In short: yes.
Amorette snatched the envelope and slid the papers from inside. Not a thick file. In fact, far too thin. As if someone let it slide by, without ever questioning the findings.
Page by meager page, Amorette skimmed her mother’s story. A story that told of chaos. Words stood out like spotlights along the way.
Dead on arrival.
Defensive wounds.
Distraught husband.
Infant daughter.
“She was murdered?” Amorette’s voice caught in her throat.
No wonder her father never said anything. Who would so easily overcome their wife’s homicide?
Eadric folded his hands as if he had more to say. “Do you want to know what happened the night she died?”
“There aren’t any witness statements.” Amorette dropped the file and swiped at a tear as it escaped her eye.
Eadric nodded. “That’s right. No one said anything about seeing it, but there were two witnesses to this murder. Three, if you count the culprit.”
“Who are they? Can we talk to them?”
Eadric took her hand in his. Amorette had to admit the gesture made her feel better. Safer.
His gaze met hers, all serious. “You. Your father. You were both there.”
“Then why didn’t dad say something? He should have said something. He wouldn’t just let her die.”
“Amorette.” Eadric tightened his grasp on her. “Your mother died trying to save you. If I’m right, your father hatched a deal with Codex after that. Your life for his silence.”
“Why? I was a baby, why was I in danger?” She couldn’t grasp it. Codex didn’t make sense and her parents’ involvement even less so.
Eadric tugged her forward until he could reach a finger to tap the back of her shoulder. “This. This birthmark. I’m sure your parents didn’t know the extent of Codex’s corruption when they signed on, but there’s no going back once you’re in. They must have told someone about their marked daughter. Your mother is noble for taking a stand against them. Your father, as well.”
“You don’t know that. You’re speculating.” Amorette pulled back from him.
Her mother and father wouldn’t endanger her like that. No way.
Eadric sighed. “Shall we ask him, then?”
It was in that moment that Amorette realized what she truly believed. Years of strange dreams now made sense. One recurring phrase that she thought her overactive imagination made up on its own.
Not this. Not her.
Did her parents set her up to be murdered? Was her whole life a lie? How could anyone trade one life for another? None of it made logical sense, but somehow the knowledge forced her whole world to fall into place.
Her father’s absence. Her mother’s disappearance. The strange conversations she overheard as a child. For years, she lived in the serpent’s den, and she didn’t even know it. How deep did it go?
“Amorette.”
Eadric’s voice barely registered. Amorette didn’t know what to believe anymore. Her loving home? Gone. Her imaginations of finding her mother strong and healthy? Impossible.
“I need to talk to him.”
“Right now?”
Amorette nodded. It was the only way anything could make sense. If she asked her father directly. If she heard the story from his lips. “Can we go talk to him now?”
Eadric slipped from his chair. He slid the envelope into his pocket and took out his phone. “Collins? Start my car. We have places to go.”
[Episode 14]
A Game of Chess
AMORETTE NEVER LIKED the idea of her father locked in a basement, but somehow she understood the precaution now. He was still her dad, but that didn’t mean he was entirely innocent. The people he followed tried to shoot her. Judging from his reaction before the incident, he had an idea that they would.
Now, here she stood, ready to demand answers to questions he had ignored for far too long. Eadric’s steady presence in the shadows behind her lent to Amorette’s determination.
Joseph looked up from the cot in the corner. Sometime between his arrival and this meeting, Amorette figured Eadric provided him with the basics. She didn’t know why, but she was grateful.
Amorette folded her arms and lifted her chin. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Joseph turned back to the magazine in his hands. Every action spoke nonchalance, as if he didn’t care about the turmoil in his daughter’s head.
Amorette stormed across the room and ripped the magazine from his grasp. “Answer me! Why didn’t you tell me about mom? What really happened?”
“How do you know about that?” Joseph shot a look past her, the accusation in his gaze aimed toward Eadric.
Amorette didn’t care. “They killed her. And you let it happen.”
“Don’t blame me for saving your life.” Joseph snorted a humorless laugh. “Your mother didn’t understand how dangerous these people are. I loved her with all my being, but I wasn’t about to let her die in vain.”
“What did you do, dad? How much of your soul did you sell?”
“Codex isn’t the devil.” Joseph sat up and draped his arms over his knees. “But they’re the next best thing.”
“Tell her.”
Amorette looked over her shoulder at Eadric. Did he know more than he said? Did he know the whole story, without a doubt? Had he already asked?
“There’s nothing to tell her. It will only put her in more danger.”
“I’m dating Eadric, dad.” Amorette winced at her own words.
She didn’t mean them to sound so sharp or calculated. She figured he might tell her more if she had already thrown herself into the lion’s den.
Joseph laughed as if Amorette had meant it as a joke.
Amorette felt Eadric’s presence close in on her, until she could feel him standing over her, behind her. His fingers brushed the center of her back. Whether he meant it as encouragement or reassurance, she couldn’t tell.
“You said it yourself,” Eadric intoned. “She and I are destined, so why fight it?”
“She’s a child.”
