The unbloomed flower swayed in an illusive breeze, magic rippling from the petals. Amongst the alluring enchantment that tugged me toward it, beckoning with the poison it held within it, a thought pierced through the tranquillity — something wasn't right.

We hadn't been walking for too long, so we couldn't be at the centre of the Ivory Forest already. We were only a day into the journey when it usually took my mother several to reach the spot where Noxol grew. Unless it had grown out from the middle which would explain why there was only one bloom.

"That's it." I could hear the uncertainty in my voice. Where was the trouble people warned about the forest dealing out? Even if my mother never had earned a place on the forest's bad side, this still seemed too easy.

When I reached into my bag, searching for my protective gloves and the enchanted jars to put the petals in, I didn't notice Oryal kneel in front of the flower to pry the petals open and see what was inside.

"You idiot!" I rushed over to his side, pushing him away from the Noxol. "That's poison! Don't touch it!"

The bounty hunter backed away, holding his hands out before him with furrowed brows. "I wasn't thinking." His eyes were cast over with a thin layer of white magic but it vanished when he blinked it away. "I remember you telling me the poison is in the petals, so why did I do that? Something isn't right here."

I assessed his palms and fingers, looking for any sign of the poison setting in. He didn't appear to have touched it for long enough for it to take hold, but you could never be sure. Noxol was dangerous for a plethora of reasons. While it did the most damage after being consumed, it was also known to seep into the skin if it wasn't handled properly.

"Agreed. Everything feels off." It was like a misty haze had settled over the area like a fog, only it clouded our judgement instead of the world around us.

Pulling on my gloves and making sure they covered the majority of my forearm, I twisted open the jar and knelt next to the flower. With a deep breath, I carefully opened the petals to evaluate the inside.

Shimmers of tall, gold and silver stamen caught my attention. Their anthers were shaped like hearts — some were whole while others were torn, ripped apart from anguish. The petals were so large that only a few surrounded the centre, another reason why Noxol was so rare and valuable.

I gently tugged on one and pulled it free from its home. However, before I could place it inside the jar, it crumbled into dark, thick dust. It coated my dress, leaving stains as if it were powdered charcoal. What was wrong with it? Was it because it hadn't fully bloomed?

I stood to brush the remains of the petal off me but when I looked back down at my skirt, the evidence of its crimes were gone. The petal was back on the flower as if it had never been stolen in the first place.

"You saw that, right?" I turned to Oryal whose eyes darted between me and the Noxol. "I'm not going crazy, am I?"

"I did. It has to be the forest playing tricks on us already. We should keep moving and hope that this is all it will toy us with," he suggested.

I nodded, packing up my belongings again. I knew something was wrong from the moment my eyes found the Noxol and I hadn't gotten my hopes up for that very reason. Would we even be able to tell what poison was real when we did find where it grew?

"From everything I was imagining the forest could do, this deception was never something that crossed my mind. It seems harmless in comparison to the terrifying monsters and haunting nightmares I thought it would scare us with." There was a strange comfort in the faux Noxol.

Oryal winced as he watched the trees we passed. "Don't say that too loudly. It might hear you and conjure something worse."

"It would do that?" My eyes widened and the relief I felt was swiped away.

"Of course it would," he confirmed. "Ancient magic loves to play. The Ivory Forest likes to experiment with ways to trick its visitors — the price to pay for wandering so far inside."

"This would have been nice to know beforehand." Did it only pick up on what we said aloud? Or could the Ivory Forest get inside our minds too? Dread weaved around my chest at what we might face further into the trees.

"Speaking of things that would be nice to know, how do you feel about telling me what the mystery condition for your help would be?" I batted my eyes innocently, needing an escape from the terrors we could face in a day or mere hours.

Oryal laughed. "I don't feel any differently than I did before." He smiled as if this was his own slice of victory he held over me. I did not doubt that he either had no clue what his term would be, or he was simply teasing me.

Instead of the remark I was about to respond with, Oryal scratching his hands distracted me. "Stop." I walked in front of the bounty hunter and pulled his hands toward me so I could analyse what was happening. His palms were rough and white bumps appeared across his dark skin, the new rash spreading up his arms.

"Even if the Noxol wasn't real, it was still poisonous." I let go of him in case it transferred to me too. "Don't touch any part of your body and stop scratching it. You'll make it worse," I commanded.

