Chapter 32
“What do you mean you’ve been79Please respect copyright.PENANAnkgH8Iv8Pb
expecting me?” Vander asked as he climbed the stairs. Shea followed a step79Please respect copyright.PENANAcMSu9RJotH
behind him unwilling to let him be alone with a man she didn’t know.
“It’s as I said.” Humi had a79Please respect copyright.PENANACvRzd65ROP
faraway look in his eyes. Humi was a strange man. He had short brown hair and79Please respect copyright.PENANA2rNEFODi0M
light blue eyes. He was a portly man, but Vander could feel a strength from him79Please respect copyright.PENANAOCoOaOrKkC
he couldn’t quite place. He wore a long blue robe, different from the one he79Please respect copyright.PENANAA8KewX7xQa
wore at the wedding. This one was light, made from simple cloth, with a moon79Please respect copyright.PENANAdlaVi60vVt
stitched on his chest.
Despite being a79Please respect copyright.PENANAR3bKFN2cVt
member of Humjir’s temple, Vander didn’t know much about him other than the79Please respect copyright.PENANAZzDJC5ryia
fact that he frequented the castle to talk to the former King, but it was79Please respect copyright.PENANAXi0T6896lJ
always behind closed doors away from prying ears. The wedding was the first79Please respect copyright.PENANAa2Y5Bpe8p6
time he had seen Humi in years. There was a smell to him, like Malcolm, yet79Please respect copyright.PENANA4fjLwZ9N41
different. However, Vander had difficulty explaining the feeling to himself.
“You can smell79Please respect copyright.PENANAs9ajo26vvL
the shard of Humjir inside of me, young Unna’tun.” Humi smiled as if reading79Please respect copyright.PENANAUVRxU037b7
Vander’s thoughts.
“I thought the gods only had one79Please respect copyright.PENANA0Lk2svHmtI
shard at a time?” Vander asked. “I thought Cuvera inherited it when his father79Please respect copyright.PENANAMxEKxI5sTm
died.”
“That’s what you’ve been told,79Please respect copyright.PENANA3Us18Whijf
but, like many things, it’s wrong.” Humi turned around then started to walk79Please respect copyright.PENANAEEGyS0F0i0
deeper into the temple. He didn’t speak to Vander, but Vander knew that he79Please respect copyright.PENANABqNwEfz2eT
should follow. Only then would he gain the answers he sook.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me like79Please respect copyright.PENANAi3sA8Az8NB
everyone else?” Vander asked him. Humi paused for a second but kept walking.
“Because I know you didn’t kill79Please respect copyright.PENANA5qA9H4dKP7
Malcolm.” He explained. He didn’t share79Please respect copyright.PENANAr1jEdl9NNE
how he knew, but Vander thought that it had something to do with why he had a79Please respect copyright.PENANAmSkl9oP7zG
shard inside of him. Another mystery he wanted solved.
Humi lead them deep into the79Please respect copyright.PENANALUVDQkpLTX
temple. Despite the later hour, Vander expected other acolytes to be here, not79Please respect copyright.PENANAemG12cJJkU
just Humi. However, he couldn’t smell or hear anyone else inside. He asked the79Please respect copyright.PENANAwHm4ebBLVg
priest about it, but Humi kept walking, ignoring the question entirely. He79Please respect copyright.PENANAymXK3jIUVD
instructed Shea to keep her wits about her, but to stay close in case they were79Please respect copyright.PENANAOKlAa9XGhR
walking into a trap. Malcolm may have said to trust this man, but Vander79Please respect copyright.PENANAchQg8fV48p
trusted Peyton and had been betrayed. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
They were taken down a long79Please respect copyright.PENANAyo8s8ulHF6
hallway where it looked like portraits of all the past kings and queens were79Please respect copyright.PENANAmo45yC8Ini
placed, however they looked slightly different than what he had seen in the79Please respect copyright.PENANAMUNFGy6MBG
castle. These people had pupilless eyes while their hair had a blue hue to it.79Please respect copyright.PENANAS6dy9m4LWi
They must have been previous shards of Humjir, but why did they resemble79Please respect copyright.PENANAn6MnxHlTVn
Eluvia’s monarchy? More questions with no answers, they pushed on.
After about ten minutes of79Please respect copyright.PENANAJyWJUqnIMs
walking, they finally came to one of the paths that would lead them to Humjir’s79Please respect copyright.PENANAGIrJXo4NsA
pool. Vander could smell fresh water, something rare within the city walls. The79Please respect copyright.PENANAgJ4Pqw1IW6
fresh water he had ever smelled was in the middle of the forest, but somehow79Please respect copyright.PENANA7QeHMdKNMm
this was fresher than that. He wondered why that was, but before he could ask,79Please respect copyright.PENANAdQW977gPEP
Humi turned down the hall beckoning the two of them to follow.
