Chapter 36
The crowds had already gathered by54Please respect copyright.PENANAOJoqt6BUO6
the time Vander had left the basement and been brought outside. He could feel54Please respect copyright.PENANAn8jqzoCQoN
that everything was placed on a knife’s edge just waiting for someone to do54Please respect copyright.PENANAegMkXHA4p7
something to light a match under the powder keg. There were five soldiers in54Please respect copyright.PENANAHFjHK7jgbX
front of him, two of them were holding the chains to his hands, while the five54Please respect copyright.PENANAYPSJoPNpAK
behind him were holding his leg iron chains. There were guards surrounding him54Please respect copyright.PENANAM8zFpYkYi8
as well to keep anyone from trying anything, or to keep him from escaping.
“How do you like the crowd?”54Please respect copyright.PENANAuozWDCFCMF
Vander turned his head to see Leon smirking next to him. Leon had always felt54Please respect copyright.PENANAZG6ptzJqjN
inferior to Vander, he wasn’t sure why, but it was always a one-sided contest54Please respect copyright.PENANAr5quHHJoZz
between the two of them.
“I’m glad to see you haven’t54Please respect copyright.PENANAgXOMlQb7Ug
changed at all.” Vander snorted. “I assume that this was your doing?”
“Of course.” Leon laughed. “I54Please respect copyright.PENANAbMh7sZBs5A
wanted everyone to see you fall. It would make quite the story don’t you54Please respect copyright.PENANADuggBuAvxR
think?”
“If you think this will change54Please respect copyright.PENANAAPDklbNuuB
anyone’s mind about you, you’re sadly mistaken.” Vander shook his head. “You’re54Please respect copyright.PENANAZjnQFG6Il9
still just a baby hiding behind his father’s power. No one will respect you. No54Please respect copyright.PENANACaPCNiNa9Y
one will like you. The sooner you face facts, the happier you will be.”
“I don’t have to take that from a54Please respect copyright.PENANA5wXKu1Dlnc
king slayer.” Leon hissed. “I’ll be there in the front row when they hang you.”54Please respect copyright.PENANAXGqhKwe5lI
With that Leon walked off to the front of the procession.
As they made their way into the54Please respect copyright.PENANAsIArIUnEnd
east district, Vander saw some familiar faces amongst the crowd. Many of them54Please respect copyright.PENANAXlWFYj3GRv
he had helped in the past and while he was glad to see them, he was embarrassed54Please respect copyright.PENANAz5dMTt2yxq
to have them see him like this. He wasn’t Malcolm’s killer, but did the others54Please respect copyright.PENANAfnRwYiRXeI
believe him? It was hard to be sure. His eyes met Julianna’s. She didn’t look54Please respect copyright.PENANAtsHhrNgu43
away, but her face was grim. He turned away from her.
“Vander!” He heard her shout.54Please respect copyright.PENANAcDaFVlgAil
“Don’t give up, we’re with you!” He looked over to see that Julianna had held54Please respect copyright.PENANA5HJZvaPwYN
her fist up in the air. Slowly and surely the others did the same. They didn’t54Please respect copyright.PENANAqMZ0oYSrjW
scream, they didn’t shout, they didn’t rush the soldiers to free him. They54Please respect copyright.PENANAl7wA4s0RxW
showed solidarity with him, as if they didn’t believe what was being said about54Please respect copyright.PENANAoSDKDTMPWW
him. He would have to prove their trust in him was correctly placed.
“Keep it moving!” one of the54Please respect copyright.PENANAtAp4tkuCyl
guards shoved Vander in the back causing him to stumble. He caught himself and54Please respect copyright.PENANAwJaJXUbgCz
kept walking.
The road through the middle54Please respect copyright.PENANAG6SYlRCXqU
district was cleared for everyone. The nobles didn’t care about this, it was54Please respect copyright.PENANAN3lvEpHcrr
below their station. They were likely asleep or cheating on their spouses. It54Please respect copyright.PENANA5CyAtahew9
was those in the third ring that would give him the most difficult time: the54Please respect copyright.PENANAM0TNRoz3nb
comrades he served with for most of his life. It was their judgement that would54Please respect copyright.PENANAGJqKzJjnKF
hurt the most. Nothing could prepare him for what he expected to face from54Please respect copyright.PENANA0u4jOu67ql
them.
