Old Secrets (The Survivors Book Thirteen)

by Nathan Hystad

  Your time is over.

  The others began to bleed from their noses, and Jules saw blood welling in Patty’s ear, even from twenty meters away. Patty’s hand rushed to her face, and she dabbed a finger over the blood on her lip.

  “It’s not over!” Lan’i shouted. “You see, we embedded a special layer of defense.” He flew higher into the sky, and the Deity followed. He swam upward, then floated toward the blue-eyed boy. Water poured off him in droves, creating more waves, but something stopped him. The moment his foot breached the ocean, Jules saw the chain attached to his ankle.

  It can’t be! I was released!

  “Ja’ri is the key. She made these coffins, and only she can free you!” Dal’i laughed, and Jules realized what she had to do.

  “I’m sorry, guys. I’m with you. The Terellion stole the crystal, used it to ask a favor. I tried to stop him, but I was too slow,” she told them over the wind.

  “Good. I knew you wouldn’t fail us, sister,” Lan’i said.

  She floated near them, the Four in a line facing off against the Deity. He seemed to be assessing them, calculating, and Jules raised a hand, her left one. She felt the weight of the crystal bracelet that had once stripped her of her powers. She’d been a little girl then, and not having the gifts had seemed like such a terrible thing. The truth was, she’d managed to stop the attack regardless, and it had given her the confidence that she could still accomplish things without her abilities.

  Patty had a taste for the power now, but Jules would be there for her after this. She would be the friend she’d stopped being years ago and support Patty through it all.

  The Zan’ra filled with power, each of them taking on their colorful ambiance. Jules joined them in her ploy, green energy crackling around her. She wondered if the Deity recognized what she was doing, but didn’t have time to consider it as Dal’i shot an orange pulse toward the god. The beam disintegrated before striking him, but another followed. Soon Lan’i added his, and Patty kept frozen, glancing at Jules as if she was unsure what to do.

  Jules waved her over while the others were distracted, and Dean’s sister obeyed, eyes wide and full of fear.

  The Deity raised one of his arms, sending an invisible battering ram at the two offensive Zan’ra, and they shot away, their shields temporarily breaking. Jules had to disable Patty’s shield if she was going to be able to touch the girl’s skin.

  “Patty, we need to attack!” she shouted.

  “Do we?” Patty asked.

  “Help them!” Jules moved in front of the girl, trying to mentally send a message to the huge god. You have to take the purple one’s shield down! We don’t have much time!

  There was no indication he heard her pleading thoughts, but she began firing at the god alongside Patty. The others arrived, their shields up once again, and blasts erupted from their hands, sending orange, blue, purple, and green spherical pulses at the Deity.

  For a moment, Jules dreaded that they’d won and killed the god, but it began laughing, a terrifying and menacing sound entering her mind. You cannot harm me!

  A wall of smoke poured from the god, racing toward them like a tidal wave. It struck, cutting their power. Jules felt it the instant the mist hit. All four of their shields faltered, and they plummeted toward the ocean.

  Jules hit it painfully, the waves pulling her under the water. Her abilities were still there, just the shield gone, and she opened her eyes, searching for Patty. Lan’i was already swimming for the surface, and finally, in the roiling water, Jules spotted her friend.

  Patty was sinking, and Jules swam for her, grabbing the girl. She tugged her arm, dragging her to the surface, and she smiled at Patty, who was struggling to regain her composure. Jules slid her sleeve up, activating the bracelet. She mouthed two words at Patty before using it: I’m sorry.

  The Zan’ra essence slipped from the girl, entering the clear crystals around Jules’ arm, filling them with the bright purple color of O’ri.

  Her shield reactivated, and she pulled Patty inside her bubble, flying out of the ocean and high into the angry night sky. Lightning continued to dazzle the eyes, thunder booming almost constantly.

  The two Zan’ra fought with everything they had, but the Deity blocked their assault with grace.

  “What have you done?” Patty asked her, the energy drained from her.

  “The Four are done. I saved your life.”

  The Deity increased in size, fins jutting from its neck. Its white eyes glowed as it raised both hands.

