The Lotus Effect (Rise Of The Ardent) (44 page)

Reaching down, I swiped my hand over my satchel, making sure it was secure. Looking to the sky, I noticed the airship was now hovering over an unfamiliar location a short distance behind the Estate. Like my father, my grandmother may have a good idea where Briggin’s army was stationed.

I started jogging, keeping my eyes alert. I took a side entrance into the Estate’s compound which I was familiar with—using this very path to sneak home after my so-called rebellious nighttime strolls as a child. There were three guards patrolling the front entrance, and judging by their bored nonchalance, they hadn’t yet noticed my presence.

I kept moving, ducking my head, keeping my body low.

The abandoned guard’s post was only a few yards away now.

I took two cautious steps forward only to find myself seized from behind and spun around to face the one person I’d been most looking forward to see.

Both of us smiled before fiercely embracing one another.

I pulled back to look up at him. “I wish you would stop doing that.”

Xander grinned slightly. “But you’re such an easy
target. I couldn’t resist.”

So many thoughts and questions invaded me at once. “Did you see the airship? It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen! Better even than the ones she used to build!” Without taking a breath, I grabbed at Xander’s arms, and continued, “Grandmother Everette is
alive
. She came back with Sector 9; they call themselves the Akkadians now. They fight with these . . . these amazing sonic bo-staffs. Have you seen them?” I shook my head and stepped back slightly, knowing I sounded a bit manic. “Never mind, it’s not what’s important . . . were you able to detonate the North and South Walls successfully? I heard the East and West, but—”

I became distracted while I ranted, noticing Xander was looking at something other than myself over my shoulder.

“Lily,” an older male voice called softly from behind me.

I turned slowly, afraid of the condition I’d find him in.
“Father?” I whispered.

Sure enough my father stood before me, tall and still retaining the Emerson pride, though a deep sadness lingered and darkened the area beneath his eyes.

Disregarding the years I’d spent at odds with my father, I acted on impulse and embraced him as any daughter should. He stiffened at the contact, but then softened, letting go of the many facades he’d been carrying ever since he had become Head.

He sighed, squeezing me tighter. “Lily, your mother loved you so very much, even if you never believed it,” he choked out. “All those things she did to try and prevent you from fighting in the Barrage was her way of hoping to save you. In the end—” He paused, taking in a hitching breath. “In the end she saw how much strength and determination you possessed. She died a proud mother.
I
am proud of you, Lily,” He added. “I, too, will take that to the winds when I die.”

Swallowing thickly, I attempted a smile. I swiped at the heavy tears with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry, Father. I am so very sorry, for
everything
,” was all that I could manage.

He shook his head. “Don’t be. As Head, I take responsibility for all of this. Responsibility for decisions that even I couldn’t control.” He looked to Xander over my shoulder, an apology written in his eyes.

“He spoke to you of his parents?” I asked softly.

My father looked down, his face severe. “I’ve known this boy for a long time. Long before even your Coronation.” He paused. “He had a bone to pick with me. And rightly so.”

I stepped back some. “You what?” The way he said
boy,
the strange and familiar sound of it
,
shot at me like a dart to the chest.

“You were there that night, Lily,” my father said suddenly. “The night of the Purge.” He paused for a beat. “And so was I.”

A dam had opened, shattering completely. My memories all rushing at me now, an unstoppable force.

“
You?
You were the cloaked stranger?” I asked in a rush. I spun, catching Xander’s faraway gaze. “And
you
.” I pointed my finger, my eyes accusing. “You were the boy lingering in the shadows.”

Xander’s eyes met mine, unyielding. He wasn’t denying it.

“But the hovering boulder . . . how?” I asked, spinning to meet my father’s face.

He gripped my shoulders. “In time,” he whispered. “Just know that I’m not the man you think me to be. I tried to stop the attack, but I was already too late. I helped your Grandmother flee the city with the rest of Sector 9. What kind of father would I be if I didn’t try to protect my own daughter . . . ?” he added with a small smile.

“But I don’t remember anything after—”

“You passed out from the smoke,” Xander said at my back. “You were so small. I managed to carry you to the Estate.” He smiled somewhat, slight and sad. “Much like that first night on the Wall.”

