“Is that odd?” Trae asks.
“Maybe?”
Tethys grunts.
I shake my head, “Nothing at all…”
Human blood and ultimate sacrifice.
I’d almost forgotten about that part.
I run my fingertips across my lips, staring at the page.
My heart skips a beat. I know what needs to be done. In a weird way, I think I’ve always known.
My eyes pause over a different portion of the paragraph, “Deliver her life’s Burden…”
It solidifies my belief that I’m coming to the end. I’m not meant to survive this.
Once the Beacon is ignited, how do I deliver my life’s Burden? Where?
“What do you think it means?” Trae asks, a hint of worry hidden in his tone.
“I don’t know,” I say out loud. “But it doesn’t sound good, does it?”
I take a deep breath, and meet his gaze. His eyes are wide and the corners of his lips tug downward.
“You can’t possibly—“ he begins.
“I don’t know,” I repeat.
Regardless, I need to figure out for sure what it means. He and everyone else back at the Lateral are in danger—real, immediate danger. And those who aren’t, they’re going to be hunting for me now thanks to Videus.
I set the Caudex down beside Tethys and stand up.
“I’ll be right back. I need—I need some time,” I say.
Trae looks as though he’s about to protest, but thinks better of it.
“Okay, I’ll be right here,” he says instead.
“Thanks,” I whisper.
Turning my back on him, I head deeper into the ice cavern to clear my head.
There has to be more. More to everything and it’s staring me in the face, but I just can’t see it. Does it really want me to sacrifice myself?
My mind plays over the prophecy again and again. I stop walking, mulling over two words that give me hope that perhaps everything happening might be avoidable. Or at least fixable.
Reconstruct time—
Is the whole point of this to set all of the timelines right? To unravel the time loop Videus has begun? Something inside my soul vibrates and I know I’m on the right path. I don’t know how yet, but it’s all wrapped up in this.
What will resetting time mean for everyone? Will they even remember me when it’s all said and done? My eyes flit down the tunnel to Trae, then to Tethys. Then past her to the wall of ice beyond.
What would resetting the timeline mean for Trae and I? After all we’ve shared, and become…will he even remember I existed? What if my sacrifice means he’ll never know of me? That we’ll never come back to this place with each other?
If I make it to the other side, will I even remember him?
What about everyone else? My mother? Fenton? Kani? Could setting the timeline right mean saving them all?
My mind escapes back to a time when I dreamed my mother and I could have been close. Where life is simple and my friends are happy and safe.
Casting another gaze at Trae, I stop and take a deep breath. If it’s even a possibility to gain all that back—it’s worth the risk of not knowing.
I’ll do whatever it takes to deliver my Burden in whatever form it might take. I’ll lay it all on the line. Wherever I need to go, whatever it costs, I’m ready to pay the price.
19
Runa
SUDDENLY THE GROUND BEGINS TO RUMBLE.
My wrist sears with pain, and I drop to my knees, clawing at my jacket. As I pull back my sleeve, light streams from the mark, and I watch the final petal slowly appear. As it does, each of the five petals fill in with a crystal white light—so pure and unadulterated I have to shield my eyes. Light travels up my arm, flooding my body, filling into my irises. It streams out my fingertips and ends of my hair.
Before I know it, Tethys and Trae are by my side. Their presence is a safety blanket as I tread into unknown territory. Trae wraps his arms around me as all of the information once trapped inside the Caudex floods my consciousness, granting me access to everything written and unwritten. The waves of energy are intense, and I grope the sides of my head, trying to move with it—to allow it to do its job. In a strange way, I’ve become the Tree of Burden’s vessel.
The mark does more than simply allow the Beacon to ignite, it’s a gateway between what is, what was, and what will be. Within my mind, I can clearly see distinct threads of timelines and each of their subsequent tangents created by Videus. We’re so off track and it all stems back to a single location in time.
The location is still fuzzy—not able to fully open up to allow me to see the what and why with clarity. But there’s no doubt this is the moment that broke Videus. The moment where he left his humanity behind and became something completely contorted.
As the light subsides, it settles itself in place, illuminating only the mark. The five-petaled Everblossom shimmers under my skin a gentle white, with subtle hints of blue.
I take a moment to let the intensity of the energy settle.
“Runa—are you—are you okay?” Trae asks, breathless.
I nod, taking a deep breath. My body trembles, the adrenaline and energy finally dissipating. There’s so much to do—so much to undo.
Standing up, I take in our surroundings once more—this time, with different eyes. I understand why Tethys brought us here. I know what this place was before it was hidden and completely enveloped with ice. I also know what needs to be done now.
The ground around us continues to rumble, and Tethys leans in, steadying us both.
“We need to go—” I begin.
Suddenly, the ground beneath us shifts. I feel Tethys’ excitement—she knew this would happen. She knew the choices I’d make—even despite the direness. It’s why she brought me to the outskirts of the Acropolis. The energy, the molecular memory— everything would lead me to the conclusion she expected.
“We need to get back to the Lateral,” I say, rising to my feet. “I need to ignite the Beacon.”
