Cipher Code {complete}

Chapter Fifty Three: Night Strike.

Philips woke up to soft orange light floating around the edges of his eyes and a small but firm hand pressed against his forehead. Once again he thought of heaven, but this time his gaze was fixed on the little person that knelt over him.

A child, his eyes met hers, again? The color of her irises shocked him, somehow they looked familiar. Blue specked with gold, where had he seen the before?

"You're awake." She tilted her head slightly as she observed him and her hair caught in the orange light, making it seem as though the silky strands were engulfed in flames. "Good."

"Where am I?" He asked the almost angelic beauty in front of him, noting her striking resemblance to the other impossibly beautiful child that had threatened him and Isaac. "Where is your brother?"

He didn't let his voice betray his uncertainty. Now he noticed that his chest was covered, he recognized the material as one of the linen shirts E had given them. It was surprisingly softly, delectably warm and not at all uncomfortable.

Since when were clothes this enjoyable? Soon he was lost in a myriad of thoughts. Why were children the only survivors in this town? Were they the only ones?

Then what about Elton? The soldier's throat went dry. His eyes shifted to the girl. Would she know of the man?

She raised a brow, seeming to be genuinely surprised by his questions. "I thought you'd ask for your friend first?"

"Well, E saved my life. I owe him one." Philip rolled his eyes and tried to sit up, only for his body to be wracked with pain. "Your brother. . . He's really something."

"Yes," she seemed to agreed with him as she pushed his body back to the floor, but then her eyes narrowed and her voice dropped in degrees. "But you should be careful, I've been told that I'm the dangerous one."

Philip gulped, feeling threatened all over again. "I. . . I'd agree with them." he stuttered and she smiled.

"You should call me, E. Since you already address my brother that way."

"But-"

She cut him off. "We're one and the same. It doesn't matter what you think about it."

"Fine." Philip swallowed with difficulty. "Then I assume you know the terms he forced us to agree to?"

She paused for a second and wondered what the girl was thinking. It was obvious that she and her brother were different entities. She hadn't been there when the whole conversation transpired. Was she going to try and guess?

Maybe I can use this to my advantage. . .

"You never agreed to anything." She laughed, as though what he said had been a joke. "But seeing as you collapsed so abruptly I had to relent a bit and give you the next dose of the antidote."

And here she is, speaking like she is E herself. Philip stretched his neck in hopes of getting his gaze past the girl to the rest of the room behind her. Where had the boy and Issac gone to?

Don't tell me Issac actually agreed to this nonsense?

"Don't worry," the girl took a step as though she could read his mind, "the room is empty but they'll be back any moment now. You'll be able to discuss things properly with your friend then."

"Why do you two want to go to the capital?" Philip asked, genuinely curious.

"Our parents are gone and our town is dead." Edythe shrugged and stared at her fingers. "We've tried to leave on our own already, it almost killed us. It'll almost kill you too."

Orphans. Philip felt his heart break and despite himself he couldn't stop his outburst. "Then why are you adamant on leaving!"

"Because," she held his gaze, her eyes a sad shade of blue, "staying here will kill us."

"Oh," Philip felt a crushing pain in his chest when he realized that they had been surviving in this monster-infested town while he and the rest of the soldiers had been idling their way here.

The guilt crushed him. "When do you think I'll be able to sit up? I'm not much use to you as an invalid. . ."

Before she could answer, the door to the little shack burst open. Philip thought the girl would be happy to see her brother but the knife she held tightly as a weapon made him reconsider that thought completely.

"Bloody-!" He could barely contain his curse as she hurled the kitchen implement at E.

The boy seemed so lost in thought that he didn't see it coming. Philip watched the knife soar past his cheek and embed itself by Issac's still form.

"Eddy." E said finally, his eyes meeting hers before avoiding them completely. For the first time since he woke up Philip saw vulnerability in the child. "I'm sorry."

"You left without me, and with that demon no less." She raised her head in indignation, her eyes burning with fury.

Esau turned and frowned as he pulled out the knife. The tip of its edge dripped with a black liquid. "Al. . . I think he killed the soldiers."

"I should have killed him." Eddy-Philp liked that name-scowled. "He followed you back, you know?"

"He did?" E seemed surprised, then his gaze fell to the knife. "You poisoned him," the boy dropped the knife as though it burnt him, "just now."

Philip watched the knife clatter to the floor, his heart growing cold. He hadn't sensed any other presence. Is she lying then? He winced as the wood beneath the knife began to corrode.

For a moment he was glad that he didn't have to fight the children. They were more dangerous than they looked. He found himself taking Edythe's earlier warning to heart.

"I thought you'd appreciate not having another body to deal with," Edythe shot her brother a look. "You know I don't miss."

Now Philip switched his attention to Issac, looking to confirm what Esau had said about the soldiers. The captain's guilty stare the only answer he needed. Braek. We might actually die in this blasted town.

Eight soldiers, the cream of the crop, nobles for Code's sake, were dead. Just like that, in the space of two days.

Was it even up to that? Philip took in a deep breathe and counted the hours. It had felt like an eternity since he had ridden into Lacau on Theodore. The horror of it all washed over him again and he paled.

From the edge of his vision, Philip saw Issac glance at him with worry. What were they going to do now, when he could barely sit up not to talk of hold a rifle?

"Well, this changes things." The girl said, her voice breaking into his thoughts as she sighed.

"Yes," Esau fumbled with his fingers, his tone severe. "We don't have any other choice. We're leaving tonight."

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