4. Onora
Chapter 4
Onora
O nora slept like shit that night. She told herself it was from traveling, from being in a new place, maybe even because Dryston was somewhere in the building, and only because he was a threat to her.
Obviously.
But the horrifying dream she woke from was more likely the cause. Dryston’s lips on hers, his hands exploring her body—and worst of all, her enjoying it. She woke with a start, her shadows dancing around her playfully, but not engulfing the room, and she stumbled out of bed.
It was early, but she could still hear the faint murmuring of patrons in the dining hall below, and the smell of cooked bacon hit her nose and made her stomach rumble. She hastily got ready for the day, running through her head what she needed to do.
The others were on duty following Dryston today and she would be seeing what she could get from the locals about him, while familiarizing herself better with Orc Haven. She’d been here a few other times, usually years apart, and she had stayed at this inn each time, coming in late and leaving early.
Outside of her official business, she had another personal one. She’d heard that the elf that had traveled with them to Evolis, Vasu, was in town.
She grabbed her daggers, placing them on the different parts of her body, only a couple in plain view, then stepped out of her room, going to the dining hall, signaling to the female orc, Aife, for food. In a moment she brought coffee and sausages with potatoes to the table and she thanked her generously, as Jackson and the rest of her squad came down and joined her.
“It’s good to be all back together and on a mission,” Avery commented, smiling and thanking Jorah as he brought a pitcher of water and glasses for them.
His eyes scanned them, friendly but observant, keeping as much watch as she was on Dryston. She understood it, though. A group of Hunters posting up in Orc Haven wouldn’t be suspicious if it weren’t for the continued and persistent demonic presence of the last year in the town.
The Hunters’ presence no doubt felt pointed.
Onora supposed it was.
They’d been told to not come in as aggressive, but they didn’t have to hide the fact completely that they were here for the demons. Though they would deny it if asked, of course.
She hated the politics of it, even if she understood how tenuous the alliances were and how easily lines could be drawn, causing a major conflict. One that would most likely end poorly for humans, worst of all. They were weaker not only in magic but in physical size and strength, and the humans of Nemus had never fully recovered from the losses caused by the Cruel Lord.
“I’m just glad to see Onora outside her room for once,” Jin commented, receiving a glare from Andrea. He shrugged, giving Onora a sheepish look.
“I’m glad to be out and about again. With my squad, especially,” she said.
Jackson squeezed her hand affectionately, and she ducked her head and kept eating, never certain how to respond to their care. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and she involuntarily shivered in disgust, even before she saw who it was. Brayden sat in the seat next to her, also waving Aife down, but something in his manner made her teeth grit. The way it felt like a demand, as if he were so far above the orc.
“I’m also glad you’re out and about, Onora,” he said. “I’m actually shocked you insisted on coming on this trip at all. Everyone would have understood if you decided to stay home.”
Jackson gave them a keen look over his steaming hot coffee, never quite missing the intricacies of any interactions. She and Brayden had been in an on-again, off-again relationship since she started at the academy. He was four years older than her, and he’d treated her as an equal, sparring with her and not holding back like others did. She’d fallen for him, but that was ages ago. Before he broke up with her over and over again, always, suspiciously, after she received accolades that cemented her once again as a real contender to take over guild leadership when the chief retired.
She’d caught on to the pattern quick enough, recognizing the oozing, aching blood of an always wounded ego. Still, she’d taken him back every time. Why? Well ... she took a gulp of coffee to dislodge the tightness that was now in her throat from annoyance.
Sometimes life was lonely, and a body in the bed was better than nothing.
She could never decide if she’d volunteered to be a ranger in the elven lands to avoid him, or because the mountains had always called to her with an eerie beckoning that made her soul ache. Looking at maps had always filled her with a nostalgic longing for them, long before she’d ever seen them. Either way, it felt the same. That hollowness only ever abated by momentary bliss. As if there was something in her always searching and never quite finding it.
“I needed the fresh air,” Onora replied.
Onora knew something in her had broken all those years ago. Looking around the table, she knew it was the same for the others there, too. Except Jackson.
Onora had held on to her honor and integrity. Jackson had clung to love and goodness and never let it go. There was a light and joy in his eyes that, when he laughed, made her feel whole again.