“It is best if we talk here.”79Please respect copyright.PENANA9JY4VmaFDh
Despite being outside, Vander had the sneaking suspicion that they were in an79Please respect copyright.PENANALTQZuA0c8P
enclosed space, cut off from the rest of the city. The fact that Humi’s voice79Please respect copyright.PENANAXhG8MWdtgX
didn’t echo when he talked was further proof of that.
“Where is here?” Vander asked. If79Please respect copyright.PENANAbWfZRg8YBC
Humi was impressed he had picked up on it he didn’t show it.
“A special area, even for Humjir.”79Please respect copyright.PENANAjFoWMwlFZJ
Humi explained. “When he passed down the hall we entered this sacred space.79Please respect copyright.PENANAaZKn92V8nI
Only those with a shard, or who are bonded to a shard, may enter.”
“Then what is the pool anyone can79Please respect copyright.PENANAoE5sxf4P1t
enter to worship Humjir?” Vander asked.
“Just that, a pool.” Humi79Please respect copyright.PENANAorDNuzNjyr
explained. “A specially crafted pool which we clean daily to make it feel as79Please respect copyright.PENANAUnmGqRHR87
special as possible, but this is the true space that Humjir himself had created79Please respect copyright.PENANArbXVugiitn
a long time ago.”
The pool itself was immaculate.79Please respect copyright.PENANA5YKCMnkTHI
There were no borders to keep the water in, however, it still stayed within a79Please respect copyright.PENANAefJxROaule
perfect circle. There was a large rock formation that poured ice blue water79Please respect copyright.PENANA5BJfjGQXHH
into the pool. The area around it had a blueish hue, like it reflected the79Please respect copyright.PENANAO2dLzmBVNu
color of the water inside. Vander took a careful step towards the edge to peer79Please respect copyright.PENANANq2uMZBwwl
into the depths. He saw several large fish swimming around, but the biggest79Please respect copyright.PENANAcC5S5XN5iJ
surprise was the full moon shining in the depths despite it only being a79Please respect copyright.PENANA0asPcWMavf
quarter moon in the sky. Vander felt drawn to the pool, but Humi grabbed his79Please respect copyright.PENANAYlEHhQlhHZ
arm pulling him away.
“Many have lost themselves to the79Please respect copyright.PENANAjp3e5xbZrL
depth’s, Vander.” He spoke. “It’s best, especially for you, to stay away.”
“Why?” Vander asked.
“You know the story of Atza’s79Please respect copyright.PENANA4NkRHYobJK
wrath because Humjir used his pool to spy on Unna?” Vander paled as he79Please respect copyright.PENANALzEVCLws2v
remembered that story. He could hear Unna’s laughter in his ears when he read79Please respect copyright.PENANA8qJHCqq8Hw
about it. “If you peer inside, you could enter her realm and that would be very79Please respect copyright.PENANAW0sEaPcr4Q
bad for you.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen.” Shea79Please respect copyright.PENANAx7MFcqUZki
growled.
“There wouldn’t be much you could79Please respect copyright.PENANAcwPpSan8Fo
do about it, little shadow beast.” Humi answered. “Yes, I can hear what you79Please respect copyright.PENANAPbzAyO5nLN
say, but that’s only because we are here where my powers are stronger. Now,79Please respect copyright.PENANASGyQBAF9TW
let’s talk before we run out of time. You’re here because you read Malcolm’s79Please respect copyright.PENANAYNTj0C3lFI
note inside the book.” It was a statement not a question, so Vander answered by79Please respect copyright.PENANA6OUIatlchA
nodding his head. “Where is the book now?” Vander pat his chest where the black79Please respect copyright.PENANAZAPd6qQwDG
book was sitting in his pocket. “Good, make sure you always keep it on you.79Please respect copyright.PENANAfFqI7NIV6b
Don’t let anyone near it unless you can absolutely trust them.”
“I understand, but why all the79Please respect copyright.PENANAv3Taph1dZN
secrecy?”
“That tells me you didn’t read the79Please respect copyright.PENANAtVkxZVQKWs
book in it’s entirety, but I supposed that’s alright,” Humi smirked. “You were79Please respect copyright.PENANAfH7auxyBll
curious about Unna, so you likely read that first to pass the time until you79Please respect copyright.PENANAmUnhMkzQ2M
came here. But to answer your question, I’ll have to ask one. Have you heard of79Please respect copyright.PENANAv3ZX9dzcvv
the Black Order?”
“No?” Vander frowned. In his79Please respect copyright.PENANAii9SRqzD3t
entire time as a Blade and holding the shard of Unna, not once had anyone79Please respect copyright.PENANAQjimFRLl7e
mentioned them. “Who are they?”