“I’m a woman! I know my own mind. And twenty-three is hardly a child.”
“Says the woman staying with her step-mother and enduring abuse she didn’t have to take.” Joseph shrugged a shoulder. “You could have moved out a long time ago.”
Amorette paused. He had a point. She never had to take the beatings her step-mother gave, verbally or physically. But... “You wouldn’t have been able to find me.”
“All the better.”
“No, it isn’t.” Amorette shook her head. “You don’t get it, do you? You’re the only happy memory I have.”
Joseph worked his jaw back and forth. “I shouldn’t be. Because of me, you almost died twice now.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is true!” Joseph shot to his feet.
Eadric pulled Amorette behind his back. “Joseph, calm down. She deserves to know. Don’t be angry with her because of her ignorance. That’s your fault, not hers.”
Amorette peeked out to watch the following stare-off. Her father didn’t seem happy with Eadric’s interference, but all of them knew Joseph wouldn’t win in a one-on-one fight.
Finally, Joseph nodded. He sank back onto the cot. His head fell into his hands. “You were two the first time. Your mother and I argued all that time about whether to tell Codex about your mark. We’d seen the things they did to immortals and their mates. The experiments.”
“Why didn’t you leave? You could just run away.” Amorette stepped out from Eadric’s hold. As much as she enjoyed his protective streak, she had to face this one on her own.
“You don’t know Codex. Once we reached a rank high enough to learn of the experiments, we were required to take part. To report anyone who bore the birthmark.” Joseph scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “Your mother refused to hand you over. So I reported, hoping
they would understand because you were the daughter of their followers. I was wrong.”
“You were going to hand me over to them for... experiments?”
Amorette couldn’t quite believe what she heard. Her father loved her. She always believed that. Why would he do such a thing?
“No. I wouldn’t. Codex requires blind obedience, but I wouldn’t turn a blind eye this time. It’s different when it’s your child’s life.” Joseph glanced up. “So they came to retrieve you. Your mother stood in their way. They threatened her. There... was a fight. I should have intervened, but I didn’t. In the end, I made a deal. You could live, untouched, as long as I didn’t testify to the death.”
“You told emergency services that you didn’t see anything.” Amorette huffed a disbelieving breath. “How could you?”
“So you could live! Your mother died protecting you, I wasn’t about to let Codex take you.”
“So why call them now?”
“Because you’re with him.” Joseph jutted his chin in Eadric’s direction. “As far as we know, he’s the original immortal. The oldest and the most dangerous. Someone who isn’t on anyone’s side but his own. Someone who kills the innocent without remorse.”
“I’m not sure you should be one to judge on that.” Eadric chuckled. “And I have never, in my life, harmed an innocent person.”
“Think again.” Joseph laid back down and reached out to snatch the magazine back. “I’m done offering information. I’d appreciate it if you both left.”
Amorette blinked at the sudden tears. After so many years, her father felt more like a stranger. Had she ever been safe, for a single day in her life? What kind of person was she, that she assumed the people around her would protect her? How innocent and naive did she have to be to believe all the half-truths?
Her attention traveled to Eadric, who stood as poised and unfazed as ever. Did he really kill people? On occasion, he seemed dangerous. But homicidal? It didn’t quite fit what she knew about him.
“Let’s go for now.” Eadric held out an arm, a silent way to usher her toward the stairs.
Amorette let him lead her while her brain processed. Though the mother she hoped would one day return was dead, there was a certain level of comfort knowing that woman loved her enough to protect her. If only she understood why Codex so desperately wanted her, she might be able to live.
Amorette stepped out of the stairwell into the bright afternoon sunlight that streamed into the house.
Eadric’s hand reached forward. He laced his fingers through hers. “I’m sorry, Amorette.”
“Why?” She shrugged her shoulders. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Did you?”
Amorette didn’t want to have doubts about herself or Eadric, but suddenly they flooded her. What if her father was right and Eadric had been manipulating her this whole time? What if she wasn’t strong enough to get through this?
“I’m sorry you had to find out about your mother this way.” Eadric took a step closer. “I thought you should know so you could understand what we’re dealing with.”
“Did this all start because of the journal?”
“It did. I told you, you should have given it to me.”
“It’s too late now. I tried and you refused.” Amorette wrapped her free hand around their intertwined fingers. “You hated me at the beginning. What changed?”
“I did.”
“How?”
“I realized I became so accustomed to shutting everyone out, that I didn’t know how to understand others. No one questioned my orders and everyone did as they were told, without any emotional attachments.” He chuckled softly. “Then an energetic young lady entered my life. She didn’t want my money, she refused to do as I told her, and she had so many emotions I worried for her mental health. She made me understand that people aren’t always what you see on the surface.”
“Why me?”
Eadric tucked a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head back until her eyes met his. “No one else has dared to draw me out before. That’s what started it. Now... I simply can’t imagine coming home to a house devoid of your presence.”
“That’s a pretty good explanation. As far as explanations go.” Amorette couldn’t deny the rapidity of her heartbeat or the clamminess of her palms.
