Chapter Forty-Five
The Unmarked: Book One
Table of Contents:
[Prologue] [Ch.1] [Ch.2] [Ch.3] [Ch.4] [Ch.5] [Ch.6] [Ch.7] [Ch.8] [Ch.9] [Ch.10] [Ch.11] [Ch.12] [Ch.13] [Ch.14] [Ch.15] [Ch.16] [Ch.17] [Ch.18] [Ch.19] [Ch.20] [Ch. 21] [Ch.22] [Ch.23] [Ch.24] [Ch.25] [Ch.26] [Ch.27] [Ch.28] [Ch.29] [Ch.30] [Ch.31] [Ch.32] [Ch.33] [Ch.34] [Ch.35] [Ch.36] [Ch.36] [Ch.37] [Ch.38] [Ch.39] [Ch.40] [Ch.41] [Ch.42] [Ch.43] [Ch.44]
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Chapter Soundtrack:
Dawn.
Strangely, it was lighter in the Woods than it had been outside. The sky was the same, sandy, yellowish cast that it had always been since her first time in the Shadow Realm. The light of her lantern was useless now, but she let the flame burn, just in case she encountered darkness. Gulping down the knot of fear that threatened to spill out of her, Dawn began walk.
She had no idea what the plan was, frankly. She didn’t know how she was going to find the Bookkeeper. She clutched the satchel with the books close to herself, and took small, hurried steps. She felt she was being watched, though she could not make out anything hiding in the foliage.
Dawn had no idea where she was in the Woods. She didn’t understand how the Realm worked, nor how to navigate through it. She kept walking at a steady pace, all the while trying to control her breathing. She was alert for any hint of movement, though there was nothing. The silence surrounding her was practically deafening. It was the same stifling quiet one would experience hiding under a heap of blankets.
“Bookkeeper?” she called out in a voice smaller than she had hoped.
“It’s Dawn”.
Silence.
The longer the silence stretched, the more her fear grew. She felt the tendrils of terror snake their way down her spine, across her chest, around her throat...tightening their grip on her until the fear of the fear itself paralyzed her, numbed her senses, strangled her...
A light scratching sound across the forest floor broke Dawn out of her trance of terror. She frantically searched her surroundings to find the source of the sound. Had she been spotted by an enemy? Was this the end?
Her eyes darted this way and that, until her gaze fixated on a small shadow scurrying across the dead foliage.
Dawn cringed with disgust. It was a rat.
The rodent stopped a foot away from her and reared itself on its hind legs. It looked up at her and cocked its head to the side.
Shock mingled with horror overtook Dawn when she realized the animal didn’t have a face. It’s head was in the shape of a rat’s but there were no eyes. She still felt as though it were looking right at her.
Dawn a small, wispy voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere.
Dawn stood frozen in fear.
This is not the Bookkeeper’s jurisdiction. The voice continued. If you are spotted, you will be taken by the Keeper of this principality to be done with however he pleases, for as long as he pleases. You must follow me, quickly.
Then the rat spun around and dashed off.
Wide eyed, Dawn wondered if she had imagined the whole thing, and if it had really been the rat behind the voice, or a very strange coincidence.
Was she really going to run after a supposedly talking rat through the Rayless Woods based on an assumption?
The rat stopped and spun around again to face her. Quickly! The voice pleaded. They come!
Then the rat dashed off again.
It was enough to convince Dawn.
She ran like a madwoman, just like she had that first night in the woods, when the shadow wolves had been after her. She didn’t know what new horror was chasing her, or who the Keeper of this jurisdiction was, and what he would do to her if he found her, but she was not going to find out.
Soon her lungs burned and her legs ached but she continued running, fueled by the fact that once she found the Bookkeeper, she would be given immunity. She would no longer have to risk her life when entering the Rayless Woods. She would have Power.
We are here the voice said as the rat slowed to a stop. Dawn bent over and rested her hands on her knees and gasped for air. Once she had somewhat caught her breath, she looked around. They were standing in the middle of the woods. Nothing had changed. The trees were of the same dry, grey, leafless appearance as they had been when she’d entered the forest. As she was about to question what “here” was, the rat began scratching at the ground. Dawn soon heard what sounded like claws scarping against wood. She bent over and quickly began to brush away dead leaved. Buried beneath the foliage were two, rusty, iron handles.
