Eternal Darkness (A Novel of the Amagarians Book 1) (17 page)

They flashed into the tunnel and covered several miles before they came to a wide open area. They put their torches into the holders on the cave wall, and Saieke flashed from point to point exploring this
inner sanctum.

They came to a wide open area where water gushed from the rocks from three separate places, and gathered in a wide pool. Saieke waved her hand and started to shape the water to Cullen squeals. She enveloped him in a bubble of water and lifted him high in the air, then dumped him into
the water.

He jumped out and grinned at
her widely.

“Now I am
all wet.”

“Now, you’re not,” Saieke said as she waved her hands and drew all moisture from his clothes
and body.

“Well, since you can do that…,” Chedra said and launched herself into
the pool.

Saieke laughed and jumped in with Cullen shrieking behind her as
he followed.

***

They frolicked for at least an hour, and contentment filled Saieke, Drac’s coldness forgotten. The waterfalls were still as she had frozen them into great ice sculptures for Cullen and had left them so to calm the waters. She had really dazzled him with her displays, especially when she had drawn heated water from several miles out to mix in the pool they were in to make it warmer. Now, they lazed in warm and
gentle waters.

There was an ever present worry whenever she thought of returning to her kingdom to never see him again. It blossomed to a keen kind of pain at the idea.
I really, really like him
. She had to admit that it was more than like. It was something intense and wonderful, though she no longer feared the thought of
loving him.

She wished she could extend her stay but she could not let her parents or her people suffer any longer. She had a lot to atone for and only hoped that her disappearance did not cause much pain. She was somewhat reassured she was not missing long enough for banners to
be posted.

Her worry over the fate of her Queen’s blades had been a constant companion in the backdrop of everything that was happening. They would never imagine she was here. If they were alive, they would be searching for her, not able to return home without her. Saieke contemplated the journey on the morrow. She would be returning home with a Darkan to present her king with an honor bargain. She would also have to face the Nurian King. Yet the worst thing was that she was going to
leave Drac.

If only she could declare him
her consort.

It was the purview of a princess to take a consort, but a Darkan consort would have her kingdom resounding in fear and disbelief. Even if negotiations were to open between them, it would be too much too soon, and he was important in his kingdom—a Mecca,
an Archduke.

Traditionally consorts lived at the castle and had their every whim catered for. It was hard to see Drac fulfilling the role of
a Consort.

“What is
it mother?”

Saieke glanced at Chedra and froze at her expression. It was savage. She was standing still in the pool with her
head cocked.

“I am unsure,”
she whispered.

Chedra inhaled deeply and
chakra
roiled around her. Saieke flashed out of the water as Chedra
shiktred
out of the pool. Cullen followed and gripped her hand and looked at her with
wide eyes.

“There are others in the cave with us.” Confusion marred her voice as she glanced at Saieke. “They are
not Darkans.”

Saieke waved her hand and dried
them completely.

“We have to leave now,” Chedra snapped. “Cullen travel to the castle as fast as you can and alert Tehdra
and Drac.”

He
shiktred
away and she realized Chedra had sent him away from
possible danger.

“Come, Princess.”

Chedra gripped her hand. Before she could process that Chedra was moving with her, a hard force punched into Saieke. She rolled gracefully and came up in a crouch, wheezing.

Saieke’s heart faltered at the three Mevians that stood in front
of her.

“It seems as if you were right, Ignac. We are, indeed, not alone.” The voice was pure
and deadly.

Chedra flinched.

Ignac pelted them with a light and melodious laughter—one that could entrap
and enthrall.

Saieke took a deep breath to steady her nerves. They would need to flee. She absolutely could not fight three Mevians and live. She did not know the extent of Chedra’s skills, but she was with babe and did not want to
risk her.

The great torches danced, flickered and created an ominous atmosphere with the knife edge tension that
gripped everyone.

“We have been saved from a tedious search, my friends. We seem to have located the missing Princess
of Boreas.”

She struggled against the panic trying to engulf her and tried to reach through the connection she had formed with Drac. The stretch that she normally felt when he communicated with her was missing, and she frantically tried again to
no avail.

“What is it that you want and why are you in the Darkage?”
Chedra demanded.

Saieke took some comfort in her tone. It resonated with
deadly intent.

“Kill the bitch and take the princess,” a cold order from one of the purest voices, Saieke had
ever heard.

