A Betrayal of Faith ✔

NINETEEN: The Father

Almost a day and a half since Sir Jonin almost caught them, the trio reached the mouth of the valley. It was colder than anywhere else they had been and even Nerin's fyrite wasn't doing much to keep them warm. Isiah's own powers were practically useless, but it wasn't anything unusual.

Rina's powers, on the other hand, had been something Isiah had been unable to push from his mind. He hadn't seen the illusion himself, but Jonin hadn't been able to see them even when he was standing right in front of them. Isiah had never seen an Askari's powers at work before, he hadn't understood just how useful they could be.

He had asked her during the night if she could use them to change the colour of her skin. It would be easier to travel if she could. "No, it would take far too much energy to maintain an illusion for that long," she'd told him. "I could, but it wouldn't last very long. A few minutes." It has been worth a shot, at least.

Relief had washed over him the instant they stepped into the valley, quickly followed by the biting cold. The sun was hidden behind dark clouds and the shadows the towering mountains created only made it worse. A few trees poked out from between the rocks, old and stripped of their leaves.

For the most part, travel through the valley was relatively easy. There was a path carved out down the middle of it for a thin stream to travel through. Occasionally, their path was blocked by a fallen boulder or tree, but it didn't much effort for them to go around it.

There were very little animals among the rocks, just the occasional drake or raven flying high above them. At one point, Nerin tried to convince them that he saw a mountain goat jumping the rocks nearby, but neither he nor Rina had seen it. For the most part, they were alone in the valley.

Every day, Isiah prayed to his Gods and the Beast that was Promised for safety and strength and to hide them from the men trying to kill them. Sir Jonin had come too close. It couldn't happen again. He could only hope that Rina's powers had worked and the group had been lead off on a wild goose chase.

They had been careful to cover their steps, but it was hard with dogs tracing their scent. They couldn't cross a river, not without freezing to death. Instead, they'd attempted to mask their scent with whatever they came across in the woods before the valley. Vegetation, berries pulled from bushes (most of which went into their bags to eat later), but Rina had drawn the line at animal droppings. Even Isiah wasn't too keen on it, despite wanting to get as far away from Jonin as possible.

Knowing their luck, it wouldn't be enough, but Rina's illusion and their own cautious actions should give them a couple of days. But Jonin had dogs, which could track their scent. He would follow them all the way to the border if they weren't careful.

All Isiah could do was pray to his Gods that Jonin would get distracted by whatever plans King Harudan had in store and go back to Ishmar to help him. He didn't even know which God to pray to for it. Teremtys, God of Wisdom and Creation? Or Nyat, Goddess of Strength? Nothing seemed to fit.

Or the Beast that was Promised, the one destined to protect them. Isiah didn't want to pray to them any more than he was meant to. Praying to the Beast meant that he wanted them there, that it was time for them to come and save the realm. But a war seemed so small compared to what the Beast was meant to do.

The Beast that was Promised was meant to come when Vishera was at its worst, when there was no other hope. They were meant to bring peace back to the realm by destroying its enemies. King Harudan and his followers were evil, but they were not the enemies his religion spoke of. Surely. Praying to the Beast meant that Isiah believed they were.

But he couldn't think of anyone else to pray to for the protection they needed. Still, he prayed to anyone but the Beast, knowing that if they came along, it would mean danger in Vishera, danger that he would not be able to face. So he begged the Gods instead.