Codex

by Megan Fatheree

  On the way back to Eadric’s mansion, Nanette peeled layer after layer from her slim body. Scarves littered the back of the SUV, along with two coats and a pair of gloves. Everything that added bulk and changed her appearance eventually sat in a mountain behind her. Nanette swept her hands back through her raven hair and pulled it into a ponytail.

  Without the makeup and the clothes, Nanette looked entirely different. She had always been striking, but this woman held an aura of danger Eadric didn’t remember from last time. He was glad she was on his side.

  “Stay here.” Eadric shot her a fierce look as he slid out of the car. A quick jog inside revealed everyone huddled in the living area.

  “Oh, you’re back?” Melodia jogged over and looped her arm through his. “The EMTs have been here and gone. The guard puppies are taking it well, but Doon is complaining. We can’t find Hunter or Amorette, and apparently the guy you locked in the basement is gone, too.”

  “I know.” Eadric extracted his arm from Melodia’s. A quick nod in Doon’s direction had the man up and running behind Eadric.

  A quick trip upstairs took Eadric straight to his bedroom. Doon entered the room at the same time Eadric snatched the broadsword from its wall mount.

  “What’s going on?” Doon eyed the weapon suspiciously.

  Eadric reached for the stand of bow-staffs nearby. “You know how to use a staff, don’t you?” He plucked one of the choicer ones from its confines and tossed it to Doon.

  Doon caught it in one hand. “Codex has her, don’t they?”

  “Are you going to fight with me or stay here?”

  “Of course I’m fighting. Not even a question.” Doon anchored the staff against his shoulder. “You’re leaving the security guys with Melodia, right?”

  “She’s not in danger. Codex has what they want.”

  Still, Eadric wondered why they needed innocent little Amorette in the first place. It never made sense to him, why they attempted to kill her as a child.

  Doon nodded and motioned to the door. “After you, then.”

  Eadric didn’t waste time or words. The car still waited, one door open and a dark-haired immortal in the front seat.

  Doon paused before he slid into the back seat. “Okay, I give. Who’s this?”

  “Nanette, meet Doon. His family has served me well for a long time.” Eadric slammed his door and sped down the lane.

  “A pleasure to meet you.” Nanette smiled.

  Doon huffed. “You mean there are more people like you and I’m just now getting an introduction? This seems unfair.”

  “I think it’s unfair that Eadric is bringing a child to a mature fight, but you don’t see me complaining.”

  Eadric slammed a hand against the steering wheel. “Stop it, both of you. I refuse to listen to your bickering.”

  “Ooh, the tiger arises.” Nanette laughed. “You always did burn hot.”

  “I’ll thank you to shut your mouth before I take matters into my own hands.” Eadric shot Nanette a look that brooked no argument. He couldn’t take any sass or attitude right now. They had places to be and he couldn’t get there fast enough.

  THE SECOND TIME, AMORETTE woke to a sharp pain against her scalp. A breath caught in her throat.

  “Wakey, wakey, little one.”

  The voice still sounded familiar. Amorette pried her eyes open, only to find another face inches from hers.

  Imran Blakely smiled and gave her hair another tug. “There she is. Did you think I’d let you sleep to your heart’s content? I know how the drug works. It wore off ages ago.”

  “Hunter...” Amorette didn’t bother to finish the sentence. She knew he betrayed them. She wished she could understand why.

  “Don’t try calling for help. You’re pitiful enough as it is.” Imran sighed. “I had a modicum of respect for you, you know. Always a survivor. Always the first to admit her wrongs. It’s a pity, really. I didn’t want to end you this way.”

  “Why...” Amorette swallowed. If her mouth weren’t so dry, she would ask all kinds of questions. “Why do I have to die?”

  “You’re his.” Imran released her hair.

  Amorette took a deep breath, mentally preparing for whatever came next. If she could keep him talking, she could buy some time. Unfortunately, Amorette didn’t have that luxury.

  “Let’s see how quickly we can summon him, hm?” Imran motioned to someone behind Amorette. “Hold her still. If she moves, use force.”

