People nearby shout their agreements.
Scrambling to my feet, I survey the scene. Trees are toppled on their sides, some hanging onto the ground at odd angles. Blood spatters the ground of some of the people who weren’t so lucky with the blast. Survivors attempt to get back up, some struggling to stand while others hover over the people they’ve lost.
“Lane?” I call out, my voice a raspy whisper. “Delaney?”
I spin around, looking for any sign of where she may have landed. A meter or so from my location, I catch a glimpse of her dark curls buried in the snow. Rushing forward, I drop to my knees beside her body.
“Lane, are you okay?” I ask, gently turning her over. Blood begins to darken the snow beneath her. Half of her face is missing—ripped from her in the blast.
My eyes close, and I release her body. Sitting on my heels I cover my face. I knew people could be hurt in this timeline, but I never considered I’d be here to watch those I care about perish.
Returning to a stand, I realize I have two choices. I can be consumed by the pain here in this place, or I can do something to change it.
I don’t have the luxury of letting any of this matter. It can’t deter me from what needs to be done. Walking past the suffering, the cries for help, and the angry shouts my direction, I make my way to the Caudex. My heart tugs, screaming at me to help them here and now—but my instincts tell me I need to finish what I’ve started. Otherwise, this is all these people have. I won’t let that be true.
Lifting the heavy tome from the ground, I clutch it to my body. The wind whips my hair around, and I stand dazed in the field of trees and wounded people. I stare at the tower of energy venting high up into the sky. Even from here, the intense energy rolls off it in waves. The power of it, evident to anyone with eyes. They certainly don’t need my enhanced vision.
The mark on my wrist burns, calling me forward; calling me to the light with the rest of the Pillars. Do the others feel the same pull?
Amidst screams and cries for me to do something to help, I leave everyone behind, walking for what feels like ages. Eventually, I reach the decimation, climbing over the rubble of what used to be the cavern system. The entrance to the Haven has completely caved in—and a huge crater has opened up where the Lateral used to be.
It looks exactly as it had in the future—and I’m suddenly acutely aware if I don’t make the right moves, this will still be the future.
I reach the precipice, the energy of the Beacon pulsates, drawing me in closer.
“Not so fast, Everblossom, dear,” a voice calls over my shoulder.
I pause for a second debating on whether to turn and face him, or run onward anyway.
Slowly, I turn.
Of everything I’d envisioned Videus to be, nothing could have prepared me for this moment. I’d given in to his faceless game—playing the part that while he was human, he wasn’t a man. Not really.
But he is. And far worse than that.
He’s my friend.
“Landry,” his name escapes my lips, but I can only stare.
His features contort. Aged through more years than I dare count, and far more angry.
Beside the man wearing Landry’s face, Trae stands at attention. His blue hair flickers in the wind, but his eyes are vacant and devoid of their sparkle.
My heart tightens.
“Are you surprised, Everblossom? Shocked to see the man behind the mask, here to bring you down?” Landry says through his teeth.
“I—I—” I stumble for words. “Why? Why you?”
“Who did you expect? Someone hideous? Scars, perhaps?” he points at my face and the slash marks covering the left side of my face.
“But we—we were friends,” I say, searching for the words.
All of my anger and hatred for this man feels displaced, and I struggle to meld the two worlds together.
“Friends?” he says, “That’s a funny way of putting it.”
His calculating blue eyes narrow, as he begins to pace in front of me. For a moment, I’d almost say there was a hint of surprise hidden in those eyes.
Doesn’t he remember? Why doesn’t he remember?
I shift, glancing at the ground, trying to work things out.
It all suddenly makes so much sense. The technology. The connection to me. He’s always meddled with minds. Always taken an interest in things he could control and connect to.
His brother—
Recognition dawns.
The vision was of a young boy—one laughing and playing. It wasn’t the age he lost him. It was the age Videus admired most. It was the unraveling threads of happy memories he’s had of his brother. Of Fenton.
