Chapter 36
The crowds had already gathered by120Please respect copyright.PENANAe0rWtbeXXp
the time Vander had left the basement and been brought outside. He could feel120Please respect copyright.PENANAvPrMsxbIBg
that everything was placed on a knife’s edge just waiting for someone to do120Please respect copyright.PENANAtDrgYRkzrR
something to light a match under the powder keg. There were five soldiers in120Please respect copyright.PENANAuo6V2Y0kcj
front of him, two of them were holding the chains to his hands, while the five120Please respect copyright.PENANAEwXmoQlNPH
behind him were holding his leg iron chains. There were guards surrounding him120Please respect copyright.PENANAuF6WKAmmJ6
as well to keep anyone from trying anything, or to keep him from escaping.
“How do you like the crowd?”120Please respect copyright.PENANAASbJnhGB3B
Vander turned his head to see Leon smirking next to him. Leon had always felt120Please respect copyright.PENANAE5F60iw8rN
inferior to Vander, he wasn’t sure why, but it was always a one-sided contest120Please respect copyright.PENANAbaJfqKShoo
between the two of them.
“I’m glad to see you haven’t120Please respect copyright.PENANATjQ5S5YNbB
changed at all.” Vander snorted. “I assume that this was your doing?”
“Of course.” Leon laughed. “I120Please respect copyright.PENANAHGMkpaFqfA
wanted everyone to see you fall. It would make quite the story don’t you120Please respect copyright.PENANAq775MHPfsJ
think?”
“If you think this will change120Please respect copyright.PENANA7iyYnLfy2j
anyone’s mind about you, you’re sadly mistaken.” Vander shook his head. “You’re120Please respect copyright.PENANAGulm9nRJBG
still just a baby hiding behind his father’s power. No one will respect you. No120Please respect copyright.PENANA44Atu59xLp
one will like you. The sooner you face facts, the happier you will be.”
“I don’t have to take that from a120Please respect copyright.PENANA2CWDzUyfLY
king slayer.” Leon hissed. “I’ll be there in the front row when they hang you.”120Please respect copyright.PENANAGa0oWraPH9
With that Leon walked off to the front of the procession.
As they made their way into the120Please respect copyright.PENANAuak6xZWMSH
east district, Vander saw some familiar faces amongst the crowd. Many of them120Please respect copyright.PENANAAYjCfliLg5
he had helped in the past and while he was glad to see them, he was embarrassed120Please respect copyright.PENANASmashlRnQ8
to have them see him like this. He wasn’t Malcolm’s killer, but did the others120Please respect copyright.PENANA19tIPW6c0S
believe him? It was hard to be sure. His eyes met Julianna’s. She didn’t look120Please respect copyright.PENANAqArqZx8UxS
away, but her face was grim. He turned away from her.
“Vander!” He heard her shout.120Please respect copyright.PENANAlBWa1ypnTO
“Don’t give up, we’re with you!” He looked over to see that Julianna had held120Please respect copyright.PENANAu3FWWrOta6
her fist up in the air. Slowly and surely the others did the same. They didn’t120Please respect copyright.PENANAT2ISR19z0U
scream, they didn’t shout, they didn’t rush the soldiers to free him. They120Please respect copyright.PENANApKHIcqVEB3
showed solidarity with him, as if they didn’t believe what was being said about120Please respect copyright.PENANA0cozXs6sVV
him. He would have to prove their trust in him was correctly placed.
“Keep it moving!” one of the120Please respect copyright.PENANA4V1LWP3oUI
guards shoved Vander in the back causing him to stumble. He caught himself and120Please respect copyright.PENANA7T9SNLvGjU
kept walking.
The road through the middle120Please respect copyright.PENANAKRqldUe6mB
district was cleared for everyone. The nobles didn’t care about this, it was120Please respect copyright.PENANA9wXpZnz6ZS
below their station. They were likely asleep or cheating on their spouses. It120Please respect copyright.PENANA9kpkm1C4Jj
was those in the third ring that would give him the most difficult time: the120Please respect copyright.PENANAMFdIRNlmDS
comrades he served with for most of his life. It was their judgement that would120Please respect copyright.PENANArmhDAwjPB4
hurt the most. Nothing could prepare him for what he expected to face from120Please respect copyright.PENANAaNENa8ZOMC
them.