"It starts as a rash?" he questioned, studying the sores that were beginning to swell. "I thought it was meant to be ingested which is why you put it in the confectionery you make."

I ignored him, panic flaring through me like a forgotten spell summoning every bad thought it could reach. What did I do? I crouched on the ground and searched my bag for the antidote I brought with me. However, it was only a small amount. Noxol was also dangerous because its antidote was as just as rare as the poison itself. It didn't even grow in the Kingdom of Yuris. Its only known home was overseas in a collection of deserted islands. Not even Mystal — the owner of the Forsaken Remedies apothecary — was able to get her hands on it.

Pulling out my flask and unscrewing the top, I poured water over Oryal's hands. "Shake some of the water off."

He did as I ordered, waving his hands into the surrounding foliage to get rid of any stray drops. "What are you doing? Is the water going to help?" Although a dangerous poison was starting to seep into his skin, he didn't seem to be panicking. Oryal's voice was calm and steady, and no part of his body trembled. A deep, purple butterfly had landed on his horns, but I couldn't tell which emotion that colour represented.

"I'm trying to wash as much of the poison off as I can before putting the antidote on." I found the small bottle that I was looking for and quickly rushed back to the bounty hunter's side. The glass was enchanted to stop it from breaking or opening by accident. It was an expensive investment, but it was worth it to keep the orange liquid with flecks of red floating inside safe.

Moving his hands into a cupping position, I let the antidote flow from the rashes into the ridges of his palms. With the smallest sliver that remained, I poured it over my own hands in case some of the Noxol had transferred to me while touching him.

"Rub it into your hands." I sighed in relief when he did so, the antidote drying into his skin. My heart still hammered in my chest. "Are you okay? Do you feel abnormally hot or cold? Do you feel unsteady at all? Can you taste any blood?"

"I feel fine," he replied with a shake of his head. It was infuriating how composed he was.

"How are you not panicking?" I questioned as I sat on the ground. "Is frightening calm another secret power of yours?" What was I meant to do if the antidote didn't work? I didn't bring anything else with me and we were over a day's journey from the village. Even if he had only touched the Noxol briefly, he wouldn't make it.

"I wish." Oryal chuckled. "I was a little worried at first, but I'm with you. You know your poisons and so I trust you."

"You trust me more than I trust myself. Poisons aren't something you can mess up and get a second chance with."

"Even so, I've seen the work you do in Deathly Delights and you're skilled at what you do. It's not something you should just dismiss." A hint of a smile fought its way onto his lips.

"Oh?" A blush warmed my face at the compliments he handed out, but I was also confused. "Have you been watching me?" He stood outside of the bakery a lot, but had he really been observing me while I was working?

"I've seen the customers you have and I've heard them talk about your services, that's all." Oryal cleared his throat and looked at the ground. A pink butterfly scared away the violet one, quickly replacing it. "How long should the antidote take to work?" He switched the subject with the hope of me forgetting what he said.

"It should be more or less instant from what I know, but I've never seen it used in person before. Is it still itchy?"

Oryal clenched and unclenched his hands. "No." The white marks of the rash were still there but the red swelling was already going down. It had to be working.

"If it does or you start to feel unwell, even if it's just a headache or a sore throat, let me know. This is your life on the line." I couldn't see any rashes on my own skin either, so that was a good sign.

Collecting all of my belongings that I had scattered on the ground while searching for the antidote, I made sure I still had everything I brought. If this were any other situation, I would have ordered him back to the village to talk to Mystal just to be checked over, but we didn't have time for that. I needed to get my hands on the real Nocol or my life would pay the price.

"Are you ready to continue?" Oryal asked as I slung my bag over my shoulder.

"I should be asking you that question." At least I would have something to distract me from fearing what lurked around the corner. Now, I would be keeping a constant eye on the bounty hunter to make sure there wasn't a sudden change in his health.

"I'm fine. I have a feeling we're not too far away from the centre. We should reach it by the end of the day." He checked to make sure his axe was still secured in its holsters, the rose butterfly fluttering away when his fingers touched the sharp metal.

I gave him a quick nod in response. "Let's get some Noxol and get out of here."

Chapter Word Count: 1,913
Total Word Count: 14,683