The Chronicles of Onyx: Book 1

Chapter Two

Early morning rays spilled onto Onyx's closed eyes, and she stirred awake, blinking against the gentle light as she pushed herself up from the ground. Her body was stiff from the previous night's uncomfortable rest, but she made do. She fell back, leaning against the hard oak log that had served as her makeshift pillow. The soft aroma of smoke lingered in the air from the campfire she had built the night before.

Rok was still asleep, breathing deeply with his large chest rising and falling. "So...looks like I'm the first one up—again," she said slowly but loudly in hopes of waking him up. But instead, he just lay there, eyes closed, his head resting peacefully on his arm. He almost looked—comfortable.

"Drat him for looking so peaceful like a well-rested prince!" She thought musingly.

That was the thing about Rok, he could go days without rest, but when he did, he did not awaken easily. Onyx had always been the light sleeper, alert and ready to spring into action at the slightest sound or movement. Rok, on the other hand, had the rare ability to stay in a deep slumber even in the midst of chaos.

"Come on, you big, lazy lump," she said, giving him a gentle nudge with her foot. "Time to rise and shine. We have a long day ahead of us." "Of doing nothing."

Rok mumbled something unintelligible in his half-awake state, but he still didn't move.

Onyx sighed again, this time with a hint of exasperation. "You're impossible sometimes, you know that?" she said with a playful grin, kicking him softly with the toe of her boot.

But just as she was about to give him another nudge, Rok's eyes slowly opened, revealing the familiar dark, earthy hue of his eyes. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light, and then finally looked at Onyx. 'Morning," he said, his voice still laced with sleep.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Onyx teased, happy that he was finally awake. "I thought I was going to have to resort to more drastic measures to wake you."

Rok chuckled, sitting up and stretching his muscular arms. "You wouldn't dare," he said with a playful glint in his eyes.

"On second thought, maybe I should've let you sleep longer," Onyx teased, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no, I'm up now," Rok said quickly, not wanting to test her patience.

"Good, now come on, we have some hiding to do—" she paused with a sarcastic grin, "and after that, even more hiding to do."

After escaping from Queen Demeter, she and Rok had resorted to hiding from any major cities or towns that might know their identities. Every day Rok would reassure her that it wouldn't last long, but with a war, hopes seemed slim. So instead, they made their way to small, unknown, overlooked towns, looking for seasoned warriors to rebel against the Queen and fight for freedom against the War.

War—it was like a cancer, growing, seeking to destroy everything in its path. And the Queen wanted to rule more than just simple-minded orcs; she had wanted to rule the world. Everything at her fingertips, everything under her control. And her thirst for power had only grown since Onyx's escape. For she had lost the one thing most precious to her—power.

Rok's tired eyes locked onto Onyx's, his expression unamused as he finished her sentence in his mind. "And after that, even more hiding to do," he repeated, his voice serious.

Onyx nodded, though she was only making humor of their current station, but they both knew that staying hidden was crucial to their survival, especially with Queen Demeter's forces relentlessly searching for them. They couldn't afford any slip-ups or complacency.

"We need to be strategic about where we go next," Rok said, his mind already calculating their next move. "Somewhere off the beaten path, where we can lay low for a while and regroup."

Onyx agreed, her instincts guiding her thoughts. "We should also keep an eye out for any signs of potential allies," she suggested. "Anyone who might be brave enough to rebel against the queen,"

Rok nodded, his gaze shifting to the surrounding forest as if it held hidden answers to their quest for allies. "Agreed. We need individuals who are not afraid to stand up against tyranny, those who believe in a better world and are willing to fight for it."

The morning sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. Onyx and Rok exchanged a knowing look, their shared determination reflected in their eyes. They knew that finding like-minded individuals would not be an easy task, but it was one they could not forsake.

As they prepared to set off, Onyx quickly doused the remaining embers of their campfire, leaving no trace of their presence behind. They had become skilled at leaving minimal evidence of their movements, a skill that had served them well during their time on the run.

"We should head north," Rok suggested. "There's a large village a few days' journey from here. It's far enough from Queen Demeter's grasp and might harbor people who are discontent with her rule."

Onyx nodded in agreement. "It sounds like a good plan—though the northern region is far walk" she glanced over at Rok, "We may need some horses?" she suggested slowly.

"Of course, horses! The only problem–Onyx—is that the stable is right next to the tavern" He looked at Onyx with disbelief. "And if I recall correctly that there was an angry Dwarf who made it clear that he didn't much like us" he finished.

"Well, I was born to displease" she smiled, "So I'll go, you just stay here where it is safe Rok", She began walking away from him knowing he would instantly follow her.

"Fine" he grumbled, as he ran after her, "Back to the tavern we go"