Chapter Twenty-Seven
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] [Ch.16] [Ch.17] [Ch.18] [Ch.19] [Ch.20] [Ch. 21] [Ch.22] [Ch.23] [Ch.24] [Ch.25] [Ch.26]
Dawn
The night air was cool. Cooler than it had been in a while. It was the kind of air that indicated the coming end of a season. It felt like summer had just started, and yet, it was already ending. Or so the air made it feel.
âHow long have I been away?â Dawn asked River wistfully, as they trod down the moonlit road.
âItâs been almost seven weeksâ he answered quietly, without hesitation.
Seven weeks⌠thought in disbelief. How quickly time goes.
âItâll be Scarlet and Iâs birthday in a few days.â She said, her heart twisting at the notion. Their birthday was on the 7th day of the month of Shadai â the month of Industry.
Dawn didnât see his face, but she expected River to look surprised. He rode with Scarlet. Her body was so tiny and frail that he could easily wrap his arms around her. She slept quietly, leaning against his chest. Ever since River had come along, she hadnât shown any signs of nightmares. She hadnât had any seizures. She just slept.
âItâs true,â River whispered. âEighteen years oldâ.
But she looks like a child, Dawn thought as she looked at her sister sleeping in Riverâs arms. Under the moonlight, her skin was eerily pale. It was almost as if she were translucent.
A longing came over Dawn and the sight of River and Scarlet riding together. A longing for Wolfe. She missed him. She felt stupid for missing him. She didnât know him very well, and he had abandoned her. But she still missed him. Maybe because he had rescued her. Maybe because he had brought her a sense of hope. He had been like a light in darkness. A promise of a future. If it hadnât been for Wolfe showing up in her cell six weeks ago, she would have been killed.
Emotion rolled through her like a violent wave and she almost lost grip on the horseâs reins.
Life was precious and rare and unexpected. One moment you were here, the next, you were gone. Dawn didnât believe in random chance â no one Worthy did â every person held responsibility over their own life. Every decision you made paved the way towards your own fate. Unworthy were what they were because they failed to be better. Worthy were what they were because they dedicated themselves to it. Success and failure were born of a person themselves. Lilly had paved her own path by joining the Rebels, and the consequences of that decision had led her to death and a damned afterlife (Dawn clenched her jaw at the notion).
But what did that mean for Dawn? It seemed like Lilly had paved Dawnâs fate by dragging her into her rebellion. And it seemed like Wolfe had repaved her fate by rescuing her from the prison. Dawn had made the decision to do what was right, and it had resulted in her imprisonment and in a promise of death.
And what about Scarlet? If River hadnât come along, where would that have left them? Would Scarlet have died? Would they have been captured?
It seemed like every decision Dawn made led to her own downfall. And yet, somehow, there was always someone to pick her back up again. It seemed like others did have an influence on the outcome of her fate. Was that chance? Or was there something that she was not seeing? Maybe Dawn didnât have total control over her own life.
The prospect scared her. The uncertainty of it all terrified her.
If she could not put hope in herself, then who was there to put her hope in?
Tariah.
Tariah, she reminded herself.
Her Eminence. Her Goddess. Her Queen.
Tariah was all-knowing and almighty. She would know that Dawn was loyal and righteous. She would pardon her. She would give Dawn a life and a future.
Or at least that was what Dawn had to believe, otherwise there was no hope left. And if there was no hopeâŚ
âWe should take a breakâ River announced. âMake a plan for tomorrowâ.
They settled down by a small creek, tied the horses to some trees, lay Scarlet on a patch of grass and wrapped her in blankets. They didnât make a fire for fear of attracting attention to themselves. They were still travelling along the path of the Memberâs Highway, but they were keeping to the brushes. Yes, they had their fake passports and forged letters of authorization, but the less they had to lie about who they were, the safer they felt. Lying would only be done when necessary, like for crossing a border. They did not want to make it into a habit. Maybe the Governor viewed them as criminals, but Dawn and River would still hold integrity. They would still adhere to the Nine Principles.
âWeâll be entering into Torrem tomorrowâ Dawn said as she watched Scarlet sleeping. Even though they did not have a fire going, the moon was bright enough for her to see the heap of blankets rise and fall with her sisterâs breath.
âItâll be suspicious of us to be travelling to Torrem with a sick girl from Aura⌠you wouldnât happen to have any âlettersâ explaining that, would you?â
âNo, unfortunately I donâtâ.
Bringing Scarlet to Torrem would be extremely suspicious. Torrem was in the complete opposite direction from Aura. How would they explain that they were taking a sick girl away from home? Dawn said her thoughts out loud.
âNoâŚâ River said pensively. âNo, not awayâ his eyes lit up. âBack. We could say we were on our way back from Torrem, when Scarlet got sick, and now were returning to bring her to an inn until she gets betterâ.
Dawn nodded as she listened. It was a good plan. It would make sense.
They moved on to sorting through the documents and passports they would need to show at the border. Crossing into the Region through the main border entry was going to draw attention to themselves, but at least they had their fake identities and fabricated story.
A chill ran across Dawn at the thought of her false realities. She tried not to think about how that was against the Code. She tried not to think about how the notion brought her back to the Rayless Woods with Wolfe. She tried not to think about Wolfe.
âOkayâ she said, standing up and brushing her pants off. âWeâre readyâ.
River looked up at her, concern in his eyes.
