A Betrayal of Faith ✔

TWENTY-SIX: Coming to Grips

Finding a map had been easier than Nerin had expected. The nearest town had been a little over a day's walk from the valley, tiny and quiet. It had been made up of a few houses and a single shop, but it was better than wandering the land blind and thirsty. The well in the centre of the town gave them plenty of water.

Actually getting the map they needed had been the tricky part. Most in the little shop were of the mountains and what was west of them. The shopkeeper attempted to charge them higher than necessary for the one map of all Brenmar. It would have cost them almost all of the gold the Father gave them, far more than they had spent on the clothes in Ishmar.

Nerin, who had read about bartering in his books, decided that he should be the one to give it a go. "I'm not listening to a child," the shopkeeper had said to him and that was the end of his attempt. "Or an Askari."

Which left it up to Isiah. One look at him and Nerin knew it was hopeless. Despite everything, he was a good person. He'd give the shopkeeper every piece of gold she asked for, even if he knew it was a ridiculous price.

Rina had let out a groan. "Give me that," she said and snatched the coin purse from Isiah's hand. A sneer twisted the shopkeeper's lips and she raised her eyes expectantly at the Princess. The map sat on the bench between them, rolled up and tied with red string. Rina pulled a few coins from the purse, far less than the shopkeeper had asked, and dropped them on the bench.

The woman had barked out a laugh. "Not happening," she said.

Rina had just shrugged at her. "Alright," she'd said and in the blink of an eye, the map was in her hands and she was bolting from the shop. With a shocked cry, Nerin had followed close behind her. He wasn't going to get caught in some backwards town in the middle of nowhere.

No one had bothered to chase them as they left the town. They'd stopped a fair distance away, in a snow-covered clearing and caught their breath. Isiah glared at them both. "How could you?" he'd yelled.

"We paid for it," Rina had said with a shrug. "Just not what she'd been asking. Even you know that was an insane price."

All Isiah had done was sigh and lean against the thick trunk of a tree. It gave Nerin a chance to catch his breath and look at the map. He would have liked to look at it in the shop to make sure it showed what he needed. It would have been pointless to steal it if it wasn't going to help them.

He leaned it against his bag so that the snow didn't soak it and rolled it out. It was far bigger than he was used to seeing and trying not to drop it in the snow was a struggle. Rina laughed and crouched down to help him. "Are you seeing anything?" she asked, her voice laced with impatience.

He shrugged and stared at the mess of words and places. "Give me a minute. I don't even know where I'm looking," he replied and frowned down at the map. "Oh. That would help." He flipped the map around the right way and ignored the Princess's giggles. At least someone was happy. It was probably the adrenaline from technically stealing something.

It was understandable. They were meant to be royalty. Stealing was strictly prohibited. Even he felt a little giddy about it and he hadn't even been the one to take it. Isiah, who was still leaning against the tree, wasn't too happy about it, but what did it matter?

"Well, there's Ishmar," Rina said and pointed at a spot close to the right. "Didn't you say it was nearby?"

"Yes, to the south. I doubt it will be on a map this big, but there's a town nearby. Yiren, I believe." He scanned the map again, looking for the tiny word. "There!" He pointed at the tiny dot on the map. If they got there, he should be able to find his uncle's home or ask one of the villagers for directions.