Eternal Darkness (The Amagarians 1)

Her king sat forward. “Tell us everything!” he commanded.

Saieke spoke of her attack in detail and her flight to the Darkage.

“A Darkan rescued you from Mevian assassins?” her king demanded, shock rife in his tone.

“Not precisely ‘rescued’ my king. I bargained for sanctuary and it was granted.”

“Bargained?” her queen asked, as she clasped her hands tightly as she questioned Saieke.

“I offered several jars of elixir for sanctuary against death and kidnapping, my queen. And it was indeed, death, because I was attacked once more by Mevians within the Darkage and was dealt near fatal wounds.”

There was uproar from the council and all the Nurian warri

ors now rested their hands on their swords. Tension and anger spiked. She continued in a clear voice, “This man is Lachlan Ravenswood; he is the emissary from the Darkage to fulfill the honor bargain.”

Saieke blinked at the overwhelming silence that permeated the council room. Her king froze in the act of speaking and glared at her in what she could only describe as appalled shock. She felt a surge of power roil in the room observing the behavior of the Nurian warriors. They appeared alert and had death in their eyes. All analyzed him like a bug on display.

“He arrived in the sun,” the high chancellor to King Ajali drawled out. “Are you sure he is a Darkan?”

“I am a here on the command of my king, Gidon Al Shra. I am here to only fulfill the honor bargain made by the Princess of Boreas, and I will take my leave as soon as it is completed,” he responded with absolutely no inflection in his voice or sign of discomfort.

Her queen spoke, “The dark kingdom has our gratitude and blessings for coming to the aid of our cherished princess. We will gladly honor any bargain she formed with you right away.” She made a motion with her hand, and several Borean warriors flashed to him for the parchment he held in his hand. The queen looked at it then passed it to the king who gave it to his advisor on his right.

“The honor oath has indeed been signed by the princess and will be fulfilled. Advisor Chiang will escort you to the ground chambers where the jars will be delivered.”

Lachlan executed a smart bow and left with the advisor. He met her eyes, and in them she saw the reminder that she should open the idea of trade between the kingdoms. She had every intention of doing so, but she had to start with the princes’ council who would then confer with the king and his advisors.

She was thankful they did not hesitate to fulfill her promise. She knew Lachlan would not tarry as Gidon had already outlined that he should return as soon as he had the elixir.

She addressed the council before anyone could speak. “My king, my queen, and council members, I am aware of the worry that my disappearance has caused. Please accept my heartfelt apologies, as it was not my intention to be willful and cause harm. If not for the attack, I would not have been in this position now.” I would have been on Earth trying to blend with humans…and missing the greatest and scariest adventure of my life—Drac. “I hope that we can come to an amicable agreement with Nuria that would benefit all.” Saieke trembled and prayed that they would not ask more of her right at this moment.

She wanted a more intimate meeting with her parents. Her heart thudded as the high chancellor Azul addressed her.

“You speak of returning, my princess, if you have not been attacked. Why did you not send word that you were alive and well?”

She hardened herself and bended the truth. “I had to recover from my attacks. I was severely wounded and as soon as I was healed I journeyed back, my lords. A letter from the dark king would have been met with fear and suspicion if they had indicated that I was with them but unable to return.”

She met their eyes boldly and fearlessly, though inside, her heart shook.

“It is in your favor that you have returned without coercion, Princess. This tribunal held a hearing on how to punish your defiance of your king’s order. It was decided that you will be given thirty lashes for breaking an oath made by your king. However, by your testimony, you did not break your oath. Is that your stance, Princess?”

Saieke heart thumped harder. She could not admit that she had willfully defied her king, even though she was shocked that the tribunal had already convened and they had not place an Ageni on her.

“My stance, my lord, is that I panicked about how to explain to my king that I could not sign a blood-oath with King Ajali. My intention was never to break an oath that my king agreed on, but to explain why it would be difficult for me to fulfill said oath.”

Saieke’s clenched her hands into tight fists at her side. Shock flared in her mother’s eyes at the import of what she was implying. Saieke looked at her king and council and saw it had not occurred to them what she could possibly say. Her mother only knew, because she had tried to talk with her about using the consort clause. She saw the plea in mother’s eyes not to mention it. Saieke lips and throat became dry.

“Why would it be difficult, Princess? You are heir to the throne, and your king has given your hand to King Ajali to form an allegiance with our kingdom. This tribunal decided that your signing is a mere formality, and as of such you are Nuria’s blood-bound Queen.”

The room spun around her. His voice droned on and she grappled to hear what he was saying. She forced herself to listen to his words.

“It is imperative that the councilors for defense meet with the warrior factions to understand why Mevia would order an attack on you, Princess. We must get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. There should be no more delays in the signing of the oath by you. Would you agree, my lords?” the high chancellor Azul asked.

Panic clawed at Saieke throat. This was not how she envisioned it; she had planned to look at the law with Sir Hugh to refine her defense.

“I agree, High Chancellor Azul. King Ajali has been patient with us as he awaited the return of the princess. Summon the masters of ceremonies for the wedding planned,” her king proclaimed.

Before she could protest, King Ajali spoke. His voice rumbled through the council like the hottest of fire. “I would like to proceed without delay, Williem. We have the papers drawn already. I would like to formalize the oath here in this council when the master of ceremonies arrives. I trust that this is acceptable?” His voice was smooth and deadly.