“Not surprising,” Humi sighed.79Please respect copyright.PENANAjLfKCZVjxy
“Their name has changed over the millennia, but they have been around since the79Please respect copyright.PENANAv4DLjkuZMl
Great War. They were the human who were on Darkness’s side and vowed to one day79Please respect copyright.PENANAAqlYYltzdK
return her to this realm.”
“Now that you mention it, they79Please respect copyright.PENANAI8hyt4vcwk
sound familiar.” Vander explained. “I thought they were eradicated.”
“We thought so too, but for the79Please respect copyright.PENANA4MlKY17DmC
past century we have noticed them appearing all over once again.” Humi said.79Please respect copyright.PENANAXoJj5f2nt0
“We aren’t sure who they are, we have some suspects, but until Malcolm’s79Please respect copyright.PENANAY7xqym2PHS
assassination, no solid proof. It appears Peyton could be our link.”
“Why would they kill Malcolm?”79Please respect copyright.PENANAg59cfHGfZz
Vander asked. “He’s the King of the most powerful country, with an equally79Please respect copyright.PENANAJ0fi4Qmpc0
strong successor. There would be no point on angering us.”
“Ah, but there is a point.” Humi79Please respect copyright.PENANAN6aLccZ8k0
smiled. “Malcolm held Humjir’s shard inside of his body. They needed that as79Please respect copyright.PENANAoLF07gb8UM
part of their plan to awaken the Darkness.” Vander shot him a quizzical glance79Please respect copyright.PENANAogWCljjvJc
causing Humi to sigh. Vander could feel the man’s impatience with him, but he79Please respect copyright.PENANAVUGJu0dwUC
couldn’t see what these facts had to do with each other. “They need the shard79Please respect copyright.PENANArG6DknXNny
of each god to unseal her. It was their power that took her out and it will be79Please respect copyright.PENANA8hiu30B0tN
their power to release her once again.”
“Wait.” Vander frowned. “If that’s79Please respect copyright.PENANAQ2fmcG5PTB
the case, then why are shard holders running around amok? Why not place them79Please respect copyright.PENANAtv6JPzqVdN
under guard to protect them?”
“Would you be able to control79Please respect copyright.PENANAdOVJ0jWg5w
nobility and keep them confined?” Humi shook his head. “It was attempted many79Please respect copyright.PENANA6AyPvJFM8V
centuries ago, but it went about as well as could be expected. So, they came up79Please respect copyright.PENANATKF7xc2dkm
with an agreement. No one would know who the shards are, except for those in79Please respect copyright.PENANAJkCTrnQ6eB
the know. Each stronghold would have two within their walls, however Atza’s79Please respect copyright.PENANA6ElLDZZ7pe
shard didn’t trust that we could protect her, so she went somewhere else. They79Please respect copyright.PENANAw0fGy39sK3
founded the country of Bricen, and only those in the royal family knew who it79Please respect copyright.PENANAoa7QUH3mT0
would be.”
“But why would the order act now?”79Please respect copyright.PENANAqPertoenhQ
Vander frowned. He racked his brain to figure out why when the past events came79Please respect copyright.PENANAA1Lj6HfcDa
flooding into him. “Because all of the shards are together.”
“Correct.” Humi grimaced. “We are79Please respect copyright.PENANArS5tXUGboP
all at risk, but no one knows it outside of our little group. Our little safety79Please respect copyright.PENANAU3rM2ZQBeg
net ended up dooming us all.”
“Not even the shards know who each79Please respect copyright.PENANAok5nSSXkVY
other are?” Vander asked. “I thought we could all sense each other.”
“No, that’s why you are special79Please respect copyright.PENANAyeWoVxFT2M
and why Peyton likely wanted to ostracize you from everyone else.” Humi placed79Please respect copyright.PENANAEAlepp5hXx
his hand on Vander’s shoulder. “It hasn’t been much of secret when you became79Please respect copyright.PENANAP9h3lGlnnk
Unna’s shard, it hasn’t happened in many, many years and most don’t survive79Please respect copyright.PENANADx36xiXGuk
very long. The fact that you are still alive is testament to your willpower and79Please respect copyright.PENANAtijPGg4ers
Malcolm’s ability to keep it a secret, but it’s out in the open now. If they79Please respect copyright.PENANAzIv7HNjQ2C
get ahold of your gifts, it will doom us all.”
“So, what should I do?” Vander79Please respect copyright.PENANAJOwOauthaD
asked. “I can’t just abandon my friends and family to go on the run.”
“No, you can’t.” Humi sighed.79Please respect copyright.PENANAZuVpbAVy7q
“They know who you are and will go to the ends of the earth to find you. All we79Please respect copyright.PENANAM4CAlVSsKP
can do is protect those here until they leave, to give us time to think of a79Please respect copyright.PENANA5FzRZAGvoL
solution.”
