Chapter 30
The knocking continued before74Please respect copyright.PENANAx9KtoDafHe
Vander got off the bed, slowly walking over. He couldn’t smell much through the74Please respect copyright.PENANAyuE9kOzv6r
heavy door, but there was enough to know that both Right and Left were standing74Please respect copyright.PENANANfu1COZrjZ
there. He wasn’t sure what they wanted. It was still many hours away until he74Please respect copyright.PENANAjSpnlhpSxA
had to get ready for his bout with whoever Ross had picked, so they must want74Please respect copyright.PENANAsNOJHCzcqT
something else. Shea jumped down from the bed to join him. Her ears were74Please respect copyright.PENANAFtetTdSYy4
sticking up, but he knew that she would be ready to protect him if he needed74Please respect copyright.PENANA46UvamAdEw
it.
He opened the door, slowly, poking74Please respect copyright.PENANAOWjIy4hp0t
his head out to see the two bouncers standing there with arms folded. One of74Please respect copyright.PENANAoil2M0mrT9
them was carrying a long, wrapped package in his hands. “I still have a few74Please respect copyright.PENANA7zFzQFfOFs
hours,” Vander said. “What can I do for you?”
“Ross sent word.” Right said.74Please respect copyright.PENANAgAwSk24hWT
“Something came up, so the fight won’t be for two more days. Make sure you are74Please respect copyright.PENANAcaSHaeOAoA
well rested.” The news was a shock. In the entire time Vander had been here,74Please respect copyright.PENANA5rHi4WyNsj
not once had the boss pushed back a fight, especially not one he had been74Please respect copyright.PENANAeSGHsyaF7L
looking forward to for years. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had something74Please respect copyright.PENANArROPVqegsH
to do with him.
“Your weapon was finished.” Left74Please respect copyright.PENANAx6t9NOt2iP
thrusted the package into Vander’s arms. “Not sure what you needed something74Please respect copyright.PENANA47FFQFXRxm
like this for, but just don’t break it. It was expensive.” Thanking the two of74Please respect copyright.PENANABBKHgMX2Gt
them, Vander ducked back into his room.
“What did you get?” Shea74Please respect copyright.PENANAqSwnOLsWuH
jumped back onto the bed folding her paws underneath each other.
“A special sword from Kolmijr,”74Please respect copyright.PENANA9bX8Gc5kI7
Vander tore off the packaging to show a scabbard sword. The sheath was ornate,74Please respect copyright.PENANA8BD8I1L56d
made from wood that had been painted black with white along the edges. “The74Please respect copyright.PENANAPTEjoUJ0py
sword has a reverse blade, so I won’t hurt anyone if I come across them74Please respect copyright.PENANAwRcrP6B9QF
outside.”
“If someone attacks you, you74Please respect copyright.PENANALuKaefnBOQ
should strike them down, no questions asked.” Shea growled. “They blamed74Please respect copyright.PENANAskHjm0jFsq
you for something you didn’t do, they deserve no mercy.”
“Unless it’s Leon, I don’t want to74Please respect copyright.PENANA4Qw9kKzgTj
hurt them no matter your feelings on it.” Vander sighed. “They will be doing74Please respect copyright.PENANAAy8P5tiEt7
their job, there is no reason to lose their lives for it.” He placed the sword74Please respect copyright.PENANAz75lssp2lh
on the bed before cupping his companion’s face in his hands. “It’s no longer us74Please respect copyright.PENANA2Uuw5s7APD
against everyone else, Shea. We have friends we can count on.”
“Then where are they?” Vander74Please respect copyright.PENANAft11KWr0GW
didn’t have an answer for that. He kissed the top of her head before heading74Please respect copyright.PENANAxwkLlWZepY
towards the desk against the wall.
With everything that had been74Please respect copyright.PENANAi0LfaBXzXa
going on, he hadn’t had time to look at the book Peyton had been willing to74Please respect copyright.PENANAQAlZadMbjU
kill Malcolm to get his hands on. If this book was as important as everyone74Please respect copyright.PENANAyhZ3cscThj
seemed to think, why had it stayed unknown within the royal library for so74Please respect copyright.PENANAgwUd7fKXew
long? And why wait until now to get it? No matter how long he thought it over,74Please respect copyright.PENANA2cJDCy1JuF
he couldn’t get to an answer that made any sort of sense. Since he had the next74Please respect copyright.PENANA5xoIQtB8sB
two nights off, now would be a good time to find out why.