“Are you sure? I mean—what the hell just happened? There’s this light, and—” Trae says, pointing from me to the cavern. “Is there even a point now? Hasn’t Videus won?”
I take his hand, but hold his gaze.
“Trae, you have to trust me. I have work to do, and I’ll need your help,” I say.
These next few moments are what I was made for. I understand what needs to be done in order to set things right. I need to ignite the Beacon. Once accomplished, the energies of the Five will be ready for their sacrifice in order to open the timelines to alteration.
Even in the midst of all this chaos, I can’t help but smile to myself.
I finally realize why I’ve been called the Daughter of Five. You wouldn’t think it would matter, but it does.
The Four Pillars buried shards of themselves—their genetics, their essence, their powers—in the one place they felt would be safe until the time had come. In the bloodline of my ancestors. Four separate people on the planet were gifted the unique qualities only the Pillars could bestow—and it’s taken this long for all four to combine into one. I have the pieces of each of the Four Pillars—along with my own consented humanity—buried inside my blood.
The Four were biding their time until they could provide insurmountable pressure and change the time discrepancies Videus posed. My bloodline back to the first four people, who knows how far back, made everything possible. That’s why Videus was after them all. He knew somewhere, somehow, Pendomus itself was gearing up to fight back.
Stepping forward to Tethys, I slide the Caudex back into the pouch on the side of her body. No longer necessary for the information it holds—instead, the Caudex has become a key. My life’s Burden is simply this, the Caudex. Once I place it inside the Beacon, timelines will reset, and the Acropolis will rise. Things will go back to the way they were meant to.
Glancing up at Trae, I smile.
Trae’s eyes narrow and he tips his head
to the side, “What comes next?”
“I need your help, but you aren’t going to like it,” I say.
Trae rolls his eyes, and takes a breath, “I don’t like it already.”
“I need you to go back to Videus,” I say, holding his gaze.
“What?” he snorts. “You can’t be serious.”
“I need you to go back to him and tell him I fled. Make him believe the attack on the Lateral was effective.”
Trae huffs, twisting in a circle with his hands clasped behind his head.
“Dammit,” he mutters.
“If you go as Caelum—he might believe you.”
“Dammit,” he repeats. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Trae,” I say, taking one of his hands in mine.
“This is goodbye, isn’t it?” Trae says, his eyes searching mind.
“I don’t know,” I say.
That much is true. Once the timelines are reset, it’s anyone’s guess how things will end up.
Trae nods, considering. We stand in silence for a moment, not quite ready to go our separate ways.
“Before you go, I need to tell you—” Trae says.
I look up into his gaze again.
“Caelum, he’s happy you know. He wants me to tell you—he never meant to be a part of Videus’ schemes. He wishes you luck,” he says.
Smiling, I say, “I know. I’ve always known.”
Trae pauses again, looking as though there’s more to say.
“Okay,” he sighs, “I guess we should get going.”
“I guess we should,” I nod.
Taking a final look around the ice cavern—the Waterbear lair—I look forward to returning it to its original glory. Without another word, I climb on Tethys’ back, and Trae does the same. She saunters off, choosing not to engage her shield, but to walk us to the water’s edge. Just before she jumps, her shield engages, and we plunge into the water.
~Tethys, we need to get Trae to the surface. He’s going to buy us some time.
Understanding, she veers to the right, finding an outlet not far from the Archives—or the Acropolis. After a few moments of silence in the water, we come to the end of the line. Cautiously easing out of the water, Tethys guides us as close as she dares to the tree line.
As we come to a halt, Trae slides off her back. Tethys keeps watch, her shield still engaged as he takes my hand. I slide off her back, facing him.
“How can you be so brave?” he asks, his dark eyes serious and solemn.
My eyes drift to the floor as I consider his words.
Is it brave to accept what is? I suppose maybe it is. It’s an act of rebellion, in a sense to embrace reality rather than run from it. Even if this reality wasn’t meant to be.
“Trae, we can’t let Videus continue to destroy everything. We both know he needs to be stopped, and together, we’re the only ones who can do it.”
Trae’s eyes widen. He swallows hard, but eventually nods.
“I know, you’re—you’re right,” he says. “But I still wish there was another way. I don’t—”
“I know, I do too,” I say, shaking my head.
“I need you to know—” Trae begins, trying to find the right words. “I need you to know how much I wish things had been different. That we’d been able to have our time together, just you and I. Without any of this shit that’s kept us from truly being together. I wish we were given the time to see how our relationship could play out. Maybe we’d even grow old together. Have a couple of kids,” he grins, his dimples flashing briefly.
“Kids,” I smile, my eyes threatening to tear up, “I wish we’d had our time together, too. Maybe, once this is all said and done, we’ll still get our chance?”
“Runa, if we don’t—if we don’t see each other again—I want you to know that I lo—”
I step forward and stop his words with my fingertips. This can’t be the way to hear this—on the brink of destruction.
“Don’t say it,” I whisper. “Show me instead.”
I lift my face to his and he presses his lips to mine, putting his hands along my face and pulling me close. In this mess of existence, Trae’s been the one thing to be happy about. Even in all the darkness. He may not realize it, but his strength gives me strength, too.
