The Survivors | Book 16 | New Lies

by Hystad, Nathan

  “If they don’t care, we shouldn’t either,” Jules told him. They waited in the shadows a good twenty minutes, and Dean kept wanting to assist Karo. She held him back. “He’s fine.”

  Jules glanced at the bright twinkling stars. Newei might be a desert, but the night was as peaceful as you could hope for, with the most gorgeous backdrop she’d ever witnessed. The crescent moon hung at a forty-five-degree angle, the deep blue color reminding her of a song her mom had sung when Jules was a kid.

  “I found them.” Karo’s voice behind them shocked her, and she almost pulled the trigger on her pulse pistol.

  “Jeez, Karo. Be careful.”

  “What are we dealing with?” Dean asked him as Karo removed his hood.

  “Something’s happening.” The ground shook again, and the flaps to the tent opened wide.

  Regnig appeared, followed by Malir. Jules watched them, and Regnig’s expression broke her heart. She’d spent countless hours with the Toquil, but never had she seen him seem so discouraged. He moved slowly, his canes dragging as Cillen urged them forward. Heavy chains pulled Regnig down, and fury built inside her.

  Regnig. I’m here. Tears fell as she pressed the thought at him.

  His beak lifted, and he looked around, as if to see her. Jules?

  “It’s me,” she whispered. “I’m with Dean and Karo. I… we’re going to help you.”

  Jules. I’m so glad to hear your voice. You give an old man strength.

  “Don’t worry. We’re—”

  Listen. When they feed me to Ovalax, I want you to save Malir. He’s a good kid, with an honest soul. Regnig was being forced from the tent, and the entire camp lined up into two groups, leaving a pathway between them. They began to chant, the pace quickening as Malir and Regnig moved through the throng of Wibox soldiers.

  “What do you mean? We can stop them,” she whispered.

  Jules, I’m done. I’m too sore. Too tired. Perhaps being consumed by Ovalax will be a blessing. Maybe my knowledge will live on in some form, Regnig said.

  She was taken aback. “I never expected to hear you giving up.”

  I have not given up, Jules. Just know that you made it all worthwhile. I lived for our moments together.

  The procession continued, and soon the group surrounded one location in a ring. King Uvid was front and center, gripping a deadly knife. The flames reflected off the metal. Even from her position, Jules could hear his words loud and clear.

  “Wibox! We do our ancestors and children a blessing by giving our oracle the minds he needs to survive tonight. The Gretiol heir will be an appetizer, with the wretched Sager, a bane of Wibox history, the final course. Ovalax is awake; I can feel him beneath us. Bless his mind!”

  “Bless his mind!” the entire group chorused.

  Jules zoomed on them and saw the opening in the ground. A metal lift lay flat, like an oversized sewer cover, and Cillen shoved Malir onto it.

  Jules, help him. I will do what I can, but…

  Bright lights flashed from above, and for a moment, Jules thought a series of meteors was cruising through the skies.

  “Those are jetpacks!” Dean called, running from their hiding spot. “It’s the Alliance. Come on. Let’s get Malir and Regnig!”

  Jules smiled and sent one last message to Regnig. Don’t give up. I’m not ready to lose you.

  The comment he returned warmed her heart and put fire in each step. I won’t leave you. I will fight.

  ____________

  “You expect me to believe you can bring me a Deity?” Ovalax’s voice wasn’t mine. It was higher-pitched, almost panicked. Dust shook off the ceiling, landing on Ovalax. He didn’t bother to wipe it off.

  I tried to keep my distance, but he was stalking closer with each step I took from him, as if he was tied to me. “I have a Deity trapped inside a portal stone.”

  “Portal Stone. The Shandra Valincin?”

  I’d never heard a name for them. “What does it mean?”

  “Shandra is portal. Valincin is Deity.”

  “So you know they’re Deity stones.” I was hoping this would distract him so I could figure out my next move. I’d expected to encounter a uniquely bizarre creature, but not a wet, naked, and horrific version of myself.

  “I know all.” His chin lowered, and he began laughing. “Recaster. I’ve been waiting for this moment for ages.”

  “Ages?”