He removed the book from the74Please respect copyright.PENANAauCX0DjCqg
hidden drawer within the desk. Only two people knew it was there and with Shea74Please respect copyright.PENANAnQCm2bMaEv
guarding the room, there was no way Ross would have come in there uninvited.74Please respect copyright.PENANAWv6wHYSPK4
Friend or not, that would have been a one-way trip to the undertaker.
The book itself seemed to be very74Please respect copyright.PENANAeTfuavtsQh
old. The blackened leather was beginning to crack while some of the pages were74Please respect copyright.PENANAn5G8XrERlh
stuck a dark brown from years of sitting on dusty bookshelves. It was rather74Please respect copyright.PENANArRy0ksvVIx
innocuous, if someone hadn’t been looking for it, there was a huge chance that74Please respect copyright.PENANANEEJOLsivc
they never would have found it. Vander hesitated before opening it. This was74Please respect copyright.PENANAygT6LuYOS6
something Malcolm had been killed for; what mysteries would be hidden within?
The first thing he saw was a74Please respect copyright.PENANA9dvIVQCelq
folded piece of paper inside of the front cover. Confusingly it had his name on74Please respect copyright.PENANAY0yRGTVLif
it with the former King’s handwriting on the front. Frowning, Vander carefully74Please respect copyright.PENANAImbUTsuqYL
removed the letter and unfolded it to read the contents:
Vander,
I74Please respect copyright.PENANAvYQM3WDZG0
am writing this letter shortly before my son’s, and your friend’s, wedding. If74Please respect copyright.PENANAzxCTU1Tu0c
you find this letter, then my life has been cut short and my plans have gone74Please respect copyright.PENANASzx7QBpLym
off the rails. Being the Ma’akti of Humjir has its challenges, but being able74Please respect copyright.PENANA4iK80uTaQu
to see the future and doing nothing to change it tops the list. Just know you74Please respect copyright.PENANAS0tv1Trhap
have everything you need to find those responsible for my death and bring them74Please respect copyright.PENANAoQ6AbPIKvt
to justice.
In74Please respect copyright.PENANA7nWy4LcL1t
this book you will find some answers you need, but the rest you will need to74Please respect copyright.PENANA33eEjw6coH
find on your own. I am sorry I couldn’t do more and I’m sorry that you must do74Please respect copyright.PENANAXkBgrD2LRp
this alone. He will listen to you; you just have to ask. Good luck kid, despite74Please respect copyright.PENANAKE9PdQWg5t
the time we had together I wish we had more, but I know you will do everything74Please respect copyright.PENANAuzxdv2GJMT
you can to protect our home. You always have.
After74Please respect copyright.PENANAob5GxAArtz
you read, see Humi. He alone knows that you are innocent, and he will help you.
Good74Please respect copyright.PENANAY0mt14Iv9D
luck!
-Malcolm
Tears74Please respect copyright.PENANAuwmcHHpdsm
splashed down on the letter, but Vander quickly brushed them away. He knew he74Please respect copyright.PENANA2XKf3Mtqax
should be angry at Malcolm for not letting him know ahead of time, but he knew74Please respect copyright.PENANAk6mtHJ7lfh
that if he had been told, he would have done everything in his power to keep74Please respect copyright.PENANAE8R18Gv9QY
the king’s death from happening. That didn’t mean he had to like it, however.74Please respect copyright.PENANAaje7s2vJs6
And if Humi had known, that would have meant Malcolm trusted him enough with74Please respect copyright.PENANAORDNpr5qp3
his secret, but did that mean Vander should trust him as well? There was only74Please respect copyright.PENANAzdKNqvLYls
one way to find out, but he would have to wait a couple more hours until it was74Please respect copyright.PENANAK5Z7Nw7NqU
dark. Until then, he would read.
He74Please respect copyright.PENANAzrFVZKFHqq
skipped past the creation myth of the first couple of chapters. Everyone in74Please respect copyright.PENANA0d9zRhsv27
Eluvia knew about it, they were taught when they were small about the Gods that74Please respect copyright.PENANAIRcPttneK0
ruled their lives. Most of them anyway. He wanted to know more about Unna, the74Please respect copyright.PENANAnH6WsGKqgJ
one who had changed the course of his life. He wanted to know about the demon,74Please respect copyright.PENANALeEPjKrul1
what he could do to keep it from taking control.