“But . . . why would you help me, Xander? A complete stranger? Why if you hated my father so?”

Xander shifted on his feet. “Because if I followed after him, I would be leaving you there to die. A decision, I wasn’t willing to make, then or ever.” He sniffed, and looked to the ground. “It haunted me for a while, I’ll admit, but I got over it.” His eyes met mine again, a strange light hiding within his expression.

Turning back to my father, I felt as though a stolen memory had been returned. I was relieved and yet still uncertain. “I—I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. Just keep moving forward,” he said as he reached for my cheek. He was a new person now. A stranger again.

I felt Xander take hold of my shoulder sympathetically, but also so he could gather our attention. “We shouldn’t linger.”

Both my father and I nodded before stepping away from one another.

“I can take you to the armory, but I’m the only one who can reprogram the machines. Briggins succeeded in getting the information out of me. My resistance to pain, I’m afraid, is not what it used to be,” Father stated solemnly.

“It’s not your fault,” I said, shaking my head, clearing the lump from my throat. “But you can help us stop this,” I added. “Please, Father. If anything, help
me.
Like the night of the Sector 9 Purge—I need you.”

He nodded, straightening his posture to finally match the position of power he held for so many years.

“You ready?” Xander asked, instilling focus back into me—into the both of us Emersons.

We turned to face him. We didn’t need words to know that our faces confirmed our answer.

Chapter 46

The Blackened Source

We arrived in a large, open field, much like the Requiem—only this time Walkers, both large and small, sat unmoving in droves, awaiting the command to join in on the Purge of the city.

I motioned for my father and Xander to look along the southern side of the encampment. Five men stood around a central data-core control console, systematically pushing buttons and opening side compartments as they tinkered with the wires inside.

“They’re trying to repair the Edge’s barrier dome. They want to prevent further incoming attacks,” my father whispered to the both of us.

A blue aura flickered in and out of power above us as the men continued their restoration of the dome. Light blue of the dome. Gray of the sky.

“We cannot allow them to succeed,” Xander said neutrally at my side as we three lay prone against a mound of dirt that acted as our cover.

“I believe Amelia, your grandmother, had something to do with why the dome came down in the first place. That . . .
woman
.” Father pursed his lips in an irked, but amused fashion. “I can see how her blood runs thickly through your veins, Lily.” He sighed, making me smile. “And I know you wouldn’t care to think so, but strongly through your mother’s too,” he added sadly, his eyes starting to glaze in sorrow.

I shook my head, regretful. “I know now that Mother was braver than us all. She hid her true self my entire life just to keep me safe. Just because I’m different.”

Father cleared his throat. “Take care to keep the dome inactive while I make my way inside,” he instructed suddenly, his face becoming serious. “I will shut down the Walkers. You two—you do the distracting.”

“No.” I shook my head, frowning. “You’re not going in there alone. You’re not even wearing any armor. Nothing!” I retorted, struggling to keep my voice low as we lay hidden behind the dune.

“Sometimes the best armor cannot be seen my dear. I think you know this better than any.” My father shifted on the dirt and palmed my cheek in his calloused hand. “It has to be this way. Goodbye, Lily.” He looked past me and nodded to Xander.

I frowned not understanding what transpired between the two.

“I’m sorry,” Xander whispered into my ear before he suddenly deployed his wings and grabbed me around the middle.

“No!” I screeched as he lifted us both into the air, leaving my father behind—the silhouette of him becoming smaller and smaller as we gained altitude until he eventually disappeared beneath the white haze of the clouds.

I cursed as Xander squeezed me tighter. He wasn’t going to release me no matter how much I squirmed.

“Damn you, Xander! He’s going to die in there!”

Knowing my curses fell on deaf ears; I unholstered my axe and held my shield out before me. Taking a deep breath, I willed my blood to cool and my mind to focus.

At this vantage, I spotted three of the Akkadians engaging the Walkers alongside the eastern edge of the encampment. I could only hope no harm had befallen my grandmother since I last saw her. She was a brazen one and self-sacrifice was never below her. Or my mother. I envied their energy, their passion. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment, a chance to make a difference for a very long time now.

