Chapter 33
The sounds of battle echoed around70Please respect copyright.PENANAYD7KSlJ2V3
him, but Vander kept running. He didn’t know about Humi’s abilities in a fight,70Please respect copyright.PENANAzR9YaGjIDi
but it seemed as though he was holding on. He couldn’t help, but wonder if the70Please respect copyright.PENANAttAX19qbbb
priest knew something like this was going to happen tonight which was why he70Please respect copyright.PENANA3vo1gFKJfl
was prepared or did he bring the assassin to the man’s doorstep? More answers70Please respect copyright.PENANAIJtjoYeF7z
and no questions. However, his only goal right now was to get back to the70Please respect copyright.PENANAaFsgY8qIC5
safety of the warehouse, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t send Humi some help.
“Assassin at Humjir’s temple!”70Please respect copyright.PENANAViLWpLfdMk
Vander shouted. He put a scared expression on his face, which wasn’t difficult70Please respect copyright.PENANA3hr47uHQEE
because he was scared, as he ran past the guards. Shea must have been a blur70Please respect copyright.PENANA7jIukhLB4S
because they didn’t notice him. “Help, Humi’s in danger help!”
“Go to the temple!” A guard70Please respect copyright.PENANAaVnZGRuD6n
shouted. He turned to get Vander’s attention, but he had already slipped down a70Please respect copyright.PENANAWF1eBRJPfH
side street and was gone from sight. An alarm went out causing more and more70Please respect copyright.PENANAdUQ4HT1e4b
guards to leave their posts to head towards the source. The attention made it70Please respect copyright.PENANAl3yMXKwI3U
inadvertently easy for him to slip through the district gates.
He didn’t stop running until he70Please respect copyright.PENANAPlx7ws3SuW
reached the Orange Fox. Despite badly needing to rest, he knew he had been gone70Please respect copyright.PENANARrwe7yvIoH
for too long and eventually Ross’ two protectors would be in his room soon if70Please respect copyright.PENANAWh97xwBpsk
they hadn’t been already. He climbed up the drainage pipe as Shea jumped nimbly70Please respect copyright.PENANAiy5Y9SeWwA
on the fence then into the room. He quickly stripped off his nighttime outfit,70Please respect copyright.PENANAGiDbFqny8q
changing into loose pants and shirt. He carefully placed the black book in the70Please respect copyright.PENANAw7J0jyIPrL
hiding spot along with the vial. Once he and Shea were alone, he would have to70Please respect copyright.PENANAVKtlKnbojg
see what that was about.
As soon as he settled into bed and70Please respect copyright.PENANAivw4GGirHy
closed his eyes, there was a knock on the door. Pretending to awaken, he let70Please respect copyright.PENANAuxwSZt05Qh
out a loud groan as he stumbled from the bed then shuffled towards the door.70Please respect copyright.PENANAWzoVlCnmXp
Right and Left were standing there with the bartender and a different girl from70Please respect copyright.PENANAPuJlJJzd6s
last time. This one looked young, younger than she had any right to be.
“What’s this?” Vander growled, not70Please respect copyright.PENANAa1VPbxbCKA
even bothering to hide his annoyance.
“A gift from Ross.” Left smirked.70Please respect copyright.PENANAzwwneUb1z8
“He wants you to break this one in for the others.”
“I think not.” Vander noticed the70Please respect copyright.PENANA9JwrrKrXjQ
disappointment on the young girl’s face. “How old are you?” he asked her.
“Fourteen.” she muttered. She70Please respect copyright.PENANA7HRjQpS3bB
looked down at her feet. At least the blonde woman had the presence of mind to70Please respect copyright.PENANA4nCId4cgxO
be disgusted too.
“Fourteen?” she snapped. “You told70Please respect copyright.PENANAci4vHELJqW
me she was sixteen.”
“Age is just-“ Right ate a face70Please respect copyright.PENANAaRRrHUf1VI
full of the bartender’s hand.
“She is far too young for70Please respect copyright.PENANAnVNpniFPor
something like this.” She snapped. “What the hell is the matter with you.”
“Boss’s orders.” Right stepped70Please respect copyright.PENANAxhMY1k9bYB
forward raising his hand to strike her, but Vander stepped in.
“That’s enough.” Vander said.70Please respect copyright.PENANAaHugYmzGaQ
“Take her downstairs, give her a different job until she is old enough. Do not70Please respect copyright.PENANAc0U8Bp7od7
let anyone touch her or you will have to answer to me.”
