Chapter 32
“What do you mean you’ve been59Please respect copyright.PENANAGLtCSunS0d
expecting me?” Vander asked as he climbed the stairs. Shea followed a step59Please respect copyright.PENANAGn9gzkv9dp
behind him unwilling to let him be alone with a man she didn’t know.
“It’s as I said.” Humi had a59Please respect copyright.PENANA5BrVJAYknj
faraway look in his eyes. Humi was a strange man. He had short brown hair and59Please respect copyright.PENANAG9lYc3CpFH
light blue eyes. He was a portly man, but Vander could feel a strength from him59Please respect copyright.PENANAhvpSpNCSQ9
he couldn’t quite place. He wore a long blue robe, different from the one he59Please respect copyright.PENANATzlH149oSD
wore at the wedding. This one was light, made from simple cloth, with a moon59Please respect copyright.PENANAZsP2hsTIte
stitched on his chest.
Despite being a59Please respect copyright.PENANAAyOISmFe8r
member of Humjir’s temple, Vander didn’t know much about him other than the59Please respect copyright.PENANAppdx1Zo7Ei
fact that he frequented the castle to talk to the former King, but it was59Please respect copyright.PENANA6Rol0gFVHS
always behind closed doors away from prying ears. The wedding was the first59Please respect copyright.PENANAkLG30DB13R
time he had seen Humi in years. There was a smell to him, like Malcolm, yet59Please respect copyright.PENANAOzpv54X4iU
different. However, Vander had difficulty explaining the feeling to himself.
“You can smell59Please respect copyright.PENANAeoLKeDV8jY
the shard of Humjir inside of me, young Unna’tun.” Humi smiled as if reading59Please respect copyright.PENANAYRboGPTfy2
Vander’s thoughts.
“I thought the gods only had one59Please respect copyright.PENANAydMaUnn0kd
shard at a time?” Vander asked. “I thought Cuvera inherited it when his father59Please respect copyright.PENANA8F4qJiDbM3
died.”
“That’s what you’ve been told,59Please respect copyright.PENANAr96rv0jduO
but, like many things, it’s wrong.” Humi turned around then started to walk59Please respect copyright.PENANABu3YnR7cQj
deeper into the temple. He didn’t speak to Vander, but Vander knew that he59Please respect copyright.PENANALUJGG6RpxM
should follow. Only then would he gain the answers he sook.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me like59Please respect copyright.PENANABBlIV7sYaD
everyone else?” Vander asked him. Humi paused for a second but kept walking.
“Because I know you didn’t kill59Please respect copyright.PENANAxKRHvC1bmI
Malcolm.” He explained. He didn’t share59Please respect copyright.PENANAQveMwMEhLu
how he knew, but Vander thought that it had something to do with why he had a59Please respect copyright.PENANALuf9NqpCqf
shard inside of him. Another mystery he wanted solved.
Humi lead them deep into the59Please respect copyright.PENANAADgPN0NTvw
temple. Despite the later hour, Vander expected other acolytes to be here, not59Please respect copyright.PENANAwPIO1Ux2ki
just Humi. However, he couldn’t smell or hear anyone else inside. He asked the59Please respect copyright.PENANAHxIQLfKLpC
priest about it, but Humi kept walking, ignoring the question entirely. He59Please respect copyright.PENANAyufWVjqsPG
instructed Shea to keep her wits about her, but to stay close in case they were59Please respect copyright.PENANApzsAfRXUS6
walking into a trap. Malcolm may have said to trust this man, but Vander59Please respect copyright.PENANANxWQ1v17KF
trusted Peyton and had been betrayed. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
They were taken down a long59Please respect copyright.PENANASmSukgSpXm
hallway where it looked like portraits of all the past kings and queens were59Please respect copyright.PENANARLoGGcy6kY
placed, however they looked slightly different than what he had seen in the59Please respect copyright.PENANAMA8jyWktnb
castle. These people had pupilless eyes while their hair had a blue hue to it.59Please respect copyright.PENANAYnHcWWVoyV
They must have been previous shards of Humjir, but why did they resemble59Please respect copyright.PENANAsVKz6jLScS
Eluvia’s monarchy? More questions with no answers, they pushed on.
After about ten minutes of59Please respect copyright.PENANAzh3NCAZ1Zz
walking, they finally came to one of the paths that would lead them to Humjir’s59Please respect copyright.PENANAZ49vM20E74
pool. Vander could smell fresh water, something rare within the city walls. The59Please respect copyright.PENANAby2Ib6iIXu
fresh water he had ever smelled was in the middle of the forest, but somehow59Please respect copyright.PENANAVUXkYvPaaM
this was fresher than that. He wondered why that was, but before he could ask,59Please respect copyright.PENANArLgoZzAD1X
Humi turned down the hall beckoning the two of them to follow.
