Chapter 27
If you’ve never70Please respect copyright.PENANATmdknuPWHH
been inside the mind of a raven, you were missing out. They are one of the70Please respect copyright.PENANACwPQsv3ti8
smartest birds in the world capable of remembering faces and understanding a70Please respect copyright.PENANA00WTxKgIaF
semblance of human speech. However, when Vander was inside, he understood70Please respect copyright.PENANAbxI2Ftts1H
everything around him, knew what the bird knew, and could get into places he70Please respect copyright.PENANAudx5C9GQxy
otherwise couldn’t. The only issue was if the consciousness of the creature he70Please respect copyright.PENANASkAXijWntc
was inhabiting decided to fight back, he could be forcibly shoved back into his70Please respect copyright.PENANAI60MXknXrG
own body or, in a worst-case scenario, he could be lost forever. However it was70Please respect copyright.PENANAaz5H8XhJrj
a risk he needed to take and so far, the raven wasn’t fighting him though he70Please respect copyright.PENANA8hPl77YcpB
was angry. Vander had to promise him some food before he would finally settle70Please respect copyright.PENANAyRYYfIDFoY
down.
Vander flapped70Please respect copyright.PENANArV9gBVSVhD
his wings then jumped from the rooftop. He caught an air current to glid over70Please respect copyright.PENANAb09bsQQbU6
the heads of the gathered soldiers trying to keep the crowds back away from the70Please respect copyright.PENANAkywrs89Kzc
crime scene. Some of them had taken their spears butts to the citizens to get70Please respect copyright.PENANA211A58R3dQ
them to stay away, but that made some of them angry. It took one of the Blades70Please respect copyright.PENANAvj1HOqGNWR
to come over to calm the crowd down before they calmed down enough, but they70Please respect copyright.PENANAsm59f7O2Uv
were still near the edge peering through just to see what was going on.
He found a perch70Please respect copyright.PENANALqp80Bd2O4
on top of the house that would enable him to see his surroundings but also70Please respect copyright.PENANA6Yk99gDUmZ
listen to what was being said inside. He hopped forward, grabbing hold of the70Please respect copyright.PENANApFhAvh8wUF
siding with his talons, and peered over the edge looking into the house via the70Please respect copyright.PENANAK1Wlh16izO
window above the door. If anyone looked above, they would have seen just his70Please respect copyright.PENANAPwRCffvaiS
head and beady little eyes, but the occupants were too distracted by the70Please respect copyright.PENANA2SvSldyVPN
carnage he had left behind.
The blood had70Please respect copyright.PENANAeJg9Y7eCys
dried overnight, but the people inside walked over it as if it was. There was a70Please respect copyright.PENANAq9GjdhcqZI
medic inside making sure the bodies were dead. It wasn’t Topal, but one of his70Please respect copyright.PENANA83n1O3kuAV
students that Vander didn’t recognize. He was carefully checking the bodies70Please respect copyright.PENANA8u7LDgpqmj
then would nod to one of the soldiers who would then grab a buddy and together70Please respect copyright.PENANAzw3rS5ZCB2
the two of them would bring one of the bodies outside. Then they would bring a70Please respect copyright.PENANAzYo2vuVCyR
tarp to place over the dead to hide them from the crowd. It happened six times70Please respect copyright.PENANAxrNVClJApX
in total. Vander had to double take because he was sure that seven of them been70Please respect copyright.PENANAfbW9S9YLle
killed, but after double counting then peering back inside, there was indeed70Please respect copyright.PENANANlJ5HwwvEx
only six bodies. He would have to investigate that later.
He heard some of70Please respect copyright.PENANAVumAv9w3Ui
the guards talking inside. “What a waste of life.” One muttered to themselves.70Please respect copyright.PENANA8EKrdhSHcQ
“What do you think happened here?”
“We don’t get70Please respect copyright.PENANAt6pxPWra8A
paid to ask questions.” That other snorted. But he looked around nervously70Please respect copyright.PENANA3Pv8KAZmjG
before whispering to his friend. “I bet it was that traitorous Blade that did70Please respect copyright.PENANAZn9QnVFQFp
this.” The other guard looked warily at his friend.
