The Decoder - Chapter 34

Edith

Edith ached for Avery as she listened to his story of his past. She finally understood why he never spoke of his past and his anger. Grateful that he had finally open himself to her. It pained her to great lengths to watch his vulnerability as his shoulders shook uncontrollably, crying out all his frustrations. She wanted to hold him in her arms forever and never let go. She wanted to be his support, wanted to be there for him always.

In addition, the revelation of her father’s coded message had shocked her beyond boundaries. She could finally see the full picture after piecing the missing puzzles together. Before Avery’s presence had interrupted her thoughts, she had been mulling and collecting her thoughts after she decoded the final sentence of the message. It all made sense to her now. The only puzzle now was His Majesty, Lord Noel.

“Avery, you need to stay away from the High Commander.” Edith said once Avery had calmed down and composed himself.

Avery pulled away from her and she could see he was slowly digesting her words. His handsome face was streaked with tears and his eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. This was the first time Edith had seen Avery shed tears. She reached for the edge of her scarf and brought it to his cheeks, gently wiping his tears away while his arms still clamped tightly around her waist.

“What do you mean?” He asked slowly, his brows furrowing.

“I finally solved the entire message. Stay here while I get the paper.” Edith rose to her feet and staggered a little. The feeling in her feet was gone from staying at the position for some time. Avery’s hand shot up to her bandaged hand to steady her.

“I’m fine.” Edith assured him and stepped away from their little cocoon that was his legs. She walked quickly to where she had left her journal and papers and picked the decoded message up. She reread the message again just to convinced herself this was all real.

“My Dearest Edith,

There’s a crucial information I wish to impart you with. There’s a reason I brought Avery to the Alcoft cottage and you might be surprised by this information. I’m protecting Avery from High Commander Ekker. You see, Avery is the second son of His Majesty, Lord Sykes and the second prince of Hathage Kingdom, and His Majesty has plans for Avery to rule the army as their commander. He has drawn Ekker’s attention as he sees a potential in Avery, his determination and quick wits made him suitable to be Ekker’s aide. However, His Majesty was against it as Avery’s future has been determined to be the Royal Army Commander. Ekker will not rest and he is rather persistent in his goal. He wishes to use Avery for his evil plans in conquering the land. His Majesty was standing in his way and Ekker is not pleased with me interfering in his plans as I opposed them. It’s only a matter of time before Ekker finds us, and I believe he is behind His Majesty’s murder. Edith, please protect Avery from Ekker.

Yours sincerely,

Your loving father”

Indeed, the message was rather long for a coded message, and she marveled her father’s brilliant mind in coding them to fit into the small parchment that was later placed in her pendant. She hadn’t slept for two days and she was beginning to feel the exhaustion taking the toll of her body. She could feel the rage burning in her again as she recalled the night her father was shot, most likely under the High Commander’s order. And, it was unlikely a coincidence when High Commander Ekker showed up in front of Avery shortly after. There was a possibility he ordered his Elites to track him after successfully killing her father.

She swallowed her anger because now was not the time to lash out. She needed to be rational. Edith turned to return to Avery, but he was already standing before her, and she almost slammed into his broad chest. Avery steadied her with his strong grip at her shoulders.

“Here.” Edith handed him the decoded message and he took it. She watched him as he perused the message and by the time he reached the end, his grip on the paper tightened, crumpling the edge, crushing them. He drew several deep breaths and scrubbed his hand down his face once before resting his gloved hand on his mouth. Edith gave him time to collect himself. His gaze was everywhere, darting left and right before resting on her. He let his hand fall to his side moments later.

“So, my suspicions have been right.” Avery gritted his teeth and his jaw clenched.

“Your suspicions?” Edith cocked her head to the side.

“Yes, he ordered me to…find out about this coded message and even requested for your father’s journal. He knew about your father’s message from Lady Ada.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Edie. I should have told you earlier, but I was promised the position of General if I complete the assignment. I was consumed by my hatred toward my brother…” Avery fixed his gaze on her, never breaking from hers.

