Chapter 37
No one came to see him for the118Please respect copyright.PENANAgbyQyyave7
first day. Aside from some lukewarm water and moldy bread, he hadn’t had118Please respect copyright.PENANA02C2rFx9kl
anything to eat either. He spent his time curled in the corner allowing his118Please respect copyright.PENANABg8JYr21Il
negative thoughts to control his mind. He thought about his failure at protecting118Please respect copyright.PENANAVFTlVJQOUK
Malcolm that brought him to this place, forcing him on the run because he118Please respect copyright.PENANAidfGasZZpv
hadn’t been prepared. If they had taken a little more time to think about it,118Please respect copyright.PENANASeThrR7Hdk
they should have been aware that there could have been another traitor amongst118Please respect copyright.PENANAhnwHsNDKEp
them. Cranton, the one who vetted all the servants, the closest to the king,118Please respect copyright.PENANA90RrFrcqLG
and able to move unseen. There were clues, but they all ignored them.
Now his best friend, the one who118Please respect copyright.PENANAVbhOnS63jz
risked everything for him, might be in jail as well, or in trouble at the very118Please respect copyright.PENANAL2rpZhBNgi
least. He betrayed his vow all for the sake of friendship. At the very least he118Please respect copyright.PENANA9CUe0F1kGq
could be removed from the Blades. At least he had someone to fall back on, if118Please respect copyright.PENANANfujuoyD8Y
this went south, Vander had no one. He didn’t even know where his grandfather118Please respect copyright.PENANAuUPfTk65IR
had gone and with no way to reach him, he had no one. The despair was too118Please respect copyright.PENANAajP2CdMs42
great, so he buried himself inside his own mind hoping that things would get118Please respect copyright.PENANAbTZ17si6SJ
better.
The demon scraped against his mind118Please respect copyright.PENANAhmcsoQCq4d
begging to be released. He would make all those who hurt them suffer118Please respect copyright.PENANAuYD2vWf4gy
unimaginable pain. He could start by removing their skin piece by piece until118Please respect copyright.PENANAgYouTeBTAl
they passed out from the pain. Then he would carve out their organs with his118Please respect copyright.PENANAedJuxXj8MI
bare hands, not stopping even after the body died. Then they would be tossed to118Please respect copyright.PENANAceYcM38E9Z
the forest for the animals to have their fill. He begged, pleaded and118Please respect copyright.PENANAF5EczL2DBm
threatened, but if there was hope, Vander would not give in. No matter how much118Please respect copyright.PENANAy39ntW1eww
he wanted to.
He wasn’t sure how long it had118Please respect copyright.PENANAyTtrXWo2WO
been, but eventually he heard the door open. Based on the sounds their feet118Please respect copyright.PENANAKfeo7iyhPi
made, there were four people coming down to see him. None of them, except one,118Please respect copyright.PENANAAUQYt9RQER
was wearing armor. He recognized her scent clearly compared to the others.118Please respect copyright.PENANAc2W6xdQSyq
According to the book, and her, the two of them were bonded. Despite knowing118Please respect copyright.PENANAF1EHhThW1k
nothing about her, he didn’t want her to see him like this so he hid closer to118Please respect copyright.PENANAeVRXMiNYdg
the shadows hoping it would be enough. It wasn’t.
“Come out, Vander.” Her voice was118Please respect copyright.PENANAAmD9sV0ruT
soft, full of warmth. He felt the presence of Atza beckoning him, pushing the118Please respect copyright.PENANAcoSqZ5JHxt
demon further into the recesses of his mind. He looked over to see her kind118Please respect copyright.PENANATRzJJQxeGs
expression staring at him without hate or malice. In the face she looked118Please respect copyright.PENANAlD0wIxBpog
worried. Her eyes were sunken in. Her normally glossy hair hung loose around118Please respect copyright.PENANANN5mQ2WPhm
her face. In the three months he had been missing, she lost quite a bit of118Please respect copyright.PENANAptMkbHbWUb
weight.
