Chapter 25
The tunnel was cold and dark, but99Please respect copyright.PENANAWCOwDDpasN
it was straight. There were no split paths or winding for people to hide. It99Please respect copyright.PENANAIwir6Oivnl
looked as though it was just a way for the Serpents to get into their safe99Please respect copyright.PENANAENEAVdlrCQ
house without arousing suspicion. It didn’t go very far, but he recognized the99Please respect copyright.PENANAKEOmkPKNT7
smell as soon as he stepped out. He was right by the Brewers guild in the Eastern99Please respect copyright.PENANAKRWKRwXDKa
District. Did that mean that Samuel Mills worked with the Serpents or was this99Please respect copyright.PENANAs6iPlzChiq
just a coincidence? He didn’t believe in99Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8uzGDYxKL
coincidences. This was just another piece of the puzzle he needed to solve, but99Please respect copyright.PENANAqs7iQ1cgUW
not today. This place was even more heavily guarded than the house had been,99Please respect copyright.PENANAEj0r64IVf3
and he was in no position to fight again. He filed the information away then stuck99Please respect copyright.PENANAy24NZ1G6ei
to the shadows.
He heard the footsteps of dozens99Please respect copyright.PENANAc8MrmGon0R
of guards running down the street shouting orders to one another. He had to99Please respect copyright.PENANAs8L7lSMDyr
press himself up against an alley wall to avoid being seen. Some citizens were99Please respect copyright.PENANAoLc662QjS0
waking up due to the noise. The apartment above opened their windows to peer99Please respect copyright.PENANADmTJ1SQwBo
down at the street. Vander heard her call out to one of the guards asking what99Please respect copyright.PENANAperrUHN6T0
had happened. They said it was just a training exercise, but it was a weak99Please respect copyright.PENANAVZHFbqOwwQ
excuse. However, the woman just shrugged her shoulder then slammed the window99Please respect copyright.PENANAvaDGZkReW2
closed.
He gave himself a few extra99Please respect copyright.PENANAIYKH0E9rCu
minutes to make sure no other guards were headed his way before stepping out99Please respect copyright.PENANAFrGUWcjavj
and sneaking down the streets.
The only way to blend in the99Please respect copyright.PENANA4JM0gFvMCn
middle of the night is to stick to the dark corners of the city. If he was99Please respect copyright.PENANAiXa5jVcfhP
spotted by a guard, he would most certainly be questioned despite them being99Please respect copyright.PENANA19wji0FKWr
called to a potential murder scene. Anyone out right now would arouse suspicion.99Please respect copyright.PENANAl2UT2U56Wg
That was something he didn’t want. So, he carefully picked paths that he had99Please respect copyright.PENANAFl6UmHPLWM
mapped out over the past week that would give him the best chance of remaining99Please respect copyright.PENANAzL8TGoERVA
unseen.
He jumped up onto a fence, biting99Please respect copyright.PENANAGwC6Z8ogCg
back the pain that the sword had caused. He had to hope no blood got onto the99Please respect copyright.PENANAIaLbcrxgWE
scroll in his pocket. He hadn’t been thinking when he picked it up, but that99Please respect copyright.PENANA9qpxwRa1Fr
would be a future problem. Then he carefully balanced his way over the fence99Please respect copyright.PENANAYLhV2zDUU5
and onto the adjoining apartment’s roof. Once there he ran from roof to roof99Please respect copyright.PENANAEGjdrdB6RF
keeping his footsteps quiet and balanced, so he didn’t wake anyone up. The99Please respect copyright.PENANAspi9CYbgUO
challenge would be sneaking through the checkpoints going from district to99Please respect copyright.PENANAPZVhu9nJg8
district as there was no way to sneak through.
Vander jumped down from the roof.99Please respect copyright.PENANAqrODVJD7pL
To get through he had to make this look convincing. He took a small flask he99Please respect copyright.PENANAjW0ynN11sG
had hidden in his inner pocket out then drank a little bit, swishing it around99Please respect copyright.PENANA4h8GlZ4sar
in his mouth before spitting it back out. He then splashed a little bit onto99Please respect copyright.PENANAxuAmq9vWvd
himself before tucking it back into his pocket. He adopted a slight drooping99Please respect copyright.PENANAMe6FoVKHMW
swagger then started walking forward.
He bumped into one of the guards standing99Please respect copyright.PENANASiVBYji0Mh
under the gate to keep dry, then dramatically fell backwards onto the ground.99Please respect copyright.PENANAYzYRWN1fVX
“Oi, who put dis wall ‘ere?” he slurred. He tried to get back up to his feet,99Please respect copyright.PENANAyNNfMrcQe4
but he fell again, too drunk to stand properly.
