The Lotus Effect (Rise Of The Ardent) (42 page)

It stopped and exhaled, steam rising into the air behind it.

The siren continued its shrill warning as I stared into the emotionless face of my enemy. I was alone and outmatched. Odds, which usually fared well in my defense, but I feared that my luck had been depleted already.

My axe would never be a match for a blaster cannon.

But then the Walker turned—redirecting its attention to the building to its right. I glanced from my cover, my eyes going wide in horror as I saw the little girl, Emma, hurl a rock towards the Walker, the small stone falling to clank uselessly against its armored foot. She showed no fear in her eyes as the Walker targeted her, the wind whipping her hair and dress around her tiny frame.

“Emma! No!” Her mother cried out, grabbing her arm and dragging her deeper into the alley.

I didn’t wait.

Pushing myself to my feet again, I took off at a sprint.

The Walker raised his blaster arm towards her, the white hot glow of the cannon condensing in on itself.

Without slowing and with one large intake of air, I hurled an axe. Another breath—I released the shield from in front of me—another step—and launched the second axe. Both landing cleanly and shredding the metal above the Walker’s cannon.

The Walker turned to me, its cannon still ready to fire.

I tensed my body as I continued my charge, knowing instantly I judged wrong. Looking down—I realized I didn’t have my shield now. It was the same feeling I had when I tripped over my own feet as a child. I knew I’d made a mistake, but there was nothing I could do about it—other than accept the fact that I was going to fall.

I closed my eyes.
Maybe, just maybe, I saved them . . . .

Out of nowhere the Walker exploded before my half-closed lids, an attack from behind that cratered the street beneath its feet. Like two magnets of the same polarity forced upon one another and suddenly let go—I too was sent flying backwards, forced into the air by a wave of hot energy.

My back slammed to the ground, hard, and I tumbled across the graveled stone, having no control over my body. I tucked my shoulder in on reflex, seeing one of my own axes skimming dangerously close to my head as it too flew through the air. Once I finally stopped, I coughed and rolled to my stomach, the dust having not yet settled in front of me. I shook my head of the daze and got to my feet, searching for my would-be savior.

Who?

The whine of the siren was drowned out by the rhythmic hum of a distant sound above.

It can’t be.

It sounded as though the noise was coming from . . . a
propeller
?

I shielded my eyes from the sun as I looked to the sky, dropping my hand when I no longer needed it as a visor. My jaw hung lifelessly open at the impossible image before my eyes. The constant rise and fall of my chest—the only thing that grounded me to reality.

It was a ship.

A
massive
airship blotted out the sun as it passed overhead. It was suspended by a large cream colored balloon that carried a two-tiered balconied compartment below. Two ribbed-like fins jutted out by its side, a larger fin at its tail and two spinning propellers rotating at its rear.

That’s what the sirens were for
.
It was an alarm indicating that the Council was being attacked from something else . . .
somewhere else
.

From beyond the Edge?
I thought to myself, daring myself to hope of the possibilities.

The massive airship vibrated with a dangerous purpose and was nearing its way into the center of the city.

I came to my senses after the shadow of the floating goliath passed me by, the sun blinding me again.

I was alone where I stood, the downed Walker lying motionless among the destruction behind me, the family already gone. Not sure of my next move, I stretched my hearing. Picking up my shield and strewn axes, I jogged down the street and around the building to my left.

Following the direction of the airship, I ran.

~

A murmured commotion sounded from behind the buildings as I ran further north. The murmurs had become louder, making me skid to a halt as I came out of the mouth of an alley.

My eyes widened as I stumbled into a mob of almost fifty Prosperitans, grouped and writhing with pent up aggression. I flinched as explosions of broken glass and flames erupted in front of the swarming mass. The rioters yelled obscenities as they hurled their homemade weaponry. Molotov concoctions, steam-furnaced pipe bombs—I thought I even saw a few Sonic Spikes being thrown from within the rippling wave, their light flashing in great bursts, knocking the largest of the approaching Walkers back.

The rioters cheered vehemently as a Molotov connected with the closest group of Walkers, lighting them up in a wall of flame and promptly exploded when a well-placed pipe bomb landed amid the throng of fiery Walkers.

Many were too distracted to notice the airship that flew above them. Though soon a man in the back who had a blood soaked bandage wrapped around his head, noticed what was flying above and with his urgent shouts, alerted everyone to its presence.

Many of them broke away in fear, misinterpreting the airship as a threat.

I quickly pushed my way to the center of the horde. “The airship is on our side! Keep focusing your attacks on these Walkers!” I yelled.

“How?” an errant voice called out in front of me.

“Just trust me, I—”

My words were cut off by an explosion to my far right. Three more Walkers appeared, accompanied by a smaller machine with an odd tubular device held in front of it.

Before anyone could think to move—it shot out a cloud of thick gray gas into the crowd.

