The Black Lotus

by Kieran Fanning

  The Kat fell to the ground, and Kate dropped the gun and dashed out of the bushes, her ears still buzzing from the gunfire. When the buzzing faded, she heard the agonized cries of the police officer as he squirmed on the ground, grasping his leg. She pulled Kristjan to his feet. He seemed as surprised to see her as she had been to see him.

  “Are you all right?” asked Cormac, scrambling to his feet beside her.

  Kristjan nodded and pointed at the sword in Cormac’s hand. “Is that … ?”

  “Yes.” Cormac glanced at the Kat, who was scrabbling about in the leaves for his fallen sword. Cormac kicked the blade out of reach and said, “Let’s get out of here.” Kate and Kristjan followed him downhill, going slower now so as not to fall. Behind them, the gunfight still raged, but the way ahead was quiet. That didn’t mean there wouldn’t be a Kyatapira ambush lying in wait. And Kate regretted not taking the Kat’s walkie-talkie. It would be only a matter of minutes before Empire reinforcements were on their tail.

  “Wait!” said Kristjan.

  Kate and Cormac stopped running and looked at the boy.

  He pointed into the trees. “This way.”

  Kate and Cormac followed him through the black trees, wondering where he was taking them. After a few minutes walking, he stopped and glanced around as if he were lost. Then he seemed to spot something on the ground and dashed forward. He lifted up some sort of net covered in leaves. The moon glistened on a metal trapdoor like the one they had used to exit Renkondo for forest training.

  Ghost watched Cormac, Kate, and the horses disappear through the floating black portal. One more step, and this would all be o—

  In Japan, we have a proverb: After victory, tighten your helmet cord.

  He spun around. Kiko stood before him in her flowing green kimono. Her hair fanned out around her, and her eyes looked black against her pale face. In her hand she held a longbow, and a quiver of red-feathered arrows was slung across her back. An arrow was notched in her bow and pointing straight at him.

  As Ghost turned to jump through the shrinking portal, a paralyzing pain raced through his body and into his head. He tried to scream, but his jaws were locked tight.

  He collapsed to the ground, teeth clenched, body convulsing in agony. He heard what sounded like an arrow whistling through the air, followed by a strangled gasp. His brain was about to shut down, when suddenly the pain eased. It ebbed away but left something in its place—something that kept its finger hovering over the pain switch.

  He opened his eyes. The forest blurred and he tasted blood in his mouth. He ran his tongue over a loose flap of skin inside his cheek. The trees came into focus, and with them Kiko, her bow now arrowless. He looked behind him, but the portal was gone. He searched his body for an arrow, but found none. His eyes met Kiko’s, which were burning with rage.

  The presence that lurked in his brain flicked the switch. Ghost was thrown backward as if he’d been electrocuted. Every nerve in his body screamed in agony. He dug his fingernails into his skull, trying to gouge out the piercing torture stabbing his brain.

  * * *

  THE PAIN FADED, LEAVING HIM exhausted, his body an empty husk. He lifted his head out of the dirt and spat out a mouthful of blood, then struggled to his knees.

  I tried my best to spare you.

  She approached. The polished steel of a dagger glinted in her hand.

  But you give me no option.

  He felt the blade at his throat.

  Unless …

  He closed his eyes.

  Perhaps I can find a use for you …

  He opened his eyes.

  I give you a choice: Die now, or join us in carving out a new world.

  He swallowed, feeling the sharp edge of the knife dig into his skin.

  Do you want to die?

  No.

  Good. Then I will control your mind.

  Ghost felt tears pool behind his eyes.

  Do not resist.

  She removed the dagger and brought her face down in front of his. Her dark eyes closed and Ghost felt a rush of cold air inside his head. This was different. Before he had heard her voice in his mind; now he felt her consciousness fully inhabit his own. It was a living presence, like an insect, settling and pulsing inside his skull.

  Kiko opened her eyes. The insect wriggled its legs when she spoke.

  Can you feel me inside your head?

