The Lotus Effect (Rise Of The Ardent)

by Bridget Ladd

  Squeezing my eyes tightly, I waded into the water quickly, the level soon reaching my shoulders. The chill that enveloped me was shocking and it wasted no time in kidnapping the breath right away from my lungs.

  I would’ve considered this to be refreshing—if I wasn’t currently sinking towards the bottom.

  With panicked frustration, I kicked my legs, realizing the squishy ground beneath my toes had dropped away suddenly, depositing me into the deeper water.

  Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

  Natural instincts set in and I moved my legs and arms in unison, pushing the water beneath me. A smile broke across my face. A chuckle even escaped me, knowing I wasn’t sinking deeper. That for the first time in my life, I was swimming.

  Turning my head towards the falls, I searched for Xander, but didn’t see him anywhere. I shrugged, leaning my back against the surface, allowing myself to relax. The water lapped at my ears, causing the roar of the falling water to subdue, giving off a muffled echo of its former self—so much unlike the times I tried to submerge myself beneath the warmth of water in my bronzed bathtub. Steadying my breathing, I filled my lungs with air.

  Lying completely still with eyes closed, I began to release all tension from my body. Starting from my toes, to my calves, knees, stomach, chest, head—I let myself go. Not allowing my mind to wander to the coming days. Not fighting. Only floating.

  Straightening my neck, I felt the water sloshing over my ears again, intermittently muting the sound around me. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been like this, drifting without care. I let out a relieved sigh—only for it to get trapped midway in my chest with a jolt of alarm.

  My eyes shot open in a rush.

  Without warning—a large hand covered my mouth and hauled me backwards and out of my trance. I thrashed around horrified, eyes wide as I was now being pulled against my will.

  “It’s me,” Xander reassured behind me, his tone urgent.

  “Xander what—” I tried to ask, but forgot he was still covering my mouth. I calmed myself some, but my entire body tensed when I finally cleared the water from my eyes.

  I squinted, movement in front of us catching my attention. The limbs of the dense canopy were being knocked aside by something large . . . something mechanical.

  Chapter 19

  A Childhood Stalker Visits

  Xander dropped his hand. “What is that?” I hissed, wiping more water from my face for a better look.

  “It’s a Walker,” Xander said shortly as he reached over to the side embankment, grabbing a glob of dark mud in hand. I flinched as he informally began to spread the cold, wet sludge over my face and hair, but the serious look in his eyes told me that this was not a time to complain or object.

  “It’s an un-manned harvester from the Warehouse. They shouldn’t be out this far,” he said with a hint of concern as he quickly spread the mud over his own face, only the whites of his eyes eerily shining through. “It has no weapons. It’s only surveying the area, but if it spots us here . . .” He paused, changing the approach to his explanation. “We cannot allow it to scan us.”

  I could hear the deep mechanical whoosh-sha reverberating from the Walker’s engines and the crunch of broken limbs as it forced its way past the deeply rooted trees. It was forcing its way towards us now, I observed with increasing fear. I flinched as a red beam shot out from its chest, illuminating the tree line just behind us.

  Xander unceremoniously grabbed me around the forehead and pulled me into a dark crevice inside the bank of the waterfall. I ignored the vines and little insects that closed in around us as we crouched low in the water with only the tops of our heads exposed.

  We watched and waited, listening to the exhalation of steam approach closer.

  The rapid beating of my heart alone should’ve given us away as the Walker stomped its way up the side of the embankment, spouting steam from a nozzle in its back every five steps or so. I could feel Xander’s chest tighten behind me as the ground above us shook and vibrated from its weight.

  The Walker stopped. Another beam arched its way from its outstretched limb as it scanned the water before us.

  “Close your eyes,” Xander whispered behind me so quietly that I almost didn’t hear. I obeyed just as the high pitched shrill of the scanner reached our vine-covered hideout, the terrifying noise jarring me to clench my eyes even tighter.

