Chapter Fourteen

The Unmarked, Book One

Nov 21, 2025

[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]

River

River and his team travelled along the Member’s Highway. He made no effort to be friendly with Olive. He hated that she was here. Her presence added an unnecessary complexity to the mission. Already River had no idea where to start looking for Dawn. Now he had Olive on his back. She was up to something, and River’s attention would be consumed with figuring out her intentions rather than on finding Dawn.

There was also the fact that he and Olive had once been romantically involved, which added another layer of tension on his already intense mission.

It had begun last year after he and Dawn had gotten into an argument. It had been a stupid, pointless argument. He couldn’t even remember what it had been about. Maybe he had said something to upset her. But it had happened on the day that Dawn was leaving on a three-month mission out of Aura, with Lilly. They had fought, and then Dawn had left without even saying goodbye.

Taking advantage of the fact that the only girl his son had ever been interested in was gone, his father had pressed for him to start courting. He had introduced him to Olive, the daughter of one of his council members at the time. In his anger at Dawn, and his loneliness at being without her, he had allowed himself to get close to Olive. They had trained together daily and had “somehow” always found themselves on the same patrols. Olive was fun, that he could not deny, and he enjoyed spending time with her. So, eventually they had started spending time together that was not related to Guardian work.

One night, at his loneliest, he had kissed her. After that they had begun to court. It had lasted around a month, and things really seemed to be moving along well. His father spoke very highly of Olive and encouraged his relationship with her. Something he had never done when Dawn was concerned. The word marriage had even crossed River’s mind a couple of times, to his own surprise. But the moment Dawn had stepped through the gates Aura, back from her mission, he was struck by how much he had missed her. He realized that Olive had been nothing but a distraction. He had ended their courtship immediately and had made things right with Dawn. Surprisingly, Olive had not seemed hurt by his decision. She expected him to change his mind, eventually. But he hadn’t. And like many women, Olive began to resent Dawn. It was through the little things that River knew. A dirty look. A snappy answer. A need to outperform her every time the opportunity presented itself.

So, to have Olive here, on his wild goose chase after the woman he had left her for, set River on edge.

River tried to gather his thoughts and refocus on his mission to try and come up with a plan of action. All he knew was that Lilly had been summoned by the Governor of Evenov on a confidential mission. He knew that the traveler who had taken Dawn was from Torrem. He also knew that the Palace was searching for him, and that Ardus was printing Wanted posters for his arrest. If Wolfe were smart, the last places he’d go to would be Ardus and Hyde, where the Palace was. If he was trying to stay hidden, then he’d be travelling through the villages.

He halted his team.

“No, I think we should go to Ardus” Olive said as soon as he told them his theory.

“Why would we do that?” he retorted.

She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “Maybe all of you believe that Dawn is loyal to the Queendom, and that she’s been kidnapped, but I have my doubts”.

River scoffed and turned away.

“Oh come on! Don’t be a fool! We all thought that Lilly was loyal and look how she managed to deceive us. Maybe Dawn is a better liar than you think”.

River shook his head. He spun to face Olive. “No way. I know Dawn. She’s not a liar”.

He remembered how distressed Dawn had been over Lilly’s tardiness. He didn’t believe Dawn would fake that. But Bryn placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just let her finish what she has to say”.

Olive hadn’t even been with them for a full day, and River was already losing his temper. He tore away from Bryn’s grip. “No! This isn’t a criminal pursuit! It’s a rescue mission! I’m not going to let you accuse Dawn!”

Olive brushed her braid over her shoulder. “I think you’re letting your infatuation cloud your judgment”.

River fumed. Infatuation. That’s what he had felt for Olive. His feelings for Dawn were stronger and beyond that.

He was in love with her.

He looked to his men for support, but they said nothing. They looked concerned. Bryn squeezed his shoulder. “Just let her finish” he repeated, more gently.

River pulled his shoulder away. He took a deep breath. “Fine” he said and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from interrupting.

“As much as we hate to admit it” Olive began, casting River a pointed glance, “Dawn might be with the Rebels. It’s a possibility that we can’t ignore. It would be foolish to simply assume that she was kidnapped. That being said, if she were a Rebel, the first place she would go to would be to Ardus”.

“Why would she do that?” Coal asked.

But River knew the answer before she’d even said it.

“Because of her sister. If she thought she were being hunted, she would go to see her sister”.

They all cast glances at each other. “I think we should check it out” said Bryn; his words punching River in the gut.

Bryn gave him an apologetic look.

“Listen” Aspen interjected, “it’s worth checking it out. If Dawn is innocent, then we won’t find anything, and we can continue our search”.

If Dawn was innocent. Olive was already planting seeds of doubt into their heads!

He ran his palm across his head. “Fine, if it’ll ease your doubts, we’ll go to Ardus. But I hope you know that we’re just wasting time!”.

He stormed off and climbed his horse. As he waited for the others, Aspen walked over to him.

“We’ll stop through the villages along the way. They couldn’t have gotten far. And it’s unlikely that they hadn’t made at least one stop along the way. I’m sure we can find something out if we ask the right questions. It won’t be a waste of time”. Aspen said, trying to reassure him.

River gripped his reins. “It better not”.

He was eager to get moving. The more he thought about their journey, the angrier he became. It was a three-week trip to Ardus, which meant three lost weeks.