Eadric had a way with words, and it made her like him that much more. Forget the doubt and all that about him manipulating her. She understood what he meant. As if some strange connection wound itself through each of them.
Amorette couldn’t think of anything else to say. As far as days went, this one had been full of ups and downs. She still had work to do this afternoon, but part of her didn’t want to break this moment between herself and Eadric.
With a sigh, Eadric dropped his fingers from her chin. “We should return you to The Nook.”
“Yeah. We should.” Amorette scuffed a toe on the ground. “Can I do one thing first?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“It’s... embarrassing.” Amorette lifted one hand and crooked a finger at him. “Come closer.”
Eadric bent closer, his head turned so she might whisper in his ear.
Amorette took a breath. Blew it out. Slowly untangled her fingers from his. She raised on tiptoe to press a quick peck to Eadric’s cheek, then fled toward the car.
She didn’t look back to see his reaction, but if she had, she might have cherished the memory of Eadric’s genuine, wide smile.
FOR A WHILE, THINGS returned to normal. Days flew by in a flurry of activity. Collins and Bryant never left Amorette’s side during the day. Customers came and went through The Nook with a gusto never before seen in the establishment. Eadric holed up in his office to perform mundane tasks delegated to the CEO of a major corporation.
Somehow, Amorette and Eadric managed to hide their blossoming romance from Hunter. A wonder, since nightly dinner became a tradition in the manse.
Eadric developed a habit of sending too many affectionate smiles in Amorette’s direction. Amorette’s reaction depended on Hunter’s and Doon’s level of attention. Some evenings, she would glare. Sometimes, when Eadric timed their silent conversation right, Amorette would blush and smile back shyly.
Joseph remained a guest in the basement, guarded but allowed free reign of his own level of the house. It wasn’t for lack of trying to kick him out. Eadric couldn’t resist the man’s pleas for refuge. Apparently, the mansion remained the only shelter in the swirling hurricane of chaos. Joseph refused to leave his new hermitage.
No one heard anything more from Codex. Eadric received no more threatening phone calls, which unnerved him the most. Silence meant planning. Planning meant it was only a matter of time until the shoe dropped.
Still, everyone pressed on. A sort of daily routine developed between the four of them. One that threatened to crack should anyone take one misstep.
Eadric found stress relief in his practice. Deep in the bowels of Hawkmore Tower, he shut himself inside the studio and took up his staff. With nothing but dark memories, Eadric rehearsed battle with the skill of a seasoned dancer.
In his talented hands, the staff became an extension of his arm. A weapon meant not to destroy but to lend aid to those less fortunate.
For hours, Eadric practiced each movement. Stretched each muscle. He didn’t mind the sweat dripping into his eyes or the body heat warming the room. Here, he could strip off any pretense and be himself. Completely, totally, and without fail.
His phone chimed in the corner. Eadric paused to open the text message.
Running late tonight. Thirty extra minutes? Melodia needs organizational overhaul.
Eadric chuckled to himself. Amorette’s frustration with her boss came more from affection than annoyance. They both knew it. He typed a quick reply and dropped the phone in his pocket. He could use the extra time.
For so long, Eadric fought his imagination and memory with his training. Sometimes, he wished he could end all his suffering. That urge seemed les
s nowadays. Now that he had something to look forward to.
Still, Amorette didn’t know some of the things he had done. She would be surprised if he told her. The difference between traitors and patriots was merely on which side one stood.
Those things were the things he purged these days. Mistakes he made. Incidences where he regretted his choices. Most of all, he came here to purge the fear of hurting Amorette. No one had been around him without getting hurt before. It was the blessing and curse of his existence.
Eadric lost himself once more to the pull of his muscles and the whoosh and clack of the staff.
Ancient battles played in his mind, memories of people he outlived and things he wished never to see again.
Regrets.
Losses.
Failures.
Eadric's phone buzzed in his pocket. The longer tones indicated an incoming call.
Amorette must need more time than she originally suggested. She only ever called when she needed to beg forgiveness or make a request.
“What is it this time?” Eadric answered good-naturedly.
“I was thinking we should play a game.”
Eadric’s blood ran cold. He knew better than to let his guard down. He should have expected this. The voice on the other end. The man who disguised himself behind the curtain of Codex. “What kind of game?”
“Chess seems appropriate. White knight. Black king.” A chuckle. “You pick who you think you are out of the two.”
“Alright. Tell me the time and place. We’ll sit down and play.” Eadric struggled to keep his voice calm, his tone even. He couldn’t let on about his rage or annoyance.
Another chuckle assaulted Eadric’s ears. “You foolish man. I’ve already made my first move.”
The room went black. Sudden silence echoed around Eadric. His fingers tightened on the staff. A dull green light slowly illuminated the room.
A power outage. Something Hawkmore Tower had prepared for but never experienced.
Eadric made his way to the door and unlatched it. “What’s this, then? Sabotage? It won’t hurt the business much.”
“I’ll take this as your first move and make my next. You may want to catch up if you have any hope of winning.”
Codex Page 21
