Chapter 32
“What do you mean you’ve been131Please respect copyright.PENANAQxRrw8GGG6
expecting me?” Vander asked as he climbed the stairs. Shea followed a step131Please respect copyright.PENANAsdzXC8048M
behind him unwilling to let him be alone with a man she didn’t know.
“It’s as I said.” Humi had a131Please respect copyright.PENANAKGka0cCUJe
faraway look in his eyes. Humi was a strange man. He had short brown hair and131Please respect copyright.PENANAzyTMoihyc0
light blue eyes. He was a portly man, but Vander could feel a strength from him131Please respect copyright.PENANA8bfxdkpbxZ
he couldn’t quite place. He wore a long blue robe, different from the one he131Please respect copyright.PENANAvNY65WCoZ0
wore at the wedding. This one was light, made from simple cloth, with a moon131Please respect copyright.PENANAYb1UAYtPmS
stitched on his chest.
Despite being a131Please respect copyright.PENANAaxMqCzEFMD
member of Humjir’s temple, Vander didn’t know much about him other than the131Please respect copyright.PENANArd6fXnkYfW
fact that he frequented the castle to talk to the former King, but it was131Please respect copyright.PENANAfEEyqr42RA
always behind closed doors away from prying ears. The wedding was the first131Please respect copyright.PENANAP3uFeM9GzZ
time he had seen Humi in years. There was a smell to him, like Malcolm, yet131Please respect copyright.PENANAdPCWuzNJ1k
different. However, Vander had difficulty explaining the feeling to himself.
“You can smell131Please respect copyright.PENANAqsq4PVS9tN
the shard of Humjir inside of me, young Unna’tun.” Humi smiled as if reading131Please respect copyright.PENANAMXa5JKKv4k
Vander’s thoughts.
“I thought the gods only had one131Please respect copyright.PENANA72zMFF43IT
shard at a time?” Vander asked. “I thought Cuvera inherited it when his father131Please respect copyright.PENANAfCC9BJ9vue
died.”
“That’s what you’ve been told,131Please respect copyright.PENANAUeR7ByNOGu
but, like many things, it’s wrong.” Humi turned around then started to walk131Please respect copyright.PENANASHebVoK0XJ
deeper into the temple. He didn’t speak to Vander, but Vander knew that he131Please respect copyright.PENANAOxtCSEcKxn
should follow. Only then would he gain the answers he sook.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me like131Please respect copyright.PENANA5uZO49pida
everyone else?” Vander asked him. Humi paused for a second but kept walking.
“Because I know you didn’t kill131Please respect copyright.PENANAvCVMqMLAsX
Malcolm.” He explained. He didn’t share131Please respect copyright.PENANAip3mLC3W5p
how he knew, but Vander thought that it had something to do with why he had a131Please respect copyright.PENANA0hSImJhZdz
shard inside of him. Another mystery he wanted solved.
Humi lead them deep into the131Please respect copyright.PENANANAHch6EI7U
temple. Despite the later hour, Vander expected other acolytes to be here, not131Please respect copyright.PENANA3snwcuyaQN
just Humi. However, he couldn’t smell or hear anyone else inside. He asked the131Please respect copyright.PENANA1mMvkvHDEw
priest about it, but Humi kept walking, ignoring the question entirely. He131Please respect copyright.PENANAdqTK6Dvo7I
instructed Shea to keep her wits about her, but to stay close in case they were131Please respect copyright.PENANArJ4dzpjMGk
walking into a trap. Malcolm may have said to trust this man, but Vander131Please respect copyright.PENANAfx18PKutuC
trusted Peyton and had been betrayed. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
They were taken down a long131Please respect copyright.PENANAYQWYrCGjML
hallway where it looked like portraits of all the past kings and queens were131Please respect copyright.PENANATZp8s0TvOt
placed, however they looked slightly different than what he had seen in the131Please respect copyright.PENANABRgPC7E4vm
castle. These people had pupilless eyes while their hair had a blue hue to it.131Please respect copyright.PENANACJ68cTUP7J
They must have been previous shards of Humjir, but why did they resemble131Please respect copyright.PENANA4ANJHCjqFg
Eluvia’s monarchy? More questions with no answers, they pushed on.
After about ten minutes of131Please respect copyright.PENANAw60cJQIzcm
walking, they finally came to one of the paths that would lead them to Humjir’s131Please respect copyright.PENANA64POQFsO9s
pool. Vander could smell fresh water, something rare within the city walls. The131Please respect copyright.PENANA9TeVIjZwK6
fresh water he had ever smelled was in the middle of the forest, but somehow131Please respect copyright.PENANArw6CqurJUc
this was fresher than that. He wondered why that was, but before he could ask,131Please respect copyright.PENANAZc1Z9k0M43
Humi turned down the hall beckoning the two of them to follow.