He blames me for his death.
It’s one of those strange paradoxes—which came first? My connection to Fenton? Or Landry’s decision to lose his humanity?
I try to wrap my mind around it all. Make sense out of why Landry would do this—why he’d go through such an elaborate plan when he could have simply taken me out when we first met. He could have destroyed me then, and no one would have been the wiser.
Why go through all of this?
“Hand over the book,” Landry says, pointing to the Caudex in my hands.
“Bite me,” I fire back, indignation forming in the pit of my stomach.
How dare he blame me—he was the one who gave Kani no choice.
“Ooooooh. Interesting selection of words. Where did you hear this archaic diatribe?” Landry says mockingly.
I hold still, standing my ground, acutely aware I’m one woman standing against Videus, and his second in command. I glance again at Trae’s handsome face, knowing he’s gone. I don’t sense his humanity rolling off him—nor the AirGlider who was inside. Instead, he’s something completely mechanical.
I take a deep breath, exhaling my heartache.
There’s nothing left for me here. Nothing left to fight for in this version of reality.
“Alright, don’t speak. I’ll speak,” Landry says, turning to Trae and placing a hand on his shoulder. He takes a long pause, allowing his hand to linger there, as a sly grin slides across his lips.
He tips his head to the side and says, “You care about this one, right? I can understand why. He was smart, strong, and generally loyal. It took a while to break him and get access to his mind. Ages, actually. Now, no matter what you do, he’s mine. You can’t do a thing.”
Rather than listen to his diatribe, I focus on the worn lines beside his mouth. The wrinkles carrying weight near his eyes.
This isn’t Landry. At least, not my Landry. The one I’ve known, talked to, stayed at his home with my friends. This is an older version—years older. Worn and warped.
My mind begins to whirl through all the questions surrounding Videus and Landry. Why are there so many inconsistencies? Why didn’t he take me out when he first met me? If he can time travel, why hasn’t he taken me out yet?
Traeton as an older man. He has the same vibe.
Is this why the Landry I know didn’t attack me? Is it the course of an older man? Did this shift happen after we met? I push my mind to the furthest reachings in understanding of time travel and keep coming up with the same conclusion. Younger Landry should have known. He should have carried the memories with him and found me far sooner. With far less casualties.
None of this is making any sense
I tune back in.
“…But he doesn’t matter to me. See, all it takes is another jump on time to wipe out his lineage before they even make it to Pendomus. He’ll never exist. Not now, not ever.”
I watch his mannerisms closely as he steps behind Trae, trying to taunt me out. It may have worked before the mark, it may have worked before the bloodlines. But I see through him now.
“If you wanted to take out Trae, you would have done it already. The simple fact you haven’t been able to change the one thing that matters to you—saving your brother—it speaks for you. See, when you jump through time, I don’t think you have access to the
editing program. You know enough how to tinker, to set off the dominoes and see what happens, but you have no idea how to access the parts you really want,” I say, bound with the energy surging around me from the Beacon, the Caudex, and the mark.
Landry’s eyes minimize to slits as he glares at me.
“I may look like a single girl, standing in the snow, but I’m much more than that. I’m the one who’s going to finally put an end to Videus. I have the keys to the editing software, so to speak,” I say, taking a step forward. “So this is how things are going to play out. All it takes is one wrench thrown into this time line tangent and you’ll never exist.”
Landry laughs.
“Not likely. There’s only one way that would ever happen and, honey, if I can’t make it happen—you can’t,” he says.
I watch him shift slightly—almost imperceptibly. He doesn’t believe what he’s saying.
And he obviously hasn’t wanted to jeopardize his earlier timeline in order to take all of humanity out. Had Landry never gone dark, there would be no Daughter of Five. Had Fenton not gotten involved, he wouldn’t have died. So where did it really begin?
Suddenly, the energy around me shifts. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but I know the tides are turning.
“Then what are you so afraid of?” I ask, smirking.