Tragically74Please respect copyright.PENANAJnm4695Qeq
there wasn’t much in her section. He shouldn’t have been so disappointed, he74Please respect copyright.PENANArpctYzhcMm
knew that, but it still hurt. Other than Aubum, Unna was the most secretive of74Please respect copyright.PENANA2RE22aQgnv
the Gods, preferring to toy with humanity and their emotions. There was no way74Please respect copyright.PENANANxOEENiGNU
that she would spill her secrets on anyone who would ask and most of those she74Please respect copyright.PENANABIp8M32vfb
chose to take her power didn’t live long anyway, but it was still worth74Please respect copyright.PENANAYyb8DCaagJ
remembering what was there in case he needed it.
Unna’s gifts are not for the faint of heart. She74Please respect copyright.PENANAgQmm2gYtCM
gives her Ma’akti the power of the animals they bond with the strength of the74Please respect copyright.PENANAHEgWc82mLE
bear, senses of the wolf, or sight of the hawk, but it doesn’t come without74Please respect copyright.PENANAXtJMJ3aj6S
cost. In each of her Ma’akti lives a more animalistic version of themselves, a74Please respect copyright.PENANAXoxlMbWoUK
demon as many called it. They embody what the person would be if they didn’t74Please respect copyright.PENANAwmEtBXIjBP
have morality and lived by the laws of the wild. Many can resist the urges of74Please respect copyright.PENANAQdstilVui7
their demon for years or even decades, but after awhile the walls in their mind74Please respect copyright.PENANAWeY7wIYoZe
crack under the pressure. They go into a trace then kill without question. Many74Please respect copyright.PENANAc2E5VBZhY6
are killed once people know what they have done and have many centuries, people74Please respect copyright.PENANAeuvDEQztZb
preemptively killed those chosen as soon as they found out causing many to hide74Please respect copyright.PENANAmrJ2B1tsEr
their true nature until the end comes.
It is difficult to explain why these things74Please respect copyright.PENANAH5sduf71oe
happen, why some can hold out longer than others. Many believe that it is based74Please respect copyright.PENANAHW8ss6gHII
on Unna’s will. If she likes you, she makes it easier to resist. If she74Please respect copyright.PENANA3lpbzlDblv
doesn’t, well, you wind up her dinner. Some believe that will is the driving74Please respect copyright.PENANAKL9FrqpBgc
force behind resisting the urges, but I’m not sure if that is the case. It will74Please respect copyright.PENANATbWDrKiWyT
be a true testament for someone to live more than two decades after being74Please respect copyright.PENANAx3wLwSlFwU
chosen. As of now that hasn’t happened, but I am hoping at some point it will.74Please respect copyright.PENANA2vqlUCvEcb
These chosen can be a force for good in protecting us if Darkness ever makes74Please respect copyright.PENANA7uAXNsH7b6
her way back into our world.
Something of interest I have discovered after74Please respect copyright.PENANA3gApWY6LxK
years of research. Each of Unna’s Ma’akti has something called a mate. Unlike74Please respect copyright.PENANAV6hnIh63mG
today’s term where someone’s mate is the person they spend their life with and74Please respect copyright.PENANAFUW8U6mICy
raise a family together, an Unna’s chosen’s mate is something a little more74Please respect copyright.PENANAGokAi0srVL
primal. It tethers them to humanity, soothing the demon enough for them to get74Please respect copyright.PENANAsxpWcDfxfH
a handle on who they are and who they want to be. It’s even stronger when their74Please respect copyright.PENANAqYqrrNi1Ew
“mate” is another Ma’akti. They can feel an instant attraction to one another,74Please respect copyright.PENANAkuQcegd0Rj
as if fate was guiding them. It’s only happened once before, if it can be74Please respect copyright.PENANARB4AOFHK5c
believed. The only one in myth was Ritoru, Unna’s own mate. A large white wolf74Please respect copyright.PENANAT4G4mrbsKN
capable of killing anyone who dared messed with her. Quite a match.
