The Lotus Effect (Rise Of The Ardent) (19 page)

Chapter 18

A Trance Interrupted

“Xander, where—
”
I stepped towards the outcropping of rocks and froze.
The closer I got, the quieter the little insect noises became, replaced with a familiar sound . . . a continuous, thunderous roar.

The ground beneath my feet vibrated slightly as I approached, carefully and hesitant. My fingers grazed across the chilled surface of the rock that stood between myself and the sound.

—My curiosity finally getting the best of me, I stepped past, gazing upwards into the immense power of another waterfall.

NaRoo.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight. Like the first one, this waterfall too rained in great sheets that pulled together to form one massive downward rushing wall of water. Plants scaled the sides of the brown rock face that neared at least two hundred feet high, their roots reaching deep into the dark pool below.

 
I lifted the toe of my boot away as the mist created from the water’s onslaught slowly drifted towards it.

“You look surprised.” Xander grinned as he placed his boots and shirt next to the boulder. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to get in. I just—after seeing you struggle in the well—I thought you’d might like to try,” his voice carried off and he looked away, realizing he probably shouldn’t have brought that up.

Crossing my arms, I shifted nervously on my feet. “So this is why you told me to wear clothes that could get wet? To go
swimming
?”

Xander smiled. “Not exactly. You can, if you want. There’s extra fuel I keep hidden behind the falls. I find that if I leave it with Teizel—things become problematic.”

I chuckled in disbelief. “How so?”

Xander repositioned the handle of a hidden dagger along the belt of his trousers and turned, an irked grin on his face. “He doesn’t like me coming back here—for him. He tampers with it.”

My eyes widened. “He tampers with
fuel
? Fuel that keeps us . . . aloft?”

Xander smiled slightly, looking to the ground. Innocent and somewhat shy—it nearly killed me seeing him like that after just reliving the horrors of his childhood. How did anyone find happiness, displaying it in something as simple as a smile after an event such as that?

“
Hope.
” The word seemed to find me on the passing breeze.

“Don’t worry. Last time he did, I had made it back to the hanger without incident . . . only until my pack cooled and I ended up with a week’s worth of gunk to clean from the jets. Oh, and the smell—you don’t even want to know,” Xander said, his voice releasing me from my dark thoughts.

I made a face and nodded slowly. “I see.”

Xander was looking expectantly at me then.

“What?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable beneath his gaze.

“Well? You coming?”

Swallowing hard, I looked to the falling water, memories of being trapped in the water well surfacing. “You go ahead . . . I’ll catch up.”

Xander noted my hesitation—it showed in his eyes—but he didn’t question, only nodded. He then graced me with his scarred back again—the puckered skin of knife wounds, bite marks, what I could only imagine to be claw slashes—and sprinted up the side of the Waterfall’s steep hill.

With one great leap, he dove under the water.

I waited for him to resurface. Fifteen seconds passed, and still, I hadn’t spotted him. I started to worry, but then I saw him, pushing himself up and onto the rocky ledge, dripping wet and enveloped by mist. He turned and gave a reassuring salute before disappearing behind the waterfall.

Walking back to the boulder, I leaned my head against it and released a nervous breath.
Come on, Lily. You won’t drown. You won’t.

With a sigh, I rubbed my palms down my face and stepped away from the boulder.
This may be my only chance to find out.
 
 

~

Making sure Xander was completely out of eyesight, I unlaced my tunic, now revealing my brown tank-top and the tan shorts that I’d cut from a pair of tight trousers on a sweltering day while working on my first axe. I rubbed the sides of my arms, not against a chill for the air was temperate and comfortable—but against my feeling of outright nakedness. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything less than a corset and a bustled skirt while at the Estate. In my mother’s eyes at least.

Walking barefoot, I made my way past the outcropping of rocks. I carried my outer layer of clothing and boots in one arm and placed my other awkwardly across my chest, not completely sure what to do with it.

Finding a dry patch of grass, I bent low and hastily arranged my clothes on top. My boots kept falling over so I chucked them to the side and started towards the water’s edge, walking on tiptoes to avoid the sharpest of stones. Looking hesitantly into the dark translucence, I saw my own face rippling across the surface. I tested the water’s temperature with my toe, breaking the reflection. It was cold.
Keep going
, my mind urged. This was a luxury I couldn’t pass up.

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
cautious
. . . 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.