  Ghost flinched at the sensation but nodded.

  Good. Step out of line once more, and … Well, I think you know what will happen.

  Ghost nodded again. A single tear ran down his nose. It clung to his nostril before dropping to the ground.

  The insect squirmed. Follow me.

  Kiko turned and walked down through the trees. Ghost stood up and followed. He couldn’t think straight. His thoughts were jumbled like in a dream. Better not to think at all. Just do what you’re told …Easy.

  He walked behind her through trees and paddy fields to a road where men waited with horses. When she told him to get on a horse, he did. When she told him to ride, he did.

  They passed through a gated checkpoint and continued onward. The place seemed familiar, yet he couldn’t quite remember why. He felt empty inside, broken, even. He wiped tears from his cheeks, not knowing why he cried.

  As they reached a town, they were met by more men, soldiers with spears and banners who escorted them the rest of the way. The morning sun felt warm on his back, but inside he was a frozen wasteland.

  The people in the town bowed.

  A large castle stood before him. He recognized it as if from a dream.

  Hundreds of soldiers in red armor waited outside the castle walls in orderly lines. They carried banners displaying two crossed swords. And like a tsunami of metal and lacquer, they bowed when Ghost and Kiko passed. Inside the castle wall, more lines of men waited—hundreds, maybe thousands.

  Ghost followed Kiko’s horse through a large door in the inner castle wall and into a smaller yard. When she told him to get off the horse, he did. She walked away and left him standing, only to return and place her hand on his shoulder.

  Insectoid legs wriggled in his brain. Wherever I go, you follow.

  He followed.

  In the castle gardens, she was greeted by a man in a red kimono carrying two swords in black scabbards. Ghost recognized him but couldn’t remember his name. When they’d finished speaking, the man raised his hand to a soldier waiting at the door they’d just passed through. Moments later, the army from the outer courtyard marched toward them in single file.

  Follow.

  Ghost followed Kiko and the man. The army followed Ghost. But they weren’t heading for the castle. They took a path that led to a small house in the gardens. A whole wall had been removed from the building, and Ghost saw into the empty interior. It was big enough to hold a handful of people. He glanced behind. The army approached.

  Kiko and the man entered the house. Ghost followed. A cherry tree was painted on one of the paper walls. The room was empty except for an object in the center that looked totally out of place. It was a small shiny black box with three tall, thin legs. A green light flashed on top. It was only when Ghost got closer that he recognized what it was: a camera.

  Kristjan put his palm on the keypad beside the door. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The keypad beeped and the trapdoor popped open.

  Cormac held the Moon Sword to his chest and followed Kate inside. Kristjan pulled down the netting before closing the door. He flicked a switch, and the darkness was banished by overhead lights.

  “How did you do that?” Cormac asked.

  Kristjan squeezed past him on the narrow stairs. “What?”

  “How did you open that door?”

  “My skill,” he said. “Like you run and she talk to animals.”

  Your skill is opening doors? Cormac wanted to ask, but the boy had pushed past Kate too and was already descending the stone steps.

  “How did you know about that door?” asked K
ate.

  “I use it before.”

  “Does it lead to Renkondo?” asked Cormac.

  “No. Renkondo is gone.”

  “What about the other students and teachers?”

  “No time for questions,” said Kristjan, turning around on the stairs to face them. “We must hurry.”

  Cormac nodded, and followed Kate and Kristjan. At the bottom of the steps, Kristjan used his skill to manipulate another keypad and open a metal door.

  “What the heck … ?” said Cormac, gaping at what lay on the other side.

  They stood in an enormous cavern about the same size as the one in which they’d trained with the Bear. Giant floodlights hung from the rock ceiling, illuminating a concrete runway that led to a gigantic hangar door.

  Cormac and Kate ran to catch up with Kristjan, who marched toward the end of the runway. They passed a line of helicopters tucked away securely at the edge of the airstrip.

  “Look,” said Kate, pointing at the Kyatapira chopper.

  “Is that the helicopter you rescued us in?” asked Cormac.