“It is best if we talk here.”59Please respect copyright.PENANA7LqEWjhFgV
Despite being outside, Vander had the sneaking suspicion that they were in an59Please respect copyright.PENANABbTXKh2shh
enclosed space, cut off from the rest of the city. The fact that Humi’s voice59Please respect copyright.PENANArbB79nwZwS
didn’t echo when he talked was further proof of that.
“Where is here?” Vander asked. If59Please respect copyright.PENANAwQI0Mh8R46
Humi was impressed he had picked up on it he didn’t show it.
“A special area, even for Humjir.”59Please respect copyright.PENANA8wZPBTn0rr
Humi explained. “When he passed down the hall we entered this sacred space.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFODj6uBY1d
Only those with a shard, or who are bonded to a shard, may enter.”
“Then what is the pool anyone can59Please respect copyright.PENANALiyo1DsCHL
enter to worship Humjir?” Vander asked.
“Just that, a pool.” Humi59Please respect copyright.PENANAj15PhLgno5
explained. “A specially crafted pool which we clean daily to make it feel as59Please respect copyright.PENANAZmJDModmVW
special as possible, but this is the true space that Humjir himself had created59Please respect copyright.PENANAOSf0RlWSjN
a long time ago.”
The pool itself was immaculate.59Please respect copyright.PENANAT7gZAJcRyn
There were no borders to keep the water in, however, it still stayed within a59Please respect copyright.PENANA1aeOD9wud5
perfect circle. There was a large rock formation that poured ice blue water59Please respect copyright.PENANAa1Ho3bo0oT
into the pool. The area around it had a blueish hue, like it reflected the59Please respect copyright.PENANAQ0DEhaBzZk
color of the water inside. Vander took a careful step towards the edge to peer59Please respect copyright.PENANAQxQyXT8TKv
into the depths. He saw several large fish swimming around, but the biggest59Please respect copyright.PENANA5uasxgAejm
surprise was the full moon shining in the depths despite it only being a59Please respect copyright.PENANAoyTTbmsQ6P
quarter moon in the sky. Vander felt drawn to the pool, but Humi grabbed his59Please respect copyright.PENANA6GVxDqYrt0
arm pulling him away.
“Many have lost themselves to the59Please respect copyright.PENANA9SzCcyOcrX
depth’s, Vander.” He spoke. “It’s best, especially for you, to stay away.”
“Why?” Vander asked.
“You know the story of Atza’s59Please respect copyright.PENANAVRdsPRg47D
wrath because Humjir used his pool to spy on Unna?” Vander paled as he59Please respect copyright.PENANAOfwC8SEIST
remembered that story. He could hear Unna’s laughter in his ears when he read59Please respect copyright.PENANA2Ulnhf3pvs
about it. “If you peer inside, you could enter her realm and that would be very59Please respect copyright.PENANAYBlvWPgLYf
bad for you.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen.” Shea59Please respect copyright.PENANAdZBQHpHcu7
growled.
“There wouldn’t be much you could59Please respect copyright.PENANAZmlurQUuxq
do about it, little shadow beast.” Humi answered. “Yes, I can hear what you59Please respect copyright.PENANAkYaKg4Jcix
say, but that’s only because we are here where my powers are stronger. Now,59Please respect copyright.PENANApdMjIcv5Ot
let’s talk before we run out of time. You’re here because you read Malcolm’s59Please respect copyright.PENANAmrLNxWKIH4
note inside the book.” It was a statement not a question, so Vander answered by59Please respect copyright.PENANAxTZMmaNJ1v
nodding his head. “Where is the book now?” Vander pat his chest where the black59Please respect copyright.PENANAQbhyecKnGV
book was sitting in his pocket. “Good, make sure you always keep it on you.59Please respect copyright.PENANAHuUuuL8xSn
Don’t let anyone near it unless you can absolutely trust them.”
“I understand, but why all the59Please respect copyright.PENANAYN1ucplTKM
secrecy?”
“That tells me you didn’t read the59Please respect copyright.PENANANyFujvkmZO
book in it’s entirety, but I supposed that’s alright,” Humi smirked. “You were59Please respect copyright.PENANA4LmC82UnBE
curious about Unna, so you likely read that first to pass the time until you59Please respect copyright.PENANAh1wI1GajBb
came here. But to answer your question, I’ll have to ask one. Have you heard of59Please respect copyright.PENANA0dymw3XntB
the Black Order?”
“No?” Vander frowned. In his59Please respect copyright.PENANA25lqAlRJuJ
entire time as a Blade and holding the shard of Unna, not once had anyone59Please respect copyright.PENANAogdIMykwj2
mentioned them. “Who are they?”
