Chapter 37
No one came to see him for the96Please respect copyright.PENANAyi6wAuwgXk
first day. Aside from some lukewarm water and moldy bread, he hadn’t had96Please respect copyright.PENANARCbLMSFOWi
anything to eat either. He spent his time curled in the corner allowing his96Please respect copyright.PENANAzs72qnBKRq
negative thoughts to control his mind. He thought about his failure at protecting96Please respect copyright.PENANAsHPcasKuf2
Malcolm that brought him to this place, forcing him on the run because he96Please respect copyright.PENANAaGaC9s8Cet
hadn’t been prepared. If they had taken a little more time to think about it,96Please respect copyright.PENANAnBzrcfhmIF
they should have been aware that there could have been another traitor amongst96Please respect copyright.PENANAyd2xfEftm0
them. Cranton, the one who vetted all the servants, the closest to the king,96Please respect copyright.PENANAeY9it5jO5d
and able to move unseen. There were clues, but they all ignored them.
Now his best friend, the one who96Please respect copyright.PENANAgmSr5ayVWr
risked everything for him, might be in jail as well, or in trouble at the very96Please respect copyright.PENANAcPpgW0ZBfS
least. He betrayed his vow all for the sake of friendship. At the very least he96Please respect copyright.PENANAMxpcGc2Jss
could be removed from the Blades. At least he had someone to fall back on, if96Please respect copyright.PENANAadXxoX7oJo
this went south, Vander had no one. He didn’t even know where his grandfather96Please respect copyright.PENANApt7wxztF9A
had gone and with no way to reach him, he had no one. The despair was too96Please respect copyright.PENANARlJoCQEUvA
great, so he buried himself inside his own mind hoping that things would get96Please respect copyright.PENANAviVRTB2EZS
better.
The demon scraped against his mind96Please respect copyright.PENANAFqchNrD5rt
begging to be released. He would make all those who hurt them suffer96Please respect copyright.PENANAcOdVYRoHsx
unimaginable pain. He could start by removing their skin piece by piece until96Please respect copyright.PENANApeeIIsVwcA
they passed out from the pain. Then he would carve out their organs with his96Please respect copyright.PENANAAEivLWefO9
bare hands, not stopping even after the body died. Then they would be tossed to96Please respect copyright.PENANAKA3kKChAid
the forest for the animals to have their fill. He begged, pleaded and96Please respect copyright.PENANAzwIDe1QBwr
threatened, but if there was hope, Vander would not give in. No matter how much96Please respect copyright.PENANAR7Mj5XsI2C
he wanted to.
He wasn’t sure how long it had96Please respect copyright.PENANAHAOGkBJuuo
been, but eventually he heard the door open. Based on the sounds their feet96Please respect copyright.PENANA4n1Of5zByz
made, there were four people coming down to see him. None of them, except one,96Please respect copyright.PENANAS5bySfwU7h
was wearing armor. He recognized her scent clearly compared to the others.96Please respect copyright.PENANA22Uo2l2jj4
According to the book, and her, the two of them were bonded. Despite knowing96Please respect copyright.PENANAaDpJuYuijp
nothing about her, he didn’t want her to see him like this so he hid closer to96Please respect copyright.PENANAGvo4yhwExH
the shadows hoping it would be enough. It wasn’t.
“Come out, Vander.” Her voice was96Please respect copyright.PENANAT54Hgml5AC
soft, full of warmth. He felt the presence of Atza beckoning him, pushing the96Please respect copyright.PENANAPV688YOzU4
demon further into the recesses of his mind. He looked over to see her kind96Please respect copyright.PENANAIVvc9uEyes
expression staring at him without hate or malice. In the face she looked96Please respect copyright.PENANAX9cUPYPxUQ
worried. Her eyes were sunken in. Her normally glossy hair hung loose around96Please respect copyright.PENANA7PXjstW8by
her face. In the three months he had been missing, she lost quite a bit of96Please respect copyright.PENANAi14l8p2BJj
weight.