“How do you70Please respect copyright.PENANAPMi492kHuz
figure?”
“One of these70Please respect copyright.PENANA5h039IQlrw
people had their throat completely ripped out.” The other explained. “That’s70Please respect copyright.PENANArEaKGIuwM4
not possible without a lot of strength. I’ve only ever seen animals do that and70Please respect copyright.PENANAnUN9BRWrJ8
I don’t think a bear came into down, slaughtered six people, then left never to70Please respect copyright.PENANA58BWeYsqi7
be seen again.”
“I guess that70Please respect copyright.PENANA4BoIBzGSQK
makes sense.” The second guard didn’t sound convinced, however. “But why would70Please respect copyright.PENANARF2FBX0a9H
he come here to kill these people? It makes no sense.”
“Like killing the70Please respect copyright.PENANAxB33ACkxhe
King made sense?” the first guard spat. “The sooner we find this guy, the70Please respect copyright.PENANAWApypZaHa0
sooner we can bury him. Bastard deserves to hang for what he did.” Unknown to70Please respect copyright.PENANA8yGeZS2CQn
all involved, they failed to notice a squad of Blades coming up behind them.70Please respect copyright.PENANA9oUvuqZ0CE
Vander looked up to see Alexander coming with a few Blades Vander didn’t70Please respect copyright.PENANAb96GtIRcYt
recognize. They were likely from one of the squads that came with the Warden’s.70Please respect copyright.PENANAhMopkqbxXW
He couldn’t help but wonder where the recruits went.
Alex looked like70Please respect copyright.PENANAO0jsP2Rx0N
shit. His eyes were sunken in, and he had allowed his beard to grow long and70Please respect copyright.PENANAgQMMzKskGt
thick. His clothes were unkept, despite Blade regulation, but his eyes were70Please respect copyright.PENANABxcMSnjN92
still sharp. He had come in at the tail end of the guard’s conversation, so he70Please respect copyright.PENANAXsIztH08f1
let himself be known by growling right behind them.
“If you two have70Please respect copyright.PENANAJGeSg6lX8O
time to gossip, you have time to stand investigate the house.” He spoke.70Please respect copyright.PENANANwXmQoZlYc
Normally his size and demeanor were enough to get most men to do what he70Please respect copyright.PENANAbkszMxkadE
wanted, but that didn’t seem to work here.
“You’re not in70Please respect copyright.PENANA78JCKX5d2o
charge of us, Blade.” The first guard hissed. The way he said it made Vander70Please respect copyright.PENANAIF2nJDmtfy
angry. It appears he wasn’t the only one as the Blades with Alex went for their70Please respect copyright.PENANAltJQllaYjV
swords. They stayed their hand once Alex motioned for them to stop. “We don’t70Please respect copyright.PENANAXtlhXCduik
take orders from those who let the King die.”
“You’ll take70Please respect copyright.PENANAxSj9DwWn5q
orders from me whether you like it or not.” Alex’s voice was calm, but he was70Please respect copyright.PENANAqJMvloCf4z
seconds away from violently lashing out. Vander could tell based on how he70Please respect copyright.PENANAOVIasE0VGj
clenched his hand. “Until the King decrees otherwise you will help us find70Please respect copyright.PENANAyyS14bXAqm
Vander and bring him in.”
“Our General says70Please respect copyright.PENANAGAwkDoVDaJ
otherwise.” The second guard said. “We are only here as per our duty, but after70Please respect copyright.PENANAHABrhruCEk
the bodies are taken out, you’re on your own.”
“Coward.” One of70Please respect copyright.PENANAm7wzqQEoHO
the Blade’s spat. At that insult, the two guards drew their weapons as did the70Please respect copyright.PENANARj0pfD37Qo
guards who were supposed to be keeping the crowd back.
“That wasn’t very70Please respect copyright.PENANALhUYNJ7acN
smart of you.” The first guard growled. “You’re surrounded and outnumbered.70Please respect copyright.PENANAIlhaLQ2GSv
What’s another dead Blade in the grand scheme of things?”
