Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller Brandon Ellis (ebook reader for comics txt) 📖

dagnabbit, I think they won, because when those bastard aliens flew over our town, I swear their ships were battered and beaten.”

“I’m in Montana?”

“As you live and breathe, son.”

“Is this Flathead city?”

The man laughed and jabbed the rocks with his toe. “Well, hell no, son. This isn’t Flathead city. I’m sure there is a Flathead city someplace on Earth’s map, but not around here. This here is Wild Horse Island on Flathead Lake. The cities around you are Elmo, Dayton, Landisfarne, Rollins, and a few more. But like I said, you’re not staying in any of those places, you’re wandering north.”

Jaxx huffed and looked across the water. Islands filled the lake and the blue sky made the lake and the calm waters look incredibly clear. Colorful brown, bronze, and gray rock littered the shoreline. “Do we have a boat?”

“Of course,” he snorted. “I didn’t just appear out of nowhere. It’s over there.” He tilted his head in thought. “Well, how the hell did you get here?”

Jaxx put his hands out. “I appeared out of nowhere.”

The man threw a dismissive hand and turned around. “A few days ago I wouldn’t have believed you. Nowadays? Who knows.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Follow me. We have a boat to drive. Let’s get going, right quick you hear? After I drop you off on shore, I can get back to my life.” He shrugged. “Well, whatever life I can get to. This invasion has been nothing but hell on us.”

“How bad is it?”

“Can’t be that bad if it’s just you that’s supposed to fix it all.”

Jaxx followed the man up a short incline, finding his feet on grass. “Is that what your dream said?”

“Yep. You’re going to fix this mess. You and some pretty strange children.”

The boat ride was calm, quiet. The wind blew through Jaxx’s hair from the motorboat’s open cabin. As Kip steered into the dock, he slowed the motor, and the boat’s gas fumes wafted to Jaxx’s nostrils.

Kip stood from his seat and pointed north. “That way to the one child.”

The one child? Jaxx didn’t question. It’s not as if Kip would know the name of the one child. It had to be Mya.

Kip butted the side of his boat against the dock and tied the stern rope onto a metal cleat on the dock, then the bow rope onto another cleat. He tightened and secured the line. He motioned with his hand. “Jump off. The dock won’t bite.”

Jaxx stepped up onto the dock. He held out his hand. “Thank you.”

Kip dipped his head and reached around to his back pocket, pulling out a can of chew. He opened it and dipped his fingers in it, pulled out a bog, and placed it under his bottom lip. He spit. “I got nothing else for you. You can get. I—” He stopped midsentence, glancing over Jaxx’s shoulder. “Well, lookie here. Maybe you don’t have to walk north after all.”

Jaxx turned around. A young girl, accompanied by two adults, stood at the edge of the dock. Was that Mya? He walked forward, his pace quickening when he not only saw Mya, but to his shock and pure delight, there stood his nephew, Drew Avera, journalist extraordinaire.

His lips grew into a large smile, his pearly whites showing more so than they had in the last several months of hell. “Drew?”

“You gotta be kidding me,” said Drew, drawing his arms out wide. “Uncle Jaxx?”

They met each other and embraced. Jaxx leaned back and gave Drew a big pat on his back. “What in the heck brings you here?”

Drew gestured to the little girl next to him, her pure soul shining through her eyes. “Mya can explain.”

Jaxx bent down. “Hi, Mya. Nice to finally meet you.”

Mya pursed her lips. “We’re not done.”

Jaxx’s eyebrows came closer together. “We’re not done with what?”

“You closed the pyramid, but something is stirring. I don’t know yet what it is, but we need to find other children like me. You closed the doors to the bad guys. And they are now gone, but something doesn’t feel right, here on Earth. The rest of the galaxy feels right.” She shook her head, looking down. “But not Earth.”

“What is it, Mya?” Jaxx had the same suspicion deep in his gut. He had refused to listen to it on the ride to Earth, but it was there nonetheless. “There is a reason why I’m still here and alive, isn’t there. I didn’t complete the prophecy?”

“You did. Earth still has some clean-up to do.”

Jaxx straightened and eyed the woman next to Drew. “Your girlfriend?”

Megan jerked back. “No. God, no.” Her face was full of disgust. “I’m not with stoner over here.”

Drew clapped his hands together. “Right. Okay, shall we get going?”

Mya took Jaxx’s hand. “Follow me, Jaxx.”

“Where are we going?”

She shrugged. “Somewhere to find the other kids.”

They walked forward and down a path that followed the lake’s edge.

Jaxx imagined finding children with the same type of colorful glow Mya had. And then what? As always, life was going to inform him what to do next some time down the line. And as always, life was going to give him the heads up in full force like a solar flare from the sun.

But for the moment, things were good. He was with his nephew and a young woman his nephew’s age. Didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out Drew had a crush on her. And this young girl, Mya, who now walked hand in hand with him toward the setting sun was something else. The purity of her soul filled him with a peace so deep and wide he was sure he could combat anything that came at him. He was Kaden Jaxx and he was embracing his destiny. But for now, there was a brief respite.

No worries.

No Kelhoon.

No Agadon.

No explosions and no deaths.

No evil smashing his beloved Atlanteans into the ground.

Just Jaxx with some good people, and Earth’s fresh air.

Epilogue

Kip drove his pickup truck past his ranch’s welcome sign. The gravel driveway