  “Recaster, you have no idea. I’ve been feeding on minds for billions of years. The Sect is but a fraction of my time. Your existence is a blink. Earth was once something else.”

  I stood my ground and faced this version of me. “What do you mean, something else?”

  “Long before humans existed, it was occupied by others. The Tiprea were a proud race. I devoured a fair share of them over many epochs.” Ovalax glanced past his shoulder, and I saw the outline of a doorway in the rock.

  I needed to keep him talking. “Where did they go?”

  The room shook again, and I peeked at Sergo and Othus. They were still on the ground twenty meters away, unmoving.

  “The Tiprea abandoned Earth and departed for their new world.” He looked at me and squinted. See.

  A vision entered my eyes, and I was gone from the cavern with Ovalax. I was on a planet, in a ship’s cockpit. The controls were foreign, the lettering unrecognizable. Buildings rose into the sky, well past the giant treetops, and I spotted wooden plankways, bridges between the structures.

  “Where am I?” I asked, but the words came out in another’s voice.

  This is Ebos, the Tiprea’s world. They are your forefathers. I am surprised that the Recaster doesn’t know this. It seems your mind is not as valuable as I’d predicted.

  The image faded, and I was returned to Ovalax’s lair. “Ebos. Does it still exist?”

  Ovalax approached me, his wet feet leaving perfect footprints in the dust. “Ebos is awaiting you.”

  “I thought you planned to eat me. Devour my soul.”

  Ovalax shook his head. “No. Once a cycle, I choose someone. A champion. I chose you.” He smiled. The sight was unsettling.

  “You chose me?”

  “That’s right. The knowledge of the universe comes with the ability to project across galaxies. I knew you’d come at this moment. All other possibilities saw you destroying me.”

  “What if I reject your offer?” The words barely escaped my lips.

  He tapped himself in the chest. “You will not.”

  I swallowed and stepped forward. “This is impossible.” I reached out, touching Ovalax’s arm. It was flesh, not a projection of a figment of my imagination like I’d predicted. “You’re real.”

  “I waited for a million years, since the last Recaster died, for you to be born. But this was the only way we worked together. You see, I am not as evil as you may think. I can feel your hatred for me, but I assure you, what I do is done for the sake of the universe. I do not play by the rules of mankind. I am Ovalax!” The ground vibrated, and rocks fell from the ceiling, a few striking my helmet. They bounced off Ovalax’s skin.

  My voice regained some strength. “Why are you here?”

  “There’s a question I’ve been waiting for. Without predictions, the universe will consume itself. I’ve played a hand in every step. The Bhlat attacking the Kraski, sending you to their aid. Without me, Janine lived. Did you know that? It’s true. I interfere only when necessary, but each time you faced a dilemma, I’ve seen a thousand alternative scenarios. I helped ensure they would unite to bring you to me. Now.” Ovalax frowned and looked behind him again, as if a ghost might attack from the cavern’s exit.

  I was still reeling from his earlier comments. “What is it you want?”

  “The others sought my advice for their own needs. I am not their oracle. I will only team with the Recaster. We are one, Dean. Together, we will discover eternal life, and you will be the face of Ovalax for all to see. You’ve done well with the Alliance, but there are millions of races, countl
ess galaxies that even your precious Shandra system cannot reach.

  “You will see things beyond your wildest imagination, as you were intended from the moment you were born. At my side.” He placed a palm on his chest.

  “You’re saying that you chose me to be this Recaster, for the purpose of working alongside you? And that you managed to get me here, because it was the only chance I’d succumb to your wishes?” The story was so incredible, I didn’t know how to react.

  “That is so.”

  “And how do we accomplish this teamwork?” I peered through the cavern exit, my vision clearer in the semi-dark space. Something shifted beyond the shadows, writhing like wavy lake water.

  “You will allow me to take your mind. I will share your brain, and you will remain yourself, in body.” His voice grew deeper, and he clutched my arm with his bare hand, bringing his forehead to touch my helmet’s facemask. “We will rule the universe, as I’ve foreseen.”

  “Don’t you want the Deity instead?” I asked, hoping he’d bite. I didn’t actually have a Deity in a stone, but he didn’t seem to know that.

  He let go and sighed. Spittle dripped down his beard. “I have not predicted this. I don’t believe you.”