  Crimson flashed behind my eyelids.

  I held my breath to keep from moving or panicking. Then the light of the scanner moved away just as quickly as it appeared.

  I exhaled slowly through my nose, allowing myself to release some of the fear that I had trapped in my chest. I couldn’t see the Walker now. Perhaps it finished processing the area and moved on? But I could’ve sworn I could hear it making its way over to the tall rock formations from where we had entered . . . .

  Xander muttered a series of curses behind me.

  I turned my head, asking him what was wrong with only my eyes, fearing I would give us away if I spoke. He gestured for me to stay put, and to my horror began to climb the muddy embankment, leaving the concealment of our hiding spot behind.

  Grabbing hold of the muddy vines on the bank behind me, I wrapped them tightly around my fists so I could risk a quick peak up after him. I caught sight of him again, only moments before he vanished behind the mists of the waterfall.

  What is he doing?

  Risking another glance around the vines towards the Walker, I watched it approach the side of the tall boulders. Shivering, goosebumps breaking out over my skin, I carefully dropped back into the blanketed warmth of the water. That’s when the cold dread of realization hit me.

  “Bones,” I silently mouthed.

  My boots, my clothes were laying strewn across the ground next to the same rock formation the Walker now closed in upon, scanning so very close to my carelessly tossed possessions.

  I froze when I spotted Xander sneaking past from the corner of my eye. He was covered in mud and dripping wet—holding a very heavy-looking rock in hand. The cold look of determination in his face was back.

  Stepping one bare foot over the other, he stealthily positioned himself behind the unsuspecting Walker. His movements so precise and fluid, I soon realized he was right: there was a fine line between being a dancer and a fighter.

  Without warning, Xander spun, swinging his leg out before him, using the momentum it gave to strike out at the mechanical creature, hitting and slicing through the back of its right knee joint with surprising force. A shower of sparks and water mixed into the air—the translucent orbs lighting into a dazzling display of blue.

  The Walker, losing the use of its right leg, collapsed to one side.

  Xander didn’t hesitate as he leapt with the rock now high above his head, utilizing the full stretch of his body to strike another blow down the length of its spine. The heavy rock shredded unevenly through the metal. Another hard hit and he broke through, effectively exposing a series of wires and pale blue lights beneath.

  Xander dropped the rock. In one fluid motion he reached inside the waistband of his trousers, removing the large curved dagger he’d kept hidden within. He approached the Walker, dagger held firmly in hand, his face savage.

  Without the support of its right leg, the Walker began to fall forward. It slammed to the ground with a flourish, sending up a silhouetted cloud of dirt around its metal frame. I watched in sheer disbelief as Xander planted his foot upon the Walker’s back, reached down, and then severed the exposed wires as if he were doing nothing more than putting down a wounded animal.

  The blue lights beneath the mutilated shell of the Walker’s spine dimmed. It released one last exhalation of steam—as if it had been its last breath—before it stopped moving all together.

  I involuntarily shuddered, just thinking of the things Xander would be willing to do during the Barrage. To real people.

  Things that I would be willing to do too?

  “The brave may not live forever, but the ca
utious . . . they, my dear, do not live at all.”

  It was Teizel.

  He crouched low over the embankment, looking down at me with his sad wise eyes. “But know too, that being both bold and fearful is what reminds us that we are still human. Never forget that. And never, think any less of yourself for doing so.”

  I blinked. Not understanding how he had gotten here.

  My fingers dug into the muddy bank as I held on. I looked between the two in disbelief. They were quite a pair, Xander and Teizel. Each equally unnerving, each so strange in this new world I had never known existed. Teizel held so much ancient knowledge locked up behind those eyes of his. They were young eyes, still filled with vigor. How does this man know my grandmother?

  “I need to dispose of this before we go,” Xander said as he approached, wiping a mixture of dirt and black grease from his hands. He hardly seemed surprised to see Teizel beside me.