The others she was with didn’t96Please respect copyright.PENANAXCIoqMChCX
really surprise him except Whitesun was there. He had no idea why the southern96Please respect copyright.PENANAn5QDKfHwiN
warden was there to see him, but he couldn’t think of any good reasons. Maybe96Please respect copyright.PENANAq6f2yxmsl2
the council had finally made their judgement.
“Have you decided what you were96Please respect copyright.PENANAB9DDzuhFBc
going to do with me?” Vander asked. He looked over at Cuvera who met his stare96Please respect copyright.PENANAsnOgYBD0zd
with his own.
“The council is split.” Cuvera96Please respect copyright.PENANADsX3wNpv90
explained. “There are many who don’t believe you capable of killing my father,96Please respect copyright.PENANAsM4hsW9TeJ
but they also don’t believe that Peyton would have been capable either. Then96Please respect copyright.PENANATDNGYr7Y9L
there are those who think you did do it, and nothing would convince them96Please respect copyright.PENANAFBGLJY7aFJ
otherwise.”
“Not once did we doubt you,96Please respect copyright.PENANA6TtY2mBbxT
Vander.” Kiara’s voice was kind. “We were hurt that you felt you couldn’t stay96Please respect copyright.PENANAiebG2fUdxy
and plead your case, but based on the considerable resources that were spent to96Please respect copyright.PENANAHZNp4yeDcD
track you down, as well as the venomous rhetoric that was spread against you,96Please respect copyright.PENANApPpW0F9VWq
it ended up being for the best. You wouldn’t be safe here, not with the96Please respect copyright.PENANAb9l7cDtBwk
influence many of the nobles have in the city.”
“Then why am I still locked up?”96Please respect copyright.PENANA7sVrI1o9hR
he asked. “If you believe me, why keep me here?”
“Because we can’t release you96Please respect copyright.PENANAWEt4oU6224
without proof that Peyton killed my father.” Cuvera explained. “As it stands96Please respect copyright.PENANAmUhVZDGD3l
it’s your word against his and he has more sway amongst the nobles. I know96Please respect copyright.PENANAI9bkRdNQmU
you’re innocent, but they know that I would protect you because we are practically96Please respect copyright.PENANATdRPhZMaLq
brothers.”
“How do you know I’m innocent?”96Please respect copyright.PENANA1gBwBJleNs
Vander countered. “I could be the monster they think I am.”
“Vander!” Eliza gasped. “Don’t say96Please respect copyright.PENANAV0m9o2gz1U
things like that.”
“I know because I saw what96Please respect copyright.PENANASNTHtr7Yp7
happened.” Cuvera sighed. “A week after my father died, the ceremony to take96Please respect copyright.PENANAtsIMzE4MOY
the shard of Humjir into me was performed. I saw everything leading up to his96Please respect copyright.PENANAJTztfzyDbc
final moments, including him telling you to run with his dying breath. I’ve96Please respect copyright.PENANAAJ5IujdyPv
known him for months, but Peyton has the power now that my father’s gone. I96Please respect copyright.PENANAVN6fgnEdfp
can’t do a thing.”
“However, I do.” Whitesun spoke96Please respect copyright.PENANAyVJvqlPDwv
softly. “Even though I am the farthest of all the Warden’s from the city,96Please respect copyright.PENANANt4djaif2J
Malcolm and I were good friends. I believe you Vander. I think you are a kind96Please respect copyright.PENANAkRIUdKxE3b
soul despite the stigma surrounding you, I can help you.”
“How?” Vander stared at the man, a96Please respect copyright.PENANAqmdYiUWsph
stranger. He couldn’t quite believe someone would be willing to help him just96Please respect copyright.PENANA2QOGgcWGQE
for no reason. There had to be another motive, but he would be damned if he96Please respect copyright.PENANArxQ9bjdXT6
could think of one.