“Enough of this.”70Please respect copyright.PENANA6WrRajbqAn
Alex’s voice bellowed out. He turned towards the Blade who let his emotions get70Please respect copyright.PENANAsu9v6iRaMh
the better of him. “Apologize so we can get on with our days.”
“But…” Alex’s70Please respect copyright.PENANAeTb6D6bjRg
glare dried the excuse in the poor man’s throat. He lowered his head, but not70Please respect copyright.PENANAOF6utyPQTB
his eyes, and muttered a quick apology. Knowing better than to start a scene,70Please respect copyright.PENANAiOlqzSmepe
the guard accepted it, but kept his eyes firmly rooted on Alex as he sheathed70Please respect copyright.PENANAJf8XpTy1fd
his Blade.
“You have minutes70Please respect copyright.PENANAPWqmX8CHhD
to get what you need the clear out.” The guard said. “This is our70Please respect copyright.PENANAwbbfI7nSDH
investigation, not yours.”
“I understand, we70Please respect copyright.PENANALwLnqTeuGo
will be quick.” Nodding to the others, they dispersed. Some of them headed70Please respect copyright.PENANAHuYHVbq831
inside to look around while two of them checked the dead bodies. Alex stayed70Please respect copyright.PENANAi6j9tnrw5f
outside surveying the crowd. Suddenly Vander was very happy that he had picked70Please respect copyright.PENANA3sJDhXdbyV
the raven to take over instead of going into the crowd himself. He knew that no70Please respect copyright.PENANAJpnaPmN39l
matter the disguise, Alex would be able to tell who he was.
One of the Blades70Please respect copyright.PENANAwR2tXw33P3
outside called over to Alex. He quicky rushed over. Vander could catch some70Please respect copyright.PENANA5owXaQVYQB
words of that passed between the two of them. They commented about one of them70Please respect copyright.PENANA7LUI0HbWMe
having their throat ripped out, which Alex admitted was likely Vander’s doing.70Please respect copyright.PENANAaDzIAoXDrF
However, the intriguing part was when the two of them discovered snake tattoos70Please respect copyright.PENANASrCs7qHJly
on all their arms. Alex nodded to himself before stepping away calling the70Please respect copyright.PENANAGb8X6o8BQg
guards back to take the bodies away. He then went inside to see what the others70Please respect copyright.PENANAZUsDYEwKz2
may or may not have found.
Vander couldn’t70Please respect copyright.PENANATnQG2B5XUj
really tell what was being said inside. They were talking low to one another70Please respect copyright.PENANAOgaXoGRBxl
while looking at a scroll that they discovered shoved inside the table. Vander70Please respect copyright.PENANAfnu3as7vnj
shifted slightly to get a better view. It looked like a map of the city, but it70Please respect copyright.PENANAfGvLV2jA2s
wasn’t anything that he recognized. He would need to get his talons on that70Please respect copyright.PENANAwXdWOHwJh1
scroll, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He would have to try to70Please respect copyright.PENANAjFBMgWOCte
take it from his friend at some point in time. Vander heard a squawk coming70Please respect copyright.PENANAKuK21OSkZC
from behind him. He turned around to see a large, angry raven flapping behind70Please respect copyright.PENANAW3YLXlxuQP
him. He was instantly filled with fear from the raven he was inhabiting. He70Please respect copyright.PENANAdFp63R3cE0
guessed the two of them had an issue before which caused the raven, he70Please respect copyright.PENANAMB653lCj0H
inhabited to flee afraid.
As the other70Please respect copyright.PENANA6NF27CUu4I
raven attacked, Vander pushed himself out of the body and back into his own.70Please respect copyright.PENANAh182KxsjXJ
The sudden jolt to being back in a human being, on the ground, caused him to70Please respect copyright.PENANABw8MdN0BIH
violently throw himself over so he could vomit onto the cobblestone instead of70Please respect copyright.PENANANrXow2Ik9l
onto his clothing. He looked up to see the two birds entwined in a death grip70Please respect copyright.PENANAlKW42CtDLT
violently stabbing and clawing at each other. The smaller one he had been apart70Please respect copyright.PENANAfi6MheEKJp
from was losing, but his pride didn’t allow him to quit. He had to do70Please respect copyright.PENANA99FkG0hmE3
something, so he grabbed a rock.
