The Beast That was Promised ✔

FIFTEEN: Ishin's Promise

Marching with the army was far slower than walking with Ishin alone, but there was nothing else he could do. Surely, he and Ishin could show up to Liman alone and torch the town, but General Juna had requested that the town stay standing so that when he eventually took control, he had a good port town to use. It was smart, but there was still a part of him that wanted to see it burn.

At every waking moment, he relived the destruction of the town he couldn't remember the name of. The way the flames moved, like waves over the shore, was forever imprinted in his mind. He wanted to see it again, but that meant going against the suggestions of his most trusted general.

In an attempt to make him seem like the King was supposed to be, he rode upon a spare horse gifted to him by General Juna. Of course, Ishin walked by his side, taller than them all as if there was something that made him feel good about being taller than the rest of them. Perhaps Gods had superiority complexes. It wouldn't surprise him.

The army marched behind them in organised lines as they had for the last two days, stopping only for a short break in barely constructed tents. Spies were sent ahead of them every hour to make sure they weren't running into anything unexpected. Harudan listened when they returned to give reports, happy whenever good news came back. General Juna's original plan to spread the Askari thin had worked for the most part.

Contact between both parts of the army was mostly regular. Over the last two days, he'd seen at least three ravens arrive from the north, all with agreements to Juna's plan. Harudan had tried to send his own back to Ishmar in the form of Ignis, who had cried and spat flames when he'd tied the note to his leg. Instead, he'd borrowed a raven and tried for a long time to calm his drake down.

Ignis grieved far louder than he did, something that had surprised him. He hadn't thought an animal like Ignis could feel grief, but obviously, he was far smarter than Harudan had ever thought possible. When he was frozen in the memories of the one man who had stuck by him, the pet they had shared screamed for his other father.

If only Harudan had made it to the crystal falls sooner rather than later. If only he had never sent Jonin off in the first place, then he would be safe and by his side where he belonged. But there was nothing he could do about it. He had made his mistakes, many of them, and he would have to live with them for the rest of his life.

"Your Majesty?" someone next to him said. Juna watched him with a frown. They must have been trying to speak to him, but he was lost in his thoughts.

He shook his head as if that would get rid of his grief. "I'm sorry? You were saying?" he said, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He should have been paying attention.

Even Ishin was looking at him, but Harudan couldn't read his expression amid the flames. Juna sighed but for once, didn't make mention of his distraction. "I was just telling you that the northern part of the army will arrive at Ziya long before we do," they said, their frown disappearing. "They will be digging in and waiting for us, for the real attack."

It was something he already knew, something Juna had told him when he'd arrived, but for whatever reason, they had decided to repeat it. Perhaps to make him feel as if he were still involved in the plans when he hadn't been from the moment the war really started. Everything had been thought of long ago.

"So I've been told," he said, fiddling with the harness in his hands.

Juna didn't try to talk to him again, no one did, something he was grateful for. It was all nonsense, things he had heard a thousand times over in the war room in Ishmar. He didn't need it to be repeated over and over again, as if he were a child who couldn't understand the ramifications of his choices. He understood them perfectly.