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

anything Siray had yet seen in her travels. And the reason behind this phenomenon quickly became evident when Siray identified who it was half kneeling on the ground behind Genlie, one hand to his head.

Kovi was down.

This was such a surprise that Siray actually stood up, still poised over Melora, gaping there for one breath before she got a hold on herself and launched herself away from Melora’s unconscious form and back into the fray. After Wexner and Baindan, Kovi was one of their best fighters—he lived and breathed combat.

Running across the sand towards her friend, Siray watched as Genlie battled Kovi’s opponent back, her mate attempting to push himself up to his feet, tottering slightly. When he pulled his hand away from his head, Siray, mere paces away, saw that it was covered in blood.

‘Stay down!’ she hissed at him, promptly flicking the end of her staff out at his legs just before she jumped into the fray with Genlie, causing Kovi to stumble and land on his backside. For all intents and purposes, Kovi was out.

This time it was Siray who moved up beside Genlie and provided her assistance against a male who was both tall and broad. In fact, he dwarfed both of them and, quickly recovering from the surprise of Genlie jumping in between him and Kovi, was raining down blow after blow, the force behind each of his attacks evident with the thunderous crack of his weapon against Genlie’s.

But Genlie’s defence remained graceful and sure. Even if she wasn’t attacking, she wasn’t giving any ground. And as Siray stepped in, she timed her own attack with Genlie’s and went straight for a low strike at the male’s genitals, just as he moved to slam the end of his staff violently against Genlie’s head.

Two things happened then—Genlie intercepted the male’s strike, but the force of it still made both her and the male’s weapons bounce back to hit her in the head, and Siray’s assault connected.

The male roared in agony as Siray drove home the blow with a whiplike force, some of the watching captives wincing as they observed the strike. And as the male cried out his pain to the dome of the arena high above, Siray flicked her leg and hip up and around, catching him square on his lowest rib with a brutal kick.

Retracting her leg and letting her body continue the spin, Siray twisted through a complete circle, dropping her leg back down to the ground as she spun the end of her staff back out and around the male’s leg on the same side. Stepping forwards, she used the leverage of her weapon to sweep his foot out from beneath him.

The male crashed down to the sand, and Genlie was poised above him in the next instant, a bruise on her head already appearing as she pointed the tip of her staff at the male’s throat.

‘Go on, move,’ Genlie growled, daring the male, her rage at the vicious attack on her mate still evident.

That fight won, Siray turned again, looking to see where else she might be needed. Yet although Kovi was down, Baindan and Zale seemed to have fared okay, both just now turning away from their own opponents, who lay or knelt on the sand, defeated. The battle was over.

Siray blinked in the brightness of the arena as she gazed around, watching those who were still conscious try to stand. Reaching up to wipe away the sweat running down her nose, she grimaced in pain, looking down at her shoulder.

‘What’s wrong?’

Siray glanced up in surprise and saw Baindan standing beside her. She raised her other arm, tentatively touching her collarbone to see how bad the damage was. ‘I’m not sure—I was hit here’—she pointed roughly to the inner edge of her shoulder, ‘and it’s tender to move.’

Baindan looked where she was pointing. ‘How bad is it?’

Siray pressed her lips together and tensed as she moved her arm gently. The pain was like a hot knife in her shoulder and she breathed out in a rush. ‘It’s not too bad.’ She looked at Baindan, not wanting him to think her weak, slightly annoyed at him in case he thought so already.

Baindan’s grey eyes were deadly as they burned. ‘Who did that to you?’ His voice was low, the words spoken as if he were forming each one carefully.

‘Who did what?’ Now Zale was arriving beside them.

Baindan’s head flicked around to look at Zale, and Siray’s pulse quickened once more as she saw the look of challenge that shot between the two males.

Baindan turned his head slowly away from Zale, his eyes coming to rest on Siray again. ‘Siray’s injured,’ he told the other reluctantly.

Siray’s pleasure at the attention of the two males died quickly. She didn’t need them worrying over her—she was tougher than both of them put together. ‘I’m fine. Just need to rest it a bit,’ she told Zale casually, pointing to her shoulder. Then she turned back to Baindan. ‘And it was Melora, but she’s down for now.’ Her smile was pure smugness.

Baindan opened his mouth to say something, but the drawling voice of Master Herrin cut him off.

‘Move out the way,’ ordered Herrin gruffly, then he proceeded to call forth the next two units.

The voice of command made something in Siray want to obey quickly. Master Herrin was the authority here—and authority should be respected. Or feared. Maybe both.

As she, Baindan, and Zale moved off the sand that glittered here and there with specks of red, Siray saw that the unconscious forms of Melora and two other males in her unit had already been carried off by others. Genlie was supporting Kovi back to the main group of captives, and the other two males from Melora’s group were walking back together, one of them limping. Siray grinned at the sight—they had won. Were stronger than the others.

As Siray headed to rejoin the larger group of captives, Wexner, Loce, Kinna, Tamot, and Annbov passed them. It was