End of the Six (The Preston Six Book 6)

by Matt Ryan

“Almost got me on that one,” the queen said. “But you’ve failed to notice, I cannot be killed. You’ve only succeeded in pissing me off.” She winced, then her eyes widened. “Blocking stone. Who has it? Will?”

  Lucas pushed Will behind him, as many of the parents formed a circle around him. “You don’t have power over us anymore.”

  “You think I’ve shown all of my tricks?” She dashed to the stone.

  Everyone rushed at her, and Poly threw her blade into the queen’s back. More gunfire erupted, but it was too late. As they tackled her to the ground, the stone hummed.

  THE BARREN LANDSCAPE SPREAD OUT in all directions. The cold seeped into Evelyn’s bones and her body felt light as she moved. She knew the feeling of an inhospitable planet, and rushed to the stone.

  She typed in the code and knew at the very least, it would make the queen think of what she had, and maybe what she could gain from cooperating with them. Maybe she could get that glimmer of humanity back in the queen’s eyes.

  The stone hummed and the world changed again.

  This was the place the second stone from the box had brought her and Travis. This was the place where she saw the queen had planned a future.

  “Get off her, but keep hands on her. Will, you stay way back.”

  They climbed off the queen, still shaking from the frigid, barren world. Another few seconds and they’d all have been dead. The queen’s plan all along, she was sure. But the meaning behind this action was startling. The queen was willing to abandon the idea of harnessing Evelyn’s power, in order to preserve herself.

  “Lift her up,” Evelyn said.

  “You can’t do this to me,” the queen said and fought against Trip and Travis holding her arms.

  Lucas snickered and shook his head.

  “You think this is funny? You are the freak that stones don’t affect. I should have known you and your freak offspring would be immune.”

  “Shut up,” Evelyn said. “And look around you.”

  A large statue of the queen stood near the stone. She pulled one last tug at Trip’s grip and then stared at the statue of herself and the underlying city below. A vacant city, with gleaming architecture and clean streets.

  “Why did you bring me here?” the queen asked.

  “I wanted to remind you of what you want out of all this. I wanted to remind you of your daughter.” Evelyn reached into her pocket and pulled out the color shifting stone holding her daughter.

  “You had it on you the whole time?”

  “Yes. She is what you are doing this all for. A mother’s love for her daughter is strong. You can see that as much as I can.” Evelyn looked to her mom and knew some of those connections over her head were meant for her. She felt them. She knew the queen had to see them as well. “Family is what it’s all about. Not this quest for galactic domination, or whatever it is you are hoping to achieve through taking me and Will.”

  “You think it’s that simple?” the queen shot back. “You think I can just turn it off and move on with my life?”

  “It can be. It has to be,” Evelyn said. “Because for you, it’s over.”

  “You see, that is where you are wrong,” the queen said with a wicked smile.

  Evelyn faced the queen and spotted the stone rolling on the ground. The stone cracked open and an explosion blasted out from it, sending everyone to the edge of the circle.

  “I knew you’d tell me where she was if I gave you enough rope to hang yourself with. Now give me the stone.”

  Evelyn gripped the stone tightly and got off the ground. With her free hand, she brought a second stone out and held it close to her daughter’s stone.

  “No! Don’t touch them together.”

  Evelyn held the stone back. “So you know what will happen if I do?”

  “Yes.”

  The one would extinguish the other and they’d both be gone forever. “Then stop this. Stop all of it.”

  “I can’t.” She grinded her teeth. “You think if I could I wouldn’t stop this?” A tear fell from her eye. “It controls me. It demands me to complete this phase and move to the next. I am powerless against it. I am it, and it is me. ”

  “Then you have my pity,” Evelyn said and nodded to Travis.

  From behind the queen, Travis stabbed his sword into her chest, then moved the blade up, slicing through the top of her shoulder and cutting the queen nearly in half. Blood poured down her body and pooled on the ground. A glazed look came over her eyes and she swayed, as if only staying up by instincts. They wouldn’t have much time before she healed, and Evelyn doubted she’d have another chance at surprising her.

