Chapter 32
“What do you mean you’ve been109Please respect copyright.PENANAl6qrlEsyfs
expecting me?” Vander asked as he climbed the stairs. Shea followed a step109Please respect copyright.PENANAgdZFtJ73HB
behind him unwilling to let him be alone with a man she didn’t know.
“It’s as I said.” Humi had a109Please respect copyright.PENANAr9oqhcxxDF
faraway look in his eyes. Humi was a strange man. He had short brown hair and109Please respect copyright.PENANAndrw2J13ct
light blue eyes. He was a portly man, but Vander could feel a strength from him109Please respect copyright.PENANA5bjS81XhK1
he couldn’t quite place. He wore a long blue robe, different from the one he109Please respect copyright.PENANA1IPfE9qo2a
wore at the wedding. This one was light, made from simple cloth, with a moon109Please respect copyright.PENANADRoYtQawB4
stitched on his chest.
Despite being a109Please respect copyright.PENANAowupFr8HW6
member of Humjir’s temple, Vander didn’t know much about him other than the109Please respect copyright.PENANAySvH9PowPq
fact that he frequented the castle to talk to the former King, but it was109Please respect copyright.PENANAsvuQwnMDBY
always behind closed doors away from prying ears. The wedding was the first109Please respect copyright.PENANA86V9oSi5gS
time he had seen Humi in years. There was a smell to him, like Malcolm, yet109Please respect copyright.PENANARqmrCig11z
different. However, Vander had difficulty explaining the feeling to himself.
“You can smell109Please respect copyright.PENANAV7cjjgjCqH
the shard of Humjir inside of me, young Unna’tun.” Humi smiled as if reading109Please respect copyright.PENANAv4IZ6f4A2g
Vander’s thoughts.
“I thought the gods only had one109Please respect copyright.PENANAlsZliz6I6Y
shard at a time?” Vander asked. “I thought Cuvera inherited it when his father109Please respect copyright.PENANAkNyzxxwABD
died.”
“That’s what you’ve been told,109Please respect copyright.PENANALbrDdLBPCj
but, like many things, it’s wrong.” Humi turned around then started to walk109Please respect copyright.PENANAQdJGnMSjBP
deeper into the temple. He didn’t speak to Vander, but Vander knew that he109Please respect copyright.PENANAN6beLXm8cr
should follow. Only then would he gain the answers he sook.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me like109Please respect copyright.PENANAqd1JcORvsV
everyone else?” Vander asked him. Humi paused for a second but kept walking.
“Because I know you didn’t kill109Please respect copyright.PENANAmt8v3N3c2B
Malcolm.” He explained. He didn’t share109Please respect copyright.PENANAYkrqxzcl8v
how he knew, but Vander thought that it had something to do with why he had a109Please respect copyright.PENANAbdk7JyteqY
shard inside of him. Another mystery he wanted solved.
Humi lead them deep into the109Please respect copyright.PENANA6uub9YYQtg
temple. Despite the later hour, Vander expected other acolytes to be here, not109Please respect copyright.PENANAWyNzXPfacf
just Humi. However, he couldn’t smell or hear anyone else inside. He asked the109Please respect copyright.PENANADiNkK4WxCc
priest about it, but Humi kept walking, ignoring the question entirely. He109Please respect copyright.PENANAfIQB6eQcez
instructed Shea to keep her wits about her, but to stay close in case they were109Please respect copyright.PENANAV4iViPtdNf
walking into a trap. Malcolm may have said to trust this man, but Vander109Please respect copyright.PENANATzP8CNjXTJ
trusted Peyton and had been betrayed. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
They were taken down a long109Please respect copyright.PENANAyhgq7o7bjK
hallway where it looked like portraits of all the past kings and queens were109Please respect copyright.PENANAWlvshvg15h
placed, however they looked slightly different than what he had seen in the109Please respect copyright.PENANARIiHAAhyDd
castle. These people had pupilless eyes while their hair had a blue hue to it.109Please respect copyright.PENANAgiHLkxk4aQ
They must have been previous shards of Humjir, but why did they resemble109Please respect copyright.PENANAx45nFFGMGm
Eluvia’s monarchy? More questions with no answers, they pushed on.
After about ten minutes of109Please respect copyright.PENANALZB8APvG5Z
walking, they finally came to one of the paths that would lead them to Humjir’s109Please respect copyright.PENANAQPYTzXqqYu
pool. Vander could smell fresh water, something rare within the city walls. The109Please respect copyright.PENANAbQfOefOOvG
fresh water he had ever smelled was in the middle of the forest, but somehow109Please respect copyright.PENANACVdLjjKvU4
this was fresher than that. He wondered why that was, but before he could ask,109Please respect copyright.PENANAcLrkQLm4Rn
Humi turned down the hall beckoning the two of them to follow.
