CHAPTER 28: EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER IS A SUSPECT

Aven’s POV

"Get him out of this place quick, he is the target here," Dad ordered the sentinels to get me out of the place, his anger flaring up temporarily.

Just as they dragged him away, it then clicked. He wasn’t just here for me. He was here for the council of the military stronghold.

The main target of a hunter vampire is the defensive force of a unit to weaken and leave them defenseless. He is a hunter sent to render us helpless. If that’s so, what better place to attack than the house of defense itself?

I was almost at the door when I noticed his attention had turned to Dad. I immediately reached for the silver sword tray.

"A hunter vampire can only be killed with the silver sword to the lung... Aven, remember this well. The lungs, not his heart." The words of Alpha Liam, my instructor, when I was just 8, during target practice lessons, kept ringing in my head. I remember always mistaking the heart for the lungs.

He lunged at Dad with the speed of a lightning, and for some seconds it was as if everyone froze.

I pulled the sword out and just when he was about to compel Dad, I drove the sword straight to his lungs, "Thanks for the target practice lessons," I murmured beneath my breath.

Gasps filled the air as everyone turned their attention to me. I held the sword tight and twisted just in time for me to get a smile out of it. Before I could move further, the hunter vampire dissipated into particles before our eyes, blowing off into the wind.

I straightened up and turned to everyone, my eyes catching theirs as they all wore looks of disbelief and something else. I walked stealthily towards the council table that was somewhat in shambles, staring into Commander Vale Loome’s eyes.

"Tell me, Commander," I began, holding his gaze. "If the sigil serves as a means of protection to us, standing for years without being compromised, except for the last known time it was breached, being an insider attack, a law was passed, and they got executed immediately. If that was the case, who then is the new traitor and how did the vampire find his way inside?"

I stood for a few seconds, only to watch everyone question themselves and others. The council members all exchanged questioning looks among themselves, but Commander Vale had his eyes trained on me the entire time.

Seeing as no one could provide an answer, I walked away from the scene, shutting the door loudly with a bang behind me.

I got inside my room and slumped on the bed, my mind reeling from earlier. The event of the day had taken its toll on me, but I still couldn’t let it go.

How was it that the sigil that has protected us for years suddenly got compromised today? A barrier so strong it repelled the vampires out for generations and now... We found not only a vampire, but a Hunter class trying to break our defenses.

I let out another sigh and turned to the side, allowing myself to drift into a sound sleep.

I got up the next day with a start. I had to return to the academy in preparation for the upcoming exams.

I quickly peeked through my things, eyes scanning wildly. Now that I was done back at home, I had to go back and prepare.

I picked out a few things, stuffed them into a bag, and made sure I got only the essentials before swinging the bag on my shoulder.

"If only I had more time here at home, maybe I would have been able to uncover the truth," I said quietly as I stared at the room, my voice laced with regret.

I took one last look at my room and was about to leave when my father stepped in, stopping me from leaving.

"Would you mind telling me what exactly prompted that remark? Not that it didn’t make sense, but..."

"You’ve given it some thought, haven’t you?" I asked as I stood directly in front of him, his chiseled chest nearly touching mine, even at his early fifties, he was still looking like a work of art.

He strides to my bed and sits, and then taps the space beside him, signaling me to sit with him.

"No matter how I think about it, Father, we might have a traitor hiding among us. It’s only logical that it’s the work of an insider." As I spoke, I walked to sit beside him because I knew it was about to be a long talk.

"Hmmm... Elaborate on that." My Father said as he folded his hands across his chest.

"It’s simple, actually," I added again. "Since they can’t come past the sigil, someone had to have helped this one get in."

My father nodded his head as if he was digesting my words. Next, he moved past me and entered my room. He looked around and observed, before telling me to continue.

"I have another thought, though. What if they found a way to crack the sigil?, Seeing that he was a hunter vampire, that could be possible." Dad’s voice was trembling with anxiety; I could tell that he couldn’t stomach the fact that there could be a traitor within his council.

I sighed and set my bag on the floor, leaning against the edge of my bed. My father was standing next to the window now, arms crossed, waiting for me to speak.

"We both know the sigil protects us," I began, forcing my voice steady. And the codes were sealed with a code only we could understand.

The code repels vampires; there’s no way a vampire whatsoever can penetrate the code without an inside aid. The attack was a calculated one."

Dad’s brow furrowed. "Go on."

"There’s only one explanation," I continued, meeting his gaze. "Someone inside the council tampered with the wards. They let it in. And I’m afraid... It’s someone close."

For a moment, silence hung heavy between us. Dad’s jaw tightened as my words sank in. I could almost see the pieces of the puzzle click into place in his mind.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low, edged with steel. "If that’s true, we’re not just dealing with an enemy outside our borders. We’ve got one under our roof."

I nodded. "Which means every move we make, they’ll know. Every plan, every patrol, compromised."

He stepped forward, eyes locking on mine. "Then we have to find them before they open the door for something worse."

There was a pause, the kind where you know everything is about to change.

"You’ll do it," he said finally.

"Me?"

"You’re my son and my successor," he replied. "But more than that, they won’t suspect you’re looking. You’ll keep this quiet, report only to me. If you succeed, we stop them before they strike again. If you fail..." His voice trailed off, but I knew the rest.

I drew a slow breath. "Alright. I’ll find the traitor."

He gave a single, firm nod, then turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway. "And Aven... if they’re close enough to know the sigil’s secrets, they’re close enough to know you. Don’t trust anyone."

He said lastly before walking away.

The moment the door clicked shut, I exhaled slowly, my mind already racing with different thoughts. Someone close had betrayed us, and I’d find them.

I gathered my bag and left after him, shutting the door behind me, back to the academy.

And just like that, my hunt had just begun.