  Running to the stone, she typed in another code, a last resort, and hopefully the final resting place for the queen. Evelyn looked out at the beautiful city this woman had created for her daughter, and felt disappointment welling; she hadn’t been able to get her to see what was really important. She wasn’t sure if the queen was completely gone in her mania to evolve, but she had to be on the edge. She pitied her daughter and hoped the girl never woke to a world where her mother still existed.

  “Here we go,” Lucas said.

  They jumped again. A place of history for the Six; where Evelyn’s dad nearly died twice.

  “You took us to Arrack?” Julie asked.

  Arracks appeared from the rubble of the building around them.

  “I’ve made arrangements and helped the Arracks. They have agreed to do this. I don’t expect them to be able to hold her for long, but it may give us the time I need. Will, give them the stone.”

  Will handed one of the Arracks the blocking stone and Evelyn was highly doubtful the Arrack with many necklaces would be able to hold the queen for long. But Evelyn didn’t need long, and as soon as she got away from the blocking stone, she’d have plenty of time.

  The queen finally fell to the ground and the Arracks rushed into the circle. Everyone grabbed at their weapons, but the Arracks ignored them all, except for Evelyn. She’d grown to know these people over time, and had helped them to develop their world. Helping them, and asking for nothing in return, but this one moment she thought would never happen. She only hoped the queen wouldn’t take it out on this wonderful civilization.

  “Take her, Durraz,” Evelyn said. “You know what to do.”

  The Arracks pulled at the queen’s body, wrapping it up and carrying her over to Evelyn. She searched her body and pulled the two stone sacks from her before nodding and letting them take her away.

  Durraz stayed behind as the rest took the queen over a debris pile and away into the unknown. “We have your promise?” the Arrack hissed.

  Evelyn took out the small key and handed it over to Durraz. He took the key and gripped it firmly. He nodded and then ran off to catch up with the others.

  Evelyn sighed and faced the group as she typed in the code. She held the stone sacks in her hand and was too nervous to look inside them. Everything depended on their contents. “We’re going home.”

  They jumped and the group looked confused. They were back to where it all started, the master stone room under the mountain. Evelyn had wished to bring them all back to Preston and be done with it, but the world demanded her to complete a few more tasks before the end of it all.

  “I need you all to leave the room. I have places to travel and time is not on our side.”

  They grumbled but left, and she typed in her first code, slowing down time just before the jump happened. She needed all the time she could find.

  “WHY ARE YOU GIVING ME these?” Jackie asked, staring at the two stones in the box.

  “Because I know you can help them, and maybe they can find a way to finish where I failed,” Evelyn said.

  Jackie teared up, as Wes, David, and Kylie crowded around her in amazement. “We can finally bring her back to us. I just knew that bitch had hid them.”

  “I’m glad I could give you this gift. And now I must go.”

  “Evelyn?” Jackie said and Evelyn turned back to her. “Sorry
about trying to kidnap you and stuff.”

  Evelyn smiled. Under different circumstances, she would’ve enjoyed getting to know this girl better. Slowing time, she ran back to the stone. A few more places and she could bring this to an end, once and for all.

  JULIE KEPT ON AND ON about how this stone with three lines on its side wasn’t marked on any map, while Poly paced. She was beside herself, waiting for the hum of the stone and the return of her daughter. She wished she would’ve sliced the queen up into tiny pieces. Let’s see her heal from that.

  Will stared at the stone as Lucas and Julie held onto him. “I’m glad we’re here. One more minute of being in the minds of the world and I’d have gone crazy.” He looked up at his mom. “Do you know what people have hidden in their heads, their thoughts, their dreams, and desires?”

  “We all have them.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.” Will crossed his arms. “They make me sick,” he mumbled.

  Poly felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see her mom. “Was it this hard when I left you behind?” she asked, thinking of the first time the Six had left the world.

