Chapter Nineteen

The Unmarked, Book One.

Dec 13, 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] [Ch.14] [Ch.15] [Ch.16] [Ch.17] [Ch.18]

Dawn.

Last night Dawn and Scarlet had stayed up late discussing how they were going to convince Rowan to let Scarlet leave the city. Dawn had already told him that she came bearing news for Scarlet from back home. It was a good set up for the lie they would tell him.

Scarlet would explain (in great sadness) that her twin sister was very sick and that Scarlet wanted to visit lest it be too late, just as it had been too late when her mother had been sick. The obstacle with that lie, though, was that normally, Dawn would have had had to come with proper authorization from the Governor of Aura that would allow for Scarlet to be relieved from her studies and return home. All Rowan would need to do was sign those documents in agreement. Without them, they would have to convince Rowan to go to the Governor of Ardus and get a writ of travel for Scarlet, himself. They would have to rely on Dawn’s authority as Guardian to push Rowan to agree to do such a thing.

However, when it finally came to it, the plan had gone better than expected. Scarlet had told Rowan about her mother’s supposed illness and that an official notice for Scarlet’s release of Studies was being prepared back home, but she worried that by the time she received it, it would be too late.

Rowan, to her surprise, gave her an envelope. It had meant to be a present for her birthday, which was a month away. It was a government document relieving her from her studies for an entire month. He had wanted Scarlet to celebrate her birthday back home, and he figured that given the circumstances, she might as well have it now. Dawn, who had been there for the whole scene, promised she would escort Scarlet back home safely, as soon as her duties in Ardus were completed.

Thanks to this document, Scarlet would be able to leave the city without raising any suspicions. And once they left, she would be able to use one of the many fake passports and government documents provided by Lilly and travel through the regions without being recognized.

The sisters were to set to depart out in two days.

***

As Dawn and Scarlet were leaving the Athenaeum, Dawn felt something wrap itself around her finger. She halted to look at her hand, but the only thing there was the ring she had gotten from the Rayless Woods.

“Are you okay?” Scar asked.

The sensation around her finger began to tug at her.

“Yeah…my hand just feels weird”.

“Let me see.”

Dawn tried to lift her hand, but instead she was pulled down the nearest alley of bookshelves.

“Where are you going?” Scarlet called out after her.

“Uh, don’t know!”

It felt as if a small child had gripped her by the forefinger and was leading her on. The tug was so strong that Dawn found herself running through the mazes of books. She tried to pull her hand away, but she couldn’t. What was happening to her?

Suddenly, it stopped. She was in a secluded corner of the Athenaeum.

“Dawn?” she heard Scarlet call out. Her sister appeared from around the corner. “What are you doing?”

Dawn looked around. “I don’t knoooooooow!”

Her heart jumped to her throat. The solidity beneath her feet vanished.

Dawn was falling.

Falling.

Something materialized beneath her. She lay on her back. Dust erupted around her and clouded her vision. The impact of the fall was as bad as if she had just rolled off her bed and onto the floor. She sat up, coughing and waving her hand to clear the dust from around her.

Once everything cleared, she looked up to see from where she had fallen. She couldn’t see anything. All she saw was a stone ceiling that stretched over a hundred feet high.

She looked and saw a matching stone floor. Dust was still floating around her. An eerie, greenish glow filled the space, though the source of the light was unknown. The atmosphere reminded her awfully of her time in the Rayless Woods. She looked back up again. Part of her mind rationalized that she had somehow fallen through the floor and into some kind of basement, but the other part knew that that would have been impossible. There was no debris around her, and she would have never survived such a fall.

In front of her was a long stone bridge arching over shadow. What was hidden in those shadows, Dawn did not ever want to find out.

Most of the dust had cleared now, and Dawn examined her surroundings. There were large windows lining the giant walls, but they were shattered, and vines were growing out of them.

“What is this place?” she whispered, a thread of fear beginning to coil itself inside her chest.

On the other side of the bridge, she saw a wooden door. With only stone wall behind her, and no way of making it up back the way she had fallen, the only chance of getting out of this place was to go forward. Dawn made her way across the bridge, her footsteps echoing uncomfortably loud in the otherwise silent hall.

The door must have once been a solid thing of beauty, but now it was rotting away. Dawn pushed on it with only the tips of her fingers, and it swung open with a faint creaking sound. Gathering her courage, she risked a peek inside.

Her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

She stepped inside the room and could do nothing but marvel. Bookshelves towered on either side of her, so tall that Dawn had to crane her head all the way back to see the top. Ladders on wheels leaned against the shelves. The library stretched itself before Dawn for what seemed like miles. So long was the hall that it’s end was obscured in shadow.

If the Athenaeum held thousands of books, this one easily held hundreds of thousands.

Dawn walked over to the closest section. The shelves were covered in dust and spider webs. She pulled out a book with a wooden cover. She opened it. Pages fell out. Bending over to pick them up, she furrowed her brows. The pages were covered in runes she did not recognize. She placed the book back into its place. Now curiosity replaced fear. Dawn began rummaging through all the surrounding books. They were all covered in foreign runes.