“You let me worry about that.”96Please respect copyright.PENANAsJGuYqmdmT
Whitesun held out his hand through the bars. Vander studied it for a moment96Please respect copyright.PENANANt41AYgqqX
before accepting it. The two of them held hands for a few minutes past what96Please respect copyright.PENANA9lMm9gmYAa
Vander was comfortable with, but before he could say anything, Whitesun let his96Please respect copyright.PENANAvrlrWrWx3q
hand go. “I wanted to see what kind of person you were, Captain.”
“What have you discovered,96Please respect copyright.PENANAz80BQ2NSvy
Warden?” Vander bit back.
“You are a principled man devoted96Please respect copyright.PENANAu58APoz1A4
to your goal of protecting those you love.” Whitesun smiled. “There is no way96Please respect copyright.PENANAANUsYV7VxO
you would have killed your surrogate father, no matter what may have happened96Please respect copyright.PENANAykz3P8Tbzt
between the two of you.”
“You gained all that from shaking96Please respect copyright.PENANAnBunFrZJ9r
my hand?” Vander shook his head. “Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
“No,” Whitesun laughed. “I got96Please respect copyright.PENANApOBpXS6PgH
that from talking to your friends. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some damage96Please respect copyright.PENANATfj2qbYcbU
control to do.” With that he excused himself by heading back up the stairs.
“If anyone can help you, it’s96Please respect copyright.PENANAAPjVjaQDyc
Malakai.” Cuvera smiled. “You protected us from the Serpents, now allow us to96Please respect copyright.PENANA4biN1A2iNC
help you.”
“Thank you.” Vander embraced his96Please respect copyright.PENANA1g4D31JFFd
friend, though it wasn’t complete due to the bar standing between the two of96Please respect copyright.PENANAPIEiQkApB3
them. “After this is done, I will devote my sword to you and you are alone.”
“To us, Vander.” Cuvera wrapped a96Please respect copyright.PENANAkfoIHPrbKp
possessive arm around his wife. “And our child who we are going to name for my96Please respect copyright.PENANADOAgxFCEio
father and your grandfather: Malcolm Charles Elan.”
“Or Mary Charlie Elan.” Kiara96Please respect copyright.PENANAufZcMADD63
interrupted. “If it’s a girl.”
“Either way, we want you to be its96Please respect copyright.PENANARLIiV9d4uN
guard parent if anything were to happen to us.” Cuvera smiled. “Both you and96Please respect copyright.PENANA0NgMjuKh2i
Eliza, even though she already agreed.” Vander was touched, but he knew that96Please respect copyright.PENANAprOMCO5FuX
there was still a lot of work to be done before that would become a reality.96Please respect copyright.PENANArT0Y16S5eJ
Starting with him being released.
“Provided I am released, I will.”
“Excellent.” Cuvera grinned, but96Please respect copyright.PENANA8fEMmmqM71
after a moment, he became a little more serious. “I need you tell me everything96Please respect copyright.PENANAp7xGeJqMtx
you can about this assassin who killed Humi. If someone this dangerous is in my96Please respect copyright.PENANAyyZuUTgh48
city, I need to know everything I can about them.”
“I didn’t know about them until my96Please respect copyright.PENANAK8x5LicWUE
attack on the Green Serpent base.” Vander explained. “I found a handwritten96Please respect copyright.PENANAKDFpXq9Wx7
note that said that someone known as Fang was coming after me. I assumed they96Please respect copyright.PENANAZyrelRR1MU
didn’t know where I was because I didn’t end up with a knife in my side while I96Please respect copyright.PENANAwL5REpFAKh
slept. They must have picked me up somewhere then waited until I was distracted96Please respect copyright.PENANAjO82JaMXGc
before coming after me. If it hadn’t been for Humi there was a chance, I would96Please respect copyright.PENANAvw1XPJoK2H
be killed.”
“Any idea who they were?” Vander96Please respect copyright.PENANAHWfSydsKiy
shook his head.
