A Betrayal of Faith ✔

SIX: A Job To Do

Isiah frowned, anxiety welling in his gut. There were no statues in the palace for the followers of the Old Gods to pray at. He was so used to the statues of his five Gods and the sixth, the Beast that was Promised. No one had ever told him what to do when there were no statues to pray at. Not even the monks, who had worked at the palace before.

The only thing he could do that morning was drop to his knees on the hard wooden floor of the room Prince Nerin had escorted him to. "To Ishin, grant me warmth. To Askarune, grant me safety. To Nyat, grant me strength. To Belganine, grant me health," he recited, pausing to take a deep breath. "To Teremtys, grant me wisdom. And to the Beast, may you only appear when we need you the most."

He repeated the mantra over and over again until he was satisfied that the Gods had heard him. It would have been easier with the statues. It was said that the Gods were able to watch the Ishini and the Askari through them. Without the statues, his prayers might not reach them.

He missed the warmth of the crystal at the Sanctum of Ishin. No one had ever been able to explain to him exactly how it worked, especially considering that it wasn't made of fyrite and shouldn't have any heating powers whatsoever. But it didn't matter, it was a relic from the Gods and it kept them warm in the milder winters.

All he had was a meagre fireplace on one side of his room. But the walls were made with stones. There were cracks between them that sucked the heat from the room, allowing the ice-cold air to seep in. Sleep had been rough due to the thin blankets and his weak powers.

Someone knocked on the door, and, ignoring the unusual feeling of deja vu, Isiah jumped up to open it. "Oh! Your Highness, what can I do for you?" he asked. Prince Nerin stood in the doorway, his eyebrows furrowed and anger in his eyes.

"My brother told me to stop bothering Princess Sharina and to bother someone else instead," he answered. "He specifically said that you are to escort me around the palace so that you can make up for your failure last night."

Isiah opened and closed his mouth in a struggle to find the right response. He hadn't exactly failed to escort the Prince, he just hadn't known where he was going in the palace. All King Harudan had told him was to come to his office that day at sunset. It wasn't much to go on.

He bowed low. "Of course, your Highness," he answered and then looked down at himself. "If you would be so kind as to let me change into my robes." Prince Nerin waved him away and he closed the door. He got changed as quickly as he could, fumbling with his robes in a desperate attempt to look neat and tidy.

The Prince gave him a small smile when he opened the door again. "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" he asked as he gestured for Isiah to follow him down the hall.

"No, your Highness, I was only praying," Isiah replied. If he needed to, he could continue that night.

Prince Nerin frowned and looked to him. "Do you also pray in the mornings and the evenings?" he asked and then shook his head. "I apologise, I don't know much about your beliefs."

"I doubt many people do, Your Highness," Isiah answered. He shivered at the cool morning breeze that seeped in through the open windows. According to the Prince, he was staying in the servant's wing of the palace, which wasn't as looked after as the main wings. "We usually only pray once a day, but there are three specific times to do it, sunrise, midday, sunset."

"I see." The Prince led him down another hall and pushed open one of the doors that lined the walls. "It seems there are more similarities than I thought." Faint smells of food wafted towards Isiah and his stomach growled in response.

He ignored it. "But also plenty of differences as well," he said.

"That is true," the Prince replied noncommittally. Further into the kitchens, they went and vaguely Isiah remembered passing through the rooms when he'd taken Prince Nerin back to his rooms. On one of the benches sat a tray of pastries. When the servant's back was turned, the Prince reached over and snatched one. "I'm assuming you haven't eaten yet."