Saieke unsheathed her blades as rage and determination flowed through her body. Chedra would not die, and she would not be taken. She heard a vicious snarl, and then Chedra attacked. Saieke grasped the hand that slashed out at her and flowed around her attacker as Drac had shown her. She punched with her blade at her opponent’s kidney but was
deflected sharply.

Pain exploded behind her eyes as she was punched in the face. Saieke flung out winds so sharp they sliced into his stomach deeply. He came at her, and she lunged and blocked the hand that thrust at her throat with the intent to smash her trachea, came in with her knife under the arm that was extended to her, and plunged deep into his armpits with
her dagger.

He screamed a harsh sound of pain that reverberated through her body and had her vibrating like a bow string. The sound compressed the air around her, and pain exploded in her head. Saieke whipped her wind and dropped the temperature so low that frost blew from her breath. The cold that permeated the air was so deep and harsh that the Mevian’s voice trailed off as he labored
to breathe.

She flung herself back and observed her opponent. Blood trickled from his stomach wound and poured from under his arms. Saieke smiled at him as a savageness she did not know she possessed uncurled inside of her. She exhaled frost and heard cackles and knew it was the waterfalls and pools that were freezing due to
her
Shenkiri
.

Saieke let its iciness flow into her veins. She was hurt but not defeated. Her ribs were cracked from the sounds that had emitted from his mouth, and her nose bled freely. Half of her face was also swollen and one eye almost shut. She did not know how Chedra fared. Saieke did not dare take her attention away from the Mevian in front of her balanced so deadly on
his feet.

She heard vicious fighting and wished she could assist her. Chedra was contending with two of the Mevians while she fought the third. A harsh pain-filled scream erupt from Chedra, and Saieke spun to see her being flung into the wall. Saieke lashed out her wind to brace her fall. The loud thud of her body hitting the wall made her flinch inwardly. She flashed to her side, but Chedra was already recovered and crouched, observing the Mevians with death in
her eyes.

She had trails of
chakra
swirling around her and Saieke could feel the rage and resolve that floated from it. Chedra had vicious claws on her hands and her eyes flickered and had a serpentine cast. She looked deadly, but very hurt. Blood flowed freely down her face from a deep cut above her eye, her caftan was ripped in several places, and her right shoulder
was dislocated.

Saieke looked at the Mevians while she searched for an opening to flee. One was very hurt. He looked torn and savaged, and blood pooled at his feet on the cave floor. Saieke glanced quickly at the blood dripping from Chedra claws. They had a chance and they just had to hold out until Cullen returned
with help.

She slashed out rapid movements of her wind that sliced at the Mevians in ferocious succession as they attacked. She whipped her elements, punched through ice and drew upon water. She doused the torches and flashed with speed towards the entrance, hoping that Chedra would see her strategy and follow. She did immediately, and they both moved with speed out of the cave. Saieke looked back. The Mevians were following them; it made no sense as they were enveloped in
absolute dark.

Chedra gasped, and Saieke turned to see her holding her side and see the bright red of blood that soaked the legs of Chedra’
s caftan.

“The baby is coming,” she groaned, and fear rolled off her
in waves.

Saieke looked back at the assassins; they were virtually at their heels. She called the wind and felled trees behind her to slow their movements. Saieke was relieved to know that they were not screaming power at them. They wanted her alive for some reason, and it was once again saving her from facing the full force of
their strength.

She grabbed Chedra and came to a sudden stop and held herself still. Chedra did the same. Saieke frowned as the Mevians came to a sudden halt. It was as if they knew exactly when she and Chedra stopped fleeing. Saieke’s heart lurched. They had done the same when they had pursued her into the dark forest. It made no sense as she knew they could not see her. She looked at them keenly. She frowned when one of them made a click with his teeth and she saw sound waves undulating gently into the air and shimmering all
around her.

She strained and it was only because of her newly enhanced hearing that she could pick up a low hum and frequency that vibrated in the air. Saieke’s eyes widened in disbelief as through the vibrations and its distortion she could
identify movement.

Saieke squeezed Chedra’s hand. Pain and question glowed in her eyes. Saieke could also see the understanding that even though the Mevians could not see in the dark, they used sound waves with finely tuned frequencies to see and travel. They were listening for the echo that bounced back when the sound they emitted hit
an object.

Her heart pounded as she realized that to move would make them pounce. Chedra held her hand tightly. The flow of her blood had checked. Her gaze was also less pain-filled. Chedra frowned and made a motion with her hands to indicate that she would attack the enemy on the left. Saieke nodded and gripped her blades and assessed her opponent
for weakness.

