Chapter 19
Cuvera was frantically walking113Please respect copyright.PENANAqhu5OBUOn6
around his room dressed in his wedding attire. If Vander thought his outfit was113Please respect copyright.PENANAL57acPAoMT
beautiful, it had nothing on the crown prince’s. He was wearing a beautiful113Please respect copyright.PENANAcjYut1z4kc
sapphire colored gown with white trim along the edges. His hair was slicked113Please respect copyright.PENANArxR42OuYik
back revealing his forehead and he wore a silver necklace with a sapphire gem113Please respect copyright.PENANAFUNehaM9Vx
hanging from it. His boots were polished to perfection, which Vander reminded113Please respect copyright.PENANAYYFDrPm3nc
him of that fact so he would stop pacing. He sat down on the bed and held his113Please respect copyright.PENANAsJBTloCwt1
head in his hands. Vander knew better than to talk to him while he was like113Please respect copyright.PENANAtGxAWi0pLQ
this so the two of them sat quietly until Cuvera was ready.
“Do you think my father was this113Please respect copyright.PENANA8Q1RtqyksJ
nervous before his wedding?” Cuvera looked up at Vander.
“Probably.” Vander shrugged. “I113Please respect copyright.PENANAJcmlVtkFix
wasn’t around for it so I wouldn’t know for sure.” Cuvera punched Vander’s113Please respect copyright.PENANAc9WxjylzM2
shoulder.
“No shit.” He snorted. “I’m asking113Please respect copyright.PENANARYyHYrEqxS
what you think.”
“Probably was.” He responded. “Isn’t113Please respect copyright.PENANAqXSDY9ZAWj
everyone a little nervous when they decide to marry someone?”
“I’m not sure.” Cuvera sighed.113Please respect copyright.PENANA130qIs8zJ7
“But I have more pressure than that since it’s political, I don’t want to mess113Please respect copyright.PENANAPV8HVmhWQI
this up.”
“You won’t.” Vander squeezed his113Please respect copyright.PENANADDXfOWPoLU
friend’s shoulder. “Just remember Kiara is probably more nervous than you are.113Please respect copyright.PENANAMdyPCQ1lVn
She moved into enemy territory to marry a man she didn’t know. If things go113Please respect copyright.PENANAGThMMYV9Jj
poorly both countries will be back at war. Neither one of you want that.”
“Yeah, your right.” Cuvera let out113Please respect copyright.PENANAc7Ju2yaFWn
a sigh. He got up from the bed then walked towards the door. “Will you come113Please respect copyright.PENANAO22DB09n5z
with my to visit mom?” Without saying a word, Vander stood up from the bed and113Please respect copyright.PENANAXdeeEKfvrN
nodded. The two of them left the room with Shea following behind.
The memory of his mother was113Please respect copyright.PENANAXDPzuBZUP6
etched into the garden she left behind, but her body was placed in the Crypt of113Please respect copyright.PENANAxfR8nhrgJR
Queens, located next to the Crypt of King’s deep below the castle’s mausoleum.113Please respect copyright.PENANAsM9etmvOiY
It was guarded by a crypt keeper who was dangerous as she was scary. Her family113Please respect copyright.PENANAruJhB2b32J
had protected the crypts since the city’s founding, and they took their duty113Please respect copyright.PENANAI56wxDvT6U
very seriously. Right now, due to the113Please respect copyright.PENANADVlKW3Yg6t
amount of people in the castle, the crypt was locked by the keeper who was113Please respect copyright.PENANAbXetvQ1lv4
standing in front with a shovel in her hands. No one knew where she lived, but113Please respect copyright.PENANA47oxRt2p4B
many suspected she had a room inside the crypt.
“Prince.” She whispered, bowing113Please respect copyright.PENANAMbMYMZNnCB
her head in respect. She was tall and broad shouldered but walked with a slight113Please respect copyright.PENANAf3oDoMGp1B
hunch. Her skin was pale and had light gray eyes. Her hair hung in strands from113Please respect copyright.PENANASsiMik84UP
her head, but her arms were chiseled from marble. Vander had seen her lift a113Please respect copyright.PENANA9LGiqMWWIw
coffin by herself once before. She was someone you didn’t want to fuck with.
“Hello Crypt Keeper.” Vander113Please respect copyright.PENANAM5KaY1lge5
returned the bow. “I’m here to visit my mother.”
“I expected you to be here today,113Please respect copyright.PENANAkAefBsTGzc
so I have already tidied up the crypt for you.” she said. “Is the Captain going113Please respect copyright.PENANAKRThe3POWJ
to be joining you?”