The others she was with didn’t118Please respect copyright.PENANAsqXiKIPQHv
really surprise him except Whitesun was there. He had no idea why the southern118Please respect copyright.PENANAVfOy2ZROxt
warden was there to see him, but he couldn’t think of any good reasons. Maybe118Please respect copyright.PENANAmTX2h9873l
the council had finally made their judgement.
“Have you decided what you were118Please respect copyright.PENANAjek8ovflRD
going to do with me?” Vander asked. He looked over at Cuvera who met his stare118Please respect copyright.PENANA4RVD6mwxYi
with his own.
“The council is split.” Cuvera118Please respect copyright.PENANAfucJdaV0RX
explained. “There are many who don’t believe you capable of killing my father,118Please respect copyright.PENANAdWFmuQgdiD
but they also don’t believe that Peyton would have been capable either. Then118Please respect copyright.PENANAdAYsbG4Clg
there are those who think you did do it, and nothing would convince them118Please respect copyright.PENANA3EQyJe9613
otherwise.”
“Not once did we doubt you,118Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5uI3s12YT
Vander.” Kiara’s voice was kind. “We were hurt that you felt you couldn’t stay118Please respect copyright.PENANANY0B36zuy4
and plead your case, but based on the considerable resources that were spent to118Please respect copyright.PENANAQUi6mBbxjC
track you down, as well as the venomous rhetoric that was spread against you,118Please respect copyright.PENANAa3OGDDU9cf
it ended up being for the best. You wouldn’t be safe here, not with the118Please respect copyright.PENANAX1CZ7KBpoS
influence many of the nobles have in the city.”
“Then why am I still locked up?”118Please respect copyright.PENANAKxAZwrNFHV
he asked. “If you believe me, why keep me here?”
“Because we can’t release you118Please respect copyright.PENANAWuuq4ZHBF5
without proof that Peyton killed my father.” Cuvera explained. “As it stands118Please respect copyright.PENANA8BZnas0Tik
it’s your word against his and he has more sway amongst the nobles. I know118Please respect copyright.PENANAohvnUayLld
you’re innocent, but they know that I would protect you because we are practically118Please respect copyright.PENANAMrAcMkUVb4
brothers.”
“How do you know I’m innocent?”118Please respect copyright.PENANASX9ZVPZ7Ul
Vander countered. “I could be the monster they think I am.”
“Vander!” Eliza gasped. “Don’t say118Please respect copyright.PENANAIFg0LedNEx
things like that.”
“I know because I saw what118Please respect copyright.PENANAG2vZG9Txkk
happened.” Cuvera sighed. “A week after my father died, the ceremony to take118Please respect copyright.PENANAXlctwHwSJY
the shard of Humjir into me was performed. I saw everything leading up to his118Please respect copyright.PENANALWnoVmwn1Q
final moments, including him telling you to run with his dying breath. I’ve118Please respect copyright.PENANAdKcldhDrJv
known him for months, but Peyton has the power now that my father’s gone. I118Please respect copyright.PENANADImcI8wqqL
can’t do a thing.”
“However, I do.” Whitesun spoke118Please respect copyright.PENANAU6lLQh2Aw1
softly. “Even though I am the farthest of all the Warden’s from the city,118Please respect copyright.PENANA0LHNxSmOKe
Malcolm and I were good friends. I believe you Vander. I think you are a kind118Please respect copyright.PENANA7qBiRvmroX
soul despite the stigma surrounding you, I can help you.”
“How?” Vander stared at the man, a118Please respect copyright.PENANAiZcy4S2QBg
stranger. He couldn’t quite believe someone would be willing to help him just118Please respect copyright.PENANAwgTaQfydiY
for no reason. There had to be another motive, but he would be damned if he118Please respect copyright.PENANA4nHTx9s5Ox
could think of one.
