The Chronicles of Onyx: Book 1

Chapter Eleven

Her words hung in the air like a fragile thread. The admission felt like a weight lifted from her shoulders, and yet, a new tension settled over the campsite. The gravity of her revelation was undeniable, and she awaited his reaction with a mixture of anticipation and skepticism.

Onyx regarded Oldren carefully and watched as his expression shifted from disbelief to a slow realization. A smile cracked among his rangy face. He barked out a hearty laugh, the sound echoing through the early morning air like the ringing of a bell.

"Well, now ye've got me, lass!" Oldren exclaimed, his laughter carrying a sense of amusement.

"Necromancy, eh? Ya of all folk? Possessing the darkest magic that can raise the dead, manipulate and control minds?" He laughed as though it was nothing more than a joke, "Ye of all folk?" He continued to chuckle, as if the idea itself was preposterous.

Onyx shifted her weight, unsure how to respond to the Dwarves reaction. Onyx's brows furrowed slightly, she had expected a more serious reaction, and perhaps a demand for proof or an inquiry into the extent of her powers—fear even. Instead, Oldren seemed to treat her revelation as if it were a whimsical story.

Rok turned his gaze toward Onyx, it seemed that he too was taken aback by the Dwarfs response to the matter. It seemed he expected what she had, and a mixture of emotions swirled within both of them. Frustration and exasperation at Oldren's dismissive reaction. "Did he truly not understand the potential danger her abilities presented? Was he underestimating the risks involved?" She took a deep breath, determined to clarify the seriousness of her confession.

However the Dwarf's laughter did not subsided, as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Oh, lass, ye sure do know how to keep a campfire tale interestin'!" Oldren chuckled, shaking his head in a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "Necromancy, aye? Mind control and dancing with the dead? Well, I must say, that's a new one on me!" he remarked with apparent lack of understanding.

"Oldren," Onyx began, her tone serious and firm, "This is not a jest or a campfire tale. I was born with the curse of possessing Necromancy, and I assume you know that it's not something to be taken lightly."

Oldren's laughter stopped abruptly and his smile vanished, leaving behind recognition, acknowledgment and something more that she had expected—disbelief. This time he regarded Onyx with a more somber expression. "Ye mean to say—ye're not pullin' me leg?"

"No, I'm not," Onyx replied, her voice steady and collective.

"Aye," Oldren muttered, his voice carrying a weight that echoed with an air of gravity. "I reckon I've been quick to make light of things I don't rightly understand. But I've lived long enough to know that power ain't always a thing to be envied nor celebrated."

Oldren's gaze bore into hers, his eyes reflecting a depth of understanding that went beyond the surface. "Ye've been the Queen's personal tool, haven't ya?" he said, his voice tinged with both revelation and a hint of anger. "All this time, that's why she's acting out. She lost the power she needed to win her war."

Onyx glanced over at Rok, unsure of what to say. "I never did know what to say, At least what right to say."

Rok's expression hardened even further, his eyes narrowing as he too absorbed the weight of Oldren's revelation. It seemed that even he, with his knowledge of Onyx's abilities and the Queen's intentions, had not fully grasped the extent of the manipulation at play.

"Bout time she gets that crown off her head, and kick her off her superior throne," Oldren's voice cut through the heavy air, a declaration that resonated with a sense of urgency and defiance. "Just need to find lads brave or foolish enough to rebel."

"And you?" Rok replied, regarding Oldren with skepticism but at the same time, with respect.

"Am I what?" the Dwarf answered back gruffly.

"Are you brave or foolish enough to join our cause?" Rok's tone was steady, his gaze undying.

Oldren met Rok's gaze, "Aye, both in my case," his lips quivered into a faint smile, his expression reflecting a hint of amusement. "But the real question is, whom else harbors the qualities of bravery and foolishness? And will they fight for freedom of all kin not just their own?"