Chapter 4

Their eyes poke out. A silver dagger and a wooden cross were also seen piercing different parts of their bodies. It is an awful sight to behold. 

Marvel let out a great howl. Her voice was filled with grief, anger, and rage.  

They had just murdered her pack member. She had failed again. She failed to protect Alpha Abner, Luna Hodesh, and the newly turned vampires.

 Hodesh caused this. She thought. If she hadn't forced her to go out; perhaps, she might have saved these newly turned vampires. She's useless.

If she had known, she wouldn't have gone out to test that stupid veil of alien illusion. Perhaps, she might have nailed the killer.  

Marvel started walking around the corpses one after the other, her eyes examining them like a professional warrior. It wasn't the mark of the Lamarck Beast. Marvel was sure of it. Those beasts never leave traces behind. Those beasts were invisible, and they didn't leave their victims' bodies behind.

The only thing they left behind was the heads of their victims. It was a massacre. Marvel was sure of it. Not only that, it was done by someone within. Someone very close to Hodesh. 

Whenever Hodesh locked a place with her witch's power, she hardly opened it again until sunrise. For Hodesh to open the door and allow entry, It was someone with a high rank in the camp.

She scans the room again for any sign of forced entry. Yet, she didn't find any. That means the person was a trusted being. It's also an unexpected attack. Whoever did this caught them off guard.

With tears in her eyes, Marvel walked out of the small tent. She inhaled the fresh morning air and exhaled gently. Before the blink of an eye, she darted out of sight. She was heading back to the main territory, Lamarck.

It takes approximately five minutes before Marvel reaches Lamarck's city. It was more of a snowy mountain. Huge frozen branches hung on the city wall. From afar, one would think that it's an abandoned mountain.  

Marvel examined the sun again, and she could see that it was now shining brightly. She was sure that Hodesh's spell would have worn out. Except for the guards, all the vampires would be getting ready to sleep now.  

She's the only one among them who hardly takes a siesta. That's because she's a warrior. Despite how Lamarck is well hidden from the other territory in the middle land, Marvel didn't like taking risks. She has been doing this ever since the last raid from the Lycan's pack.  

She, Karen, and Asher were the strongest beings in the pack. Marvel wondered how they would react when she broke the news to them. She wonders what will happen next. Worse, she was wondering who the killer might be amidst the pack.  

As Marvel walked inside the territory gate, she brought out the silver dagger and wooden cross she had extracted from Hodesh and the seven newly turned vampires' bodies. She was sure that whoever did this was playing a dangerous game with her. If not, he/she wouldn't leave a clue.  

Perhaps the killer forgot to retrieve them. Marvel concluded. 

She returned the cross to the pocket of her black jeans and proceeded to the small tunnel leading to the main city.

Marvel pushed the small gate, and it made a creaking sound before it opened. As she did this, she was welcomed with blood. Bodies were littered all over the field. Bodies of vampires and the few lycans that were guarding the door. It was a terrible sight to behold.

Finally, Marvel couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes. She let out a great painful whimper. It was the voice of a wounded lion. It pierced throughout the whole field, and thunder clasped at the hearing of her voice.

Instantly, something struck her mind. Karen and Asher!

Marvel darted further into the territory. After what seemed like forever, she appeared in front of a small tent with a red canopy. Hastily, she walked closer to the door, kicked it with her leg, and the door went off its hinges.

“Asher,” she screamed as she walked in. But her friend wasn't there. She examined the small room, and her gaze collided with the writing on the wall.

Slowly, she walked toward the words, which were written with blood. “The inn at the bamboo forest,” she read the words out.

Marvel ransacked her brain, trying to find out the meaning of the words. She knew whoever did this was trying to tell her something. Perhaps, where she will find her friends. But she didn't understand.

Marvel brought out the silver knife and wooden cross. She examined it very well, and she saw a symbol on it. It's a symbol she recognized very well. At the sight of the symbol, Marvel could feel fear that was creeping into her heart. Her worst suspicion is coming to life.  

Despite how she had tried to hide from the middle land, they had managed to find her. She had thought Lamarck City would be the best place to conceal her identity. How wrong was she? They had found her.  

How was that possible? She couldn't tell. Yet she was sure of one thing. There's a traitor in Lamarck. Perhaps, it's even one of them.

They were forcing her to come back. All these people had died because of her. She had endangered their lives. She couldn't believe that they could still find her in this desolate, well-hidden city. The eight electrified councils of the supernatural realm had found her.  

They were calling her back. They are warning her to join the sect again. If not, everyone around her will suffer. 

She could now fix the puzzle together. They captured her friend to lure her in.

 Instantly, Marvel knew where to begin her search. 

She isn't ready to join the electrified council again. She isn't ready to become their assassin. She isn't ready to work for them again. She is determined and nothing is going to stop her, not even the council themselves.