Pull them open! The voice commanded and Dawn obeyed. Goosebumps crawled along her arms as she stared down a stone stairwell that led into a thick darkness.
Quickly the voice urged.
Dawn’s eyes shot open. Going down that stairwell would have been creepy back in the Physical Realm, but in the Rayless Woods…Dawn was about to object, but the rat had already begun to descend, or, to better put it, disappear down the stairwell; its shadowy figure blending with the darkness below.
Not giving herself the time to come up with horrible scenarios about what lurked under the ground, Dawn gathered what little courage she had left and made her way toward the steps.
Shut the doors.
Dawn took one last peek to make sure nothing was following them, and pulled the door overhead closed. She expected to be plunged into a dark abyss, but instead her surroundings were illuminated by a greenish glow all around. She saw the steps ahead of her, and she saw the outline of the rat. She followed the rat and counted down every step she took to steady her racing, frightened, mind.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Dawn was looking down a long, stony corridor from which torches hung on the walls from either side. Her nose was filled with a musky scent, like the smell of old wood and damp earth. She followed the rat. Her heart pounded, and she tried to steady her breathing, trying not to think about how this could be a trap of some sort. Eventually they walked into an opening. Ahead of her, the corridor split into five identical ones. The rat stopped there. Was it trying to figure out what to do next?
“What’s happening?” she whispered.
We’re waiting. The voice whispered back. For the Bookkeeper.
Dawn nodded, even though the rat wasn’t looking at her. Or facing her. It didn’t really have eyes to see.
The silence was deafening. After only a few minutes (or however time passed in the Shadow Realm), Dawn couldn’t take it anymore.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
In response, the creature stiffened. “In whose authority do you ask?” it demanded. The sudden harshness in its tone caught her off guard. She furrowed her brows.
“My own?” she said in a small voice.
The animal seemed to relax. You may call me whatever you please.
Dawn swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why won’t you tell me your real name?” she pressed.
Because… it said slowly, my name is not your business to know.
She raised a brow. “Why not?”
Names of old hold meaning. They aren’t merely labels to identify and differentiate as they are used now. To know a being’s name is to know the very essence of who they are. I do not want you to know my essence.
“Names are still meaningful today. People’s names are tied to nature. So that even when they pass on to the afterlife, they will be remembered and their spirit will live on”.
She thought she heard a chuckle.
The room fell silent again. Dawn hugged herself, trying to ignore the lack of sound by busying herself with trying to come up with a good name for the Rat.
Shadow?
Midnight?
Ratface?
Footsteps.
Dawn was yanked out of her musings. Footsteps echoed down one of the halls, but she couldn’t guess which one.
In the once deathly silent halls, the sound of footsteps felt all-consuming. Dawn trembled, and she felt sweat trickle down her back. She hated being down here. What kind of madwoman ventured into the Rayless Woods, underground? Her instincts screamed at her to run. But her rationale convinced her that she’d be doomed wandering the Forests on her own.
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From the furthest corridor on the left, a figure immerged out of the darkness; cloaked in grey. Dawn forced herself to remain steady.
It was the Bookkeeper.
“You have brought the Text” he said. Dawn wasn’t sure if it was a question or an acknowledgement.
“Yes” she said, embarrassed by how small her voice sounded. She cleared her throat. “I have the Text” she said more firmly.
The Bookkeeper nodded once. “Follow me” he said as he walked toward the hallway he had come from.
They walked down the dim, gloomy corridor until they made it to an entrance with two big wooden doors. Dawn was awfully reminded of the secret library beneath the Athenaeum and wondered if these underground tunnels were somehow all part of the same structure. The Bookkeeper pushed the doors open with a long creaaaaak and walked inside, not bothering to see if Dawn was following.
Dawn walked through the doors and into what looked like a small library. The walls were adorned with books from top to bottom, and there was a wooden desk that sat at the center of the room. The desk was old and worn, as if it had sat there discarded for decades.