  Fronez was here, and he was hoping to harness Ovalax in some fashion. I needed to stall Ovalax, because the Shimmali would have to be arriving soon.

  “How do we merge?” I asked, remembering the pain from a few minutes ago.

  Come. The voice was the same, but it didn’t originate from this human. The man in my likeness turned around, walking uneasily away from me, to the other room. I went after him, curious what Ovalax truly was.

  I was grateful for my armor suit, because I assumed the entire room carried an incredible stench. The flesh covered everything. Ovalax was nothing more than a bulbous, squirming pile of organic material. His globular form rose into the ceiling, pressing against the walls, leaving only a slight pathway to enter his nest.

  Recaster. You are… The room vibrated as his flesh wobbled, and a rocky opening spread wide overhead.

  The sacrifice has begun.

  Twenty-Five

  Everything happened so fast. One second she was crying at Regnig’s words; the next a team of jetpack-wearing soldiers arrived, courtesy of the Alliance Institute. Battle erupted everywhere across the dunes, and Jules ran alongside Dean toward the fray.

  Many of their soldiers remained in the sky, firing on the Wibox like fish in a barrel. Jules spotted Regnig with Malir, back-to-back, their chains on their wrists.

  Karo dashed ahead of them, shooting a pulse from his rifle at the nearest target. The big Wibox man fell to the ground, and Jules hurdled over his corpse. Someone landed a short distance from her, and the woman fired from two handheld guns, blasting another enemy soldier.

  “Mom?” Jules ran to her, finding Mary behind the helmet’s visor.

  “Jules? You made it!” Her mom fired again, hitting another target.

  “Regnig is there! We have to save him,” Jules shouted over the noise. “Where’s Papa?”

  Her mother’s expression said it all. “He’s underground. With Ovalax.”

  Jules cringed. One thing at a time.

  A pair of Wibox began shooting at them, and a giant Alliance soldier jumped between them, taking both of the enemies down with a flurry of shots. “You okay, Mrs. Parker?” the big Keppe man asked. Jules had never seen him before.

  Mary smiled at him. “Thank you, Darem. I’m fine.”

  Fronez’s ship rose from her left, sending a blast of light over the region as he flew it toward the horde of Wibox soldiers in battle with the Alliance. “Who’s that?” Mary asked. Dean and Karo formed a protective circle around them, while some of the Wibox evacuated from the fight. Jules guessed that over half of the Wibox were killed in the initial raid, and now that they were assured of a loss, they were reeling.

  “His name’s Fronez,” Jules told her. “He has a portal sphere on his ship.”

  “What? Why?”

  “We think he wants to absorb Ovalax into it.” Jules watched as the Shimmali’s transport lowered near Regnig and Malir. “We have to help them.”

  Jules didn’t wait for a response. They passed a couple of Wibox who didn’t even fire at them. They raised empty hands, fleeing to their Runners.

  “Let them pass!” Mary ordered into the Alliance soldiers’ earpieces, and many of the pulse blasts in the vicinity ceased.

  The sand was difficult to run across in an armored suit, but Jules pressed on, hoping she wasn’t too late. The lights from Fronez’s ship were blinding, and when they flashed off, she saw the two large Wibox figures looming before the prisoners.

  It was King Uvid and his minion, Cillen.

  “Look what we have here. The Alliance.” Uvid picked up Regnig like he weighed nothing.

  Cillen wrapped a big arm around Malir’s throat, dragging him to the opening in the ground. “Stay back, or they get it.”

  Jules tensed, her gun aimed at Uvid. Her training took over, and she assessed the dilemma, trying to keep emotions at bay. Regnig’s beak parted open, and his tongue pressed out. Save the boy.

  Be patient, Jules thought back to him.

  Regnig had slight telekinetic powers he rarely used, and now was the opportune time. She was about to tell him this, when Fronez’s ship landed, sinking into the sand. He ran out down the ramp, flailing his arms. “Stop it! We have Ovalax where we want him. We must distract him with a sacrifice, and I can seal him for eternity.”

  “You want him for yourself!” Jules shouted. “What good will placing him in a Deity stone do?”