âThereâs a creek. Letâs take some time to wash up. Take a nap. Eat. Then we can goâ.
Dawn felt antsy. She didnât want to bathe, eat and sleep. She was going to object, but River interjected.
âTo everyone else, weâre still Worthy. Weâre still Guardians. We canât be going around looking like were from the villagesâ.
Dawn furrowed her brows and placed her hands on her hips. âHow ragged are you saying I look, River?â
He shrugged innocently.
Rolling her eyes, she spun around and headed to the creek. âFine!â she called out. âBut no peeking!â.
Though she didnât really care if he peeked. Sheâd stripped down into her undergarments and swam in the lake with him countless times back home. She wasnât uncomfortable around him. He didnât make her feel vulnerable or shy.
Stepping into the cool water, Dawn felt instantly refreshed. A few minutes in, and the murkiness in her mind cleared. She splashed water on her face and scrubbed the grime from her skin. She washed her hair and combed the knots out with her fingers. She stepped out of the water, feeling more invigorated than she had in over a week. She took her pants and was going to clean off a patch of dirt when she noticed the corner of a paper peeking at her from inside the pocket. She pulled it out and dropped her pants to the ground. She unfolded the paper.
WANTED BY THE PALACE
Wolfe Bloodwood.
Blasphemer and Heretic.
Anyone possessing information must report to the Governorâs Hall immediately.
Your contribution will be highly rewarded.
Wolfe stared back at her from the page. She knew it was an uglier version of him, but she could not identify what was off. Maybe it was the absence of any real expression. He looked hollow, lifeless. There was no real emotion there. The image neither captured the easygoing expression and charming smile he wore when he teased and talked and told stories, nor the somber intensity that overcame his visage that Dawn had only caught glimpses of here and there. She searched his eyes and found nothing. Nothing at all. Maybe that was it: he wasnât really looking at her. His eyes werenât searching her. She didnât feel seen by him. Since the moment they had met, Wolfe had always watched her as if his gaze were peeling off the layers of who she was, like he knew her but didnât at the same time.
Maybe Iâm trying to figure you out too, Dawn BrookesdaughterâŚ
A gust of wind blew past her wet skin and she trembled. The moonlight seemed too bright in the watches of the night. Dawn suddenly felt exposed. Something rustled from behind. She shot her head up and investigated the darkness beyond the trees. It was quiet except for the rustling sound.
âWolfe?â she called out to the darkness, the sound nothing more than a breath caught in her throat.
Hope and terror intermingled inside of her so that a fluttery, nauseous feeling settled itself in the pit of her stomach. Someone stepped out of the darkness, but her mind did not recognize who it was.
âDawn, are you okay?â he asked.
She stared at him, her mind working to put away fantasy and restore reality.
âDawn?â
The result was a crushing disappointment. Dawn shook her head and folded the paper back.
âIâm okayâ she mumbled.
With a blanket in hand, River walked over to her, âI figured you might want this to dry offâ.
She took it from him. âThanksâ.
âWhatâs wrong?â he asked.
âAre you really asking me that right now?â she snapped. She went to slip the poster of Wolfe back into her pant pocket before River would notice. Then she got back into her clothes without bothering to clean them. She sat against a tree that stood next to where Scarlet was sleeping. River approached.
âIâm sorry I asked. I know a lot of things are wrong.â
âYeah.â
âWeâll figure it out.â
Dawn let out a heavy breath. âWe have toâ.
âLetâs get some rest. Iâll be over there if you need meâ he said. His voice sounded strained. She watched him as he went to lie down by the trees where the horses were tied. She watched him and tried to remember their first kiss but she couldnât remember much of what it had felt like. Her thoughts of that night were consumed by Wolfe. Wolfe paying for her food. Wolfe talking with her for hours. Wolfe dancing with her. Wolfe grabbing her by the hand as they escaped the prison. Wolfe sitting with her at the inn. Wolfe singing and playing the guitar. Wolfe telling her a story over the orange flames of a fire. Wolfe coming into the bedroom and opening the blinds. Wolfe kneeling at her bedside when they were in the Woods. Wolfe hugging her. Wolfe telling her that heâd always be there to get her out of trouble⌠She unfolded the poster of him again and searched his empty face, searched the inaccurate depiction of the man who had thrown everything she thought she knew about the world into chaos and yet had managed to provide her some sense of stability and comfort through it all.
âWho are you?â she whispered to the empty eyes of the man that held so much depth to him. âWhere are youâŚâ
Dawn couldnât shake the feeling that there was more to her encounter with him than what had transpired. She felt like something more should have happened. That it shouldnât have ended. And thatâs why she couldnât just forget about him. Thatâs why she spent nights lying awake wondering about what the present day would have been like if instead of disappearing on her, they would have boarded the ship together, and arrived to Ardus together, and found Scarlet together, andâŚ
The words leaped at her from the page. âWantedâ, âHereticâ, âBlasphemerâ.
And what? She thought angrily. There was no future with him. Their paths had crossed and then they had drifted apart again. It had needed to end in Greywell, otherwise it would have ended the moment they would have stepped into Ardus. Dawn understood why heâd left, but she struggled to accept it, regardless.
She neatly folded the poster of him and slipped it back into her pocket. She lay down next to her sister and covered herself with the blanket. As she closed her eyes, she thought about how they would be entering Torrem tomorrow and how that would make it so much harder to forget about Wolfe.
Because Torrem was his home.
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