An Order of Death | ONC 2024

Chapter Four

The outskirts of the Ivory Forest were nothing but a decoy for what truly lurked inside. From the outside, any approaching traveller would suspect the towering trees to be part of the normal surrounding woodland. They wouldn't pay attention to the thin wall of magic that distorted their view. However, as soon as we passed through the barrier, the world around us changed — a veil being lifted on the unsuspecting.

All around us were shimmering trees of pure ivory-white. Every chunk of bark, leaf, and blade of grass was tainted to be the noble shade. The only exceptions to the colour were the vibrant plants that found their home here. Flowers that appeared to be made of solid gold until you touched them, patches of deep, navy moss that were scattered along the ground, strands of ivy that crept along tree trunks — each flora was unique to the forest and couldn't be found anywhere else.

My nose scrunched as the scent of burnt sugar passed through the air. Ancient magic always smelt the strangest.

This was as far as I normally ventured into the trees, wandering around in a large circle of the forest to collect the poisons I needed. An unsurprising amount of the colourful plants were lethal in one way or another. Whether it be their berries, petals, or seeds, they were fun to work with when baking.

I had no inkling of an idea of what was hidden further inside.

"Do you come to the forest often?" I asked, being careful of where I trod. The last thing I wanted was to step on a creature that would surge up to bite me.

"Yes, a lot," he answered with a nod. "There are a startling amount of people who need things from here but are too scared to get it themselves." Oryal cleared the path to head deeper with his axe, cutting away at the white branches.

"And you come out unscathed?"

The bounty hunter paused before responding with, "Mostly." His words did nothing to quell the fear bubbling in my chest.

Fluttering down from the trees, the gaps between the leaves still letting much-needed sunlight filter through, was another butterfly. Yet again, this one was rosewood pink and sparkled with every movement of its wings. The black outlines framed the vibrant shade, captivating you in its beauty. It landed on one of Oryal's horns, causing him to shake his head and for it to fly away.

The first sighting at the tavern was amusing — making me question how it had gotten inside in the first place. Then, the second butterfly at Deathly Delights was a pure coincidence. Now, this third was suspicious. Where were they coming from?

"This poison," Oryal began as I watched the magnificent creature fade in the distance. "Do you know what it looks like?"

"Of course I do. The poison itself is from the petals of a flower that, according to my mother, only blooms in the darkest parts of the Ivory Forest. It's red with an orange centre." As the bounty hunter nodded, processing the information, I questioned, "Have you seen it before?"

"Not that I remember. Do you know how far your mother went into the forest?"

"No. Only that she reckoned it was roughly in the centre." I frowned, glancing at a patch of ivy that climbed up a tree. Its winding vines were a strange emerald, its leaves even brighter in colour. "Do you know how long it will take to get there?"

I didn't have a lot of time to get there, back, and make something all within the time limit I had been given. The worry chewed away at my nerves like a starved mouse finding a grand feast of food.

"It depends on the forest. Every time I've travelled there myself, I've encountered something different. I can't say anything for certain." As he walked ahead of me to strip away the branches blocking our path, I spied a silver flask of his own tucked in his back pocket. If I had to make a guess, I was certain there wasn't any water inside.