wished I woulda—Well, I’m sure you can imagine.”
I blink rapidly, trying to center myself and understand what he’s trying to say without actually saying it. I suppose I do understand, in a sense. There’s a lot I’d wish I’d told him too and I’m sure there’d be even more if I hadn’t gotten the chance to see him again.
“So, how do we—ah—How can I help you with this process?” I ask, trying to bring us back to where we were headed.
“It’s easy really. For someone else to do, anyway. I’ll need you to use this device,” he says reaching into a drawer, and pulling out what looks like a small handheld phaser, but flatter. On the side of the silver device is an opening about the size of the small blue vial I hold.
Trae reaches his hand out, taking the little vial and slotting into the side. The device lights up, turning a bright blue, and making a low, barely audible humming sound.
“What do I do?” I ask, taking the device from him.
“As simple as it sounds, you just point and shoot. The device registers the difference between the hair on my head and the tiny hairs on a human body. It dyes the ones on your head by reading the variance in size of the hair and current pigmentation. So don’t worry about getting it on anything else. I was kidding before about it getting on my shirt. It is however, damned hard to get the backside of your own head.”
“How will I know if it’s working?” I ask.
“You’ll know. It takes effect immediately,” Trae says, watching my every move.
I nod.
“Seems simple enough. Are you ready?” I ask.
“As I’ll ever be, I suppose. Part of me’s wanted to do this for a while, that’s why the vial was lying around in the first place. The other part of me, I guess, always felt like it was a bit of lie trying to be the man I was before—” his eyes meet mine, and his brows tug downward. “You know what I mean?”
“I think so, yeah.”
“Alright,” he nods, “so where do you want me?”
“Wherever’s easiest. Can you bring in a chair?” I ask, looking around for the best location to have him sit.
“It honestly doesn’t take long. No point in getting a chair involved. I’ll just kneel.”
Dropping down in front of me, Trae kneels on the floor facing me. He looks up expectantly.
Taking a deep breath, I walk over to him and tip his chin upward with the crook of my left pointer finger, then pull the trigger of the device. Instantly, the dark brown hair with flecks of gray begins to turn the bright color blue I’ve associated as Traeton Revasco. It doesn’t color anything beyond the hair on the top of his head, just as he said. I fluff up different sections of his locks, with my fingertips, and Trae closes his eyes, grinning to himself.
“Your hands feel nice,” he whispers.
A smile creeps across my lips as well, and somewhere in the middle of my chest, my heart swells. If this man, so many years in the future can still find it in himself to feel this way about me—I know how the one in my timeline feels about me. I need to get home to him. I can’t let this alternate version of reality exist where Trae ends up alone and without those he really cares about.
I walk around Trae, dying his hair until every strand looks the way I remember it. When I’m satisfied, I place my hand on his shoulder and smile.
“You’re all done,” I whisper.
Trae’s dark brown eyes widen, and his dimples emerge deeper with the years of experience now carved on his face.
“Thank you, Runa. How do I look?” he asks.
I grin.
“You look like you.”
“Well, I’d be concerned if I looked like someone else,” he laughs.
Standing up, Trae brushes off his knees and takes the device. The blue light glows dimly on the side, but as he takes the vial out, it goes completely dormant again.
“Trae, do you have any other colors for this?” I ask, watching as he throws the vial into the trash incinerator.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you have any other vials. Any other colors?”
Surprise filters into his face, and he shrugs, “I—I don’t think so. The last time anyone dyed their hair it was ages ago when Kani was still here. I could check?”
He begins to open drawers, rummaging inside to look for another vial. After a moment, he pulls out a purple vial, and holds it up for me.
“Looks like she left one behind. It’s not green, but then again, she really liked that color. I can’t say I’ve ever seen Kani have purple streaks,” he says.
“Perfect,” I say, taking the purple vial. “So the room with the two beds, it was for Kani and Fenton?” I ask.
Trae flinches imperceptibly.
“Trae?” I ask, concern creeping into my voice.
“Kani was here, but—”
A realization begins to dawn and for some reason it makes me feel sick. I should have guessed he wasn’t alone all these years. He would have had to find companionship somehow.
“So you and Kani were a thing, then? When did she break up with Fenton?”
Trae’s eyes widen and he shakes his head, his hands fly up in front of his body, “Oh, no—no, no, no. It wasn’t anything like that. Kani was here, for a while. She didn’t want to be on her own. Fenton, though…he didn’t…” his eyes take on a distant quality as he searches for words.
“Why wouldn’t he come out here, too?” I ask, trying to understand.
“Fenton didn’t come because he was dead, Runa,” Trae says, clearing his throat.
My body feels like it’s sinking, or stuck in thick viscous mud.
“How? When? How?” I repeat.
Trae scratches at the top of his newly blue head.
“There’s something you should know about when you left through the tree… Fenton, well, Videus—he took Kani hostage just after you entered the portal. We—there was no other way…” Trae’s sentences are fragmented. I can tell it’s hard for him to get everything out.