The Blades were standing on both54Please respect copyright.PENANArdstg2NJSG
sides of the road with the rest of the army behind them. He knew Alex wasn’t54Please respect copyright.PENANAvLChhn4lGy
there, but he saw Chicken, Rooster, Forest, Briar, and Eve standing amongst54Please respect copyright.PENANAVSHQY9qfX7
them. In the few months he had been gone, it looked as though they had aged54Please respect copyright.PENANALv1qhe2nQL
considerably. He could tell Chicken was close to tears, but she held them back.54Please respect copyright.PENANAgaU9TtbpUd
Rooster looked straight ahead with a bewildered expression on his face. Forest54Please respect copyright.PENANA9XAIPagAEH
and Briar held each other’s hands, but Eve looked annoyed for some reason. He54Please respect copyright.PENANAtAAr74Pm6z
felt a little bad that his grandfather wasn’t around. He had taken the brunt of54Please respect copyright.PENANA23xRbWtSZZ
the punishment and now it would be his turn if he couldn’t convince the council54Please respect copyright.PENANAsDrawo9BqR
he was innocent.
He was brought up the castle steps54Please respect copyright.PENANAtev16kIpMe
then towards the council chamber. Most of his guard detail was left behind with54Please respect copyright.PENANA1XtUpr3gup
only the four guards holding his chains, Eric Jilena, and Leon escorting him to54Please respect copyright.PENANAC5oW17JVi0
the council chamber for judgement to be passed upon him. However, they took him54Please respect copyright.PENANAEBpn5a0Veq
to the throne room instead. Two Blades opened the door revealing the large54Please respect copyright.PENANANEcUV1dJaz
empty space, the only thing there was the throne where Cuvera was sitting.54Please respect copyright.PENANAoDySjuIYE3
Behind him was Kiara and Eliza. Spaced evenly around them were the remaining54Please respect copyright.PENANAUPolw4wqGJ
council members and they did not look happy in the least.
Peyton Cranton sat next to Cuvera54Please respect copyright.PENANAjnlNnVcMsW
with a small smile on his face. He had likely been waiting for this for a very54Please respect copyright.PENANACWs4GDjFyj
long time.
“We brought him.” Eric pulled the54Please respect copyright.PENANAqQ1fNO1Zzz
chains causing Vander to stumble, falling to his knees.
“Remove the chains.” Cuvera54Please respect copyright.PENANAzvL9Z14BpB
instructed.
“My King?” Eric asked. “Is that54Please respect copyright.PENANAMRDHXdutDO
wise? He already killed your father and my son. He’s dangerous. He should be…”
“I gave you an order General.”54Please respect copyright.PENANAlawh9qO2AM
Cuvera snapped. “Do not make me repeat myself.” Eric debated whether to54Please respect copyright.PENANAGcTe5AwRcy
disobey, but eventually he relented. Vander felt the chains leave his hands54Please respect copyright.PENANARzUq19jhBR
then clatter on the ground. He rubbed his wrists tenderly hoping to get the54Please respect copyright.PENANABhpLNhRNsU
feeling back into them. “Step forward.”
Vander walked until he was ten54Please respect copyright.PENANAEYAoYOJEvE
feet away from the throne, before dropping to one knee, bowing in front of his54Please respect copyright.PENANAqO9G9YYZE5
friend. He looked up to see that Cuvera had aged considerably these past few54Please respect copyright.PENANAekAxHj2Mu8
months. He was now sporting a thick brown beard. His eyes were dark, likely not54Please respect copyright.PENANABCTBxFn9iy
getting enough sleep, and it appeared as though Kiara was pregnant with their54Please respect copyright.PENANA4wzKNDQ70W
first child. She was looking at Vander with a worried expression on her face.54Please respect copyright.PENANAbyIP4wwId7
Eliza’s face was unreadable, but he detected some concern in her eyes. He54Please respect copyright.PENANAmXWkWhnawA
didn’t want to give anything away, so he just kept his eyes focused straight54Please respect copyright.PENANAjEDbYLVq5L
ahead.
