A Betrayal of Faith ✔

THIRTY-ONE: Information

It only got worse when Emrick nodded. "He wants information on that and your ability to wield flames. I'm assuming that's what your stone does?" Isiah gave a sharp nod in response but said nothing. The lump in his throat held back the words he wanted to say, the questions he wanted to ask, and Emrick disappeared between the shelves before he got a chance.

It wasn't just his people, but the crystal too. Only the Gods knew what Harudan planned to do with it, and the Gods would not tell him, even if he was the Beast that was Promised. With every day that passed, it seemed more and more likely that it was the truth. He would be the one the save the realm.

In a strange way, it felt wrong that it was him. Why would the Gods choose someone who was a pacifist? The Beast was meant to be exactly that, a Beast. He was supposed to destroy the enemies of Vishera, but he didn't want to kill any more people. If he did, he was sure he would go insane from the guilt.

"I don't know how much help I'll be," Emrick called from amid the shelves. "We have a few books on your religion, I just need to find them. I don't know if they'll help you, but we'll see."

Isiah drummed his fingers against the table. Turian's note still sat there, taunting him. "You're not going to send any of this information to King Harudan, are you?" he asked.

Emrick made a surprised noise and appeared from between two shelves, a pile of books in his hands. "Gods, no! Not if I can help it. I'll have to prolong it as much as possible and send false information if I can," he replied as he walked over. "Turian asked me to take my time anyway."

"You shouldn't blaspheme. It offends the Gods," Isiah mumbled. It was a habit, drilled into him from childhood. Don't blaspheme.

But Emrick only chuckled and gently placed the books on the table. "I don't think the Gods mind what a non-believer does," he said and patted the topmost book. "These are all the books we have on the Old Gods."

Isiah frowned at them and grabbed the one at the top. A small tome, but thick. "There's not much," he said.

"We don't really focus on religion here."

"Then what do you focus on?"

"Science."

Isiah had heard of the word a couple of times. The Mother and a few of the older monks liked to talk about it, thinking that he wasn't listening. They hadn't liked it, the study of stars and the reasons why the realm works the way it does. It made no sense to him, but secretly, it interested him.

He glanced out the window, where Rina and Nerin were still training. "And you use the telescope to look at the stars?" he asked curiously. He should have been focusing on more important things, but it was nice to have a conversation that didn't revolve around the Beast for once.

Emrick nodded and gave him a small smile. "If you want, if the weather is good, which I doubt because it's winter, we could go up and I can show you how it works?" he suggested.

Isiah was silent for a moment, thinking it over. He had no idea if doing anything to do with science was blasphemous. It was a new concept, there were no rules about it in either religion, but he could assume it was. But it wasn't as though his Gods would mind what he did anymore. "If the weather is good," he said.

He flicked open the book in his hand and skimmed the first few pages. Emrick followed suit, grabbing the next book on the pile. Most of the paragraphs detailed the Sanctum of Ishin and when prayer was to be held, but it detailed the wrong one. It spoke of the ruins of an ancient stronghold for the Old Gods being gifted to their followers after the rise of the New Gods.

With a sigh, he dropped it back on the table. "This one is too recent. It doesn't know about the real Sanctum of Ishin," he said and frowned down at the yellowed pages. It wouldn't be any help. If all the books were like that, none of them would be able to help him. All they'd say about the Beast was what he was meant to do, which he already knew.