“That long?” I say. It’s not really a question, it’s a statement.
It happened just after I left.
Trae nods.
“We weren’t able to recover Fenton from Videus’ control. Kani—she had to—” Trae says, shrugging.
“I see. I—Traeton, I’m so sorry,” I say, stepping forward and taking him into my arms.
“It’s not your fault, Runa.”
“Of course it is. You wouldn’t have ever been there if it wasn’t for me. Videus would never have used Fenton, if it wasn’t for me,” I say, burying my face in his chest. “I never should have involved you.”
“Everyone did what they wanted to do out of their own volition. No one made us help you. The one to blame for Fenton’s death is Videus. He’s the one who took free will out of the equation, forcing Fenton to do things he would never do,” he says, tipping my chin up and forcing me to look into his eyes.
I hear what he’s saying, I do. But a part of me feels like I should have known. Or I should have been able to prevent it somehow. There was no need for any of this to happen.
How dare Videus do this? How dare he take someone like Fenton from us? As if taking my brother wasn’t enough? Destroying pe
ople’s lives in the Helix—
“Videus is going to pay, I promise you, Trae. This will not go unpunished.”
“Runa, it was a very long time ago. And there isn’t much left of anyone now. You saw the Lateral; the Haven. Everyone’s gone. It’s not just Fenton. What would you do, avenge them all?”
“Trae, I’m in the future somehow with you. I’m not even in my own timeline. There has to be something I can do. I won’t accept anything less,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Just don’t put yourself into more danger than you’re already in,” he says squeezing me tighter.
“I’d like to say I could keep that promise, but you and I both know who we’re dealing with. I need to get back to my timeline, find out more about the prophecy, and put an end to Videus once and for all. That’s the whole point of being the Daughter of Five, right? Setting things right?”
“I sure as hell hope so,” he says.
“So do I,” I say, clutching the little purple vial in my hand. It burns in my palm, and even though I don’t have the sight to tell me this vial was meant for me, I can feel it.
“Trae, I’d like you to do me a favor—” I begin.
16
Runa
I TAKE ONE LAST LOOK in the mirror, satisfied with my new appearance. Not only is my hair much shorter now, but the bottom half of what used to be a white-blonde is now a deep, beautiful purple. In a sense, I can see why Kani never used it. The color is so deep, adding it to her already black hair would have gotten lost. Besides, the bright neon green suited her personality so much better.
“What do you think?” Trae asks, throwing the used vial away.
“I love it,” I say, nodding. “It’s different, but good different.”
Trae stands behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. For a moment, he doesn’t say a word, just watches me through the mirror. The feeling is oddly ominous as I look into his worn, aged expression. His eyes are slightly sad, but they have a hint of amused sparkle to them.
“Guys, are you ever gonna come out of there?” Ammon says, pounding on the door.
Torn from my relatively small bubble with Trae, I smile. I’d almost forgotten Ammon was with us. In a weird sort of way, it was as if I was a part of the future with Trae now. A small piece of me wishes I could stay, but then, I’d have lost so much and this expression on Trae’s face would remain a part of his reality. If I can change it, I will. He deserves so much more.
“Yes, we’re coming out now,” I say.
“Good, because your book’s getting a little crazy out here,” he says in a higher pitch than normal.
I throw a concerned glance at Trae as we both reach for the door. When we enter the hallway, Ammon jumps up and down, pointing toward the table where we last left the Caudex.
“Has it ever done this before?” he asks, excitedly, then does a double take at my hair. “Nice color, by the way. Both of you.”
Trae nods, and I reach for my hair, instinctively.
“Yeah, it was sorta last minute, I guess.”
Ammon’s eyes shift from me to Trae again in an oddly suspicious manner. There are some instances where I swear, he’s sizing Traeton up.
Turning to the Caudex, it glows brightly, telling me there’s new information I need to be aware of. Does this mean I’ll be able to see it?
I turn to look at Trae, who nods at me to carry on.
Reaching for the little crystal on the end of my necklace, I wave it in front of the book, making the locks disengage.
I give one last once over around the room, take a deep breath, and open the book.
Quickly, Trae places his hand over mine and slams the cover shut.
“Trae?” I say, surprised as I look up at him.
“Before you read this, I need to tell you something,” he says, suddenly serious.
“You can tell me after— ” I begin.
“No, I can’t. This is important and I…” his eyes go distant, and he licks his upper lip before continuing. “We never know when things will change. If the book whisks you away from me the way it brought you here, I have to know I said my piece. Do you understand?”
I nod, unable to blink my wide eyes.
He breathes a sigh of relief and nods, “I need you to tell me, I mean the other me, to figure out what’s going on with my headaches. This needs to be done before any of you move forward with the Vassalage.”
“Sure, I can do that. But…I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this now?”
“I don’t know. I got an intense feeling in the pit of my stomach and I knew you needed to know,” Trae says, shrugging.
“What’s so important about these headaches you’re talking about?” I ask.