“We don’t have to take orders from70Please respect copyright.PENANACXbrcPSgB2
you.” Left stammered, but he seemed a little fearful as to what Vander could do70Please respect copyright.PENANAT2WKCGM2wt
if he had the mind to.
Vander let out a70Please respect copyright.PENANAZxYYB0roht
mental order to Shea who walked up behind him growling, teeth bared. The two70Please respect copyright.PENANATrXJyRynea
guards blanched as they looked at her before facing Vander and nodding their70Please respect copyright.PENANAOdPp0fuiEp
heads. He thought he saw a sigh of relief escape the young woman’s body.
“As for you,”70Please respect copyright.PENANAxi6ty85ByQ
Vander turned towards the blonde. “I don’t need you tonight. I’m tired so I’m70Please respect copyright.PENANAigyVvm9rUz
just going to sleep.”
“Alright,” she70Please respect copyright.PENANAhH7qKNaWQR
grinned giving him a sly wink. She leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Thank70Please respect copyright.PENANA63jSRlZtth
you for that, I’ll treat you special next time.” She ended the promise by70Please respect copyright.PENANA50mPdFClAM
giving him a quick peck on the cheek. She wrapped her arms around the young70Please respect copyright.PENANA5Z8ybefWSg
lady and walked back down the hall with Left and Right running right behind70Please respect copyright.PENANA2qrvnBbLBE
them.
“You humans70Please respect copyright.PENANAVN5tN2ckFB
sure are disgusting.” Shea snorted as Vander closed the door behind them.
“You have no70Please respect copyright.PENANASydXmrsIqA
idea.” After he was sure everyone was gone, he walked back towards the desk,70Please respect copyright.PENANAn4ReXx1D8g
taking the vial out, then going to sit on the bed. He stared at it for several70Please respect copyright.PENANAZ8nHoMMl1a
minutes trying to figure out how to see what was contained within. His first70Please respect copyright.PENANA0OD29tGFkk
instinct was to fill the tub with water then pour it in, but that didn’t seem70Please respect copyright.PENANA7oKqBAqOfm
right. The only other thing he could do was drink it, but that seemed70Please respect copyright.PENANAEvv84AEl6e
dangerous. As if reading his mind, Shea said:
“I’ll watch70Please respect copyright.PENANAvaQOdKkunJ
over you.”
“Alright.” Vander70Please respect copyright.PENANAF56uGUgucN
popped the cork then raised the bottle to his lips. He drank the whole thing70Please respect copyright.PENANAxBftlnbWB1
down and instantly felt drowsy. He placed his head on the pillows then fell70Please respect copyright.PENANAc3ETsCVKPG
asleep.
…
When he awoke,70Please respect copyright.PENANAlK6xwpNXhX
he could taste ash in his mouth. For some reason he was lying on Eluvia’s70Please respect copyright.PENANAJ3ZgTD22Yg
streets, delirious and drowsy. All around him he could hear battle followed by70Please respect copyright.PENANAovb0tjdhoV
the screams of those cut down. He got to his feet to look around. Eluvia’s70Please respect copyright.PENANAhmG5gelTu2
soldiers were fighting a large-scale battle in the middle of Eluvia, whose70Please respect copyright.PENANAZuK0ff2YX5
walls were supposed to be unbreachable. They wore white cloth covering their70Please respect copyright.PENANAV5r8t5U0OL
entire face, except for their eyes, and they wore loose scale mail allowing70Please respect copyright.PENANA3k6isnAZge
them to outmaneuver Eluvia’s heavily armored soldiers. The weapons they used70Please respect copyright.PENANAq7rYzUYTg8
were also foreign to him. They were curved blades, easily snaking their way70Please respect copyright.PENANAadYkBGK7lB
through the gaps in the armor.
Someone had70Please respect copyright.PENANARntZ0wop0G
set fire to the entire city. Buildings were engulfed in flames as people70Please respect copyright.PENANAYQXNiltYPg
screamed out for help. Those trapped tried to escape then flee but were cut70Please respect copyright.PENANAiIetCsE2Uy
down in the process of doing so. Those who stood there screaming were silenced70Please respect copyright.PENANAucK0V15v2A
forever. It was a one-sided slaughter and Vander would like nothing more than70Please respect copyright.PENANAwPKlcNsZ3T
to help, but his body wouldn’t obey his commands. Instead, he drew his sword,70Please respect copyright.PENANAUFPXEWJ3bf
then rushed towards the castle.