“If you don’t mind.” Cuvera asked.113Please respect copyright.PENANA8tYNjJhzHr
“He is my guard for the day, so I can’t just leave him.”
“Understood.” She stepped aside to113Please respect copyright.PENANA3h4doDPbXF
remove a ring of keys from her belt. She placed an old iron one into the gate,113Please respect copyright.PENANA3dno6VrwjA
he heard a click, then the gate swung open. “If you wouldn’t mind following113Please respect copyright.PENANACtSzUm2KJe
me.” Vander instructed Shea to watch the gate as the two of them followed the113Please respect copyright.PENANAV1WQBA9i1p
Crypt Keeper underground.
The first thing Vander noticed was113Please respect copyright.PENANAI2QOJiicmb
the cold air that wafted up from the depths. He always felt something odd when113Please respect copyright.PENANAGQ02vqrLxN
he visited, a supernatural feeling that he was being watched. Swallowing his113Please respect copyright.PENANAIcfWgLBOrn
fear, he took up the rearmost position as the Crypt Keeper grabbed a lit torch113Please respect copyright.PENANAABvPFo4iIr
and led the way towards the Crypt of Queens.
It took them five minutes to come to113Please respect copyright.PENANAtOpAhH1885
a fork in the road. Without skipping a beat, she took the path on the right.113Please respect copyright.PENANAeZSTLCase5
The Crypt of Queens was where all the past and future Queens would be buried113Please respect copyright.PENANAyMdawAof77
when their time came. As Cuvera’s mother was the most recent Queen to die, her113Please respect copyright.PENANAupmytz7AgD
tomb was the closest to the surface. It was tucked in a little hallway that113Please respect copyright.PENANAyaluazZWNV
opened into a full-sized room. There were five caskets placed inside, only two113Please respect copyright.PENANAJkKlCwY6yd
of them were in use. The casket that was draped with a blue and white cloth was113Please respect copyright.PENANAykJm1g7nvi
Cuvera’s grandmother, Malcolm’s mother. She had inherited the throne from her113Please respect copyright.PENANA41MQyLaIQ3
father when he died then she married a noble to produce strong heirs. Cuvera’s113Please respect copyright.PENANAYBxOv4Fidi
mother was adorned with a simple cloth marking her status as a commoner. Vander113Please respect copyright.PENANAxad5HhD9Ez
didn’t know the store on how Malcolm and Julie met, but he knew they loved each113Please respect copyright.PENANAayb5n7lo71
other. He had nearly executed nobles who expressed their disdain for placing a113Please respect copyright.PENANAW0ViGT8vbD
commoner in the Crypt of Queens, but Cuvera talked him out of it. She was given113Please respect copyright.PENANAHSAuhKzCBU
a small ceremony before being escorted down below.
“I will leave you now.” The Crypt113Please respect copyright.PENANAmrDaypfFJ1
Keeper bowed her head. “I trust you know your way back up?”
“I do.” Vander said.
“Then I will leave the two of you113Please respect copyright.PENANAAWR9eZKU0t
alone.” She smiled. “I will also keep anyone else from coming down her until113Please respect copyright.PENANA1odGrfSui1
you arrive back up.”
“Thank you.” Cuvera bowed down in113Please respect copyright.PENANALF4bgELFYT
front of the casket then placed his hands together and closed his eyes in113Please respect copyright.PENANAkHydM1YAFZ
prayer. Vander didn’t want to overhear his friend’s chat with his mother, so he113Please respect copyright.PENANAOOg7AuhNdf
decided to make himself scarce. He decided to take an impromptu trip through113Please respect copyright.PENANAfthspoycmV
the crypt.
He didn’t want to disturb anyone’s113Please respect copyright.PENANAZCdLT77jdL
rest, so just stuck to hallways. Eluvian’s were particular about the dead.113Please respect copyright.PENANA3WFbORfHyC
Vander had long believed that there was nothing after death, just a black void113Please respect copyright.PENANACbatKoGhGn
that your consciousness floated in for the rest of time. He wasn’t going to see113Please respect copyright.PENANABfnJzqA39o
it himself because once he died his soul would be claimed by Unna and he would113Please respect copyright.PENANANyuSd1H3xX
be forced, like all the other mindless beasts in her forest, to fight and kill113Please respect copyright.PENANAJAuYVFT2Py
for survival. Eventually he would lose anything that made him human.
