Chapter Sixteen
The Unmarked, Book One
[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]
River.
It took River and his squad two full days to travel around the Rayless Woods and make it to Windshire: a farming village on the border of Aura and Ardus. It was a tiny hole in the ground with an average population of about one hundred unworthy. If Dawn had been there, someone would have seen her.
All throughout their two-day detour, Olive had given River his space. He tried not to feel guilty for yelling at her the other night. He knew that she was here to cause doubt and frame Dawn as a traitor, even though she claimed that she was only exploring all possibilities. There would have been no other reason for his father to have sent her. Which meant Olive could not be trusted. And if she could not be trusted, she was not worth feeling guilty over.
Upon entering Windshire, River and his team decided to split up and question every single unworthy. Bryn and Coal volunteered to pair up, and Aspen insisted on going solo to “cover more ground”, which meant River was stuck with Olive.
The only time Olive and River spoke was when they knocked at a door and asked the owner of the home or shop if they had seen two Guardians of Third Order, a young man and a young woman, travelling together in the last couple of days. They tried to describe them as much as possible, but each unworthy they spoke to shook their head and apologized for not being able to help.
River boiled with frustration. He had known that this would be a waste of time. As they walked, Olive grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to a stop. He glared at her. Olive’s face was filled with pain.
“Please, River. You’re torturing me”. She tightened her grip on his hand. “What happened to us?”
His throat tightened in anger. “We grew apart. That’s all”.
She shook her head. “When you left me because of your feelings for Dawn, you promised that we would still be friends”.
River had nothing to reply to that. He had promised that. But he knew that spending time with Olive as “friends” wouldn’t have been an option. He didn’t want to risk his chance with Dawn by having her think he had something going on with Olive.
“I just want us to be friends again”, Olive said gently.
He sighed, “if we’re truly being honest with each other, Olive. I’m not sure I can trust you”. He pulled his hand away. “Let’s get back to the others”.
They gathered back at the village inn and huddled over mugs of ale. They debriefed their day’s interrogations, but no one found any information that would indicate Dawn and Wolfe passing through the village. Bryn and Coal had spoken to the inn keeper, but he knew nothing.
“This was a stupid idea” River complained, “we should have headed for Evenov from the start”.
“River. This is one town out of dozens. Something will turn up” Aspen said.
River hoped that nothing would. If they found evidence of Dawn travelling towards Ardus, wouldn’t that just strengthen everyone’s suspicions?
As Olive spoke with the others, he thought back to the time they had courted. He had shared so many kisses with her. They had spent so much time together. Laughing, training, sharing memories, talking about life. He was always at ease with her. Never feeling like he wasn’t good enough, or that he would lose her.
Then he thought about Dawn. Everything he had experienced with Olive during their courtship had been heightened exponentially, with Dawn, on the night of the Festival. He had wanted Dawn for so long. For years he had done everything to hold onto her. To make her want him as much as he wanted her. And the first night they had taken their relationship to the place he had always wanted it to be, he had lost her.
He thought back to the fear he had felt when she hadn’t shown up for training the following day. The dread he had experienced at believing she had changed her mind about their newfound relationship.
Had she? What if their intimacy had only been a product of a festive spirit, and too much drink? What would their relationship have looked like if they would have been back home together right now? If none of this would have happened, would Dawn want him as a partner, or would she have just wanted to remain friends in the end?
He watched Olive. He had never been afraid with her. He had never felt like he had to earn her acceptance.
He shook his head. He loved Dawn. That’s why he was afraid of losing her. He would prove himself to her time and time again. He would travel across Erom to show her how dedicated he was to her. He would win her heart as many times as he would have to. He could think of no other man who would go to such lengths to protect Dawn.
🙏 Thank you for reading The Unmarked, Book One of the Purelight Stone Trilogy. Feel free to invite more people on the journey by sharing this post.
📬 If you’d like to receive two new chapters, sent right to your inbox, every Thursday and Friday, become a Subscriber today!
🤔💬 Let me know your thoughts on this chapter by leaving a comment. I’d love to read your impressions.
💚 The Purelight Stone Trilogy is a free Substack publication today. If you feel inclined to give a contribution, know that your generosity will go toward my professional development as a writer and toward amplifying the quality of the Purelight Stone Trilogy in the coming future.