  Amorette tried to struggle, but her limbs felt heavy. Ropes tied her too tightly to the chair. She couldn’t stop the hands that pulled her head back and held it still.

  Imran tapped his fingers on the rim of a bucket. “Now. You tell me what I want to know, or you get hurt.”

  Amorette snorted her disdain. “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “I respect that, but it’s the wrong decision.” Imran swept the bucket of water from the table. “Hold her mouth open.”

  There was no way to fight the onslaught of water that burned her lungs.

  THE MINIMAL INSTRUCTIONS from Nanette steered them right into the middle of a field of factories and warehouses. Eadric parked the SUV and glanced around outside. They were on Codex’s turf now. No doubt guards or cameras were stationed somewhere nearby.

  “We should go on foot from here on out,” Nanette suggested.

  Eadric opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Instead, a burn started in his lungs and stole his breath. Eadric sputtered and coughed, bracing against the steering wheel in an attempt to free himself from the pain.

  “Mr. Hawkmore!”

  “Eadric!”

  Nanette and Doon reached for him at the same time. Doon slapped a hand against his back, while Nanette checked vitals.

  As suddenly as it started, the burning stopped. Eadric waved a hand, breathless. “I’m... fine.” He tried to take deep breaths. Whatever that was, it didn’t bode well.

  Nanette slipped out of her seat-belt. “Keep an eye on him, Doon. This isn’t normal.”

  “Oh, you’re telling me?” Doon rolled his eyes. “You should keep an eye on him too.”

  “I’m fine.” Eadric opened his door. “We don’t have time for this, let’s go.”

  Nanette and Doon spared each other one glance before they jumped out of the car.

  Eadric clenched a fist around the hilt of his sword. He didn’t like the implications of the pain in his chest. No matter the hypothesis, it seemed hopeless.

  Three sets of boots clopped on the concrete below them.

  Nanette rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms.

  Doon kept the staff securely against his shoulder.

  Silence echoed through the buildings. A stiff wind swept through the alleys and swirled around the three intruders.

  Eadric listened for any sounds of life. The distant thrum of machinery rumbled from one of the factories. A generator, perhaps? He pointed two fingers in that direction.

  With each camera they passed, Eadric drew to one conclusion. Imran wanted him here. If Imran didn’t want him, Codex would already have countermeasures in place. The quiet spoke volumes more than their usual outcry.

  Eadric tried the factory door first, somehow unsurprised to find it unlocked. As if an invitation had been extended.

  The main floor might have once held all kinds of machines, but today it sat mostly empty. A few tables scattered here and there, but that wasn’t the focal point of Eadric’s attention.

  A chair near the tables held the only thing that mattered. Amorette’s hair and clothes were drenched with water, her breathing labored but rhythmic. Eadric bounded two steps toward her.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Imran stepped from the shadowy corner behind her. In one hand, he twirled a sharp dagger. In the other, he carried a sword very similar to Eadric’s.

  Eadric paused and held a hand behind himself, signaling Nanette and Doon to hold still.

  “What have you done to her?”

  AM
ORETTE COULDN’T BELIEVE he came. The longer she spent strapped to this chair, the more she convinced herself she wouldn’t live to see another day. Yet, Eadric stood before her, a sword in one hand. This had to be the end. He would keep her safe.

  Imran appeared in her peripheral vision, making his way in front of her. “It’s not so much what I’ve done to her, but what I’m doing to you.”

  “I thought we were past these childish grudges.” Eadric’s gaze remained locked on Amorette.

  Amorette offered a soft, weak smile. He needed that much reassurance. At the rate he frowned, his face would get stuck like that.

  Imran chuckled. “Childish? No. This is far from childish. I’m only doing to you what you did to me.”

  “I told you then, I didn’t know it was her.”

  Amorette blinked. This conversation turned stranger the more she heard. She forced her head higher, hoping to catch an explanation in the way they looked at each other.

  “Of course it was her. You know where I met her. You knew where her loyalties lied.” Imran sneered. “You killed mercilessly.”

  “I did my duty as a soldier serving my nation.” Eadric took a step forward.