Once everyone had mounted their horses, River led the way. He had been to Ardus countless times on behalf of his father. He could do the journey with his eyes closed. He thought of Lilly and pain stabbed at his heart. She had been such a good mentor to Dawn, and such an admirable Guardian. It was hard to believe that she was a Rebel. Then his thoughts shifted to Dawn. Did she know what had happened to Lilly? Had her kidnapper told her?

His fears and worries deepened. Why had Wolfe taken her? And where was he bringing her? He tried not to think of what he might or might not be doing to Dawn. He remembered her that night, when she had danced with him. Wolfe had been all over her. River remembered how Wolfe held her close, watched her, laughed with her… gained her trust.

The memories made River want to scream.

He tried to channel his anger into determination. He would find Dawn, and then he would slit Wolfe’s throat.

They rode along the Member’s Highway. The Member’s Highway was one of the many ways Queen Tariah ensured that the legacy of the worthy were preserved, so that their souls could live on in the afterlife. The name of every single Marked Member in Erom was engraved into a brick that made up the highway. Because it connected all the major cities to one another, it was also a reminder to the people of Erom that they were united.

River had been down this specific road hundreds of times. It was still a day’s journey from the closest village, so they would have to make camp for the night. There was a small shack along the road that they could spend the night in. River wouldn’t stop riding until they reached it. He knew his men wanted to stop for food and water, but he wouldn’t. That was the price they would pay for choosing to trust Olive’s judgment over his.

At sundown, River slowed his horse to trod. Confusion overcame him. What was supposed to be a canvas of endless skies and open fields was tainted by an impossible sight. River stopped his horse and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. His men gathered around him.

Dark trees outlined the horizon.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” he breathed.

Bryn shook his head in disbelief. “Well I’ll be damned” he said, “it looks like a forest”.

“There aren’t any forests in this region! What is it doing there?” Coal said, disbelief thick in his voice.

Olive brought her horse next to River’s. “It’s the Rayless Woods” she said.

“But it just…appeared” Aspen said in dismay.

“There spreading”. Olive replied.

“Blasphemy” Coal immediately whispered under his breath.

“Is it?” Olive asked.

They all shifted uncomfortably. The second verse to Erom’s Creed sprang to River’s mind immediately.

We believe in the promise made, that through Her Eminence, the Land and all that is in it will prosper and that the Rayless Woods will not spread, as long as we, who are her children, live rightly, according the Ideals...

“If the Forests are spreading” Olive continued, “then that means there are too many people who aren’t living according to Tariah’s Ideals and Principles.”. Olive regarded River with a solemn expression. “Maybe the rebels are more numerous than we thought” she continued.

The comment made River clench his jaw. He knew Olive was implying that Dawn was part of that number.

“We’ll have to go around” he said through gritted teeth. “There’s no point in going forward” he added, suddenly feeling defeated, “let’s just make camp”.

His men let out a collective sigh. They were tired. It had been a long day. They went off the main road and settled themselves farther into the fields. There was absolutely nothing to shield them, but it had been a clear sky all day. There would be no rain tonight. So at least there was that.

They scavenged the field for rocks and branches and an hour later had a fire going. Night was upon them, and the sky was filled with stars. River let the heat of their fire seethe into his skin. He tried to ignore the fact that Olive sat close to him. The others ate what they had brought in their packs, but River didn’t touch his own food.

The guys were recounting how Coal had been walking around with a mud stain on his ass the other day while trying to impress a girl, which was only the latest embarrassment in a long series of humiliating life moments for him. They were all laughing and trying to remember more funny stories in an attempt to dissuade the eerie tension set by the looming Woods, though River was not in the mood to join them.

Olive leaned closer to him. “You’re not eating?”

“No.”

She touched his arm. “You should eat something, River.”

“I’m not hungry”.

“So, you’re just going to starve yourself?”

River let out a sigh. He didn’t have the patience for this. He stood and walked away from the fire. The guys were so engrossed in their laughter that they didn’t even notice him leave.

River took a deep breath and gazed up at the sky. He thought of Dawn and wondered what she was doing now. He slipped his hand into the pocket where his effigy of Tariah rested, and prayed for Dawn to be safe. The night air chilled River to the bone, but he did not pay any heed to it. Maybe Her Eminence would hear his prayer tonight.

“I know you’re angry with me” Olive said from behind.

He hadn’t even heard her approach. He didn’t answer her.

“I know that you care for Dawn. It’s just… I don’t want you to get hurt”.

“I left the group because I wanted to be alone”.

“Yes, and now that we’re alone, I want us to resolve this. I don’t want to travel with this kind of tension between us”.

River whirled around to face her. “Then go back home!” he yelled. “I didn’t want you on this mission anyways!”

A pained expression crossed her face. “Your father ordered me on this mission. I don’t have a choice. So, you can either make this trip difficult for the both of us, or we can resolve our issues here and now”.

“There’s nothing to resolve. You think Dawn is a traitor, and I don’t. I guess we’ll see who’s right when we get to Ardus”.

Olive sighed. “I don’t think anything. I’m just exploring all possibilities, like any good Guardian would. You would do the same if we were looking for anyone other than Dawn”.

He turned away from her. “Please, Olive. Just leave me alone. I need to think”.

Olive said nothing more. She turned and walked back to campfire.

River’s mind was crowded with thoughts and worries. Finding Dawn was already going to be a challenge. What would he do once he found her?

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