  “Yes, but it was a comfort knowing you had Joey and the others with you.”

  Poly closed her eyes and thought of her husband. His smile. His arms tightening around her. She gripped herself in a hug, scared to think of the life she had ahead of her without him. If something happened to Evelyn, she’d truly be lost.

  Travis came up behind her. “I’m here for you, no matter what.”

  She turned around and hugged him. The man had been with her every step of the way, always there to lend a hand or offer his support. And she’d never thanked him. But true friends didn’t need to be thanked. He knew how much it all meant to her.

  For the next couple of hours, the group talked about old memories, and some of the mood lightened—even a few laughs were shared. With all of them in the same place, it felt magical. Much like the moment when they’d found Joey on that bridge on Arrack. They were meant to be together; together, things made sense. The whole world outside the dome was in total chaos, with families missing loved ones, and the entire power system down, but with all of the people she loved around her, she felt optimistic. Maybe a future wasn’t just a continuous lineup of miseries.

  Hank has a kid! Poly couldn’t believe it. She might not approve of Hank doing what he did with Mary, but it had created such a beautiful life, and she adored Cindy from the moment she met her.

  Could this be the end? The idea of it actually being over sent chills down her spine.

  The stone hummed, causing the white noise of multiple conversations to go quiet. Poly backed away, nervous and excited.

  Evelyn appeared next to the stone. She glanced up at Poly, then looked back at the ground.

  “What happened? Is it over?” Poly asked.

  “Almost, but there is something I have to tell you first. I lied to you, and I am sorry.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “About Dad. I led everyone to believe he’d died because I thought a glimmer of hope would be a cruel thing to dangle above your head.”

  “What are you talking about?” Her heart raced and she stepped toward Evelyn. Why was she talking about Joey right now? Lucas asked a question, then Hank. Poly couldn’t hear what they were saying over the thrumming of her heartbeat in her ears.

  Minter and Karen grasped hands and stepped closer, holding onto one another for dear life.

  “Please, let me finish. This is important, and I don’t have much time.” Evelyn put up her hands to stop the group from talking over one another. “As I grew up, I learned to see connections between people.” She smiled as she looked up and around the room. “I didn’t know this when I kept Dad’s body at the same hospital as you, Mom. And as a result, you felt him. In a subconscious way, you and he were reaching for each other. While everyone around you told you he was dead, you still felt him. I realize now, this connection nearly broke you, and I am sorry for not getting you off Vanar sooner.”

  “What—are you saying he’s he alive?” Poly focused on her daughter’s lips, waiting for an answer.

  “I put him in a state of suspended animation. I thought maybe, in a hundred years or so, I’d find a way to bring him back. But the more I studied, the more I knew there was nothing I could do.”

  Poly’s heart sunk and tears filled her eyes, the pain of his loss flushing over her once again, as if for the first time. She had thought she was crazy at the hospital. But she had felt him. “Why are you telling me all of this right now?”

  “The purge people . . . they don’t use technology like we do. I learned they use what they call quintessence to create these stones in a form of alchemy. That is when I realized they might have what I was looking for—a cure.”

  Poly’s eyes went large, and she heard Julie gasp.

  Evelyn looked at the clock on her Panavice and stepped away from the Alius stone. She talked quickly. “He’s not all back yet, but Mom . . . he’s going to be here in a few seconds.”

  Poly’s mouth hung open and she stared at the stone, body shaking. She felt at once numb, and as if every nerve ending were pinging with excitement. It hummed and she sucked in a deep breath. “You didn’t.” She held a hand over her mouth.

  Joey popped into existence a few feet in front of her. She froze in shock, tremors consuming her body. Then she stumbled toward him and grabbed him, touching his face and his arms. “Joey?” When he nodded, she threw herself into his embrace; his weak frame couldn’t support her weight and they fell to the ground.

  “Poly?” he said in a whisper.

