31 Tension

Her hasty strides through the hallway reflect the urgency of the situation. When she reached the end of the hallway where the last room was located, she was bombarded by looks ranging from denial to disbelief from the people waiting in front of the room. 

"Is it really true that there's a dead taboo there?" Gale bluntly said, giving voice to the thoughts of the majority.

"Who was it?" Tristan demanded, eyes hardened with deathly calm. Ley wondered if he was referring to the dead or the one who killed it.

"Nothing is sure yet until we see the body," Ley replied calmly, her feelings tightly bottled up inside.

Nothing was spoken but she could see from their eyes the fear of knowing the identity of the body. The taboos were shunned by the world. Living most of their life in hiding. The only thing they had and could depend on were each other. The reservation was their sanctuary and their existence a tightly guarded secret that they would bring to the grave. They were family to each other. Losing one of them would be devastating and the emotional repercussions would be huge.

She moved towards the door and they parted a way for her in the middle. She barely managed to hide the trembling in her hand as she turned the knob to open the door.

She went towards the center of the room where two tables were positioned parallel to each other which contained the bodies they were investigating. The bodies, covered with white sheets, were kept intact without any sign of rotting using magic.

She reached out for the sheet covering the unidentified taboo's body and flipped the part around the head without hesitation before her mind came up with all sorts of excuses.

It was someone unknown.

Someone she had never met or seen before. Her knees almost gave out in relief.  Seeing her positive expression, the others released the breath they were unconsciously holding.

She dislodged the sheet fully to reveal the whole body and started examining every inch. Judging from the claws leftover during his transformation before death, it's undeniable that he was a shifter. Closer look also indicated traces of magic around the body that didn't originate from magic artifacts. 

"He was definitely a taboo," Ley concluded after a few moments of double-checking.

"I can see human blood on the body too," Merda added quietly which surprised Ley for a bit. Ley did not doubt Merda's information though. Discounting magic abilities and foresight, just her unique eyes can detect which was magick, shifter, taboo and human as soon as she saw them.

"Huh? That means one of the parents was a half. Pretty rare, isn't it?" Sera remarked in wonder.

Confirming the identity doesn't mean that the problem was solved already though. They have to figure out why there was an unknown taboo in the city without their knowledge.

"How did he escape our notice?" Ley asked with a frown.

"I have never seen this guy from any kind of  surveillance," Siri muttered from her position by the wall, briefly letting go of her lollipop. 

"The sweepers haven't reported a thing too," Tristan added. Sweepers were the nickname for taboos outside the reservation who regularly check for the presence of fellow taboos who might need help around the city. It wasn't part of their duties but taboos outside make it a point to be alert for possible sightings.

"We covered a lot of bases but this taboo, an adult one at that, still got past all those and even attacked a shifter base," she stated grimly.

"Landon's base? Did they discover that he was a taboo?" Gale asked.

"Yes. I'll know further information tomorrow since the sudden disappearance of the body threw them off. In any case, contact all the taboos outside for a situation report. Tell them to be extra careful."

She warned them since she can't help but feel that this was just the start. These unidentified taboo just got added to the ever growing list that she needed to deal with but no matter what happened her people came first.

***

Eyebrows raised, Ley observed the 4×4 vehicle which pulled up in front of her. Gone was the sleek ride Landon used to get to the office. It was exchanged for a specialized car designed for off road use.

Landon got out from the card and said,"I figured since the address was almost at the fringe of Territory then this would be more practical to use."

Makes sense. 

Magicks weren't archaic people who reject the advancements of technology but they prefer secluded areas where they were free to wield their powers as they wished without the prying eyes of humans. As a result, the Territory was hard to reach as it  was surrounded by rough areas and various misdirection wards to thwart the unwanted. Old Bertie's location was already difficult to reach even though it was just at the edge.

Ley just nodded in agreement with him while she got inside, the car door held open by Landon. Her impatience to get the investigation results was reined in as she waited for Landon to start driving. She kept herself distracted by opening the window and sticking her hands out to feel the wind. 

After a few minutes, she decided that she held back long enough so she asked,"Anything I should know?"

"The missing body was definitely connected to the previous attacks.  There was an ocarina left at the scene which was so unremarkable that it was almost ignored. Further experiments done with it revealed that it can be used to manipulate shifters. No matter the tune, it has the ability to enthrall a shifter," Landon divulged calmly but his eyes burned with cold light that held a promise of vengeance.

"Can I see?" As an engraver herself, she was curious about the artifact.

Landon opened the compartment box and brought a small pouch then passed it to her. She took it out and examined the ocarina. It was small and made of ceramic. Unlike other artifacts, there were no engravings that usually accompanied typical ones but there was no mistaking the trace of magic on it. When Landon said that it was unremarkable, he was obviously referring to the lack of engravings but aesthetically speaking it was delicately made for an ocarina. Undulating lines weaved throughout its body, mimicking the patterns of an ocean wave. She couldn't help but admire the smarts involved with the handiwork. It certainly doesn't need an engraving since the magic was fused already during the glazing of the ceramic. She put it back to the pouch and slipped it back inside the compartment, keeping the analysis to herself.

"Monsters turning up-" Ley clenched her fists at the words uttered by Landon, "-according to history anyway. I don't care whether it's the truth or not. Monster or not, I'll return blood for blood," he continued.

Ley couldn't help but gazed at him with those last words he said. For some reason, knowing that he didn't have a biased way of thinking eased her mind.

It was at that moment when Landon turned to look at her. Those deep, unperturbed eyes seemed to focus on her as if nothing else existed. She held it for a moment before breaking the stare and reminding herself to breathe. 

"Was he your boyfriend?" His tone was nonchalant as if he's just asking about the weather but she felt an intense undercurrent behind the question.

"Who? Raul? No," she laughed at the ridiculous question.

"Good."

"Why did you ask?" She wondered curiously at his answer.

"Don't you feel the tension between us?"

"I don't do relationships Landon," she replied despite the embarrassing noise her heart beat's currently doing. She would be stupid if she didn't understand what he was implying.

"The courtship has already started though," he cocked his head at her with that maddening smirk aimed at her direction.

"What do you mean? Since when?" She bewilderedly asked.

"That's a really good question but we're here already," he stated before getting out of the car, letting out a chuckle as if he knew something she didn't.

"Hey! Since when?!" She yelled in frustration at his distant back that was already entering the dense forest.