Eternal Darkness (A Novel of the Amagarians Book 1) (22 page)

He glanced at her and held her gaze. Before, it would have seared her and made her anxious. After being with Drac, she doubted the power of another’s glance could make her anxious. She had to admit, though, that King Ajali appeared to be a power to be reckoned with. If she had met him before she fled, she might have succumbed to him from
sheer intimidation.

Saieke stood before the podium in the center of the chamber and faced the gathering before her. Her mother sat beside her father, and she could see that tension was holding her form rigid. Her nervousness made
Saieke anxious.

The entire sixty council members were there, along with her king’s ten most trusted advisors. Her queen had several of her lady advisors with her as well. Saieke looked at the warriors behind the Nurian king. They present a united and powerful front. Ten of his warriors stood apart from the rest and formed a tight semi-circle around him. They looked deadly with their flat gazes and hands lightly resting on the hilt of their swords. Her gaze encompassed all and she smiled briefly at Sir Hugh and the members of the princes’ council that she
sat on.

“Princess Saieke is here before the council to account for her actions that had us presuming her missing for the past several days,” The high chancellor Azul announced to
her king.

“Begin, Princess,”
he commanded.

She glanced at Lachlan quickly, who stood to her left. His face was blank as he surveyed the gathering in front
of them.

“In Tarylion, my blades and I came under attack and we had to
seek sanctuary.”

Her king raised his hand. “Why were you in Tarylion, Princess?” He asked silkily as he
leaned forward.

She looked at her queen. “I was distressed that I was being forced into a marriage without my consent, and I thought to leave briefly with my blades accompanying me,” she said into the
stony silence.

There were a few murmurs from
the council.

“You were breaking the pledge your king and lord made to the King of Nuria?” a voice to her far right asked. She glanced at
councilor Camden.

“Not precisely, my lord.” she uttered, amazed at her own gall and calm. “I was given to believe that King Ajali would arrive in twelve weeks’ time. When I learned that he was to arrive in but a day’s time, I panicked as I felt walls closing in on me. I thought to clear my mind and see how to resolve what I
was feeling.”

She flinched when another councillor asked, “So you sought to flee and break the blood-oath your king made, to give yourself time to extricate yourself from said oath?” he asked
with menace.

Her pulse hammered. “No, my lords, I sought time on how to reassure the nation that I would one day lead, that it was indeed in their best interest that I should wed King Ajali. I was aware our people were not as settled as
I was.”

“This council and your lieges were fully settled, Princess,” Councilor
Camden said.

Saieke communicated silently with Sir Hugh. He asked a question of his own before she was pinned
any further.

“You were attacked, Princess? Were you not wearing your armband proclaiming you as the Princess and heir of Boreas?” Sir Hugh questioned, bringing the matter back to what she wanted
to discuss.

“I was. My attackers were Mevians, and I was attacked because of
my identity.”

There was a ripple of sound that travelled through the tribunal. She noticed that even the Nurian king seemed more
subtly alert.

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 warriors 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.

There was a rush of voices through the council which was
quickly silenced.

“We are in agreement” the high chancellor Azul boomed out after quickly conferring with
her king.

Saieke looked at the King of Nuria in disbelief. Satisfaction and triumph blazed in his eyes and something darker that she could not identify.
He would have them
marry now?

“My lords,” she said voice high and clear in the chamber. “I would seek a private audience with my king and Queen to explain my difficulties in formalizing
the oath.”

The silence that entered the room
was deafening.

“Come Princess, whatever you must impart to your majesties can be said here. After all, my king will need to hear your reason for attempting to break an oath made by your kingdom,” the high chancellor of
Nuria snapped.

Saieke looked at her father beseechingly. Her mother reached over and gripped his hands under the folds of
her caftan.

“A private audience is denied. This is a matter that involves this council. Speak, Princess Saieke,” her
king commanded.

Saieke hesitated as fear rushed through her. This was not at all how she imagined unveiling that she had a consort. “I cannot fulfill my oath to the king as I would not be going to him true and pure as a queen ought to be,” she muttered shakily, her hands tightly gripping the folds of
her caftan.

“What madness is this?” the Nurian high chancellor demanded from his
high seat.

“I do not seek to be willful, but I have a consort. My king was not aware and as such could not bear that information in mind when he spoke with King Ajali at the summit. It has been a trying time for me to inform my liege, and I feel I must do so now to avoid complications.” Saieke tried to keep the blush from her face as she lied to the most influential peers of
her realm.

She felt as if a thousand eyes held her under scrutiny. She could feel the heat of King Ajali and the disbelief of
the council.

“This appears to be a ploy to not fulfill your oath, which then leads us back to the belief that you are trying not to honor a blood-oath made by your king,” the High chancellor Camden proclaimed in a
harsh voice.

The Nurian chancellor leaned in and conferred with his King. He held up his hand for attention. “We require proof that the princess is indeed impure. At this time, we simply cannot take her word on
the matter.”

“I agree,” her king snapped. She could feel the anger beneath his voice. But she heard something else that made her wilt inside. She heard fear in her king’s voice. “We will summon the
castle healers—”

“No.”

Saieke bit the inside of her lips hard. The chancellor actually interrupted her king when he spoke and her King allowed
the insult.

“A physician is not necessary. A member of our warriors will question her.” He held up his hand and they collectively gasped when a Serangite
stepped forward.

Saieke went weak at the implication. The Serangites’ weapon of warfare was the mind. The female that came forward was petite and moved as if floating. She was slender with slightly rounded curves. She could have belonged to any other kingdom, except her eyes gave her away. They were like perfected diamonds—colorless, hard and sparkly ringed with black. They were striking and eerie. She stopped at the chancellor’s side and her piercing eyes met Saieke’s.