He noticed that the four Warden’s54Please respect copyright.PENANAXidIRITHzE
from the other regions were also in attendance. Jewelthorne looked bored, as if54Please respect copyright.PENANAaaHBwbZ0Uj
he had been forced to be there. Valyrian looked at him with disgust while54Please respect copyright.PENANAaz8MRaOVfZ
Whitesun, the one he knew the least, looked at him with interest. Mari looked54Please respect copyright.PENANAD6TMCC5Tl2
at him with a small smile, as if she was telling him that everything was going54Please respect copyright.PENANAGw869urqVn
to be alright. Despite her demeanor, he felt that it was going to be everything54Please respect copyright.PENANAi1yPPX3EOJ
but.
“You know why you are here,54Please respect copyright.PENANA8gdrvvAEiR
Vander, Blade Captain?” Cuvera’s voice echoed through the room.
“Yes.” Vander admitted. “I am54Please respect copyright.PENANAGDNXf60a4g
accused of killing Malcolm and Jeffery Jilena.”
“Last night you were also seen54Please respect copyright.PENANAn999qe3G1N
fleeing from the northern district right before Humi, Humjir’s head priest, was54Please respect copyright.PENANADTYmoXLWDm
found dead.” Cuvera explained.
“Humi died?” Vander was54Please respect copyright.PENANAmqWGS1eRiY
disappointed. He had hoped that the guards would have gotten there in time, but54Please respect copyright.PENANAs651jk05jM
he guessed wrong.
“What do you have to say for54Please respect copyright.PENANAEpvI3fhGt5
yourself?”
“Innocent on all accounts.” A54Please respect copyright.PENANAjz3OzbNkeO
collective gasp went up from the council members. Anna Jilena looked like her54Please respect copyright.PENANAvZS4j6FA3K
head was about to explode.
“I’ll give you a chance to tell54Please respect copyright.PENANAnBNzt8CAQF
your side of the story.” Cuvera said. “Explain to me how Lord Cranton saw you54Please respect copyright.PENANABwyQfShMBT
kill my father, us all watching you flee the room in a hurry, then finding54Please respect copyright.PENANAVz8lMOlXTF
Jeffery Jilena dead on the ground with his throat cut.”
“I see.” Vander sighed. “Must we54Please respect copyright.PENANA9CKK4HZd05
do this in front of them?” He motioned towards the council. “I’d rather just54Please respect copyright.PENANAwEPA0dSF1N
talk to you alone.”
“So, you could kill him?” Peyton54Please respect copyright.PENANAYA2uDstzfc
laughed. “I think not. You’re the criminal here, you don’t get special54Please respect copyright.PENANAExEnRcNolR
treatment.” As much as he hated to admit it, Peyton was right. So, he told them54Please respect copyright.PENANAbh4fkWzbHG
what had happened.
He started by talking about what54Please respect copyright.PENANArVtfxkqyZg
had happened in the catacombs when Cuvera went to visit his mother. Boar had54Please respect copyright.PENANAlLPTCShwZm
come to him in a vision, telling him to grab the book on the gods that Malcolm54Please respect copyright.PENANA83xjr5dOLW
had shown him in his office. Not bothering to question his ancestor, Vander54Please respect copyright.PENANAc3LatKMaaH
waited until everyone was distracted before sneaking into the library and54Please respect copyright.PENANAeLfhKbr98g
grabbing the book. Malcolm had seen him, but before either of them could say a54Please respect copyright.PENANA1ZAaFfPpgB
word to each other Peyton had run him through with a sword.
Peyton didn’t even flinch when54Please respect copyright.PENANAR1WtjAoasw
Vander pointed at him, and while some of the council members looked at him54Please respect copyright.PENANAU2othV8V0P
sideways, Vander could tell very few believed him.
