Order of the Lily

by Cait Ashwood

  “Well, we know one thing.”

  She blinked, wiping impatiently at the tears that fell.

  He wanted to reach out, grab her by the chin, force her to meet his gaze. He could feel how badly she needed comforting, and even though it wasn’t exactly his area of expertise, her emotions in his chest was enough to make him try. His hands remained at his side, pinned more by Ace’s presence than anything else. She sniffed, waiting for him to continue.

  “We know you’re ready.”

  She snorted, the sound turning into a hiccup from her crying. “Smart ass.”

  Hound turned to Ace, dropping his attempt at lightening the situation. “It’s the truth. She’s ready.” He raised an eyebrow.

  Ace understood his question. “I think the men are as ready as they’re going to be.”

  Hound exhaled, his exhaustion a physical thing weighing on his chest. “Go brief Tops. I’ll take her home.”

  Ace nodded sharply, heading off for the commander’s tower without a second thought.

  Audrey approached him hesitantly, as if afraid of hurting him again.

  “I’m fine.”

  Her eyes narrowed, but she couldn’t keep the act up long. Another sniffle ruined her facade and her shoulders folded inward.

  Ace was still in sight, so all Hound could do was offer her his hand. She extended hers slowly, flinching as their palms made contact, slowly opening one eye and then the other when nothing happened.

  “See? I’m fine.” He found himself smiling, and she managed a watery one back at him. I’m taking her home, then finding myself a bed and sleeping for a week.

  15

  Quad dropped her hand as soon as they took form in the alley, moving his hand to the hilt of his sword and scanning their surroundings. Audrey kept still. He seemed unusually nervous today, and his typical boyish banter was nowhere to be found. He finally turned his gaze back to her, looking away just as quickly.

  “I still don’t like this.”

  Audrey swallowed back a pang of guilt, putting her hand on his arm. “I know, and I appreciate you being here.”

  Quad sniffed. “Remind me why Ace isn’t here, again?”

  Audrey took a deep breath, looking up and down the alley for herself. The Ravens were supposed to send an escort to guide them in. “Because he wouldn’t understand why I need to do this.”

  The young weapons master raised an eyebrow, too tense to shrug. The silence stretched on, neither of them entirely sure what to do next. Audrey had expected the grunt to be here waiting for them, and she wasn’t even sure where to go looking for a Raven. Zeche normally arranged all her interactions with the guild, but she’d gone behind his back for this, too. Where her children were concerned, there was nothing she wouldn’t do to keep them safe. She patted the coin pouch hanging from her belt to reassure herself it was still there. She could only pray it would be enough.

  As if summoned by the jingle of the coin, a silhouette appeared at one end of the alley. Quad stepped between them, glancing behind them to ensure the person wasn’t a decoy. Audrey peered through the deepening twilight and managed to catch a glint of silver on their chest. Finally.

  “You requested a meeting with Nikita?” The feminine voice was startling coming from such a broad-looking body, but Audrey recovered quickly.

  “I did.” She glanced at Quad, but it didn’t appear that he was going to be backing her up. This is all me.

  The woman came closer, keeping a respectful distance from Quad. The Seeker really wasn’t that intimidating at first glance. He had a lithe frame, and the woman probably outweighed him. He was clean-shaven, with short blond hair trimmed relatively close to his head. He had kind blue eyes that were currently narrowed. It was his hands, resting on the hilts of weapons, that gave the woman pause.

  “Mighty bold coming here with just the one guard, Leaf.” The woman sauntered around Quad, circling him slowly.

  Don’t back up. Don’t back up. “He keeps up with Zeche well enough.”

  The woman’s smile faded and she stopped her stalking. “Hmph. Wouldn’t mind seeing that.” She tilted her head at Quad, as if attempting to reconcile the seemingly young, naive man before her with the fighting prowess she knew Zeche possessed. It was entertaining to watch her do the math.

  “Wait, you’re Quad?” Her mouth hung open.

  Quad started, glancing quickly back at Audrey before returning his attention to the woman. “What of it?”

