The Caulder Chronicles: Book One: Passage to Danger

By D T Ford and T L Ford

Amulets that open secret passages to hidden lairs and temples.
An underground rebellion for a cold war between three planets.
Extraordinary abilities surfacing bit by bit.
After finding out that he is part of a set of triplets, Artemius Caulder sets out to locate his long lost sisters with his adoptive cousins Daniel and Jackson. The only problem besides the head-spinning realization of his sisters’ existence: Men working for some unknown threat are hot on their tail and seem bound and determined to capture the boys before Arty can reunite with his sisters. As the mission takes them across the globe even more oddities and mysteries are revealed raising more than a few questions. Why were the three separated in the first place? Whom do their foster parents seem to be working for? And what is the cause of the strange abilities the triplets exhibit the closer they get to the truth?

• Language: English
• Publisher: D T Ford
• Release date: Apr 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463822821

D T Ford

D T Ford is the author of the Caulder Chronicles alongside her mother T L Ford. She lives in the Midwest of America with her dog, cat, and ensemble of sci-fi and fantasy collectibles. Having grown up with parents who appreciated a good story, she always loved the idea of telling her own to entertain others.

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The Caulder Chronicles:

Book One

Passage To Danger

By D T and T L Ford

Text Copyright 2019 by D T Ford and T L Ford

Cover art Copyright 2019 by D T Ford

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or copied in any form or by any means without written permission from the copyright holders.

Dedicated to Dane,

a supportive father and husband whose cheerleading and encouragement made this endeavor possible.

Chapter One

Oh no, no- don’t do that! Arty cried as he darted over to the frothing beaker. He managed to avoid the overflowing liquid as he turned off the Bunsen burner, grabbing a pair of tongs from the long workbench settled in the corner of his laboratory. It wasn’t much of a lab considering it was an old barn, but it suited his needs just fine.

Carefully, he used the tongs to take the hot cylinder off of its burner and set it aside to cool. He took off his safety glasses and combed his fingers through his dark wavy hair. With a sigh, he turned to his open notebook and started writing down his latest findings. His blue eyes were intent on the page, their crystal-like quality showing through even more as he concentrated.

Though Arty was only fourteen, the features of his serious face gave off the air of a much older person. People often commented on his stunning eyes, but he had a lanky frame and quiet demeanor. These did little to help his popularity at school. He was not disliked, but others rarely went out of their way to socialize with him. That did not bother him much because his mind was often elsewhere.

Arty was so intent on his notes that he barely noticed when the barn door opened. He turned to see his Uncle Benjamin standing in the doorway. Behind him Arty could see the skyline and the setting sun made him realize just how long he had been in his lab.

Just came to tell you dinner is almost done, Ben informed him. Benjamin Johnson was a tall, dark man whose commanding presence filled the doorway. Though Arty had never thought much about Ben’s age, as the man walked towards him he thought about how much older he had looked lately.

What are you working on? his uncle asked, glancing over at his notebook.

I’m trying to make an insect repellent that we can spray on our crops. I want it to keep the bugs away, without killing them or any of the animals that might make their way into our garden.

Well, if it’s half as good as the fertilizer you made last season I’m sure it will work great. Ben had always been supportive of Arty’s experiments and was even more proud when he got good results.

Well, that wasn’t really challenging because I just added more nutrients and stuff to the mix. This is something entirely different. Arty replied.

Well, will you be able to come up to the house soon? Or are you at a critical point in your experiment?

Nah, Arty replied with a disappointed look at his notes, this round was a bust.

Ben put a comforting hand on Arty’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. Don’t worry, you’ll get there eventually. Maybe it will help if you distract yourself for a while. The twins will be here soon and you know they’ll occupy your time.

Arty’s face lit up. The twins were Ben’s nephews and they often spent holidays and summer vacations with them. They were only two years older than Arty so they enjoyed hanging out together. As though on cue, Arty and Ben heard the sounds of a car coming up the front driveway. The sound of opening doors was followed by a pair of rowdy voices. Arty and Ben decided to go and greet them, leaving the lab behind.

They walked out of the barn to see a flashy red car parked in their driveway, two teenage boys getting suitcases out of its trunk. Daniel and Jackson were twins that were nearly identical and only people who knew their personalities well could tell them apart. They both had darker complexions with thick black hair and brown eyes that showcased just how mischievous they could be. Jackson was the more sociable and lively one of the two, whereas Daniel was more reserved and bookish. Still, he tended to follow his brother’s crazy plans, which made him seem more outgoing than he actually was.

The boys held a close resemblance to their Uncle Ben and when all four of them were together it was more apparent that Arty wasn’t actually related to any of them by blood. Ben had raised Arty for as long as he could remember, so to him they were as close to family as possible.

