Order of the Lily

by Cait Ashwood

  Gwyn cleared her throat. There had been dozens of times they’d butted heads, but she’d never had the guts to truly say what she wanted. The consequences were always too dire. Even now, with a hundred men at her back, she found herself swallowing her hatred in favor of reason. “I’ve come for what is mine.”

  Zad chuckled, low and relaxed. “Surely you know any daughter of yours is my property. You own nothing, here.”

  Gwyn’s hand clenched into a fist at her side. She loved her daughter with all the fierceness of any mother, but wished she had never been born into this life. As soon as the girl had been born, Gwyn knew her own life was over. She would submit to Zaddicus for the rest of her days to keep her daughter safe. She ground her teeth so hard they squeaked in her ears, trying to keep control. He still has her. Stall for time.

  “My people are my own. I claim no ownership of them, but I will always come for my blood.”

  Ace stepped up at her side, pushing her slightly behind him. “Stand aside, Zaddicus. No more reinforcements are coming to bolster your ranks. You’re done, here.”

  Zaddicus chuckled, as if it was of no importance. “Tell me, Ace, is it? Did you bring your lovely little bird down here to add to my flock? Where is she? I’d very much like to meet her.”

  Ace’s whole demeanor changed and Gwyn found herself shying away from him. Hostility radiated from him in waves and his entire body went taut. His voice seemed to drop almost an entire octave. “You’ll see her over my dead body.”

  Zad’s hand went to the sword at his waist, drawing the blade in the blink of an eye. “That can be arranged.”

  Ace shifted his blade into a ready stance, stalking forward a few steps. “Just you and me.”

  The man raised an eyebrow and gave a shrug with a single shoulder. “Suit yourself.” He raised his voice to be heard. “Give us room.”

  Both columns of men backed away, Gwyn’s guards pulling her back and burying her further in the Seeker’s ranks. The first clang of steel against steel made her jump so much that one of her guards thought she’d been hit with a crossbow.

  The second clang was no better, and neither was the third. Gwyn put her hands over her ears and bowed her head, unable to watch. While she couldn’t see it, she could still hear the fight, and nothing she did to try and drown it out helped. She was so jumpy, she swore she would literally shatter apart. She hadn’t bothered to track her breathing, which was rapid and shallow. She couldn’t stand it, not one on one like this. She just knew it was only a matter of time before the clanging stopped and one of them fell dead.

  A firm hand on her upper arm distracted her slightly. “The shield, my Lady.”

  The shield. Right. She had a job to do. She swallowed, only wincing at this blow instead of jumping. Whether they could rescue her daughter or not depended largely on her success here. The shield must not fail.

  She tried not to listen to the labored breathing of the two combatants, the shing of metal on metal as their blades hit and slid, sparks flying in the darkness. The patting of their feet as they shifted about, each pressing to find an advantage. The—the groaning of the earth? Gwyn looked up just in time for the rest of the column to realize something was happening. The first charge had been so far away she hadn’t recognized it for what it was, but when the next one went off, she no longer had any doubts. He’s trying to free their minds!

  Hope surged and Gwyn threw herself into a trance, her mind speeding past the fighting men and down the hall, taking the curves at speeds that would be deadly were she in her physical body. And there, at long last, was her family. Broken, despondent, but hers. Only one head lifted at her presence, eyes glowing green after a moment.

  Gwyn. Why have you returned? Ellen didn’t need a physical voice for her fear to accompany her words through the link.

  To free you, all of you, if we can. She didn’t wait for a response, wasn’t sure how much time she had. We’re trying to blast through the cage so you can reconnect. If you can, I’ll need support for the men I’m shielding. If not, at least try and prevent the others from serving him.

  The pause was longer than she’d prefer, but eventually she felt her mother’s assent. I will do what I can.

  That was apparently all the time Gwyn was going to get. Her physical body was tugged away from her family and she came to with a start, instantly pulling back against her guard.

  “There’s not supposed to be more charges. We have to get you out of here.” The man was clearly trying to reason with her, but he didn’t understand.