“Not surprising,” Humi sighed.59Please respect copyright.PENANAbMZSkqqksm
“Their name has changed over the millennia, but they have been around since the59Please respect copyright.PENANAfvxPAF2tg9
Great War. They were the human who were on Darkness’s side and vowed to one day59Please respect copyright.PENANAF4oAzN9LGo
return her to this realm.”
“Now that you mention it, they59Please respect copyright.PENANAzOjEJ2qXeL
sound familiar.” Vander explained. “I thought they were eradicated.”
“We thought so too, but for the59Please respect copyright.PENANAY6OukLRMQA
past century we have noticed them appearing all over once again.” Humi said.59Please respect copyright.PENANAVO6ksiIK5c
“We aren’t sure who they are, we have some suspects, but until Malcolm’s59Please respect copyright.PENANAKBwNxgSXqP
assassination, no solid proof. It appears Peyton could be our link.”
“Why would they kill Malcolm?”59Please respect copyright.PENANARnIvLnijpd
Vander asked. “He’s the King of the most powerful country, with an equally59Please respect copyright.PENANAyn6QDGVM9k
strong successor. There would be no point on angering us.”
“Ah, but there is a point.” Humi59Please respect copyright.PENANAnZJEbelhWm
smiled. “Malcolm held Humjir’s shard inside of his body. They needed that as59Please respect copyright.PENANAVKOIqky58e
part of their plan to awaken the Darkness.” Vander shot him a quizzical glance59Please respect copyright.PENANAGo4EhuVPjP
causing Humi to sigh. Vander could feel the man’s impatience with him, but he59Please respect copyright.PENANAT6LL4aoNml
couldn’t see what these facts had to do with each other. “They need the shard59Please respect copyright.PENANA7qDq72Q2HI
of each god to unseal her. It was their power that took her out and it will be59Please respect copyright.PENANAWGeLyjvK9Y
their power to release her once again.”
“Wait.” Vander frowned. “If that’s59Please respect copyright.PENANATc2ABzoTxw
the case, then why are shard holders running around amok? Why not place them59Please respect copyright.PENANAfUJbDyVlYu
under guard to protect them?”
“Would you be able to control59Please respect copyright.PENANA6H4dSl0AXT
nobility and keep them confined?” Humi shook his head. “It was attempted many59Please respect copyright.PENANADhmvuK6WYm
centuries ago, but it went about as well as could be expected. So, they came up59Please respect copyright.PENANAqt7aMc4MbG
with an agreement. No one would know who the shards are, except for those in59Please respect copyright.PENANApnXYECMfDU
the know. Each stronghold would have two within their walls, however Atza’s59Please respect copyright.PENANAwsIJCPIWay
shard didn’t trust that we could protect her, so she went somewhere else. They59Please respect copyright.PENANARdcGsc6YLK
founded the country of Bricen, and only those in the royal family knew who it59Please respect copyright.PENANAIsGOY2F3sP
would be.”
“But why would the order act now?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAyBd7pAEjpP
Vander frowned. He racked his brain to figure out why when the past events came59Please respect copyright.PENANApttGDOlTr5
flooding into him. “Because all of the shards are together.”
“Correct.” Humi grimaced. “We are59Please respect copyright.PENANAiS5fPXNnLj
all at risk, but no one knows it outside of our little group. Our little safety59Please respect copyright.PENANAAnDJuyKGCX
net ended up dooming us all.”
“Not even the shards know who each59Please respect copyright.PENANA6VvUE5ZacE
other are?” Vander asked. “I thought we could all sense each other.”
“No, that’s why you are special59Please respect copyright.PENANA7SenXaXyi0
and why Peyton likely wanted to ostracize you from everyone else.” Humi placed59Please respect copyright.PENANAuB5qkUDNww
his hand on Vander’s shoulder. “It hasn’t been much of secret when you became59Please respect copyright.PENANAd1o1lglHiI
Unna’s shard, it hasn’t happened in many, many years and most don’t survive59Please respect copyright.PENANAzpmFXrG8Vw
very long. The fact that you are still alive is testament to your willpower and59Please respect copyright.PENANA3w6iFjRVQ2
Malcolm’s ability to keep it a secret, but it’s out in the open now. If they59Please respect copyright.PENANAzufDmlPiFP
get ahold of your gifts, it will doom us all.”
“So, what should I do?” Vander59Please respect copyright.PENANASIIBa2IU7e
asked. “I can’t just abandon my friends and family to go on the run.”
“No, you can’t.” Humi sighed.59Please respect copyright.PENANAsmOPqKwdYF
“They know who you are and will go to the ends of the earth to find you. All we59Please respect copyright.PENANAFFUw5qrxme
can do is protect those here until they leave, to give us time to think of a59Please respect copyright.PENANAn4yBE6NMYJ
solution.”