“Me? Afraid? What would I have to be afraid of? I have the upper hand here,” he says, snorting.
“Do you now?” I say, raising my eyebrows.
Behind Landry, the scene in the field has changed to a very different one from when I walked away. A sea of people have begun to rise out of the debris, making their way to us. They stand shoulder to shoulder—ready to fight.
Videus looks over his shoulder and returns his gaze to me, “You realize, they’re here for you.”
“Perhaps they are. But then again, maybe they’re here for you. Where are your other minions?” I counter, turning my head toward the sky.
As if on command, the sky fills with birds as the flocks make their way toward us. Large and small—both the juncos and the vultures. Beyond, in the snowy filled trees, Salamanders crawl out of the woods. Their electrical storm no longer blue, but the color it was meant to be—the color of fire.
At first, Landry smiles—a hopeful grin.
I shake my head, reminding myself not to underestimate him. He may look like Landry—he may even be Landry—but fundamentally, something has broken in him. He’s not the same man.
As the large spiders known as the TerraDwellers crawl out of the crater, reality sets in and Landry’s smile drops. These are not his minions. They’re free to do as they please. And they’ve been called here to help me.
Tethys joins in, making her way from the river’s opening near the Acropolis. She’s seen it, she relays—and it’s more beautiful than she remembered.
“What is this?” Landry asks, narrowing his eyes and edging closer to Trae.
“You should know,” I say, “Isn’t this what you wanted all along? This moment when the world takes in all you’ve done and fights back? Because it’s here.”
“And just what exactly do you think all of you are capable of?” Landry says, a hint of fear bleeding into his words for the first time.
“Everything you aren’t,” I say. “We’re going to stop you. Not here—not now, in this place. But from the very beginning. Are you ready to be wiped from the face of existence?”
His eyes widen, but he holds himself taller than before.
“You’ve always been an impetuous one, Everblossom. Are you so sure you have everything you need to get this little—spellwork—done?” he says, flicking a hand toward me.
Trae immediately lunges forward, racing at me with lightening speed. Before I can stop him, his full weight is thrown on me and I land face first in the snow. Trae’s body stumbles, and he rolls in the snow beside me. The Caudex skitters from my hands, landing a meter away. As Trae pushes up to a stand, I grab his ankle, dropping him back to the ground.
Suddenly, Trae’s foot lands squarely in my face and all I can see are stars. I hear him scrambling in the snow—and I know I’ve lost the Caudex.
Videus’ laugh is deep and foreboding.
“It all comes down to this? A fragile, insignificant book. And this—this is why civilizations have fallen before us. This is why the good guys never win. Because you never learn from past mistakes. This technology—” he taps the side of his head, “my technology—is the way of the future. It was the way to preserve everything and keep it sacred. But no one would believe me. Now look around. This prophecy, the Daughter of Five business—it all hinged on the final flaw of this book making its way to the big tunnel of light over there.”
I open my eyes in time to see him jab a finger at the Beacon’s light behind me.
“Pretty soon, this Beacon will wane. It can’t output this kind of energy forever. And when it does, nothing will be left of your beloved city, and the people you care about. You’ll be all alone in this world, just as I am.”
“I’m not alone, look around you, Landry. I didn’t ask for this, and yet here they are. You, on the other hand—you’re not alone, either. You’re adamantly opposed. You’re the reason everyone is here, coming together,” I say, climbing to my feet.
“Touching, isn’t it?” Landry says, shrugging nonchalantly.
My eyes flit to Trae, who has returned to Landry’s side, standing completely still—a machine in sleep mode.
The wind whips my hair across my face and I know no reasoning will ever work on Landry. He’s too far gone. He doesn’t just hurt, grieve, and get over it. Fenton’s death consumes him. And it has planetary consequences. All the time loops, all the tangents—he’s smart enough to be dangerous, but he’s emotionally and empathetically stunted. Unstable.
Action is what has to happen now.
