Ancient Enemies (The Carlson Girls Book 3)

Ancient Enemies

The Carlsons are on the run.

After aligning themselves with the Equal Rights Movement, Claire and Della have become targets of a tightening authoritarian regime. The relentless Truth Seers will pursue them across Antaur—and beyond—forcing Claire and her friends to flee the planet to survive.

Their escape leads them to Palissa, a sanctuary world with secrets of its own. Telepaths have been disappearing from multiple planets, and the trail points to a conspiracy older and more dangerous than anyone imagined. As Claire investigates, she comes face to face with the Overseers—the ancient enemy who once scattered primitive humans across the galaxy. Masters of bioengineering, capable of reshaping their bodies and unleashing terrifying, engineered soldiers, the Overseers represent a threat unlike any the Carlsons have faced before.

Meanwhile, young Audri sets her own plan in motion. Determined to expose the Administrators—the hidden force behind Antaur’s descent into authoritarian rule—she joins forces with Justice Keepers and allies operating in the shadows of the law. Her mission carries her from the slums of a distant space colony to an opulent gala for telepaths aboard a palatial starship, where secrets could bring powerful figures crashing down.

Ancient Enemies is the third book in the Carlson Girls series by R.S. Penney, expanding the saga with high-stakes action, interplanetary intrigue, and a confrontation with a foe as old as humanity’s place among the stars.

Continue the adventure with the Carlson Girls and discover what awaits them among the stars.

Excerpt from the book

Ten Hours Earlier

“Melissa!” Claire panted. “Melissa!”

She had to resist the urge to shake her sister in a desperate attempt to wake her. Keeping the damp strip of fabric pressed against the wound took a great deal of effort. Could she still feel the blood soaking through the fabric? Moments ago, that would have terrified her. Now, she was pleading for it because that would mean that Melissa’s heart was still beating. Oh, God! This was all her fault.

Della was huddled up against the van’s sidewall, but the sound of Claire’s voice made her surge forward for a better look. Rodan had to hold her back, and she very nearly bit his hand off when he grabbed her shoulder.

Kisa was against the opposite wall with her eyes closed, trying to enter a trance so she could make another crystal. But it wasn’t working. Claire could hear it in her laboured breathing. Every bump in the road disrupted her concentration.

This was all her fault! This was all her fault! She never should have let Anna pull her away from the battle. If she had been there, she could have helped. Or…Or maybe if they had just not gone to the stupid protest in the first place!

Audri looked at her, and suddenly her panic was buried under a mountain of calm focus. “Keep pressure on the wound,” the other girl said. Gently, she touched Melissa’s neck, searching for a pulse. “She’s alive.”

Della was struggling to get closer. Audri looked at her as well and soothed her with some expert-level telepathy. “It’s going to be all right, Ms. Carlson.” Claire was amazed by her steady, reassuring voice. How could a girl of thirteen be so damn composed? “We’ll get through this.”

The driver grunted as he cranked the strange device that functioned in place of a steering wheel. It looked more like a flight yoke from a plane than anything Claire would expect to find in a car, but then this was Antaur. Things were different.

She was nearly thrown into the wall when they took a hard right turn.

Desperately, she scrambled back into place and pressed her sopping bandage hard against the wound again. “Hang on, Melissa.”

“Where are we going?” the driver asked.

“I don’t know,” Rodan muttered.

Della perked up, gazing at him with hazel eyes that promised to trade everything she owned if he would just get her daughter to safety. “There has to be someplace we can take her. The doctors-”

“Will turn her over to the Truth Seers!” Rodan growled. His face was as hard and uncompromising as a brick wall. “We take her to a hospital, and she’s as good as dead!”

“Then where?”

He considered for a moment, scowling. “I know a guy. He owes me one. Where are we, Arez?”

“Pildon Street,” the driver replied.

“Near the Colethi Market?”

“Yeah.”

Bracing one hand against the wall to steady himself, Rodan leaned forward for a look through the window. “There’s a SlipGate two blocks east of here. Take us there, and stay sharp! The Eyes will be on our ass any minute now!”