The Survivors | Book 16 | New Lies

by Hystad, Nathan

  Jules set her hand on the portal, not bothering to use the table, and sent herself to Haven.

  Epilogue

  Regnig took one last tour through his library. This was it. He was returning home to Banod for the first visit in hundreds of years. He’d be able to see Yojer, the Toquil that they’d saved from the Collector. She’d acted as his protégée for a brief time, but she’d missed being around her own kind.

  After what he’d been through over the last six months, Regnig was feeling the same way.

  They will miss you, Kallig said.

  The young Toquil Dean had saved from a slave pen was turning out to be a favorable companion. He was bright, talkative, and resourceful. He’d promised Regnig a place to stay until they found him a home.

  I will miss them as well.

  He carried one book with him. This was the most important work he’d done in his life. The tale of Dean Parker, the Recaster, was not quite finished, even though it had looked like it might end for a few stressful breaths on Newei. But Jules had saved him. It was what she did.

  They left, using the elevator, and were ferried to the portal. Haven’s Shandra region was basically a small city at this point, and Regnig walked out of the shuttle, feeling rejuvenated. His legs still ached, his back was tight, but he could spend his remaining days on his homeworld. This chapter was closed, but that didn’t mean his story was over either.

  The Parkers were gathered, but Jules was noticeably absent. Karo and Ableen stood with Rivo, and Regnig walked over to her first.

  You are an amazing woman, Rivo. Your father would be so proud of you. I know I am. He squeezed her hand, and she wept while smiling.

  “You’re just going home, Regnig. I can visit, can’t I?” Rivo asked.

  Any time.

  He said his goodbyes to the Theos duo. Having shared countless meals with the pair over the last few years, they’d developed a true bond.

  Regnig talked to Hugo for a while, making sure the boy wasn’t left out. He was special too, and he was growing more like his parents with every passing season. Regnig expected great things from him.

  “Why is this so sad?” Mary asked.

  Change is difficult. We survived Ovalax, and I’ve realized that I never should have hidden from my past. Regnig stared at Mary. You are a fierce creature, Mary Parker. Keep them safe, will you?

  She nodded and crouched, giving him a hug. “We love you, Regnig.”

  And I love you all.

  She walked away, and it was just Regnig and Dean Parker. He’d stayed silent, watching their interactions from the sidelines. Dean stepped patiently, moving with him toward the portal entrance.

  “You know, I thought you were quite the character when we first met.” Dean stopped near the doors.

  You were very demanding. And angry.

  “I was, wasn’t I? Mary needed my help, but you were there for me. You always have been. Thank you. For everything.” Dean looked younger since his incident, almost like a decade had been sloughed off in his temporary death and subsequent revival.

  I could sense you deserved it. Until we meet again, Recaster. Regnig shook his hand, and Dean pulled him into an embrace.

  “Don’t worry. We won’t forget to bother you every now and then,” Dean told him.

  I know. Goodbye, Dean.

  And still no Jules.

  Dean, tell her… say goodbye for me, would you? Regnig asked.

  Dean crossed his arms. “I don’t know what’s taking her so long, but she wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  Kallig went first as the portal security guards opened the doors. Regnig followed, carrying his small pack. He almost paused, rethinking his decision, but continued inside.

  Jules dashed through the hallway toward the exit, and she nearly barreled into the two Toquil birds. “Regnig! I hurried as fast as I could!” she exclaimed.

  Kallig had the sense to continue on, leaving them alone in the corridor.

  I’m glad you made it.

  “Me too.” Jules’ green eyes brightened the walls.

  Don’t be a stranger.

  “I can’t wait to come see you. Is next week too soon?”

  He could tell that she meant it. Make it two.

  Jules shifted on her feet, and it was clear she was nervous. Out with it. We don’t hold back with each other.

  “I’m worried about what happened between Papa and Ovalax. He won’t talk to me, and he’s acting different. Then there’s the Shandra Valincin.” Jules was obviously worried.

  He will be fine. Give him space. It was a traumatic experience for all of us. Regnig reached for her hand. Be well, my girl.

  They hugged, and Regnig parted ways with her after promising she could come to Banod in two weeks. He and Kallig utilized the portal, traveling to the Toquil home planet.

  You’re home, Kallig said joyfully.

  Regnig gazed around, finding the portal room in pristine condition. He’d never used it before. They exited, and Regnig was dumbfounded to find thousands of Toquil waiting for them outside. The people cheered and chanted his name. Sager. Sager. He was a hero to them. A legend. The Toquil that saved a princess from the Wibox.

  They walked outside, the skies bright and colorful. He inhaled the sweet air. It was like he’d never left. Regnig flapped his wings, feeling stronger in the comforting gravitational pull. His knees didn’t bother him as much, and he clacked his beak together. Maybe this was his destiny.

  Welcome home, Sager. We are honored to have you return, a handsome woman told him, bowing in respect. She wore the local Councilor patch on her sleeve.

  With a jump in his step, he walked toward his host. Please, call me Regnig.

