Nerin stood in the war room, which he had never seen before. Harudan and their father had never allowed him in there and he hadn't found a single secret passage that led into it. But with Harudan in Minisia and him in charge of Brenmar, the war room was a place he would frequent more often as the days wore on.
Fentir was the only other person there with him. It wasn't a formal visit, but rather one to get him up to date on what was going on in Vishera. His travels with Rina and Isiah had made him fall behind and ever since Harudan had left, Fentir had made an effort of getting him to catch up.
If only what he was learning about had been theoretical, he would have felt a lot better about how close both parts of the army were to Ziya. But it was all real and within the coming days or weeks, Ziya would be under siege, attacked by the God of Flame. Not even the Warriors of Ziya could withstand such an assault. Their training had never prepared them for the wrath of Harudan Oshana.
"What about the middle?" Nerin asked, interrupting Fentir in the middle of his explanation of why Harudan was heading south.
The army had entered Minisia through the middle and south of the border, General Juna's part had continued south while the other moved to the north, leaving the middle of Minisia free of soldiers. It seemed impractical and allowed the Askari to mount a force without being caught. If someone like him could see that, then surely the general's had been able to as well.
"There's nowhere the Askari can go without running into our forces. The entire idea was to keep them spread thin," Fentir explained but he sounded like he wasn't entirely sure himself. "I believe there are supposed to be patrols sent out between each portion of the army to make sure the Askari aren't attempting to fight back."
Nerin frowned down at the map table. "What would happen if they did?" he asked. It was a logical question to ask for someone learning about it for the first time, but there was a voice in the back of his mind that whispered to him about how good it would be if the Askari attacked and won. He ignored it as best he could.
"There are soldiers stationed all across the border to stop that from happening. If they did attack, it wouldn't last long. They've nearly reached Ziya and once Harudan takes it, there will be no point in continuing an attack here," Fentir explained, sounding far too nonchalant about it all.
Of course, Nerin had expected Harudan to be completely prepared for anything the Askari might throw at him, but it didn't stop the wave of disappointment that washed over Nerin. He couldn't help it. He didn't want Harudan to win, but he didn't even know what his brother would do if he did.
He'd only been King for a year and the biggest thing he had done was declare war on Minisia, which only furthered the opinion that Harudan wasn't fit to be a good King. When Nerin and Ishin had asked, he said he only wanted to make Minisia a better place but was that the truth? What things did he have in mind to make that happen? Nerin had never questioned it, but he should have long ago. He'd gone along with his brother's plans without once questioning anything, but why? What did he have to show for it?
Absolutely nothing except guilt. If he hadn't worked with his brother, it would have taken far longer for Ishin to be freed, maybe even long enough for Isiah to get all the stones and win, but because of him, it was happening far too soon. He had no contact with Isiah, had no idea where he was or what stones he had, if he was even still alive.
If Ashera was telling the truth, and he was sure she was, she'd successfully sent the letter to Maeve via raven. The day before, he had requested that she become his personal servant. It was getting too dangerous for her to spend so much time with him when she was only supposed to bring him his meals. He didn't want her to get in trouble, not when it could jeopardize any plans he made. He needed her help. She was free to move about the palace without being watched, she would be his eyes and ears.
All they had to do was wait for a letter back, if they got one. He doubted they would because it was so dangerous to send a letter to Ishmar, but as long as Isiah got word of what was going on, he didn't mind.
Fentir was still talking to him, but Nerin had stopped paying attention long ago. Most of what the old man was saying was obvious and he was quickly growing bored and agitated. The armies were nearing Ziya, it wouldn't be long before the city was under siege, food and money were growing scarcer in Brenmar, but once Harudan got his hands on King Ouron's many funds, both countries would be fine.
Nerin cleared his throat and the man fell silent. "Fentir," he said and took a deep breath. "I run Brenmar for the moment, don't I?"
"Until your brother's return," the advisor said.
"Does that include every aspect of the country?" he asked, something akin to anticipation swirling in his stomach.
Fentir gave him a strange look, one he couldn't decipher. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Then I could order the army to come back and stop the war, right?" he asked. How he hadn't thought of it earlier, he didn't know. It seemed so obvious and yet he'd been trying to send a letter to a remote place in Minisia instead. He could fix it all in a second.
His anticipation and pride soured and turned the dread the second Fentir guffawed at him. "No, Your Highness, that's not how it works. Only the true King has control over the armies. They would not retreat under your orders, only his."
It wasn't fair. If he was the acting King then surely he would also be in charge of the armies. Maybe he just wanted it to be that simple, to stop the bloodshed and carnage in a second, but of course, it couldn't be. If he wanted to stop the war, he would have to become the King of Brenmar.
Fentir sighed and sat down on a chair, moving it so that he sat before him. Sitting there in the middle of the empty room, he looked ancient. "I know you don't completely understand, Your Highness, and it is to be expected, but this is something necessary for the entire realm," he said and gave him a sad smile. "One day, you will understand why His Majesty must do the things he is doing. For now, you will just have to accept that this is how things must be done."
