Chapter 32
“What do you mean you’ve been57Please respect copyright.PENANAGb9LtrpKIR
expecting me?” Vander asked as he climbed the stairs. Shea followed a step57Please respect copyright.PENANAPq4UAUletq
behind him unwilling to let him be alone with a man she didn’t know.
“It’s as I said.” Humi had a57Please respect copyright.PENANAa4cs3QfZ5d
faraway look in his eyes. Humi was a strange man. He had short brown hair and57Please respect copyright.PENANAQyXyqAOEwQ
light blue eyes. He was a portly man, but Vander could feel a strength from him57Please respect copyright.PENANAxuJv8HI3ox
he couldn’t quite place. He wore a long blue robe, different from the one he57Please respect copyright.PENANAPLvdOJ36Ml
wore at the wedding. This one was light, made from simple cloth, with a moon57Please respect copyright.PENANA79PBDrkx5A
stitched on his chest.
Despite being a57Please respect copyright.PENANAEWiXGy6ToA
member of Humjir’s temple, Vander didn’t know much about him other than the57Please respect copyright.PENANAfF4zJvetnb
fact that he frequented the castle to talk to the former King, but it was57Please respect copyright.PENANA1UK7jFBmpG
always behind closed doors away from prying ears. The wedding was the first57Please respect copyright.PENANAJmnyIzRtAH
time he had seen Humi in years. There was a smell to him, like Malcolm, yet57Please respect copyright.PENANAh0ZFrIk84w
different. However, Vander had difficulty explaining the feeling to himself.
“You can smell57Please respect copyright.PENANApI7nsLKEVH
the shard of Humjir inside of me, young Unna’tun.” Humi smiled as if reading57Please respect copyright.PENANAojPHZAA6ag
Vander’s thoughts.
“I thought the gods only had one57Please respect copyright.PENANAXiIz1Pwne7
shard at a time?” Vander asked. “I thought Cuvera inherited it when his father57Please respect copyright.PENANAogl9CResjn
died.”
“That’s what you’ve been told,57Please respect copyright.PENANAB7fNduRd9T
but, like many things, it’s wrong.” Humi turned around then started to walk57Please respect copyright.PENANAiOK5nO8RWF
deeper into the temple. He didn’t speak to Vander, but Vander knew that he57Please respect copyright.PENANAsEzQENu0Ao
should follow. Only then would he gain the answers he sook.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me like57Please respect copyright.PENANAWx6obMT2mx
everyone else?” Vander asked him. Humi paused for a second but kept walking.
“Because I know you didn’t kill57Please respect copyright.PENANAYLcBfVIiJZ
Malcolm.” He explained. He didn’t share57Please respect copyright.PENANAoJZy9IfQai
how he knew, but Vander thought that it had something to do with why he had a57Please respect copyright.PENANAhWv5NbJ6ys
shard inside of him. Another mystery he wanted solved.
Humi lead them deep into the57Please respect copyright.PENANA3z9J9npRGg
temple. Despite the later hour, Vander expected other acolytes to be here, not57Please respect copyright.PENANA4EQzibNvzy
just Humi. However, he couldn’t smell or hear anyone else inside. He asked the57Please respect copyright.PENANA7IrnwOF6AH
priest about it, but Humi kept walking, ignoring the question entirely. He57Please respect copyright.PENANAbCdDWv5SVv
instructed Shea to keep her wits about her, but to stay close in case they were57Please respect copyright.PENANAaSRe6piEhH
walking into a trap. Malcolm may have said to trust this man, but Vander57Please respect copyright.PENANADtHB1CNzif
trusted Peyton and had been betrayed. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
They were taken down a long57Please respect copyright.PENANAlYU1N1n6LB
hallway where it looked like portraits of all the past kings and queens were57Please respect copyright.PENANAIaldUjk3r2
placed, however they looked slightly different than what he had seen in the57Please respect copyright.PENANAT45wdAQWwV
castle. These people had pupilless eyes while their hair had a blue hue to it.57Please respect copyright.PENANArlokgBZqDm
They must have been previous shards of Humjir, but why did they resemble57Please respect copyright.PENANAcbMArjteQN
Eluvia’s monarchy? More questions with no answers, they pushed on.
After about ten minutes of57Please respect copyright.PENANA8ZFounpAIU
walking, they finally came to one of the paths that would lead them to Humjir’s57Please respect copyright.PENANAuDAkkkQYMo
pool. Vander could smell fresh water, something rare within the city walls. The57Please respect copyright.PENANAx75lfhw4FQ
fresh water he had ever smelled was in the middle of the forest, but somehow57Please respect copyright.PENANAetDvt57b9E
this was fresher than that. He wondered why that was, but before he could ask,57Please respect copyright.PENANAbtyD8saeVb
Humi turned down the hall beckoning the two of them to follow.