However, the pot of ink and stack of papers implied that this desk was still being used. In the middle of it, a fresh scroll lay unrolled. Dawn assumed it was a fresh scroll because there were only a few lines of writings on it. What did Keepers have to write about? She wondered. Her nervousness began to dissipate, and she was suddenly filled with awe and curiosity.
Did the creatures of this Realm know about the world before Tariah’s rule? The Dark Ages were described as the chaotic centuries of corrupt governance over the continent. The New World had begun 653 years ago when Tariah vanquished the ancient rulers and created Erom. History was recorded a little more than half a millennium ago. The world before Tariah had been dark, chaotic and void of beauty. There was nothing worth preserving… but Dawn couldn’t help but wonder if there were remnants of the times before Tariah here: in the Shadow Realm.
What secrets were kept from that corrupt and evil world?
Just how far did time stretch out?
“I sense your curiosity” The Bookkeeper whispered. “It is a good thing”.
“Yes” Dawn replied. “I want to know about the world before Tariah”.
“Mmmm” the Bookkeeper said. “Serve the Shadow Realm in our goal of forging a better future, and we will serve you by showing you a rich past”.
Dawn nodded eagerly.
“Not many are capable of handling the secrets of this world, but few are. Like you, Dawn”.
“I want to know” Dawn whispered.
“And you will. In due time, child. Now, show me the Book” he said to her, almost hungrily. It was the most emotion she had ever sensed from the Keeper.
Dawn fumbled in her satchel and pulled out the text. She handed it to the Bookkeeper. He hesitated, before taking hold of it, as if he hadn’t quite believed her until that moment.
Slowly, he pulled the book from her hands. He held it, staring. A spindly hand crawled from out of his cloak. It was grey and withered, like a dried-out branch. He brushed his gnarled fingers over it.
“You found it” he said in a quiet whisper. “Where did you find it?”
“I…” her throat suddenly felt dry, and her chest tight. She pushed past the discomfort. “I got it from Jeziah”.
The Bookkeeper’s hooded head snapped up. “You found Jeziah?”
Dawn’s eyes widened and her shoulders stiffened. “Yes” she answered steadily, feeling like she was suddenly in trouble. “Well, he found me”.
“Where?” The Keeper practically screeched.
“I don’t know. I came into the Mountains, from Torrem, through an unknown passage. I think I got lost. Jeziah found me. He brought me to his home. When I asked where we were, he said his land wasn’t on any known map”.
The Bookkeeper slowly drummed his fingers across the book. All his movements were slow and graceful, as if he were a piece of cloth floating beneath water.
“How long ago was this?”
“About five days ago”.
“Mmmm” the Bookkeeper said. “You have done very well”. He went to set the Book of Books on his study.
“Does that mean the Book of Epathi now belongs to me?” she asked, despite her nerves.
The Bookkeeper turned toward her in his slow manner. “We had an agreement, hadn’t we?”
“Yes”
“Then the book is yours”.
She felt like a burden was lifted from her shoulders. “Thank you” she breathed out with a sigh of relief. This was going to make things so much easier to navigate with Corbin. She could gain his trust. She could work with him now.
There was an awkward silence as nobody moved nor said anything. Dawn figured it was time to leave. But she didn’t want to. Not yet. There were so many questions on her mind, and so many answers that she was certain the Bookkeeper would be able to give her.
“Now what?” were the words that left her lips instead.
“You tell me, Dawn.” The Bookkeeper said as he stretched out his arm and beckoned for her to follow. He led her to a couple of big, brown, leather chairs in the corner of his study. They sat opposite from one another. The Bookkeeper interlaced his fingers together.
“The governor of Aura has been hunting me down for the past two months He wants me killed. I’ve been running for my life. Then I came across a secret camp in the Torrem Mountains led by a man named Corbin. He also is interested in the Power of Epathi. I… convinced him to give me protection. In exchange for what I knew about the Eapthi”.
“You convinced? Or you tricked?”
“Does it matter?”
The Bookkeeper remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke. “Corbin; son of Hail and Iris”.
“Hail?” Dawn said in shock, “as in, Governor Hail? The Governor of Torrem?”