It sounded like an excuse from a man who didn't understand either, but he didn't say that, instead he nodded like he understood and stepped away. "Is there anything else you wish for me to know?" he asked.
"No, Your Highness, but there is something I want to ask of you," Fentir replied and once again, dread pooled in his stomach. He waited patiently while the old man took a breath. "That... Thing, Ishin, His Majesty said it was an Old God, but that can't be possible. What is it really, Your Highness?"
Fentir was someone he barely knew, even though he'd been around all of his life, so he wasn't sure if he could trust him with the truth. The man was on Harudan's side, even if he didn't understand what was really going on, he wouldn't help him even if he knew the truth. "Something awful," he said instead. It was the truth, but not the complete truth. "Something that could destroy all of Vishera."
"His Majesty will control it," Fentir said, full of confidence Nerin didn't have. Ishin was a God, something far stronger than Harudan could ever hope to be, there was no way he could control, but Nerin knew he would try anyway.
"I'm sure he will," Nerin said for lack of anything else to say. He didn't believe it. He hadn't even seen Ishin's power but if Isiah's were anything to go by then Ishin wasn't something they control or go up against easily.
And Ishin wanted to kill Isiah, wanted to destroy all of Vishera and remake it to stop the violence that had spread throughout the land. Nerin had known that from the moment he'd read about Nyat's story in the book, but he had stupidly let Harudan do what he wanted. He'd done nothing to stop him from breaking open the crystal. He was just as guilty as his brother, sitting around and doing nothing until it was too late.
"I will take lunch in my room again," he said to Fentir. "Unless there are nobles I must dine with."
The old advisor waved him away. "Do what you wish, Your Highness," he said and sat back in his chair. Nerin left the room, giving his escorts polite smiles as they followed him down the palace halls.
Ashera was in his room when he arrived, struggling with the thick blankets on his bed. He ordered the guards to wait outside his room and locked the door behind them. For a long moment, all he did was watch the girl attempt to make the bed look as neat as the older servants did, sighing in irritation whenever it didn't go well.
"Just leave it," he told her and sat down at his desk. "I'm just going to mess it up again anyway."
"They didn't teach me anything except how to serve food," she replied and collapsed onto the bed. "The one who looked after us said that I would have to help you dress, but I don't know how to do that."
Nerin shook his head. "I can dress myself. You don't need to do that," he said and leaned back in the chair. "You're here to bring my food and help me when I request it. If I could make all the followers of the Old Gods my personal servants, I would, but I can only have you."
For a long time, Ashera didn't say anything. Nerin didn't know why he had made her his servant, he'd done it on a whim, but it didn't seem like it would lead to anything bad. "I should at least try to do the things a servant is supposed to do," she whispered.
"You're not supposed to be a servant, not until your pilgrimage anyway," Nerin replied, his back to her. The book sat before him. He'd been translating it still, trying to find anything that might help him stop Ishin, but he doubted there would be anything. "You were forced into this."
She sighed and he turned back to look at her. She was lying on her back on his bed, seemingly oblivious to the disrespect she constantly showed. After travelling with Emrick for so long, he no longer cared. He didn't feel like a Prince anymore, but someone stuck in the palace pretending to be something they weren't. Maybe that was why he wanted Ashera close, because they were the same.
"How long do you think I will be here?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"I don't know," he replied as honestly as he could. "Hopefully not much longer. Isiah will get our message and then everything will be alright. He'll fix everything."
Even as he spoke, he wasn't completely sure that he was telling the truth. Isiah was strong, but he couldn't even use the fear stone, so would he be able to fight against something as strong as Ishin? And if he did, how much of Vishera would be gone before he defeated him?
He didn't want to think about it, but it had been constant from the moment Ishin climbed from the remains of the crystal. Ishin didn't want the realm to stay as it was, he wanted it gone and from the flames of his creation, he would mould the ashes to fit his wishes.
There had to be something Nerin could do to stop that from happening, something more to aid Isiah in his travels. If only he was with them still, where he could translate the book for them and tell them where they needed to go, but he was stuck in Ishmar with an eleven-year-old girl and a book that no longer helped him. He hadn't been able to get the army to retreat, but at least he had tried.
"I just want to go home. I want my mum," Ashera whispered at the ceiling.
"I know," he replied. But there wasn't much time to do anything. The army was so close to Ziya and no one knew exactly where Harudan was; it wouldn't be much longer before he got news of an Ishini victory. After that, they would have to deal with what Ishin and the chaos he wanted to bring.
Nerin couldn't figure out why he wanted to work with Harudan, curiosity or boredom or the belief that Harudan actually wanted the same things as him. Either way, once the war was over, Ishin would come to his full power and Nerin didn't want to be around when it happened. He wanted to be with Isiah and Rina and Emrick; they would keep him safe.
Before that, he would do what he could to stop Harudan and Ishin, even if it wasn't much. He would make up for his mistakes as best he could through translating the book and helping the children that had lost everything thanks to Harudan. It was the least he could do. He'd promised to keep Isiah safe but he could no longer do that. Instead, he would protect Ashera and the other children from the sanctum, no matter what.