“A little too late to be leaving99Please respect copyright.PENANA3WZpcGR19V
the inn, huh?” One of the guards bent down to haul Vander to his feet. His nose99Please respect copyright.PENANANOm441skUT
crinkled slightly as he smelled the overpowering scent of booze on his99Please respect copyright.PENANAEneCnLuPqh
clothing. “Damn, did you fall into the whiskey bottle?”
“Is not my fault,” Vander brushed99Please respect copyright.PENANATR1oT8KWhF
the dust off his pants. “My ‘ere girlfriend left me for anatha man. I’m just99Please respect copyright.PENANAeY0XskxhkU
drinkin’ my sorrows away.”
“Sorry to hear that pal.” The99Please respect copyright.PENANA4l9Z1kOjny
other guard shook his head. “Women, can’t live with em, can’t live without em.”
“That’s why I stick to men.” The99Please respect copyright.PENANADBy6hpYmOu
guard who had picked Vander up had said. “Found me a nice man. He’s a Blade, a99Please respect copyright.PENANA2O2cRvR8aK
captain.” Vander froze in his tracks. What were the chances he would meet99Please respect copyright.PENANANUdsP2luXn
Alex’s boyfriend here of all places. He was just lucky that the two of them had99Please respect copyright.PENANADa8gZ1tycP
never met before.
“Maybe I’ll look into that.”99Please respect copyright.PENANAlv3OSZ9OQw
Vander gave both a big dopey grin. “Ya mind if I get goin’? My home is through99Please respect copyright.PENANA6phRfqD9is
there.”
“Of course.” Henry nodded. “Just99Please respect copyright.PENANArpLY1YTiVP
stay on the main roads and stop drinking so late at night. There are many99Please respect copyright.PENANAX0wuxHXEiN
unsavory characters that would love to take advantage of you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Vander99Please respect copyright.PENANAqdwcHXY4Km
bowed his head. “I thank ya.” With that the two guards stepped aside allowing99Please respect copyright.PENANAM6P8yT7E22
him to stagger past the check point. When they thought he was out of ear shot,99Please respect copyright.PENANAznl0iF9gDe
one of them spoke:
“Are you sure we should have let99Please respect copyright.PENANAbTzRzu7V2C
him go?” the other guard asked Henry.
“He’s not a danger to anyone, just99Please respect copyright.PENANAWrAEf034mZ
someone going through a hard time.” For some reason, Vander got the feeling99Please respect copyright.PENANAO1FK3Hhpet
that Henry had recognized him despite the painful attempts to disguise who he99Please respect copyright.PENANAWlzNnd8Boz
was. He would have taken great pains to avoid this man altogether.
Once he was sure the guards99Please respect copyright.PENANAXAwzYOFSuB
weren’t looking at him, he went from his stagger into a full-blown run. He99Please respect copyright.PENANAI7Hd3ICAVE
dipped down alleys, jumped over fences, and scaled buildings to avoid the99Please respect copyright.PENANAi2uH25yKuz
patrols which were rampant in the southern district. They were rampant on the99Please respect copyright.PENANAyvYmL3xJpE
street because no one patrolled the gate leading into the slums because there99Please respect copyright.PENANAPBBmPO4jQM
was no point. He slipped inside without any problems.
As soon as he entered, he could99Please respect copyright.PENANAMrwG5mMSAe
feel his mental connection with Shea snap back into place. He had realized how99Please respect copyright.PENANAySC8Ovej7k
much he missed her, but after what happened in the castle, he thought it was99Please respect copyright.PENANA0xIkTM68j5
best that she stayed behind on these missions. She was unique, and anyone seen99Please respect copyright.PENANACHEd1bw1sj
with her would be assumed to be him.
“Welcome back.” She said to99Please respect copyright.PENANAI8sK34fsvG
him. “I take it you had fun.” He could feel her bitterness from here,99Please respect copyright.PENANAPVHsQZYaWe
but no matter how many times he told her the dangers, she still hates him for99Please respect copyright.PENANA15Qrn7LuPh
benching her. He couldn’t blame her, but their safety should come first. Pride,99Please respect copyright.PENANAp5UKiKt6N2
second.
“A ton.” He thought back. “I’ll99Please respect copyright.PENANAH4EAAZftui
explain everything later.”