  “Blaise is cracking the iron cage. It’s going to be fine!” Gwyn turned, desperate to get to her mother, but her guards would not let her pass. They were shifting in a ring around her, corralling her back the way they had come.

  Enough. She threw herself back into the trance and found the song of the earth easily. She grabbed a hand full of seeds from a pouch at her waist and scattered them at her guard’s feet. Snarling roots sprang up almost instantly, ensnaring the people meant to protect her. One twisted around, creating a gap in the ring, and Gwyn sent the roots up his other leg, trapping him in that awkward position. She darted through without another thought, hair streaming behind her as she flew down the corridor, her feet hardly touching the ground.

  Her eyes radiated so much light it was almost alarming, but she would have known every inch of this passage with her eyes closed. Slowly, the closer she got, the more of the others she could feel. Fear, confusion, and suspicion flowed through the link. Hope was something they had abandoned long ago, and they’d be reluctant to seize any opportunity now. This is why I had to be the one to come. They know me.

  The rattling of iron startled her and she skidded to a stop, the cells visible on either side of her. Her mother stood at the very end of the right-hand cell, her cane knocking against the bars. Ellen had thinning white hair, eyes that stayed closed more than not, and mottled, wrinkled skin that hung off her frame like an over-large garment. The effort it took her to stand had her entire body trembling, and Gwyn rushed to her.

  “Mother.” She whispered the name, reaching her hands through the bars and slipping her arms under Ellen’s, taking some of her weight.

  The old woman’s head shook slowly from side to side. “You should never have come back.” Murmurs spread through the ranks of the women at that remark, mostly sounding like they agreed with their matron.

  “It was Audrey’s idea, and she wouldn’t let it go. But none of you know her, so you wouldn’t come—” Gwyn glanced around, trying to entreat her fellows with her eyes.

  A voice called out from the cells on the other side of the hall. “Have you the keys, you foolish creature?”

  Gwyn opened her mouth, then shut it again. No. My guards were supposed to pick the locks. Damn it.

  “Looking for me?”

  Gwyn winced and looked up, spotting the captain of her guard. A deep frown creased his face and he stood at the end of the aisle, arms crossed over his chest.

  “Please. We have to free them.” Gwyn glanced at her mother, then looked back at the captain when she didn’t hear his approaching footsteps.

  He was probably mad at her for running off. Swallowing her pride, she tried to appeal to him. “I’m sorry, but you would have taken me away. I’m not giving up. Not when we’re this close.” He simply had to understand. He had to have a family, somewhere, that he’d do anything for.

  “I’m not to release them except under Ace’s orders.” His tone was gruff and unapologetic, and he didn’t budge.

  Shock washed over her. The entire point of the mission was to free the Order, and here they were, with who only knew how much time left, and he was just standing there.

  “And, and if Zad kills him?” Her voice was shaking, and the women backed away from the bars to find more comfortable positions. This was going much as they expected it would. She was losing them. Even if they were freed now, they’d likely stay instead of risking recapture.

  “Then my orders are to return yo
u to the surface.”

  Gwyn’s narrowed her eyes, her suspicion multiplying tenfold. She dropped her mother’s arms and switched over to her taint sight, and sure enough, he’d somehow succumbed to the toxin.

  “Liza, can you do something about him?” Liza was one of the strongest taint users in the group and she approached the bars slowly.

  Gwyn held her breath as Liza’s eyes turned a plum-like purple. There was complete silence for a time, and then the captain started moving towards the lock on the Liza’s cell.

  “Wait.” Ellen’s shaky voice called out across the hall.

  Liza locked the man into position, then glanced up at her matron.

  “What would you have us go into, daughter of mine? What awaits us on the surface?”

  Gwyn swallowed, having rehearsed the answer thousands of times. “They’ve renovated the old tower. There’s multiple stairwells between levels now, escape ladders at every window, electromagnets to keep the Seekers away. Female soldiers pulled from the city guards patrol the new wall, and we’ll have plenty of land. No man will come near us without our consent and knowledge.” Put that way, it sounds almost idyllic.

