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

The lord smiled evenly at her. ‘He won’t be seriously hurt—just taught to be obedient.’

Siraay nodded, satisfied, and kept walking towards the door in the arena wall. She hated to see good resources wasted.

As she passed the large group of captives to her right, she was pleased that Chezran’s men were already herding the three captives she had identified towards the other end of the arena to be placed with the others.

Turning her head slightly, Siraay saw that a large majority of those soldiers who had packed into the arena earlier were now trailing after her and Chezran closely, their eyes alert, ready to do whatever their lord asked of them.

Ahead, the door to the tunnel leading from the arena was opened for them, and Chezran ushered her through.

Then he took the lead. ‘This way, my beauty.’

Siraay followed him willingly, appreciating the endearment while being amused by his use of the word ‘my’, and she paused when Chezran stopped before a section of the tunnel wall about halfway along.

The lord held up a hand to the males and females escorting them, and the squad halted promptly, filling the tunnel with silence once more.

Siraay watched, intrigued, as Chezran placed one hand on the wall at a particular spot, and pushed.

The wall, which was not actually a wall, folded away. Silently. Smoothly.

‘Welcome,’ Chezran said to her, in that drawling voice of his, ‘to Xarcon Palace.’

Xarcon. The home of those who had once fought against the other three cities … And which had reportedly been abandoned.

The Resistance, and, indeed, the ruling pair and council, are certainly inept in their intelligence gathering, Siraay thought, but then she swept aside those reflections for later consideration, turning her attention to what now lay revealed before her.

Smooth, dark stone swept out from the entrance of the doorway, reflecting the warm flickering light from numerous hanging candelabras, making it seem as if tiny fires were burning deep within the black stone.

Walls just as dark stood like distant sentries, bare until shining black steps beckoned upwards to a new landing.

Marvelling at the grand decor, Siraay stepped through the hidden entrance, yet as soon as her feet came down on the first polished black tile, she paused, looking down in distaste at the bloody rags she was wearing. And her filthy boots.

Chezran noted the look. ‘I have had clothes appropriate to your new station placed in your room for you, but I wish to show you something first.’

Gently taking her elbow, he escorted her up those gleaming steps, his own boots similarly reflecting the flickering candlelight, and guided her around a corner into an even larger reception area. Here, huge painted landscapes adorned the walls, their brilliant colours and the quality of the works breathtaking.

Chezran guided her to a particularly large canvas in an ornate golden frame. ‘The Rise of Xarcon,’ he said, proudly naming it.

Depicted by what must have been no one less than a master artist was a massive army pouring down over a hill, an angry torrent advancing in both animal and Kaslonian forms, ready to sweep away anything in their path. Before them, other figures were fleeing, while in the background, smoke rose from a city outlined against a setting sun in the distance.

The painting filled Siraay with awe, the attacking figures so real and vibrant that her body seemed to thrum. She wanted to join them, taste the victory that would be theirs.

For this painting depicted a middle point in the war, when the Xarconians had successfully taken down one city, Opanau, and were preparing to move on to the next.

Right before their downfall under the towers of the city of Tunet.

‘It is my hope that we will see such might rise again soon and finish what the first Xarconian lord attempted to do so many cycles ago.’

Siraay nodded and gave the painting one final appreciative glance before she turned to consider Chezran. ‘I would be interested to hear more about this plan of yours and my proposed role in it,’ she said carefully. ‘Interested’ was putting it lightly. But now that she was free—unchained from the immature and limited views of her previous self—she had to play a much smarter game to get what she wanted from this male.

Chezran smiled, and Siraay glimpsed a hint of the male within—a merciless, powerful male who was already a master of the game she was just beginning to play.

‘Of course,’ he crooned. ‘But first, let’s get you settled.’

Siraay heard footsteps behind her and turned her head just a little. Two female soldiers had halted at the bottom of the steps, somehow summoned by their lord, and were patiently awaiting his orders.

‘Your escorts will show you to your room, where you will find everything you need. The palace is yours to wander through, though I do hope you will join me for dinner later?’ Chezran tilted his head at her, his dark eyes again seeming to look for something in hers.

Siraay gave him a small, slow smile. ‘I think so.’

‘Excellent.’ Chezran started to turn away but paused, looking back over his shoulder. ‘And don’t take off my gift, my beauty. Not for anything. It will help you stay strong for what we need to do in the turns ahead.’

Siraay nodded again, and Chezran smiled with satisfaction once more before continuing on down the corridor, his cape lifting slightly behind him.

Then she turned around to look at her escorts, who straightened just a touch more as their new lady’s eyes took them in. ‘Lead on,’ she commanded the pair.

***

As Siraay followed the two females down a corridor and away from the landing, she continued to observe the decor of the palace. The paintings on the walls in the corridor were not as grand as the ones on the wide landing, but they were still a pleasure to look upon as she passed, each depicting a different scene of battle, the city of Xarcon—this city, she now knew—and the wide, ranging cliffs that framed the countryside around