The Blades were standing on both120Please respect copyright.PENANApcV48cYULW
sides of the road with the rest of the army behind them. He knew Alex wasn’t120Please respect copyright.PENANANADorrKXN4
there, but he saw Chicken, Rooster, Forest, Briar, and Eve standing amongst120Please respect copyright.PENANAY2bpBDa0g3
them. In the few months he had been gone, it looked as though they had aged120Please respect copyright.PENANAuKR7ltU6PX
considerably. He could tell Chicken was close to tears, but she held them back.120Please respect copyright.PENANAzOEqijLfuX
Rooster looked straight ahead with a bewildered expression on his face. Forest120Please respect copyright.PENANAW0MRJX6j5v
and Briar held each other’s hands, but Eve looked annoyed for some reason. He120Please respect copyright.PENANAi6FSmivy8t
felt a little bad that his grandfather wasn’t around. He had taken the brunt of120Please respect copyright.PENANALAvwhdAyWi
the punishment and now it would be his turn if he couldn’t convince the council120Please respect copyright.PENANAwLV680NB74
he was innocent.
He was brought up the castle steps120Please respect copyright.PENANAAcBGdzmR9m
then towards the council chamber. Most of his guard detail was left behind with120Please respect copyright.PENANAzxz6ysBYiE
only the four guards holding his chains, Eric Jilena, and Leon escorting him to120Please respect copyright.PENANAetM8wDIvHY
the council chamber for judgement to be passed upon him. However, they took him120Please respect copyright.PENANAcYTmQzWhgl
to the throne room instead. Two Blades opened the door revealing the large120Please respect copyright.PENANANfF4hlqYVP
empty space, the only thing there was the throne where Cuvera was sitting.120Please respect copyright.PENANAZybRk87WQB
Behind him was Kiara and Eliza. Spaced evenly around them were the remaining120Please respect copyright.PENANAqPSrjDoU41
council members and they did not look happy in the least.
Peyton Cranton sat next to Cuvera120Please respect copyright.PENANAdUZQL8HmYR
with a small smile on his face. He had likely been waiting for this for a very120Please respect copyright.PENANAClkKKx4T36
long time.
“We brought him.” Eric pulled the120Please respect copyright.PENANAA6VosvmFEJ
chains causing Vander to stumble, falling to his knees.
“Remove the chains.” Cuvera120Please respect copyright.PENANAFkfYLy6k9D
instructed.
“My King?” Eric asked. “Is that120Please respect copyright.PENANA7o2aTAMCGr
wise? He already killed your father and my son. He’s dangerous. He should be…”
“I gave you an order General.”120Please respect copyright.PENANANECaCYfKTF
Cuvera snapped. “Do not make me repeat myself.” Eric debated whether to120Please respect copyright.PENANACeR01em2WY
disobey, but eventually he relented. Vander felt the chains leave his hands120Please respect copyright.PENANAwsSqZL2u2s
then clatter on the ground. He rubbed his wrists tenderly hoping to get the120Please respect copyright.PENANAQ1EDAe9IcT
feeling back into them. “Step forward.”
Vander walked until he was ten120Please respect copyright.PENANAbH1hWPXo4h
feet away from the throne, before dropping to one knee, bowing in front of his120Please respect copyright.PENANAtnbOfVuDQO
friend. He looked up to see that Cuvera had aged considerably these past few120Please respect copyright.PENANAwk3FpWXpET
months. He was now sporting a thick brown beard. His eyes were dark, likely not120Please respect copyright.PENANAOzUZAamsE6
getting enough sleep, and it appeared as though Kiara was pregnant with their120Please respect copyright.PENANAkXy4QbL7Yb
first child. She was looking at Vander with a worried expression on her face.120Please respect copyright.PENANA9cuUvgZMmV
Eliza’s face was unreadable, but he detected some concern in her eyes. He120Please respect copyright.PENANA7sP38C7rHo
didn’t want to give anything away, so he just kept his eyes focused straight120Please respect copyright.PENANAeV1pmmPRTg
ahead.