  It ends now!

  “This isn’t good,” Patty whispered.

  Twenty-Four

  “How about this?” Karo asked, and I tried to jam the long tool into the keyhole. It didn’t work. None of the artifacts had.

  I leaned against the door, hoping my daughter was safe.

  “We could leave, go for Light, try to see if she contacted Mary,” Slate suggested.

  Dean shook his head fiercely. “What if she returns here and we’re already gone? No way. We can’t leave her.”

  “The kid’s right. I’m not risking it,” I said.

  Regnig was full of energy, and he was hardly using his cane as he searched the upstairs level. Perhaps this will do the trick. He waved his little wing at me from the top of the stairs, and I jogged over, seeing a black object in his talons.

  He leaned to the side and tossed the key down the steps. I caught it deftly and smiled. This felt like the same material as the door. This had to be it.

  The others grew silent and made room for me as I ran for the doorway. The key trembled in my nervous fingers as I lifted it toward the keyhole. It was long and skinny, with no traditional key head, only a finger loop. It fit perfectly, and I stuck my right index finger into it, tugging to the side. The door clicked open, swinging outward on interior hinges.

  “Regnig, you did it!” I could have kissed him right on the beak, but we didn’t have time for that. The Shandra stone was round, and it glowed as I neared it in the cramped closet-like room.

  “There’s no table,” I said.

  “Have no fear, boss. Remember that tool J-NAK the robot gave us?” Slate rushed to his pack and opened it, setting aside countless objects.

  “You were a Boy Scout, weren’t you?” I asked, unable to keep the mirth from my voice.

  “Never leave home unprepared, Dean.” Slate smirked, bringing me the tool that would aid us in recovering the last location the Shandra provided. Since we couldn’t plug it in, I activated the wireless sensors, and it somehow locked to the gemstone. It flashed, showing the previous symbol. Four circles. An X over them.

  “She went to Desolate.” I set a hand on the stone and pictured the symbol. Before it sent me anywhere, Dean ran into the room, jumping toward me with his palm out.

  The small room went white.

  ____________

  The Deity’s powerful scream permeated Jules’ ears, but Patty didn’t seem to notice that she was bereft of the Zan’ra essence. The other two were still fighting, but their efforts were useless. They were too weak. Blood poured from them like an endless river, and Jules almost felt sorry for the duo. They’d done terrible things in their lives, even if it was their nature, but Jules didn’t believe in that. They had free will.

  Both of them had allowed Ja’ri to kill their own people, to destroy their cities and lay waste to Desolate. That couldn’t be forgiven. Jules believed everyone had their own life choices, and regardless of the situation, she would never have permitted something like that to happen. Not on her watch.

  “Ja’ri, assist us!” Lan’i ordered, but she didn’t intervene. If any trace of O’ri’s essence was in Patty, Jules was positive the Deity would be targeting her at this moment too, so she’d acted just in time.

  You are gone! The god clapped his hands together, and their shields vanished. Mist circled over their floating bodies, and when it departed, the Zan’ra disappeared. Jules glanced at her wrist, finding the crystal bracelet didn’t hold O’ri. His
essence had vanished.

  Her body grew tired, the weight of the Zan’ra off her shoulders, and when Jules glanced at Patty, she found the girl was curled into a ball at the edge of her sphere. Jules crouched near her, and saw her eyes were rolled back in her head. She was breathing, though.

  Set her down. We have much to discuss, daughter.

  The storm subsided, casting the clouds apart, revealing a star-filled sky. The moon was nearly full, making the night beautiful. The waves slowed, shifting in a rhythmic and mesmerizing fashion, and Jules wanted to curl up beside Patty and sleep.

  Instead, she moved for the top of the cliff and settled to the surface, Patty rolling out as she cut of her shield. The god walked toward her, and she to it, standing on the edge of the rocky crag.

  You did well, bringing them to me. The Four are no longer.

  “Good. I’m glad.” Jules knew this didn’t make up for all the dead Zan’ra on this world, but it would have to do.