  Imran took a step back and flipped his dagger in his fingers. “Stop. Or she dies.”

  Eadric halted mid-step.

  Amorette looked past him to see Doon creep along the wall, a long stick in his hands. Whatever his plan, he couldn’t see the dozen or more Codex members on the balcony above. She glanced between Eadric and Doon, unsure which to deal with first.

  “Don’t, Imran. Kill me instead. I’m the one you want. Now that I’ve found her, it’s possible.” Eadric’s fingers tightened on his sword until his knuckles turned white. “Leave her alone.”

  “Like you left Brigit alone?” Imran shook his head. “Pathetic creature. You don’t know, do you? Her pain is your pain. Anything that happens to her, you feel a hundred-fold.”

  “You want me to suffer, so make me suffer. I’ll die in her place.”

  “Eadric...” Amorette couldn’t let him do that, no matter what happened. She couldn’t explain it, but she needed him. He couldn’t leave her like that.

  Eadric shook his head, an infinitesimal movement that Amorette hardly even saw. “Just end me now, Imran. It’s the punishment you think I deserve.”

  “No. It isn’t.” Imran’s fingers flexed around his dagger. “You deserve a much worse punishment. Don’t you know that an infinite life of pain is worse than death?”

  Amorette flicked a glance to Doon, who stepped out from under the balcony. One of the Codex members crawled to the balcony railing, ready to spring.

  Amorette pooled her strength and projected her voice. “Doon! Above you!”

  Everything began in a flash.

  Doon looked up and side-stepped the man who launched himself downward.

  Eadric sprinted forward toward Amorette.

  Imran spun and crouched, one arm extended.

  A searing heat blossomed in Amorette’s gut and stole her breath. Her head jerked forward, sending her wet hair into her face.

  Eadric doubled over with a cry.

  “I’m truly sorry, little one,” Imran shrugged a shoulder.

  Amorette met Imran’s steely gaze, then let her eyes trail down.

  Imran’s hand clutched the intricate handle of a sharp blade. Blood seeped out and stained his fingers. Another tug on the blade pulled it back out.

  Amorette gasped a breath as her body jerked. Warm liquid seeped through her shirt and dampened her skin.

  A shout cleared the cotton from Amorette’s ears. Eadric sprang into action, his sword poised to slice Imran in half.

  Imran was quicker.

  Swords clashed and sparks flew in time to Amorette’s attempt to breathe. Blood dripped from Imran’s dagger as he swung it at Eadric’s stomach.

  The clack of the staff hitting bone and flesh resounded from the other side of the room. Amorette managed to focus long enough to note a tall, dark-haired woman fighting alongside Doon.

  A scream wormed its way out from Amorette’s throat as Imran’s sword whizzed just above her head.

  Eadric swung his sword again and used the momentum to switch places with Imran. A single foot planted to the center of the chair tipped it over.

  Amorette’s head and back hit the floor. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Her vision blurred and warped. The warmth that had started seeping onto her abdomen had wormed its way over the majority of her shirt.

  Amorette rolled her head to see the progress of the fight, but it was useless. She couldn’t focus enough to see anything. Despite her mental fight, Amorette gave in to the blackness.

  EADRIC FORCED HIS MUSCLES to work, despite the ache in his abdomen and the blur of his vision. If it was the last thing he did, he would make Imran pay for this. He needed one chance. One straight shot. If Nanette were right, Imran’s weakness sat closer than anyone realized.

  “It’s in our nature,” Nanette had said. “We can’t help it that our hearts begin to thaw when we meet our true love. Imran’s heart is soft. Everything else may heal, but not his heart.”

  Eadric slammed his sword against Imran’s again and held, long enough to squeeze his eyes shut.

  Focus. He had to focus and end this quickly. Amorette didn’t have much time. Imran knew what he was doing when he stabbed her. His aim wouldn’t have missed.

  “Giving up so soon?” Imran clucked his tongue and shoved Eadric off of him.

  Eadric opened his eyes to glare. “Not hardly.” He motioned for Imran to proceed.

