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

the male across from them and one watching the edges of the hole for movement, both listening for any sounds.

They had just swapped roles when Siray heard noises from outside of the pit. She stood, moving towards the centre of the sunken space as she tried to discern what it was she could hear.

Baindan joined her, his eyes never leaving the other male as he positioned himself between them. ‘What is it?’ he murmured.

Siray listened intently for a moment. The sounds were growing louder. ‘I think the others are returning.’

Her guess was quickly confirmed by the nearing clomp of many booted feet hitting the ground. Going by the dwindling light in the sky, the group of captives above, including her friends—her remaining friends—were returning later than normal to the yard.

Soon all sounds of movement from ground level died away, and Siray tried to picture what was happening. The captives would all be lining up and Captain Raque would be starting his usual evening spiel, taunting, tormenting, or threatening them as would take his fancy.

As if on cue, a hard voice above starting speaking, and she, Baindan, and the other captive tensed as they gave their full attention over to the voice that could either save them or destroy them. Most likely the latter.

‘So, what a day it seems you’ve all had,’ said the voice languidly, amusement underlying the words. ‘One of you disobeying a direct order …’

Siray’s whole body became rigid. Raque was talking about Loce.

‘And someone else taking on Herrin.’

A chuckle reached Siray’s ears. Raque was actually laughing at her.

‘Which unfortunately resulted in two further additions to the pit.’

Siray heard a purposeful yet imperious step nearing the edge above, and she began backing up, instinctively retreating with Baindan to the wall farthest away from the approach of those boots.

The other captive merely tried to shrink farther into the corner of the pit that he had staked out.

Raque’s face appeared above the edge of the hole, and he peered down at each of them for a moment. Then he spun back around to address the captives that Siray knew would be watching cautiously from across the yard.

‘Alas, it looks like no one has yet emerged as a victor.’ Raque turned back to glance down at them, and this time, she saw him look more closely at her and Baindan, which gave her an unsettled feeling.

She liked even less the knowing expression that arose on his face just before he wheeled about once more, his boots thumping against the stone work above as he moved … somewhere. Siray could have sworn she heard him murmur something to a nearby guard, and when the sound of another lighter pair of boots hurrying away met her ears, she guessed that Raque had given some order. The hairs on her arms rose.

‘So now,’ continued Raque’s voice, ‘it appears like we have a bit of a unique situation in the pit tonight. Two of the contenders, it seems, have banned together.’

Siray cursed herself for not planning for this. She and Baindan should have pretended to be enemies when the captain looked into the pit. She exchanged a nervous glance with Baindan. What was Raque up to?

‘Now this seems a bit unfair, really, on the poor third party …’

Baindan snorted, and Siray grabbed at his arm to shush him, though she shared his contempt. The day Raque actually showed any real pity was probably going to be the same day the sky turned yellow. Never.

‘ … so I’ve decided to even things up a bit,’ the captain finished cheerfully. Silence for a brief moment. Then: ‘Ah, here comes Master Herrin now.’

Siray froze, shocked that Herrin left the arena at all, and then alarmed. Why was Herrin coming out to the yard? He wasn’t actually going to jump in with them, was he? Though it might be something she could imagine the master trainer doing just for a workout …

Siray glanced up again at Baindan, but his grey eyes, dull in the little light left, remained fixed intently on the edge of the pit.

‘Master Herrin,’ said Raque in a bright and welcoming tone. ‘It seems that we need to even up the numbers in the pit a little, given that two of our candidates have formed an alliance.’

Herrin said something to Raque in his deep, gruff voice, which Siray couldn’t make out, but she could picture the training master standing beside Raque, his posture oozing the promise of violence, his scarred face a study in blankness.

‘I agree,’ responded the captain. ‘I would ask for a volunteer, of course, but I doubt that I’ll get one.’

Silence for another moment, then the sound of approaching footsteps right before Raque’s head and shoulders appeared by the brink of the pit again, his face now almost completely in shadow as the sky darkened to an even deeper shade of purple.

‘While Master Herrin makes his choice, let me explain the new rules.’ Raque had raised his voice so it would carry back to the watching captives, and he punctuated his words by every so often glancing down into the dirt prison. ‘They’re fairly simple. The pair that kills the other two gets to rejoin the training program.’ He smirked, enjoying the moment. ‘Any questions?’

Siray glared up at him.

‘I didn’t think so,’ Raque remarked as he turned away. ‘Master Herrin, have you decided?’ His tone was conversational, as if he and Herrin were merely discussing the pros and cons of a particular fighting technique, rather than picking out someone from the larger group who was about to fight for their life.

‘Yes,’ Herrin said coldly. ‘That one.’

A frightened shout followed a moment later as a captive was obviously grabbed.

Siray couldn’t tell if the cry had been male or female but was praying over and over to the Mother that it wasn’t one of her friends. Then she berated herself. As if it being a stranger would make what she and Baindan had to do any easier.

Suddenly, three shadowy forms materialised at the edge of