Eternal Darkness (A Novel of the Amagarians Book 1) by Stacy Reid Read Free Book Online

in accord. I will return to my lands to honor the bargain.”
    She could
feel
the satisfaction that permeated the chamber. Saieke remained numb through the drafting of their agreement. The king scrawled his signature with bold grace, and her hands trembled when she signed.
    “Ladies in waiting have been assigned to you. Rest Princess Saieke and we will confer when we break our fast.”
    “I thank you” she whispered as she rose, exiting the antechamber with several guards leading the way, all hopes of saving her kingdom burned to ashes.

Chapter Four
    The chambers were suited to a princess. Great torches and a roaring fireplace blazed, illuminating the dark elegance of the room. Deep vermillion hues, mixed with violet, and the most beautiful silver tapestries decorated the wall. The four poster bed stood high and proud in the middle of the room, with a mound of purple satin pillows with gold fringes piled in its centre of the bed, tempting her to climb on and snuggle into the mound.
    The pain of failure and loss raked at her. Saieke slapped a hand over her mouth as a harsh sob ripped from her. She gathered her composure as several ladies in waiting bustled in, moving with grim efficiency.
    Saieke went through the motions of refreshing herself, resolutely banishing the dread clouding her thoughts. Several caftans made with luxurious materials the colors of corn silk, gold, and chartreuse were laid on a chaise. Saieke fingered them lightly. Empresses and queens of other kingdoms would pay a fortune to possess such richness in garments.
    “A gift from our castle ladies,” one of the ladies in waiting said.
    Saieke’s smile was strained. “Please convey my enjoyment to the ladies of the castle.”
    “Yes, your highness.” They dipped in graceful curtsies and then departed.
    She lay on the bed restless, unable to sleep. Even though fed and refreshed, exhaustion still weighed on her. It was not mere fatigue, it was failure. Her harsh breathing mingled with the cackling of the fireplace.
I’ve failed. My people will be burned because of my ineptitude, and Kamu and Thyon have sacrificed their lives for naught.
She bit her bottom lip until she tasted blood.
    Saieke flashed off the bed, restless and edgy, pacing the floor with jerky movements. To flee to Earth now would be a folly only an asinine person would undertake. The Darkans would deliver death if the bargain was not fulfilled, yet she could not return home. She would be locked away in one of the towers and only when she was bonded to King Ajali would she have any freedom.
    Her lips curled in acute distaste. King Ajali was enormously wealthy and powerful, and his kingdom respected by many. He was over seven hundred years old and already a legend due to his feats in the second Great War, yet she did not want him. He already had an alliance with Aria—the kingdom of earth and sand. Her father must know King Ajali only coveted their kingdom for its wealth. Boreas was bountiful with hundreds of meadows, creeks, rivers and waterfalls that spanned more than a hundred feet in both depth and width. Most precious of all, they had the elixir springs— the most desired commodity Boreas had to offer as a kingdom, which had the ability to heal any wound instantly, and
that
was what the tyrant king wanted.
    The only thing that could prevent their marriage now was to once again try and lose her purity. It would be impossible to find a willing lover in the time it would take for her to return to Boreas to honor the bargain. It had been a daunting task when she had weeks to plot. Now….it would probably be easier to try and flee the Darkage instead of finding someone that would willingly bed her.
    No one would touch her for fear of reprisal from the Nurians.
    Her mind turned to Drac and she froze.
He would not fear touching me
. The thought slid insidiously in her mind, lodged itself and flowered. Could she really attempt to entice a man she had no knowledge of? A man she had never