The Lotus Effect (Rise Of The Ardent) (33 page)

I nearly cried out in relief when I saw him. His tunic was tattered and dirty and clung to his chest from the rain, the broken chain from his wrist dragging the ground.

I reached up weakly, “Apologize for wha—” and before I knew what was happening, Xander was pulling my muddy armored body up against his chest—the suction of the earth no longer having the restraint it once had.

My knees went weak and threatened to buckle when I looked into his eyes—an unyielding loyalty held within them.

He brushed the side of my temple with his thumb. “For this,” he whispered.

With nothing holding him back, he brought his bruised lips to mine. They were soft—much unlike the rest of him, though firm. Determined.

All of City Prosper disappeared from us in that moment. The void of despair and hopelessness was repaired in my heart and not even a Shadow Kane’s mind trick could deny me of the lightness that now filled my chest. He smelled of iron, and earth, and for a moment, I thought we were back in the Outlands.

But then the deepest recesses of my mind started whispering:

No
.
No
.
No
.
Danger.

A wry smile edged across his face. Xander hesitantly relinquished my lips and looked at me. “I’m not
that
bad, am I?” His gray eyes were almost silver in the rays of light that began to break through the passing storm clouds. A look that usually meant he was reading me.

I groaned inwardly, looking to the sky. There was no hiding anything from him.

“What you have done for me this day cannot ever be repaid.” His smile turned serious as his eyes captured mine again. “I vow to live out the rest of my days protecting you and your happiness.” Bringing both shackled hands to the sides of my face, his mouth moved close to my ear. “
Partners
. For now, and always.” He dipped down once more and kissed me tenderly this time. A promise sealed within it.

This will get him killed.
My mind again.

He gave a sad smile before wrapping his arms around me, pulling me even closer in the chance that someone may overhear. “I feared for your safety if my plans were to fall through. Seeing us . . . like this, would give the Council another excuse to see you as a threat because of my actions. Your life is precious to me, Lily. Always keep that knowledge close to your heart, even in life’s darkest moments.”

Life’s darkest moments. My heart flooded with despair after hearing this from him. It made me realize that things were only going to get worse. A lot worse before they became better. And from the way he said it—Xander already knew this too.

Xander solemnly removed his battered hands from my shoulders and backed away somewhat, giving me my space. The shackles and chain from his wrist rapped lightly against the metal of my armor, breaking me from my daze.

“Xander . . . I—
wait
. What happened to Nampier?” I asked, suddenly coming back to full alert.

Xander eyed me and smiled knowingly, not pressuring me into speaking my feelings. “He forfeited after seeing what happened to Sir Norbert.” Xander pointed to a distant and weaponless Nampier, walking with a stricken posture beside a gurney that now exited the Requiem.

Or perhaps the Shadow Kane’s despair got to him.

“I had to distract my eyes with something while I sat there useless. Otherwise I would’ve pitched myself off from sheer boredom alone.”

I shook my head, feeling guilty I sent the Shadow Kanes Nampier’s way.

Xander raised my chin gently with his fingers. “You were brilliant out there. Don’t even think what I know you’re thinking. You did what you had to.”

I swallowed and looked at him with wild eyes, adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
Blinking through my mud-caked eyelashes, I regarded him directly for what seemed like the first time today. My eyes widened upon seeing the black and blue splotches around his right eye and mouth. “What did they do to you?” I managed to ask as I searched him, running my hands down the sides of his arms, trying to distract myself from the fact he had just kissed me and professed his love to me.

“I’ll live,” he said, a grin upturning the corners of his mouth.

So he probably knows I’m diverting the issue of ‘us’.

I sighed heavily from the tumultuous thoughts. “How are we supposed to do this again? Two more rounds like this we have to survive through. Two! I don’t think
I
can handle it.” I turned my head, focusing on nothing. “Especially with what Briggins is now throwing our way. He wants nothing more than to see us both dead,” I added in an exhausted tone.

Xander ran his palm over the back of his neck. “Something’s happened in the Council. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was due to an upheaval of power. It’s as if Briggins is calling the shots now over the Magistrate.”

“Even over my parents?” I asked, turning back to him, not wanting to confirm my own suspicions.

Xander’s jaw shifted in thought. “I cannot be sure, though while I was detained, I heard whispers. Your mother did something to upset the authority. The Council didn’t approve and Briggins is trying to bring them down for it.”

“What authority? My father
is
the authority.”

“No, Lily, the authority of the Law.”

Xander raised his hand to forestall further conversation. “We cannot speak of this here,” he said, eyeing past me suspiciously. Eyeing past me to the stadium full who cheered us on. Cheered for our victory.

“
Tonight
,” he added close to my ear as he walked past.