The Bookkeeper nodded.
Dawn cocked her head. “How do you know about his family?”
“Iris was a faithful servant to the Shadow Realm. She was what we call an Enchantress. She was so devoted that she had given up her life to give her youngest son access to secrets and knowledge that not even she had”.
Dawn was shocked. Lady Iris had been the Governor’s wife. She had died almost a decade ago. It was said that the Lady had gone to the lake for a swim one night by herself and drowned.
“And what about Corbin, and Hail?”
The Bookkeeper shook his head slowly. “Iris never thought them worthy enough to know about the secrets of this world. Their ambitions were too narrow, too self-centered”.
Dawn considered this. “Do you think Corbin’s ambitions are too narrow?”
The Bookkeeper leaned forward. “I believe you know the answer to that question. What were your initial ambitions, Dawn?”
She didn’t even hesitate to give the answer. “To go to Tariah. Expose the injustice in Erom”.
The Bookkeeper hummed.
“I still want that” Dawn said, suddenly feeling defensive. “I just wanted to stay in Corbin’s camp for a little bit. Get my feet back under me. I wanted to convince Corbin to come with me…”
She trailed off as she watched the Bookkeeper reach for his hood and pull it back to reveal a skull that looked like it was made of wood. Her breath caught in her throat. Empty eye sockets stared at her.
“Look at me” the Bookkeeper whispered, “and tell me that you truly believe Corbin is worthy enough to see the deepest parts of this world”.
Dawn’s heart thundered and she was at a loss of words. “I…”
“Speak!”
She snapped out of her shock and shook her head. “No. He’s not”.
“I know your ambitions, child. You want a better Erom. You want to know of the power of the Epathi. Do not limit yourself to some man who is afraid of his own shadow; whose own mother did not think him worthy. Your will aligns with the will of the Prince of this realm. You have proven yourself by bringing me the Book of Books. Continue on your original path, and you can walk freely through the Rayless Woods. You can learn about the powers and histories of this world. You can become more than you ever thought imaginable, while still fulfilling your promises to Tariah, and forging a better Erom”.
Dawn leaned back in her seat. Deciding to stay with Corbin had been a product of her own doubts. Her plan to find Tariah had seemed overly ambitious.
“You don’t need Corbin”. The Bookkeeper said.
He was right. Because of her immunity, Dawn could travel through the Woods to Hyde without being tracked by her pursuers. She didn’t need Corbin’s protection anymore.
There was only one problem.
“I need to bring Scarlet with me through the Rayless Woods”.
At that, the Bookkeeper stiffened and threw his hood back over his face, plunging his wooden, corpse-like features into darkness.
“No” he hissed.
Dawn dug her fingers into the armrests of her chair “I can’t leave her behind”.
“Scarlet is not worthy”.
Dawn let out a breath. Not worthy.
“What does she need to do to prove herself?”
By Erom standards, Scarlet was neither strong nor bright enough to be chosen as a Guardian. But she was worthy enough to be a member of Erom. She was skilled and she was useful. What were the rules in the Shadow Realm?
“The Shadow Realm senses those who are worthy. It calls to them. It knows their hearts. Scarlet does not share your ambitions. She is not of the same mind as we are. The Shadow Realm knows this, and it will reject her. Very few are Chosen, Dawn. Very few are worthy”.
Dawn bit the inside of her cheek. She knew the Bookkeeper was right. Scarlet was the type of person who stayed by herself and was literally afraid of the dark. Bringing her into this place would wreck her. It already had once.
“I can’t leave her behind” Dawn said weakly.
“Then maybe you are not of the same mind as the Prince of this Realm as I thought you were. Maybe your ambitions are just as narrow as those of Corbin Hailson”.
“They’re not” Dawn whispered.
“Then let this be a test of your ambitions, child. Show us that you are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to forge a new Erom”.
With that, the Bookkeeper motioned towards the doors of his study, and Dawn took that as a sign that there would be no further discussion on the matter. The rat who had guided her scurried from out of the shadows and then stopped, turning it’s head toward her expectantly.
Dawn stood from her chair and was led back towards the tunnels.
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