“Can I ask you something else?”79Please respect copyright.PENANApD4b00xiyE
Vander asked. Humi nodded. “How do the Green Serpents fit into this? I mean,79Please respect copyright.PENANAd3sof4NO71
they were the ones who poisoned Malcolm and tried to assassinate me. What is it79Please respect copyright.PENANANcPTWKwx3A
they want?”
“The only thing Malcolm and I79Please respect copyright.PENANAsgengymgDt
could come up with was that they were hired to do a job.” Humi explained. “Lure79Please respect copyright.PENANAQiqgXxiHvM
you out of hiding so they can kill you and part of it worked. Now they must79Please respect copyright.PENANAN3R3kVl1J6
find you, but it looks as though you found them first.”
“Three escaped, but I’m sure they79Please respect copyright.PENANArulCPLJ3wS
have a plan.” Vander explained. “But they have sent someone else after me. I79Please respect copyright.PENANAaTFX1LVb10
found a note in the house explaining that someone called ‘Fang’, has been sent79Please respect copyright.PENANASsi4WdgwRf
after me. Have you heard of them?”
“No,” Humi frowned. “But they have79Please respect copyright.PENANAUDAnrXkBlR
been especially sent for you, then you need to do a better job of hiding before79Please respect copyright.PENANA5xPOh4W0up
they find you.”
“Oh, it’s far too late for that.” Humi79Please respect copyright.PENANAOhv1DnpKrC
and Vander, startled by the noise, looked up to find a figure squatting on top79Please respect copyright.PENANASgsCzvvxec
of the fountain.
They were dressed79Please respect copyright.PENANAyuJvoXxHY2
in an all-black uniform that had a greenish hue to it. Vander could tell that79Please respect copyright.PENANApvyYtI8FAF
the armor was well crafted with metal plating underneath it. The leather79Please respect copyright.PENANAcgRqfid5aB
vambraces were holding numerous weapons, Vander could smell poison emanating79Please respect copyright.PENANA9c24rdgo0b
from them, and they had a sword slung across their back. The hood over their79Please respect copyright.PENANAxVQ9zKKm1o
face obscured their looks, but despite that, they were still wearing a green79Please respect copyright.PENANAf2PnonwpeF
mask with a serpent painted onto it.
Vander went for79Please respect copyright.PENANAt0azQLxRrn
his sword, but Humi stood in front of him. “It’s not your time.” He whispered.79Please respect copyright.PENANAQygQCZZAYf
He opened his robe and removed a whip that had been wrapped around his waist.79Please respect copyright.PENANA2rfkjLNUjb
“The fact that they got into this sanctuary means Humjir’s power is weakening.79Please respect copyright.PENANAne3agSxP5m
It will take time for the shard to take effect in someone new. You must be79Please respect copyright.PENANAmwSuUapRUM
alive to protect them.”
“I can help you.”79Please respect copyright.PENANA9zkWSHYCmP
Vander hissed. Shea grabbed onto his pants to drag him back.
“Protect the79Please respect copyright.PENANALGWPUh75oO
book!” Humi smiled. “This is not where you die young Vander. You still have79Please respect copyright.PENANAQYBFXXiPlw
plenty to do, please allow me to see my friend in the afterlife knowing I79Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8CS52xg76
helped protect our home.”
“Can you take79Please respect copyright.PENANA0QBGcnS7p7
them” Vander hesitated.
“Never fear.”79Please respect copyright.PENANAR8X208HFZL
Humi smiled. He cracked the whip as he stared down the assassin. “You’ll have79Please respect copyright.PENANARmLtqXUaIb
to get through me to get to him.”
“No problem.”79Please respect copyright.PENANAVr43Cv6QuH
Vander thought he could hear the assassin grinning from behind the mask.
“Take this with79Please respect copyright.PENANARvH7Z5PnRG
you as well.” Humi held out a vial of water towards Vander. “Once you are safe,79Please respect copyright.PENANAGTCOEegIUR
drink that. Only then will you know what’s at stake.” Vander took the vial then79Please respect copyright.PENANAI2NQWoDHfM
slipped it into his pocket. He opened his mouth to say more, but Shea once again79Please respect copyright.PENANA5yGiIxI3ZU
pulled on his jacket.
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“We must go.”79Please respect copyright.PENANA5PmLPGS8sB
Vander allowed himself to run as this was the only option available to him. He79Please respect copyright.PENANAHUnCzWEaQE
prayed that Humi would survive, but it was unlikely. Humi was right, however,79Please respect copyright.PENANA47tRwUuBua
he had to protect the book and the secrets that lay within. If it helped save79Please respect copyright.PENANAdaBpa8evTq
this city, he would do whatever he could.