Chapter 37
No one came to see him for the99Please respect copyright.PENANAZwQ1DKJukr
first day. Aside from some lukewarm water and moldy bread, he hadn’t had99Please respect copyright.PENANAuHHXmDc9RB
anything to eat either. He spent his time curled in the corner allowing his99Please respect copyright.PENANAE8BMLgx5BO
negative thoughts to control his mind. He thought about his failure at protecting99Please respect copyright.PENANAkliR8ppCDi
Malcolm that brought him to this place, forcing him on the run because he99Please respect copyright.PENANAZNqTlH2GyY
hadn’t been prepared. If they had taken a little more time to think about it,99Please respect copyright.PENANALKGYbEAw50
they should have been aware that there could have been another traitor amongst99Please respect copyright.PENANAqRznF35VZ6
them. Cranton, the one who vetted all the servants, the closest to the king,99Please respect copyright.PENANAv8eNjWsJLb
and able to move unseen. There were clues, but they all ignored them.
Now his best friend, the one who99Please respect copyright.PENANAknM6vbF6ek
risked everything for him, might be in jail as well, or in trouble at the very99Please respect copyright.PENANA6Fq6HPrUil
least. He betrayed his vow all for the sake of friendship. At the very least he99Please respect copyright.PENANAigkAAHZahl
could be removed from the Blades. At least he had someone to fall back on, if99Please respect copyright.PENANAUmgYqTG3jS
this went south, Vander had no one. He didn’t even know where his grandfather99Please respect copyright.PENANAVZ0nllSlcg
had gone and with no way to reach him, he had no one. The despair was too99Please respect copyright.PENANAqVWzkAH4hN
great, so he buried himself inside his own mind hoping that things would get99Please respect copyright.PENANAnPMa10SegP
better.
The demon scraped against his mind99Please respect copyright.PENANA7AGMp7SWkV
begging to be released. He would make all those who hurt them suffer99Please respect copyright.PENANAUVUJoQ58q0
unimaginable pain. He could start by removing their skin piece by piece until99Please respect copyright.PENANA0Y66WePuPe
they passed out from the pain. Then he would carve out their organs with his99Please respect copyright.PENANAau0sSxYHeF
bare hands, not stopping even after the body died. Then they would be tossed to99Please respect copyright.PENANAx4p1prhhYn
the forest for the animals to have their fill. He begged, pleaded and99Please respect copyright.PENANABY1BsBKXYa
threatened, but if there was hope, Vander would not give in. No matter how much99Please respect copyright.PENANAISi7Vjxz7Z
he wanted to.
He wasn’t sure how long it had99Please respect copyright.PENANAxLlnoa9kQj
been, but eventually he heard the door open. Based on the sounds their feet99Please respect copyright.PENANAFoINMradv8
made, there were four people coming down to see him. None of them, except one,99Please respect copyright.PENANAOgG7gCeMrb
was wearing armor. He recognized her scent clearly compared to the others.99Please respect copyright.PENANAT5rfwhV6ZB
According to the book, and her, the two of them were bonded. Despite knowing99Please respect copyright.PENANAkSP5YQK6Xh
nothing about her, he didn’t want her to see him like this so he hid closer to99Please respect copyright.PENANADnFXHSqjpP
the shadows hoping it would be enough. It wasn’t.
“Come out, Vander.” Her voice was99Please respect copyright.PENANACcagnC7P3c
soft, full of warmth. He felt the presence of Atza beckoning him, pushing the99Please respect copyright.PENANARAwbDTW383
demon further into the recesses of his mind. He looked over to see her kind99Please respect copyright.PENANARIgRUERyHb
expression staring at him without hate or malice. In the face she looked99Please respect copyright.PENANA7ihxR6waow
worried. Her eyes were sunken in. Her normally glossy hair hung loose around99Please respect copyright.PENANAyCM6eznA5B
her face. In the three months he had been missing, she lost quite a bit of99Please respect copyright.PENANAYSsGAvXCEc
weight.