When Ben was within earshot of the twins he smiled and said, I see you got a new car to go with the new driver licenses.

Jackson patted the car affectionately Yup! It’s a Shelby GT350!

Mom even let us get a custom paint job! Daniel added.

Their mother was Ben’s sister and she was married to a rich CFO of the large international corporation, Ashe Enterprises. Neither parent really had much time to spend with the twins, but Daniel and Jackson never seemed to mind. It gave them more time to do what they wanted and their parents always gave them plenty of money to do that with.

Hey, Arty Jackson called, that devilish grin still wide on his face, wanna go for a quick joy ride?

Arty gave a reserved curve of his lip Nah, that’s okay. I know how fast you’d like to go on these country roads. Besides, I need to go check on Daisy before dinner.

We’ll come with you, Daniel said.

I can take your suitcases in while you go, just make sure not to be too long though, dinner’s just about ready, Ben told them as he took the twins’ luggage.

He started the trek up to the house as the boys made their way to the larger barn. Their farm wasn’t the biggest in the area, but they had a couple hundred acres they farmed and some livestock to tend to. There were three field hands that lived on the property, so there wasn’t too much work for Arty and Ben to shoulder on their own.

So, what are our plans for the summer? Jackson asked as he threw an arm over Arty’s shoulder.

Well, I always leave those details up to you, otherwise I’d just be in my lab all day.

Oh I’m sure we can think of something, heck your lab might even come in handy!

As long as nothing gets blown up or set on fire I’m in.

No promises there, Cuz, but we’ll do our best, Daniel added.

Arty just shook his head and pulled open the doors to the barn. Daisy was a bright-eyed cow that they used for milking and she glanced over at them with interest as they walked in. All the animals in the barn snorted and nodded as though in greeting as Arty walked by them. He gave each of them a quick pat as he made his way to Daisy, the smile on his face emphasizing his affinity with the animals.

Hey there, Daisy girl! Arty called as he hopped the fence of her stall. Let’s take a look at that leg. The cow started nuzzling Arty’s hair affectionately when he knelt down to check the bandages.

You know, Arty, I think Daisy there would like to marry you if she had the chance, Jackson teased.

I could even type up the invitations for you if you want! Daniel commented. Arty just smiled at their preposterous bantering, he’d realized long ago that the best reply to their teasing was none at all.

Oh leave the poor kid alone. It’s not his fault all the animals have a crush on him, called a new voice. John Oliver came into view then, smiling at his own joke. John was the foreman for the Johnson farm and could often be found in the barn. He held out his hand to shake hands with the twins. Hey there, boys. Come to spend the summer with us?

Yup, wouldn’t miss it for anything, even mom and dad’s vacation to Europe! Daniel informed.

Well I’m sure we can find plenty of work to keep you kids out of trouble, he replied with a wink. The twins nodded noncommittally with only half a grin. How’s Daisy’s leg doing, Arty? John asked.

It’s healing up nicely, I think we can start leaving the bandages off by tomorrow, Arty answered as he tied off said bandage and stood up straight. We better be getting back up to the house now, he said to the twins or Uncle Ben will start dinner without us.

They said goodbye to John and left the barn, making their way back up to the white two-story farmhouse. The last rays of sun were disappearing over the horizon, already casting some of the land into shadows. Arty took a breath of fresh air, listening to the sound of clucking chickens…which was abruptly interrupted when Jackson called for a race up to the house. Daniel immediately tore after his twin, leaving Arty to shake his head and start jogging in their wake with a smirk. He couldn’t help but feel as though this summer was going to be an adventure.

Arty drew up to the house a few paces behind the twins who practically blew the door open. Jackson claimed to win the race, to which Daniel just gave him a light punch on the arm. However, their laughter was cut short as they stopped abruptly in the doorway, seeing Uncle Ben lying motionless on the floor.

Chapter Two

None of the three boys were accustomed to being in a hospital waiting room and they were not quite sure what to do with themselves. Jackson was twisting coffee stir straws into odd shapes as if he was trying to make his own form of origami. Daniel was already flipping through his tenth magazine, the unfocused look in his eyes showing how little he was taking in. Arty was pacing the floor, his hands jingling the change in his pockets making his agitation apparent.

The boys looked up as the door opened and a tall, tired-looking doctor walked into the room. Artemius Caulder? He questioned as he scanned the room.

I’m Artemius, Arty said as he stepped toward the doctor. This is Jackson and Daniel, pointing to the twins each in turn. We’re Benjamin Johnson’s nephews.

I’m Doctor Moore, he introduced himself as he shook their hands. "Your uncle is awake and has asked that you be present while I explain his situation. He is in room 203 upstairs just past the elevator. You can go on up and I