As soon as the royal guard left Deathly Delights, turning towards the exit of the village, I ran and flipped the sign swinging in the front door to closed. Panic swelled in my chest, closing tightly around my lungs and making it difficult to breathe.

Why in the Gods' names had I agreed to this? Noxol was only found in the deepest parts of the Ivory Forest. Even if I could get there and return successfully, how was I going to manage to do it on time? If I didn't, now I would lose my life.

I willed my heart to calm, steadying my breaths. Perhaps I didn't need to head into the forest to get the poison. There was an apothecary on the outskirts of the village, so maybe there was a chance they had the poison too? The gold the guard had given me was surely enough to buy it off them.

Chewing the inside of my lip, I shoved the money pouch into the hidden pocket of my skirts and grabbed a scrap of paper alongside a pencil to bring with me. It was worth a try.

Our village was encased in a protective circle of trees, the houses and other buildings settled into a clearing in the middle. We were small compared to the other villages in the Kingdom of Yuris, but we held the most secrets in our blood. I left the quiet street where Deathly Delights resided and turned into the market that formed the centre. Crowds gathered around colourful stalls, each person quarrelling over which goods they needed. Shops sold fresh fish from the Southern Sea that left a pungent smell to drift through the air, crops from another village in the north that the soil in our area couldn't cultivate, we even had jewellery from the kingdom's largest city.

Everyone walked with purpose, knowing exactly what they needed. However, that also made navigating your way through the ocean of bodies difficult.

I pushed my way through the market toward the message board. Various pieces of paper were already pinned to the cork, entailing the requests that some villagers had. Was requesting a rare, dangerous poison on a public message board the smartest plan I had in the world? Not at all. But, if the apothecary didn't have what I was looking for, this was my only hope.

"Morning, Tae!" A high-pitched voice greeted from behind me. The owner of Forsaken Remedies — the village apothecary — peered over my shoulder and glanced at the request I was about to stick into the cork with a spare hairpin. "There's not much of a chance you'll get someone to help you retrieve that on the message board," she continued with a grimace.

"Hey, Mystal." I glanced down at the request and then back up at her entrancing, sapphire eyes. "Are you sure? I really need this for an order." If there was anyone I was comfortable talking about Deathly Delights' true nature with, it was Mystal. We often had supplies the other needed and we learnt to never question what the other was up to.

"You'll need someone willing to risk their life to gather it," she explained with a frown.

"I assume you don't have any then." My smile faltered second by second, the thin strands of my determination slipping away in the light, spring breeze. "My next stop was Forsaken Remedies to check your stock."

"I don't believe we've ever kept that... herb." Mystal changed her wording at the last moment to fend off any prying ears. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently with her clawed fingers. The long talons had each been painted with an azure, floral design.

"Do you have any idea where I could find someone willing to risk their life? I wouldn't mind going by myself, but I don't want to get lost or run into who knows what in the Ivory Forest."

Mystal hummed under her breath as she thought. Turning her head toward the sun to figure out its placement in the sky, she finally had her answer. "You could try the tavern. There should hopefully be a bounty hunter drinking himself to death called Oryal. From what I've heard, he's been there a few times for animal pelts, rare meats and other plants."

"At this hour of the morning?" I tucked away my disbelief, grasping hold of the hope that was adamant on running away from me. "Thank you for your help. Do you know what this Oryal looks like?"

"A grumpy, dark-skinned man with horns is all I've been told," she giggled. "Good luck with your search."

"Before you go," I began, catching her arm as she started to walk deeper into the market. "Have you seen any royal guards sneaking around the village recently? Or do you know what they might be doing here?"

"Royal guards?" Mystal lowered her voice to a mere whisper. "I haven't, but if you've caught the scent of one, don't get involved. Leave that for the Village Elders to deal with. Thank you for the warning."

A nervous laugh escaped from my lips. "I will." It was a little too late for that advice now. Scrunching up the paper in my hand, I turned toward the tavern that sat in a shaded corner of the village. The bounty hunter seemed like my best hope now.

When I pushed the heavy, wooden door open, quiet enveloped me in a warm blanket made from the softest wool. Only a few people remained from the event of the previous night. Tired barmaids wiped down tables, clearing up the spilt drinks that had been left behind. They avoided the drunkards who still slept through their hangovers while others were being brought home by their friends and families. Shattered glass was scattered along the floor around the game tables and I prayed I didn't tread on any stray pieces.

Sat alone in a shadow-swarmed corner of the tavern was a man who matched the description I had been given like a perfectly snug glove. Thick horns stuck out of the side of his head, curling down to frame his face like a prized picture on display. Fighting leathers the shade of crow's feathers hugged his frame, revealing the secrets of the muscle that lay underneath. Strapped to his back was a large, double-sided axe. It was simple in design — the handle wrapped in a worn leather to help the grip — and the gleaming metal reflected the fireflies that were captured in a nearby lantern.

