Eternal Darkness (The Cimmerian Cycle #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kiayani sat with her back to the window, the weak light from outside fell on the back of her neck.  The gentle rocking of the carriage was enough to put her to sleep but she adamantly refused to let drowsiness take over. In her pale hands she held open a book, and attempted to read it by the dull lights in the roof. Her eyes were itchy with tiredness and the words blurred her vision. She read a few pages before giving up. She snapped the book shut, dropping it on the other end of the cushioned bench seat. Kiayani pushed her long black hair out of her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest with a sigh.

Her father was sending her away to be married. Or was it the other way around? Was her husband-to-be summoning her? She didn’t wish to linger on the thought for long. It didn’t matter who was telling her what to do, only that she was being told where she had to go and who she had to be. It was very frustrating being the only daughter of a nobleman; all her brothers were able to choose how to live their lives. She felt she was only good for marrying and this thought made her sick. She was as tough as those boys and twice as brave! It was no use however, the wedding had been arranged a long time ago and there was nothing she could do to change it.

Kiayani’s servant snorted in her sleep, and this made her look up at the old women. Her head rested against the opposite window and her eyes were glued shut. She didn’t mind leaving at all. As long as she had a comfortable bed and warm food to eat it didn’t matter where she was going.

Even though they had been travelling for several hours now Kiayani could not differentiate the dark country side outside the window from the place she had left. She stared out the window thinking longingly of her home, the small village of Antas which was in the centre of this kingdom. Not that she had seen much of it while she lived there as she had spent a great deal of time locked away inside, safe from the beasts which prowled the eternal night.

After looking at the piece of clockwork which adorned her wrist Kiayani picked her book up off of the floor and sighed. It was only 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Time always puzzled the black-haired girl for it seemed to have no meaning. There was never any change in the colour of the sky or the temperature of the air. Even the white orb that called itself the moon held no answers. She couldn’t find anything to base it on beside the piece of metal that sat on her wrist. Flicking her hair back out of her eyes she began to read again, willing herself to continue looking at the page.

However, her thoughts soon drifted into the painful memories of the evening before. She had argued with her father over her imminent departure. The marriage was to take place once she was eighteen but she didn’t want to leave. All her father seemed to want was to make sure her husband-to-be would get her as soon as she was old enough. It made her feel like she was a prize hen, being fattened and groomed for show. The way her father talked about her future husband made her think that he was someone very important, not that she cared one bit. Before she had got into the carriage that morning she had only said goodbye to her youngest brother, who still lived at home. Tensions were tight however, he kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. Kiayani was jealous that he would get to pick who to marry, where to live and what to do. He had a freedom that she would never be able to taste. The fact that Joel didn’t give his future a second thought made her inwardly feel jealous of him.

She had left feeling slightly bitter but now she regretted not saying goodbye to her father. He had been standing there, face pale and lips taut. She would probably never see him again. Ever. The thought gave her chills down her spine.

The book she was reading was very old and had belonged to her mother. It was her favourite book and the spine was well worn. It was a simple adventure novel, her favourite kind. She loved reading tales about lands which had both a sun and moon and adventurers who travelled fearlessly across the land. She wished, on many occasions, that she could one day follow in their footsteps. However, that was impossible, in her country there was no such thing as day and night as the sun never rose. You couldn’t walk across the land either; monsters and demons prowled the forests and moors, ready to attack humans who strayed too far from the light.