The Chronicles of Onyx: Book 1

Chapter Six

Fire light danced upon Onyx's face, casting a warm glow that somehow made her more radiant than before. They found themselves in the great hall, or at least that was what Dezenym referred to it as. It was much like a Viking longhouse, filled with long wooden tables, their wood surfaces polished smooth with age and use. The walls were adorned with hanging shields and swords, as well as furs. At the far end of the great hall sat a throne, an antler throne. One that consisted of elk antlers, the points curving up on the back rest, making the throne resemble that of his crown. Behind the throne hung a beautifully painted portrait of the Raven Queen, Onyx's mother.

At the hall's center was the fire pit, longer than two men stretched out. The aroma of the burning wood filled the hall, however, surprisingly there was no smoke to choke on. Instead the air was filled with the sweet aroma of pinesap, likely caused from the burning candles arranged in the center of the wood tables.

"Please sit, there is much to discuss" Dezenym said as he gestured to one of the long tables near the fire pit. He took his seat at the table head, sitting down with a dominant yet uneasy manner.

The group settled around the long table, each of them taking a seat. Onyx took the seat closest to her father, her golden eyes watching him closely. Even though she felt joyful to see her father, a small portion of her told her not to trust him too quickly. A tinge of guilt followed that small degree of doubt, but she couldn't allow herself to be too gullible. She remembered Roks words, "Every time you take a risk, you put both of us in danger, you risk dragging me down with you.", and at this moment they echoed in her mind. She couldn't let go of the feeling of danger, "What if this is a trap? What if he has intentions of his own? I don't know him, nor whose side he is on, I should not trust him too easily—even if he is my father."

Rok took a seat beside Onyx, his dark brown eyes scanning the room with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. It seemed he, too, felt uneasy. "If they get hurt it is on me, I led them here—they trusted me, I need to follow my gut and put aside my heart for now."

Jade too settled into a seat with a grin, looking around the hall with fascination. "This place is incredible," he commented, his youthful enthusiasm shining through his words. "I've never seen anything like it."

Oldren, ever the cautious dwarf, took a seat with a skeptical glance around the hall. He remained silent for the most part, his eyes constantly shifting, assessing the room and its occupants. But his gaze seemed to fall on a hanging axe, and simply stayed there.

Dezenym watched them all with a mixture of curiosity and assessment. His golden eyes seemed to bore into each of them in turn, as if trying to discern their true intentions. It seemed as though each side was suspicious of one another. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, his voice deep and commanding.

"I know you all must have many questions, however I can't promise that my answers will be pleasing" he began, his gaze focused on Onyx. "You don't have to hide your emotions, I know you have questions, many questions," he looked at her with a guilty expression, as if preparing for the wrath of Hell itself.

She had waited so long for this moment, and now that it was here, she found herself torn between the joy of seeing her father again and the doubts that gnawed at the edges of her mind. Not to mention the subtle feeling of anger.

"I do have many questions," she admitted, her voice steady and calm, "push for answers make it clear to him that I am not weak by any means". "But let's start with the most obvious one. How did you know we were here?"

He took a deep breath almost as though he was preparing himself for an entire speech, "Demeter slaughtered direwolves one pack at a time, she and her ravenous armies spread like a pledge killing off the Direwolves. It wasn't long before she and her Orcs came and killed countless wolves from our pack, I had the remaining to go into hiding, disappear from Khanka." his golden eyes grew dim for a moment, "At first we hid among the mortals, but they were just as corrupted as her kingdom, killing each other over the smallest of matters, so we ran here—to the great forest of Druzatria, vast and remote the closest thing to freedom there is. But as you know it comes with a cost, so we have to keep our senses keen, and become prepared for an attack. But no one has ventured here—until you." he finished with a kind smile, his golden eyes sparkling with a kind fatherly glow.

However Onyx's thirst for answers was far from quenched, "So if you knew the pack was safe, why didn't you ever come find me? You said that you tore Druzatria apart looking for me, you never thought to search where the monster that killed mother resided?"

Dezenym's expression softened, and he let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know how Demeter hid you so well, but she must have had a strong masking spell on you. I did everything I could to find you but you remind invisible to my sense"

"The cuffs," Rok's voice filled the air, until now he had remained silent, just standing back and watching, like Oldren often did—with everything.

Dezenym looked over at Rok, aconfused look taking over his features, "What, cuffs?"