An Order of Death | ONC 2024

Chapter Six

Once night crawled into the sky — and Oryal confirmed it wasn't the Ivory Forest as we headed further towards the centre — darkness swallowed us whole. If it was even possible, it got darker still with every moment that passed.

The bounty hunter chose a place for us to set up and rest, considering it was getting difficult for us to see where we were going. It was a small clearing that was easy to defend from. Oryal grew thorned plants and wrapped vines around trees to create a border so nobody could sneak up on us. However, there was still an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.

I ate half a tin of Sicrecan — an original pasta dish from the Kingdom of Wrosite — for dinner, offering the other to Oryal who passed. Instead, he drank a decent chunk of the contents of his flask, the scent of alcohol strong now that we sat so close together.

While he insisted on taking the first watch, I made myself comfortable and attempted to sleep. Despite how tired I knew I was, I couldn't get my mind to rest, wrestling constantly with my thoughts. What if the soldiers from earlier didn't actually die and found a way to escape? What if Oryal's plan to suffocate them failed and he didn't realise it?

The darkness around us was constricting, playing tricks on me. Shadows danced as if they were figures lurking behind foliage and trees, waiting for a moment to ambush us.

At home, I'd always had a light next to my bed so I had never gotten used to lying in the dark. It was never something I was fond of as a child as I never knew what could be hiding under the cover of it.

I wrapped my arms around my knees, hugging them tightly. I wasn't going to get any sleep unless I had something to distract me.

"Oryal?" I asked into the darkness.

"Yes?" The bounty hunter sounded like he was about to doze off himself.

"You know my parents, don't you? How?" They had never mentioned it before and this was the perfect opportunity to find out. When he didn't respond, I continued. "You stand outside of Deathly Delights so much and I've never known why."

"Your parents hired me to get some Vampire fangs before. That's how I know them." The deep rumble of his voice was soothing, fending off my worries. I couldn't see him too well in the night, but I could feel his presence, his body next to mine as he leaned against a tree.

"But that doesn't explain why you stand outside the bakery. Surely that was a one-time request." Crushed Vampire fangs made for a perfect poison that killed its victim over a long period of time, causing a tragic fatality through internal bleeding. From what I knew, there had only been one client who asked for it.

Oryal looked away, as if he were embarrassed. "I've been waiting for something."

"Something?" I raised a brow even though I knew he wouldn't be able to see my expression. "Care to elaborate?"

He took a swig of his flask, the scent of alcohol following suit. "No."

I sighed, stretching out my limbs from the ball I had curled myself into. "That's just as bad as the mystery condition you got me to sign up for. Do you feel like telling me what that is yet either?"

"That will come in due time."

"I swear if it's-" A snapping branch breaking within the Ivory Forest made me flinch, making me lose my line of thought. The fear I had been attempting to bury rushed back stronger than before, angry that I had tried to push it away.

"What's wrong?" Oryal shifted beside me and I could feel him looking down at me.

"Is there something out there?"