Chapter 402 - Wicked Greed

Bright and early with a chapter for once! It's not even 10pm and it's finished. Thanks for the support with Book 5s launch. It was the most successful hedge wizard launch since Book 2, which was really surprising. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ced was not the kind of man to stand firm on his principles, if he had any to begin with. It was clear his only priority was himself. He had no loyalty to the warlocks. When Ced realised Hump was far beyond his strength, any defiance crumbled like dust. The man spilled everything without so much as a fight. It was pathetic to watch. Sickening, really.

And yet, Hump couldn’t claim the desperation was unfamiliar. He had known hunger long enough to know what it did to a person. When your stomach was empty, the weight of a coin in your palm felt like salvation. It became easy to stop caring about others—easy to tell yourself you had no choice but to survive.

But that was no longer the case. Hump had all he’d ever dreamed of—status, wealth, power. Now that he had it, he refused to be like Ced, or even richer nobles. He would not horde it for himself while people just like him were suffering, nor hole up in some lavish mansion far away from the problem.

Watching Ced now, grovelling at his feet, Hump realised how deeply he hated greed. This man truly cared for nothing but himself.

“How much did they pay you to keep the children?” Hump asked, his voice like ice.

Ced shrugged one shoulder. “A few gold a month. Not much.”

“And they’re all still in the cellar?” Hump asked.

At that, Ced hesitated, frozen like a rat caught out in the open. “Well… here’s the thing.” His voice turned slippery, and he refused to meet Hump’s eye. “They missed their last payment. Just up and vanished. Took a few of the kids with ‘em, but I never heard from them again.”

It was like a stone had dropped in Hump’s stomach, heavy and cold. “Ced… where are the children?”

“They’re in the cellar!” Ced protested, face outraged at the accusation. “I’m not a monster!”

Hump’s breath left him in a slow, measured exhale as he fought to contain the fury that threatened to boil over. This man—this worthless coward—had taken money to look the other way while children were handed over to warlocks.

Hump closed his eyes, focusing on the task ahead. Outrage can wait. The children cannot.

“Are they under guard?” he asked, his tone clipped.

Ced shook his head quickly. “No. No guards. It’s just them.”

Hump didn’t bother to reply. He reached out with his soul, drawing on the bond he shared with Celaine. The connection sparked like a silver thread, his manifested soul allowing him to bridge the gap between them. He pictured Celaine, and sensed a connection form, much as it did with Nisha.

“Situation upstairs is under control. Children are in the cellar. No guards. Shout if you need me to help get them.”

The connection faded, and Hump reached for Bud next. This time it took longer; the distance stretched the bond thin. Hump pushed through, his focus sharpening until Bud’s solid, reassuring presence flared in his mind.

“Bud, bring guards to the Ice Yard Fishery by the north harbor. We’ve found a warlock outpost. No immediate threat, but we’ve got people to arrest.”

The bond faded. Hump knew Bud would come. He always did.

Turning back to Ced, Hump jerked his chin toward the door. “Move.”

Ced didn’t argue. He led the way up the stairs, his bulk waddling awkwardly now that he didn’t have his staff. When they emerged into the light, fishery workers glanced their way, their hands pausing mid-task as their foreman marched out with a young wizard on his heels.

“What are you all staring at?” Ced barked, his voice gruff but unsteady. “Get back to work!”

Hump scanned the room, searching for any other grunts that might be more loyal to Ced than his usual workers. The kind that might try something. There were a few nervous looks in his direction, but they went back to business as usual.

It wasn’t long before the door to his left opened, and Celaine stepped out.

“All good?” Hump asked, a small smile on his lips.

Her expression was difficult to read, but he saw the sadness in it. She turned, holding the door open. “Come on out, everyone. It’s safe.”

Hump’s smile faltered as he noticed the trail of children following behind her. The kids were filthy, their clothes ragged and hanging off thin frames. They moved hesitantly, eyes darting to every noise and shadow like they expected something to strike. Most of them looked gaunt, cheeks hollowed from days without proper meals.

Hump felt something hot bubble up inside him, like lava ready to spill over. Rage, black and burning, swelled in his chest. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles ached, and it still wasn’t enough to keep it down.

This was what greed did. Hump could hardly control the rage that bubbled to the surface. Ced would have let them starve to death before he’d release them. Easier to let them die than risk word getting out or angering his clients.

Hump wasn’t sure when he’d reached for his wand, but as he pointed it at Ced, he knew he wanted the man to suffer.

***

Mav clung to a shadowed corner of the fishery, his heart pounding. He’d returned after sensing something strange in the air. He’d felt it on his skin, heard it like distant thunder. The sensation crawled through him, a shiver that refused to leave, making the hair on his arms stand on end. It was a similar feeling to when Ced worked his spells, or when magical items flickered to life in the hands of passing strangers, or when he wandered too close to the training grounds of Chosen—the same, but stronger.

His sister told him never to tell anyone. “Keep it quiet,” she’d warned. And he had, though he didn’t understand what it was. Only that when people used magic, Mav could feel it.

It had been such a feeling that had drawn him to the fishery in the first place, and there he’d learned of the free food on offer. Amy had come with him, but she hadn’t wanted to, and now…

Mav’s stomach twisted into a knot.

From his hiding spot, he peered into the warehouse. Minutes passed and the workers just went about their business, though a few were looking nervously toward the ice cellar. Had the wizard been captured? Ced was an old man, and Mav had seen his ice magic at work. He had felt it—the man was strong. It crossed his mind that the power he’d sensed earlier was Ced truly letting loose. He imagined Hump turned to ice in that cellar, never to return. He felt a little guilty for it. The wizard had seemed alright for a rich bastard, but he was just one more idiot getting killed for messing with people he shouldn’t.

