Chapter 410: Meeting Varek
"Can you answer one more question?" Kaiden asked.
Naira was about to be overcome with sheer frustration and anger, but hearing the intensity of his question, she forced her mind to snap out of it. She wiped her tears that began to form due to her stress.
"Yes, I’ll answer anything I can!"
Kaiden nodded, appreciating her determination. "Where are the other awakened, or as you call them, Marked? The hunters we’ve seen are nothing but ordinary men. Considering that about 15 in every 100 humans should be Marked, in a tribe this size, you should have a handful, if not dozens of them. Where are they?"
Naira’s fingers trembled as she stroked her mother’s face.
"Varek."
Her voice dropped so low it sounded as if she were talking to herself. "He does not like rivals. He has ruled the tribe for more than five years already. When he took the position, he killed anyone who stood against him - or had the chance to rebel later, namely any Marked."
She shook her head, as if in disbelief that this was truly her reality. Then, she resolved to continue, "After that, if a child received the blessing, they were executed on the spot. He is the one man who holds the whole tribe’s strength in his fist. The hunters you met are barely more valuable than we sacrificial gatherers now that the monsters have arrived. The real power lies in his palm alone."
Luna’s low voice sounded. "Varek’s power... Do you know what it does exactly?"
Naira swallowed. She glanced toward the sleeping woman on the pallet, then back at Kaiden.
She was about to part her lips. But before she could force a word out, the door to the room opened. A woman stepped in. She wore simple but neat clothing of her people. Her hair was braided tightly. She bowed.
"The leader wishes to see you," she said in a clear voice.