Chapter 30
The knocking continued before54Please respect copyright.PENANAyoZjM8Bk2B
Vander got off the bed, slowly walking over. He couldn’t smell much through the54Please respect copyright.PENANAZ7B34pD0bs
heavy door, but there was enough to know that both Right and Left were standing54Please respect copyright.PENANAEF2p39IKV4
there. He wasn’t sure what they wanted. It was still many hours away until he54Please respect copyright.PENANAorLbiXpvg2
had to get ready for his bout with whoever Ross had picked, so they must want54Please respect copyright.PENANAOgxUbBsk04
something else. Shea jumped down from the bed to join him. Her ears were54Please respect copyright.PENANAaHJ80O5sT1
sticking up, but he knew that she would be ready to protect him if he needed54Please respect copyright.PENANADLpi8O6vCr
it.
He opened the door, slowly, poking54Please respect copyright.PENANAqHn6zPnwrO
his head out to see the two bouncers standing there with arms folded. One of54Please respect copyright.PENANATzCzTwgUuv
them was carrying a long, wrapped package in his hands. “I still have a few54Please respect copyright.PENANAxFQJXwgBRd
hours,” Vander said. “What can I do for you?”
“Ross sent word.” Right said.54Please respect copyright.PENANAtVQvlkZvzA
“Something came up, so the fight won’t be for two more days. Make sure you are54Please respect copyright.PENANATVeyydemrg
well rested.” The news was a shock. In the entire time Vander had been here,54Please respect copyright.PENANAQYjM23GKim
not once had the boss pushed back a fight, especially not one he had been54Please respect copyright.PENANAZ7P8TQDyQf
looking forward to for years. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had something54Please respect copyright.PENANAmbrZQL4VGF
to do with him.
“Your weapon was finished.” Left54Please respect copyright.PENANAVjoCIgI50G
thrusted the package into Vander’s arms. “Not sure what you needed something54Please respect copyright.PENANAlToDv5MEyZ
like this for, but just don’t break it. It was expensive.” Thanking the two of54Please respect copyright.PENANAdaT2FKz5LE
them, Vander ducked back into his room.
“What did you get?” Shea54Please respect copyright.PENANAJN6AiNOxYx
jumped back onto the bed folding her paws underneath each other.
“A special sword from Kolmijr,”54Please respect copyright.PENANA21j0vuPAkh
Vander tore off the packaging to show a scabbard sword. The sheath was ornate,54Please respect copyright.PENANAWupNSDvfzp
made from wood that had been painted black with white along the edges. “The54Please respect copyright.PENANAMrfd8TP30C
sword has a reverse blade, so I won’t hurt anyone if I come across them54Please respect copyright.PENANAGXOGs13nGs
outside.”
“If someone attacks you, you54Please respect copyright.PENANAMOkUrfNMQk
should strike them down, no questions asked.” Shea growled. “They blamed54Please respect copyright.PENANA89WEJiOtxU
you for something you didn’t do, they deserve no mercy.”
“Unless it’s Leon, I don’t want to54Please respect copyright.PENANARNkCxiCLjH
hurt them no matter your feelings on it.” Vander sighed. “They will be doing54Please respect copyright.PENANAMyBJvVCxNf
their job, there is no reason to lose their lives for it.” He placed the sword54Please respect copyright.PENANADYz2BlPQ7E
on the bed before cupping his companion’s face in his hands. “It’s no longer us54Please respect copyright.PENANAGUOsdlGdSD
against everyone else, Shea. We have friends we can count on.”
“Then where are they?” Vander54Please respect copyright.PENANAhhZIvonKRd
didn’t have an answer for that. He kissed the top of her head before heading54Please respect copyright.PENANAKSwPXhWhkn
towards the desk against the wall.
With everything that had been54Please respect copyright.PENANA7nBU4yvsbo
going on, he hadn’t had time to look at the book Peyton had been willing to54Please respect copyright.PENANASBwZf4neNv
kill Malcolm to get his hands on. If this book was as important as everyone54Please respect copyright.PENANAhLdBy9328W
seemed to think, why had it stayed unknown within the royal library for so54Please respect copyright.PENANAkaynLAoUoA
long? And why wait until now to get it? No matter how long he thought it over,54Please respect copyright.PENANAKwTt4wnNY3
he couldn’t get to an answer that made any sort of sense. Since he had the next54Please respect copyright.PENANA0DrCoy3jrJ
two nights off, now would be a good time to find out why.
