The Chronicles of Onyx: Book 1

Chapter Two

Bright rays of sun spilled onto closed eyes, reluctantly they fluttered open, reliving his light blue gaze. Oldren groaned as he blinked against the intrusive sunlight, the beams piercing his drowsiness like a relentless assailant. In an instant gifting him a sharp pain in his skull. His stout body shifted uncomfortably on the hard, uneven ground beneath him, and he groaned again, this time more loudly.

Struggling against the blinding light, he scanned the surroundings, searching for the others. There he spotted Onyx leaning against a tree, still bound by rope just as he. Her eyes remained closed, with a small stream of blood trickling down from the side of her head to neck. For a heart-stopping moment, he feared the worst. However, after straining his sight for what felt like an eternity, he noticed her chest ever so slightly rising and falling. Like the soft falling of a feather, barely visible to the eye. But alas she was breathing.

Oldren pushed himself up to a sitting position, his head pounding in protest. It felt like he had been run over by a herd of stampeding cattle. Around him, the forest lay silent and still, as if holding its breath. The hooded figures who had ambushed them were nowhere to be seen. However their small group was. Beside Onyx's tree was Rok, slumped over like a limp carrot that had been left out in the hot sun for a day. And there beside Oldren, was Jade, laid over on his side as if carelessly tossed aside.

"He's just a boy, he shouldn't be any part of this" Oldren thought guiltily, he remembered himself being a seasoned warrior by that age. But he also wasn't a fragile elf ether, unlike young jade, he was full blooded dwarf. Stronger than stone itself.

With a low groan, Oldren began to shift his weight, intending to sit up and assess their situation further. His body ached, and he could feel the stiffness in his limbs as he moved. It was as if he had been asleep for an eternity. He then turned his attention to Onyx, who remained slumped against the tree.

The sight of the trickle of blood concerned him, but as he took a closer look, he realized it was a minor wound. Likely a result of a blow to the head.

"Aye, lass! Wake up!", Oldren's gruff voice cut through as he called out, however in doing so, he tried to keep his voice from unwanted, prying ears. Though he assumed they were watching from afar waiting for an attempt to escape.

Onyx stirred at Oldren's call, her golden eyes fluttering open. She winced, her bound hands instinctively reaching for the side of her head where the blood had trickled down. Her gaze met Oldren's, and a flicker of relief crossed her face upon seeing him.

Oldren sighed with a mix of relief and frustration. "Ye all right, lass?" he asked, trying to sound more gruff and annoyed than concerned.

Onyx managed a weak nod, though the pain in her head was evident in the slight grimace. "I'll be fine," she muttered through gritted teeth, her determination not to appear weak remained more prominent than her pain.

Oldren couldn't help but crack a slight grin. "That's the spirit," he muttered, though it was clear he was somewhat impressed by Onyx's resilience.

He turned his attention to the others. Rok still hadn't stirred, and even though he and the Orc Half-breed weren't known to get well along, it worried him.

"Rok!" Oldren called out, his voice louder this time, not bothering to hide his gruffness. In response Rok slowly stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing his dark brown eyes. He groaned softly, "Ugh... what happened?" he asked, only to receive no answer.

Jade, on the other hand, popped awake quickly at Oldren's call for Rok, "I'm awake, I'm awake!" he sat up effortlessly, his young bones allowing him without hesitation. Jade's green eyes held a confused glare, "Yeah, what happened?" he too asked.

Oldren couldn't help but give Rok and the young elf a sharp, irritated glare. "What happened, what happened?" he mocked, "We wandered into trouble, that's what happened."

Jade blinked at Oldren's gruff response. "Well, aren't you just a bundle of sunshine in the morning?" he quipped, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. The young elf had a knack for finding humor in even the direst situations, a quality that often grated on the dwarf's nerves.

Rok groaned and slowly pushed himself up, rubbing his temples, as though trying to massage away the remnants of his own headache. He squinted at the forest around them, as if his memory was slowly returning to him. "I remember hooded figures," he muttered, his voice rough from disorientation.

"Oh, right. Those hooded guys," Jade exclaimed as he nodded towards the woods, and the not-so distant sound of movement.