Edith only gaped at him in disbelief. She had been…his pawn all this time? She shook her head and took a step backwards. His hands instantly shot out and pulled her into his arms, one hand cupped the back of her head as he gently forced her head to rest on his left shoulder, while the other hand circled her waist tightly, not allowing her to escape.

“I’m sorry, Edie. Truly. I did not know the High Commander is behind my father’s murder…I foolishly fell into his trap. Please trust me.” He kissed the top of her head and continued to hold her.

Edith closed her eyes, willing herself to understand his circumstances. All in all, Avery himself had been a pawn as well, doing all that was requested of the High Commander. Her hatred for the High Commander had increased tenfold and she couldn’t wait to squash him. He had been the mastermind behind all this.

“I understand…” Edith said softly as she pushed herself away from Avery’s shoulder to look up at him.

“I’m sorry, love…” Avery repeated and cupped her face before lowering his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly, a soft, passionate and deep-searing kiss as he explored her mouth a moment longer. The flutters in her stomach were going wild again. It had gone wild when he’d embraced her from behind earlier. Avery pulled away for air and her legs felt wobbly as she recovered from the kiss, wanting more, but she needed to focus on the matter at hand.

“You mentioned you have your suspicions, what do you mean by that?” Edith asked once she caught her breath, looking up at him.

“When he assigned the assignment to find out the coded message your father left behind and later requested for your father’s journal, I was curious why he was suddenly interested. He had known about your father’s coded message from Lady Ada.” Avery explained as he lowered his arms, circled her waist and rested his clasped hands on the small of her back, pressing her close against his chest while her own hands were pressed to his broad chest. She could barely feel the hard muscles beneath the layers of clothes. If he was only wearing his shirt…She shook her head, dispelling those thoughts.

Edith liked it when she was in his arms, she felt protected, felt safe, and secretly wished she could stay in his arms like that forever.

“Are you alright?” Avery asked, looking down at her with concern.

“Yes.” She could feel the heat creeping up to her cheeks and hastily tried to shift her attentions back to the conversation.

“I never suspected Lady Ada all this while. Never thought she will betray her own kingdom…She was originally a spy for Hathage, according to Sera.”

“I wonder how she met the High Commander.” Avery drawled.

“What do you think of the High Commander?” Edith asked, enjoying the warmth radiating from him.

“I’m never fond of him. In fact, I don’t feel comfortable around him at all, and I had no choice but to follow his commands because of the…promised position. However, I never had much choice anyway. Anyone who disobeys the High Commander is one step towards death door.” Avery sighed and rested his chin on her head as he pulled her tight against him, pressing their bodies together.

“I feel like tearing him apart for all these miseries…But, I may not have the chance to meet you.” Avery said softly.

“Fate brought us together.” Edith whispered against his chest and she circled her arms to his back, lightly clutching the leather of his coat.

“I met Mr. Roan as well.” He said after pressing a soft kiss to her temple.

“What? Is he well? Where did you meet him?” Edith eased away; her hazel eyes fixated on his emerald ones.

“I met him at Yvyle Forest during my two weeks assignment. He never return to Hathage because he prefers to live in the shadows, after what happened to him. He recognised me and told me his story. That’s when my suspicions toward the High Commander grew. Don’t worry, Mr. Roan is doing well.” Avery gave a small smile.

“I see…It’s good to hear that he is safe.” But she was surprised by the fact that Mr. Roan did not return to Hathage as was intended. How had he been surviving and hiding from the Militia’s soldiers and Elites. Sera, no doubt. Edith recalled Sera mentioning his name during her abduction episode.

A moment’s silence reigned as they enjoyed each other’s embrace in their little bubble while Edith’s thoughts continued to whirl with the information she was absorbing. Then, Edith broke the silence.

“Your assignment at Yvyle Forest is related to ‘Operation Z’, am I correct?”