As I peered closer, I realised this wasn't the first time I had seen this man. Occasionally, Oryal would stand opposite Deathly Delights. Sometimes he stared into the nothingness of the space in front of him, waging a battle with his thoughts. Other times, he sharpened his axe with a menacing stare.

I had always been frightened that he was gathering intel to report us to the royal guards, but my parents had assured me he meant no harm.

A barmaid brought him a drink, carrying it on a tray with flawless balance. Cubes of ice floated in the peach liquid, the colour akin to a warm sunset. Once she left, I made my move and approached him.

"Excuse me," I began after clearing my throat. "Are you a bounty hunter, by chance? One called Oryal?"

The horned man pulled his glass away from his lips and turned his attention towards me. His emerald eyes were glazed with surprise. "This better be good if you're interrupting my first drink of the day."

"I need your help tracking something down... and maybe your protection too." My fingers drifted to the seam of the pocket in my dress, mindlessly fiddling with the fabric. Oryal's gaze scorched the skin of my face with the heat of the stove back at Deathly Delights. Any more and it would burn.

"Sounds like a regular job." He tapped his fingers against the glass of his drink, a golden band around one of them knocking against it with every movement. "You know this will cost you, right?"

I reached for the crimson, silk pouch the guard had given me and held it up for him to see. "I have enough, whatever your price is." All around us, the other few people hushed their conversations at the sight of my gold. Schemes ran through their minds amid the silence.

The bounty hunter's eyes narrowed at the sight of the pouch too. "What's the task exactly?"

"I need to get some poison from deep within the Ivory Forest." My breath stilled in my chest, awaiting his response. If he denied this request, I was all out of options. All except entering the enchanted forest myself and risking everything I had — including my life.

"I don't know anything about poisons other than the common ones. From the sound of it, you're not seeking one of those." Oryal brought his drink to his lips in dismissal. He was done with my pleading.

I, on the other hand, wasn't.

Snatching the glass away from the bounty hunter, the mango liquid inside sloshing and spilling onto the ground, I held the drink just out of his reach. "You don't need to know. I know enough for both of us. All I need is your guidance and protection through the forest. This is deeper than I've ever been before."

The last time we had stocked Noxol, my mother had retrieved it all by herself. If only she was here to help me now.

The bounty hunter glared at his spilt drink and then back at me. "I'm not interested." He shot out of his seat to tear his stolen glass out of my grasp, but I was quicker. I stepped back so the tips of his fingers merely grazed the opaque material.

"Please. I'm desperate," my voice wobbled as I spoke, a surge of tears appearing out of nowhere. "I'll do anything — mostly anything — to make it worth your time."

"And if I still say no?" he replied after a deep breath, settling back into his seat.

Before I could respond, a butterfly with shimmering, pink wings fluttered down from the rafters and landed on the back of the chair. It flapped its wings once, twice, before taking off again.

"Then... I'll just have to go by myself. I might get lost and starve, or perhaps I'll run into a magical creature that kills me. My death would be on your hands — an innocent life all because you wanted to drink yourself to oblivion a few mere hours after sunrise."

Oryal rested his elbows on the sticky, booze-soaked table, using his hands to prop up his chin. His brows furrowed, as if considering my proposal, until another barmaid walked past. The bounty hunter motioned his hand to order another drink, but I put a stop to it before he could get any further.

"No. No more drinks until we figure this out."

"I'll join you if there's something in it for me," he answered with a scowl.

"What do you want?" I didn't have the time to stand and guess what his desires could be. I didn't have time to waste.

"I'll take the money and something else."

I raised my brows expectantly, waiting for him to continue, but the words got caught in the bounty hunter's throat. Tangled around his tongue. "And what would that be?"

"Nothing that you need to know about just yet," he dismissed, brushing the matter aside. "Do you agree to those terms?"

"But I don't know what you want in return!"

For all I knew, it could be anything his cold heart could think of. A gruesome favour to help him with one of his future bounties. My whole bakery, sweeping my business out from under my feet as if it were a rotting rug. A dirty deed kept only for the darkest of nights. Anything.

What choice did I have? If I didn't agree, I was dead either way.

"Fine. I accept." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I placed the drink back on the table alongside half of the coins in the pouch. "Don't drink too much because we'll leave as soon as possible. You can have the other share of the money once the journey is complete."

I was really doing this. I was about to head into the centre of the Ivory Forest with the chance that I could never emerge from it again.

"Meet me at Deathly Delights when you're ready."

Chapter Word Count: 2,069
Total Word Count: 4,072