As he ventured further down the113Please respect copyright.PENANAMLMhYXEY2D
crypt, things grew cold. It wasn’t unexpected since he was further underground,113Please respect copyright.PENANA4jqiCimXQK
but the rate at which is became cold alarmed him. He turned around to head back113Please respect copyright.PENANA5tUXH6X2FW
towards the surface, but he found that he was stuck inside of a sealed off113Please respect copyright.PENANAIOCEhONqO6
room. Mist circled around him, clawing his leg. He heard stone moving on stone.113Please respect copyright.PENANAbmj3njOH8P
As he turned around, a skeletal hand popped out from the sarcophagus. Bone113Please respect copyright.PENANA75KcaksXUN
tapped against the side as a skeleton that had long been since stripped of its113Please respect copyright.PENANA8SWUsUlfzl
flesh popped out. It was wearing a torn cloak that had been nearly destroyed113Please respect copyright.PENANA1i1rGw8GDE
along with rusted armor that still clanged as it pulled itself up from the113Please respect copyright.PENANA2Pz3F2pGcx
coffin and stood in front of Vander.
Vander tried to move, but the mist113Please respect copyright.PENANAExPxPnEaL0
clung to him solidifying him where he stood. The skeleton opened its mouth then113Please respect copyright.PENANALD72HEOwnr
the mist removed itself from Vander then flowed right into the skeleton’s113Please respect copyright.PENANAYpxZvUGLYU
mouth. The mist formed skin on the skeleton and the more it inhaled, the more113Please respect copyright.PENANAl7GyOZVvBh
lifelike the skeleton became. The armor became shiny as the cloak elongated to113Please respect copyright.PENANAZPHlPS2CR4
its original length. After a few seconds the skeleton became human once again.113Please respect copyright.PENANATwBWlCjo8X
This was someone Vander recognized, but this man had died thousands of years113Please respect copyright.PENANAlP6TDqUQTf
ago.
“So, you’re Unna’s newest scion.”113Please respect copyright.PENANAVgr1wejdtv
The man rasped. He wobbled over to Vander then grabbed his jaw to examine him.113Please respect copyright.PENANA9HFBKLmnYK
He muttered to himself as he moved Vander’s head around. “Smaller than the last113Please respect copyright.PENANAO3VHp2nROJ
one, but I can feel strength in you.” Vander smacked the man’s hand away.
“I’m getting real sick of the113Please respect copyright.PENANAeLha0UfUcv
Deities summoning me and giving me cryptic bullshit.” He snapped. “What do you113Please respect copyright.PENANAavNEGHcjwB
want?”
“That is no way to talk to your113Please respect copyright.PENANA5OP8DrakFG
predecessor.” The man leaned up against his coffin.
“How is it you are here?” Vander113Please respect copyright.PENANAmGbfvnQFJ5
snapped. “I was just in the Crypt of Queens and last I check you weren’t a113Please respect copyright.PENANApYKAMSg3aS
queen in your past life.” The man was named Boar, and he was the first Blade113Please respect copyright.PENANAvTSz1JvscK
elected after Eluvia’s civil war shortly after the murder of the first king. He113Please respect copyright.PENANA7UK2dmMOmM
had been the son of the general who had done it.
“I have been given a brief113Please respect copyright.PENANAygid6w58Ta
reprieve to talk to you Vander.” The man said. “You have been brought to my113Please respect copyright.PENANADw0NA6aymx
resting place, but no worry, once we are done here you will be taken back, and113Please respect copyright.PENANA4Kss2rNV2t
this will be the last time you are bothered for a long time. The deities are113Please respect copyright.PENANAg40ItvuJW6
losing their powers, they need some time to recover.”
“What’s got them so bent out of113Please respect copyright.PENANAa73VUyiWxL
shape that they needed to send you to talk to me?” Vander crossed his arms.113Please respect copyright.PENANAXxMoEGIcMs
“And why have they not told me before now during the numerous times they’ve113Please respect copyright.PENANArNwzEMy0mf
bothered me?”
“The deities see time as113Please respect copyright.PENANAEh86P3JMbZ
scattered, not linear like us, so sometimes things escape them.” He shrugged.113Please respect copyright.PENANAtczWZJB8e0
“Plus, they’ve been busy looking for someone. Imitae, he has been missing.”
“That’s not news.” Vander scoffed.113Please respect copyright.PENANA4K0NoVM8TX
“He’s been wandering around since the beginning of time after the war with113Please respect copyright.PENANA9pEuy1AOFK
Darkness. Makes sense that they can’t find him.”
