Order of the Lily Read online

  Order of the Lily

  Order of the Lily, Book 2

  Cait Ashwood

  Contents

  Map

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  Epilogue

  Thank You For reading

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Cait Ashwood

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2017 Cait Ashwood

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1545007616

  ISBN-13: 9781545007617

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2017904884

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Art by Christian Bentulan

  Created with Vellum

  Dedication

  To Papa.

  1

  Deuce sat in the tavern, sipping on a mug of water. He kept his hood drawn over his face, unable to maintain a relaxed posture. He wasn’t comfortable with any of the reasons he was here, and anyone watching him could see the tension in his ramrod-straight back.

  Bastard’s late. The man he’d met in the market yesterday claimed to know someone, a man Deuce had spent the last few months trying to track down. His instructions were to meet the man here tonight, about an hour ago. The rapscallion was a no-show. Deuce cursed under his breath. He was an idiot to think some stranger on the street would hold the key to his quandary. Disgusted, he downed the last of the water, dropped a coin on the table, and rose. He swept the room one final time, still not seeing the informant. Deuce left the tavern without a backward glance.

  “Seeker!” The call came from the shadowy alley next to the tavern.

  Deuce palmed a dagger. Many wasters preyed on Seekers, seeing them as an endless source of food or coin. The missed rendezvous was the only reason he stood in the dark, peering into the shadows. Had his informant been too shy to meet in public? Deuce’s eyes pulsed and his vision shifted; the world now appeared in shades of black and white. A small figure with a faint aura was visible to his sight, huddled behind a refuse bin.

  Target acquired, Deuce shifted forward and slipped into a fighting stance. The man emerged from behind the bin as Deuce approached.

  “You returned.” The man had a high, sniveling voice that grated on Deuce’s nerves.

  “As agreed.” His voice fell flat, emotionless. Deuce scrunched his nose at the filthy little man. I can’t believe I’m doing this.

  “You must really want to meet our master.” He bobbed his head enthusiastically. “But the master has questions, yes.”

  Deuce held his breath for a moment, giving his patience time to catch up with his temper. “Name them.”

  “Master wants to know your name, your real name before the Seekers took it from you.” The man bounced on the balls of his feet eagerly, looking up at Deuce with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.

  Deuce frowned, taking a step back. “I was known as Joshua.”

  The man cackled, stopping abruptly. “And to the master?”

  Deuce gritted his teeth. “Zaddicus called me Joshie.”

  “Ah, yes, right answer.” He nodded, rubbing his hands together. “And where are you from, originally?”

  Deuce’s eyes narrowed, and he pressed his lips into a line. “That is for Zaddicus to know.”

  The man screamed with gleeful laughter, rocking back and forth. Deuce glanced around, feeling exposed. He scanned the rooftops surrounding the alley, seeing no one.

  “The master said you might not reveal your birthplace. Very well. If it is the master you seek, you’ll find him in the hills west of Fish Head at sunset tomorrow.”

  The alley rat’s aura had been so dim that Deuce jumped, startled, when he phased away, leaving Deuce standing alone in the street with a dagger in his hand.

  The messenger’s instructions were clear, and Deuce followed them to the letter. He stood on the crest of one of the hills, staring into the setting sun. I shouldn’t be here. And yet, he was. Call it a childish hope, but he had to follow through on this. He’d long since assumed his savior to be dead, but now the man’s name was on everyone’s lips: Zaddicus.

  The energy wave of an incoming Seeker pressed against his skin and Deuce bristled, turning. He didn't know what he’d see, what he wanted to see. The figure was two hills away, wearing a black, hooded garment. The green flash of his eyes was visible from here and the man phased again, appearing much closer to Deuce.

  “Joshie? Is that you?” The man’s voice trembled and hands with gnarled knuckles pulled down the hood, baring his weathered face.

  Deuce swallowed, his eyes racing across the other man’s features. His salt and pepper beard was trimmed short, as always. Zad had changed little in the last twenty years, appearing not to have aged. Meanwhile, Deuce had transformed, growing from a scared kid into a man with duties of his own. He had to clear his throat before he could answer. “I go by Deuce now.”

  Zaddicus closed the distance between them, studying Deuce with rapt attention. “Of course you do. Of course you do.” He nodded to himself. “And look what a strong man you’ve become.”

  A frown tugged at Deuce’s lips. He was never one to boast about his accolades and didn’t appreciate it when others did, either.

  “Ah, but deep down you haven’t changed at all, have you?” Zad chuckled, slapping him on the shoulder and letting his hand linger there. “I’ve been searching for you for years now, my boy.”

  Deuce glanced away, a lump in his throat. He’d never excelled at dealing with emotions. Zaddicus was his enemy, but the man before him had taken on the role of a second father in his youth. The rumors about Zad’s involvement in the attack at the Institute swirled through his mind. Deuce wanted to deny them. He hadn’t been able to remain among his companions, even to escort the Chosen, his sworn duty, until he got to the bottom of what he desperately hoped was a horrible misunderstanding. He leveled a piercing stare at Zaddicus, searching the man’s eyes. Was he a man, or the monster everyone claimed him to be?