“These are in the Dead Speech. Before the Great Purge. Before Tariah”. She stated in disbelief.

She looked at the windows with the vines growing out of them. This library was buried deep underground. Had the Athenaeum somehow been built above this ancient library, and no one knew about it?

A remnant of the Shadowages.

Now completely absorbed in her curiosity, Dawn began to wander through the alleys of bookshelves.

Turning a corner, Dawn yelped.

She slammed a trembling hand across her chest and tried to steady her rapid breathing.

A skeleton lay sprawled on the floor. Clutched protectively in its arms, was a black, leather-bound book the size of it’s rib cage.

Dawn couldn’t help but wonder what kind of book a person would refuse to part with even in death.

Gulping, she approached the body of bones and took the book, which was covered in dust and cobwebs. She brushed the cover with her forearm to reveal the title, but just like all the other text in the library, this one was also inscribed with strange runes that Dawn guessed to be in the Dead Speech.

She shifted through the pages. Each one had its own drawings of a unique stone followed by detailed description underneath it. Everything was handwritten. Dawn figured it was some sort of geology book.

Maybe this was Bones’ life’s work. She figured.

However, unimpressed at her discovery of a rock guide, Dawn was about to close the book, when a voice whispered from behind her.

“The Book of Epathi”

Dawn tensed and her blood froze in her veins.

“A Guide to Transcendental Power” the whispering voice continued.

She could feel a presence from close behind her. But rather than feeling the warmth of another human body, whatever stood behind her emanated a piercing cold.

“The Morphing Stone” The voice said, it’s breath icy against the back of Dawn’s neck, causing her to shiver, “takes on the attribute of Omniform. This onyx stone grants its host the ability to change her physical form into that of any other being. The host will revert to her original shape if she ceases to touch the surface of the Morphing Stone”.

Dawn realized that the voice was reciting the page to her.

Still too terrified to face the stranger, Dawn managed her trembling hands to flip to the page.

The voice recited the runes.

“The Scrying Stones take on the attribute of Projection. These sister stones are sapphire blue and grant their host the ability to see and hear through another person’s eyes and ears, as well as sense their presence. To enable their power, the host must hold and recite the incantation “Ne’vim Era” to the stone that is to remain in her possession, and “Ne’vim Fe” to the stone that is to be with the other party. Once the incantations have been recited, the stone with the words “Ne’vim Era” spoken over it can be used to see, hear and sense through the host of the sister stone, as long as both parties are touching the stone at the same moment in time”.

Now Dawn’s entire body quaked with fear and cold. With stiff fingers, Dawn closed the book and clutched it to her chest. Then she gathered what little courage she had and faced the stranger.

Her throat seized. A tall, hooded figured loomed over her, it’s face cast in shadow.

“Why are you in my library?” it asked.

“I-I don’t know” she stammered, her breath materializing is a wispy cloud as she spoke. “I fell through the floor”.

“As many do” Hood said.

The figure’s hands were tucked into the sleeves of its cloak. The cloak reminded her of the garments worn by the Priests of Tariah. Though instead of being sand coloured, these robes were black as night.

“Is this library part of the Athenaeum?” Dawn asked in a small voice.

Hood shook its head. “The Athenaeum is but a newborn babe in light of this library”

“Do you mean that this place dates back to the Eromniath Era? The Shadowages?”.

“Indeed”.

“I thought everything from the Shadowages was destroyed during the Great Purge”.

“Not all was destroyed, some things were simply lost; overrun” Hood said, “by the Rayless Wood”.

Dawn’s heart felt as if it had dropped to her feet. “So this is the Shadow Realm”.

Hood’s head cocked slightly to the side. “You know its true name”. It sounded like a question.

“Yes”. Dawn gulped. “I’ve been here before” she said, hoping that the fact that she’d been let it and let out of this place by one of its members once before would incline this creature to follow the same pattern.

“And is that how you have come to procure your ring?”

Dawn nodded. “Yes. It was a gift... of some sort”. She didn’t want to give too much information on what the ring did, lest it be used against her.

Never reveal your weaknesses to an enemy Dawn thought.

“And who would give you a gift worth your very life?” Hood asked.

Dawn realized that Hood knew exactly what this ring did, and he was testing to see if she knew the extent of its power.

“Her name was Violet”.

“And who is Violet to you?”

Dawn frowned at the question. “I don’t know. A friend of a friend, I guess”. Though “friend” didn’t seem like an appropriate term to describe Wolfe’s relationship to neither Dawn nor Violet. For the first time, Dawn wondered what Wolfe’s affiliation with Violet actually was.

He’ll be enjoying your company more than before...

“And who is your friend?” The hooded figure asked.

“Wolfe Bloodwood” she said without thinking.

Hood nodded once.

“A friend of Wolfe Bloodwood” said Hood. Though she could not see his face, his tone suggested he was amused. “What is your name?”

Not daring offend the creature, Dawn replied, even though she didn’t feel comfortable sharing her identity. “Dawn” she simply said.

