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

When Siray had emerged from the ranks of captives, Herrin nodded to the guards, and they began dragging her friends away from the group towards the far end of the arena.

Clenching her fists while she watched the distance between her and her friends grow, Siray growled at Herrin without looking at him, ‘What is this?’

The training master was silent long enough that Siray eventually turned her face to him. She had expected to see anger in his eyes and stance—anger, and perhaps smugness, now that he was getting his revenge.

Instead, the same coldly calm but penetrating eyes took her in. And Siray saw something in those eyes that she had not expected to see.

Curiosity.

She blinked, surprised. This was probably the first time Herrin had actually revealed an emotion. Not in the set of his face, of course—he was too much of a warrior to betray his intent that way—but it was there, written in his eyes.

Siray’s nerves grew tighter. Anything that interested Herrin couldn’t be a good thing.

The master trainer didn’t answer her question but kept staring at her for a moment longer, the interest remaining in his gaze as his blue-grey eyes swept her from head to foot and back again. It wasn’t the regard of a male taking in the object of his adoration, nor the stare of a cruel overseer assessing his prey. And it wasn’t the look of one opponent sizing up another. It was the scrutiny of someone wondering what they had missed. As if … Herrin thought that there was something more to see.

Siray felt the muscles in her back stiffen, the remaining scars from the lashing that first day tightening across her skin. Something wasn’t right …

Then Master Herrin leaned in close to her—close enough that it took a large amount of Siray’s control not to flinch or step away from that body that could deliver death with such ease. By sheer force of will, she remained standing where she was, her fists still clenched tightly together, otherwise showing no other outward sign of her agitation.

‘It seems that you are of great interest to someone … Siray.’ Herrin’s deep voice drawled out her name as if they both shared some secret, and they were so close that Siray could see his intense eyes clearly.

So she didn’t miss it when his eyes flicked upwards, staring briefly at a point behind and above her.

After staring at Herrin a moment longer, wary of a trick, Siray turned slowly to look where the training master had indicated. Levels above the floor of the arena, she identified the balcony that extended out, a feature of the space that she had noted for the sole reason that the arena had so few features. The balcony itself was the same colour of the surrounding walls, and its lines blended evenly with the arena’s shape. But it was what was on the balcony itself that held Siray’s attention.

Three hooded figures stood there, one significantly taller than the others, their shadowed faces turned down to watch her. They were unmoving, the darkness beneath their cowls deep enough that she could see no detail of their faces. Not that removing their hoods would have helped much at this distance. She couldn’t even tell whether the three observers were male or female.

Siray could, however, feel their eyes on her. Like electricity flowing over her skin.

She turned dismissively away from those eyes, hoping it would annoy them, and faced Herrin once more. He was still the immediate threat. ‘What do they want?’ she asked carefully.

The training master tilted his head ever so slightly while continuing to inspect her. ‘They want to see what you can do.’

Siray frowned at this response, but when fresh yells came from the end of the arena, she turned quickly … and her hands went limp at her sides.

In the short time she had been conversing with the master trainer, a number of platforms of differing heights had been dragged out onto the sands of the arena from previously invisible doors, and it was in the middle of these platforms that Zale, Baindan, Genlie, and Kovi were being tied to thick posts.

Siray’s mouth went dry, and her chest rose and fell a little faster as she watched the soldiers securing her friends to the platforms. ‘What I can do?’ she repeated hoarsely back at Herrin.

‘Yes,’ came the even reply. ‘It seems that someone up on that platform believes you are more than what you seem.’

The blood drained from Siray’s face as her old Change master’s warnings about hiding her sevonix form rang in her ears.

That was it, then. Someone knew her secret.

She swallowed and turned back to Herrin, forcing her face to remain as blank as his, her tone even. ‘And if I refuse to give a demonstration?’

‘Then I doubt that your friends will survive the morning,’ came Herrin’s swift response, his voice even deeper than before. Siray saw him look up again at the balcony, and spinning on her heel, she caught the middle figure giving him a nod.

Feeling Herrin move slightly, she turned back again quickly, expecting to see his hand lifted in preparation to place a blow of some sort on her. Yet, while his hand was raised, it wasn’t aimed at her. Instead, the training master was looking towards the doorway that the captives had marched through earlier.

His gesture had obviously been some kind of signal, as a soldier standing by the door opened it, and in marched a new file of Faction soldiers.

Siray could see at once from their bearing, from the way they held their various weapons, and from the controlled expressions on their faces, that these were experienced warriors.

She turned slowly to face this new threat, preparing herself, but the soldiers didn’t head towards her as she’d expected.

Rather, their steps took them in the direction of her friends for a short distance before the one in the lead had them stop and fan out.

Silence echoed