“It is best if we talk here.”131Please respect copyright.PENANAb8v11A8FCV
Despite being outside, Vander had the sneaking suspicion that they were in an131Please respect copyright.PENANApv5qT3DYYO
enclosed space, cut off from the rest of the city. The fact that Humi’s voice131Please respect copyright.PENANAQbbgo2NPXl
didn’t echo when he talked was further proof of that.
“Where is here?” Vander asked. If131Please respect copyright.PENANAeog6eoMrZ7
Humi was impressed he had picked up on it he didn’t show it.
“A special area, even for Humjir.”131Please respect copyright.PENANA2391oBiTcu
Humi explained. “When he passed down the hall we entered this sacred space.131Please respect copyright.PENANAMzofqUTQDi
Only those with a shard, or who are bonded to a shard, may enter.”
“Then what is the pool anyone can131Please respect copyright.PENANAUg0XbkXFoo
enter to worship Humjir?” Vander asked.
“Just that, a pool.” Humi131Please respect copyright.PENANA6xgDjwPzCC
explained. “A specially crafted pool which we clean daily to make it feel as131Please respect copyright.PENANAsfGWxdbEFs
special as possible, but this is the true space that Humjir himself had created131Please respect copyright.PENANAfioDO1Je9F
a long time ago.”
The pool itself was immaculate.131Please respect copyright.PENANAxxASR6DLWX
There were no borders to keep the water in, however, it still stayed within a131Please respect copyright.PENANAPDR8MBwP3B
perfect circle. There was a large rock formation that poured ice blue water131Please respect copyright.PENANAcA4Jb8ygcT
into the pool. The area around it had a blueish hue, like it reflected the131Please respect copyright.PENANAcqZB3qY44U
color of the water inside. Vander took a careful step towards the edge to peer131Please respect copyright.PENANADOBr1VyOQy
into the depths. He saw several large fish swimming around, but the biggest131Please respect copyright.PENANA79iG47cYuT
surprise was the full moon shining in the depths despite it only being a131Please respect copyright.PENANAPpksKSeXkc
quarter moon in the sky. Vander felt drawn to the pool, but Humi grabbed his131Please respect copyright.PENANAujyJCteK2Y
arm pulling him away.
“Many have lost themselves to the131Please respect copyright.PENANAeHnxkkWinB
depth’s, Vander.” He spoke. “It’s best, especially for you, to stay away.”
“Why?” Vander asked.
“You know the story of Atza’s131Please respect copyright.PENANAF9VmgzILe1
wrath because Humjir used his pool to spy on Unna?” Vander paled as he131Please respect copyright.PENANA8FZx2gM4rB
remembered that story. He could hear Unna’s laughter in his ears when he read131Please respect copyright.PENANAHZjIEIYGOR
about it. “If you peer inside, you could enter her realm and that would be very131Please respect copyright.PENANAtp1ftuINXZ
bad for you.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen.” Shea131Please respect copyright.PENANA3WTuzDMimd
growled.
“There wouldn’t be much you could131Please respect copyright.PENANAP5Ns36D2bi
do about it, little shadow beast.” Humi answered. “Yes, I can hear what you131Please respect copyright.PENANApG1wC7ky6U
say, but that’s only because we are here where my powers are stronger. Now,131Please respect copyright.PENANAMePkKXgVUr
let’s talk before we run out of time. You’re here because you read Malcolm’s131Please respect copyright.PENANAs3inwbYcdi
note inside the book.” It was a statement not a question, so Vander answered by131Please respect copyright.PENANArws7gaah5z
nodding his head. “Where is the book now?” Vander pat his chest where the black131Please respect copyright.PENANAel96wu4T0M
book was sitting in his pocket. “Good, make sure you always keep it on you.131Please respect copyright.PENANAbmzYSn059P
Don’t let anyone near it unless you can absolutely trust them.”
“I understand, but why all the131Please respect copyright.PENANAFgLo13D2OO
secrecy?”
“That tells me you didn’t read the131Please respect copyright.PENANAKg2jt2x5AW
book in it’s entirety, but I supposed that’s alright,” Humi smirked. “You were131Please respect copyright.PENANABTjy0CdXoz
curious about Unna, so you likely read that first to pass the time until you131Please respect copyright.PENANAks53JlC4bm
came here. But to answer your question, I’ll have to ask one. Have you heard of131Please respect copyright.PENANAon4OTglsLN
the Black Order?”
“No?” Vander frowned. In his131Please respect copyright.PENANAAh9j6k6mSo
entire time as a Blade and holding the shard of Unna, not once had anyone131Please respect copyright.PENANAgikU1gWn5J
mentioned them. “Who are they?”
