Change of Darkness (The Change Series Book 3) by Jacinta Jade (best new books to read txt) 📕

Two sentences, quick and urgent. Then she placed the animal back down on the ground and backed away a step, hands limp by her sides.

There was nothing more she could do.

‘Well, I guess I have another failure on my hands,’ Herrin said from behind her.

Siray glanced at the trainer but didn’t have to work hard this time to keep her face neutral. She had done the right thing in attempting to save the life before her. Knew that whatever might be in her future, she could think about this one small thing and know that she had tried.

The gasps that escaped a couple of nearby captives stopped whatever Herrin might have said next, and he turned away from Siray to look back down.

Siray glanced down too and almost gasped out loud herself. With relief.

A female was curled up on the ground where a writhing animal had been only a moment before. Her chest heaving, the female stretched out her legs and proceeded to get shakily to her feet, her face white.

The effort it required was obviously enormous, but even as sweat dripped down her face, the female straightened her back and lifted her chin.

‘I’m ready.’ Her voice was hoarse and weak, but they all heard her.

Herrin just stared at her for a long, tense moment, his scarred face not giving away his thoughts.

Yet Siray knew he was weighing up whether the female had earned the right to live. Or not. Which made it that much harder for her to keep the bored, if slightly smug, expression on her face. As if by attempting the task she had merely been seeking the trainer’s approval and now expected it.

A mask. Because underneath it … Siray needed this female to live. Another death on this day, the first day of training, and she could feel that something would break—in all of them.

She crossed her arms in a weary pose which was also excellent for hiding the slight intake of breath she couldn’t stop when she saw Herrin take a breath to speak.

‘Well, if you’re ready, then I’ll assume everyone else is too. Line up!’ Herrin finished on a roar.

Siray’s own legs felt weak as she pivoted about and went to join the lines. Maybe, just maybe, the Mother had heard her prayer.

Or someone else had.

***

Much later in the day, the captives were all marched back through the long tunnel that connected the arena and the yard where their cells were.

Siray was filled with a deep sense of relief. She had made it through day one, saved a life, and although just putting one foot in front of the other right now required a massive effort, she felt like she could handle whatever the Faction chose to throw at them.

Siray knew she and her friends had a sleepless night ahead of them, nursing their wounds—she’d had enough injuries in the recent past to know how the body ensured you took care of it.

And then they would have to repeat the day all over again tomorrow—with potentially more deaths.

Her mood soured quickly, and she shook her head as she followed Genlie along the length of the tunnel. No. She wouldn’t think of it. Just deal with this moment, she reminded herself. All she wanted right now was to curl up in a dark corner and sleep. Yet she knew she would feel stronger in the morning if she ate first. So that had to take priority.

If the Faction was going to be kind enough to feed them that evening.

Yet her hopes rose as she entered the yard and a fantastic smell enveloped her senses. Her eyes tracked quickly to three steaming barrels that stood across the open space from their cells.

Three barrels—enough food for all of them. This time.

There was also a fourth barrel standing off to the side, its lack of steam indicating that it contained something other than food.

The guards lined them up in their formation and then left them standing there.

Exhausted, Siray kept waiting for them to say something. Do something.

They didn’t.

The smell from the barrels seemed to intensify, becoming mouthwatering.

She was starving, Siray realised, her body having burned through the meagre portion she had eaten during the day. The pain in her back had intensified during the afternoon as well, with the exercises they had been forced to do causing the skin on her back to stretch, almost negating the little progress in healing it had made while she was in her yeibon form.

But others were in far worse conditions. Captives from other units who had missed out on a portion of food at the midday break were now actually listing to one side in exhaustion. Some of them moaning under their breath.

Yet they had all learned the lessons of the day by heart, so they waited.

At one point, Siray started out of a daydream about food to realise she was almost tipping over. Soon after she had straightened, she actually heard a thud as someone did fall over, then the scramble as the captive got hurriedly back on their feet.

Siray had thought the worst part was the smell—the tantalising aroma of whatever was in those barrels, which made her stomach growl and rumble violently.

But the worst part was when the guards seemed to grow bored with watching the hungry expressions of the captives and a few wandered over to the barrels.

And pulled out a portion each.

CHAPTER SIX

SIRAY DIDN’T KNOW how long they had been waiting when the guards began to eat from the barrels, but the sky had grown dark and the aroma of the food had noticeably lessened when a male captive unknown to Siray spoke from a row or two over to her left.

‘Hey, boulder heads—are you ever going to let us eat?’ His voice was defiant, angry … but had a note of pleading.

The guards stilled and turned towards the starving captives, some of their eyes fixing upon the male.

Siray held her breath, her pulse rising as