* * * * *

“This is shocking.” Lucien said dumbly, his ice-blue eyes widening as he placed the piece of paper, which contained the decoded message onto the coffee table in Avery’s office.

“That’s why we will need your help.” Avery said, his arms crossed at the chest as he leaned back into his armchair.

Edith’s gaze darted between the two men who were close friends from her position on the couch facing Lucien. She and Avery had returned to the Militia late in the evening and Avery had directed to his office and instructed to stay while he went to call for Lucien. Avery then explained the situation to him and confessed the details of the operation to her, and as she knew, it was a planned assault attack against Hathage, gathering all their best soldiers, equipment, weapon and bombs to charge into Hathage. From his description, it sounded almost impossible to stop this operation with just the three of them. She couldn’t involve Caden and Merille in this.

“We are powerless against the High Commander. Are you sure about this?” Lucien asked, his eyes narrowed to slits at Avery.

“We need a plan.”

“This is literally a suicide attempt. You are aware that the High Commander himself will be present at the operation?”

“The High Commander will oversee this operation?” Edith asked. This was new information to her.

“Yes. Along with his daughter.” Lucien replied.

At the mention of Miss Ira, Edith stilled for a moment, recalling the coded message Sera had stolen from her and forced her to decode it. She was definitely part of the operation.

“That will make things complicated…” Edith said softly, staring at her bandaged hands on her lap.

“Damn it!” Avery swore under his breath. He stood and paced the room, his hand raked through his hair, disheveling them from their neat locks.

“If only I could kill him with my bare hands…”

“Now, that’s not rational thinking, Avery.” Lucien said, his expression hardened.

“He murdered my father, Lucien.” Avery said through gritted teeth, clenching his fists so tight that his fingernails dug into his skin.

“I know. But we can’t just kill him. There will be chaos.”

“He is right.” Edith agreed. As much as she wanted to crush the High Commander as well, there will be chaos if he was found dead. What will be of Miss Ira and the citizens of Rayard?

Avery groaned and stood at the window, staring out at the darkness beyond. Silence reigned in the atmosphere, and Edith struggled to think of ideas other than confronting the High Commander herself, and she knew it was a foolish notion. Avery would definitely wring her neck for even voicing out the suggestion. The three of them were quiet and it was Avery who finally broke the silence.

“I will speak to Ira.”

* * * * *

Avery tucked Edith to bed, pulling the counterpane all the way to the bottom of her chin. He was grateful for the small bedchamber adjoining his office, which he’d requested when he was promoted to Captain and was given this office. There were nights where he would spend the night in his office, hence the purpose of the small bedchamber.

Edith had drifted off during their discussion, and he understood that she must be weary to the bone. He could guess she hadn’t slept for at least three days. The thought rankled him. He did not like seeing Edith in this state, did not like that she couldn’t care a thing or two about her health. He shook his head. Now was not the right timing to think of such things. There were dire matters to look into.

He brushed a stray hair away from her cheek and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before straightening and left the bedchamber, closing the door softly. Avery strode back to the armchair and settled himself in it, releasing a heavy sigh.

“So, you’re a prince.” Lucien said nonchalantly, watching his friend.

“A second.”

“Still a prince.” The corners of Lucien’s mouth lifted.

“I did not expect it at all. But then, we did not truly know each other’s background to begin with.” Lucien continued and sipped his brandy which Avery had poured earlier.

“I never intended for anyone to find out about my past. It’s not worth mentioning as it only brings nightmares.” Avery rested his right elbow on the armchair and rested his chin on his knuckles.

“Not even Edith?”

“No. The only people who knew my past are the High Commander, Ira and Edith’s father.” And Mr. Roan. But Avery did not bother to add because Mr. Roan had no idea, he’d been alive all this while.

“I see…” Lucien said.

“Now that you know a secret of mine, why not share one of yours?” Avery smirked.

Lucien was silent for a few minutes, his gaze drifted to the window ahead of him, as if reminiscing his past. The few minutes stretched. He was silent for so long that Avery thought it must be uncomfortable for Lucien to share a secret of his and opened his mouth to not bother sharing if it was troubling him. But Lucien beat him to it.