He removed the book from the54Please respect copyright.PENANAnw9VZ8GeQt
hidden drawer within the desk. Only two people knew it was there and with Shea54Please respect copyright.PENANAiJh4I7tat3
guarding the room, there was no way Ross would have come in there uninvited.54Please respect copyright.PENANAHkkIMDOoEE
Friend or not, that would have been a one-way trip to the undertaker.
The book itself seemed to be very54Please respect copyright.PENANAqL73KE5wSV
old. The blackened leather was beginning to crack while some of the pages were54Please respect copyright.PENANAYRIaEXOj3y
stuck a dark brown from years of sitting on dusty bookshelves. It was rather54Please respect copyright.PENANA58j2TPIVgw
innocuous, if someone hadn’t been looking for it, there was a huge chance that54Please respect copyright.PENANAndCn0afXq5
they never would have found it. Vander hesitated before opening it. This was54Please respect copyright.PENANAojscSJhsuP
something Malcolm had been killed for; what mysteries would be hidden within?
The first thing he saw was a54Please respect copyright.PENANAweQmLLgLhh
folded piece of paper inside of the front cover. Confusingly it had his name on54Please respect copyright.PENANADpqsX13aEv
it with the former King’s handwriting on the front. Frowning, Vander carefully54Please respect copyright.PENANAAZLzxFdZui
removed the letter and unfolded it to read the contents:
Vander,
I54Please respect copyright.PENANAGMN2s2vVx1
am writing this letter shortly before my son’s, and your friend’s, wedding. If54Please respect copyright.PENANAUpuOXFdkEG
you find this letter, then my life has been cut short and my plans have gone54Please respect copyright.PENANA9HZRiwGmbi
off the rails. Being the Ma’akti of Humjir has its challenges, but being able54Please respect copyright.PENANAHIqMBmo2Gb
to see the future and doing nothing to change it tops the list. Just know you54Please respect copyright.PENANAjCSIANtEW4
have everything you need to find those responsible for my death and bring them54Please respect copyright.PENANAhrKDtQZRMY
to justice.
In54Please respect copyright.PENANA888kH6WNfW
this book you will find some answers you need, but the rest you will need to54Please respect copyright.PENANACPfaBPiQGR
find on your own. I am sorry I couldn’t do more and I’m sorry that you must do54Please respect copyright.PENANAGvRVIbD26e
this alone. He will listen to you; you just have to ask. Good luck kid, despite54Please respect copyright.PENANASW7njkMaad
the time we had together I wish we had more, but I know you will do everything54Please respect copyright.PENANAFhrWknj9YG
you can to protect our home. You always have.
After54Please respect copyright.PENANAM0zR3AObiJ
you read, see Humi. He alone knows that you are innocent, and he will help you.
Good54Please respect copyright.PENANAAlakpxbKDO
luck!
-Malcolm
Tears54Please respect copyright.PENANAAvkp2Wyldm
splashed down on the letter, but Vander quickly brushed them away. He knew he54Please respect copyright.PENANAiy635YZ3x7
should be angry at Malcolm for not letting him know ahead of time, but he knew54Please respect copyright.PENANAZXrpilHBuZ
that if he had been told, he would have done everything in his power to keep54Please respect copyright.PENANAbWHXQhIyZR
the king’s death from happening. That didn’t mean he had to like it, however.54Please respect copyright.PENANAtVKgUbnbTa
And if Humi had known, that would have meant Malcolm trusted him enough with54Please respect copyright.PENANAn4joqEJTgU
his secret, but did that mean Vander should trust him as well? There was only54Please respect copyright.PENANARxnV2sshoh
one way to find out, but he would have to wait a couple more hours until it was54Please respect copyright.PENANAYMnCTAj5rr
dark. Until then, he would read.
He54Please respect copyright.PENANAGGPKUq2LB1
skipped past the creation myth of the first couple of chapters. Everyone in54Please respect copyright.PENANAhCYW79GLFO
Eluvia knew about it, they were taught when they were small about the Gods that54Please respect copyright.PENANAIpNna2izV9
ruled their lives. Most of them anyway. He wanted to know more about Unna, the54Please respect copyright.PENANAiaPTPsqnIz
one who had changed the course of his life. He wanted to know about the demon,54Please respect copyright.PENANAIx5tizv623
what he could do to keep it from taking control.