“It is best if we talk here.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAQIkUiT3SYK
Despite being outside, Vander had the sneaking suspicion that they were in an109Please respect copyright.PENANAL0fXaazRYc
enclosed space, cut off from the rest of the city. The fact that Humi’s voice109Please respect copyright.PENANAqKLGDV8fJT
didn’t echo when he talked was further proof of that.
“Where is here?” Vander asked. If109Please respect copyright.PENANAURMXFjZHys
Humi was impressed he had picked up on it he didn’t show it.
“A special area, even for Humjir.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAD2jeJ1ILQf
Humi explained. “When he passed down the hall we entered this sacred space.109Please respect copyright.PENANA3Enxe5K4Ty
Only those with a shard, or who are bonded to a shard, may enter.”
“Then what is the pool anyone can109Please respect copyright.PENANArHwbi2s60s
enter to worship Humjir?” Vander asked.
“Just that, a pool.” Humi109Please respect copyright.PENANAzBLsuakZ0Q
explained. “A specially crafted pool which we clean daily to make it feel as109Please respect copyright.PENANAytNmOnbcI6
special as possible, but this is the true space that Humjir himself had created109Please respect copyright.PENANAoUJ4ZDk5vt
a long time ago.”
The pool itself was immaculate.109Please respect copyright.PENANAPvYSpijZ6r
There were no borders to keep the water in, however, it still stayed within a109Please respect copyright.PENANAzD7Dfu5u7z
perfect circle. There was a large rock formation that poured ice blue water109Please respect copyright.PENANAkYbJbcblST
into the pool. The area around it had a blueish hue, like it reflected the109Please respect copyright.PENANAnw2hA8Z4IZ
color of the water inside. Vander took a careful step towards the edge to peer109Please respect copyright.PENANAQVoOp5IfAM
into the depths. He saw several large fish swimming around, but the biggest109Please respect copyright.PENANA9PRvepjMCv
surprise was the full moon shining in the depths despite it only being a109Please respect copyright.PENANAMDFPresb2f
quarter moon in the sky. Vander felt drawn to the pool, but Humi grabbed his109Please respect copyright.PENANAtqS1ADBHSs
arm pulling him away.
“Many have lost themselves to the109Please respect copyright.PENANAE1B47IsTDv
depth’s, Vander.” He spoke. “It’s best, especially for you, to stay away.”
“Why?” Vander asked.
“You know the story of Atza’s109Please respect copyright.PENANASUvx1CJDUP
wrath because Humjir used his pool to spy on Unna?” Vander paled as he109Please respect copyright.PENANAzfJPKPXdFx
remembered that story. He could hear Unna’s laughter in his ears when he read109Please respect copyright.PENANAMOlCKYKyH7
about it. “If you peer inside, you could enter her realm and that would be very109Please respect copyright.PENANA7C17mdw3Sn
bad for you.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen.” Shea109Please respect copyright.PENANAD6yZTP0GKT
growled.
“There wouldn’t be much you could109Please respect copyright.PENANAeBuPMB3hhU
do about it, little shadow beast.” Humi answered. “Yes, I can hear what you109Please respect copyright.PENANA5sEcbdix0S
say, but that’s only because we are here where my powers are stronger. Now,109Please respect copyright.PENANAIBbfK8EmTn
let’s talk before we run out of time. You’re here because you read Malcolm’s109Please respect copyright.PENANAKPXFKvobXH
note inside the book.” It was a statement not a question, so Vander answered by109Please respect copyright.PENANAkfaZxKnx7j
nodding his head. “Where is the book now?” Vander pat his chest where the black109Please respect copyright.PENANA8XjQJ5z9H6
book was sitting in his pocket. “Good, make sure you always keep it on you.109Please respect copyright.PENANATC147VlxCj
Don’t let anyone near it unless you can absolutely trust them.”
“I understand, but why all the109Please respect copyright.PENANAVopy3cLwol
secrecy?”
“That tells me you didn’t read the109Please respect copyright.PENANAkYM0pOO4qp
book in it’s entirety, but I supposed that’s alright,” Humi smirked. “You were109Please respect copyright.PENANAgSzAulzq9a
curious about Unna, so you likely read that first to pass the time until you109Please respect copyright.PENANANXcrOMDt7O
came here. But to answer your question, I’ll have to ask one. Have you heard of109Please respect copyright.PENANAQu73W8XNsw
the Black Order?”
“No?” Vander frowned. In his109Please respect copyright.PENANAqY5zCqgux5
entire time as a Blade and holding the shard of Unna, not once had anyone109Please respect copyright.PENANAE8d5xaGYzo
mentioned them. “Who are they?”