“None, they wore both a mask and a96Please respect copyright.PENANADHxsqFwfZC
hood.” He explained. “However, they infiltrated a space that was protected by96Please respect copyright.PENANAGmWIyi7DO6
Humjir’s ability. Which,” he glared at Cuvera. “How is that possible? I thought96Please respect copyright.PENANA74RHLjIGti
only Malcolm, and now you, could use those powers?”
“It’s complicated, I don’t truly96Please respect copyright.PENANAqr5rUkW7kh
understand it myself.” Kiara placed her hand on Cuvera’s shoulder then96Please respect copyright.PENANAZN7nNgya3q
whispered in his ear. “I’m sorry, but Kiara is tired. We must go but worry not.96Please respect copyright.PENANAp7Kng61C4H
We will get you out of this.”
“Are you going to stay?” He looked96Please respect copyright.PENANA6INQ1VBlhV
at Eliza. He didn’t know why, but he really didn’t want her to leave.
“Of course.” She grinned, holding96Please respect copyright.PENANAU1yUInKeGF
up the cell keys. “I can’t let you out, but I can go in.” she placed the key96Please respect copyright.PENANAptZQoGOjAV
inside the lock and turned it. The door popped open, so she allowed herself96Please respect copyright.PENANA9H6h1lifL2
inside.
“I’ll come to let you out in the96Please respect copyright.PENANAjv5vs2vodd
morning.” Cuvera held his hand out for the keys, which she returned. “Enjoy96Please respect copyright.PENANAQbOkKJPOBX
yourself.” With that, Cuvera and Kiara left the room leaving the two of them96Please respect copyright.PENANAexTDWaJ3dZ
together. For the first time in a long time, Vander felt tongue tied. He didn’t96Please respect copyright.PENANAAedScbCvBv
know what to do.
“Sit down.” Eliza sighed. “You96Please respect copyright.PENANAUgz7zigJYe
look like you’re about to fall over.” She sat down against the wall then patted96Please respect copyright.PENANA4JUY4zIkzF
the open spot next to her. Not sure what he should do, he sat down next to her,96Please respect copyright.PENANAYlX7Bwju4y
but made sure none of his body touched her. “Am I that repulsive that you won’t96Please respect copyright.PENANAH2KBaqCmVH
even touch me?” she sounded hurt.
“I’m sorry.” He spoke. “I’m just96Please respect copyright.PENANA1ytEIssvb9
scared. For some reason I get nervous around you, like I don’t want to96Please respect copyright.PENANAUHuy9Oep7v
disappoint you. I’ve had plenty of partners, but this seems foreign to me.”
“I guess that’s to be expected.”96Please respect copyright.PENANAlZT2SXPpXz
Eliza smiled. “I’ve known about you ever since I was young, so I’ve been96Please respect copyright.PENANA9efKVTHI7e
preparing for my entire life. But you just found out a couple of months ago and96Please respect copyright.PENANARGEwIgAHEo
we never got to spend any sort of time together. So, for now, how about we just96Please respect copyright.PENANANSxxebgAlv
get to know each other and let this occur naturally?”
“You’d be okay with that?”
“Of course.” She spoke. “You can96Please respect copyright.PENANAUE7KzfHCyM
be completely honest with me; I won’t judge you Vander.” He hesitated, but he96Please respect copyright.PENANAZz8NUWTGuT
didn’t feel any treachery in her words. It was time he became honest with96Please respect copyright.PENANA6VAvPelyIh
someone other than Shea. It was time for him to be vulnerable.
“Are you sure you can handle it?”96Please respect copyright.PENANAaq6D8huMws
he smiled. “You’d be my first actual relationship since getting dumped by96Please respect copyright.PENANAccDGS9dMXC
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.96Please respect copyright.PENANAthafq6mop8
“But if you asked me too, I’d punch her in the face for you.” He laughed and it96Please respect copyright.PENANARzl7BTNyGA
was the first real laugh he had had since his best friend’s wedding. Perhaps,96Please respect copyright.PENANAJcZclcisZ9
just for tonight, everything would be alright.