Before either could move, two Darkans appeared to stand near the Mevians. Saieke expelled a breath of relief and Chedra also relaxed her stance. Chedra stepped forward and halted when one of the
Darkans spoke.

“Why are
they alive?”

Saieke’s throat burned at the sudden fear that wafted Chedra. It was deep
and visceral.

“Elder Macklin,” Chedra said with uncertainty ringing in
her voice.

“Let me repeat, why are they alive when they could report
your presence?”

“The female is mated so our presence has already been communicated,” the other
Darkan snarled.

“It matters not,” the Darkan Chedra referred to as ‘elder’ said. “Her mate is the only one she could have alerted. We will kill him on his arrival and any other that is with him. Everything must be revealed in due time and we will take this opportunity to inflict damage and use the distraction of their loss. For they will grieve to lose Chedra Al Sur and
her mate.”

“The Princess of Boreas has been located,” a voice meant to
enthrall said.

“The surest way to keep her from the Nurian king is death. No need for a kidnapping,” the
elder said.

“Yes, my lord,” melodious voices said in unison. “A boy left a few minutes ago to alert the Keep. We did
not pursue.”

Chedra let out a sound of raw dread when one of the Darkans simply disappeared. She made to follow in his direction and was stopped with a brutal slam in her chest from the remaining elder. Saieke heard Chedra’s clavicle crack and the harsh sound of pain that she screamed was heart wrenching. Chedra was flung back by the force of the blow and she crumpled. Pain lined her features. It was more than pain, it was dread. Saieke spun to where she was looking and saw that the Darkan had appeared with Cullen dangling from
his hand.

A wail of torment slipped from Chedra’s lips when the Darkan slashed his claws across Cullen’s throat and casually tossed his body aside. Disbelief and grief ripped through Saieke and she drew wind with strength and rage that whipped a deadly cyclone. The Darkan appeared in front of her. Saieke looked at him weakly as she felt a cold fire inside. Her wind crumpled as if it never was, and she looked down to see his claws buried deep inside her stomach up to
his fingertips.

Drac
. The dark abyss opened in her mind. She slid into the inky blackness of emotions that pulsed inside her mind. Darkness stretched and tunneled in her mind. And in the abyss of her mind, serpentine eyes sprang open and
ensnared her.

Too late.
The thought drifted in her mind to him as blackness hovered and death crept slowly to
claim her.

The roar was one that screamed retribution. Tehdra flowed beside Tzar as they moved with unparalleled speed towards his mate and her sister. They had been nearing the king’s castle when he had stumbled, enraged. His mate had reached out to him and let him know that she was
in danger.

They were thousands of miles away, but they would reach them in mere minutes. Tehdra knew they would still not be there in time. Grief gripped her heart. Today she would lose a beloved sister and nephew. She had to keep calm and focus as Tzar had ascended
beyond rage.

Based on what she had gleaned from his garbled growls, Chedra was surrounded by two Mevians and two Darkans. One of the Darkans was elder Macklin, who sat on the warrior council. He was fully bonded, and Tehdra and Tzar together could not hope to defeat him. Macklin had access to all his beast rage and power, and he wielded it with
utter control.

He was an elder she trusted and had worked with to develop strategies to protect their king. The elder must know that her sister would reach out to her mate and reveal his identity. Chedra and the princess would die once their betrayer deemed it so. The loss that Tzar faced losing his mate was infinitely greater than the loss she faced losing her sister and nephew. She swallowed the grief that stung so acridly at the back of
her throat.

Please…live Chedra…Cullen
. She even hoped for the princess, for she had felt her brother’s desire
for her.

Chakra
roiled black and menacing around Tzar, and he unleashed all of the beast power he had control. His speed climbed and he outdistanced Tehdra. His hair had grown into a length that stopped at his waist; his claws were fully extended and curved wickedly. Fangs, sharp and vicious, were out and his eyes had a deep glow of swirling amber and madness. The speed at which he lunged and travelled through the darkness was becoming hard for Tehdra to
keep up.

She had to alert Drac alone. She would never have imagined that the elder Macklin was part of the plot to overthrow Gidon. She did not know which warrior she could
now trust.