He looked back at me with a mock smile, his eyes lighting up. “Besides I am a free man now thanks to you and I would like to do free man things: eat, sleep, set my eyes upon one such lovely lady, prepare for another battle. You know, the typical
Wodnesdæg
.” His brow furrowed. “Wait—is it mid-week
already
? I was having so much fun watching Scottie struggling to take a proper punch at me while detained that I must’ve lost track of time.”

I frowned at him. “You’re unusually chipper for someone who almost just died.”

Xander shrugged uncaring, which made me smile. I always felt better when Xander made light of a difficult situation. I suspected he knew that too. “Let’s just get out of here before they chain you up again.”

I started walking, feeling better, though now the thought of something happening to my parents was creeping its way up from my stomach like a sour piece of meat.

Xander slowed, taking my arm in his. I didn’t object, finding comfort that he was once again by my side. His brows pulled together. “Where’s your helm gotten to this time? Do I need to find a way to bolt it to your skull?”

I sighed and threw my hands up in wane aggravation. After turning around and finding my helm halfway submerged in a puddle, I approached his side again. He smirked warmly, his white teeth shining brilliantly against the mud that covered his face. He reached over, ruffing up the top of my wet and mud-caked hair with his own dirty hand before I could swat him away.

We walked supporting each other as we neared the exit to the Requiem. Though each step was accompanied by a worrisome thought.
Were my parents safe? What’s happened in the Council? Did Xander really just kiss me?

I frantically tried to pull my mind together.

My nerves were so rattled from the fighting that I was struck quite dumbfounded by his kiss. He deserved better than the responses that were coming to mind. Glancing up at the quiet calm demeanor on his face, I knew he didn’t expect a response from me now. Or
ever
, if it came to that: another quality I respected from him.

As we approached the curved arena, the crowd went utterly silent, not even a word was spoken, not even among friends.

Xander and I both looked up, drawn curious to the quiet stillness.

We caught eyes with Dex who hung over the ledge of the stadium with others at his side. People all from different Sectors intermingling together for the first time it seemed. He began clapping his approval, softly at first, like a distant sound in an endless chasm. His praise quickly turned however into a chain of boisterous applause from behind, a wave of approval, row after row, that neared even the sky itself.

My heart swelled after seeing the enamored faces of the citizens filled with hope. The Council had offered us a hopelessly impossible scenario, and still, we had overcome.

And the citizens knew this.

It was all worth it. The pain, the sweat, the constant threat of death. To see their faces now was all worth it to me.

Xander reached between us and lifted my right arm—the dirtied hand that still gripped my axe—into the air. The act sent a shiver down my spine. It was so much like the images of the past victors that were carved upon the Requiem’s door.

The crowd’s favor and praise increased, reverberating around us in a thunderous roar. My throat clotted making me both smile and cry as I looked to Xander gratefully.

If there was to be no one to shine the light for them during these dark times, then I would fight my way to that remaining ember, crawl on bloodied knees with enemies lurking close behind to shelter that last flicker of dying hope. If I didn’t champion myself for the people then who would? Risking my life was such a small price to pay for helping to guide them to find their
true
Prosperity.

Xander looked at me with a new tenderness in his eyes. “If you thought Briggins and the Council loathed your existence before . . . I hate to break it to you.
This
isn’t going to help,” he said, tipping his head towards the arena full of passionate faces.

I lowered my axe. “We’ve won this battle today in more ways than one. Though—I’m afraid to even
think
of how ugly this is going to get,” I said softly.

Xander nodded and looked down to my hands as he carefully placed them in his. “In that case, we’ll have to show them just how
ugly
we can be.”

.

Part Three

We all wear masks. We forget who we are. What we’re meant for . . . driven by a solitary desire. For me? It’s revenge. The darkened hatred clouded my mind and rationale for so long. It took me from who I was, and made me into who I am. What I am.

Killer. Assassin. Executioner.

She . . . she showed me who I should be:

Hero.

-Xander

Chapter 34

The Lotus Blooms

That night after washing the mixture of both blood and mud from my body, I found Xander standing resolutely beside a small cloth-covered table, waiting just outside the washroom.

He had pushed the beds to the far walls, procuring the candle-lit table directly in the middle of our hut. He smiled sweetly as I exited the washroom, making me feel suddenly very self-conscious. I glanced over to him, realizing he wore the same sleek black vest and suit jacket from the night of my Coronation, the first night I had set eyes upon him as I hid with my frustrations beneath the table.

“What’s this?” I asked, trying to not sound surprised.

“Dinner,” he said, gesturing in a sophisticated manner towards the table.

I approached slowly. My glass was filled with the same elderberry tea I had liked so much after injuring my forearm. Garlic-Butter Baked Salmon and vegetables steamed their fragrance into the air, the smell delightful.

I nodded approvingly. “I’m impressed. But . . . we always eat dinner together. Why is tonight any different?” I risked asking. “In celebration of our victory?” I added, trying to feign ignorance, though I knew deep down it had something to do with what took place between us today.

