Nikolai of Semar by Aurrora St. James

Author:Aurrora St. James [St. James, Aurrora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aurrora St. James Publishing
Published: 2018-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

Aria pounded on the wooden door of her chamber, calling for the guards she knew stood on the other side. Sweat trickled down her back and dampened her unbound hair. The summer sun seemed to bake the tower chamber, until Aria wondered if she would be served on a platter at dinner. No amount of tepid water seemed to cool her in the stifling air.

She hammered on the door again, until at last a burly guard opened the door. She reeled away from the odor emanating from his sweaty skin. At least she had windows in the tower. These two men were enclosed in a stairwell with little ventilation.

“What?” His voice was deeper than any she’d ever heard. Between his smell and his voice, he could have come from the underworld.

Aria shuddered. “I need to speak to Kiril immediately.”

“He’s busy.” This from the guard standing behind the first.

“I don’t care. I must see him now.”

“You don’t get to make demands—”

Aria stood on her tiptoes to spear the second guard with her fiercest look. “Summon him now or I will inform King Nikolai that my needs were not met in his absence.”

The stinky guard eyed her, his gaze lingering over her curves. “Go on and call him. I’ll watch her.”

The second guard grumbled, then stomped down the stairs.

Aria closed the door in Stinky’s face. She marched across the circular room and snatched the book of fairy tales off the bed. She flipped through a few pages, then tossed it back down. She strode to the far window and looked down at the desert sands and the townspeople cooling in the water of the oasis.

JoJo sent her an image of himself lying in a pile of straw. His tail curled around his furry brown body and his whiskers twitched. Next, he sent an image of Aria lying on the bed.

“I can’t rest,” she told him. She turned from the window and sat in the chair next to where his box lay on the floor. The mouse stood up on his back legs and reached for her. She stroked his head. “I don’t know what to believe, JoJo. Everything I thought I knew seems to be a lie.”

He licked her finger with a swipe of his little pink tongue.

“What if he’s been lying to me the whole time? He wasn’t surprised about my Other. What if he knew the entire time?” Aria rubbed her eyes where an ache was forming. She stroked a finger along JoJo’s back. “It’s not like there could ever be anything between us. He’s a king, JoJo. Kings don’t marry peasants. They dally with them.”

Deep in her core, she knew he would one day set her aside. She had to leave Semar before she lost her heart to him. Her heart clenched in pain at the thought. When had he become so important to her?

“And how will I know if I can trust him?”

JoJo rubbed his head against her finger.

“Yes, I know I can trust you. You’re my dearest friend.

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