“Not surprising,” Humi sighed.109Please respect copyright.PENANAhamLD1dSKe
“Their name has changed over the millennia, but they have been around since the109Please respect copyright.PENANAoRUHnRDeGV
Great War. They were the human who were on Darkness’s side and vowed to one day109Please respect copyright.PENANA9J1OGFmBW1
return her to this realm.”
“Now that you mention it, they109Please respect copyright.PENANA5JyAe7MYpA
sound familiar.” Vander explained. “I thought they were eradicated.”
“We thought so too, but for the109Please respect copyright.PENANAtxWeXsiAM8
past century we have noticed them appearing all over once again.” Humi said.109Please respect copyright.PENANAPRbPQi7FNi
“We aren’t sure who they are, we have some suspects, but until Malcolm’s109Please respect copyright.PENANAtfmMFtjaaJ
assassination, no solid proof. It appears Peyton could be our link.”
“Why would they kill Malcolm?”109Please respect copyright.PENANAgJHQcfdmwz
Vander asked. “He’s the King of the most powerful country, with an equally109Please respect copyright.PENANAfRkkoYyZA9
strong successor. There would be no point on angering us.”
“Ah, but there is a point.” Humi109Please respect copyright.PENANAKIHlS0cHr4
smiled. “Malcolm held Humjir’s shard inside of his body. They needed that as109Please respect copyright.PENANASdfKbTCHYe
part of their plan to awaken the Darkness.” Vander shot him a quizzical glance109Please respect copyright.PENANAbryZgzmwg2
causing Humi to sigh. Vander could feel the man’s impatience with him, but he109Please respect copyright.PENANAqUikw9dLF5
couldn’t see what these facts had to do with each other. “They need the shard109Please respect copyright.PENANAp8ecEuz1wW
of each god to unseal her. It was their power that took her out and it will be109Please respect copyright.PENANAuIpxnGO6UF
their power to release her once again.”
“Wait.” Vander frowned. “If that’s109Please respect copyright.PENANAawd32my1Cn
the case, then why are shard holders running around amok? Why not place them109Please respect copyright.PENANAvylnWlcqh5
under guard to protect them?”
“Would you be able to control109Please respect copyright.PENANAByAFSyfBP1
nobility and keep them confined?” Humi shook his head. “It was attempted many109Please respect copyright.PENANAxT61tBi8hw
centuries ago, but it went about as well as could be expected. So, they came up109Please respect copyright.PENANAudhN4HWVMr
with an agreement. No one would know who the shards are, except for those in109Please respect copyright.PENANAT4yGHnTpQU
the know. Each stronghold would have two within their walls, however Atza’s109Please respect copyright.PENANAJv1WeZpOvR
shard didn’t trust that we could protect her, so she went somewhere else. They109Please respect copyright.PENANAgz8yM5QauT
founded the country of Bricen, and only those in the royal family knew who it109Please respect copyright.PENANA4GABxJJ8IA
would be.”
“But why would the order act now?”109Please respect copyright.PENANAB3ZMnLVfx3
Vander frowned. He racked his brain to figure out why when the past events came109Please respect copyright.PENANAWgHiXQGVXA
flooding into him. “Because all of the shards are together.”
“Correct.” Humi grimaced. “We are109Please respect copyright.PENANA7qT181YztH
all at risk, but no one knows it outside of our little group. Our little safety109Please respect copyright.PENANA1TcnnKaf8y
net ended up dooming us all.”
“Not even the shards know who each109Please respect copyright.PENANA6wOWin25Zh
other are?” Vander asked. “I thought we could all sense each other.”
“No, that’s why you are special109Please respect copyright.PENANAzYDlJP6KrH
and why Peyton likely wanted to ostracize you from everyone else.” Humi placed109Please respect copyright.PENANAszw5wcXHB4
his hand on Vander’s shoulder. “It hasn’t been much of secret when you became109Please respect copyright.PENANAgdVbvujx0N
Unna’s shard, it hasn’t happened in many, many years and most don’t survive109Please respect copyright.PENANAoMGxfZyljl
very long. The fact that you are still alive is testament to your willpower and109Please respect copyright.PENANATdYgXXTaY4
Malcolm’s ability to keep it a secret, but it’s out in the open now. If they109Please respect copyright.PENANAZr0QTlXyD3
get ahold of your gifts, it will doom us all.”
“So, what should I do?” Vander109Please respect copyright.PENANAp1cWoXwqgr
asked. “I can’t just abandon my friends and family to go on the run.”
“No, you can’t.” Humi sighed.109Please respect copyright.PENANAb8zMWQEcjp
“They know who you are and will go to the ends of the earth to find you. All we109Please respect copyright.PENANAfqI3g4DOlp
can do is protect those here until they leave, to give us time to think of a109Please respect copyright.PENANAV6GkaKFlSZ
solution.”