“I was born into royalty as well. Like you, I’m a prince, too. The Crown Prince.”

Avery was stunned speechless as he stared at his friend. It took him a moment to absorb the information, but he couldn’t form the words.

“Shocking isn’t it? Unlike you, I ran away from my duties because I do not have the wits and courage to lead a kingdom. My passion to lead a kingdom is virtually nonexistent as my interests lie elsewhere.”

“Which kingdom?” Avery asked softly.

“Not a kingdom, but Avreles Empire.”

Another shocking blow. The Avreles Empire was the largest empire in the north. They are surrounded by cold climate all year round and it is the empire that had been Rayard and Hathage’s regular importer of food and timber supplies, providing Rayard and Hathage a steady revenue. While Rayard and Hathage’s military power ruled the air, Avreles ruled the seas. There were also rumours about sorcerers residing in the empire, but Avery wasn’t certain about it.

“I have heard rumours about sorcerers in Avreles Empire.”

Avery noticed at the mentioned of ‘sorcerers’, Lucien flinched.

“I don’t wish to talk about them…” Lucien said quietly.

“You have traveled a long way.” Seeing how his friend was behaving a guarded way, Avery decided to steer away from that topic. Maybe he had a bad experience with them. After all, the rumours he’d heard about the sorcerers, weren’t good rumours.

“Indeed. But it makes me a coward. No doubt, my childhood friend sees me as one as well.” Lucien closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

“Everyone has their own weaknesses. It’s whether one is strong enough to face it. I don’t see you as a weak person at all, Lucien. No, you’re far from it. You survived on your own all the way from north to west. Truthfully, I do not know if I have the strength for that.” Avery smiled.

“You gave me credit for my cowardice.” Lucien scoffed and took another sip of his brandy.

“You do know that I admire your strength and vigilance. Now that I know your past, my admiration for you has increased tenfold.”

“You jest.”

“I speak the truth. Now where were we in our plans?” Avery smirked.

* * * * *

It had been three days after the revelation and Edith had penned a letter to Sera, enclosing her father’s message to her as she decided to trust in her childhood friend again. It was time to settle the dispute between them. She had even written to request Sera’s help in conveying the truth to His Majesty, Lord Noel and for him to reconcile with Avery. And, finally, her request for a meetup at her uncle’s clinic on the 7th day of the week. She had received a return letter yesterday, with the agreement to meetup on the aforementioned date and venue.

Today, is the 7th day of the week and the New Year celebrations was in full-swing. The atmosphere was filled with mirth and joy, decorations of colourful lanterns lined the entire streets, banners with words of “Let’s welcome the New Year!” were hung on some of the shop’s storefront, and fireworks were set-up on the stage at the City Square. Various stalls lined the entire square, people milling about, laughing with excitement. Some were even dressed in colourful attire, as if unaware of the brewing dispute between the two kingdoms.

Edith strolled down the streets, taking in the merriment of her surroundings and treating herself to some delicious steamed puffs. Avery wasn’t able to join her as he was occupied with his work and finalising the plans to thwart ‘Operation Z’ in secret. He did not have the full authority, but they agreed that there was no point in persuading the High Commander to cancel the operation. It would only create suspicions. She had shared the coded message with Caden and Merille as well, trusting them to keep it to only themselves. They were stunned by the revelation and had asked if they could do anything to help. Edith did not know the full details of Avery’s final plans, yet, hence she couldn’t share the details to them.

As Edith made her way to Dastren Street, the crowd had grown thinner, no doubt most of them were enjoying themselves at the City Square. She took one last bite of her steamed puff when suddenly, a blur of a hand shot out from one of the alleys and grabbed her upper arm. She was hauled sideways and before she could scream or alert the passersby, a fist cut to the nape of her neck rendered her motionless, her surroundings tilted in its axis as the world around her swirled to darkness.

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