Darkness Ignite

Chapter 16

Nesrin

"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed Strykes of Syrone, let us regard in honor of the distinguished kings and queens gracing us with their presence." It was Uncle Zaffryn who spoke. His voice carried over the vast room, reaching my ears with a loud echo. "It is with great honor and reverence that we announce the arrival of our esteemed royal guests, along with their strykes. Let us all rise and offer them a warm welcome to the Kingdom of Syrone."

We all stood then and faced the entrance as, one by one, the other royalties waltzed in.

The first of the other nations was the Kingdom of Sukito, led by King Miro. A tall slender man with hair of black streaks peppered with gray. After him came a group made of fourteen strykes. They followed behind him like a barrage of soldiers, tense and in sync.

The same could be said for the Hempiro Kingdom led by King Liano, and the Noirben Kingdom with Queen Taron at the head.

"What's up their asses," mused Teri. Her response was answered with a questioning sigh from Dain. "All haughty and tense."

As for the Kingdom of Jubilan and Bentuwa, their entourage was led by Queen Otaura and Queen Polamur. With poise and grace, the regal sovereigns led their illustrious entourage, a procession of dignity and power, through the heart of the assembly. I looked after their group with admiration and fascination. Though they weren't as stiff as the prior leaders with their respective parties, their strykes glided in with ease. Their heads held high, and their eyes looked on knowingly, never bending to the scrutinizing gazes from the other kingdoms.

Alek clicked his tongue before saying, "You open the gates and a pack of rabid animals waltz in, as though they deserved to be here."

"You must have wandered from the pack," I teased with just an appropriate amount of anger. I gathered that Alek didn't find any comfort in outsiders, but his lack of empathy was proving problematic.

He rolled those gray eyes. "And you were abandoned. You look far more the part than I."

I clenched my teeth at the insult, wanting to bark a harsher comment, but the impatient look from Dain convinced me otherwise. That earned me a devilish grin from Alek.

"Look at the eyes on that stryke." Our heads whipped to the direction in which Mervin pointed out. His eyes followed a young lad that walked with Queen Otaura.

He was a large fellow with shoulders as wide as boulders. His long legs took far strides as he walked. His complexion was darker, glistening against the red suit he fashioned. It was his eyes that compelled the other strykes to stare openly. His right eye was the color of midnight skies as the left looked similar to the green oceans in the west. As if knowing he was being watched, his gaze scanned the strykes.

"Wasn't there a stryke centuries ago with the same look?" Teri followed the stryke with a mesmerized expression.

"Long dead and irrelevant," Alek said dryly.

Finally, the kingdom known as the Kindred Kingdom, second to the Golden Kingdom, entered. The Kingdom of Kirovan walked into the hall with King Vetru striding in first.

The ruler of Kirovan was as outstanding as his fellow sovereigns. He was a tall man with an impressive form that loomed above the others. His tan complexion fitted well against the black pants and dark blue suit. He kept a shaved head while his face held a thick dark beard. As large as the king was, he walked gracefully with ease.

There were fifteen strykes that wandered in after him. They each had the same dark tan with their king. Each a beauty in their own right. My attention lingered far longer on a certain stryke.