Her blood runs thickly through your veins.

Thinking of my father’s words, I was suddenly emblazoned with an overwhelming sense of courage and pride.

I looked up to Xander. “If a diversion is what my father needs, then let’s give them one
hell
of a distraction.”

Xander grinned and nodded.

I activated the Defyer, gathering as much weight and energy as I could before we reached the data-core. Xander hardly even dipped in altitude. He had well-adjusted to the Defyer’s effects, judging by the many times we’d already used this particular trick before.

We soared quickly overhead, reaching the location directly above the console.

“Do what you do best, Lily. Go wreak some havoc,” Xander called out to me above the roar of the wind and the energy that swam around us.

Ignoring the force that weighed down my skin and bones, I spotted the group of men below us and bared my teeth. Taking a guess, I released the pressure and instantly surged towards the data-core like a projectile bent on devastation.

One. Two. Three. My legs hit first. The sound that erupted around me as the data-core crumpled inwards could alone shatter the senses as metal and sparks surged upwards from my impacting feet like sharp, electrified puzzle pieces.

I waited for the shards to stop falling before I gauged my injuries. Legs, arms, chest, head. And just like the other times I was sent speeding through the sky, I was unharmed. Only the heels of my feet throbbed and the calves of my legs burned, but I could tell no bones had been broken.

I coughed and tried to stand. The dome surged a brilliant blue above my head before flashing out like an extinguished star. My head swam as I stumbled from the pile of debris. Broken bits of metal and torn wires underfoot caused me to slip at first, but I soon trudged my way back onto solid ground.

“Xander?” I tried to call out, but started into another fit of hacking coughs after I caught a whiff of the rank and acrid smell of burning plastic and wire.

A small explosion popped from behind me, making me duck. I turned and watched as fire erupted and grew from the central pile I just crawled away from.

Covering my mouth with my forearm to block the smoke, I looked to the others around me. The five workers, similarly in shambles, were too knocked astray by my attack—three of which lay sprawled with faces to the ground, their pristine white lab coats tarnished by the dirt.

A twinge of pity went through me at the sight. They were scientists—scientists who were only doing their job.

A commotion at my side caught my eye and I looked up just in time to see Xander finishing off a semi-conscious worker who produced a bronzed dagger from beneath his coat.

Not so innocent after all.

After the man had fallen to the ground, Xander deployed his wings and soared to my side. I gave him a weak thumbs-up in greeting before spying the handle of my axe, which had broken loose in the impact and lodged itself under a large sheet of charred metal.

I reached down to retrieve it and when I stood up again I could see Xander’s eyes widen in alarm—even through the slits in his helm.

He tried to grab me around the middle, but his hands were suddenly forced backwards at an odd angle. I frowned, looking down at my waist, not understanding why my own arms were unwillingly being forced to my sides. My knees were drawn together suddenly and roughly forced to the ground.

“Not so fast . . . how is it that you
always
manage to find a way to disrupt any and all of my plans?”
 

I gritted my teeth upon hearing Briggin’s voice. I tried my best to spin to meet his face, but my neck wouldn’t move. My body was locked firmly into place.

He tsked. “I was so impressed by how you two used the E.M. device in the last round that I had some immediately brought to me. Funny how these things work.”

We were forced to kneel before him by the electromagnetic devices that the two guards held at our sides—our armor transforming itself into our own prison.

Taking full advantage of the situation, Briggins approached from behind and forced Xander to slam face first into the ground as though he had kicked him. “Bow to me,
boy
,” Briggins spat in a low tone as he rammed his armored foot onto his back and placed the E.M. device to his helm like a gun, pushing him further into the dirt. “
Deploy
your wings . . .” he commanded angrily. “You broke my Walls, so I shall now break
you
,” he growled. When Xander didn’t respond, he pushed his head down further. “Do it!”

I watched in alarm as he waved over a large unmanned Walker. After forcing one of Xander’s arms outwards and then behind him in an unnatural angle, Xander was forced to deploy his wings.