The others she was with didn’t99Please respect copyright.PENANAxtw3KMi7mS
really surprise him except Whitesun was there. He had no idea why the southern99Please respect copyright.PENANA4FrueKPmdM
warden was there to see him, but he couldn’t think of any good reasons. Maybe99Please respect copyright.PENANAVeojH422KM
the council had finally made their judgement.
“Have you decided what you were99Please respect copyright.PENANAkkWNXdWRW4
going to do with me?” Vander asked. He looked over at Cuvera who met his stare99Please respect copyright.PENANAiTNAKNcfEv
with his own.
“The council is split.” Cuvera99Please respect copyright.PENANAMnvxelOVUc
explained. “There are many who don’t believe you capable of killing my father,99Please respect copyright.PENANAySibrWF7WX
but they also don’t believe that Peyton would have been capable either. Then99Please respect copyright.PENANA6PkdHaXwsc
there are those who think you did do it, and nothing would convince them99Please respect copyright.PENANAnAzNl9ncZ4
otherwise.”
“Not once did we doubt you,99Please respect copyright.PENANAoQXIkAPUml
Vander.” Kiara’s voice was kind. “We were hurt that you felt you couldn’t stay99Please respect copyright.PENANAjZZ1JXw5j0
and plead your case, but based on the considerable resources that were spent to99Please respect copyright.PENANA5MCaZxfM6v
track you down, as well as the venomous rhetoric that was spread against you,99Please respect copyright.PENANA81GHJlP1LM
it ended up being for the best. You wouldn’t be safe here, not with the99Please respect copyright.PENANAbx54PXcbnj
influence many of the nobles have in the city.”
“Then why am I still locked up?”99Please respect copyright.PENANAwaMCegmxtk
he asked. “If you believe me, why keep me here?”
“Because we can’t release you99Please respect copyright.PENANAYqXdyWEkoQ
without proof that Peyton killed my father.” Cuvera explained. “As it stands99Please respect copyright.PENANA1v8R8cwfru
it’s your word against his and he has more sway amongst the nobles. I know99Please respect copyright.PENANAuNGNJ1uLkP
you’re innocent, but they know that I would protect you because we are practically99Please respect copyright.PENANA8Uc58nzBiw
brothers.”
“How do you know I’m innocent?”99Please respect copyright.PENANA2FKnURhuCR
Vander countered. “I could be the monster they think I am.”
“Vander!” Eliza gasped. “Don’t say99Please respect copyright.PENANAsuNEqzN9mp
things like that.”
“I know because I saw what99Please respect copyright.PENANAahv2V1GDXs
happened.” Cuvera sighed. “A week after my father died, the ceremony to take99Please respect copyright.PENANAwAsS7ET471
the shard of Humjir into me was performed. I saw everything leading up to his99Please respect copyright.PENANASpMMcr54RS
final moments, including him telling you to run with his dying breath. I’ve99Please respect copyright.PENANAUiJebdHfSR
known him for months, but Peyton has the power now that my father’s gone. I99Please respect copyright.PENANA22unKmRgII
can’t do a thing.”
“However, I do.” Whitesun spoke99Please respect copyright.PENANABLJJDaZEqD
softly. “Even though I am the farthest of all the Warden’s from the city,99Please respect copyright.PENANAvEuamFrgop
Malcolm and I were good friends. I believe you Vander. I think you are a kind99Please respect copyright.PENANAVSKhpgXdAn
soul despite the stigma surrounding you, I can help you.”
“How?” Vander stared at the man, a99Please respect copyright.PENANAjokcmPt6V1
stranger. He couldn’t quite believe someone would be willing to help him just99Please respect copyright.PENANAaldWrb6bXu
for no reason. There had to be another motive, but he would be damned if he99Please respect copyright.PENANA5d4SBFrvIy
could think of one.