  Kristjan nodded but didn’t stop walking.

  At the far end of the runway, the air seemed to warp and shimmer, like a mirage in the desert. Cormac squinted. What is that? As he got closer, a shape materialized. A plane of some sort. A fighter jet!

  Its sleek wings and pointed nose gave it the appearance of a bird ready for flight. Under its belly it carried four transparent capsules, like missiles.

  “Wow!” He ran his fingers along its beaded surface. “Is this made from the same material as our suits?”

  Kristjan shrugged and hit a button on the wall. At the opposite end of the runway, the huge hangar door growled to life, opening onto the side of the mountain to reveal the night sky. Outside, they heard the faint popping of machine-gun fire.

  “Are you gonna fly this thing?” asked Kate.

  Kristjan nodded and climbed up onto the wing of the plane. He extended a hand to pull up Cormac.

  Cormac looked at Kate. “What about Ghost? We can’t just leave him.”

  “I know,” said Kate.

  “Ghost can turn invisible,” said Kristjan. “If anyone can survive, it will be Ghost. You go back out there, you will die.”

  Kate thought about this for a moment before speaking. “You know, Ghost is probably in the safest possible place right now.”

  She was right. He was almost half a millennium away. “We’ll return for him when it’s safe.”

  “We must hurry,” said Kristjan, reaching down toward Kate.

  She took his hand and he pulled her up onto the wing.

  Cormac handed Kristjan the sword and climbed up. “Have you flown this before?”

  “Not on my own,” said Kristjan, staring at the sword before returning it to Cormac.

  “So how come they let you fly these things while we play with ropes?”

  “My skill—I told you.” Kristjan opened a hatch into the body of the plane.

  “What exactly is your skill?”

  “Mastery of machines. I can control any machine or technology.”

  “How?”

  “Just can. Now, hurry, please.” Kristjan motioned for them to climb in.

  Kate swung her legs through the hatch. “Where are we going?”

  “Out of danger,” replied Kristjan.

  “Where do I sit?” she asked from inside the aircraft.

  “You don’t sit. You lie in pod.”

  Cormac stepped through the hatch. “What sort of plane is this?”

  “BX-Twelve Kestrel,” said Kristjan. “Sixth-generation air-superiority prototype.”

  When Cormac climbed in, he realized he was standing in one of the transparent capsules he’d seen from outside.

  “Lie on your stomachs,” said Kristjan before closing the hatch.

  Kate and Cormac lay in the two capsules below the center of the plane. Despite the cramped space, the capsules were quite comfortable, and because they were transparent, Cormac and Kate could see each other and the runway beneath them.

  At the front of the plane, they heard another hatch close and saw Kristjan strap himself into the cockpit and put on headphones. A whirring noise made Cormac twist his head. Above him, a Perspex cover slid into place, sealing him into the capsule.

  “Cormac,” said Kate through a tiny speaker in the pod.

  He looked to his left to see Kate staring at him anxiously.

  “What about the rest of the students and teachers?” she asked.

  “We had to get out of there,” replied Cormac.

  “But—”

  Kate’s words were drowned out by the roar of an engine. She gripped the foam cushion under her chin as the plane vibrated.

  Cormac looked ahead through the front of the capsule to the open door at the end of the runway. “Is there a chance we’ll be attacked?”

  “No,” said Kristjan. “Kestrel’s stealth technology is best in world.”

  With a blast, the jet shot off along the short runway at incredible speed and out into the night sky. A wave of nausea hit Cormac, but once they were airborne he relaxed. He looked out the window beneath him but saw only a black mountain. Here and there, flashes of light illuminated the trees down below where the fighting still raged.

  But it felt like they were dropping instead of climbing.

  “Shouldn’t we be going up?”

  “We fly under radar,” said Kristjan.

  Cormac moved his arms under his head and rested his face on the backs of his hands. Looking out at the blackness, he felt his eyes droop. He was so tired.

  But then he shook himself awake. How could he think about sleeping when Renkondo was under attack? His home … And the people there—the teachers, the other students. His friends.