He ignored70Please respect copyright.PENANAcT1Vokb6SA
everyone fighting down in the streets or getting slaughtered because they70Please respect copyright.PENANAGnukIAEDA3
couldn’t do much other than cry or scream. He ran past the gates that had been70Please respect copyright.PENANACGkz0PgjZT
blown to hell allowing their enemies past the borders into the second ring.70Please respect copyright.PENANAbhJd4EZyzK
Some nobles did what they could to protect themselves, but many gathered up any70Please respect copyright.PENANAczgYy9xqg2
riches they could find before being torn apart. One female noble had been taken70Please respect copyright.PENANASIw7sk8Qr8
by a group of enemies and assaulted on her lawn. As he rushed past, they cut70Please respect copyright.PENANAjOHF2vDDpH
her throat then moved on to the next house.
He came up70Please respect copyright.PENANAksWlRNTFkM
across a group of enemies who looked shock to see him, but they drew their70Please respect copyright.PENANARyISCsJ0c6
weapons and charged. His body moved on his own. He drew his sword to block the70Please respect copyright.PENANAqLAZuQKZ1d
strike from one soldier then stepped aside running another one completely70Please respect copyright.PENANAJkzbxTBPbD
through. He removed his weapon to cut the throat of a third who had come up70Please respect copyright.PENANAVj3gBcvam7
behind him. His body was a blur slicing those who attacked him to ribbons. He70Please respect copyright.PENANAmB4RQODtO0
didn’t even give them a second look before heading towards the third ring.
The castle70Please respect copyright.PENANA9gJ4QKToQN
gates had been broken. Bodies of soldiers and Blades littered the battlements70Please respect copyright.PENANAzy69pSi1ov
and streets. Vander felt a rush of pride as he saw that the dead invaders more70Please respect copyright.PENANAvkbSvJzobe
than doubled the bodies of his former comrades, but that just meant they were70Please respect copyright.PENANAaQRwqgVn2g
met with overwhelming force. They had no chance.
Now he had to70Please respect copyright.PENANAKJ00a8goEr
be careful entering the castle. He didn’t know where the enemies were or how70Please respect copyright.PENANA8v4vQYRHmv
many, but his body wanted him to rush in to find out of those he cared for were70Please respect copyright.PENANAbKOGe8I3hs
still alive. Luckily, he knew all the secret passages as well as the smells of70Please respect copyright.PENANAsVlj6CZO4L
those he needed to find. So, he slipped down a hallway, pressed a random brick70Please respect copyright.PENANAAFQCsxFpt2
on the wall, which pushed back revealing a darkened staircase. Cuvera’s smell70Please respect copyright.PENANA8QykyWcsZe
filled his nose, so he followed it up the stairwell.
He came out of70Please respect copyright.PENANAisVhxSn7La
another hallway on the second floor. He didn’t recognize the space, but his70Please respect copyright.PENANA8TYLcLuXPa
body knew where to go. The smell of blood was strong here which filled him with70Please respect copyright.PENANAThTUrNlysP
panic. Many smells fused together, but he pieced one of them out: Eliza. He70Please respect copyright.PENANAa4bwwoLMtH
rushed down the hall and into a room he didn’t even know existed. Inside was a70Please respect copyright.PENANA6sdUx1GJbD
massive table which was covered with blood. Scattered around were members of70Please respect copyright.PENANAaT5WGLjbUJ
the council, bloodied and broken. A couple had their eyes completely burned out70Please respect copyright.PENANAG008AGg4Lu
of their heads. But the most important person was found lying on their back70Please respect copyright.PENANAqceJPP0PQo
with a hole through their chest. Vander’s heart sank as he saw Eliza lying70Please respect copyright.PENANAoQzidRMTx4
there, barely breathing. She looked up at him, confused as to why he was there.70Please respect copyright.PENANAArpe5XaVMv
But she broke into a wide smile. Vander felt his body stumble as he dropped70Please respect copyright.PENANA2MjMhXH51E
down to pull her body close to him.
It was then70Please respect copyright.PENANALa3YB0WYUB
that Vander saw matching silver bands on both of their hands. The way she70Please respect copyright.PENANA8GJF63hDgz
looked up at him with that smile on her face alongside the knot in his chest70Please respect copyright.PENANA8qjQMcIQe8
when he realized that she was dying made him dizzy. The two of them had70Please respect copyright.PENANAFTelrEjIbS
married, but when? Why? They were strangers. How far in the future was this?70Please respect copyright.PENANAEuoSgNfX1k
Vander’s body bent over to kiss her tenderly, but she whispered something in70Please respect copyright.PENANA8mtoMxf8bF
his ear that caused him to stiffen. She promised that it was alright, that he70Please respect copyright.PENANAjJvKdCDT7L
must go to protect the city. She cupped his cheek, told him that she loved him70Please respect copyright.PENANAScJhI0UvbC
and always would, before her eyes closed forever.