“You let me worry about that.”99Please respect copyright.PENANArb0xB9GtCL
Whitesun held out his hand through the bars. Vander studied it for a moment99Please respect copyright.PENANANyePl8qc3U
before accepting it. The two of them held hands for a few minutes past what99Please respect copyright.PENANA4AYCPztgyI
Vander was comfortable with, but before he could say anything, Whitesun let his99Please respect copyright.PENANAH6fjhZY4Ml
hand go. “I wanted to see what kind of person you were, Captain.”
“What have you discovered,99Please respect copyright.PENANAWzNX58swql
Warden?” Vander bit back.
“You are a principled man devoted99Please respect copyright.PENANAlgaDa2wNUW
to your goal of protecting those you love.” Whitesun smiled. “There is no way99Please respect copyright.PENANA1EtpBua2QX
you would have killed your surrogate father, no matter what may have happened99Please respect copyright.PENANAAUx6fEPiq2
between the two of you.”
“You gained all that from shaking99Please respect copyright.PENANAWgE8XnLutt
my hand?” Vander shook his head. “Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
“No,” Whitesun laughed. “I got99Please respect copyright.PENANA5tVPZG2Dfe
that from talking to your friends. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some damage99Please respect copyright.PENANA3gJdZGuS5z
control to do.” With that he excused himself by heading back up the stairs.
“If anyone can help you, it’s99Please respect copyright.PENANAMQwFGo1Qz5
Malakai.” Cuvera smiled. “You protected us from the Serpents, now allow us to99Please respect copyright.PENANAph1b7RRPHc
help you.”
“Thank you.” Vander embraced his99Please respect copyright.PENANAtHyN3MzudY
friend, though it wasn’t complete due to the bar standing between the two of99Please respect copyright.PENANAlBepy0QoMO
them. “After this is done, I will devote my sword to you and you are alone.”
“To us, Vander.” Cuvera wrapped a99Please respect copyright.PENANAV4rxZBloqn
possessive arm around his wife. “And our child who we are going to name for my99Please respect copyright.PENANAE6aZNiZfap
father and your grandfather: Malcolm Charles Elan.”
“Or Mary Charlie Elan.” Kiara99Please respect copyright.PENANAquXZSfsMU2
interrupted. “If it’s a girl.”
“Either way, we want you to be its99Please respect copyright.PENANA43VAC6CDQm
guard parent if anything were to happen to us.” Cuvera smiled. “Both you and99Please respect copyright.PENANAtn9ACGRB3L
Eliza, even though she already agreed.” Vander was touched, but he knew that99Please respect copyright.PENANA7bGINCPJmh
there was still a lot of work to be done before that would become a reality.99Please respect copyright.PENANAkiEh9MvErU
Starting with him being released.
“Provided I am released, I will.”
“Excellent.” Cuvera grinned, but99Please respect copyright.PENANAscWkV4SGoy
after a moment, he became a little more serious. “I need you tell me everything99Please respect copyright.PENANAHV9wAnpCwG
you can about this assassin who killed Humi. If someone this dangerous is in my99Please respect copyright.PENANAKwjY5amZIG
city, I need to know everything I can about them.”
“I didn’t know about them until my99Please respect copyright.PENANAcraYVBNKWI
attack on the Green Serpent base.” Vander explained. “I found a handwritten99Please respect copyright.PENANAWdxhqJlRtp
note that said that someone known as Fang was coming after me. I assumed they99Please respect copyright.PENANAxgAieeup3F
didn’t know where I was because I didn’t end up with a knife in my side while I99Please respect copyright.PENANAmBjw4IKo2y
slept. They must have picked me up somewhere then waited until I was distracted99Please respect copyright.PENANAEVJ1rFDPFp
before coming after me. If it hadn’t been for Humi there was a chance, I would99Please respect copyright.PENANAJ76uliIBWt
be killed.”
“Any idea who they were?” Vander99Please respect copyright.PENANAxiSaPk0j1e
shook his head.