  The woman blinked. “Just thought you’d be older.”

  Audrey cleared her throat. “Are you taking us to Nikita, or not?”

  The woman sneered. “No need to get your panties in a bunch.”

  Audrey didn’t see anything happen, but the Raven was suddenly lunging to the side, diving into a roll and coming up with a hand on her dagger.

  “You’ll address the Leaf with the respect due her station.” Quad’s voice was hard, his shoulders tense.

  The spy narrowed her eyes, curling her upper lip. “You’ve made your point. Follow me.”

  I never even saw him move. Audrey rolled her shoulders, hoping to quiet her nerves. Quad waved her forward to his side and she obliged, keeping within easy reach as they followed the Raven through a twisting path through the city that often seemed to double back on itself. Audrey was getting ready to question their guide’s motives when they reached a black door recessed in a panel of otherwise plain-looking stone. The Raven stepped up and a grate opened. Audrey could see her hand move, but couldn’t make out the gesture. Apparently it was the correct one, as the door swung open almost immediately.

  The woman looked over her shoulder at them. “No straying—you follow me directly. We don’t suffer snoopers.”

  Quad shifted his weight on his feet, saying nothing.

  I’ve been depending on the men too much. She was finding it difficult to interact directly with other people. She’d allowed herself to become too sheltered. She cleared her throat, banishing those thoughts for a time when she could do something about them. “It won’t be a problem.”

  The woman nodded stiffly and lead them inside. The passages were dimly lit and often forced them to walk single file. Quad slipped behind her so that she was sandwiched between them. Can he phase from here? There was no use asking, not when the answer would be overheard.

  Audrey quickly lost her way, her horrid sense of direction no match for the twists and turns. Quad’s hand on her shoulder brought her to a stop. It took the Raven a moment to notice and when she turned to face them, her jaw was set and her eyes narrowed.

  “This is our third time in this corridor. My Lady has more important business than running about your base for some exercise.”

  “Protocol is—”

  “That’s quite enough, Liza. I’ll take them from here.”

  Audrey whirled toward the new voice, but the woman emerging from the shadows didn’t appear to startle Quad at all. Nikita was much as Audrey remembered her. She was slender and of average height, with long black hair reaching to her waist. She was clad in leather from head to foot, though the lacing on her bodice was noticeably looser without the immediate threat of battle nearby. Her sleeves reached mid-way down her hands, and laced up along the sides all the way up to the top of her shoulder. She exuded sex and lethality in equal measures.

  “Nikita.” Audrey forced some warmth into the name, dipping her head in acknowledgment of the other woman.

  “Leaf. Well met.” Nikita offered her hand and Audrey went to take it, but Quad stepped between them.

  “I’m afraid I can’t allow that.” His voice was higher than usual, but he stood his ground.

  “My boy, if we wanted her dead, she would be.” Nikita sounded more amused than offended, and Audrey let out a sigh of relief. She needed this meeting to go well.

  “Well, I doubt your reason for coming is something you can discuss in the hall. My audience chamber will do?” Nikita raised an eyebrow as she offered the room.

  “If it’s private,
yes.” Audrey felt the qualifier was necessary. She’d only met Nikita once, at the Battle of the Institute, but she knew Zeche wasn’t exactly her greatest fan. She was on edge, but she also knew exactly what motivated the woman.

  Nikita smirked and gestured towards a new hallway. “My chambers, then.”

  The assassin’s chambers proved to be warmer than Audrey expected. The smell of roasted coffee beans lingered in the air, and expensive materials draped in artistic fashion throughout the room. It was lush and luxurious, but tastefully done. No doubt weapons are hiding in all those folds of fabric. A plethora of candles were lit in various displays. It was rather obvious that Nikita was expecting them.