After that, he ran away because he54Please respect copyright.PENANAaiEovwEGgb
knew Peyton would blame Vander for the deaths even though he had nothing to do54Please respect copyright.PENANAhWWpv8Qrlx
with it. Jeffery had found him on the lawn but had asked Vander to knock him54Please respect copyright.PENANA1EimETZDqK
out then escape. Vander punched him in the stomach before jumping against the54Please respect copyright.PENANAQpjuuyPJIE
wall.
Topal whispered to the council54Please respect copyright.PENANAv6k3hSvvGV
member next to him, but it was so quiet that Vander could hear what was being54Please respect copyright.PENANA6qbtJntqKZ
said.
Vander continued. He fled to the54Please respect copyright.PENANAda1fYylmzV
Orange Fox because he knew the stigma surrounding the place would keep him safe54Please respect copyright.PENANA5UNN1qP0BQ
while he could figure out what to do next. For three months he used the54Please respect copyright.PENANAjnw9CDtkxK
resources available to him to track down and find the Serpents, however he54Please respect copyright.PENANAE4VmyRnSPG
didn’t go into too much detail. He killed seven of them, then discovered a note54Please respect copyright.PENANA3E8GPghCEs
sending an assassin known as Fang after him. Afterwards he went to talk to Humi54Please respect copyright.PENANAG8GBFMu8Jv
when they were attacked by an assassin. He told Vander to flee while holding54Please respect copyright.PENANAyhZ249gWLy
them off, but he guessed he didn’t last much longer after that.
“Then you found me two days54Please respect copyright.PENANA5RyR9iJMNq
later.” Vander finished. “That’s all that happened.”
“Seems whoever you talk to just54Please respect copyright.PENANA4KlA1xGTTV
seems to be killed.” Peyton said. “There is a pattern here, Vander, I’m not54Please respect copyright.PENANA8lmCoD9KPJ
sure if anyone else can see it, but I can.”
“I also agree with Peyton.” Anna54Please respect copyright.PENANAsUdx2IKuWb
Jilena seethed. “My son is dead because of you. Your story of what happened is54Please respect copyright.PENANADWLrc9Pmcn
nonsense. My son’s throat was cut, there no question there.”
“If I may.” Topal raised his hand.54Please respect copyright.PENANAd0egiVDGAT
“When I did the autopsy of Jeffery, I noticed some discoloration around his54Please respect copyright.PENANA8VFXhLiudM
diaphragm along with some bruising within his lungs. To me, it seemed as though54Please respect copyright.PENANApHiibnSQfv
he had been struck five minutes before his throat was cut. There also wasn’t a54Please respect copyright.PENANAsClI5voBTf
blood trail leading from the body to the wall.”
“He killed him!” Anna screeched.54Please respect copyright.PENANAPlkMaYhkW3
Bickering broke out amongst the council members causing Cuvera to stand up from54Please respect copyright.PENANAfbG5sSHG0C
the throne.
“Take him to the dungeons until we54Please respect copyright.PENANA8jocHxj9Kl
get this settled.” Cuvera instructed. Bowing his head, Eric placed his hand on54Please respect copyright.PENANAsa5arB2kAv
Vander’s shoulders. Sighing, Vander stood up allowing himself to be led towards54Please respect copyright.PENANAWz3E6nv8ao
the dungeons.
Before Eric handed him over to the54Please respect copyright.PENANATglXUnjCS1
jailers, he made Vander face him.
“My son, Jeffery, he respected you54Please respect copyright.PENANAOTtKxUcwLW
a lot.” He spoke. “For his sake, I hope your innocent.”
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“I am.” Vander nodded. Perhaps54Please respect copyright.PENANAjHuzSsBoOo
taking some solace at that fact, Eric gave him a small smile. He snapped his54Please respect copyright.PENANAMWuL9nzvXo
fingers. The two jailers walked up, grabbed Vander’s arms, and brought him to54Please respect copyright.PENANAV4uPiyJUDP
his cell. They pushed him into the dank, musty flat that had rags for a blanket54Please respect copyright.PENANAyXDbVBSPh0
and very little warmth. The slammed the door shut, covering him in darkness.