  “I think you must look at this,” said Kristjan.

  Cormac glanced around, but all he saw was darkness. “What?”

  “Lie on your back.”

  Cormac moved the sword at his side and rolled over onto his back, resting his head on the foam cushion. Now looking up at the underside of the capsule lid, he saw that it was fitted with a screen, which was flickering to life.

  He looked over at Kate, who was doing the same in her pod.

  “TV channels all over America show this,” said Kristjan.

  A female newsreader appeared on-screen in front of a large picture of President Goda’s face. A ribbon of text appeared at the bottom of the screen: EMPIRE ISSUES ULTIMATUM.

  “Let’s take another look at the message that has shaken America,” said the newsreader.

  The screen flicked to amateur footage of President Goda, not dressed in the white suit he normally wore for his rare television appearances but in the kimono Cormac had seen him wear in the procession through Yosa. Nor was the footage shot in his usual presidential office. A painted cherry tree decorated the wall behind him, rather than the two crossed swords of the Empire. Goda’s face was not as composed and confident as it usually was when he appeared in the media. His long hair was spilling untidily from his topknot and his eyes blazed with a wild intensity.

  He spoke a single sentence in Japanese and paused as his words were translated by a woman offscreen. The voice sounded like Ami’s—Kiko’s. “This is a message to the people who have what belongs to me.”

  Cormac gripped the Moon Sword and glanced at Kate, who stared at him in horror through her Perspex pod.

  Goda spoke again, his words immediately translated by his wife. “Unless I get it back, you will never see your friend again.”

  The camera zoomed out, showing the interior of a small room with paper walls. The lens panned to the right and stopped on a boy in a shōzoku. Ghost! He had often looked detached in Renkondo, but now he looked lifeless. His head slumped forward, and his eyes were blank, possessed, almost.

  The image returned to Goda, zooming in on his face until it filled the frame. Again he spoke in Japanese, his piercing gaze threatening to crack the camera lens.

&nbs
p; Kiko spoke again: “You have until sunrise to return what is mine. I’ll be waiting at my favorite place in all of America.”

  The program returned to the studio, where a panel of experts began to discuss the meaning and implications of the recording. They wondered, who was the message for? And what was the possession that Goda wanted back so desperately? And where was Goda’s favorite place in America? Nobody seemed to think President Goda had ever been to America.

  “Turn it off,” said Cormac.

  Kristjan shut off the footage. Cormac turned over onto his stomach and looked at Kate. She stared back at him, her face pale, dark rings around her eyes.

  “What’ll we do?” she said.

  Cormac shook his head.

  “You made promise to protect sword,” said Kristjan.

  “Our friend is more important than a promise!” spat Cormac angrily.

  Kristjan paused before speaking again. “You need to think. Will you risk losing sword to save friend?”

  “Yes!” shouted Kate. She was leaning up on her elbows, eyes wide and bright. “Back in the forest just now, we could have stayed hidden in those bushes with the sword. If we risked losing the sword to save you, we’ll risk losing it to save Ghost.”

  Nobody spoke. Cormac looked out into the blackness, but there was nothing to see.

  After a while, Kristjan spoke again. “I’m sorry. You are correct. I owe you my life. Whatever you do, I help.”

  “Even if we wanted to do something,” said Cormac, “how are we supposed to know Goda’s favorite place in America?”

  There was silence in the plane for a few moments. Then Kate spoke. “Maybe we do know.”

  Cormac frowned at her.

  “Maybe it’s not President Goda’s favorite place but Kiko’s—she was the one speaking, after all. Remember the first day we met Ami? She told me it was Times Square in New York City.”

  Cormac nodded. “I remember.”

  “So although that message was broadcast to the world, only we know where that place is.”

  Cormac sighed. “Clever. But we’ll never make it there before sunrise.”

  “Kestrel can accelerate to Mach 4.4,” said Kristjan. “That is more than four times speed of sound. We can be there in less than two hours.”