  “And the cost?” Ellen spoke slowly, so much as to be infuriating.

  “We work in the Groves, as we have for generations past.” At least she sounded confident. While she appreciated the changes the Seekers had made, she wasn’t sure that her mother would want to return to her old tower.

  “And you bargained for all of this on our behalf?”

  Gwyn’s smile fell. “Not…exactly. There’s a Chosen they found in the past, except she managed to retain her fertility when she came here. She has a daughter of her own, now, and has been fighting for us since she learned we still exist.”

  A cough across the hall preceded another argument. “I see no need to enslave ourselves to the people if they already have the Order they want. We leave here, we leave as free women.” Agreeing grunts met the woman’s words and Gwyn closed her eyes.

  “The Seekers are wary of our abilities with the taint. You wish to stay here, then stay. Anyone willing to come will be welcomed. No more raping. We’d have food in our bellies, sun on our skin. The freedom to raise our children in peace.” As if on cue, a baby wailed in the darkness.

  “A prison by any other name is still a prison.” The woman scoffed, retreating to a back corner of her cell. Gwyn pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a slow, deep breath.

  “Let the man undo the locks. I want to die with the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair.” It was said simply, but was all the more powerful for it. Ellen was well into her nineties and had lived through more than anyone had a right to survive. This was her choice, and many of the others would follow her, no matter their own misgivings.

  Gwyn let out a sigh of relief as the captain got down on one knee, a pair of metal tools appearing in his hands. They all waited silently as scraping sounds came from within the mechanism, then gasped unanimously as the door swung open.

  “Let him do the other one before you exit. We need to leave as a unit.” Gwyn had no idea how the fighting was going out in the hall, the twists and turns of the path insulating them from the sounds of battle. If the wrong group of Seekers came down the hall to check on them, she didn’t want to tip their hand too early.

  The women in both cells began readying whatever meager possessions they had, tucking them into bundles. Those with infants tied slings out of spare cloth, readying to move. Only a few stood impassive in the shadows, watching the others but making no preparations to leave. What will happen to them? Gwyn felt nearly sick with worry. She hadn’t ever anticipated that some would choose to remain here. Tops would certainly see them as a threat, and Gwyn didn’t like how he typically handled threats. She wrung her hands, unable to voice her concerns. How would they see the surface Seekers as any better than their current predicament if the relationship started off with threats and partial promises? No. It was better to keep her mouth shut. She’d speak with Audrey about them, and hope for the best.

  The captain under Liza’s control finally freed the second lock and the door made an audible click. Gwyn let out a sigh of relief. Steps one and two were complete. Now all that remained was extraction, with Zaddicus waiting for them right out in the hallway.

  “Send the captain down the hall. I want to know what’s going on out there.” Gwyn’s voice came out surprisingly authoritative and she hid a small smile, pleased with herself.

  “You didn’t secure an escape route?” One of the doubters, tisking and shaking her head.

  “Audrey’s Seeker was battling Zaddicus when I snuck down here.” Gwyn shrugged with a single shoulder, not sure what else to say.

  “And this precious Audrey of yours is up on the surface, I assume.” A different voice this time, but equally haughty.

  Gwyn shook her head. “We have shields up over the men to protect them from Zad’s influence. She’s leading a separate party into the Pit.”

  Had the intrusion been anyone but her mother, Gwyn would have felt threatened. Ellen’s curiosity as she explored the shield bled through the link they shared, and Gwyn got the impression her mother was somewhat impressed.

  Pain exploded behind her eyes and Gwyn staggered, falling to her knees. She didn’t even feel her knees hit the dirt, cradling her head in her hands and moaning. Something foul assaulted her, and she realized with a stab of horror that Zaddicus was trying to wrestle control of the men from her. I’m not strong enough. I can’t…keep him out. Worse, she wasn’t within speaking distance of Ace, or any of the Seekers, to warn them. Their shield was going to fall, and they wouldn’t even know it.