Those nearest to me jumped back in surprise and out of the spreading smoke’s reach. The group that hadn’t been so lucky began to slowly fall to the ground, writhing and screaming as if a nightmarish terror was overtaking their minds. One of the infected even charged at another and started clawing at his face as if possessed by a crazed demon.

“What is it? What’s happening to them?” the woman next to me screamed.

“Just run!” another yelled out from behind.

We were outmatched and unprepared to evade an attack such as this.
 

Frustrated and hating myself for not knowing how to help the victims of the gas I began to backpedal with the others—myself donned to the teeth in armor, the others having only the protection of the clothes on their backs.

The airship however, slowed to a rhythmic purr.

I watched, unable to move. It was now hovering over the newest group of Walkers and gas emitting automaton. I stood transfixed as the others continued past. Myself a rock against a down-streaming current. A boy, who looked only a few years younger than I, slowed beside me, entranced just as much as I by what was taking place.

Ropes suddenly belayed off the sides of the ship and not a moment later, a dozen darkly clad men descended down from them, stopping just short of the ropes’ ends. They wore masks over the lower part of their faces; two circular breathing apparatuses jutted out on either side of their mouths.

The Walkers shifted as they detected the men and redirected their focus to the hovering ship.

“
No
,” I breathed.

If they attacked the ship it would go down fast. They couldn’t attack it. Not with all those people on it . . . . People I still had no idea where they came from
. . . why they were here . . . why they had saved me
.

I adjusted the grip on my axe and prepared to draw the Walkers’ attention away. I only managed two running steps forward before I halted again, watching in awe as the men released themselves from the end of the ropes in one swift and synchronized action. They reached behind their backs as they fell, quickly wielding darkened bo-staffs that glowed with an unfamiliar sonic energy over their heads.

One by one, they fell and slammed their staffs horizontally across the cobblestone, cracking the earth into an ascending fissure, sending the Walkers flying backwards in a rippling wave.

The men, quickly on the offensive, got to their feet and charged the stunned and downed machines. The Walkers never knew what hit them. The boy approached closer to my side, his own jaw hanging lifelessly askew as we watched the men swing their bo-staffs around them in a fashion we’d never seen before. The black glowing bo-staffs spun above their heads in dangerous arcs: precise and sharp. Like the strokes of an ink master’s brush.

One by one the staves were rammed into the weak spots of the Walkers’ armor, effectively frying and immobilizing the gears and circuits beneath.

A sound from my side made me jump back, instinct making me shield the boy at my side. It was one of the darkly clad men, his voice obscured by the mask over his mouth.

“Here, take these. Put them on,” he said as he tossed each of us a pair of similar looking gas masks. “They’ll protect you from the small ones.”

And with that he nodded his farewell and ran back to join his fighting comrades.

I directed my attention to where the man had appeared and noticed a crate full of masks. Running over, I grabbed a handful and shoved them into the boy’s dirty hands.

“Go. Find the others, and take as many of these as you can. Tell everyone to make their way to the West Wall or what’s left of it. From there, escape to the Outlands. Find a man named Teizel. He will help you. It’s the only way,” I said urgently, lowering myself to the boy’s level.

He stared at me blankly, thrown off by the fact I was giving him this task.

“
Go
. As Mistress I need you to do this for me. The other’s lives depend upon it,” I said, shaking him some.

The boy straightened and nodded quickly, pushing his skinny arms through as many straps as he could hold. His face told me that the people were strong. That they would get to the Wall without my help.

“I must leave now. Trust in the Outlands.” I squeezed the boy’s shoulder reassuringly and redirected my attention to the fight up ahead.

Oddly, it had quieted down.

I narrowed my eyes through the gray haze and was surprised to see that the strange men had quickly taken care of the Walkers and already disappeared somewhere further down the street.

Those infected by the toxic fumes, too, had disappeared.

I looked to the sky. The airship was now advancing closer to the Estate and away from my current position. Reaching up, I tested the mask to my face, making sure it was fitted properly.

“Be careful, Mistress” the boy called out from behind, his voice muffled by the mask he now wore.

I looked over my shoulder to him, and nodded once, grateful that I would not be forgotten.

Like I had those many years ago during the Purge of Sector 9, I would run towards the danger.

And unlike those many years ago—this was now my fight. Like the cloaked stranger who had saved my life that night, I’d continued forward, towards the smoke of the street beyond.

I had made my decision

I would follow the airship and its path of destruction.

Chapter 44

Impossible Reunions

Gripping my axes tightly, I jogged in the direction of the airship, watchful of any hidden dangers or Walkers that may be lurking nearby, the sound of my rapidly beating heart and my exhaling breaths amplified into a hallow sound inside the mask.

I slowed, finding myself alone in an eerily quiet section of the city. A dense cloud of smoke and debris drifted and obscured the path ahead, making me weary to enter into its fold.

There was a presence lurking within it.