  Hearing his voice sent chills over her body. “Yes, yes. It’s me.” She clasped the sides of his head and held tight. “Joey.” He felt cold and the look in his eyes had changed. As if something was missing. “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know. What happened? I can’t remember much.”

  “It may take time,” Evelyn said.

  “I will spend a lifetime telling you whatever it is you want to know.” She kissed him and felt pure joy as he kissed her back.

  “Son,” Minter cried, kneeling next to Joey. Karen dropped to her knees beside them in hysterics.

  Poly looked up at all the loved ones around her. They all held each other and stared at Joey in shock; all except Travis, who stared right back at her, tears in his eyes.

  Poly got off Joey and helped him to his feet.

  “How did you do it?” Julie asked Evelyn.

  “I think they call it a life stone,” she said. “It’s one of the ways the queen can’t be killed.”

  “I don’t care how you did it.” Poly bent down and hugged her daughter. They could finally be a family again. The people who’d hurt them for so long were out of their lives. Sure, the world would be a mess, but it didn’t matter, now that she had Joey and Evelyn in her life.

  “There is something else I need to tell you. Something I need to tell all of you,” Evelyn said, backing up to address the group. “The queen will come back here. She won’t stop. Which is why I must ask you all to make the hardest decision of your life. Right here, right now.” She walked to the stone and Poly thought she saw tears in her eyes.

  “This,” she pointed to the Alius stone, “is the door that has kept our worlds together. I spent some time inside the mind of the queen. The knowledge the woman had of the worlds.…” she looked at the ceiling. “Somehow she knew that this stone was special, she built a house around the one on her planet. But more importantly, she knew how to destroy it. All the stones are linked in a way, but this is the master link, none of the others can exist without this one.”

  “You’re going to destroy the stones? All of them?” Julie asked.

  “Yes.”

  “There has to be another way,” Travis said and looked at Gladius.

  “I could go over all of our options, but they all end with the queen winning, and we don’t have the time. She could pop back into this room at any moment, and we will
not be as lucky the second time around.”

  “We can temporarily seal the stones, or put up defenses,” Hank suggested.

  Evelyn closed her eyes and shook her head. “She will get past them. She knows our tricks and I have no more of them up my sleeves. Once she gets here, we won’t be able to stop her. She will finish what she started. The only option we have is to shut the doors forever.”

  “Can’t she just make more of the Alius stones?” Harris asked.

  “She didn’t make them.”

  “What?” he said in shock.

  “She discovered them after she evolved into her current form,” Evelyn said.

  Harris rubbed his chin and stared at the Alius stone. “Then we have to decide where to be when these stones are destroyed.”

  Poly’s staggered back and grabbed ahold of Joey. She could say goodbye to Harris and Travis if it meant this would all be over. She didn’t care where she went, as long as she had her husband and her daughter. They could go back to living their boring lives. Nothing sounded better.

  “We’ll stay in Preston,” Trip said and the rest of the parents nodded in agreement.

  Poly nodded and knew the answer for all of them, but a couple split between the two worlds. She turned and faced Hank and Gladius.

  HANK’S HEART POUNDED IN HIS chest as he held Gladius’s hand, blankly staring at the stone.

  Mary popped into his mind and he shook his head. “First, I need to get Cindy’s family before this happens. They’re traveling to the stone in Ryjack as we speak. They should arrive tomorrow.”

  He could hear Joey asking Poly who Cindy was. He’d have to make introductions soon.

  “I’m sorry, Hank, but we don’t have time.” Evelyn looked stressed. “I have the queen contained, but it’s not permanent. In fact, she could be free at any moment. If I had my choice, I would have destroyed the stone already to banish her there, but I had things to complete first.”

  Hank wouldn’t accept no for an answer. “You can get them for me. You can move as fast as light.”

  Evelyn took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Hank didn’t want to push the little girl, but he also couldn’t leave them on Ryjack for the rest of their lives. He’d made a promise; one he intended on keeping.