“It is best if we talk here.”57Please respect copyright.PENANAXTvesMHwpr
Despite being outside, Vander had the sneaking suspicion that they were in an57Please respect copyright.PENANABkrkZrlqgr
enclosed space, cut off from the rest of the city. The fact that Humi’s voice57Please respect copyright.PENANAQmvY7MfrbC
didn’t echo when he talked was further proof of that.
“Where is here?” Vander asked. If57Please respect copyright.PENANA4b3Z2GpGE0
Humi was impressed he had picked up on it he didn’t show it.
“A special area, even for Humjir.”57Please respect copyright.PENANAY7OnQQVWm2
Humi explained. “When he passed down the hall we entered this sacred space.57Please respect copyright.PENANAIkxu0mqMfL
Only those with a shard, or who are bonded to a shard, may enter.”
“Then what is the pool anyone can57Please respect copyright.PENANAZyVhUDnEey
enter to worship Humjir?” Vander asked.
“Just that, a pool.” Humi57Please respect copyright.PENANApSUX1yrP5Z
explained. “A specially crafted pool which we clean daily to make it feel as57Please respect copyright.PENANAF5QZrAy4AO
special as possible, but this is the true space that Humjir himself had created57Please respect copyright.PENANAt8s6Pi4YsD
a long time ago.”
The pool itself was immaculate.57Please respect copyright.PENANAuDKvvouqex
There were no borders to keep the water in, however, it still stayed within a57Please respect copyright.PENANA53YGw3Fg5a
perfect circle. There was a large rock formation that poured ice blue water57Please respect copyright.PENANANZv55HYEns
into the pool. The area around it had a blueish hue, like it reflected the57Please respect copyright.PENANAwZt7T4xSIX
color of the water inside. Vander took a careful step towards the edge to peer57Please respect copyright.PENANA631OWsktL6
into the depths. He saw several large fish swimming around, but the biggest57Please respect copyright.PENANAD5bfoEKQnN
surprise was the full moon shining in the depths despite it only being a57Please respect copyright.PENANAfj6A7TN2ZW
quarter moon in the sky. Vander felt drawn to the pool, but Humi grabbed his57Please respect copyright.PENANABiG9K8ymLm
arm pulling him away.
“Many have lost themselves to the57Please respect copyright.PENANADlKnL8p1LZ
depth’s, Vander.” He spoke. “It’s best, especially for you, to stay away.”
“Why?” Vander asked.
“You know the story of Atza’s57Please respect copyright.PENANANOOHZfObHZ
wrath because Humjir used his pool to spy on Unna?” Vander paled as he57Please respect copyright.PENANAxRWHYAK2NA
remembered that story. He could hear Unna’s laughter in his ears when he read57Please respect copyright.PENANA1oKYECzIhs
about it. “If you peer inside, you could enter her realm and that would be very57Please respect copyright.PENANAYmRj6VlShY
bad for you.”
“I wouldn’t let that happen.” Shea57Please respect copyright.PENANAIWWOcyDrZB
growled.
“There wouldn’t be much you could57Please respect copyright.PENANA14pdQtdx8S
do about it, little shadow beast.” Humi answered. “Yes, I can hear what you57Please respect copyright.PENANAYSwNA5INBA
say, but that’s only because we are here where my powers are stronger. Now,57Please respect copyright.PENANAaDOrHSMHsm
let’s talk before we run out of time. You’re here because you read Malcolm’s57Please respect copyright.PENANAjWPGd1AoK4
note inside the book.” It was a statement not a question, so Vander answered by57Please respect copyright.PENANAz7ghKfxJiU
nodding his head. “Where is the book now?” Vander pat his chest where the black57Please respect copyright.PENANAr59rxhr2mS
book was sitting in his pocket. “Good, make sure you always keep it on you.57Please respect copyright.PENANAGRuliehKbz
Don’t let anyone near it unless you can absolutely trust them.”
“I understand, but why all the57Please respect copyright.PENANAZcV1H9k1rc
secrecy?”
“That tells me you didn’t read the57Please respect copyright.PENANAPrWVV3rsYl
book in it’s entirety, but I supposed that’s alright,” Humi smirked. “You were57Please respect copyright.PENANAm6WFgnqu4W
curious about Unna, so you likely read that first to pass the time until you57Please respect copyright.PENANAReNNzvYai2
came here. But to answer your question, I’ll have to ask one. Have you heard of57Please respect copyright.PENANAwkyA7rLCW7
the Black Order?”
“No?” Vander frowned. In his57Please respect copyright.PENANAfdrBSYB9zS
entire time as a Blade and holding the shard of Unna, not once had anyone57Please respect copyright.PENANAMEWuwK9iaZ
mentioned them. “Who are they?”
