The Pandora Chronicles - Book 1 (A Scifi Adventure Thriller) Read Online Free Page A

Two!”
    Tier fell quiet.
    “Three!”  
    Finnegan nodded at his quartermaster.
    “Wait!” Rodriguez thrust the box forward. “Please, don’t harm her.”
    Finnegan took the box and examined it. One side was checkered, with tiles that could only move one square at a time. One empty square provided a space where another tile could fit. Finnegan had seen this type of puzzle once before, when a small man from the Far East had shown him one that opened a jewelry box.
    “A puzzle,” he murmured.
    “Yes,” Rodriguez confirmed. “It is designed so that only people from our Order can open it.”
    Finnegan looked up from the box. “Need I threaten you again?”
    The priest raised his hands. “I shall willingly open the box, Captain. However, I would like for you to attempt to open it first.”
    “I am not in the mood for games.”
    “This is no game,” Tier interjected. “Try opening it, Captain. You have nothing to lose. As my companion explained before, anyone not part of our Order should not be able to open it.”
    Finnegan eyed the duchess intently, searching for any sign of foul play. Perhaps she wanted him to appear like a fool in front of his crew.  
    However, he decided that the two prisoners were more likely to cooperate if he played along with their game.
    “I shall hold you to your word,” Finnegan told the priest.  
    The latter nodded.  
    Finnegan sheathed his sword and gave the box his full attention. He could probably fiddle with the puzzle for a few seconds, pretending to work the mechanism, before making the priest open it.
    His fingers hovered over the tiles and a strange sensation washed over him. He felt his head spinning, his mind felt like a sail flapping in the wind. Suddenly, he could see the tiles moving, their motion as clear as the markings on one of his maps. Without any intention of doing so, his hands began following the path he saw in his mind, moving the tiles in order.  
    His mind snapped back to the present when he heard the box’s locking mechanism go off, and the lid snapped open.
    Duchess Tier broke the stunned silence. “That box’s secret is only known to us,” she said. “However, there is only one other circumstance where a person is able to open the box. Those people are quite rare, and very special.”
    Father Rodriguez made the sign of the cross in a quick flurry of hand gestures.
    “People who can see what others cannot,” Tier continued. “Men who sail when no bearing is given, yet manage to arrive precisely where they intend to go. Sailors who read the ebb and flow of the seas like charts, and captains who foresee the outcome of their battles.”
    Finnegan’s throat became very dry.
    “A truly exceptional person,” Tier said.
    “What is the meaning of this?” Finnegan asked in a low, hoarse voice.
    “I shall explain everything to you in privacy.” Tier’s eyes were cold and steady. “The contents of that box are the Order’s most sacred possession. And you have proven yourself to be worthy of it, Captain.”
    Finnegan reached inside and extracted a thick ledger, with red leather encasing the contents and a dark strap binding it shut.
    “What sort of treasure is this?” he asked.
    “The most valuable treasure mankind can possess,” Father Rodriguez answered. “The truth, Captain Finnegan. The Truth .”

Chapter 4

    “What do you know of this world?” Tier asked.  
    The question took Finnegan by surprise. He glanced at Duchess Tier, searching for an answer in her eyes, but the fair lady gave none.

    The first mate had been given temporary command of the vessel until the captain could return to his duties. Finnegan knew that the first mate could easily become absorbed in his own power, making him unfit for complete command, but the man was no fool. Finnegan knew he was aware of his short coming and gave order for the crew to slow the vessel down until the captain had finished his business with the two stowaways.

    Back in his quarters, Finnegan