He noticed that the four Warden’s120Please respect copyright.PENANAGAHIvlJDYp
from the other regions were also in attendance. Jewelthorne looked bored, as if120Please respect copyright.PENANABghxpe4Eq7
he had been forced to be there. Valyrian looked at him with disgust while120Please respect copyright.PENANAlV74Eqs5Ws
Whitesun, the one he knew the least, looked at him with interest. Mari looked120Please respect copyright.PENANA82mZzzaVrg
at him with a small smile, as if she was telling him that everything was going120Please respect copyright.PENANAmiyTt1zH8a
to be alright. Despite her demeanor, he felt that it was going to be everything120Please respect copyright.PENANAkoxWvpOHgK
but.
“You know why you are here,120Please respect copyright.PENANA8EAOq42Pnp
Vander, Blade Captain?” Cuvera’s voice echoed through the room.
“Yes.” Vander admitted. “I am120Please respect copyright.PENANA0GMhLvc0wr
accused of killing Malcolm and Jeffery Jilena.”
“Last night you were also seen120Please respect copyright.PENANAVhSNagH2wM
fleeing from the northern district right before Humi, Humjir’s head priest, was120Please respect copyright.PENANA1WcS72wXuI
found dead.” Cuvera explained.
“Humi died?” Vander was120Please respect copyright.PENANAUuvQ3OFUDR
disappointed. He had hoped that the guards would have gotten there in time, but120Please respect copyright.PENANAMtESEAVygU
he guessed wrong.
“What do you have to say for120Please respect copyright.PENANAJIIRHBM1yk
yourself?”
“Innocent on all accounts.” A120Please respect copyright.PENANARML35M4fmB
collective gasp went up from the council members. Anna Jilena looked like her120Please respect copyright.PENANAIDZUwPVLwP
head was about to explode.
“I’ll give you a chance to tell120Please respect copyright.PENANANhJav5M1tU
your side of the story.” Cuvera said. “Explain to me how Lord Cranton saw you120Please respect copyright.PENANA72dWjvSGyR
kill my father, us all watching you flee the room in a hurry, then finding120Please respect copyright.PENANA7hH4Q3ew6F
Jeffery Jilena dead on the ground with his throat cut.”
“I see.” Vander sighed. “Must we120Please respect copyright.PENANAEKb5e4hGBi
do this in front of them?” He motioned towards the council. “I’d rather just120Please respect copyright.PENANAutl6Sxt861
talk to you alone.”
“So, you could kill him?” Peyton120Please respect copyright.PENANA6LYNLeW2Ap
laughed. “I think not. You’re the criminal here, you don’t get special120Please respect copyright.PENANA5pTNmc0mox
treatment.” As much as he hated to admit it, Peyton was right. So, he told them120Please respect copyright.PENANAxH8LbdkmWu
what had happened.
He started by talking about what120Please respect copyright.PENANASIbphlkahR
had happened in the catacombs when Cuvera went to visit his mother. Boar had120Please respect copyright.PENANAdb68ai140l
come to him in a vision, telling him to grab the book on the gods that Malcolm120Please respect copyright.PENANAct6bkKEpMH
had shown him in his office. Not bothering to question his ancestor, Vander120Please respect copyright.PENANAGQaoqWZIIC
waited until everyone was distracted before sneaking into the library and120Please respect copyright.PENANAz88S8WpMQ3
grabbing the book. Malcolm had seen him, but before either of them could say a120Please respect copyright.PENANAgljnYcjWxh
word to each other Peyton had run him through with a sword.
Peyton didn’t even flinch when120Please respect copyright.PENANA4zRPEKXr7y
Vander pointed at him, and while some of the council members looked at him120Please respect copyright.PENANAxBcYtTRuva
sideways, Vander could tell very few believed him.