“Can I ask you something else?”109Please respect copyright.PENANA0b4xD1VUby
Vander asked. Humi nodded. “How do the Green Serpents fit into this? I mean,109Please respect copyright.PENANATH4LKSj0Zc
they were the ones who poisoned Malcolm and tried to assassinate me. What is it109Please respect copyright.PENANAtEvBKUYwuQ
they want?”
“The only thing Malcolm and I109Please respect copyright.PENANAGsvEUYp4w5
could come up with was that they were hired to do a job.” Humi explained. “Lure109Please respect copyright.PENANAxB5bRO5fLc
you out of hiding so they can kill you and part of it worked. Now they must109Please respect copyright.PENANAu3aSI0M4mQ
find you, but it looks as though you found them first.”
“Three escaped, but I’m sure they109Please respect copyright.PENANA98Vf9VZ92y
have a plan.” Vander explained. “But they have sent someone else after me. I109Please respect copyright.PENANAy7jfZNd7sM
found a note in the house explaining that someone called ‘Fang’, has been sent109Please respect copyright.PENANAaH6DnkuRIB
after me. Have you heard of them?”
“No,” Humi frowned. “But they have109Please respect copyright.PENANARTKceTr1Gl
been especially sent for you, then you need to do a better job of hiding before109Please respect copyright.PENANANckAx3JV1A
they find you.”
“Oh, it’s far too late for that.” Humi109Please respect copyright.PENANAQfbZS0Gd3f
and Vander, startled by the noise, looked up to find a figure squatting on top109Please respect copyright.PENANAGL2t5HeNVF
of the fountain.
They were dressed109Please respect copyright.PENANA7UVFEjB0Ws
in an all-black uniform that had a greenish hue to it. Vander could tell that109Please respect copyright.PENANAlzypNFd7Fm
the armor was well crafted with metal plating underneath it. The leather109Please respect copyright.PENANAT5BFhrAlOD
vambraces were holding numerous weapons, Vander could smell poison emanating109Please respect copyright.PENANAvJWde48RHs
from them, and they had a sword slung across their back. The hood over their109Please respect copyright.PENANAjljdLlVafy
face obscured their looks, but despite that, they were still wearing a green109Please respect copyright.PENANAANNWPwKnJp
mask with a serpent painted onto it.
Vander went for109Please respect copyright.PENANAvW2B2sCKe3
his sword, but Humi stood in front of him. “It’s not your time.” He whispered.109Please respect copyright.PENANAplDNRt4Yob
He opened his robe and removed a whip that had been wrapped around his waist.109Please respect copyright.PENANAnHo1UEUoEF
“The fact that they got into this sanctuary means Humjir’s power is weakening.109Please respect copyright.PENANAKaWF2Sr2aM
It will take time for the shard to take effect in someone new. You must be109Please respect copyright.PENANAQoUi3N3hkG
alive to protect them.”
“I can help you.”109Please respect copyright.PENANA12ePhVGRoV
Vander hissed. Shea grabbed onto his pants to drag him back.
“Protect the109Please respect copyright.PENANAcx3IWP7Xkl
book!” Humi smiled. “This is not where you die young Vander. You still have109Please respect copyright.PENANAJfgaPE52yv
plenty to do, please allow me to see my friend in the afterlife knowing I109Please respect copyright.PENANAL5IUQmnIBy
helped protect our home.”
“Can you take109Please respect copyright.PENANAX1RFPv7V1E
them” Vander hesitated.
“Never fear.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAj4wA618ZqX
Humi smiled. He cracked the whip as he stared down the assassin. “You’ll have109Please respect copyright.PENANATtVrnNNnXX
to get through me to get to him.”
“No problem.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAVOxqLoUGFW
Vander thought he could hear the assassin grinning from behind the mask.
“Take this with109Please respect copyright.PENANAyepCa7vG93
you as well.” Humi held out a vial of water towards Vander. “Once you are safe,109Please respect copyright.PENANAD8jFBdhSBf
drink that. Only then will you know what’s at stake.” Vander took the vial then109Please respect copyright.PENANAwGJird5u7x
slipped it into his pocket. He opened his mouth to say more, but Shea once again109Please respect copyright.PENANAlARD5sjx9K
pulled on his jacket.
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“We must go.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAYYuwtAcbWr
Vander allowed himself to run as this was the only option available to him. He109Please respect copyright.PENANA34WFV87xkB
prayed that Humi would survive, but it was unlikely. Humi was right, however,109Please respect copyright.PENANAK2VcoASknA
he had to protect the book and the secrets that lay within. If it helped save109Please respect copyright.PENANAoCVMz0cvSC
this city, he would do whatever he could.