He wasted no time heading back to99Please respect copyright.PENANAqsAldbZM5o
the Orange Fox where Ross had willingly taken him in, but he had to promise not99Please respect copyright.PENANAYaUU0xxFvQ
to get involved with the slum’s affairs. Which meant he couldn’t do anything to99Please respect copyright.PENANAYFLzot6a2q
the sex workers, thieves, murderers or anything he could profit on. It was a99Please respect copyright.PENANAJLNDIgybTs
hard decision to make, but since he had nowhere else to go without putting99Please respect copyright.PENANAykXe5SPN6y
someone else in danger, he had to agree.
Luckily for his consciousness,99Please respect copyright.PENANAsYnfajJCOt
there was no one out as the storm was still in full swing. No one wanted to get99Please respect copyright.PENANAjzmU1Z3Vxi
soaked so most of the street walkers stayed in doorways or abandoned buildings.99Please respect copyright.PENANAoYIDLGueLB
On days like today the John’s would get no privacy during the hour they paid99Please respect copyright.PENANAkKxKqghzSq
for, but most of them didn’t mind. They liked giving a show. Even from outside99Please respect copyright.PENANAhLxznvOdnZ
he could hear the ecstatic cries of one woman making sure her John believed he99Please respect copyright.PENANAkhln3eEoZ1
was doing a good job. Cringing to himself, he snaked his way up a drainage pipe99Please respect copyright.PENANA8MmzhY7VTw
behind the Orange Fox and through a window leading into his bedroom.
“Mind the carpet,” Shea99Please respect copyright.PENANAaQKG4vaoiQ
snorted. “The maid just cleaned.” He stepped into the room making sure not to99Please respect copyright.PENANAQqcyM7MMuc
track mud onto the carpet, but he would have to apologize for the floor.
His room wasn’t special since he99Please respect copyright.PENANAOFgr7O8G19
hoped that it was only a temporary arrangement. It was a room that had been99Please respect copyright.PENANApPVCprexnL
used for one of his special girls, but she was given another accommodation.99Please respect copyright.PENANAEGAZT4akyl
Vander asked that a new bed, new sheets, and the entire thing to be cleaned top99Please respect copyright.PENANAR6fVTH1hi8
to bottom before he would step foot inside. There was a bed, a private99Please respect copyright.PENANAd6LMwAGhFh
bathroom, and a couple of dressers for the copious amount of clothes Ross had99Please respect copyright.PENANAmFotwaLval
bought for him. None of this was free, however. He had to give Ross something99Please respect copyright.PENANAw8MmH35yl1
that he wanted, and that payment would be due tonight.
Vander peeled off his uniform after99Please respect copyright.PENANAcEe9ggs54E
removed the rolled letter from his jacket pocket and tossed it onto the bed. He99Please respect copyright.PENANAkx6LXvloGT
walked naked over towards his bathroom to look himself over for injuries. Other99Please respect copyright.PENANAVacZQjtrFy
than the slight cuts into his hands he was fine, but due to the rain his99Please respect copyright.PENANAI00mAeOE2B
disguise was slipping.
It had taken a considerable amount99Please respect copyright.PENANAbk82uLoXPX
of money to gather materials that would stain his hair a different color along99Please respect copyright.PENANA5nfnue3IKr
with contacts that would change the color of his eyes. Ross had to go into the99Please respect copyright.PENANARFUnPYXFyx
black market then pay a merchant to come from Salira to drop them off here.99Please respect copyright.PENANAxHsh9Ekn6L
Then an alchemist had to train Vander on how to dye his hair dye himself. As a99Please respect copyright.PENANAJpk73maqRi
result, it changed his hair to dark black and with the contact his eyes became99Please respect copyright.PENANAEwUXzG5STE
brown. This is what he would have looked like if he had never met Unna, so he99Please respect copyright.PENANATlA2rd5yd3
hoped no one would recognize him. He quickly grabbed the small jar he kept on99Please respect copyright.PENANA6KYEc2zPPC
the skin, took a small amount of dye, then ran it through his hair. Moments99Please respect copyright.PENANAV1amfSYxYr
later it was dry, and he was back to normal.
“What did you find out?”99Please respect copyright.PENANAiex2IaxGmh
Shea asked. She was lying on her bed, her paws tucked under her head. She99Please respect copyright.PENANAZWhzinul4f
looked so sad lying there so he sat down next to her then began rubbing behind99Please respect copyright.PENANAfAfHTowKw3
her ears.