“They, uh…they cause a lot of problems moving forward. I can’t elaborate on it because it could really mess with things. All I can say is you’ll need to figure out why on your own. Don’t involve anyone else,” he says.
I laugh. “You can’t be serious? I don’t know anything about headaches or neurology.”
“Runa, it’s critical or I wouldn’t tell you. Trust no one. Not even Landry,” he says, his eyes burning into mine. “Promise me.”
“Okay, I promise,” I whisper.
“Good. That’s good,” Trae says, nodding. “One last thing.”
“Anything,” I whisper.
“Keep a close eye on me,” he says.
“I’ll— ”
Suddenly, the Caudex sears a bright, crystalline white and the pages burst open, unable to be held back any longer. The light takes over every ounce of my vision. I can’t see anything, or anyone else beyond the brightness of it. Oddly enough, though, it feels like home—as if this light is something I’ve always been a part of.
For a moment, there are no questions floating around in my head, no wondering about what’s happening, where I’m going, or how I’m going to get back. I don’t even think about Trae or Ammon, or even regard myself.
Slowly, however, all of the thoughts begin to pull back into my awareness and my vision begins to take in more of my surroundings. Just as he’d suspected, I’m no longer in Trae’s cabin on the edge of what used to be the frozen tundra—but instead, I’m standing inside the Tree of Burden. Only, this time, the Tree is a frozen, crystalline mass and beside me, is Ammon. On the floor by my feet is the Caudex.
I claw at my wrist as the fourth petal is seared into my skin, leaving only one petal remaining.
“Was that your tattoo?” Ammon asks.
I nod, rubbing at my wrist.
“Yeah, looks like I passed my third test. Whatever that was about.”
“Where are we now?” Ammon asks, trying to hide an edge of terror in his tone.
“From what I can tell, we’re inside the Tree of Burden,” I say, reaching out to touch the frozen water.
“We’re in the whaaa?”
Ammon makes a face and I realize I haven’t given him some of my backstory. When I have time, I’ll have to fill him in.
“It’s an important part of who I am,” I say, picking the Caudex up from the floor.
“Okay, but why are we in here. And how do we get back out?” he asks, knocking on the tree.
From this vantage point, the Tree no longer looks like a tree, but rather a clear, crystalline, circular fortress. Looking up, I can see the whole sky through its branches and deep into the earth through its roots. When I look to the trees beyond, it’s almost as if we’re inside Tethys’ shield, as everything is magnified and pushed outward.
I think back, trying to retrace my memories to see if I know how we’d get out—and where we’d even be in our timelines. Trae from the future told me the Tree had been destroyed, burned down by Videus and the Salamanders. However, when Tethys had put me in the Tree—it had been hollow and full of water. So narrowing down the timeframe by what Traeton had told me, about it filling with ice and spitting us out…
“I think we’re nearly back to our own timeline, Ammon,” I say, glee bubb
ling up inside me. We’re so close, now. I’m not far from Traeton and my friends.
“How on Pendomus do you know that?” he asks, giving me a funny look.
“Because this Tree has a history, and a specific timeline,” I say.
“Great for it. How do we get out?” he reiterates.
I clutch the Caudex to my side, but instinctively know the Tree will let us out. In a weird way, it’s an extension of me. Walking to where the doorway was when I entered the Tree the very first time, I step right through the ice as if it wasn’t even there. Ammon, immediately follows, swiping at his hair and looking around wildly.
“That was the strangest thing I’ve ever done. It didn’t even get my hair wet, or anything,” he says, his eyes open wide with wonder.
He walks back the way he came and runs into the wall of ice.
“What the?” he says, rubbing his nose.
“One way door, I guess,” I laugh.
“Swell,” he says, sticking out his tongue.
Beside us, a familiar snort makes me abruptly turn to my left. Once again, my sight has returned as I take in the beautiful spectacle that is Tethys. I’ve missed her so much. Her invisible, iridescent body shimmers in the light in so many colors I can’t even label—all distinctly her own. Magnificent in every way.
“What was that sound? Did you hear it?” Ammon asks, his eyes wildly searching for something he can’t see.
I reach out, resting my hand on Tethys’ head, as she takes a step closer and leans into my touch. Every fiber of her being is thrilled beyond measure that we’ve returned. She’s waited only a short period of time for my revival through the Tree—and that’s what she calls it, a revival.
What an odd word to use.
“I need more details, Tethys. When are we?” I ask out loud, still resting my hand on her head.
Moments after, is the only answer I receive.
“Moments after what?” I question. “Moments after I left?”
“Uh—who are you talking to?” Ammon asks, eyeing my hand, that to him must look like it’s resting in mid-air.
Tethys guides me through her mind, allowing me to see the events of recent past for her, and suddenly it all makes sense. She means sometime after her attempt at opening my sight—and sometime after Trae ran off to bring me to the Haven. Beyond that, the timing is anyone’s best guess because she couldn’t go with me underground.
The Complete Pendomus Chronicles Trilogy: Books 1-3 of the Pendomus Chronicles Dystopian Scifi Boxed Set Series Page 40