“Not surprising,” Humi sighed.57Please respect copyright.PENANA9clnNYyub2
“Their name has changed over the millennia, but they have been around since the57Please respect copyright.PENANA3OdlyRdU0u
Great War. They were the human who were on Darkness’s side and vowed to one day57Please respect copyright.PENANAZbfSLRl9Lq
return her to this realm.”
“Now that you mention it, they57Please respect copyright.PENANAyvOscnOutr
sound familiar.” Vander explained. “I thought they were eradicated.”
“We thought so too, but for the57Please respect copyright.PENANAtdUUiPFLhd
past century we have noticed them appearing all over once again.” Humi said.57Please respect copyright.PENANAmv5rEAZZhz
“We aren’t sure who they are, we have some suspects, but until Malcolm’s57Please respect copyright.PENANASa34Gwc9f2
assassination, no solid proof. It appears Peyton could be our link.”
“Why would they kill Malcolm?”57Please respect copyright.PENANArVz4tt2WbT
Vander asked. “He’s the King of the most powerful country, with an equally57Please respect copyright.PENANAQFsyPd22ex
strong successor. There would be no point on angering us.”
“Ah, but there is a point.” Humi57Please respect copyright.PENANAzywPR5JM3G
smiled. “Malcolm held Humjir’s shard inside of his body. They needed that as57Please respect copyright.PENANAhoceqJSQwG
part of their plan to awaken the Darkness.” Vander shot him a quizzical glance57Please respect copyright.PENANAJHdXRDDAgV
causing Humi to sigh. Vander could feel the man’s impatience with him, but he57Please respect copyright.PENANAwpuiszU8of
couldn’t see what these facts had to do with each other. “They need the shard57Please respect copyright.PENANAMBoP4skwFE
of each god to unseal her. It was their power that took her out and it will be57Please respect copyright.PENANA0DU4gY8p4d
their power to release her once again.”
“Wait.” Vander frowned. “If that’s57Please respect copyright.PENANApt5ExUpJ9k
the case, then why are shard holders running around amok? Why not place them57Please respect copyright.PENANAs5aTiEyrs9
under guard to protect them?”
“Would you be able to control57Please respect copyright.PENANA4iPztrGfR3
nobility and keep them confined?” Humi shook his head. “It was attempted many57Please respect copyright.PENANA2ym0AulgiE
centuries ago, but it went about as well as could be expected. So, they came up57Please respect copyright.PENANAGxAJan0B3h
with an agreement. No one would know who the shards are, except for those in57Please respect copyright.PENANAscLAweGMYf
the know. Each stronghold would have two within their walls, however Atza’s57Please respect copyright.PENANAzxOrjyzZ3I
shard didn’t trust that we could protect her, so she went somewhere else. They57Please respect copyright.PENANA0REexQxDXk
founded the country of Bricen, and only those in the royal family knew who it57Please respect copyright.PENANAjN9yL9qhqq
would be.”
“But why would the order act now?”57Please respect copyright.PENANAd2ikDE0hQF
Vander frowned. He racked his brain to figure out why when the past events came57Please respect copyright.PENANAhSp8BboPh6
flooding into him. “Because all of the shards are together.”
“Correct.” Humi grimaced. “We are57Please respect copyright.PENANACHaUfoJqk2
all at risk, but no one knows it outside of our little group. Our little safety57Please respect copyright.PENANAihSn120zrH
net ended up dooming us all.”
“Not even the shards know who each57Please respect copyright.PENANAQTsLhFhKi7
other are?” Vander asked. “I thought we could all sense each other.”
“No, that’s why you are special57Please respect copyright.PENANAMo6l9QZdvp
and why Peyton likely wanted to ostracize you from everyone else.” Humi placed57Please respect copyright.PENANAo8JAETj1Mg
his hand on Vander’s shoulder. “It hasn’t been much of secret when you became57Please respect copyright.PENANAUHTH8gtQAa
Unna’s shard, it hasn’t happened in many, many years and most don’t survive57Please respect copyright.PENANAfIEvzZdifW
very long. The fact that you are still alive is testament to your willpower and57Please respect copyright.PENANAYe0kPbzkXp
Malcolm’s ability to keep it a secret, but it’s out in the open now. If they57Please respect copyright.PENANArV7ImxM9tR
get ahold of your gifts, it will doom us all.”
“So, what should I do?” Vander57Please respect copyright.PENANAjNx5AQrAg1
asked. “I can’t just abandon my friends and family to go on the run.”
“No, you can’t.” Humi sighed.57Please respect copyright.PENANAfW0ilT0NN8
“They know who you are and will go to the ends of the earth to find you. All we57Please respect copyright.PENANA9dfkuQ3nUe
can do is protect those here until they leave, to give us time to think of a57Please respect copyright.PENANAqk99fNcbRq
solution.”