  “Please, sit. I’ll not have it said that I denied the leader of the Order my hospitality.” Nikita gestured to some plush seats near the fire and Audrey moved towards them. Quad cut her off once more and lifted the cushion of a chair, thoroughly inspecting each part and piece. He straightened, glaring at a spot on the opposite wall, and huffed before indicating that Audrey should sit. He kept himself between her and the wall, and seemed intent on remaining on his feet. What’s hidden in the wall? On second thought, maybe I don’t want to know.

  Nikita held a cup of steaming liquid up to her lips, watching them with an amused expression. “Your man here is more observant than most.” She sauntered over, taking a seat and propping her booted feet up on another stool, sipping on her coffee. “So, tell me. What brings the Leaf here to my sanctuary?”

  Audrey’s hand fluttered to her belt once more, relieved that the pouch was still intact. It wouldn’t have surprised her to learn that there were many talented cutpurses in the Raven’s ranks. “A job.”

  Her eyebrow rose and she took another sip, closing her eyes briefly in an expression of bliss. “You have my attention. But what sort of job do you need done that Zeche cannot perform, I wonder?”

  Quad’s gaze shifted to her, and she knew he wanted the answer to this question as well. “Zeche is joining the assault on the compound. I can’t trust this to him.”

  Nikita’s eyes dropped to the dark liquid in her cup as she kicked off first one boot, then the other. “You don’t think you’ll return?”

  Audrey dropped her gaze to her hands resting in her lap. “I prefer to plan for every potential outcome.”

  The co-leader of the Ravens nodded. “Wise, when considering plans for your progeny.”

  Audrey ignored Quad’s sudden attention, keeping her gaze on Nikita. “Hallie will try and claim them and raise them, force them into her vision for them.”

  “A vision you do not share, I take it?”

  Audrey frowned. “Not in the least.”

  Nikita nodded slowly, her eyes drifting over to the fire. “I hardly hire babysitters, Leaf.”

  Audrey cleared her throat, attempting to hide the chuckle that nearly escaped her. “No. But you hire assassins, thieves. People that can retrieve my children and place them in the hands I choose, if things get ugly.”

  Her eyes shifted from the fire and stared directly at Audrey. “Now that is an interesting idea.”

  Audrey reached for the pouch on her waist and untied it, handing the bag to Quad. He passed the sum on to Nikita, who tossed it lightly to test its weight.

  “A good-faith payment, to be held in reserve upon its need.” And I hope to hell you never get to spend it.

  “And when shall it expire?” Nikita tucked the pouch away, not bothering to check the coin.

  “Upon both Ace and my deaths, or they reach eighteen years of age.” The words were hard to say through a choked throat, but she managed to get them out.

  “And who would their guardian be?” Nikita took another sip of her brew, though she looked over the brim steadily while she drank.

  “Chosen Lindsey.” Most of the people she’d trust with her children were descending into that hell hole with her. Lindsey was the next best choice. “Leaf Gwyn is to have access to Lily for training throughout her youth, as needed.”

  “And for the boy, Rowan? Are the Seekers to have an equal claim to him?”

  It shouldn’t surprise her that Nikita knew her children’s names, but it still left an unpleasant taste in her mouth to think about it. “It’s my hope that he be free to choose whatever life he’d like to live. If he chooses the Seekers, so be it.”

  Nikita snorted softly. “A pity Lily’s gender deprives her of the same freedom.”

  Audrey looked away, not having a good answer for that. She wanted the world for her children, just as any mother would, but there were certain things even she could not change.

  “You’re a constant surprise to me, Leaf.” Nikita set her mug down on a small table nearby, crossing her feet at the ankles.

  Audrey glanced at her, tilting her head slightly. “How so?”

  Nikita waved a hand in the air. “People speak of you as the person uniting the guilds, bringing peace and prosperity back to the lands.” She smiled, shaking her head. “Truth is, you don’t trust a soul, do you?”

  The accusation hit her hard in the chest. Her instinct was to refute it immediately. She’d placed her life in the hands of others so many times. Surely she couldn’t do that if she didn’t trust them? But here I am, personally. No Ace, no Zeche, no one from my inner circle. I could have sent the message with anyone, even written it down and sealed it.