  “What are you looking for, my son?” The voice was gentle, hypnotic, and held everything Deuce wished his birth father had felt toward him.

  Tact wasn't his strong suit while emotionally compromised. “There’s rumors you were involved in the attack at the Institute. The attempt on Audrey’s life.” The discomfort was a roaring thing in his chest, but the anticipation was even worse.

  Zad nodded, taking a step back. “I assure you, there were never orders to harm Audrey.”

  Deuce’s stomach sank. “So you were behind the attack.”

  Zad shook his head. “It is a misunderstanding. The balance of power has long been skewed away from the common man. I believe even your Audrey has had issues with the misogynistic tendencies of your Seekers.” He frowned. “No offense intended, my son.”

  Deuce looked away, mind racing. Tops was the commander of the Seekers, and lately spent most of his time arguing with Audrey, the leader of the Order. Audrey was necessary to the survival of the common folk, but the Seekers? Did they serve a purpose now that
the bloodline of the Order was restored?

  Deuce shook his head. “Did you have to attack outright, with no warning?” King of diplomacy, Deuce abhorred unnecessary violence. A medic by trade, he spent far too much time patching up others to support the conflicts causing their injuries.

  Zad smiled sadly. “I’ve sent several envoys to your commander and received no response. The Chosen are a useless drain on our resources, but he insists on plaguing us with them.” His voice hardened. “They should remain in the past.”

  Deuce narrowed his eyes. He’d been part of an acquisitions team whose entire purpose was to find Chosen in the past and convince these ancestors of the Order’s bloodline to return to the present. The Chosen were the only reason humanity hadn’t starved in the sixty years since the Order’s disappearance. While their work wasn’t as effective as the old Order, it was an improvement over taint-saturated fields. It was his team that found Audrey, and the changes she was affecting in their world were already momentous. She’d been the first Chosen able to reproduce, and with her daughter Lily, hope had returned to those few that knew of her. This year, they’d have enough left over from the harvests to reduce starvation-related deaths. Deuce struggled to comprehend how that could be a bad thing.

  “My son, it's obvious that I need to show you to convince you.” Zaddicus paused, his expression earnest. “Come back with me. See what I have built for you, for us. The future needs a sustainable system, and I have created that system. It has worked here, and I will soon implement it on a global scale.”

  Deuce stared at him, taking another hesitant step back. This zealous streak wasn’t apparent to his eight-year-old self, but now it alarmed the man he had become.

  Zaddicus didn’t notice his hesitation. “I have built us an empire, my prince, with the intent that you replace me at its head when my time comes. Come and meet your people.”

  Deuce bit his lower lip. The man before him was not the one he remembered. “I have duties here.” It was a weak excuse, and he knew it. But as he tried to reconcile the man in front of him with the one he remembered, he was desperate to find a common thread to link the two.

  Zaddicus’ smile was broad and instantaneous. “Of course you do, my son. I don’t ask for you to stay with us, not yet. You have your own affairs requiring your attention. I only want you to meet everyone, to see the empire you will one day inherit.”

  Deuce, usually adept at reading people, couldn’t get a read on Zaddicus’ emotions. The lack of information frustrated him more than expected.

  Zaddicus put both of his hands on Deuce’s shoulders and Deuce shifted, uncomfortable. “I wish I had found you sooner. Your insight would have been invaluable.”

  Deuce closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it. To be cared for again, to be seen as more than a pawn. It was damned tempting. With Audrey here, his work with the Chosen wasn’t as important, and he’d been neglecting it for the past few months. When he opened his eyes, he’d decided.

  “Take me back with you. I want to see what you’ve been so busy building, these twenty years.” Deuce’s eyes skimmed Zad’s features, again amazed at the man’s agelessness.

  Zaddicus grinned, then laughed, the hearty belly laugh Deuce remembered. “You’ll love it, my boy. I promise.” They disappeared from the hills of Fish Head in the blink of an eye.

  2

  Audrey had never visited Anvilon before, but as she stood in the center of a ring of Seekers armed with bows and crossbows, she wished she could enjoy the sights. The fires from numerous forges gave the air a smoky haze, and hammers rang out against metal all around them. There was a slight lull in the banging on their arrival, but the craftsmen returned to work after their moment of curiosity. Beside her, Gwyn flinched as every pounding blow rang out.

  To Audrey, it sounded like an off-pitch symphony. To Gwyn? Who knew what it sounded like? The woman had been held captive in an underground compound her entire life, and her family was still there. If she hadn’t been assumed dead at the Battle of the Institute, she’d be back in the ground with her mother and sisters. Instead, she lived on the surface in a world she’d never known. She frequently startled at ordinary things, and Audrey would never forget the morning she ran screaming from a squirrel. It was a sobering predicament, explaining the world to a grown woman that didn't possess the curiosity of a child, but the fear of an adult.