“Can I ask you something else?”57Please respect copyright.PENANAwDTvrbNFKs
Vander asked. Humi nodded. “How do the Green Serpents fit into this? I mean,57Please respect copyright.PENANAJAcd8fM9p7
they were the ones who poisoned Malcolm and tried to assassinate me. What is it57Please respect copyright.PENANAc2B8yNGZU3
they want?”
“The only thing Malcolm and I57Please respect copyright.PENANANcfx4gEnNi
could come up with was that they were hired to do a job.” Humi explained. “Lure57Please respect copyright.PENANAqUk7bOkw6R
you out of hiding so they can kill you and part of it worked. Now they must57Please respect copyright.PENANAO0NBNXf9uq
find you, but it looks as though you found them first.”
“Three escaped, but I’m sure they57Please respect copyright.PENANAu7ZuwgFsLb
have a plan.” Vander explained. “But they have sent someone else after me. I57Please respect copyright.PENANAWD5gxGHYiS
found a note in the house explaining that someone called ‘Fang’, has been sent57Please respect copyright.PENANAwiv7qFk1DZ
after me. Have you heard of them?”
“No,” Humi frowned. “But they have57Please respect copyright.PENANAtGwotSgsUN
been especially sent for you, then you need to do a better job of hiding before57Please respect copyright.PENANAsdIsNyRWV7
they find you.”
“Oh, it’s far too late for that.” Humi57Please respect copyright.PENANAh4hJwXhNo5
and Vander, startled by the noise, looked up to find a figure squatting on top57Please respect copyright.PENANA65m1UkOrAy
of the fountain.
They were dressed57Please respect copyright.PENANAm8jkPGoiXR
in an all-black uniform that had a greenish hue to it. Vander could tell that57Please respect copyright.PENANAyVSfObITmb
the armor was well crafted with metal plating underneath it. The leather57Please respect copyright.PENANARVGkg37wf9
vambraces were holding numerous weapons, Vander could smell poison emanating57Please respect copyright.PENANAfVo3jS0Xng
from them, and they had a sword slung across their back. The hood over their57Please respect copyright.PENANAAeJFHcLBqR
face obscured their looks, but despite that, they were still wearing a green57Please respect copyright.PENANA87rEmwZ0FX
mask with a serpent painted onto it.
Vander went for57Please respect copyright.PENANA9Yk2mPKhWT
his sword, but Humi stood in front of him. “It’s not your time.” He whispered.57Please respect copyright.PENANAj2p9Oky1XJ
He opened his robe and removed a whip that had been wrapped around his waist.57Please respect copyright.PENANAT9jJ0GTboX
“The fact that they got into this sanctuary means Humjir’s power is weakening.57Please respect copyright.PENANAux4dlb8ZBv
It will take time for the shard to take effect in someone new. You must be57Please respect copyright.PENANAUpTG72ddEl
alive to protect them.”
“I can help you.”57Please respect copyright.PENANA8tqJUVo4XM
Vander hissed. Shea grabbed onto his pants to drag him back.
“Protect the57Please respect copyright.PENANAthnBA59aqk
book!” Humi smiled. “This is not where you die young Vander. You still have57Please respect copyright.PENANA18uNJO8cb4
plenty to do, please allow me to see my friend in the afterlife knowing I57Please respect copyright.PENANA2rIbeuHWuG
helped protect our home.”
“Can you take57Please respect copyright.PENANApX5FWdNIun
them” Vander hesitated.
“Never fear.”57Please respect copyright.PENANApHvC1DpuDU
Humi smiled. He cracked the whip as he stared down the assassin. “You’ll have57Please respect copyright.PENANAEOZ0WjS1vl
to get through me to get to him.”
“No problem.”57Please respect copyright.PENANACdirxsYC9w
Vander thought he could hear the assassin grinning from behind the mask.
“Take this with57Please respect copyright.PENANAHBN50PaDpB
you as well.” Humi held out a vial of water towards Vander. “Once you are safe,57Please respect copyright.PENANAwwaGotMBek
drink that. Only then will you know what’s at stake.” Vander took the vial then57Please respect copyright.PENANAmR7VD3dDDW
slipped it into his pocket. He opened his mouth to say more, but Shea once again57Please respect copyright.PENANAuVUDxc1jmx
pulled on his jacket.
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“We must go.”57Please respect copyright.PENANAYcYy1etXqz
Vander allowed himself to run as this was the only option available to him. He57Please respect copyright.PENANAi3Y4CbmhTY
prayed that Humi would survive, but it was unlikely. Humi was right, however,57Please respect copyright.PENANAJcxSKvrtp4
he had to protect the book and the secrets that lay within. If it helped save57Please respect copyright.PENANApKSiAccMsN
this city, he would do whatever he could.