Nerin's arm ached. Rina had put more snow on it that morning and while it helped a little, it still burned. He hadn't looked at it properly since it happened, knowing that if he did, he would vomit. It looked nothing like the burns that those at the Sanctum had, but it was all he was reminded of every time he looked at it.

He hadn't said much since it happened. He was angry and hurt and he didn't want to speak because of it. Rina had tried to talk to him a few times, tried to explain that it wasn't Isiah's fault. He knew that, but it didn't stop him from being angry. The pain was constant and until it faded, his anger would be constant too.

His uncle's home wasn't far. He had no idea exactly how long they had to go, but he knew they were close. Despite the snow that blanketed everything, he was warm. He might be angry at Isiah and the stone, but he had to admit that it was useful. Only Sol and Lune knew what would have happened to them if they didn't have it.

Isiah walked nearby, a faint glow coming from his pocket. He'd tried to talk to him that morning, but Nerin hadn't let him say more than two words before storming off. It had been an accident. He'd gotten excited about Isiah being able to use the stone's power and it had surprised him. The only person he could really blame was himself.

The worst part about his injury, aside from the pain, was that Isiah had hit his sword arm. It would have been so much worse if Rina hadn't grabbed him. But it meant that he couldn't train properly until he healed up completely. He could use his other arm, but he wouldn't be as good, not that he was any good in the first place.

Rina was a good teacher, but a strict one. She had him doing the same exercise over and over again, but he didn't see the point in it. There had to be some reason for it, but he hadn't figured it out yet. He wouldn't any time soon, not with his arm.

He was glad that Isiah had been able to figure out how to use the stone, even at the detriment of Nerin's arm. Even though he was upset, he wasn't going to let Isiah stop using it. If he was right and he was the Beast that was Promised, then he needed to learn to use his power as soon as possible.

Thick dark clouds covered the sky, casting shadows over the quiet snowy road they walked on. It crunched loudly under his feet, one of the few noises in the leaf-stripped forest. He let out a yawn. Sleep had eluded him for the most part. Every time he drifted off, he rolled onto his injured arm and woke up again. He was exhausted. The second they arrived at Uncle Turian's home, he would sleep.

He wasn't the only one who seemed exhausted. Rina yawned after him and rubbed at her eyes. Sleep had been hard to come by on their travels. They would all need rest when they made it to the laboratory. If his uncle allowed them to stay.

He was sure he would. Turian loved him. He allowed Nerin to spend most of his holiday reading in the library and ignoring the world around him. If Nerin told him the truth, Turian would hopefully help them. But there was always a chance that he would turn them in, send Nerin back to Ishmar and order Rina and Isiah to be killed. He was a prince too after all, even though he didn't get along with Nerin's father.

If there was a hint of Turian wanting to turn them in, they would have to run and hope that there weren't any guards nearby. Turian didn't keep guards at the library; he'd always told Nerin that he didn't see the point. He knew how to fight and so did his apprentice, they could protect themselves.

Ahead of him, Rina made a strange noise. At first, he thought she'd been hurt, but then she pointed at something above the trees. Smoke rose towards the clouds, barely visible against the grey. Nerin let out a sigh of relief and ran a hand down his face. They were nearly there. He could finally sleep properly and get some medicine for his arm.

All three of them sped up, rushing towards the smoke. Hints of the laboratory poked out from between the trees, strange flashes of wood and metal. It had been so long since he had been. He usually went in summer, when the weather was better and there was more to do. It was strange to see it covered in snow.

A path had been shovelled away, leading up to the dark wooden door. The curtains were drawn across the frosted windows and no light came from within. The front part of the laboratory was a normal double-storey home with wooden walls and a tiled roof. Nerin had always found it small for a prince's home, but Turian seemed to like it. The back part was a cylindrical tower, each floor belonging to a different study. At the top was a strange metal contraption that poked out from the roof.

"What is that?" Rina asked, pointing up at the top of the tower.

"My uncle calls it a telescope," Nerin answered with a shrug. "I've used it a couple of times. It just lets you look at the sky."

Rina made a face. "Sounds boring," she said.

Nerin said nothing. He couldn't see any light from inside the home. It was daylight, but the clouds were dark. With the curtains closed, it would be hard to see inside. Could it be that no one was home? He never knew Turian to leave unless it was important and when he did, he usually left his apprentice behind.

There was only one thing he could do. With slow steps, he walked up to the door and rapped his fist against it. He shared a wary look with Isiah and Rina as silence met him. If no one was home, he didn't know what they would do. He didn't want to break until his uncle laboratory, but they needed the books inside.

He gasped when the door swung open and jumped backwards. A familiar face frowned down at him. "I was wondering when you would show up," his uncle's apprentice said. Emrick had only been there for a few years, but long enough that Nerin couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been there.

Nerin glared at him. "Where's Uncle Turian?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Called up to Ishmar by your brother. You're meant to be missing," Emrick said, a smirk on his pale face. Nerin gulped and bit down on his lip. He and Emrick had never gotten along. If Turian wasn't there then there was a chance Emrick would turn them in without a thought.

"I- I-" he stuttered, unsure of what to say.

Emrick rolled his eyes and looked behind him at Rina and Isiah. "You brought them with you? Nerin, what's going on?" he asked, frowning at the three of them.

Rina stepped forward and pulled down her hood. "I'm Princess-"

"I know who you are," Emrick interrupted and Rina made an offended noise in the back of her throat. "I think you had better come in."