“Don’t cry,” Amherst had said the night he found her. “When you cry, they win.”
Amherst had taken her and Jackson in when they rode to the guild in Venatu, practically falling off their horses in exhaustion. He’d raised her and trained her, honing her fear and hatred into a blade sharper than any made of steel.
“Leave her be,” Andrea said. “Onora has more important things to do than deal with your bullshit, Brayden.”
“Like what? Write love letters to the demon lord?” He snickered.
Onora stiffened as a look of disgust washed over Andrea’s face. “Onora would never be brought under a demon’s thrall.”
Andrea had a similar background to Onora, but from another village. She was a bit older and had experienced horrors Onora had narrowly escaped. The demons had always talked of the thrall, how they used their magic to seduce others into believing they were in love and doing as they pleased. Andrea had seen others come under it, but she’d only ever pretended to be caught in it as well. She believed certain people couldn’t be swayed, no matter how strong the enchantment was.
Brayden laughed. “I’m teasing. I know Onora wouldn’t be. She wouldn’t even be caught in love with a human.”
“Just you,” Onora retorted, taking a bite of bread as Andrea and Jackson chuckled.
“Stop bickering,” Avery said.
If there was one thing about the Hunters, it was that they understood each other. Mostly, that is.
Brayden had been raised in Venatu by a wealthy family. He had a younger brother who was sensitive and kind, but Brayden had been trained early to be a knight, and when the demon occupation happened, he quickly switched to being a Hunter. And he was an excellent one, matched only by Onora in skill. He hated demons as much as any other Hunter, but he never could quite understand what the rest of them had been through.
Jackson lowered his voice, leaning into the table as the others followed suit. As humans, their hearing wasn’t nearly as good as the other magical beings of the world, so they’d learned to keep quieter around others. “Avery, did you find anything about the demons?”
Avery and Jin had been sent into town the night before to ask around about Dryston and any other demons in the area.
Avery shook his head. “Not much. People clammed up fast when we started asking about them. But it seems many of the demons have vacated. The one with the human ... What’s his name?”
“Kaemon,” Onora replied quickly. Everyone gave her a sharp look, and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
She’d isolated herself because of the abilities she had now, but also because she didn’t know what to do with her experiences with the demons. Kaemon wasn’t someone she had ever felt threatened by. As a matter of fact, if she were in danger and had to run to Brayden or Kaemon for help ...
“Kaemon Erebus,” Avery said, clearing his throat and moving on. “Well, it seems the woman had the baby, and they took them and most of the demon warriors back home.”
“That’s still good news. I’ve only seen the three, so that may be all that’s left,” Jackson responded. “Curious that there aren’t more.”
They continued talking, quietly and in more coded language. It was still early, but many of the patrons were filling into the tavern. A small goblin woman in stylish clothes came to the front and gave baked goods to Aife, orc mercenaries sat at another table, eating in silence, geared up for their next mission. Dryston came down, hair damp and face fresh—that godsdamned jawline cut like marble by a divine hand. She didn’t realize she was staring until he turned her way, giving her a slow perusal up and down, then flashing her a smile, making her heart do this infuriatingly silly flip-flopping thing. She turned back to her group, all of them looking hastily away from her, clearly having seen the interaction.
Great.
Wonderful.
Exactly what she needed.
She stood, placing coins for the food and a tip on the table. “I’m going to explore the town and ask around in a way that won’t make the residents clam up.”
She gave a pointed look at Avery, who threw his hands up. “How was I to know people would be loyal to demons here?”
How? Perhaps because she’d told them all that the Erebus family was well respected in the orc and elf lands. She shook her head, and walked out, only getting outside the tavern before Jackson jogged up alongside her.
“Avery is old school,” he said, shrugging.
“Is it that, or is it that they don’t listen to my experience with the demons because they think I’ve been enchanted to be in love with Lord Dryston?” She spat the last words like they were poison.
“It’s hard for them to not be concerned about you, but that’s all it is.” He gave her a pleading look and she acquiesced. She hoped that’s all it was.
“I have a rapport with Lord Dryston, even if it’s slightly hostile,” she said. “I want to leverage that so I can trail him, but it’s hard when everyone looks at me like I’m committing a crime.”