  You haven’t finished releasing me, daughter. I still need your assistance. Then there’s the matter of the others. His voice was deep but not threatening anymore.

  “I can’t.”

  What? He grew taller, his ankles firmly under the ocean’s surface. This is your burden. Free us as we planned millennia ago, he demanded, but she shook her head.

  “I have something to do first. Then I’ll return and release you, I promise,” she said.

  What is your duty?

  “There’s a man, a very bad one, and I need to kill him,” Jules told him. “But I need to be able to return when I’m done. It’s the only way I can release you from your bonds.” This had to work.

  His giant hand lifted toward her, water dripping from his fingers. He stepped forward, leaning over to touch her on the head with his finger. It is done. You can find home when your mission is satisfied. Perhaps you’d rather I send you there now?

  She shivered at the thought. Could the Deity make it so easy? Could he kill Lom and fix everything? She asked him, and he shook his head. There is much we can accomplish, but I’d need to be there in his timeline to perform this task. You will do well to remember you are one of us: a Deity.

  “How can this be? I’m a human girl,” she told him.

  You’re much more. He began to leave, but stopped. I nearly forgot. You do not need these. He tapped her head again, and Jules felt something shift inside her. It was like her soul was being torn from her body, and she fell to her knees, screaming into the night sky.

  “What have you done?” she begged, the pain beginning to subside.

  I’ve removed your Zan’ra powers. You have no need for them.

  She held a hand in front of her eyes, seeking the green glow’s reflection, but it wasn’t there. “Does this mean I won’t be able to do things like I before?”

  He shook his head, his white eyes dimming as he started to lower into the water. No, but you are a Deity. You have no need for parlor tricks. You have much more inside you. Use it. Return to me. Finish your duty.

  He continued to lower, but she had so many questions. “Wait! How do I use them? I don’t understand!”

  You do. Look inside. And with that, the Deity was fully submerged, once again returning to his underwater prison.

  Patty remained unconscious, and Jules grabbed the girl’s hand. If she didn’t have her powers, what was she? Could she fight Lom? Were her plans unraveled?

  Jules stayed on the rocks, thinking on it for some time before remembering what he’d told her. Look inside. She turned her reflection inward, seeking what it meant to be a Deity. Something snapped, a lock in her mind, and information flooded her brain.

  And she knew what she had to do. Jules rose in the air, still clutching Patty’s hand. She might not be a Zan’ra, but she could emulate their gifts, and that would have to be enough until she fully comprehended her capabilities. She partly wished he’d wiped them all, making her a normal teenager, but there was too much to do to ensure her friends and family’s safety. When it was over, she’d make a final request of the gods, as Fontem had.

  She cradled Patty in her arms and spun around, stopping to stare at the calm ocean. “I’ll keep my promise.”

  Jules hurtled toward the lake.

  ____________

  It wasn’t easy arriving in the middle of an underwater portal room, but I’d known what to expect. By the time we climbed out of the lake, we were both on our backs, groaning in pain and gasping erratically.

  “That wasn’t very fun,” Dean said, managing to catch his breath.

  I rolled over, getting to my feet. I was soaked, and the night air was cold. I helped Dean up and set a hand on his shoulder. “You should have stayed behind.”

  “Not a chance, Mr. Parker. If Jules is here…” His eyes grew distant, and he smiled, pointing past me.

  I spun to see a familiar shape arriving, and she carried Patty in her arms. Jules settled to the lakeshore, and Dean rushed over, grabbing his sister from her grip.

  “Papa! Dean!” Jules said, tears streaming down her face.

  It was astonishing. For the first time since her powers had faltered as a kid, her eyes no longer glowed.

  “What happened?” I asked her, pulling her into a firm embrace. I was soaked, but she didn’t seem to care, nuzzling into me.

  “They’re dead.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “The Four.”

  Dean was beside Patty, one knee on the ground, and I saw her eyes blinking open. “Where am I?”

  Dean laughed, helping her into a seated position. “You’re safe. That’s where you are.” He hugged his sister, and she sobbed into his sleeve.