  Tops, the commander of the Seekers, waved his hand toward the Grove and their party moved out. Audrey stepped forward, keeping in the center of the encircling Seekers. This isn’t necessary. Tops was not at all happy with anything concerning Gwyn or her treatment. At the time of her capture, Gwyn was believed to be one of the half-breeds, the unholy result of a member of the Order being forced by a Seeker carrying the taint in his blood. Gwyn herself had believed this and claimed to have control of the taint for most of her life, but when Audrey examined her, not a trace of the corrupting substance remained. This made her the second woman of reproductive age that could bring forth the new era of the Order. Audrey, for once, was no longer alone.

  Tops was heavily resistant to giving Gwyn any freedoms. In his mind, she was a war criminal, someone who assisted in the attack on his citadel and should spend the rest of their lives rotting away in a dungeon somewhere. But Audrey saw something else in the scared woman walking beside her. She saw strength, knowledge, and hope. The only training she’d gotten about the Groves was third-hand, and the Groves were the key to the fertility of the surrounding lands. Gwyn was raised by a member of the original Order. The knowledge she possessed was the reason Audrey had fought so hard for this outing. For all her natural talent, she needed a teacher.

  The mail-clad Seekers jingled with every step. What little Audrey saw of the surrounding town showed that most everyone in Anvilon was in the metal business. There were smelters, mine carts, blacksmiths, forges, anything and everything of the metal-working variety. And she’d be willing to bet that every man, woman, and child in this town could wield the tools they made to deadly effect. Audrey may have won in getting Gwyn into a Grove, but Tops had picked a daunting place to take them. If Gwyn ran, she’d be dead before she slipped ten paces away.

  Audrey looked at the woman next to her. Gwyn was taller than her, but always stood with her shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. She had thick, long black hair reaching almost to her waist, which she never attempted to tame into any semblance of obedience. But at least for now, Gwyn remained calm. When the two women first met, Audrey thought the woman was insane. Now, she understood the reaction for what it had been: terror. Everything here was so different from the life Gwyn had known that she’d become unhinged. Audrey, in the time she could spare away from her twin infants, was doing her best to ease Gwyn through the transition to a healthy life.

  Gwyn tugged at the pants on her legs, unhappy with the fit. The traditional garb for a member of the Order consisted of robes dyed in natural hues and tied with rope belts. The color of the belt denoted the rank of the individual, and the uniforms were permitted decorations if the embellishments followed a particular set of rules. Audrey wasn’t a fan of rules, instead favoring results. Gwyn, however, had never worn a pair of pants in her life and tugged at them constantly.

  I think it’s time for things to change around here. Audrey stared at the men guarding them, trying to keep her resentment at bay. If Gwyn is more comfortable in skirts, she should be allowed wear them. The old Order is dead; maybe it’s time I create a new one instead of trying to live up to the legacy of the past. She toyed with this idea the rest of the way to the Grove, thinking about changes she'd make if she had the chance. This new Order wouldn’t just be for her, but for her daughter Lily and any other daughters she or Gwyn might have.

  Audrey's thoughts were interrupted as Tops called a halt in front of the Grove. The trees beckoned to her and she could hear the song of this Grove already, tugging at her soul to join it. Her smile was natural as her eyes traveled up through the branches to the place where th
e sun kissed the highest leaves. She grinned at Gwyn, who had pulled her eyes up from the ground and was gazing at the Grove.

  “Have you ever been to Anvilon?” Audrey tried to phrase her questions to Gwyn such that they carried information. It was her best strategy to educate the woman while keeping her dignity intact.

  Gwyn shook her head. “No. I imagine Zaddicus had little use for this place.” Audrey wanted more information, but knew better than to ask. If Gwyn referenced her time in the subterranean compound, she would say only what she wished to, and nothing more.

  Tops pushed his way through to the women, pinning Gwyn with a hard stare before shifting his gaze to Audrey. She tilted her head up to look at him; Tops stood nearly seven feet tall and was huge by any standard. The commander kept his head shaved bald and was admittedly a handsome man. He was intimidating as hell, and Audrey was usually arguing with him while he sat behind a desk. Towering over her like this, it was only her history of winning their arguments that kept her feisty.

  “I’ll have Seekers sweep the Grove; then you can enter.” His gaze rested on her, waiting for her to argue.

  Traditionally, only members of the Order entered the Groves, but Audrey realized that times of war called for alternative measures. She nodded. “They’ll sweep and keep a perimeter outside the Grove.”

  Tops’ eyes widened in surprise, but he recovered quickly. “Agreed.” He pushed his way back out of the ring and gave orders to his men. Half split off and approached the Grove, spreading out into a search pattern before making their way into the trees.

  Audrey waited as the men did their job, Gwyn was standing stiffly beside her. Only when the Seekers came back into sight did she relax, and what a paradox that was. Gwyn was uncomfortable around the men. Her discomfort was so severe that even Tops had relented and hired a few female servants to take care of Gwyn and her needs. Audrey frowned at her. She must be terrified of being recaptured by Zaddicus’ forces to show such relief.