“None, they wore both a mask and a99Please respect copyright.PENANAUT33WLUPWo
hood.” He explained. “However, they infiltrated a space that was protected by99Please respect copyright.PENANAAETuonfMjw
Humjir’s ability. Which,” he glared at Cuvera. “How is that possible? I thought99Please respect copyright.PENANA4GLUac91Xs
only Malcolm, and now you, could use those powers?”
“It’s complicated, I don’t truly99Please respect copyright.PENANALShagZgmP1
understand it myself.” Kiara placed her hand on Cuvera’s shoulder then99Please respect copyright.PENANAJuEwX33oo8
whispered in his ear. “I’m sorry, but Kiara is tired. We must go but worry not.99Please respect copyright.PENANAP1b1UXoYSz
We will get you out of this.”
“Are you going to stay?” He looked99Please respect copyright.PENANAXhxJ3Jl9Ff
at Eliza. He didn’t know why, but he really didn’t want her to leave.
“Of course.” She grinned, holding99Please respect copyright.PENANAAXmmMaNLKB
up the cell keys. “I can’t let you out, but I can go in.” she placed the key99Please respect copyright.PENANAuRO5hbTmOt
inside the lock and turned it. The door popped open, so she allowed herself99Please respect copyright.PENANAegoHmjLKJg
inside.
“I’ll come to let you out in the99Please respect copyright.PENANAfna1EXV1vV
morning.” Cuvera held his hand out for the keys, which she returned. “Enjoy99Please respect copyright.PENANA6GXdPOK7RL
yourself.” With that, Cuvera and Kiara left the room leaving the two of them99Please respect copyright.PENANAwoTXykHDmv
together. For the first time in a long time, Vander felt tongue tied. He didn’t99Please respect copyright.PENANA9TEtw4ZYKI
know what to do.
“Sit down.” Eliza sighed. “You99Please respect copyright.PENANA4xE9rr75Li
look like you’re about to fall over.” She sat down against the wall then patted99Please respect copyright.PENANAxQs7rlRfhb
the open spot next to her. Not sure what he should do, he sat down next to her,99Please respect copyright.PENANAqMwf6Bto1G
but made sure none of his body touched her. “Am I that repulsive that you won’t99Please respect copyright.PENANAI6nGaaCP31
even touch me?” she sounded hurt.
“I’m sorry.” He spoke. “I’m just99Please respect copyright.PENANAMmTKX0LsPb
scared. For some reason I get nervous around you, like I don’t want to99Please respect copyright.PENANA3q9BxHrb3P
disappoint you. I’ve had plenty of partners, but this seems foreign to me.”
“I guess that’s to be expected.”99Please respect copyright.PENANAdpixyrbx1W
Eliza smiled. “I’ve known about you ever since I was young, so I’ve been99Please respect copyright.PENANAW01AnUeaus
preparing for my entire life. But you just found out a couple of months ago and99Please respect copyright.PENANAmo5CQ0taAH
we never got to spend any sort of time together. So, for now, how about we just99Please respect copyright.PENANAtBpZrblFo7
get to know each other and let this occur naturally?”
“You’d be okay with that?”
“Of course.” She spoke. “You can99Please respect copyright.PENANArKGT9GNzD0
be completely honest with me; I won’t judge you Vander.” He hesitated, but he99Please respect copyright.PENANAk6WPWsGcUQ
didn’t feel any treachery in her words. It was time he became honest with99Please respect copyright.PENANAPXwPXhRgQ1
someone other than Shea. It was time for him to be vulnerable.
“Are you sure you can handle it?”99Please respect copyright.PENANAH8HHtTv4FZ
he smiled. “You’d be my first actual relationship since getting dumped by99Please respect copyright.PENANA8QtP7uPFao
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.99Please respect copyright.PENANAG7Vz04eWak
“But if you asked me too, I’d punch her in the face for you.” He laughed and it99Please respect copyright.PENANAObSESrNmNT
was the first real laugh he had had since his best friend’s wedding. Perhaps,99Please respect copyright.PENANAEUMEZdE3Mn
just for tonight, everything would be alright.