Xander gave a knowing smile.

“Lily, please sit.
Relax
. Enjoy this time we do have together.” His solid presence stepped close behind me. He ushered me into a chair, finally pushing me beneath the table. “Does a man need the excuse of a special occasion to prepare an evening meal with a lady?”
 

I sat with mouth askew, agreeing with him, but not knowing how to respond. “Xander, my clothes . . . you’re dressed so nicely, I should—” I began to stand, but found him urging me back down.

“You look
beautiful
.”

I found that I was having difficulty swallowing. I wasn’t used to such compliments.
Compliments from someone who truly meant them.

“You sit. You eat. You’re becoming impossibly thin before my eyes,” he said suddenly with a hint of his mirthful brashness.

“This all looks . . . did the Compound prepare this for us?” I eyed the fish suspiciously.

The first few days we’d been forced to stay here, I’d pushed the Compound’s food around on my plate more so than actually eating it. Xander had noticed early on and started making trips to the Warehouse shortly afterwards. Or to the Outlands . . . I wouldn’t put it past him to do so.

“I prepared it myself—which should probably give you more cause for concern. Sir Cormack loaned me the use of his cutlery, tablecloth, and a few special herbs, so perhaps it won’t turn out to be a complete disaster.”

“Cormack? The Compound’s butler? And you trust him?” I asked surprised. “If I remember correctly he didn’t think very highly of us upon arrival.”

“He didn’t seem to think very highly of
me
. You, he adores. But yes, I do trust him. That energy thing, remember?”

“Oh yes,
that
,” was all that I managed as a response before tentatively chewing the end of a steaming asparagus stalk, eyeing Xander carefully, wishing he would sit down already.

Xander grinned and sat across from me. Silently, he retrieved his own fork and began to eat. He looked so different, so . . . refined.

Every few bites, I would gaze up to catch his eyes as he sat from behind the flickering shadows in which the candles created. Almost as if he was unafraid to hide his feeling for me now, challenging me with his expression, telling me that nothing I will ever say or do will change the way
he
feels.

Once Xander had his eyes set upon his prey there was no enemy, no person, no one with enough power who could change the course of his intentions. The best of hunters must learn to exercise their patience and he was no exception.
He would wait for me forever if he had to.

I knew this with an undeniable certainty having relived that horrible day in his past—for I’d felt an overwhelming willingness in him to endure. A quality I wasn’t even sure I possessed.

I shivered at the thought of being so highly regarded by someone whom I considered untouchable. Me being a mere shadow of the fighter that he was. My partner. My friend.

“This tastes amazing. Thank you,” I said politely as I wiped the corners of my mouth with my napkin.

“
You
are amazing, Lily,” he replied, his stare unrelenting. “You saved
my
life . . .” He paused. “In more ways than one. A feat of bravery I wish you could see the gravity of.”

He blinked, turning his head, a thought coming to mind. “We’re in the final stretches. The hardest days are still to come and yet you continue to fight, you remain unwavering and proud against the Council regardless of the dangers that lay ahead.”

I blushed, my face turning hot. “Xander . . . I just—”

He reached for my hand, forestalling further protest.

“Did you ever wonder why I chose the Lotus for your armor? Why it reminds me of you?”

My fork hung lifeless in the air as I stared at him, not knowing how to respond.
Yes, I want to know.

He already sensed my answer. “Your soul remains pure even when you’re treading so very close to the murky waters of corruption. You, Lily, are your very own Lotus Effect. Nothing dark can, or will
ever,
cling to you,” he said, his stare potent.

But then with a snap—he quickly released my hand. So quickly that it startled me.

“What’s wro—?”

The force field surrounding the hut exploded in a ripple. “Get down,” Xander ordered. He shot from his chair, lying prone against the wall, listening and feeling the energies that lay beyond. His hand reached inside his sleek coat, revealing an assortment of metal daggers strapped to the inner vest. With a furrowed brow, he approached the door slowly.

The presence of destruction eased from his face, letting me know whoever stood behind harbored no ill will towards us. Xander removed the barrier and opened the door slightly, a grim look on his face, his features stiffening . . . .

Affery and Afina, the fighters from Sector 1, stood fixedly on the other side.

“Lily. Xander.” Afina nodded to each of us. “There’s been a disturbance in the Council and we thought you should know before you hear it from another,” she said, her voice light and lilting with an exotic accent.

My heart clenched in dread and a cold trickle of apprehension settled onto my skin as I stepped barefoot onto the porch to meet their wane faces. Something was wrong.
Affery and Afina were harbingers of bad news this night.