  ____________

  The screen illuminated my face as I stared at the information. Fronez had done a complete job on his program. I peered at the stone sphere and felt Ovalax’s presence. It was not like he was fighting to escape, but I did think he was luring me.

  Fronez claimed I was safe being this close, but the Shimmali man hadn’t connected to him like I had. I’d seen too much. I’d felt every victim inside him, the history from their minds, the knowledge of a thousand ages.

  I’d been mistaken to bring this here, but I didn’t know where else to hide it. Ovalax held too much information. With this program, I could predict major things. Test the likelihood of events transpiring. It wasn’t safe.

  Ovalax had seen me coming; he’d almost convinced me I was doomed to the destiny he’d foreseen. But it seemed even an oracle as powerful as Ovalax couldn’t bend the will of a Recaster.

  I thought of the strange man in the cave. Whatever he was, he could have been my clone, or a version of me from another dimension. I didn’t realize the depths Ovalax would go to, to have me side with him. That man had died to help us, and I wouldn’t forget the sacrifice.

  He was so sure of himself, knowing that I wouldn’t kill him in this scenario, but this was possibly worse. To live on forever inside a giant round stone. Or maybe his ego preferred this, an object touched by the Deities. I wouldn’t know, because I refused to access the program. Ovalax would remain imprisoned, and never—

  My fingers froze. I’d been typing without meaning to.

  Dean Parker’s death. Ovalax must have been trying to send me a message. He wanted me to check how I died. Only I’d already experienced that, and Jules had saved me.

  I dropped the tablet and turned it off. I didn’t need to know my future. It wasn’t set in stone as Ovalax’s was. I’d already proven that.

  I stepped from the sphere and powered up the security barrier. This was the ship I’d fought Lom of Pleva on years before, and where I’d sent him into another dimension. Now it held many secrets, including this oracle. A creature like Ovalax shouldn’t exist. It held too much power.

  My fingers hovered near the tablet, and I saw that I was trying to shut the barrier off again. I dropped the tablet, and it clattered to the floor. I couldn’t trust myself here, so I locked the device a
way and hurried for the exit. I walked into the cargo chamber, moving between the portal sticks.

  “Papa, are you coming?” Jules called to me from the doors. I went into the shield barrier under my Ohio farmhouse and felt the tingle of the energy field as I passed through. No one could access this place but me, and I intended to keep it that way.

  “I’m here. Don’t worry.” I climbed up the steps and into the fresh summer evening air.

  “Good.” Jules stuck her arm into mine, and we walked together around the house onto the rear patio. Hugo and Dean drank sodas, and Maggie lay between them, lifting her head as we approached.

  “What’s next for you, Mr. Parker?” Dean asked.

  “I was thinking about a desk job,” I told him, getting a laugh. “I’m serious.”

  Mary walked outside, carrying a tray of snacks. Maggie perked up and licked her lips while wagging her tail. “I don’t think so, Dean. Didn’t you mention a mysterious world? Where the Tiprea lived after they abandoned Earth?”

  I smiled at my wife. “Are you suggesting what I think you are?”

  She came over, slipping her hands around me. “The Board wants another place to colonize, and with the expenses of the Institute, we’re running low on funds, even with our Inlorian bar shares rocketing. If Ebos is habitable and already has the infrastructure, let’s consider it.”

  Retirement would have to hold a while. And that was a good thing, because since Jules’ intervention in my death on Newei, I felt better than ever.

  “I’ll need a team.” I grinned, and she nodded.

  “I think we can arrange that.”

  THE END

  Continue the tale with

  The Colony (The Survivors Book Seventeen)

  A forgotten world. A dangerous adversary.

  Dean Parker is alive and well thanks to his daughter, but something’s changed inside him since the incident at Newei. Ovalax lingers in his mind… whispering… waiting…

  Jules takes command of Outpost, the Alliance’s newest high-tech warship, and encounters what initially seems like an innocent being.

  With her parents on Ebos, Magnus at the Institute, and Slate on Light, Jules must deal with her foe alone.

  Can Dean fight his demons, and gain a foothold on Ebos for the Alliance? Will Jules solve the trap she’s tripped before it’s too late?

  The Colony is the latest book in the epic Survivors series. Get your copy today.

  THE COLONY

  Ten teams. One grand prize. The Race is on.

  Arlo Lewis was resigned to his station in life as a supply hauler for one of the Primary Corporations ruling Earth, until an acquisition forces him to re-evaluate his situation.

  When he’s hand selected to lead SeaTech’s Race team, he struggles to return to the competitive field he abandoned as a teenager.

  With an eager team, and the promise of a better future, Arlo takes on the challenge, only to find more at stake than the rights to Proxima.

  Under the threat of a revolution brewing at the finish line, things don’t go as expected.

  The galaxy will never be the same. But that may be exactly what Arlo needs.

  Join Space Race today!

  From the author of The Survivors and Baldwin's Legacy comes a thrilling new series.

  SPACE RACE

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