Suddenly the smoke to my right shifted, swirled. A crazed citizen ran at me, his fingers curled into claws. Startled, I brought my axe up only to hesitate. One of the men from the airship appeared from within the obscuring vapors behind the infected. He encircled the man around the neck, securing his other hand to his forehead, squeezing the air from him. He held tight, his face unreadable. After a few tense moments, the crazed man’s frantic hands finally relaxed and fell to his sides.

The stranger lowered the infected citizen to the ground. His own hands went out by his sides in a non-threatening manner. “Only unconscious,” he reassured. “He’ll be fine after the gas wears off.”

I started to open my mouth to question his motives, but found him interrupting my attempt.

“We fight on your behalf Mistress Emerson. Lady Everette sends her regards.”

My throat closed. Clotted completely. Lady
. . . Everette?
I looked at the strange man with wide eyes and pulled down my gas mask just as he had done. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

I now saw that the bronzed skinned man wore an odd assortment of dark, naturalistic tribal armor that protected his entire body—a vine covered sonic bo-staff rested casually against his shoulder with a shadowed glow that vibrated much like a heartbeat.

“
We
,
Mistress
,
are the Akkadians. The Akk—you however might better identify us as the decedents of Sector 9—those few who managed to escape the Purge with the help of Lady Everette.
Your
grandmother.”

I stood motionless, staring into his bright eyes as my mind worked its way around his words. “She’s
alive
. . . ?” I asked breathlessly, my grip faltering on the hilt of my axe.

The man smiled at me, but said nothing. His teeth shone brightly against the tan of his skin as he backed away into the smoke, leaving me.

“
Of course
I’m alive, dear. You expected the Council to do away with
me
? The thought of it!” a familiar voice sounded out behind me.
“The poor dears
did give it their best shot though.”

 
Afraid my ears were playing tricks, I swiveled around to gaze into the satisfactory smile of a well-aged woman. She wore tight brown leggings and tunic, an odd looking and ornate pistol held in her hand. Without the fluttery Mistress garb—I might not have recognized her if she passed me in the street, but looking into her face, I knew unmistakably that this was my grandmother.

“
Sweet
matron mother
, is it really you . . . ?” My face blushed hot and scrunched with emotion. Not caring that I was about to cry, I ran squarely into her welcoming embrace.
 

Grandmother held me close, running her hands over my hair. “It has been too long my dear Lily,” she whispered.

The warmth of her filled a void inside my chest as she held me close; an old wound stitching itself closed. My fingers clutched at her vest as I silently wept, feeling my heart pang rapidly against my ribs in disbelief.

I arched my neck backwards, looking up into her own tear-stricken face. So many things I wanted to say . . . so many questions. “I knew you would return someday. I
knew
you wouldn’t just abandon . . .” My voice cracked with emotion. “How did you know to come? Where did you—”

“
Shhh
, dear. Never would I have abandoned you,” she said, brushing down my hair with her worn hands. “I’ve prepared for this day for a while now. Who do you think taught the Council to engineer and plant listening devices? Not intentionally of course.” She grinned before looking away. “Now enough of this.” She reached up and gently ran her finger along the smooth skin next to my scarred cheek with a sad, yet determined look. She swiped away a tear. “Look at my little Lily, blossomed into such a beauty.”

Her eyes lingered on my face for a moment before she reached down, still holding me in one arm, and clasped my dirty fingers, wrapping them around the hilt of my axe. Her grasp was firm.

“You must set things right again . . . . Show them the true worth of what a real Mistress can do.”

She quickly kissed my forehead.

“Never settle for what is happening
now
, only, focus on
what is
. . . a question of the unknown that comes without boundary.”

I blinked, and squeezed tighter, trying to come to grips with her wisdom, and the fact she was actually standing before me again. Her scent, lavender, still clung to her even after all these years.

“Be brave my young one. Look to the Journal if you’ve found that you’ve lost the way,” she whispered into my hair, untangling herself from my grasp.

Once she knew she had my attention, she smiled, almost excitedly in fact, and started backpedaling into the dust filled street that lay beyond. “You’re meant for so much greatness, Lily. A greatness you have yet to even realize. I’m
proud
to call you my granddaughter.”

I watched numbly as her silhouette was enveloped by the gray smoke, like a ghost returning to the mists. One that had been returned to me only to be ripped away. An icy fear began to seep throughout my resolve, knowing that I may never see her again—that this one moment was only but a gift. A gift of wisdom received from an apparition long lost to the past.

Raising my axes to rest at my sides, I ran both thumbs down their handles, the ribbed texture roughened from their first use. Blinking away the dust and ash that fell close to my cheeks, I turned my eyes to the skies, finally breaking from the dazed stupor that held me captive.

She was right, specter or not. I couldn’t dwell in the past. The time was not one of tears, but one of action.

I repositioned the gas mask over my nose and mouth.

I had to find my father. I needed him to shut down the Walkers.

I
had
to
dispose
of
Briggins.