He’s going to rip him apart. In front of my eyes.
 

“Stop your crying,
Briggins
. My head hurts enough as it is.” I said, acting unaffected, hoping to draw his attention. He removed his boot from Xander’s back and casually approached my front. <
Briggins. The blackened source, the pestilence of spreading sorrow.
> “Isn’t it sad?” I paused, waiting for him to look at me. “Sad that there are those who are never truly worthy of a position of power? Sad that they feel the need to bully it from those who are? Always being in the shadow of true worth . . . . It
is
quite sad actually.”

I could barely contain my venom.

Briggins glared at me as he walked around Xander, ignoring my taunt, though meeting my face. I now saw that Briggins wore a suit much like the one Scottie had. It was flashy, but I could already see weak points. Weaknesses I couldn’t wait to test with the blade of my axe.

Briggins looked me over with a smug expression, his eyes pausing momentarily on the satchel slung across my chest, but ultimately returned to my eyes, disinterested.

“
Briggins . . .
is that what you’re calling me now? No Mister Briggins? Sir Briggins even?” He looked to the sky and smiled as if he smelled something sweet. “Oh yes, I do enjoy the sound of Sir Briggins quite well.”

Xander shifted at my side as he tried to resist the E.M. device that was rendering him immobile, the tightly coiled veins on his exposed hands rose like snakes—the only visible sign of a struggle.

“You do not deserve to
exist
Briggins, much less have a courtesy title to honor the filth in which you’ve become,” I scolded.

Briggin’s face flushed red. He approached me rapidly. With brutal force he backhanded me squarely across the jaw with his gauntleted fist.

The sting of the blow didn’t compare to the anger that boiled within me. Spitting a mouthful of blood into the dirt at his feet, I raised my eyes to meet his again.

“You need to be taught some manners, young lady. Your rudeness will not be tolerated.” He grabbed my shoulder; the one I dislocated, and placed the E.M. device at the joint. He watched in pleasure as my shoulder flew back painfully after deploying the button. I grunted, but didn’t cry out.

“
Leave her
alone
,” Xander growled, his bare hands clawing into the dirt from his rage.

Briggins smacked his lips at Xander’s suggestion. “You know? You’re right. A few years locked in a room with the despair of a Shadow Kane might do her some good. Maybe then she’ll have harnessed enough hatred to become one herself! The thought of a female Shadow Kane!” he said, spraying spittle as he laughed and looked to the guards that stood behind us.

“Once I find your grandmother that will be her fate as well—” he said evenly. “Though, I can imagine one with age such as hers, will not survive the process.” He sobered and looked back at me.

I had enough of this.

Gathering the remaining coppery substance in my mouth, I spat again, this time in his face—bracing myself for the attack that was sure to come.

I judged his pride correctly.

He snarled and suddenly charged me, knocking both myself and the guard that held me down to the ground. He wrapped his hands around my neck, squeezing as tightly as his fat fingers could manage.

From the corner of my eye I saw the second guard go down, Scottie standing behind him with a large piece of broken console held in hand. “Father! Stop this!” he yelled as another guard ran at him.

The unmanned Walker straightened to engage.

The blood rose hotly to my head as he squeezed. “You
bitch
. You turned him too, didn’t you? My
son
?” Briggins growled. I slammed my fists into his temples, trying to dislodge his grip—but even still, he held tight. My back arched off the ground as I reached for his eyes, my nails clawing into his skin at his cheeks. I heard another commotion break out at my side. Xander rolled to his feet, his blades creating sparks as he swung them against the approaching Walker’s legs.

“Hang on Lily!
Fight
him!”

My vision started to blur as Briggins, red faced and snarling saliva, intensified his grip around my windpipe. “You won’t get away with this—your resilience to dying is becoming tiresome, my dear,” he spat out. He brought his face even closer so I was forced to look into his bloodshot eyes, the tip of his nose almost touching mine. “I
crave
to watch the life leave your eyes Lily Emerson.” I batted at his hands, but he pressed his fingers inwards, his fingernails beneath the gauntlets gouging into my skin. “. . . much like how I watched it leave your mother’s.”