“You let me worry about that.”118Please respect copyright.PENANAfT3kRruwq9
Whitesun held out his hand through the bars. Vander studied it for a moment118Please respect copyright.PENANASRf1wk9HOu
before accepting it. The two of them held hands for a few minutes past what118Please respect copyright.PENANAFBqMIBcUhg
Vander was comfortable with, but before he could say anything, Whitesun let his118Please respect copyright.PENANAuP0Bb05ltD
hand go. “I wanted to see what kind of person you were, Captain.”
“What have you discovered,118Please respect copyright.PENANAvMA0hTlXOn
Warden?” Vander bit back.
“You are a principled man devoted118Please respect copyright.PENANA3GNDkLBW2F
to your goal of protecting those you love.” Whitesun smiled. “There is no way118Please respect copyright.PENANACGebNBiQXs
you would have killed your surrogate father, no matter what may have happened118Please respect copyright.PENANAq8Hj6ITe2i
between the two of you.”
“You gained all that from shaking118Please respect copyright.PENANAiDggffjGHo
my hand?” Vander shook his head. “Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
“No,” Whitesun laughed. “I got118Please respect copyright.PENANAHAZ25uswXq
that from talking to your friends. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some damage118Please respect copyright.PENANAWwS57Q9gck
control to do.” With that he excused himself by heading back up the stairs.
“If anyone can help you, it’s118Please respect copyright.PENANAvid3AFxVcp
Malakai.” Cuvera smiled. “You protected us from the Serpents, now allow us to118Please respect copyright.PENANAKqsG9xDYxZ
help you.”
“Thank you.” Vander embraced his118Please respect copyright.PENANA2UDM3qov6y
friend, though it wasn’t complete due to the bar standing between the two of118Please respect copyright.PENANAcZpnSXZffN
them. “After this is done, I will devote my sword to you and you are alone.”
“To us, Vander.” Cuvera wrapped a118Please respect copyright.PENANAABsfgtRtpB
possessive arm around his wife. “And our child who we are going to name for my118Please respect copyright.PENANAvEAuWp5uRe
father and your grandfather: Malcolm Charles Elan.”
“Or Mary Charlie Elan.” Kiara118Please respect copyright.PENANAnsoEp49eV8
interrupted. “If it’s a girl.”
“Either way, we want you to be its118Please respect copyright.PENANAJECgDFqtTP
guard parent if anything were to happen to us.” Cuvera smiled. “Both you and118Please respect copyright.PENANAmVTngWnqq7
Eliza, even though she already agreed.” Vander was touched, but he knew that118Please respect copyright.PENANAedZvXUyfpT
there was still a lot of work to be done before that would become a reality.118Please respect copyright.PENANA9H2hehbuiU
Starting with him being released.
“Provided I am released, I will.”
“Excellent.” Cuvera grinned, but118Please respect copyright.PENANAcgV9X6lh5x
after a moment, he became a little more serious. “I need you tell me everything118Please respect copyright.PENANAP2hKtlOkJu
you can about this assassin who killed Humi. If someone this dangerous is in my118Please respect copyright.PENANAvq3c258Tz3
city, I need to know everything I can about them.”
“I didn’t know about them until my118Please respect copyright.PENANA896qcHtNaN
attack on the Green Serpent base.” Vander explained. “I found a handwritten118Please respect copyright.PENANAu9MhvHdEpW
note that said that someone known as Fang was coming after me. I assumed they118Please respect copyright.PENANAFyx9Brg9fh
didn’t know where I was because I didn’t end up with a knife in my side while I118Please respect copyright.PENANAzaS4rfFZyz
slept. They must have picked me up somewhere then waited until I was distracted118Please respect copyright.PENANAq4NFeH4NyP
before coming after me. If it hadn’t been for Humi there was a chance, I would118Please respect copyright.PENANAjO235OFJha
be killed.”
“Any idea who they were?” Vander118Please respect copyright.PENANA3mdGRb9G8s
shook his head.
“None, they wore both a mask and a118Please respect copyright.PENANAmbtMxt14Cr
hood.” He explained. “However, they infiltrated a space that was protected by118Please respect copyright.PENANAYCbiBurYc9
Humjir’s ability. Which,” he glared at Cuvera. “How is that possible? I thought118Please respect copyright.PENANAKXRmSYdkSI
only Malcolm, and now you, could use those powers?”