  Reaching down, he offered to help me from beneath the embankment. “I’m confident it didn’t succeed in transmitting any scans, alerting them of our presence, though they’ll become concerned when they declare it missing. I believe neutralizing it to be the lesser of two evils” He turned his head. “Teiz, you know what that means.”

  Accepting Xander’s assistance, I scrambled up and out of the water and stood shakily between them. Xander was almost dry while I was dripping wet and nearly frozen.

  Xander eyed my mud-caked and shivering appearance stiffly.

  Teizel shook his head and scoffed. He removed his outer layer of robing and laid it generously across my shoulders. “I know what you’re thinking, boy, and I’m not leaving. If they come lurking about like I know they will—they won’t find me.”

  I thanked him with a shaky smile and looked back at Xander.

  Xander’s jaw clenched, irked by Teizel’s stubbornness. I knew for certain he didn’t want a repeat of what happened to his parents. To my surprise though, that was all the fight he put up over the issue. With a shrug and a shake of the head that expressed more than words, he walked back towards the downed Walker. “I’ll find your clothes,” he said to me as he left.

  I stood with my arms wrapped tightly around my chest to both stave off the lingering shivers and to hide my unkempt, lady-of-the-evening type appearance. A dollymop as Mrs. Fawnsworth had liked to call the types of such loose women.

  “You know his father fought in the Barrage and won?” Teizel said unexpectedly, nodding towards Xander once he was out of earshot.

  “What?” I spun on my heels, my brows furrowing in confusion. “No one has ever won the Barrage over those the Council sponsored. I do not remember how it ended; my mother didn’t allow me to watch after the second round. He wasn’t sponsored was he?”

  Teizel shook his head. “His father fought for Sector 9. A good soul he had. A brilliant fighter, much like his son.”

  “But how could he have won?” I persisted, ignoring the cold that began to sink deep, taking up residence in my bones.

  “His father and his father’s partner were fighting against the Council Sponsored Sector 8 at the time. His partner was killed, but he managed to defeat them single-handedly—taking no longer than two minutes after his partner’s death no less. The Council, of course, was shocked and in turn branded him a cozener. A cheat. Now considered traitors, his wife, little son, and he were exiled to the Outlands with nothing save the clothes on their backs. The Council did not expect them to make it far past the Wall much less survive the first Winter.” He paused, looking at me with a strange light in his eyes. “But they did.” His smile dropped heavily like a curtain, and he sighed, recalling the event as if it were only just yesterday. “It took a few years for the resentment to build. Sector 9, of course, was outraged by the Council’s decision.”

  I stood, blinking as I considered Teizel’s words—didn’t even flinch as a trail of chilled water ran slowly from my hair and down the length of my face. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  “I was so young when it happened . . . that was the actual reason for the Sector 9 riots?” I asked breathlessly, already knowing I had guessed correctly.

  Teizel tilted his head sadly in thought. “You have her fire,” he said, looking into my eyes. “And yet you are truly unique. I know that you will have the courage to succeed where others have failed.”

  Opening my mouth to respond, I hesitated when I saw Xander approaching, holding my dry tunic and boots for me to take.

  “Sorry. The Walker fell on your boots, had to pry them loose.” He reached over, having to place the bundle into my icy hands for me. “Here. Try not to freeze to death okay?” His eyebrows rose in amusement.

  “Thanks.” I sniffed. I turned to where Teizel had stood—wanting to ask him if he was referring to my grandmother—but he was no longer there, nowhere to be found.

  “Where?” I looked around frantic, throwing my hands into the air. “But he was just—”

  “Teizel? Yeah, he does that,” Xander said with a slight shrug.

  I ran my fingers through the mop of my muddy wet hair and growled angrily. My vision started to turn white along the edges, warning me that if I didn’t calm myself—my body soon would.

  “I wish everyone around me would stop avoiding my questions! Stop vanishing like ghosts!” I exclaimed with more passion than I’d even realized I felt. I had so many unanswered questions and it was becoming exceedingly discouraging . . . exceedingly infuriating.