Afina approached me and rested her hand lightly upon my shoulder. A sympathetic gesture. “Lily, I’m sorry.” She took in a breath. “Your mother is dead. Murdered. I wish there was another way to tell you, but the matter is urgent. Your mother, she never named a successor after you left. She had the opportunity to do so, but never did. You, Lily Emerson, by right of birth are no longer sole heir to the title of Mistress, but are
the
Mistress now.” She dropped her hand from my shoulder. “Your father is grieved so deeply by the loss that Briggins has assumed the incumbent role of Head.”

“You are a threat to Briggin’s seat now and are in grave danger,” Affery added.

I stood, looking at the pair as though I was an impartial observer to a conversation I was not involved in. That the information they gave was not directed towards me at all.

But then in these shocked moments, the ones threaded with a thin sliver of hope and fumbling fingers of denial, never really last. I wanted nothing more than to weave back the gashes that were quickly becoming all consuming. Reality finally trickled its way through my skin, the pain hitting me like a battering ram to the chest. My throat refused to function properly as I stumbled backwards. Xander caught my shoulder and steadied me with his outstretched hand as I bent over, sobbing for breath under the crushing wave of guilt and despair.

My mother. Dead. Murdered.

“Why are you telling me this?” I finally managed to ask, though it was barely a whisper.

“We may be marked as enemies in the Requiem, but we have watched you closely and now see that we share mutual priorities for the betterment of City Prosper.”

“My mother . . . how . . .?”

Mother and I never saw matters in the same light, but the sudden loss of her was excruciating. A dagger driven through my chest. The sectioned off part of my heart that wanted to make amends with her was always brittle, always on the verge of crumbling away, but now that hope blew freely through my grasping fingers like ash, never to be returned. I clutched at the gaping hole that now extended across my chest, bleeding from within as it slowly festered with regret.

“Our informants say she was found in her study.” Affery stepped forward, his bronze skin marked almost unseen by the night. The moon’s reflection in his eyes being the only thing I could grasp at while he spoke. “Plans of an uprising clutched in her hand. We have solid belief that the cause was of Briggin’s doing.”

Briggins
.

“Uprising?” Xander asked as he held me with a firm grip, grounding me into place. “And what of these informants you speak of?”

“We’ve had allies inside the Estate for over fifty years now. Their information can be trusted,” Afina said, redirecting her gaze from Xander back down to me. “Lily, those plans we found, they revolved around you. Your mother being the one who commanded the Magistrate to stop your first fight. Your mother who sent the Sonic Spike to deter you from fighting at all . . . . Your mother, Lily, she was trying to save you.”

My eyes filled. Hot with denial and guilt.

This cannot be. My mother
hated
me. Hated me for what I could never be: A faithfully abiding daughter.

 
The news was all too much. Running my hands over my face and through my hair, I found I calmed after I took a few gasping breaths of the chilled night air. Regaining my composure, I directed my attention towards the twins again.

“My mother . . . where did they take her?” I asked quietly, not wanting to hear their response.

Afina’s exotic eyes looked upon me with tenderness. “I’m so sorry. Her body as well as her spirit have already been released to the winds.”

My throat clenched again, this time from anger.

The Council wouldn’t honor her with a proper Giving Away ceremony.

“I see.”

With jaw tense and emotions numb, I stepped past the twins. Descending off the porch, I fixed my gaze before me as my bare feet skimmed over the short grasses of the cold earth below. I knew not what I was doing as I fell to my knees and stared openly towards the moonlit sky in my despair.

I’m so sorry Mother . . . so, so, sorry.

Not caring for who watched my display, I released my anguish, bowing my body and anger into the earth, clawing my fingers deep into the cool dirt beneath.

And in that moment—I released a scream, a scream that all of City Prosper could hear. A scream that the citizens would never forget and the Council would soon learn to fear. A scream to haunt not only their nights but the days they sit idle, watching and waiting disquieted in the knowledge that their newest creation would come for them.

And reap retribution.

My face lay close to the ground, the dirt shifting with every breath. I felt something shatter deep inside—a barrier crumbling, no longer blocking my true potential.

I felt different.
Stronger.

I looked up slowly, my face chilled by the remnant trail of hot tears upon my face. Swallowing deeply, I pushed myself to my feet, and turned around.

Xander looked at me. His face full of empathy—and the same sense of hidden confusion he’d shown when we fought in the Outlands.

Did he sense the change within me just as I had felt?

“We hoped to not whittle away your spirit by bringing this news, but it had to be done,” Affery added, his tone sharp though still woven with a hint of sympathy.

“No, thank you for coming to me with this. I will mourn my mother in my own time,” I said hoarsely, wiping at my eyes and taking a step closer to the pair. “I will never forget what you have done for me this day,” I added solemnly, holding out my arm in the way of showing gratitude, first to Affery and then to Afina. We clasped forearms, sealing within it the understanding of the importance of alliances. We needed each other if we were to defeat this foe, this pollution that infested throughout the rule of the Council.