He moved away from the door and gestured for them to follow him in. Rina looked Nerin with a confused frown, but all he could do was shrug. He didn't understand either, but he wasn't going to complain. Isiah was the first to walk through, uncaring of the situation and Emrick's strange attitude.

The room beyond was light by only one candle and the fireplace. Portraits decorated the walls of the small sitting room, the faces of family long passed staring at the three couches in the middle of the room. A tray on the polished table between them housed a pot and a cup filled with tea.

"Oh!" Rina gasped as Emrick stepped into the dim orange light. "You're a halfling!"

"Rina!" Nerin scolded and pulled on the sleeve of her coat. "You can't say things like that!"

Her eyebrows furrowed and she wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Do you not use that word here?" she asked, glancing between him and Emrick.

Emrick only shrugged. "Most people like me would be offended, but I've heard it so much that I don't care anymore," he explained, his voice as monotone as ever. "Things are different in Minisia, it seems. Either way, royalty can get away with a lot of things."

"You work for royalty," Nerin said.

"Then I would know what I'm talking about, wouldn't I?" Emrick said pointedly, grabbing the cup and taking a sip from it. His gaze shifted to Isiah, who was staring around the room curiously. "I'm guessing you're the monk?"

Isiah spun to stare at him, his eyes wide. "I was only an apprentice," he muttered, wringing his hands together.

"Was?" Emrick questioned, his eyebrows raised curiously before he shook his head. "Gods, sit down. Tell me what's going on." He gestured to the couches and Nerin sat immediately, worry flooding his veins.

"You shouldn't blaspheme," Isiah muttered as he sat.

Emrick chuckled. "Are you sure you're not still a monk?" he asked, but Isiah didn't respond.

The room fell into silence as Nerin stared at his uncle's grouchy apprentice. It was not as all how he had expected things to go, but it could have been so much worse. Rina sat nearby, her foot tapping against the floorboards and Nerin gave him a reassuring smile. "Where do you want us to start?" he asked Emrick.

"The beginning preferably," he said and looked to Rina. "You arrived in Ishmar for the treaty, yes?"

Rina nodded. "Yes, but we stopped at the Sanctum of Ishin on the way. The Mother there requested that Isiah join us until we reached Ishmar because the roads were dangerous," she explained. "He's meant to be on his pilgrimage."

Emrick looked surprised at her words, but Nerin couldn't figure out why. "Well... I guess your pilgrimage has been more than a little interesting, hmm?" he said, but all Isiah did was nod. "Keep going."

So they did. With Rina's help and Isiah's occasional noise of agreement, Nerin was able to explain to Emrick what had happened with the treaty and everything that happened at the original Sanctum of Ishin. Isiah didn't speak once and kept his eyes locked on the floor as Nerin detailed what had happened to Jonin and his guards. Emrick stayed as silent as Isiah, and there was nothing in his face to tell Nerin what he was thinking.

"Isiah has been practising with the stone a little, but there was an accident last night," Nerin said and pulled off the coat he'd been wearing. He pulled the bandages off slowly, hissing at the sting of the air on his burns.

Emrick winced at the sight of them and stood from his seat. "Stay here. I think Turian has some burn salve somewhere," he said and walked into one of the doors on the other side of the room.

There was only a second of silence after he left before Rina spoke. "Do you think we can trust him?" she asked, her voice so quiet that Nerin almost didn't hear.

"I don't know," Nerin said with a shrug. "We've never gotten along, but maybe we can. I hope so. My uncle isn't here and I don't know if we can wait around for him."

He didn't get a chance to say anything else before Emrick walked back into the room, a tiny jar in hand. He crouched in front of him and grabbed his arm carefully. Nerin almost sighed in relief at the feeling of the salve on his burns but held it in.

Emrick sighed. "Nerin, why did you come here? You should be as far from Ishmar as possible, not here," he said as he moved away.

"We need information on the stone and the Beast that was Promised," he replied and ran his good hand through his hair. "This was the only place I could think of to go. I was hoping Turian would be here. He'd help us."

"And you think I wouldn't?" Emrick asked and scoffed at him. "I might think you're annoying, Nerin, but I hate your brother a lot more than I dislike you. He's a liar, always has been. And if what you say is the truth, then you've got the one person in the realm who can stop him."

Nerin stammered for a moment, lost for words. "Thank- Thank you," he whispered. He couldn't think of anything else to say that would be polite. Part of him still wanted to defend his brother for reasons he didn't quite understand. Because of Harudan, war was on the horizon, but he still didn't want to see him killed.

"It's fine, but you need to know that you're not the only one looking for this information," Emrick said, the fire crackling loudly behind him. "Harudan asked Turian to come to Ishmar in the hopes that he would know something about this. He doesn't, but there are books in the library that might help. I got a raven yesterday asking me to search for them."

"So, he doesn't know about the Beast yet?" Rina asked, concern on her face.

"Not yet, but I doubt it will take him long to figure it out," Emrick answered with a shake of his head. He was silent for a moment before he moved to sit in front of Isiah. "You haven't spoken much, for good reason, I would assume. But Turian said something in his note yesterday that I think you should know."

Isiah stared at him, lips parted. "What is it?" he asked, worry lacing his voice.

Emrick opened and closed his mouth a few times, and Nerin bit down on his lip anxiously. Whatever it was the other man had to say, it wouldn't be good. "The Sanctum of Ishin is gone."