“Not much.” It annoyed him to say99Please respect copyright.PENANA4fmW2cepht
that. He had spent so much time hoping that the base would give him details99Please respect copyright.PENANA8U6BlnqQS9
just to be a disappointment. He had another lead, potentially, but there was a99Please respect copyright.PENANAYgA1ITjn82
huge chance that it would amount to absolutely nothing. “I did find out that99Please respect copyright.PENANALzKJxaUhZl
the Serpents have been given orders to actively hunt me.”
“Vander, that’s not good.”99Please respect copyright.PENANA30giyqBg8m
Shea lifted her head to stare at him. “Are we safe here?” she asked. “Do99Please respect copyright.PENANAvNKPfidI4J
we need to find a new place to stay?” He reassured her that they didn’t99Please respect copyright.PENANAxCvFLeb9GN
have to go anywhere. The only way anyone would know where they were is if they99Please respect copyright.PENANA3L1D1h2BS2
recognized him then followed him to the Fox, or Ross told them. The first99Please respect copyright.PENANApEkaQTphct
option was unlikely as was the second one. Ross was a businessman with a99Please respect copyright.PENANAGI17HEerk8
reputation to uphold. There was no way he would sell out someone who came to99Please respect copyright.PENANAJr0AfhaNtt
him looking for help, not after everything Vander promised him.
She placed her head on his lap. He99Please respect copyright.PENANAoTFA1UwYVu
could feel her sadness through their bond. It was a hard thing for both. For99Please respect copyright.PENANAEz3coyhF2v
the first time in forever the two of them were alone. There was no Alex, no one99Please respect copyright.PENANAHc80P4YCdm
else from the Blades, his grandfather was gone, forced into retirement for99Please respect copyright.PENANAXX81z3TCyR
raising an assassin and not protecting the former King. Even more strange, he99Please respect copyright.PENANAQj2iey2H3u
missed Eliza even though the two of them had only met for the first time when99Please respect copyright.PENANArhgPASwOoW
Cuvera returned. He couldn’t explain it and he hadn’t bothered to read the book99Please respect copyright.PENANA0l6DLsGBEs
to understand why. He just couldn’t bring himself to do so. At least, not yet.
There was a knock on the door.99Please respect copyright.PENANAWHLWw6DotZ
Vander recognized the smell from one of Ross’ bouncers, Left. Both he and Shea99Please respect copyright.PENANAqEKETWrf18
got down from the bed and padded over, opening the door.
“Where are your clothes?” Left99Please respect copyright.PENANATt4mqKDtDf
growled looking away. Vander looked down and realized that he had forgotten to99Please respect copyright.PENANAMns2aDshBl
put on any sort of clothing. He quickly closed the door. He heard Shea laughing99Please respect copyright.PENANA89TW0vluZZ
inside his head.
“Sorry, I just got back, and all99Please respect copyright.PENANAq8q0sXmfE4
my clothes were dirty.” Vander’s face burned bright red.
“Well, I can see why you are99Please respect copyright.PENANAKMNhuxlrHb
popular around here.” Left laughed causing Vander’s blush to darken. “Anyway,99Please respect copyright.PENANA2sx7QDox5P
once you are fully clothed the boss would like to see you. Should I send in99Please respect copyright.PENANAcvCwr8eSx2
some girls to take care of you?”
“Perhaps later.” He replied.
“Twenty minutes, don’t be late.”99Please respect copyright.PENANANBVFbWZSqj
With that Left shuffled off back down the hall. Shea burst out laughing as soon99Please respect copyright.PENANAr22N9F0qEh
as they knew the man was gone. Vander playfully pushed her before walking over99Please respect copyright.PENANAIXhMuo6ejJ
to the dressers. He picked a pair of black trousers, a white shirt and a nice99Please respect copyright.PENANAMPAhOzPqtS
pair of socks. He kept an extra pair of boots by the door just in case99Please respect copyright.PENANA1KTtaea6GQ
something happened while he was out, in this case his other pair was completely99Please respect copyright.PENANAyXREzKTVhl
soaked through. He wasn’t allowed to bring weapons with him into the office, so99Please respect copyright.PENANAPCIFGMiR3r
he kept everything else in the room.
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As he stepped towards the door99Please respect copyright.PENANAqeqLQicKqr
Shea walked behind him. Despite staying behind when he went outside, she wasn’t99Please respect copyright.PENANAqIO97we2f4
going to leave him alone in the gambling den. If he was going to be honest with99Please respect copyright.PENANAgM3aKqAkuK
himself, he would have missed her company when she wasn’t by his side, so he99Please respect copyright.PENANAOL8QGhAUIT
didn’t try to stop her. Together they left the room heading down the hall.