  “I’m sorry, Dean. I didn’t know… I had to…”

  “We saw the drawings,” Dean told her.

  Patty looked surprised, and I had no idea what they were referring to. “What drawings?”

  Jules reached into her pockets and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Patty. She unfolded it under the moonlight. “Who did this?”

  “You. I found them in your room on New Spero,” Jules told her. “L and P. Lan’i and Patty. You had drawings of him everywhere.”

  Patty accepted her brother’s hand and rose to her feet, staring at the child’s drawing. “I hardly remember that. It’s like a dream.”

  “Jules, are we done here?” I asked her, not wanting to linger any longer than we had to.

  She nodded. “We’re done.”

  “And you’re certain the Zan’ra are gone?” I asked.

  She slid her sleeve up, revealing an empty crystal bracelet. “The Deity made sure of it. They’re gone.”

  It was Dean’s turn to ask a question. “If that’s the case, where’s the god?”

  Jules averted her gaze, the tell-tale sign she didn’t want to tell us the truth. “He’s underwater. I didn’t finish freeing him.”

  “Honey, something doesn’t add up. If the Zan’ra are gone, why can you still fly?” I whispered.

  “Can we talk about this later?” she asked, and I agreed, but only because she didn’t look capable of staying on her feet much longer.

  I glanced toward the lake. “Let’s head to Light. It’s time to go home.”

  ____________

  The others arrived a week later, returned from Fontem’s secret dome, though Regnig had remained behind. Karo had set up the portal sticks in his suite, so Regnig could come and go as he pleased, but so far, he was too intrigued by everything to leave.

  “You did well,” Mary told me, hugging me. She rested her head on my shoulder, and stared out the viewscreen in our suite toward Techeron below.

  “From the sounds of it, so did you. They’re really going to join the Alliance?” I asked, and she released me, coming to sit on the couch. I joined her, kicking my feet up.

  “And we have a meeting set up with three other races from out here, who expressed interest.” Mary looked so beautiful, her skin aglow after we’d returned home safe and had a long steam shower to wash off the
trip. I hadn’t seen her smile so much in years.

  The doorbell rang, and Jules popped her head from her bedroom, shouting at us from across the hall. “I’ll get it!”

  I grinned at Mary as I heard Natalia’s accent greeting Jules at the door. Charlie and Carey rushed into our suite, tails wagging, bodies wiggling, and Maggie romped around with them, circling the kitchen table, then the island, as they played excitedly.

  Dean and Patty trailed after their mother, and it warmed my heart to see their family together. It would never be the same without Magnus, but they’d make do eventually. The most important thing was that they were all here.

  Natalia looked healthier after a couple of weeks on Light, and the kids were smiling, chatting with Jules in the kitchen.

  “Nat, can I bring you anything?” Mary asked. “Wine?”

  “Sure, that sounds great.” Nat took a seat across from me, and my wife returned with three glasses of red from our favorite vintner on New Spero.

  “How are they doing?” Mary asked, facing toward the kitchen where the three teenagers talked.

  “Better than I expected. Thanks again for taking a special interest in them,” Nat said, not meeting our gazes. “I’ve been a terrible mother. Without Magnus, I just couldn’t…”

  “Don’t worry about it, Nat. That’s what family’s for. We support each other when we need it most. We’re glad we have Patty and Dean back too,” I told her.

  “How’s Jules?” Natalia asked, taking a sip of her wine.

  I peered at her, seeing the beautiful young woman she was becoming. Jules looked different without the glowing eyes, almost like I didn’t recognize her. She wore a t-shirt, jeans, her curly hair pulled into a loose top bun. She seemed so normal.

  “She’s got some things to work out, but I guess… she appears really happy,” I admitted.

  “She’s a special girl, that one. I knew it the minute I met her,” Nat said, and Mary beamed proudly.

  There were so many uncertainties, but we’d managed to destroy Lainna to prevent Lom from creating his nullifier. We’d found Fontem’s goods, with countless artifacts that could assist our futures, and we’d ended the Zan’ra threat, returning Patty home where she belonged.