Colleen's death caused a shock among the upper echelons of the Camarilla, far from the outward appearance of calm indifference. The Church could already hold a celebration, and they would absolutely not sit by and do nothing. The death of a carnivore has an immeasurable impact on the confidence of the entire Kindred, and even the whole dark society. The Camarilla's Council of Elders convened an emergency meeting, and the Justicar Caroline was also present at this meeting.

After the meeting, John Bennett was immediately summoned by Caroline to the same basement where they had last met.

When John Bennett arrived, he found that another carnivore, Baker, was also there. Baker is a Black Kindred; in the modern Kindred structure, Black Kindred make up a significant proportion. Although some of their white counterparts do not like them, they have secured an increasingly important position in the Camarilla thanks to their excellent qualities. And Baker is an outstanding representative of the Black Kindred.

John Bennett and Baker nodded to each other as a greeting, and Caroline asked him to sit down as well. “The reason I called you here today is because the Council of Elders has already made a decision. We now need greater strength, so this time, we have decided to add an enforcer seat. Therefore, this time, we will be adding two enforcers!” Before Caroline finished speaking, John Bennett stood up: “But Justicar, the power of enforcers is difficult to monitor. If the chosen ones are not pure of heart, it could cause great trouble. Adding two enforcers at once might make it hard to maintain control over them...” What John Bennett referred to as control over the enforcers was a measure the Camarilla had adopted: using two old, reliable enforcers to keep the new, untested ones in check.

The Justicar lowered her head and sighed. “I understand, but the Elders are very insistent, and I cannot disobey. The reason I called you here today is to have the two of you nominate a candidate—the Elders already have one, but they need another.” John Bennett asked, “Who is their candidate?” The Justicar glanced at him, hesitated, and said, “It's Peter Yates.” “How could it be him!” The usually silent Baker couldn't help but exclaim. “Is it that guy with hair dyed like rotting straw in a pond, and a nose ring only a bull would wear?” John Bennett asked harshly. The Justicar nodded helplessly.

Chapter 003

“How could the Elders make such a decision, are they...” John Bennett's words were promptly interrupted by the Justicar: “John Bennett! Remember, as an enforcer, you must first obey the law—you cannot harbor distrust or suspicion toward any actions of the Elders!” John Bennett nodded, “Yes, Your Excellency Justicar!” Baker said, “Why would the Elders make such a decision?” The Justicar replied, “Peter Yates just wiped out another werewolf den, killing seven werewolves. This is his sixth successful attack on werewolves. For the Elders who have been at war with the werewolves for nearly a thousand years, nothing could be more exciting than this news! Lord Pusatike and the others hope Peter Yates will get this position.”

John Bennett and Baker fell silent. The Justicar was right; no one knows when the blood feud between werewolves and Kindred began, but ever since they became Kindred, they were told: werewolves are the enemies of all Kindred. When spending the night alone in the wild, beware of werewolf attacks—their sense of smell is unbelievably keen!

“This candidate is questionable,” John Bennett chose his words carefully. “Peter Yates's methods are different from ours. He always uses drugs and torture to find clues. If someone like that becomes an enforcer...” John Bennett didn't finish, but the Justicar had no power to change the Elders' decision. A look of helplessness flashed in Caroline's long eyes.

“We should focus on practical matters and carefully consider the final candidate. That way, the Camarilla can still maintain control over the enforcers!”