He popped out70Please respect copyright.PENANAUDesPCKjHx
from behind his hiding spot then launched the rock at the bigger bird. With a70Please respect copyright.PENANAIWMBN0VRfK
cry, the big raven fell to the ground stunned, possibly dead. The sudden rock70Please respect copyright.PENANAEROUw4ghNy
being thrown combined with the dropped bird causing some members of the crowd70Please respect copyright.PENANAiDWCzxuGWq
to turn towards him. Some were confused, but a couple recognized him.
“It’s the King70Please respect copyright.PENANAHWLSiw6Ge4
killer!” one of them shouted, pointing at him. Some of the guards began70Please respect copyright.PENANAD3zmlVc8Iy
shouting to pass, but the crowd pushed forward.
“Someone grab70Please respect copyright.PENANAZ74Hc3IAbi
him!” Two citizens lunged forward, but Vander jumped backwards. He grabbed a70Please respect copyright.PENANAFDJZSY0NyK
box then threw it at someone who had broken through hitting them right in the70Please respect copyright.PENANATSVqr5KG8q
face. Vander backed up towards the wall then jumped up, grabbing the top with70Please respect copyright.PENANAYfhBGyDYWB
his hand to haul himself over. Before he disappeared, he locked eyes with Alex70Please respect copyright.PENANAou2oMgGqVd
before disappearing.
He heard shouting70Please respect copyright.PENANAbwLGGndCeO
coming from behind him, but he wasted no time running back towards the gate70Please respect copyright.PENANAY0n30SlOU3
which would lead him into Lower Eluvia. He just had to make it there before he70Please respect copyright.PENANAZFllWIdIIj
was caught then everything would be okay. What he didn’t realize though was70Please respect copyright.PENANA3cDJI4OvHa
that the road he was running down intersected with the road that mob was coming70Please respect copyright.PENANAvRXT8YtX91
down. He heard them running towards him, which caused him to run as fast as he70Please respect copyright.PENANADhISup3z7s
could. Tragically he ended up running into another group of guards who had70Please respect copyright.PENANA71tzBEn6h5
heard the commotion.
“Well look who we70Please respect copyright.PENANALou2zJhUOt
have here?” One of them grinned. A metal fist came flying towards Vander’s70Please respect copyright.PENANAzmcILleGHL
face. It hit his jaw sending waves of pain throughout his mouth, likely70Please respect copyright.PENANAxyLWV2kEiX
knocking a couple of teeth loose. He fell to the ground, but scrambled70Please respect copyright.PENANAVbcpjy6z5X
backwards as the guards drew their swords.
“Did you know70Please respect copyright.PENANAz2d0ZkjND8
there is a bounty on your head?” one asked with an evil glint in his eyes. “The70Please respect copyright.PENANARgjz79UZGa
Jilena family has offered quite the reward for your head.” Vander looked at the70Please respect copyright.PENANApSio9oZxdo
group confused. He didn’t know why the Jilena family cared so much about the70Please respect copyright.PENANAuNE9FJdI5C
king’s murder that they would go against Cuvera’s wishes. He didn’t have to70Please respect copyright.PENANAKugJfHwBPM
wonder long as the guards were apparently quite chatty.
“They are blaming70Please respect copyright.PENANAOz7jlvrwsp
you for the death of their youngest son.” Vander’s blood ran cold. Jeffery was70Please respect copyright.PENANANWQyaPdIN0
dead? But he had let him go, there was no reason for him to be killed.
“I had no reason70Please respect copyright.PENANAyx7dOWqBNE
to kill him.” Vander argued.
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“Rumor has it70Please respect copyright.PENANAZ4rk4tGJos
that he tried to stop you, so you ran him through.” The guard shrugged. “Makes70Please respect copyright.PENANA19kEDZIYOP
no difference to me. With the money we will finally be able to retire in70Please respect copyright.PENANAKEzWG7BRlA
peace.” Vander scooted backwards as the guards lunged towards him with their70Please respect copyright.PENANAIcyIXDCB7i
swords readied to skewer him.