“The deities relate to one113Please respect copyright.PENANAIpxh5Bo7sR
another; they can always feel each other despite the distance. But not now.113Please respect copyright.PENANA6K64N214Ci
It’s as if he just disappeared.” Boar explained. “Now the deities are divided.113Please respect copyright.PENANAP8TE4duZhE
Some have turned on each other.”
“Explains why Veyar was trapped in113Please respect copyright.PENANA0oNMisDWUd
a storm when I saw her a couple weeks ago.” Vander frowned. “I assume that’s113Please respect copyright.PENANAJcQRRL2bXU
Rolous’ doing?”
“Indeed.” Boar nodded. “I’m here113Please respect copyright.PENANAs0NVhs5gom
to tell you something. There is a book within the King’s library, something you113Please respect copyright.PENANAQgZBRC10Vo
must steal.”
“A book?” Vander asked. “What kind113Please respect copyright.PENANAUOhuG6QEL2
of books?”
“You were shown it the last time113Please respect copyright.PENANAEieCgRE61n
you were in Malcolm’s office.” He explained. “It’s of vital importance, you113Please respect copyright.PENANAc0k9JbTmZf
must not let your enemies get their hands on it.”
“What happens if I don’t?”
“Then the world will be at risk.”113Please respect copyright.PENANAvk6gnJHJZy
Boar narrowed his eyes. “You must do this, Veyar demands it.”
“The deities have been nothing but113Please respect copyright.PENANAbrLmgt1dUa
a curse.” Vander spat.
“I cannot promise there will be a113Please respect copyright.PENANACnAsYaBnIC
happy ending, all I know is that everything will end if you don’t do this.”113Please respect copyright.PENANAHzydUMkcYl
Boar’s voice became serious. “Protect that country Vander, do your duty as a Blade, no matter what happens.” With that113Please respect copyright.PENANAL1UxnOecm9
Boar tapped his shoulder then stepped back towards the coffin. He released all113Please respect copyright.PENANAgfo3glt1zp
the mist that he had held before slipping back into the coffin and sliding the113Please respect copyright.PENANAtr5Lu3KZin
top shut.
Vander bolted up from the ground113Please respect copyright.PENANAsjKxES4507
with his heart beating in his chest. He looked around and saw that he had been113Please respect copyright.PENANAq5Y8bCbKhp
leaning up against the wall just outside of the area where Cuvera’s mother had113Please respect copyright.PENANA2aOGdtVms4
been buried. Cuvera walked out a moment later with a small smile on his face.113Please respect copyright.PENANATT7oTD2x2x
Vander contemplated telling his friend what had transpired, but he didn’t want113Please respect copyright.PENANAvuNOACKujE
to ruin the joy that was plastered on his friend’s face. He didn’t even think113Please respect copyright.PENANAIINg5ZBNDD
he would believe him.
“Did you get what you needed?”113Please respect copyright.PENANA1rs21ikNfq
Vander asked, wrapping his arms around Cuvera’s shoulders.
“I feel better.” Cuvera sighed. “I113Please respect copyright.PENANAi8dYp2Hsc5
just look forward to tonight once the wedding is all over.”
