An Order of Death | ONC 2024

Chapter Nine

Darkness swarmed around us as we travelled through the forest like a beast stalking its prey. Shadows rippled in the distance, taunting us with the knowledge of what was kept within the confines of the thick, ivory trees. We had to be near the centre now. Only a rare drop of sunlight managed to pierce through the leaves, victorious in its battle against the foliage.

While we walked, I inched closer and closer to Oryal's side, so close that I accidentally bumped into him every now and again. I was a little frightened of what could have been watching us, of the permanent night that had swallowed us whole.

If the bounty hunter was bothered by it, he showed no signs of it doing so.

Being so near to Oryal also meant I could keep an eye on his arms and hands, to make sure no rashes were spreading or emerging. From what I could see, the ones that I had treated with the antidote earlier were already beginning to fade and remained at bay. Thankfully, it was doing its job.

There were a few parts of the Ivory Forest that glowed, offering a small reprieve from the terror that kept me on edge. A selection of golden insects that found their homes on the trunks of trees greeted us as we ventured deeper, their bodies illuminating the area as if they were fireflies. Several flowers had faint light radiating from their centre, the cerulean beauties scattered few and far between. Of course, there were also the shimmering butterflies that joined us on our journey. They remained a constant comfort, reminding me that I wasn't alone.

Even with the small reliefs in our path, they didn't do much to quell the worries forging a storm in my mind. I needed something else to distract me.

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with B." I nudged Oryal to steal his attention. The game was the first thing that I could think of.

"Isn't this for children?" He questioned. Instead of his axe being strapped to his back, it was gripped tightly in his hand to prepare him for anything we might have encountered.

"Only if you deem it to be. You can be any age to play a simple guessing game." When I received no response, I sighed. "How about a different game, then? I'll give you three statements about myself and you need to figure out which one is the lie."

"Is playing a game even the best thing to be doing right now?" The bounty hunter hacked away at some thorns that were blocking our path, clearing them away with a few clean swings.

"I've given you two options of how to pass the time before we reach the middle of the forest." I crossed my arms. "Pick one."

With a roll of his eyes, he met my gaze. "I'll go with the second game."

I beamed at his reply. "Alright. Now, I've actually got to think of something."

As I began digging through my memories and experiences to form three statements, a pink butterfly flew towards me and crashed into my crimson hair. Its wings and legs became tangled in the strands, panicked flutters only causing it to become more encased. I offered it a platform to rest on while I worked my hair away from it to see it free.

From what I had seen, pink had to represent some kind of good emotion, but I still wasn't sure what. Was it just merely happiness? No matter how much I tried to fit the piece into the puzzle, it didn't quite seem to fall into place.

Once the butterfly was free, it soared far away from us.

"Are you ready? You better be listening because I won't repeat them." I poked Oryal's shoulder and he swatted me away, letting me know he was paying attention. "First, when I was younger I was bitten by a poisonous bat. Instead of panicking, I decided to grab it and bring it home for my parents to use the venom."