Mav had seen it countless times before—people refusing to hand over their coin to muggers, grunts not paying their way to the bosses, and big-headed boys picking fights with the wrong people. To survive for long on the streets, you had to make yourself small and not draw notice, that’s what Amy had taught him.

As doubts plagued Mav’s mind, the ice cellar opened, Ced stepping out into the warehouse. Mav’s heart dropped. He knew it—it had been a vague hope that the wizard might get his sister out, but good things never—

Hump appeared behind Ced, completely calm as he stepped out behind Ced, the chill of the ice cellar rolling off him like smoke. It was then Mav realised that fat ol’ Ced was pale as a ghost, looking one misstep away from keeling over.

What is going on? he thought.

Hump wasn’t that much older than him, and he was short, barely taller than some of the older boys he knew. What was there for a proper wizard like Ced to be afraid of? Yet something about Hump made Mav hesitate. The air around him felt… strange. Heavy. It tugged at Mav’s insides, coiling his stomach in knots, making him want to drop to the ground and hide. But no. Why should he be scared of some short wizard?

Mav forced himself to look again, and his gaze landed on Ced. The man was barking orders at the workers, yelling for them to get back to work despite their confused stares. Whatever had happened in the ice cellar had clearly shaken him to his core. His voice cracked as he shouted—he was scared.

Mav’s pulse quickened. His chest felt tight with anticipation, his emotions warring between nerves and a fragile, desperate hope. Had his plan worked? Could this wizard and his friend get the tunnels open?

He barely dared to believe it. He’d run from the fishery, leaving his sister and the others behind. The guilt had been gnawing at him ever since. He hated himself for it. For leaving her. For bringing her here in the first place. She’d told him something was wrong with these people—that they wanted something, but he hadn’t listened. He’d been distracted by a warm bed and a full stomach. It was only when they started talking about strange gods and the evil Chosen that he realised he’d walked in on a bunch of nutjobs. Amy had told him to go—had shoved him toward the window—but she hadn’t been able to follow. She’d been too big to squeeze through.

Come on, Mav thought.

When the back door opened, it was Celaine that stepped through, no longer hiding in the shadows. Figures followed behind her. Faces he recognised, though they were thinner than when he’d last seen them. His heart leapt, but his eyes scanned desperately through the ground, searching for one person.

She wasn’t there. Amy was gone.

Mav’s breath caught in his throat. Mav’s breath caught in his throat. Tears welled in his eyes, hot and stinging. The silver coins in his pocket felt like dead weight. He’d hoped to make it up to her. And now, she was gone. Had the soul eaters eaten her? He felt hollow, an ache forming in his chest that refused to fade. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails biting into his palms as anger swelled. He should never have left her.

A ripple in the air snapped him out of his thoughts. Mav froze, his body instinctively going still. Fear prickled down his spine. It felt like a predator was watching him. His gaze shifted to Hump.

The wizard’s face was unreadable, his expression cold as ice as his eyes fixed on the kids. Then, something shifted. Hump’s face twisted in rage as he turned back to Ced, a fury that struck Mav like a physical blow. His breath hitched. He’d seen nobles angry before—seen the pure, unbridled venom they could spew—but this was different. This was deeper. Sharper. Hump’s anger wasn’t theatrical. It was real, raw, and terrifying. The very air pulsed with it, becoming hot yet sending piercing cold straight into Mav’s chest.

Ced must have felt it too. The man collapsed to his knees. He was pleading, words spilling out in a desperate stream that Mav couldn’t make out. Hump took a step forward, a small stick appearing in his hand, glowing faintly with power.

Then Celaine moved. She appeared beside Hump, grabbing his wrist with calm precision. Her lips moved, and though Mav couldn’t hear her words, they had an immediate effect. Some of Hump’s anger dissipated. The oppressive weight of his presence faded slightly, enough for Mav to breathe again. His knees felt weak, but he couldn’t take his eyes away.

What was that? Mav wondered. He had never felt anything like it. It reminded him of the god pillars that sometimes descended from the sky, overwhelming in their intensity. But how could a wizard have that? And why was he so angry?

Mav’s gaze flicked back to the kids, then to Hump. Was he angry for them? No one cared about street kids. They were just mouths to feed, faces to ignore. So what had set him off?

Movement caught his attention. A flicker of black in the rafters. Mav’s eyes narrowed as he saw wisps of black smoke rising into the roof. And then a figure—a man dressed in black leathers, a crossbow aimed directly at Hump.

“Hump!” Mav screamed. “Above you!”

Even before he’d shouted, Celaine moved. She was a blur of motion, her dagger a silver streak as it flew through the air. The man didn’t have time to react before the blade got him in the stomach, and he toppled forward, his crossbow smashing against the ground. Celaine jumped up in a shadowy blur, landing beside the injured man and dragging him back to the ground just as she had done with Mav when she’d spotted him on the roof.

Mav stood frozen, breathing heavily. His mind was racing, his heart pounding as he watched Celaine restrain the fallen man. But Hump wasn’t looking at the assassin. His gaze shifted—straight to Mav.

The wizard smiled. That terrifying aura was gone in an instant, and instead Hump gave him a nod.

For a few seconds, Mav considered bolting. He could still leave, and nobody could catch him once he was back in his streets. His eyes wandered back to Celaine. Well… maybe not nobody. Yet something told him to stay. If the soul eaters had his sister, maybe this wizard could help to get her back.