  The heart. He needed a straight shot to Imran’s heart. Eadric didn’t know how he would manage it, but he would. It had to be him who took care of Imran, The Benefactor. Imran's own personal grudge had manipulated too many lives over the years. No longer.

  Eadric waited for Imran to charge and swept for the professor’s legs. The broadsword made contact with a knee at the same time Imran’s sword made contact with Eadric’s shoulder.

  It was a glance, at best. Eadric could pay that price for the woman he loved.

  Imran fell to one knee, but it didn’t deter him from lunging again. Eadric dodged sideways and swiped at Imran’s wrist. The dagger fell to the floor and skittered a few inches away.

  Imran growled and angled his sword toward Eadric’s arm. Their weapons clashed again, this time hard enough to entangle them. Feet and arms shuffled together as each tried to pull away. In the end, both tossed their sword.

  Eadric threw the first punch, landing it squarely against Imran’s jaw.

  Imran barely flinched. Their fists launched at each other, bloodying and bruising faces and arms and chests.

  Imran sprang at Eadric and managed to clamor atop him. Punch after punch landed by Eadric’s eye, on his jaw, against his cheek.

  Eadric took each hit with the steely determination of a skilled fighter. His arm extended, his fingers searching for something to even the score. They met with the handle of a bloodied dagger.

  Eadric slowly tucked it against his palm. He had one shot to get this perfect. His aim needed to hit the target the first time.

  As best he could with fists flying against his head, Eadric judged the measurements of Imran’s body and mentally drew an X over the target.

  A breath centered him.

  Focus distracted Imran from the obvious.

  Eadric pulled his arm back and plunged the dagger into Imran’s chest.

  Imran froze, his eyes wide in surprise. A question hung silently between the two men. Neither bothered to answer. Crimson blood leaked from the corner of Imran’s lips.

  Imran huffed a raspy chuckle. “It doesn’t matter. She’s as good as dead.”

  Eadric shoved the man off of him. He didn’t care that the dagger still lay embedded in Imran’s chest. He didn’t notice the sirens in the distance. All that mattered was the unconscious woman bleeding out onto the floor. Eadric crawled his way to her side.

  The ropes binding her had bee
n tied too tightly. He could see the red where the skin rubbed raw. Eadric clawed at the knots until they fell apart. Until Amorette fell limp against the floor.

  “Amorette...” Eadric gathered her into his arms, oblivious to his own injuries. “My love... come back to me.” He smoothed a bloody hand against her cheek.

  She couldn’t leave him like this. He couldn’t lose her, not after all he went through to get her. She looked so pale.

  A set of knees hit the ground beside him. “Mi Amor...” Hunter stuffed a towel against her abdomen and pressed his hands down.

  Eadric shoved Hunter’s hands away. “You brought her to this. This is your fault.”

  “He promised he wouldn’t hurt her. I didn’t think he would...” Hunter sat back on his heels. His fingers scraped through his hair. “He promised.”

  “If you’re going to blame everyone else for your incompetence, leave now.” Eadric pressed his own hand against the quickly reddening towels. “If not, do something useful.”

  “I called an ambulance. They’re on their way.” Hunter swallowed. “She’s going to be okay, right? She can’t die like this.”

  “If you don’t want to be wrapped up in this, get out now.” Eadric sighed. For Amorette, he would give Hunter one chance. He didn’t believe Hunter was truly evil, but he had been manipulated by a lying father. “Go now. Leave, run far away, and never show your face in front of me or Amorette again.”

  “Will she be okay?”

  “I’ll make sure of it. Go.”

  Hunter scrambled to his feet and backed away, slowly at first and then faster. Until he raced out the doors and disappeared.

  Eadric turned his attention back to the woman in his arms. “Please, my love, don’t leave me...”

  A STEADY BEEP CHIMED in the cool air. The fog cleared slowly, parting to make way for coherency.

  Amorette’s eyes fluttered open, then closed again. The bright lights blinded her, and her body screamed its protest. A groan slipped from her lips.

  “Amorette?”

  The feminine voice seemed familiar, but in her groggy state, Amorette couldn’t place it. If she wanted to know its owner, Amorette knew she would have to open her eyes. She pried first one, then the other open.