Kingdom's Darkness (Gemstone Royals Book 2) Read online

  Kingdom's Darkness

  Gemstone Royals 2

  Kelly A. Purcell

  Copyright © 2020 Kelly-Ann Purcell-Wilkinson

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover design by: RebecaCovers

  Printed in the United States of America

  'Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.'

  John 12:35

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Epigraph

  Map of Saharia

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Note From the Author

  Connect

  Books in the series

  UP NEXT...

  Map of Saharia

  Prologue

  My son.

  I am convinced that perilous times lie before us. With the fall of Neru, prophecy ushers in the days of darkness for our people. As I write this, my heart breaks at the condition of Saharia. Even as those who seek my life pounds upon the doors of my dwelling, I can only think of you and the others.

  Though I have no children, you have always been like my own son. I encourage you now to hold fast to the faith, to the way I have taught you and to the God of your life. I am one of many who have witnessed the life and death of the source of light. Most importantly, I have been witness to his conquest over the darkness and I have walked in the new way of our rightful king ever since. The darkness will push you and the others into hiding, even as it mounts the blood of our brothers and sisters is being spilled into the earth. For indeed, the light came into the world but the people who once sought it, did not understand nor accept it, for their hearts loved the darkness.

  You must not be afraid my son, you must not distance your heart from El. Know that his light will fill you with the courage to continue the work among your people in Atridge and in the right time, the rest of Saharia.

  I am afraid that my time in this world is quickly coming to an end. But do not worry, I have far more to gain in death for El’s name, than in life for mine. Send the community of light my greeting. Tell them to be encouraged by my words and to hold fast even in the suffering that will come. And to be vigilant to light’s counterfeit.

  Love, peace and mercy to you my boy. I pray that when you are called into your destiny, you welcome it with open arms. And that you forgive.

  - Enol, prophet of El

  The old man rolled the parchment and tied it with a slim ribbon. With trembling hands, he turned to the thin girl looking at him with wide sad eyes. She too knew that life for her was about to change as well.

  ​“Here,” he said softly, smiling at her as he patted her hand.

  ​“Get this to the community in Atridge, find Ajorel. Tell him…” he smiled sadly, “tell him that I will be okay.”

  ​The girl nodded, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

  ​The loud crack below them shook the small dwelling. Enol knew that his time was up, now that the soldiers had broken through his front door.

  ​“You must go now, Moina,” he said quickly, “go!”

  ​The small girl took the scroll and shoved it inside her baggy brown servant’s dress, then turned and bounded to the window. She turned and looked at him once more as if etching this moment into memory. Then she stepped over and her thick unkempt head of hair, was the last he saw of her as she disappeared through the window.

  ​Suddenly the door of his room shattered into pieces across the floor before him, and in the open space men clad in the signature bronze armor, stood. The brazen Ma’jion on their breastplate filled his vision as they drew close.

  ​“Come on old man,” one of them said, an unexpected kindness in his voice, “don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

  ​Enol nodded, “what’s easy isn’t always good,” he said with a smile.

  ​The man reached down and held his arm, helping him to his feet, while the other handed him his cane.

  ​“The king will see you now.”

  Chapter 1

  King Kalgary was late to the emergency council meeting. Around the meeting table were members of the Aldorian council, some of whom had sat with his own father. They all regarded him with strict expressions, never had they been a group that liked to wait. The high priest and the king’s long-time friend sat among them as well, and standing towards the side, with arms folded behind his back was the king’s beloved son.

  He took his seat at at the round table and gestured to his son, “tell me son, what news have you from the South lands?”

  Jasper looked grim, “I bring disturbing news father. As we stand now, the South Territory is without a governor… with the governor now consumed with madness and his son-in-law dead. The South is in chaos.”

  “And what about the uprising?”

  Jasper lowered his gaze briefly, a look his father knew meant he felt guilt about something.

  “Their leader has been captured; we have returned her for trial. And we have quelled the uprising for now.”

  The king arched a brow, “her?”

  “The Governor’s daughter my king, Lady Ana, Tol's wife,” Jasper replied, “she instigated the coup, killed her own husband and poisoned her father to madness. She hoped she would not have been discovered, but a loyal servant shared her suspicions to the Southern council. This forced the governor’s daughter’s hand and her small rebel group held the city of Milina hostage for a time. Until we arrived and were able to relieve them of it. I am ashamed to say that I had met her before, she came to me to try to get out of the marriage, hoping to govern herself. I should have known that was a sign of trouble.”

