An Order of Death | ONC 2024

Chapter Seven

The light of dawn filtered through the trees, fighting against the shadows that the Ivory Forest attempted to swarm around us. Sun streams made the snow-shaded grass reflect golden patterns across the ground, warding off any thoughts I had of intruders or ambushes. Oryal's butterflies from the previous night were still scattered around the clearing, however, now their light was dimmer. The colour in their wings had faded into a mottled grey, as if the magic of their creation had dwindled.

A new morning meant another day of travel through the forest and another day to encounter whatever could be lurking between the trees — whether they were friend or foe.

Morning.

It was morning and the bounty hunter had never woken me up to change shifts with him, so he could get a chance to sleep and replenish his energy. I tried to roll over to find him, to ask what had happened, but I was stuck in place. A strong arm was hooked around my waist and holding me securely in place.

Carefully shifting so I wouldn't wake my captor, I turned to see Oryal soundlessly sleeping. His features were a still calm, the warmth radiating from him better than even the thickest, woollen blanket. I felt so protected even though he was unaware of what was going on around him. If anything were to happen, I knew he would waste no time in charging toward the threat.

Heat spread across my cheeks like a wildfire devouring everything in its path. Oryal was so close to me. He was fully flushed against me so I could feel nearly every part of his body — the defined muscle of his arms and chest, the weapons belt that dug into my stomach, the knee that attempted to push between my legs. How long had he been asleep for?

I had to admit that I didn't mind being encased in his arms. It was nice to see a softer side to the grumpy bounty hunter. After last night too where I had panicked over a mere snap of a twig, I was starting to think I couldn't call Oryal irritable at all. I hadn't been hugged for a long while either with my parents being away for so long. His touch was a weight lifted off my shoulders.

He must have been exhausted to not stir with all of my movement. The bounty hunter hadn't eaten much yesterday and we had walked for hours on end, so it was no wonder his energy was drained.

A pink butterfly landed in Oryal's hair, each flap of its wings causing the onyx strands to move and brush against his face. While the others were dim, this one still retained its gorgeous glow. I reached up to move the insect away as I was frightened it would wake him up, but as soon as I lifted my arms, his eyes opened to the new day.

We stared at each other as moments passed — a serene calm that no storm could tear us from — before Oryal pulled away, sat up and shuffled backwards.

"Sorry," he mumbled, running a hand over his face. "I didn't mean to..."

"Hug me?" I offered, unable to hide my frown from the lack of warmth surrounding me.

"Yes." He looked at the ground, refusing to meet my gaze. The bounty hunter checked his axe was still beside him and sighed in relief when the cool metal touched his skin.

"It's okay. I didn't not like it." What was I saying? My face was about to burst into flames. I wasn't helping the situation at all. "When did you fall asleep?" I asked to divert the conversation. "I thought I was meant to take a watch so you could get some rest."

Oryal stood, brushing the strands of grass off himself. "I was going to let you sleep through the night and I would take both shifts. I'm not sure when I fell asleep." He turned his head to the sky, or what we could see of it through the leaves, and he cursed under his breath. "We need to get moving or we'll lose precious light to travel with."