  Her grin was wry and full of irony. “It would appear not.”

  Nikita raised an eyebrow. “And yet you would trust me, a woman you’ve met all of once, with the future of your children?”

  The irony deepened, a tangy, coppery taste in her mouth. “Within your code, you’re honorable enough. You’ve accepted payment; you’ll not risk your guild’s reputation on failure.”

  “If Zeche survives, he’ll know of your orders.” Her tone was challenging, testing.

  “As well he should.” He was probably the man she trusted the most to carry out her wishes. Ace would cave to his mother’s demands eventually, as he always did.

  Nikita’s lips quirked. “Interesting. You are a fun one to puzzle out, Leaf. Now, if that’s everything?”

  “It is.” Audrey rose, Nikita moving with her.

  This time when the woman extended her hand, Quad didn’t intervene. “May the wind be at your back, Leaf.”

  Hound scanned the tavern, shoulders tight and his fists clenching and releasing at his sides. He spotted Quad after a moment, the man attentive and fully armed. Thank Jaiden. He pushed his way through the crowds, putting on his best scowl. The people moved out of his way quickly enough. Seeker black, combined with his imposing demeanor, meant that few of the afternoon’s patrons wanted to tangle with him.

  It took him longer to lay eyes on Audrey, seated calmly at a table as if she were not perpetrating a huge security risk at the moment. She had a mug of hot tea in front of her, if he was correctly interpreting the aroma that reached his nose. Hound flicked his eyes to Quad and the man nodded, retreating from the table and moving to stand near the rear exit, keeping an escape path open. He may not technically be a squad leader anymore, but it was heartening to know that at least some Seekers on the planet still respected him.

  “What are you doing here?” He sat heavily on the stool, twisting it around so his back was against the wall and he was staring out at the rest of the tavern. A barmaid headed over but he waved her off. No way in hell was he having a drink right now.

  “I need to ask you a favor.” Her tone was meek and she had his full attention almost immediately. This voice was from the old Audrey, the insecure one, the one who startled at nearly everything. He hadn’t seen this side of her since she was tortured. It had hardened her, sculpted her, and prepared her for the tasks ahead. To see her regress, and right before a major mission—

  Hound cut off that train of thought. “Go ahead.”

  Audrey cleared her throat, eyes on her mug. Her index finger ran around the rim while she organized her thoughts. “You’re not part of the mission, correct?”

 
Her gray eyes flicked up to his, hesitant. Hound glanced around the tavern for anyone paying too much attention to their conversation. She was obviously trying to be circumspect, but one could never be too careful. “That’s right.” And damned if it didn’t make him feel like dead weight. It was too great a security risk, obviously. Gwyn and Audrey could protect men with only trace amounts of the taint in their body, but Gwyn had warned him against going within ten miles of the place.

  “Good.”

  He glanced up as she took a deep breath, raising an eyebrow.

  “I need you to look after something for me.” She paused, raising her eyes once again to meet him. “Well, two somethings, rather.”

  Hound didn’t normally consider himself dense, but it took him a seemingly inordinate amount of time to puzzle out her meaning. The twins. Of course. With the bulk of their forces at the compound, security was going to be lighter everywhere else. And with both parents descending into the darkness…

  Ebonwallowe. She’s in Ebonwallowe. The only reason to be here would be— “You’ve left instructions with the Ravens?”

  She swallowed, her throat visibly contracting. “If the worst should happen…yes.”

  He stared at her steadily. She was so adept at managing to be active most everywhere she was needed, that it was sometimes easy for him to forget she had two infants at home that depended on her. She’d never once used them as an excuse from her training, or as a reason to skip a meeting. But what is that costing her?

  Anxiety seeped over him, slow, insidious at first, until it was a monster clawing in his chest. He rubbed at the mark, not really thinking, and the emotion receded as quickly as it had arrived.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve got to get better at that.” She stared at a depression in the stone table, letting her hair fall in front of her face.

  “It’s normal to get the heebs before your first big mission. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” The words were flat, even to his own ears.