  I rammed the heels of my palms into my blurring eyes, unwilling to have my body take over again.

  “Lily?” I felt Xander’s concern as he reached for my shoulder. “Maybe you should sit down?”

  “I’m fine.” I muttered sharply. I was over-heated and angry. So many overwhelming emotions screamed their need for me to act. I was sick and tired of being told what to do, when to do it . . . first by my parents, then by the Council, lately even with Xander.

  Xander was looking to the sky before he turned around again. “We need to leave soon. The clouds—wait, Lily?” His eyes quickly scrunched with worry. He reached for my shoulder again. “Lily? Something’s wrong.” His voice was lined with a frantic edge. “Lily speak to me.” I heard him and yet it already sounded like a distant vibrating echo.

  Xander’s eyes rose slowly from my shoulders, searching an invisible, growing presence above. Like something only he could see, writhing and sprouting from me.

  Innately I knew something wasn’t right. Something I couldn’t control.

  And because I cared—I offered him one word before it overtook me completely.

  “Run.”

  ~

  My only chance of finding out what happened to my grandmother just disappeared before my eyes. I felt disgusted over the truth behind the Purge of Sector 9. Mrs. Fawnsworth’s death was on my hands. Eu’jinx clutching at me for help. Molly Dubois taken. Citizens starving. Elders killed. The scorched vision of Xander’s murdered parents was still glued firmly in my memory, the stench of their death curling my stomach. It was all too much for me to handle.

  My face scrunched into a grimace, my hands running over my temples to try and scrub away the injustices, finally clawing their way into my hair.

  “No.” Xander took a step forward. His posture determined, ready. “I’m not leaving.”

  “Then neither am I,” I snarled, swatting at his offered hand. “I. Need. Answers.” I stared at him through my wild hair, enunciating each word through bared teeth.

  Then I lost it: my anger simply too much to contain, nowhere for it to go. Gritting my jaw, I swung my mud-caked leg out close to Xander’s shins, using the momentum to spin, and sent my right arm flying at his face.

  He blocked my backhand on reflex, which I had expected him to do. A collision of water sprung into the air from the contact, cold droplets pinwheeling from my hair. Seeing the opening, I drove my knee up into his exposed side. With quick hands, he managed to block my attack, but not without quieting the loud smack of skin to skin that echoed from i
t.

  I pushed at his sternum, hard, knocking him back and away. But only for a moment. He looked at me with understanding eyes as I continued my assault. The transition from mental stress to physical blows was something he must’ve been used to. Something he grew up on.

  But then something changed. Something snapped deep inside of me, leaking an unfamiliar source of energy from its point of origin. Something powerful sprouted from my core, forcing an angry tenor of resentment beneath my eyes.

  “Do not let it consume!” ancient voices invaded my heated mind with a sudden warning.

  I shook my head, trying to clear it of the unwarranted thoughts.

  So much pain. So much suffering. My duty to end it.

  A white fury of need emblazoned my mind, taking over completely. I will right the wrongs committed against this Land! I am Mother and this scourge shall cower back into its darkened hiding, watching as I eradicate all that it desires!

  “You are yet unripe . . .” the voices again.

  No! I am the awakened Mother and I shall enact retribution!

  Once more, I flew at Xander. My body surged with an unnatural energy as I kept my forward motion in the mud, sending kicks and punches his way quicker than I ever had before. I anticipated his blocks for the first time, sending shots into places where I knew he would be exposed. Places, I knew, would extinguish the life from him.

  I forced him back, further and further I pushed.

  When I did look into his eyes, I saw something there. Struggling to stave off the onslaught of my attacks, I watched as his surprise turned to confusion, and his confusion to real fear.

  The sight of that fear was enough to stop me. I paused mid-assault and forced my clenched fists to relax, my bare feet sliding across the mud. And just like that: the energy left my body in such a rush, I was left unbalanced.