Tragically54Please respect copyright.PENANAYPDSCPwSgi
there wasn’t much in her section. He shouldn’t have been so disappointed, he54Please respect copyright.PENANAdG7errv74P
knew that, but it still hurt. Other than Aubum, Unna was the most secretive of54Please respect copyright.PENANAZ9TxuXFg70
the Gods, preferring to toy with humanity and their emotions. There was no way54Please respect copyright.PENANAIJLo9ORFuB
that she would spill her secrets on anyone who would ask and most of those she54Please respect copyright.PENANAFBv3nOclRA
chose to take her power didn’t live long anyway, but it was still worth54Please respect copyright.PENANA6RFtQaH5aB
remembering what was there in case he needed it.
Unna’s gifts are not for the faint of heart. She54Please respect copyright.PENANAh96Cy3MrCT
gives her Ma’akti the power of the animals they bond with the strength of the54Please respect copyright.PENANA5dbC3k7gZf
bear, senses of the wolf, or sight of the hawk, but it doesn’t come without54Please respect copyright.PENANAgKgNzPH6KI
cost. In each of her Ma’akti lives a more animalistic version of themselves, a54Please respect copyright.PENANAHvx2PJZQ2x
demon as many called it. They embody what the person would be if they didn’t54Please respect copyright.PENANAJT5ayITApS
have morality and lived by the laws of the wild. Many can resist the urges of54Please respect copyright.PENANA9ocuUr8sRR
their demon for years or even decades, but after awhile the walls in their mind54Please respect copyright.PENANAFzEqRp7CxX
crack under the pressure. They go into a trace then kill without question. Many54Please respect copyright.PENANAdShZpTKRiw
are killed once people know what they have done and have many centuries, people54Please respect copyright.PENANAQNtCeVDAHv
preemptively killed those chosen as soon as they found out causing many to hide54Please respect copyright.PENANAEWhqJxvhUN
their true nature until the end comes.
It is difficult to explain why these things54Please respect copyright.PENANAofI8EfLJqC
happen, why some can hold out longer than others. Many believe that it is based54Please respect copyright.PENANAbDZBhi53J6
on Unna’s will. If she likes you, she makes it easier to resist. If she54Please respect copyright.PENANAWbJb3Z34Fm
doesn’t, well, you wind up her dinner. Some believe that will is the driving54Please respect copyright.PENANACXGogzXtW2
force behind resisting the urges, but I’m not sure if that is the case. It will54Please respect copyright.PENANAxIuNDhJTYT
be a true testament for someone to live more than two decades after being54Please respect copyright.PENANAFUvhLkT2nF
chosen. As of now that hasn’t happened, but I am hoping at some point it will.54Please respect copyright.PENANAGGkWJsvhy2
These chosen can be a force for good in protecting us if Darkness ever makes54Please respect copyright.PENANAM2tMhEyKCj
her way back into our world.
Something of interest I have discovered after54Please respect copyright.PENANApFBdL9znSf
years of research. Each of Unna’s Ma’akti has something called a mate. Unlike54Please respect copyright.PENANAI2d6YUz928
today’s term where someone’s mate is the person they spend their life with and54Please respect copyright.PENANAa46YRjJv8H
raise a family together, an Unna’s chosen’s mate is something a little more54Please respect copyright.PENANANIusACtITt
primal. It tethers them to humanity, soothing the demon enough for them to get54Please respect copyright.PENANA9en0dXpRbk
a handle on who they are and who they want to be. It’s even stronger when their54Please respect copyright.PENANA0CDCp2sb8M
“mate” is another Ma’akti. They can feel an instant attraction to one another,54Please respect copyright.PENANA9oMjQzZw8D
as if fate was guiding them. It’s only happened once before, if it can be54Please respect copyright.PENANANT4MmCN9Ri
believed. The only one in myth was Ritoru, Unna’s own mate. A large white wolf54Please respect copyright.PENANA4zR9kFt7cK
capable of killing anyone who dared messed with her. Quite a match.