After that, he ran away because he120Please respect copyright.PENANAqcXSbh2FIc
knew Peyton would blame Vander for the deaths even though he had nothing to do120Please respect copyright.PENANAqbMm5OxZSh
with it. Jeffery had found him on the lawn but had asked Vander to knock him120Please respect copyright.PENANAbPgGn9ngQQ
out then escape. Vander punched him in the stomach before jumping against the120Please respect copyright.PENANAf98Iw00vgo
wall.
Topal whispered to the council120Please respect copyright.PENANA5Ry31TGp3s
member next to him, but it was so quiet that Vander could hear what was being120Please respect copyright.PENANAMjUgcqiXLk
said.
Vander continued. He fled to the120Please respect copyright.PENANAWq8Q6bvw8T
Orange Fox because he knew the stigma surrounding the place would keep him safe120Please respect copyright.PENANALYNtDuQOnG
while he could figure out what to do next. For three months he used the120Please respect copyright.PENANAhxq0iEKCob
resources available to him to track down and find the Serpents, however he120Please respect copyright.PENANAjHFXGmkjlM
didn’t go into too much detail. He killed seven of them, then discovered a note120Please respect copyright.PENANAkkmDm8qjOa
sending an assassin known as Fang after him. Afterwards he went to talk to Humi120Please respect copyright.PENANAtq7WnlRuNf
when they were attacked by an assassin. He told Vander to flee while holding120Please respect copyright.PENANAb1uYzObp0h
them off, but he guessed he didn’t last much longer after that.
“Then you found me two days120Please respect copyright.PENANAaaoVPj390l
later.” Vander finished. “That’s all that happened.”
“Seems whoever you talk to just120Please respect copyright.PENANA2KROWPei8O
seems to be killed.” Peyton said. “There is a pattern here, Vander, I’m not120Please respect copyright.PENANAx34fV0RZRW
sure if anyone else can see it, but I can.”
“I also agree with Peyton.” Anna120Please respect copyright.PENANAVeNOGjIMc5
Jilena seethed. “My son is dead because of you. Your story of what happened is120Please respect copyright.PENANAcJJ4Uv5YqI
nonsense. My son’s throat was cut, there no question there.”
“If I may.” Topal raised his hand.120Please respect copyright.PENANApEv3Ord1Zc
“When I did the autopsy of Jeffery, I noticed some discoloration around his120Please respect copyright.PENANApGtVLvxUPL
diaphragm along with some bruising within his lungs. To me, it seemed as though120Please respect copyright.PENANAai9r7ycsdO
he had been struck five minutes before his throat was cut. There also wasn’t a120Please respect copyright.PENANAVxrY33jit2
blood trail leading from the body to the wall.”
“He killed him!” Anna screeched.120Please respect copyright.PENANAAkXNpfXeDF
Bickering broke out amongst the council members causing Cuvera to stand up from120Please respect copyright.PENANAo8zImhVsPx
the throne.
“Take him to the dungeons until we120Please respect copyright.PENANA9fOOUNLRK7
get this settled.” Cuvera instructed. Bowing his head, Eric placed his hand on120Please respect copyright.PENANAsFEpvz3alZ
Vander’s shoulders. Sighing, Vander stood up allowing himself to be led towards120Please respect copyright.PENANAw2X4pZ6Rxe
the dungeons.
Before Eric handed him over to the120Please respect copyright.PENANAmvoL0PVB28
jailers, he made Vander face him.
“My son, Jeffery, he respected you120Please respect copyright.PENANAFZraQnrO0t
a lot.” He spoke. “For his sake, I hope your innocent.”
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“I am.” Vander nodded. Perhaps120Please respect copyright.PENANAKHoB9fuuXr
taking some solace at that fact, Eric gave him a small smile. He snapped his120Please respect copyright.PENANAAxKed4GRpu
fingers. The two jailers walked up, grabbed Vander’s arms, and brought him to120Please respect copyright.PENANAoNKH0buM5s
his cell. They pushed him into the dank, musty flat that had rags for a blanket120Please respect copyright.PENANAKv8V4QgRXn
and very little warmth. The slammed the door shut, covering him in darkness.