A Betrayal of Faith ✔

ELEVEN: Escaping Ishmar

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Isiah had killed a man. That much was certain. He'd seen the blood, he'd been the one to push him. Twice he had pushed him and the first time guilt had flooded his veins. The second time had been worse. The second time he knew what he had done, knew that his Gods were angry with him.

He was a murderer. Princess Sharina could have held her own. She would have dealt with it without him. But for some reason he couldn't explain, he'd rushed to her aid. And as a result, a man was dead because of him. He should have left her. She was the one with the sword.

He hadn't expected the man to die when he'd pushed him. All Isiah had wanted to do was get him away from the Princess. But the man, already disoriented from Isiah's early shove, slipped and smacked his head on the rocky floor. He hadn't meant for it to happen, but it still had. He had killed someone.

As he followed Nerin down the suffocatingly thin tunnels, the thoughts repeated themselves over and over again. He didn't know how far they walked, it was all he could do to stop himself from vomiting at the images of blood in his mind. He could just turn back and surrender himself, but he needed to get the Princess to safety. He had already killed for her, it only seemed right to keep going.

When they'd come out of the tunnels, it had been on the other side of the palace walls. They stood in the middle of someone's basement, light and cold winter air streaming down towards them. Whoever owned the home wasn't there and obviously didn't know about the secret tunnel stuffed behind a decrepit bookshelf.

When they made to leave the home, Princess Sharina grabbed him by the wrist. "I can't go out there," she said. "I'm Askari." Somehow, in all the drama and danger of the day, he had forgotten that she wasn't like most people in Brenmar.

Without a word, he pulled his robes from his body and handed them to her. "There is a hood on the back to hide your face," he said.

"Won't you be cold?" she asked but he only shook his head. He had thin but tight black clothing underneath. He would probably freeze as soon as they left, but it was better than being discovered.

Nerin tapped his feet against the floor. "What about me?" he asked with a frown. "I'm the Crown Prince. I might not leave the palace much, but people would recognise my face."

"How often do you go outside?" Princess Sharina asked.

"Not often. Once I found where this lead, I never came back," Nerin answered. "It's too dangerous for me to be out on my own. That was what Harudan told me, anyway."

The Princess hissed and bit down on her lip. "We should be fine, but we'll find something for you soon," she said and pulled on Isiah's robes. He didn't need them anymore. He was a murderer after all. He couldn't follow his religion if he was no longer a pacifist. "I'm assuming this means you don't know a way out of the city?"

Nerin shook his head. "No, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, we'll figure it out," the Princess said as she pulled the hood over her head. "Come on, we'd better go before someone finds us."

The streets were cramped and busy. The day was cold and grey but somehow all the people around them found a reason to smile and laugh. None of them took any notice of the robe-clad Princess or the nervous-looking Prince. In fact, Isiah was convinced that they were all looking at him, judging him for what he had done.

Most of the buildings were made of pale stone, topped with worn wooden roofs. Multicoloured awnings cast extra shade over the dusty roads. There weren't any stalls set up outside the buildings like there had been when Isiah had arrived. In the distance were taller, nicer looking buildings, ones Isiah assumed were home to any nobles living in the city.