“It’s complicated, I don’t truly118Please respect copyright.PENANAvy71H83noy
understand it myself.” Kiara placed her hand on Cuvera’s shoulder then118Please respect copyright.PENANAMaELqwx3w2
whispered in his ear. “I’m sorry, but Kiara is tired. We must go but worry not.118Please respect copyright.PENANATKOcSlXRCB
We will get you out of this.”
“Are you going to stay?” He looked118Please respect copyright.PENANAn4Zlqid9KJ
at Eliza. He didn’t know why, but he really didn’t want her to leave.
“Of course.” She grinned, holding118Please respect copyright.PENANAbOBAnM2Mm1
up the cell keys. “I can’t let you out, but I can go in.” she placed the key118Please respect copyright.PENANAewVhKi9RBC
inside the lock and turned it. The door popped open, so she allowed herself118Please respect copyright.PENANAYXJxiYeHnM
inside.
“I’ll come to let you out in the118Please respect copyright.PENANAvscEMpRwBt
morning.” Cuvera held his hand out for the keys, which she returned. “Enjoy118Please respect copyright.PENANAkwff2taG2m
yourself.” With that, Cuvera and Kiara left the room leaving the two of them118Please respect copyright.PENANA5oAlxtI2j7
together. For the first time in a long time, Vander felt tongue tied. He didn’t118Please respect copyright.PENANA1tMFuUKhZb
know what to do.
“Sit down.” Eliza sighed. “You118Please respect copyright.PENANAynjBT1zRTJ
look like you’re about to fall over.” She sat down against the wall then patted118Please respect copyright.PENANAxLEeuWYm7E
the open spot next to her. Not sure what he should do, he sat down next to her,118Please respect copyright.PENANAHO0tMEGFp2
but made sure none of his body touched her. “Am I that repulsive that you won’t118Please respect copyright.PENANApH8io8Rb4I
even touch me?” she sounded hurt.
“I’m sorry.” He spoke. “I’m just118Please respect copyright.PENANAdZnhLKonCg
scared. For some reason I get nervous around you, like I don’t want to118Please respect copyright.PENANAN3pljklDI5
disappoint you. I’ve had plenty of partners, but this seems foreign to me.”
“I guess that’s to be expected.”118Please respect copyright.PENANAztU461HVHI
Eliza smiled. “I’ve known about you ever since I was young, so I’ve been118Please respect copyright.PENANA3EHZqU6OFC
preparing for my entire life. But you just found out a couple of months ago and118Please respect copyright.PENANAkiuXI1EVsG
we never got to spend any sort of time together. So, for now, how about we just118Please respect copyright.PENANAuDo7hcuwOY
get to know each other and let this occur naturally?”
“You’d be okay with that?”
“Of course.” She spoke. “You can118Please respect copyright.PENANAiJu7I3CBVY
be completely honest with me; I won’t judge you Vander.” He hesitated, but he118Please respect copyright.PENANAJdLYeF4G55
didn’t feel any treachery in her words. It was time he became honest with118Please respect copyright.PENANAj4jYlv4RsF
someone other than Shea. It was time for him to be vulnerable.
“Are you sure you can handle it?”118Please respect copyright.PENANAiS9nfCCfFp
he smiled. “You’d be my first actual relationship since getting dumped by118Please respect copyright.PENANAPgazyO1NYb
someone I wanted to marry. She left me for prestige and for someone I hate.”
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“It’s her loss.” Eliza shrugged.118Please respect copyright.PENANATY5xB5C546
“But if you asked me too, I’d punch her in the face for you.” He laughed and it118Please respect copyright.PENANADX3rhMI3Fh
was the first real laugh he had had since his best friend’s wedding. Perhaps,118Please respect copyright.PENANAGE12ZqqfyJ
just for tonight, everything would be alright.