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

that group of thirty. And although Siray knew that Melora had been as much a victim of that fight as anyone else, she couldn’t bring herself to talk to her either. Especially when bits of dried blood from that fight still marked Melora’s clothes and skin.

As the only survivor of that bloody fight, Melora had been offered the chance to rejoin the larger group of captives, who had each been assessed as strong enough to complete the Faction’s training program. Even with the pre-existing injuries to her lower body, and the further wounds she must have sustained in the actual fight itself, Melora had managed to survive the march.

From what Siray had seen, Melora also hadn’t sought the company of the other Resistance captives. Instead, she had lined up for her meal, then retreated to a quiet corner of the yard, still limping slightly, her eyes tracking everyone else’s movements as she ate quickly.

But this was only a random thought that wandered into Siray’s mind before it brought up the memory of Deson battling the female in Gonron’s recreation room.

And any thought of Deson pushed everything else out of Siray’s mind, making her numb. Until the grief returned—sharp enough that Siray felt sure that somewhere in her a knife was twisting.

Her only protection against succumbing to the pain was to repeat her mantra:

Must survive. Must fight.

After their third meal, although the sun was only just sinking out of view, Siray found she was exhausted. She longed to find somewhere dark and quiet where she could sleep. Where she could try to forget. She wondered if they were just expected to live and sleep in the yard, out in the elements. Because there was only one structure within the space that looked like it would house the current number of Resistance captives, a stone building bordering the edge of one high stone wall. The structure itself had multiple levels with doors built into it at frequent intervals. Possibly rooms.

Siray was still gazing at it when a patrol of soldiers came striding out from the palace, Captain Raque roaring an order from their midst.

‘Form into rows of five!’

The captives were slow to respond, and were thus hurried along by Faction guards, who pulled some weaker captives roughly to their feet.

Faster than many of the others, Siray and her group stood and moved to join the formation.

The nine of them had an unspoken agreement to stay together now. To only trust each other.

As Siray reached the line, she took a position behind Genlie, who stood behind Kovi’s lean form. The pair had barely left each other’s sight since they had all arrived in the yard early that morning. Siray understood, of course, and was happy for them, yet some deep part of her felt anguished at the sight. Yet Siray had noticed that, while Kovi and Genlie stayed close, they didn’t touch or make any other overt signs of affection for each other.

She tried not to think too hard about why they had chosen to do so, lest her own loss, or her empathy for Tamot, rose to claim her.

Trying to divert her attention, Siray stole a glance to her right and saw that Wexner, Tamot, Loce, and Kinna were in the next row. Not seeing Baindan or Zale to either side, she assumed that both of them had joined her row.

As the last of the captives joined the formation, the guards moved some around to even up the numbers in the rows. One trailing female captive was harassed into place at the end of Wexner’s row. Then the captain addressed them again, the serrated edge of one armour-plated shoulder flashing in the sun.

‘The rows you are now in will be the group you will bunk with each evening in your assigned cells.’

Siray breathed out quietly in relief. So that’s what this was about, then.

‘They will also,’ Captain Raque continued, ‘form the initial unit in which you will train starting tomorrow morning.’

Siray watched from her position near the centre of the group as the captain’s eyes raked across the rows of captives.

‘You’ve already been warned about what will happen to you if you are caught attempting to escape,’ he continued, his eyes taking on a particular gleam, ‘and that anyone found Changing into an animal form here in the yard without an order to do so will be punished.’ The captain paused for emphasis. ‘What you haven’t been told is that if you are caught attempting to escape, the rest of your training unit will also be executed.’

Although no one had been moving, Siray could feel a heightened stillness in the group of Resistance captives. Knew that they were all now doing a mental inventory of just who had lined up before or after them in their row.

‘However,’ said Raque, more softly but no less clearly, ‘if any of you suspect that a fellow captive in your unit may be planning an escape, you can save your life and the lives of the rest of those in your unit by alerting one of the guards.’ He waved his hand at his soldiers, who stood alert both at positions within the yard and upon the heights of the stone walls, and tilted his head. ‘Be vigilant—there are no second chances.’

Siray saw the captain cast another sweeping glance across the captives before he moved back a step and pointed to the first row to Siray’s right.

‘Unit one!’

The captain moved down the rows, calling out numbers as he went. In the end, there were thirteen units of five members each, with the last one only containing three captives. After a quick calculation with her tired mind, Siray had to repeat the numbers to herself in her head a couple of times before it really sank in. Sixty-three captives.

Mother save us …

Of the one hundred or so captives that had started the arduous march to this city, wherever this city was, only about only two-thirds had actually made it.

***

In a daze, Siray only half listened as one