  “He will cease to be a bother. No more Sect of Memories stealing heirs and historians from their members. Your future will be yours to decide,” Fronez said, his narrow snout wagging wildly as he spoke.

  Uvid glared at Fronez. “You seek to destroy our oracle?”

  His focus had gone from Regnig to Fronez, and Jules knew this was the opportune moment. Regnig, push off!

  The bird man glanced at her with a shiny eye and obeyed her command, using his mind to shove Uvid.

  The opening in the sand was five feet across, and Uvid fell into it. His hand clutched at Regnig’s chain before entering the maw, dragging the Toquil with him. Jules dove for her friend, but he was sucked into the hole a second after Uvid fell.

  “Drop it!” Karo shouted at Cillen, and he lowered his blade, shoving Malir away. He lifted his arms high in the air and muttered. By then, the Alliance Soldiers had gathered with Magnus, shackling Cillen’s hands behind him.

  Jules gazed at Fronez then into the cargo hold. “How quickly can we do this?”

  Fronez smiled and ran into his ship, returning with the end of a wire. “We don’t need to bring the portal stone, just this cable. We connect this to Ovalax and do the rest.”

  “How are we…” Mary started speaking, and Fronez’s excitement dwindled.

  “Regnig was supposed to help me with the transfer,” Fronez said.

  Jules grabbed Dean’s hand and tapped her helmet onto his. “I love you, Dean.”

  “I love you too, Jules,” he said.

  Jules grabbed Fronez’s arm, wrapped the cable around her waist, and shoved the Shimmali man into the hole, diving in after him.

  She heard shouts of concern from Dean and her mother, but all Jules could think about was saving her Papa and Regnig.

  ____________

  Regnig fell. He had wings, but few Toquil actually flew in their lifetimes. It was a skill he’d never honed, choosing to work on his brain rather than his flapping, but falling through Newei gave him the feeling of freedom.

  Uvid screamed in rage and then panic as gravity pushed them deeper into the planet.

  Regnig, on the other hand, was at peace. He’d already decided today was his last, and this was quite a way to go. Conceivably better than having Ovalax devour his mind.

  But the end didn’t come as he’d expected. Uvid slowed, and so did Regnig, as if some invisib
le force chose to save them. Uvid dropped through an opening, and Regnig hovered above him, settling to a dimly lit cavern floor.

  “Regnig!”

  Dean Parker stood a few feet from him beside a pitiful creature. Regnig did a double-take and saw that the naked man looked a lot like Dean. What is happening here?

  “Sager… I’ve watched you.” The bearded man walked over. He was perspiring fiercely, and Regnig’s olfactory senses were on overload in this cramped room.

  The blob of flesh filling most of the cavern was pungent. Regnig fought back a gag. You’ve watched me? Why?

  “You knew what Dean Parker was,” Ovalax said though this nude man’s mouth.

  Regnig was instantly aware this wasn’t the real Ovalax, that the mass of organs and skin across the room was the true beast. He had countless questions, the being that so many worshiped, but none came to mind as he stared at the oracle.

  “I am King Uvid.” The Wibox walked to the squirming flesh, kneeling before it. “Bless your mind, Ovalax. I am honored to be in your—”

  Uvid lifted from the rocky ground, rising into the air by an unseen force, toward Ovalax. Uvid screamed in anguish as he dropped into the skin.

  Regnig could only stare as the Wibox leader was absorbed.

  The entire cavern shook while Ovalax devoured his follower, and Dean Parker ran to Regnig. “Are you okay?”

  I am fine.

  “Help me,” croaked the man resembling Dean.

  ____________

  I turned to this creepy version of me. “What is it?”

  The man’s eyes cleared, going from black to red-lined whites, with dark blue irises. “Kill me. Please.”

  “Are you real?” I asked him, and he nodded.

  “I think so.”

  “Has he left your mind? Can you move?” I had to get this man far from Ovalax.

  “I don’t want to. Please—”

  Two people burst through the cavern’s ceiling, this time without the assistance of Ovalax, and one of them snapped to the roof as the rope they held pulled tight. The armored soldier let go, landing on one foot and one knee. She glanced up, and I saw it was Jules. She smiled and helped Fronez to his feet.