“I know. I’ll have a talk with them.”
“What good is a talk? I need them to believe that I wouldn’t compromise my integrity for this.”
Jackson nodded, squeezing her shoulder. “I know. And I think everyone knows it more than you think they do. Give it a bit of time. And trail Lord Dryston as much as you need. I won’t let the others get in the way.”
The day wore on, with her spending most of it just getting to know some of the key players in Orc Haven. Onora had never been known for her charm, but she knew how to make people feel comfortable around her, and that’s all she needed. She spent most of her time asking about Vasu, his role in Orc Haven, and where to find him. Many didn’t recognize the name, but finally she found out that he’d set up an apothecary shop at the end of town, offering lessons on magic control for the locals.
She wandered through the streets, finally coming to the small building that was tucked between a stationery shop and a specialty items store, and ducked in.
Vasu sat behind a desk, head buried in a book, his topknot coming loose but still looking stylish as a few jet-black strands fell against his ochre-brown forehead. “Welcome in! I’ll be with you in a moment!” he called out, not looking up as an enchanted quill furiously scribbled down notes on parchment next to him, his right hand twisting and flicking here and there to control it.
She came up, leaning against the desk and peeking over to see what he was reading. It was in a language she couldn’t understand. He glanced up for a second, then back, then to her again, halting his writing and reading, a grin bursting across his face as he exclaimed, “Onora!”
“Hi, Vasu. What are you working on?” She dipped her head at the scroll.
He held up his notes, all in the common tongue. “I’m translating a fascinating scroll I found in Evolis. I’ll be sending it to Avenay to match up with what she’s found as well.”
On the scroll it said: SPELL OF REANIMATION.
“Umm . . . is that . . . ?”
They had seen many strange things in Evolis and the surrounding woods. The dead turned to creatures of violence and desperation. An entire city frozen in time, never aging, but bound inside the city walls. The magic had been powerful and terrible.
Vasu sighed. “We think it may be. We’re following a trail Avenay uncovered a few months ago with the history of witches in Evolis.”
“I’m shocked you left the city. I thought you and Avenay would be there for the next twenty years—at least—uncovering all the history.”
Vasu chuckled. “Well, I felt that way too, but at some point, you have to get back into the world. And I’ve heard of the humans and other races having difficulty with controlling magic, so after helping with Melina’s birth, I decided to stay here and offer my knowledge. Orc Haven is central in Nemus and safe for all to get here.”
Vasu gave her a curious look, a question there. Was she here on official guild business? Or something more personal?
She cleared her throat. “Well then, I came to the right place. I’ve been having issues with magic myself.”
“Interesting. Describe it to me.”
She told him about waking up in total darkness, of shadows dancing out of her even though she was nowhere near a demon or anyone with those abilities, and how sometimes lightning arced and splintered the darkness.
“How long has this been happening? Did it start while we traveled with the demons?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, but it’s become more intense since the well was opened. Can you keep a secret for me, Vasu? Don’t tell anyone, not even Avenay?”
Vasu nodded, suddenly serious as concern crinkled around his eyes.
Onora swallowed, then pulled back her sleeve, showing him the tattoos. His brows lifted as he leaned forward to examine it better. “These were burned on my skin the moment the well opened. I don’t know why or how.”
Vasu ran a finger along the black swirls. “It’s magical, that’s for certain, and very detailed. It looks demonic.”
Onora drew in a shaky breath. “That’s what I thought as well.”
“You were with Enid when it happened? Right?”
“Yes. She was performing the demonic rite by herself. Her power left her, and when it returned, the well was opened and these tattoos were on my arms and torso.”
Vasu chewed his lip. “I will keep this a secret, Onora. But I’m sure Dryston could help you make better sense of it than I can. The demonic rites are sacred and mysterious rituals. Few outside of demons know about them and rarely are they talked about in detail. So much so that I only know it’s a miracle Enid was able to survive doing it herself.”
She groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
Vasu chuckled. “I see neither of you are friendlier now than when I last left you? Well, in the meantime, I can teach you a few tricks to control your powers, if you want.”
She nodded. “That would be amazing.”