  The king’s bushy greying brows drew together as his gaze darted to the side in troubled thought.

  “Don’t trouble yourself, none of us could have imagined that the South would have such political instability.”

  “I’m not surprised,” councillor Eage interjected.

  He was a middle-aged man, with a head of fully grey hair and he was one of the few Aldorian men who wore his hair short; three inches of woolly silver hair. His long brown face accessorized by a long silver beard, braided and clasped with a gold ring.

  Eage was a younger member of council, appointed during Kalgary’s time and so far, appeared to still trust
his king.

  He was shaking his head, “the governor has been growing weak for some time. He had become obsessed with the vanities of power and sought the good of his own bloodline over the good of his kingdom. El saw it fit to let his own blood destroy a legacy that was not his to begin with.”

  Another councillor grunted in agreement, “Eage is right. The governors of the South and East territories have grown bold. They seem to have forgotten that their positions are by the king’s appointment and that they are under the authority of the king, a mere extension of his rulership.”

  “Councillor Barton makes a wise observation,” grumbled Thayne.

  Thayne was an older councillor, from the days of his father, one of his regular opposers, but more reasonable than Mbede who sought to oppose Kalgary at every turn.

  Thayne continued, “we have no concerns with the North. Why? Because the people respect the Stone name. Princess Pearl is a constant reminder of the king’s presence and authority. The East and South need to be reminded of this.”

  The king sighed, “Even if your theory is valid none of my children are eligible to rule as yet. Only Jasper, but he is heir to the throne and Stone Vale.”

  Jasper shifted uncomfortably, but said nothing. He knew it was no small privilege to be present at a council meeting.

  “Why not appoint him temporarily?” the priest added, casting an odd look in the prince’s direction.

  “At least until then we can find someone suitable in his stead. For the time that he is there he can serve as a reminder of who is in charge.”

  The king waved off his suggestion, “No, Prince Jasper must remain here. We have already kept him away from his duties with the royal army for too long to deal with the South’s problems.”

  The high priest did not look pleased but said nothing more.

  “But we need someone,” said Eage, “and soon. The south is our first defence after the border.”

  “You are right,” the king said, “and I have someone in mind.”

  “Who?” Thayne asked.

  “There was a young man I have been looking at for some time. I knew the governor of the South was growing weak and I had no intention of accepting his choice of a replacement. Tol Roobart has shown himself to be weak leader, swayed by strong drink and the allure of women. However, I expected to have some more time, so that a new governor could capture the people’s heart and sway their loyalties to him. The Southerners are a proud people, they do not respond well to sudden changes and strong-armed displays of power. They’ve always appreciated the autonomy given to them as a Territory.”

  “Who is it?” Thayne growled impatiently.

  The king removed an envelop from his coat and opened it. He placed a letter on the table before them.

  “I have a cousin, who lives in the South, Prince Ludin of Stone. He attained a Dukedom during my father’s reign and has comfortably governed the estate of Darthshall without making any plays for the throne like his father did in his time. I respect him and he respects me. We have been corresponding for the past few months about his son Araken. Araken is a noble man, a proud upholder of our laws and carries Stone blood. It may take some time but he can win the hearts of the people and claim the Governorship.”

  “Are you sure you want to risk that?” Mbede finally spoke up.

  “Some men do not feel the need for power until they taste a little of it’s flavour. What if this Araken finds a governorship too beneath his blood line? What if, with all his nobility and charm he decided to challenge your own son, much like his grandfather was a thorn in your father’s side for years until his death. Don’t you forget that it was your own father who took his father’s life.”

  Kalgary glared at Mbede he was always a bearer of suspicion and pessimism, “what do you suggest?” the king asked through gritted teeth.

  “Why I suggest the most obvious option here. You do have an eligible heir… you have merely cast her aside out of fear of losing your precious and rare acquisition.”

  Kalgary’s countenance darkened, “you are talking about my daughter?” he growled.

  Mbede was not fazed by the king’s displeasure, instead he held his gaze calmly, “the people here may be upset about your little ruse in hiding her from them. But a greater part of them knows what she is worth, what she means. She would command great respect from the Southerners and be a constant show of your authority, much like her sister Pearl.”