  The guttural scream assaulting her ears couldn’t possibly have come from her. When another blast of energy came at her, her instinct was to throw it away. It worked for a moment, and then it, too, overwhelmed her. This energy, however, wasn’t foul. It was pure and clear, strong, pulsing with vibrancy.

  We had to follow your connection back. We can’t…feel it on our own, yet. It was her mother, apologizing. Gwyn was too relieved to reply, shaking in exhaustion. They should be able to hold the shield now, but she had to protect those of her sisters that also had the taint in their blood. Gwyn had lost her grip on a few of the straggling Seekers and, with the strength of her sisters behind her, set about reclaiming them and including the rest of the Leaves under the shield, as well.

  Two new voices joined the mix; Audrey and someone else new. Then, one by one, others joined.

  I’m sorry I’m late. We rescued those we could from the Pit.

  Gwyn could hear the exhaustion in Audrey’s mental tone, which meant the woman was close to dropping.

  What’s going on out there? Miraculously, the rest of the Leaves remained silent, letting the two surfacers speak.

  Zaddicus seems to be on the run. There’s still pockets of fighting here and there, but extraction should be relatively smooth. Audrey’s thoughts vanished for a moment, then she popped back in. Do you have any mobility concerns?

  Gwyn thought immediately of her mother and her cane, but couldn’t beat Ellen to answering. I’m old, and I’m slow, but I’ll walk out of here if it’s the last thing I do.

  Phasing is difficult for many of the Seekers down here. They’d prefer to wait until we get to the surface before taking us to the tower.

  Gwyn wasn’t sure when she’d returned to her feet, but she stood, one hand resting on the wall to help hold herself up. She was slowly getting her wind back. Behind her, the cell doors opened and women slowly came pouring out, some hesitant, others frail. When she felt their will solidify behind her, she stepped back into the tunnel leading them to the main force of the Seekers. The captain of her personal guard seemed to have recovered his senses with the re-establishing of the shield. He paced at her side, withdrawn but alert.

  The rest of the guard reformed around her immediately as she exited into the larger hall where the men had been fighting. Gwyn forced herself not to see the dead, sprawled a
round her in various poses of defeat. The women behind her hesitated, the acrid smell of blood hanging heavily on the air, the dirt beneath their feet wet with it. Moans of the dying assaulted their ears, and Gwyn’s only defense was to block it all out. Her eyes scanned the crowd for Audrey, finding first the woman’s gray-clad guard and then her fellow Leaf.

  “What’s the plan?” Gwyn assumed there was a plan, after all. While much of their preparations had been engineered for a broad array of possibilities, someone had to have formulated a more specific plan by now.

  Audrey turned towards her, but Ace was the one to answer. He’d approached from behind Gwyn, apparently. “Line your ladies up in the center of the hall. You’ll have Seekers between you and the tunnel walls. There’s still some pockets of resistance and we have teams sweeping ahead of you, but we can’t take too many precautions.”

  “Audrey, you’ll lead?” Gwyn glanced over her shoulder at her mother. Ellen wouldn’t be walking at the front of anything, and Gwyn had spent enough time separated from her. Besides, her daughter had been serving in the Pit. If she was still alive, she’d be with the women currently huddled behind Audrey. Gwyn wanted to be toward the rear.

  “Uh…sure.” Audrey rolled her shoulders and headed towards the front of the hollow column waiting to be filled with the ranks of the Leaves. Ace pulled her into a sideways hug, which she returned awkwardly with a wince. For the first time, Gwyn noticed the blood on Audrey’s clothes. Her eyes flicked to the rest of her guard. One of Zeche’s arms hung useless at his side, and it seemed a few of them had been cut down, as there weren’t as many as they had set out with. The fighting must have been fierce. Gwyn didn’t have to look at the women behind her to know that, no matter the losses, it was worth it.

  Seekers helped the women form the column, helping those that were unsteady on their feet with a sense of reverence and patience. Ace’s eyes kept their narrow, wary cast, sweeping up and down the column every few seconds as if he still expected an attack.