My lips tingle, my body pulses with energy. He’s shown me what it can mean to be a woman, to be human. To be more than just a person alone on her own mission.
After a moment, I break our connection, leaning my forehead against his chin. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me in tighter.
“So this is it,” he says, “We’re really doing this.”
A moment of silence passes, and I say, “We are.”
Trae takes a deep breath and his shoulders relax.
“Well, let’s get it done,” he says.
Tethys releases her shield, and Trae gives me one more gentle kiss.
“See you soon,” he says with a hint of smile. His dimples appear briefly, and he releases my hands.
Without further fanfare, Trae walks off, leaving me standing beside Tethys. When he’s a few meters away, he turns back just in time to see Tethys engage her shield. He watches us for a moment, then he nods to himself as he walks towards the trees in search of Videus.
My heart thrums loudly in my chest. I could be sending Trae off to his death. If things don’t go the way I hope, the way they’re meant to, I could be dooming us all to death.
I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, and climb back onto Tethys’ back.
She doesn’t linger, as she takes off through the snow and reenters the underground river.
Everything feels different. I feel different. Let’s hope it’s enough.
Faster than ever, Tethys propels through the water, making her way as quickly as she can. She knows she’s on the clock now, having precious cargo to deliver. At least, that’s the way she describes me. In a way, this is her mission as much as it’s mine. We’ve been connected from the very beginning, she and I.
This time, as we travel, everything around us illuminates brightly and stays lit. The blue light we saw before ignites in all the scribing, the etchings, and special marks of the statues and walls. Gears I didn’t even see before begin to spin, setting off a system of levers and pulleys. They seem oddly mechanical for the magic they begin to work. Tethys maneuvers us quickly, making our way back to the Lateral to finalize the process.
I need to be in proximity to the Beacon in order to deliver the Caudex and set everything in motion. Once it begins, there’s no way to stop it. I already know the devastation the Beacon itself will force. It’ll level everything around it once it gains the energy from the Pillars. Everyone still in the Lateral will die.
Before gaining the mark, I never would have taken this risk. It means ending people’s lives—but when the timelines reset, none of it will matter. At least, not if everything goes according to plan. It’s the one thing I couldn’t bring myself to say to Traeton—if I’m successful, all of this goes away. Even us. Maybe we get to start over. Or maybe my work here is done and I’ll never be born.
As Tethys gets closer to the Lateral, the large gears from beneath the city light up and spring to life. The massive mechanisms begin to rotate, building power. The water around us hums with anticipation.
“This is so beautiful” I whisper, taking in the mysteries underneath the city. I’m the only one who will ever see this and it’s such an odd splendor to witness.
It’s been a while since I was first here—and I noticed the gears, but thought nothing of them. They were simply a part of what I thought was a city now long gone. Or perhaps part of the Lateral’s initial construction. But now, they’re stunningly ancient.
Tethys continues to maneuver us up through the flooded floor of the Lateral. Thankfully, there aren’t many people here anymore. Either they found a way to use their shields to get out. Or perhaps Videus—
I shake away the thought.
Tethys brings me to the c
enter of the city. The absolute middle. As we hover over the location, my mark begins to burn, and the water beneath us and around us begins to boil.
As the gears below do their work, beams of light travel upward from beneath the city. They flood the five structural posts outside the city and they begin to glow a bright, sky blue. My job here is done for now.
The Beacon’s process will continue to do the rest on its own and I need to be clear when it erupts.
Tethys leaves the confines of the Lateral’s inner city, heading to the surface of the water. Since we left, the water has swollen up through the better part of the enormous open cavern, nearly reaching the exit toward the Safe Haven. More than likely, it’s how the others escaped.
Tethys shoots through the water, making quickly for the exit as the energy in the Lateral builds to a crescendo. Just as we reach the landing, the light from the five posts bursts from their ends, conjoining in midair in a single beam of light. As the light extends upward, a large dome of energy bursts through the water, encompassing the city.
The shockwave that follows, thrusts the water—and us with it— toward the exit. Tethys rides the wave as far as she can allow, but as the water settles, it pulls back, leaving us in the dry tunnel leading back toward the Haven.
Disengaging her shield, Tethys lets me know she’ll find her own way out—but that I need to head to the topside and deliver the Caudex to the Beacon.
I pat her head, gathering the Caudex from its pouch.
“Thank you, Tethys. For everything. Stay safe, okay? I’ll see you soon,” I say, running my hand through the fur at the side of her neck.
She grunts in acknowledgement as she turns and disappears into the watery depths. I follow her descent as far as my eyes allow, and finally take in the scene beyond.
The Lateral’s dome shimmers under the water, a shield of sorts—not all that unlike the Waterbear’s shield. Perhaps that’s what it’s meant to mimic.
“I hope everyone was able to get out safely,” I whisper to myself. “Sure looks beautiful from here, though.”
The Complete Pendomus Chronicles Trilogy: Books 1-3 of the Pendomus Chronicles Dystopian Scifi Boxed Set Series Page 67