  The king was shaking his head, “no Ruby is not ready to govern a territory. Not on her own.”

  Mbede spread his hands out slowly and smiled in that slimy way he had. The king knew that he had something up his sleeves. But from the way everyone was looking at him, his suggestion was gaining traction in their minds. Not Jasper though, he looked completely horrified.

  “I did not say anything about her governing alone. No, no. The princess will need a husband, to stand with her and govern with her. Think of it oh King. There she will be safe. Southerners are not as unforgiving and superstitious as those of us here. She will be safe and live as the princess she is.”

  The other councillors were nodding in agreement.

  “But who will she marry?” Jasper interjected, his eyes wide with outrage. He could see in his father’s eyes that he too was being swayed to accept the idea.

  The king looked up at him calmly, “we already have a suitable man.”

  “Where is the princess?” Eage asked, “we must set this in motion immediately. Such an alliance would indeed strengthen us as a people. We will have strengthened our alliance with the South and secured the Nerubian princess and her people’s lands. We wouldn’t want such power to fall into anyone’s hand. It’s perfect.”

  The king nodded, seeing the wisdom in his council’s plan.

  “Ruby is away… taking some much-needed rest from the madness of Stone Vale. But the time has come for her to return home and serve her kingdom.”

  “Father…”

  “Jasper,” the king held his son’s gaze with a warning, “send word to the stables, tell them to prepare my carriage I will go to Ruby myself.”

  Chapter 2

  Solemnly, she placed her hand on the battered cover of the old book, bidding it farewell until her next visit. Which given the recent turn of events might not be very soon. She turned to the guard standing by the entrance of the cave, his sympathetic expression revealing his understanding of how difficult this was for her. It was time to return to Stone Vale and face the unpleasant matters of Aldorian court.

  When Deswald left she had retreated to the Neru valley with her father’s permission. She had taken some of her handmaidens with her, along with some guards. Bianca and her husband had joined her as well, and joined in helping turn the abandoned landmark into a liveable escape. For the first month they had lived in tents, until Bianca’s husband along with some hired hands from the city, were able to build two small cottages and a store room that doubled as a stable. It was a comfortable and a refreshing experience for Ruby, as she spent time with her God and with the remnants of her people’s history. Most of her days were spent going through the artifacts and writings that remained of the people who once inhabited the valley and managing the affairs of the refugee orphanage she had opened.

  Stone Vale had become even less of a home since her father's announcement that she was not of Aldorian birth. The people of Aldor seemed to hate her now, or rather what her identity meant. She now represented what the Purists had feared about the Stone family. That they were using their power to mislead them and hide their deep dark secrets, which was slowly degrading the sanctity of their kingdom. Her father, the king, had always been respected as a man of his word, the revelation of her secret proved him to be a liar. Ruby hated that he had to go through that for her, the only upside she could see right now, was that she could leave those restrictive head ties behind her. But there was another restriction that her heritage had earned her. The council had had the opposite response to what she had expected. As her fath
er had anticipated, they only saw her as a political advantage. This meant that even now more than before, her life was not her own and neither was her affection hers to give to whom she pleased. That was the hardest part of all. Before her father had approved her request to withdraw to Neru, she had been paraded as the newest battle horse. Made to endure dull conversations with ambassadors and Royals from distant territories, who were intrigued by her and what she represented. As though that was not enough, the council soon turned their attention to another aspect of her life. Following a political conflict in the South territory, the council saw a better way that she could be of use.

  She exited the cave and felt the warning chill of pending night, even as the soothing sound of the tumultuous river filled the valley around her. She looked around wistfully at what would have been her home and as always, her heart broke at the thought of all she had unknowingly lost. A lot had changed since her arrival, all signs of the travesty that had left her an orphan had been erased and replaced with blooming flowers and structures that spoke of life. Neru was even more beautiful now than when she had first set eyes on it.

  "Ready, princess?"

  She turned to Stafford, the Aldorian knight who had served her during her sabbatical from court.

  "Never," she replied.

  Stafford chuckled and extended his hand even as the other rested on the handle of his sword.

  "Don’t worry about the people. They will come around," he said, "people tend to take a while to warm up to what they do not understand."

  “And you?”

  He smiled, “Oh I have known you since you were a tiny baby. You will always be my princess.”