Vander74Please respect copyright.PENANAoS6xuuRME1
leaned back into the chair after rereading that part several times. The writer74Please respect copyright.PENANAs3F9TuXF3Y
said it had only happened once, if mythology could be believed, but if that was74Please respect copyright.PENANA0rWfbF44De
true, how did Eliza know about it? Were things taught differently in Bricen74Please respect copyright.PENANApYcpCm0oCK
than they were here? But at least now he had his answer. The creature74Please respect copyright.PENANABXUZEWNW8x
whispering in his ear was his more animalistic side, the one that just wants to74Please respect copyright.PENANAwoBsTIHNQ0
kill and survive. He would have to fight with everything he had to keep it at74Please respect copyright.PENANA5vdEgnEnjz
bay, but what would happen if he was forced to give in? It was something he74Please respect copyright.PENANAY1zYranPgF
really didn’t want to think about. Shea must have sensed his distress because74Please respect copyright.PENANAXKsiKw9eEH
she walked over to him placing her head on his leg. He rubbed the top of her74Please respect copyright.PENANAtkIZhIIQWN
head deep in thought. Perhaps Humi would have the answers he needed.
“Do74Please respect copyright.PENANAae3WPigkB8
you fancy a stroll?” He looked down at Shea.
“Do74Please respect copyright.PENANAEdLwQfoZna
you mean it?” Her74Please respect copyright.PENANA5IpxgnAMML
tail was wagging as she looked up at him. The only time she went out was to use74Please respect copyright.PENANAP8lf5sjl1a
the bathroom, other than that she was forced to be in this room. Someone like74Please respect copyright.PENANAr7lNI6sznE
her should be stuck behind the walls of some warehouse, she should be free to74Please respect copyright.PENANAaSgkNu42nw
explore the streets. Since it was late enough and people were inside, he74Please respect copyright.PENANAfqlS1LRDUU
figured why not allow her some freedom?
“I74Please respect copyright.PENANAfCK7iDk41D
do.” He nodded. He stood up from the desk, making sure to take the black book74Please respect copyright.PENANA64KgQCyhKf
with him when he got changed. Regardless of this place being under Ross’74Please respect copyright.PENANAyUzV2b8iG7
protection, he didn’t trust the man not to go through his belongings once he74Please respect copyright.PENANAohZGfHs8PY
and Shea were gone. He would do whatever he could to get one over on anyone he74Please respect copyright.PENANAjfJU6Fob6X
thought he could use, no matter their position.
Vander74Please respect copyright.PENANAANwF5inLKV
got dressed in his outfit he had used to cut down the Serpents the other night.74Please respect copyright.PENANAWnAZTwQtfV
He had been up late cleaning all the blood of it then allowing it to dry. He74Please respect copyright.PENANAVXJHKviH9e
didn’t want anyone to question him because it would be bad for all involved. He74Please respect copyright.PENANA4guMKTciZ9
reapplied some of the dye to his hair before strapping his sword onto his74Please respect copyright.PENANASF0XbhQleI
baldric. The two of them walked over to the window that overlooked an alley. He74Please respect copyright.PENANAX5OlwdLkMV
pushed his hood up to cover his face then jumped, landing heavily on the74Please respect copyright.PENANA72Yo3hVhOE
cobblestone road. Shea landed lightly behind him.
The74Please respect copyright.PENANAJ35AvsfajL
Orange Fox was booming tonight. Patrons were disappointed that a fight wasn’t74Please respect copyright.PENANAcfbNe95RcD
happening so they were drowning their sorrows in booze, gambling, and it was74Please respect copyright.PENANA9jrpGMC49d
likely that more than a few of Ross’ girls would get a hefty payday once74Please respect copyright.PENANAbz5XQoZTo4
tonight was done. Right and Left were guarding the door dealing with people74Please respect copyright.PENANA73fIYzRd96
wanting to get in, so they weren’t paying attention to the alley. Giving an74Please respect copyright.PENANAXfaIJBxb3o
all-clear signal, Vander moved out from the shadows.
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For74Please respect copyright.PENANAOpTccx5N0r
tonight he said goodnight to the Southern District. Hopefully by the time he74Please respect copyright.PENANA1iACI5zwwc
came back he would find the answers he needed. If not, then he just might be74Please respect copyright.PENANAl4IIEWp6Ua
doomed.