Vander sat70Please respect copyright.PENANAtfYqSz9JNZ
there for several minutes before steeling himself. He rose to his feet, took70Please respect copyright.PENANAI8e7N5d8sR
one long look at Eliza, before running from the room. He followed Cuvera’s70Please respect copyright.PENANAnKPWRJKvxT
scent towards his room. There the door had been blasted off its hinges leaving70Please respect copyright.PENANAkomDm2rvHN
burn marks all over the frame. Vander drew his sword before stepping inside.
Standing in70Please respect copyright.PENANAkxywNFNlYZ
the center of the room was a tall pillar of light. He could vaguely see a70Please respect copyright.PENANAT9VZG2ljlE
figure of a man standing inside, but he couldn’t make out who it was. Kiara was70Please respect copyright.PENANAp8HVMZfDZl
draped over the couch, her body badly charred. He could hear Cuvera in the70Please respect copyright.PENANASwAAjbOCTr
other room gasping for air. His friend was his priority, so he rushed to the70Please respect copyright.PENANA4M5NbVCIzC
room ignoring the pillar of light.
He saw his70Please respect copyright.PENANATPjlWQZ7r7
friend lying in front of a crib with a sword held in his hand. The other half70Please respect copyright.PENANAvN6b11QZtj
of his body was blown apart leaving him on death’s door. Cuvera was happy to70Please respect copyright.PENANAodGMlHqFUb
see Vander, but now wasn’t the time for happy reunions. He shouted, but Vander70Please respect copyright.PENANAv8aO3sD3Lh
couldn’t hear the words, but somehow, he knew what was being said
“Save my70Please respect copyright.PENANAGZKCSZWALj
daughter!” Vander rushed towards the crib to see an infant lying there70Please respect copyright.PENANAlhCJbmPbpO
sleeping. Vander quickly scooped her up and ran from the room. He could sense70Please respect copyright.PENANAr9OxO29hrZ
Cuvera die just before leaving the castle. It was up to him to raise and70Please respect copyright.PENANAChFW9q5V3k
protect his friend’s legacy. He vowed to return to set things right, but he70Please respect copyright.PENANA1hcigdKVpm
would have to wait and bide his time. They would be avenged, every single one70Please respect copyright.PENANALnA92LqQzK
of them.
…
Vander woke up70Please respect copyright.PENANAkGABAOxdCS
covered in sweat. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but his mouth was70Please respect copyright.PENANAD4XZIKDM1j
dry, and his body was sore. Upon noticing his movements, Shea bolted up from70Please respect copyright.PENANArPlOaHLxjq
her spot by the door.
“You’re70Please respect copyright.PENANA50ZXQzyhiL
awake!” she exclaimed. “You’ve been asleep for two entire days.”
“Really?” he70Please respect copyright.PENANAJ0BQ8GFlIN
groaned. “Is there any food? I’m starving.” Shea said that they had brought a70Please respect copyright.PENANABWJ8xqf6Mu
tray a couple of hours ago. It was still there in front of the door. Vander70Please respect copyright.PENANAqU8x5DRO20
stood up, instantly grabbing the wall until the feeling could make their way70Please respect copyright.PENANANfNS8YEu2U
back into his legs. He stumbled towards the door then grabbed the tray. He70Please respect copyright.PENANAgZ7S7mAomi
didn’t bother with a fork or knife; he tore right into the steak, thankfully to70Please respect copyright.PENANAgUAvz08Lcs
have something to eat. While he did so, he told Shea what he had seen in the70Please respect copyright.PENANAUvCnavo02Z
vision.
“Any idea when70Please respect copyright.PENANAqMxe3xfwIa
that will happen?” He didn’t, but he would begin making plans to make sure70Please respect copyright.PENANAhbrqSEIrB8
something like that never came to pass. He would do everything in his power to70Please respect copyright.PENANAYcxieCPJi9
protect the Kingdom, no matter what, but for now he would keep this a secret.70Please respect copyright.PENANAETmjF82xrG
He didn’t want people to panic so soon after Malcolm’s assassination. However,70Please respect copyright.PENANAeBVPW6ppbs
one question still lingered in his mind: what was that pillar of light in the70Please respect copyright.PENANAysgQQMdsF1
center of the room? That would take some time to ascertain.
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As he sat there70Please respect copyright.PENANAeGMUUv6jzW
thinking, he didn’t hear the footsteps coming up to the door. There was a loud70Please respect copyright.PENANACcxAfWVx8R
knock then, it began to open.