Vander54Please respect copyright.PENANARazmcKGVmP
leaned back into the chair after rereading that part several times. The writer54Please respect copyright.PENANAqOf1ercUn5
said it had only happened once, if mythology could be believed, but if that was54Please respect copyright.PENANAbAnaGnrY5E
true, how did Eliza know about it? Were things taught differently in Bricen54Please respect copyright.PENANApqZfxqLeCY
than they were here? But at least now he had his answer. The creature54Please respect copyright.PENANAxTutUFtNha
whispering in his ear was his more animalistic side, the one that just wants to54Please respect copyright.PENANARgc9PQ1yyN
kill and survive. He would have to fight with everything he had to keep it at54Please respect copyright.PENANAilJ3o9f0fj
bay, but what would happen if he was forced to give in? It was something he54Please respect copyright.PENANAdhFPG4l6wy
really didn’t want to think about. Shea must have sensed his distress because54Please respect copyright.PENANA27tlGAeKn7
she walked over to him placing her head on his leg. He rubbed the top of her54Please respect copyright.PENANA882POQF6jD
head deep in thought. Perhaps Humi would have the answers he needed.
“Do54Please respect copyright.PENANA4smdlEhlu3
you fancy a stroll?” He looked down at Shea.
“Do54Please respect copyright.PENANASYDZInCF2P
you mean it?” Her54Please respect copyright.PENANAiDEE7TivPI
tail was wagging as she looked up at him. The only time she went out was to use54Please respect copyright.PENANAyMBIxWbqB6
the bathroom, other than that she was forced to be in this room. Someone like54Please respect copyright.PENANAVLPetRwZzj
her should be stuck behind the walls of some warehouse, she should be free to54Please respect copyright.PENANAMU7IDzlHPK
explore the streets. Since it was late enough and people were inside, he54Please respect copyright.PENANAdE6CGG8QFq
figured why not allow her some freedom?
“I54Please respect copyright.PENANAWUF69CoGpZ
do.” He nodded. He stood up from the desk, making sure to take the black book54Please respect copyright.PENANA6J0Qw8tcM0
with him when he got changed. Regardless of this place being under Ross’54Please respect copyright.PENANAadxiuAdqTn
protection, he didn’t trust the man not to go through his belongings once he54Please respect copyright.PENANAnORXTLimhe
and Shea were gone. He would do whatever he could to get one over on anyone he54Please respect copyright.PENANAJcD3PhOOWM
thought he could use, no matter their position.
Vander54Please respect copyright.PENANA1u5lPaiqFu
got dressed in his outfit he had used to cut down the Serpents the other night.54Please respect copyright.PENANAbk4Ivk38tP
He had been up late cleaning all the blood of it then allowing it to dry. He54Please respect copyright.PENANAvahzLoHKzj
didn’t want anyone to question him because it would be bad for all involved. He54Please respect copyright.PENANA379mkHWxFG
reapplied some of the dye to his hair before strapping his sword onto his54Please respect copyright.PENANA259ekrw9w6
baldric. The two of them walked over to the window that overlooked an alley. He54Please respect copyright.PENANACdSmBkqRTY
pushed his hood up to cover his face then jumped, landing heavily on the54Please respect copyright.PENANAicK2rKhmWr
cobblestone road. Shea landed lightly behind him.
The54Please respect copyright.PENANAfwMw2HyIEf
Orange Fox was booming tonight. Patrons were disappointed that a fight wasn’t54Please respect copyright.PENANAhQ0KN7JLF8
happening so they were drowning their sorrows in booze, gambling, and it was54Please respect copyright.PENANA7i76idQbVo
likely that more than a few of Ross’ girls would get a hefty payday once54Please respect copyright.PENANAsyvksvwziA
tonight was done. Right and Left were guarding the door dealing with people54Please respect copyright.PENANAVtZPFQapcX
wanting to get in, so they weren’t paying attention to the alley. Giving an54Please respect copyright.PENANAe88mJkYCau
all-clear signal, Vander moved out from the shadows.
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For54Please respect copyright.PENANAXqIafvxWVP
tonight he said goodnight to the Southern District. Hopefully by the time he54Please respect copyright.PENANAxhfXZBgm0x
came back he would find the answers he needed. If not, then he just might be54Please respect copyright.PENANA7MpuXkibYH
doomed.