Quietly, I center myself and send out the signal to those around us who’ll participate. It’s a simple countdown, but I know they’ll understand.
I need to create enough chaos to get the Caudex to the Beacon.
As the countdown reaches the end, the AirGliders are the first to respond, swooping in from the trees and barreling towards Landry.
The liberated Salamanders move next, forming a semicircle around Landry, and Trae. Their feet glow brightly and the orange lightening breaks in large arcs, connecting them as a group. A true force to reckon with.
Landry spins in a circle, taking it all in.
The people in the field behind also move closer. Those with powers at the front—the others still willing to fight, just behind them. They hold their ground, waiting until an opportune moment to do their work.
Landry sends a signal and Trae’s body springs into action. Jumping forward to protect him, he slams onto one of the vultures as it swoops in. Grabbing it by its wings, he promptly snaps them off and discards the body to flop about on the ground. Trae then returns to an alert, but oddly disconnected version of himself. Landry hovers just behind him, speaking something under his breath.
My eyes flit to the Caudex.
Before I make the conscious decision, my feet are already propelling me forward. I race to the Caudex, sliding across the snow and ice to reach it.
Trae moves quickly, springing into action and thrusting me back. Sliding backward in the snow, I hit a tree trunk with force—much more force than any man should be able to provide. Electrical energy from his action shocks my system, leaving my muscles stunned and useless.
Tethys springs into action, slamming herself against Trae’s body. He spirals up, recoiling against the pain in midair. The conductive energy between the two of them ignites, sending a shockwave that extends through the entire scene. Tethys wails in pain, surprised Traeton could carry this kind of energy. She spins around, grabbing Trae by the leg, then slamming him against the ground.
My stomach rolls and I feel like lurching at the sight.
Nothing Tethys does works though; Trae simply flops about and keeps comin
g for her. With a swift, sudden movement, Trae releases some sort of electrical blade, slicing open Tethys’ side. Blood swells outward, coloring the snow and all around it.
Even if no one could see her before, they certainly see her blood as it sprays them.
“Tethys—” I scream, unable to move.
The TerraDwellers spring into action, walking over my body to stand as a wall between Tethys and the Salamander. They push her body aside, one spinning her gently in its long legs as it uses its web to bind her wound.
Videus laughs.
“Even with all of this, the Daughter of Five is no match for me,” he says. “Some savior. You can’t even save yourself. Pathetic.”
Commanding the energy from the snow around me, I tap into the gifts from the Waterbears to aid my healing. The ground begins to shake and the snow hovers a couple inches off the ground. Suddenly, it melds itself into one large liquid ball and forces it’s way into my body. As it moves through, the grounded water soothes out any of the electrical charge. My muscles begin to relax and I’m able to get up on my hands and knees.
Taking a deep, centering breath, I rise to stand.
Those who Landry had kept trapped at the vassalage move in, surrounding him and Trae. He clutches Trae’s body closer to him, acting as a shield while their power builds. The energy in this space, in the snowy field, is enough to make hair and goosebumps rise.
“Just end this, Landry. There’s no where else to go. You can’t stop the inevitable. It was foreseen, for godsake,” I say. “You don’t have the upper hand here.”
I allow my mind to travel, extending itself to Landry for the first time. I don’t know if it will work, but I have to at least try to defuse this situation so I can finish the job.
Landry’s mind at first is like a steel trap; cold and empty. Unlike the AirGliders and Salamanders who wanted liberation, Landry holds his secrets in tight.
Watching me closely, Landry takes a step forward, dragging Trae along with him.
“I can’t believe that —” Landry says.
“Believe what?” I ask, momentarily pausing my assault.
“That this is all inevitable. Whatever happened to freewill? What happened to the opportunity to change things? Isn’t that what this is all about?”
The Complete Pendomus Chronicles Trilogy: Books 1-3 of the Pendomus Chronicles Dystopian Scifi Boxed Set Series Page 69