“Now tell me Dawn, how is it that you found yourself in the Shadow Realm the first time?”

“I was travelling with Wolfe. He brought me into the Rayless Woods. I was asleep when it happened”.

Hood slightly cocked his head, as if pondering over something. “Twice now you unwillingly venture into the Shadow Realm. That is more times than most mortals can claim”.

The comment made Dawn vividly aware of the pile of bones laying scattered just a few feet away from her.

She felt her mouth go dry.

“And how is it that some mortals make it out of the Rayless Woods, while others don’t? What does one have to do to gain immunity?” she asked, remembering the term used by the Shadow Lady is regards to Wolfe.

“Tell me your story Dawn, and I will consider answering your questions”.

Not knowing what else to do, Dawn did. She told him everything from the moment she had met Wolfe on the night of the festival until now. Hood stood still as a statue and listened to her entire tale without interruption.

“Connections” he said, once she was finished.

“What?”

“Connections and favours, Hood said, that is how mere mortals gain immunity”.

“What do you mean by that?”

The Hooded figure regarded her for a long moment, as if deciding whether or not to tell her.

“Wolfe Bloodwood is a connection. The ring on your finger is another. Connections are people...things that affiliate you with the Shadow Realm, that make Dark Keepers consider your presence before deciding your fate. Without a connection, you would be destroyed without a second thought”.

Dawn swallowed back a lump of fear, remembering the shadow wolves, the moth whose poison was frozen inside her veins.

“Wolfe Bloodwood brought you here the first time through the Rayless Wood. And your ring brought you here as well. It’s power being of the same essence as the Shadow Realm, it sensed and was drawn to what you may call... a doorway between the Realms”.

“And favours?” she asked, forcing her voice not to quiver from her fear. She had broken out in a cold sweat and she felt droplets running down her back.

“These are tasks given to mortals by the Dark Keepers to... further our cause”.

Dawn frowned.

This girl is not part of your assignment...

“Are you a Dark Keeper?”

The Hooded figure nodded. “I am the Keeper of knowledge past and present, of Shadow Realm and Mortal Realm. Though you may call me Bookkeeper”.

A million other questions sprang up in Dawn’s mind, but she asked the one that was the most conductive to her survival.

“What do I have to do not to end up like Bones over there”.

The comment actually warranted her a chuckle from the Bookkeeper.

“A book... to add to my collection”.

That’s it? She wanted to say, but refrained. She waited for the Bookkeeper to continue.

“It is the Book of Books”.

“The Book of Books.” she repeated. “How do I find it?”

“It is within the Torrem Mountains. It is kept by a man named Jeziah”.

At the sound of the name, Dawn’s blood turned to ice. “The leader of the Rebels” she whispered vehemently.

“Indeed” The Bookkeeper responded. Then, before she could ask anymore questions, the Bookkeeper stepped aside, and a dark circling cloud appeared where he had been standing. “Do we have a deal, Dawn”.

“Yes, but, there’s still so much I don’t understand, I-”

The Bookkeeper raised his hand and the sight of it silenced her. The hand was not made of flesh. The fingers were grey and looked like a gnarled tree branches.

“All things take time to learn. Serve the Shadow Realm and our ways shall be revealed to you”.

The Bookkeeper extended his arm towards the swirling black cloud as if he were showcasing it to an audience. “Another doorway. Step into the portal, and you will be back in your Realm.

Dawn, still clutching the Book of Epathi, went to return it to the Bookkeeper, but he shook his head. “consider it a loan” he said in his wispy voice. “to begin you on your journey of enlightenment on the powers at work within the Shadow Realm... the powers at work within your ring... Within yourself”.

“My ring is an Epathi?” Dawn asked, the word strange and foreign in her mouth.

The Bookkeeper nodded. Suddenly, Dawn felt as if the book where being tugged out of her grasp. The book floated in the air in front of her, and the pages turned as if a wind were blowing, though none was, and then they stopped. Shocked and terrified, Dawn looked down at the page.

“The Shadow-Healing Stone” The Bookkeeper began to quote, “takes on the attribute of Preservation. This emerald stone protects its host from any maladity inflicted by a shade, so long as the stone touches the hosts flesh”.

“Thank you but, I won’t be able to read this book on my own”.

“Listen to the shadows, and the words will be translated for you”.

Dawn didn’t understand what that meant, but she had no desire to keep communing with the Bookkeeper. She was confused and terrified, and she just wanted to leave this wretched place and get back to Scarlet.

Hesitantly, Dawn grabbed the floating book and shut it. Then, clutching her new loan to her chest, Dawn nodded to the Bookkeeper, took a deep breath and stepped through the portal.

Panic seized her as everything went pitch black, and for a moment Dawn thought she had been struck blind. But as she blinked furiously, things started to materialize around her.

Moments later, Dawn realized she was standing in a dark alley. She would have thought the whole thing a nightmare if it weren’t for the book she was still clutching.

“And what if I choose not to look for this book of books”? She wondered out loud.

A wind picked up, and a whisper blew past her. “I will know, Dawn Brookesdaughter. I will know…”.

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