“Not surprising,” Humi sighed.131Please respect copyright.PENANAARcyOtyKEX
“Their name has changed over the millennia, but they have been around since the131Please respect copyright.PENANAnnl220lDTO
Great War. They were the human who were on Darkness’s side and vowed to one day131Please respect copyright.PENANAZKfOJqbvvz
return her to this realm.”
“Now that you mention it, they131Please respect copyright.PENANAJfAdjF7o2C
sound familiar.” Vander explained. “I thought they were eradicated.”
“We thought so too, but for the131Please respect copyright.PENANAjVhCycyvkk
past century we have noticed them appearing all over once again.” Humi said.131Please respect copyright.PENANAJacjkx9eFm
“We aren’t sure who they are, we have some suspects, but until Malcolm’s131Please respect copyright.PENANARROGNpQnu6
assassination, no solid proof. It appears Peyton could be our link.”
“Why would they kill Malcolm?”131Please respect copyright.PENANAuKN6RpSJnW
Vander asked. “He’s the King of the most powerful country, with an equally131Please respect copyright.PENANA5oeyeNdEzY
strong successor. There would be no point on angering us.”
“Ah, but there is a point.” Humi131Please respect copyright.PENANAikQ36PIcY8
smiled. “Malcolm held Humjir’s shard inside of his body. They needed that as131Please respect copyright.PENANAA7R2VWCg09
part of their plan to awaken the Darkness.” Vander shot him a quizzical glance131Please respect copyright.PENANAf7tMvXUvTY
causing Humi to sigh. Vander could feel the man’s impatience with him, but he131Please respect copyright.PENANAhv93BbUFhx
couldn’t see what these facts had to do with each other. “They need the shard131Please respect copyright.PENANAuA1xoLrGWB
of each god to unseal her. It was their power that took her out and it will be131Please respect copyright.PENANAX95YpdY711
their power to release her once again.”
“Wait.” Vander frowned. “If that’s131Please respect copyright.PENANAuISdfDymDQ
the case, then why are shard holders running around amok? Why not place them131Please respect copyright.PENANA528tuO5gNG
under guard to protect them?”
“Would you be able to control131Please respect copyright.PENANAwItwWU1LYX
nobility and keep them confined?” Humi shook his head. “It was attempted many131Please respect copyright.PENANAJ37vn5SfZ6
centuries ago, but it went about as well as could be expected. So, they came up131Please respect copyright.PENANAo9IV5y4qA6
with an agreement. No one would know who the shards are, except for those in131Please respect copyright.PENANA41ApuaTYUa
the know. Each stronghold would have two within their walls, however Atza’s131Please respect copyright.PENANAiyOq4KSDkL
shard didn’t trust that we could protect her, so she went somewhere else. They131Please respect copyright.PENANA7OjYHlUQ7Z
founded the country of Bricen, and only those in the royal family knew who it131Please respect copyright.PENANAFM7B5HDiEk
would be.”
“But why would the order act now?”131Please respect copyright.PENANAQlMAzPQNro
Vander frowned. He racked his brain to figure out why when the past events came131Please respect copyright.PENANAEXdouSWLrg
flooding into him. “Because all of the shards are together.”
“Correct.” Humi grimaced. “We are131Please respect copyright.PENANA13QTDVe4Mu
all at risk, but no one knows it outside of our little group. Our little safety131Please respect copyright.PENANANJT3xw8VGA
net ended up dooming us all.”
“Not even the shards know who each131Please respect copyright.PENANApIHW785cF5
other are?” Vander asked. “I thought we could all sense each other.”
“No, that’s why you are special131Please respect copyright.PENANAzkFUdgb6Pe
and why Peyton likely wanted to ostracize you from everyone else.” Humi placed131Please respect copyright.PENANASb50wVJZ2O
his hand on Vander’s shoulder. “It hasn’t been much of secret when you became131Please respect copyright.PENANAy52lL0fEhm
Unna’s shard, it hasn’t happened in many, many years and most don’t survive131Please respect copyright.PENANACR4f4YE3HI
very long. The fact that you are still alive is testament to your willpower and131Please respect copyright.PENANA8XQGJErWnm
Malcolm’s ability to keep it a secret, but it’s out in the open now. If they131Please respect copyright.PENANAD7uIiR1HIw
get ahold of your gifts, it will doom us all.”
“So, what should I do?” Vander131Please respect copyright.PENANAdlgdhfdfa8
asked. “I can’t just abandon my friends and family to go on the run.”
“No, you can’t.” Humi sighed.131Please respect copyright.PENANAQkD05UgCjo
“They know who you are and will go to the ends of the earth to find you. All we131Please respect copyright.PENANATTj2erQLbZ
can do is protect those here until they leave, to give us time to think of a131Please respect copyright.PENANAet0bVKIOfu
solution.”