Fangs punched from her mouth as she lowered the psychic leash she had her beast under. Rage and blood lust unfurled and rushed through her like a potion.
Chakra
swirled around her and evil battered at her mind as her beast lunged for more freedom. She would divert to the castle and alert Drac. She drew on her strength and ran beside Tzar in their race to save those
they loved.

***

Drac hunched over the stone table, thumbing through one of their books in the archive room with his most trusted elder. The archive had over three floors of books, scrolls and tablets of their history and beast origins. They were looking at their lexicon—the great book that had hundreds of traces origins of their beasts and how
they mated.

“You are very sure that the princess is your mate?” the elder queried for the third time, as they both leaned over
the pages.

He could not stop thinking about Saieke and his beast had constantly tried reaching out to her to find her
mind closed.

He had forced himself to reign in his beast and prevent himself from constantly seeking the connection between them. His lips twisted in slight disdain, never would he think that he would have been so distracted by a female, mate or not. “I am sure,” he
stated empathically.

“There is nothing recorded in our archives of a Darkan mating with a non Darkan. Where is the beast’s companion? How would the beast be soothed?” Eldrud
murmured quietly.

“My beast is content whenever we connect with
her psychically.”

“How is it possible that you do so and she is without a beast?” the
elder asked.

Drac thought on how much to reveal. “I have fed from her several times, and I have also had her consume
my blood.”

Eldrud arch his brows sharply and frowned in deep contemplation. “Mated Darkans do not consume each other’s blood. They feed on the beast
chakra
present in
each other.”

“I am aware
of that.”

“Our records of our kind on Earth and Serange speak of converting humans and Serangites through ingesting our blood. We do not understand the full of it or how accurate the records are. Much of it is stories made up of truths and half-truths with the intention of distorting knowledge
about us.”

Drac teeth snapped together. “She is not turning into
a Darkan.”

The elder prowled around the room, his flowing robes swishing at the ground with
each movement.

“Have you claimed her?” he queried

“Yes…No.”
Fuck
.

“I mean have you
bedded her?”

Drac grunted. “I know what you meant
by claim.”

“Did you harm her in any way? Was
she afraid?”

“No,” he said as the memory of her heat shivered
through him.

The elder frowned. “Even without a beast, she was able to withstand how you took her? Did you have to
restrain yourself?”

Drac hardened painfully at the memory of how she’d taken. In less than a day he had taken her several times. He had ridden her until she wilted, but she had always matched him. “I do not hold back
with her.”

Drac glided around the room while the elder reached for another great tome. He wanted to settle her fears. He really did not know if she was turning into a Darkan and if it was even possible. He wanted to give her answers. He did not know to what extent she would change. He knew her vision and hearing had enhanced, but they would have to watch closely to see what else was to
be revealed.

He inhaled deeply as his beast uncoiled on edge. He felt power stir in the air as it moved toward him with speed and rage. He could smell Tehdra’s scent attached to the
chakra
, and the pain underlying
her scent.

Eldrud slammed the tome shut as he felt the disturbance in the air as well. Drac strode forward and
shiktred
into the great hall to meet her arrival. He automatically reached along the pathway to find Saieke. Drac paused when he encountered a void. His beast lunged, and he reached out with his mind to hers and came upon blankness once again. Unease roiled though Drac and he ruthlessly suppressed the flare of fear he felt. He traced the pattern of their connection and thrust deep into the recesses of her mind, past barriers that she had erected, to be met with pain
and despair.

“Drac?” he heard elder Eldrud question him sharply the same time Tehdra arrived in a whirlwind of churning
chakra
and rage.

Drac
… Saieke moaned was filled with pain and impending death. He lowered the psychic leash fully and bathed himself in the pure unadulterated need for destruction that bled into
his mind.

Wait for me…please I beg you…do
not die.

***

Tehdra stumbled to a stop into the hall and inhaled harshly at the feelings that came from Drac. She did not even get a chance to alert him to the attack, yet he was leaking unrelenting anger from his
chakra
. She stepped back as black scales rippled over his body and coated him completely like a second skin. Dark and massive wings spouted from his back and ripped his shirts to pieces. Malevolence swirled in deep yellow serpentine eyes. He disappeared and Tehdra moved with all the speed and strength that she could muster from her beast and tried
to follow.

Great wings flapped, and he shot through the sky with a speed she could not hope to follow. She took comfort and deep satisfaction from the knowledge that he was heading in the direction of Chedra and
the princess.

Please Chedra…Cullen
hold on
.