113Please respect copyright.PENANA0q3iN3xhHS
113Please respect copyright.PENANAlOpOpfyb8T
113Please respect copyright.PENANA2C1avpEBtE
113Please respect copyright.PENANAyD7iG7PNz3
113Please respect copyright.PENANAIvQvM4FR10
113Please respect copyright.PENANAsNslmGYp7E
113Please respect copyright.PENANAXZjNgxk4Wf
113Please respect copyright.PENANAQgOZnhwGHd
113Please respect copyright.PENANADI3GbCHVRq
113Please respect copyright.PENANAsGCUxUDrzM
113Please respect copyright.PENANAtMGkOUdMgX
113Please respect copyright.PENANAs3JUtpfCm0
113Please respect copyright.PENANAZ3hc5tMhtP
113Please respect copyright.PENANAnegyOHYaXM
113Please respect copyright.PENANAuqTihyWSId
113Please respect copyright.PENANAQaJGkmlnP9
113Please respect copyright.PENANADpKQ44WsKn
113Please respect copyright.PENANAHpE42mbBT9
113Please respect copyright.PENANAM1DA9IS6Ci
113Please respect copyright.PENANAslot0lVAbi
113Please respect copyright.PENANA7Srg53Vbpd
113Please respect copyright.PENANAvbsNVBAFHx
113Please respect copyright.PENANA78Z44h115o
113Please respect copyright.PENANAnpupg9NR4F
113Please respect copyright.PENANAAaNr4CSllv
113Please respect copyright.PENANAdTo55XIRZ5
113Please respect copyright.PENANAXRLsRbsX9w
113Please respect copyright.PENANA0HYW83ElAn
113Please respect copyright.PENANA65kY4BgZJl
113Please respect copyright.PENANAXe9yIj0spU
113Please respect copyright.PENANAJPQsbEV4sB
113Please respect copyright.PENANAycC6EAEiIX
113Please respect copyright.PENANArQesSrrRz4
113Please respect copyright.PENANAMaKELWBZHp
113Please respect copyright.PENANAuvLGJfBD1q
113Please respect copyright.PENANASGKRY4Zshy
113Please respect copyright.PENANA4KNEeZRdWp
113Please respect copyright.PENANAq3PqiVsxpl
113Please respect copyright.PENANAbXZnoJSBYr
113Please respect copyright.PENANAimPavUzLNM
113Please respect copyright.PENANAqYTcmY4Lwm
113Please respect copyright.PENANAlxsRbsBONf
113Please respect copyright.PENANAD02j8qG8Mr
113Please respect copyright.PENANAkcpOdhrRxZ
113Please respect copyright.PENANAYdp0ot5M7f
113Please respect copyright.PENANAJ6y0QdEe39
113Please respect copyright.PENANAzUd4U09dKl
113Please respect copyright.PENANAvbponB68wA
113Please respect copyright.PENANA2ShgV7GKs6
113Please respect copyright.PENANA5fsYzC5At0
113Please respect copyright.PENANAHiXYEfBUd8
113Please respect copyright.PENANATbtdMhGfVH
113Please respect copyright.PENANAPFj9Q5wW38
113Please respect copyright.PENANAyDSN5p24W2
113Please respect copyright.PENANA1GhNvljzie
113Please respect copyright.PENANA02l7WGyKw4
113Please respect copyright.PENANA641klYtSmP
113Please respect copyright.PENANAgcAisWGsl9
113Please respect copyright.PENANAPeKTqfq78d
113Please respect copyright.PENANAwTT6TkPY2J
113Please respect copyright.PENANAVH63UyBkRh
113Please respect copyright.PENANAs7X0LdRTjN
113Please respect copyright.PENANAcRgEhbYcLG
113Please respect copyright.PENANA3cxnmAAe4H
113Please respect copyright.PENANAYi4fbif8Eu
113Please respect copyright.PENANAiOlfW2l6tn
113Please respect copyright.PENANAfobXZHgGpS
113Please respect copyright.PENANAoEQkeroRD1
113Please respect copyright.PENANA41MfIwISQi
113Please respect copyright.PENANApAwdKE1t4N
113Please respect copyright.PENANAE54A6mPgGw
113Please respect copyright.PENANAEYdztvzetU
113Please respect copyright.PENANAunRArMLMVZ
113Please respect copyright.PENANAPWsOMwMMbY
113Please respect copyright.PENANAEsvHzkECJ4
113Please respect copyright.PENANAwKbuFBtikO
113Please respect copyright.PENANAuqjIWp9YuA
113Please respect copyright.PENANAVeGxt99pNU
113Please respect copyright.PENANALbAI3q4Rap
113Please respect copyright.PENANAFqluMBUveZ
113Please respect copyright.PENANAffzaFdcGom
113Please respect copyright.PENANAyje98RN6ls
113Please respect copyright.PENANAB7sVUEp9Wc
113Please respect copyright.PENANAPOeey4XRrN
113Please respect copyright.PENANALWgexxwcKa
113Please respect copyright.PENANAFynGaAH9Ua
113Please respect copyright.PENANAxArY5mrR0P
113Please respect copyright.PENANAtWavWTJIar
113Please respect copyright.PENANAZjisWbaPWK
113Please respect copyright.PENANAZI3nT0jpmM
“Come, let’s get you married.”113Please respect copyright.PENANA6RYrkFO0Sr
Today might be hard for Cuvera, but tonight was going to be harder for him. He113Please respect copyright.PENANAsl6JttH5A5
had to let someone he knew die when he could do something to save them. After113Please respect copyright.PENANAtrrmITIMsf
tonight, he would have nothing to do with the deities and their sick games. He113Please respect copyright.PENANAFEh0K2pOX3
was done.