“Can I ask you something else?”131Please respect copyright.PENANA1ufLZzPBhu
Vander asked. Humi nodded. “How do the Green Serpents fit into this? I mean,131Please respect copyright.PENANAPIICFNlJrt
they were the ones who poisoned Malcolm and tried to assassinate me. What is it131Please respect copyright.PENANAaHyUOAm1aE
they want?”
“The only thing Malcolm and I131Please respect copyright.PENANAsmPMIJG5SW
could come up with was that they were hired to do a job.” Humi explained. “Lure131Please respect copyright.PENANAtIMRMmCS3n
you out of hiding so they can kill you and part of it worked. Now they must131Please respect copyright.PENANAZMuIqpfV5T
find you, but it looks as though you found them first.”
“Three escaped, but I’m sure they131Please respect copyright.PENANAFxOyVnWnZM
have a plan.” Vander explained. “But they have sent someone else after me. I131Please respect copyright.PENANAeMOD9ikEQg
found a note in the house explaining that someone called ‘Fang’, has been sent131Please respect copyright.PENANAN25vqFq43m
after me. Have you heard of them?”
“No,” Humi frowned. “But they have131Please respect copyright.PENANAtRbeWTVLoP
been especially sent for you, then you need to do a better job of hiding before131Please respect copyright.PENANA914HTX6AfH
they find you.”
“Oh, it’s far too late for that.” Humi131Please respect copyright.PENANAZT9jCQTtFr
and Vander, startled by the noise, looked up to find a figure squatting on top131Please respect copyright.PENANAe8ClltU88P
of the fountain.
They were dressed131Please respect copyright.PENANAa7LoXWFutp
in an all-black uniform that had a greenish hue to it. Vander could tell that131Please respect copyright.PENANAS1SjdL4lNB
the armor was well crafted with metal plating underneath it. The leather131Please respect copyright.PENANAjsVlgBSULA
vambraces were holding numerous weapons, Vander could smell poison emanating131Please respect copyright.PENANAH6P7M8G9S7
from them, and they had a sword slung across their back. The hood over their131Please respect copyright.PENANAXHcYFKoxhk
face obscured their looks, but despite that, they were still wearing a green131Please respect copyright.PENANAuJg28mscnr
mask with a serpent painted onto it.
Vander went for131Please respect copyright.PENANA7dOh5hAdYc
his sword, but Humi stood in front of him. “It’s not your time.” He whispered.131Please respect copyright.PENANAXCkF3HTopl
He opened his robe and removed a whip that had been wrapped around his waist.131Please respect copyright.PENANA5uN2lvuP7n
“The fact that they got into this sanctuary means Humjir’s power is weakening.131Please respect copyright.PENANA5BjmN1q1Gp
It will take time for the shard to take effect in someone new. You must be131Please respect copyright.PENANAzICe0E0Fuw
alive to protect them.”
“I can help you.”131Please respect copyright.PENANAa948syA1e1
Vander hissed. Shea grabbed onto his pants to drag him back.
“Protect the131Please respect copyright.PENANAhFjJIMG2qY
book!” Humi smiled. “This is not where you die young Vander. You still have131Please respect copyright.PENANA19AlIEYzZU
plenty to do, please allow me to see my friend in the afterlife knowing I131Please respect copyright.PENANAkvth83l2ej
helped protect our home.”
“Can you take131Please respect copyright.PENANAYcuaAtizAa
them” Vander hesitated.
“Never fear.”131Please respect copyright.PENANAQXLlvL9698
Humi smiled. He cracked the whip as he stared down the assassin. “You’ll have131Please respect copyright.PENANANw4vGIRkCl
to get through me to get to him.”
“No problem.”131Please respect copyright.PENANAopjPIGNEIc
Vander thought he could hear the assassin grinning from behind the mask.
“Take this with131Please respect copyright.PENANARzNzf6kRGO
you as well.” Humi held out a vial of water towards Vander. “Once you are safe,131Please respect copyright.PENANAASaoRtUBWO
drink that. Only then will you know what’s at stake.” Vander took the vial then131Please respect copyright.PENANADsrOnMqRec
slipped it into his pocket. He opened his mouth to say more, but Shea once again131Please respect copyright.PENANAseHRY4rX7s
pulled on his jacket.
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“We must go.”131Please respect copyright.PENANAdO5aru2ssy
Vander allowed himself to run as this was the only option available to him. He131Please respect copyright.PENANAcZzfqYB0K8
prayed that Humi would survive, but it was unlikely. Humi was right, however,131Please respect copyright.PENANAoJ2KpXwcoL
he had to protect the book and the secrets that lay within. If it helped save131Please respect copyright.PENANA4UxGXMQlAs
this city, he would do whatever he could.