“Can I ask you something else?”59Please respect copyright.PENANAsYnWLW7UiA
Vander asked. Humi nodded. “How do the Green Serpents fit into this? I mean,59Please respect copyright.PENANAIx19NByHAY
they were the ones who poisoned Malcolm and tried to assassinate me. What is it59Please respect copyright.PENANAkKiyk88iJE
they want?”
“The only thing Malcolm and I59Please respect copyright.PENANAdk9vlNuECG
could come up with was that they were hired to do a job.” Humi explained. “Lure59Please respect copyright.PENANAHLuH0TMEpZ
you out of hiding so they can kill you and part of it worked. Now they must59Please respect copyright.PENANActAwdy4Euo
find you, but it looks as though you found them first.”
“Three escaped, but I’m sure they59Please respect copyright.PENANANh8iLmxO72
have a plan.” Vander explained. “But they have sent someone else after me. I59Please respect copyright.PENANAWDkzGdABim
found a note in the house explaining that someone called ‘Fang’, has been sent59Please respect copyright.PENANAAyYYOoodhI
after me. Have you heard of them?”
“No,” Humi frowned. “But they have59Please respect copyright.PENANAeTmg6agSbo
been especially sent for you, then you need to do a better job of hiding before59Please respect copyright.PENANAQPysxhQpy8
they find you.”
“Oh, it’s far too late for that.” Humi59Please respect copyright.PENANAigki8PCIhL
and Vander, startled by the noise, looked up to find a figure squatting on top59Please respect copyright.PENANAqkw88cyXIp
of the fountain.
They were dressed59Please respect copyright.PENANAjrTnckWq9l
in an all-black uniform that had a greenish hue to it. Vander could tell that59Please respect copyright.PENANAVHCVzRA0Wm
the armor was well crafted with metal plating underneath it. The leather59Please respect copyright.PENANAf1y9xLGNSX
vambraces were holding numerous weapons, Vander could smell poison emanating59Please respect copyright.PENANA0mRTSSx1mW
from them, and they had a sword slung across their back. The hood over their59Please respect copyright.PENANAFiiWwmIFzs
face obscured their looks, but despite that, they were still wearing a green59Please respect copyright.PENANA5KgqIPtYAx
mask with a serpent painted onto it.
Vander went for59Please respect copyright.PENANAkQvLWxJDqb
his sword, but Humi stood in front of him. “It’s not your time.” He whispered.59Please respect copyright.PENANAP1nimiHaUg
He opened his robe and removed a whip that had been wrapped around his waist.59Please respect copyright.PENANA65Rd9BipPx
“The fact that they got into this sanctuary means Humjir’s power is weakening.59Please respect copyright.PENANAbd93zONgOt
It will take time for the shard to take effect in someone new. You must be59Please respect copyright.PENANAEhW4ioXgNR
alive to protect them.”
“I can help you.”59Please respect copyright.PENANA0UzIZLb2RI
Vander hissed. Shea grabbed onto his pants to drag him back.
“Protect the59Please respect copyright.PENANAfl5LZwzfQx
book!” Humi smiled. “This is not where you die young Vander. You still have59Please respect copyright.PENANAXjRs2ZD4wG
plenty to do, please allow me to see my friend in the afterlife knowing I59Please respect copyright.PENANAV7lDGhwLp7
helped protect our home.”
“Can you take59Please respect copyright.PENANAzgNx7FhkAa
them” Vander hesitated.
“Never fear.”59Please respect copyright.PENANAwy5SuMDUlK
Humi smiled. He cracked the whip as he stared down the assassin. “You’ll have59Please respect copyright.PENANAk1BCXKfq6X
to get through me to get to him.”
“No problem.”59Please respect copyright.PENANA0QHW9rHYTQ
Vander thought he could hear the assassin grinning from behind the mask.
“Take this with59Please respect copyright.PENANAgVjqQGLzfi
you as well.” Humi held out a vial of water towards Vander. “Once you are safe,59Please respect copyright.PENANApsTux5gZ9t
drink that. Only then will you know what’s at stake.” Vander took the vial then59Please respect copyright.PENANAlCMCrORr6z
slipped it into his pocket. He opened his mouth to say more, but Shea once again59Please respect copyright.PENANAJr59me9Tem
pulled on his jacket.
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“We must go.”59Please respect copyright.PENANATlHXVWXWWg
Vander allowed himself to run as this was the only option available to him. He59Please respect copyright.PENANApGuQMA4iW4
prayed that Humi would survive, but it was unlikely. Humi was right, however,59Please respect copyright.PENANAJRDqyoxELh
he had to protect the book and the secrets that lay within. If it helped save59Please respect copyright.PENANAbOs3N8wKPn
this city, he would do whatever he could.