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

help her. And either the person fighting for her would beat those walls back enough to save her or they wouldn’t.

After an unknown length of time, the walls began shrinking away faster, until one of them started to tremble and crack.

And new words came through.

Fight. Needed. War. Break.

Each one was like a lifeline that Siraay grabbed on to, feeling herself growing stronger. She moved slowly towards the wall that had cracked, cautious in case it decided to leap towards her again. But it merely trembled as it was forced farther backwards.

Siraay took a step closer, drawn to that crack, more words coming through.

Help. Fighting. Lazy …

Lazy?

The part of Siraay that floated there in the dark seemed to swell in anger, and losing all caution, she attacked that crack in the wall with a thought.

It shattered like a mirror dropped from a height, and then, as if her mind were a river that had been dammed, the rest of Siraay’s self poured in to join her, and she felt herself become a part of that flood, its waters pushing her higher and higher towards the surface.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

WITH A HUGE gasp, Siraay surged upwards from her bed, breathing heavily and rapidly. She panicked for a moment, seeing only blackness before her eyes, but then she registered the sound of something else.

Booted feet, sprinting away.

She tried to throw herself off the bed and run after the person, but she only managed to roll herself onto the floor, landing on something both soft and hard but noticeably cold, at the same time.

One particularly solid point connected with Siraay’s cheek, drawing a hoarse groan from her dry throat as the balcony doors banged open and someone burst out through them, letting in a gust of cool night air.

The noises resulted in another door being opened and warm light spilling into the room from the hallway.

‘Why is the light out? Trelar, what—’ Then a gasp sounded, and the voice shouted out, ‘Lady Siraay is awake, come quickly!’

Other booted feet rushed into the room, and the lights were activated, almost blinding Siraay as she struggled to sit up.

When her hands fumbled on something, she looked down … to see the glassy eyes of Trelar looking up at her.

‘Ugghh!’

She drew backwards with a cry of disgust, rolling herself off the corpse of her servant.

She didn’t resist as warm hands encircled her shoulders, drawing her up and away from the ground and Trelar’s body.

‘My lady—how is this possible?’ Melora’s voice was full of awe, and Siraay was still reeling far too much to snap at her for her questions.

More feet sounded out in the hallway, and then a healer ran in, followed by Zale.

The healer came to a stumbling halt when he saw Siraay standing with the support of Genlie and Melora. ‘Great tangled jungle—the Mother has saved you!’

Siraay rolled her eyes at the male’s foolishness. ‘Saved me but chose to take the life of this one?’ she rasped, indicating Trelar’s body.

The healer gasped again before finally coming to his senses and hurrying forwards to kneel down by the lifeless female. He stretched out his hands to touch her body, jerking them back suddenly. ‘She’s dead,’ he gasped out.

Siraay had had enough of this inept display. She was momentarily weak, yes, but Mother take her if she would let this confusion play out for another moment.

‘Melora, get him out of here,’ she said, gesturing to the healer. ‘Genlie, help me over to that chair over there.’

The females did as ordered, Melora almost picking the thin healer up off the floor as she swept him out of the room.

‘Zale, don’t let anyone else in here unless I command it,’ Siraay ordered as Genlie helped her settle into the chair. She was feeling stronger every moment.

Zale bowed his head and left the room, closing the door behind him.

As Melora came back to stand before her, Siraay said, ‘Quick, check the balcony—someone was here just before I woke. They must have killed Trelar.’

Melora didn’t wait for Siraay to finish the order but strode rapidly to the open balcony doors, drawing her long knife as she did so, while Genlie stood poised before Siraay’s chair, her hand resting on the knives that lined a belt slung around her narrow hips, watching every move her fellow guard made.

After a moment, Melora came striding back inside and shut the doors. ‘Nothing, lady. But someone with enough physical strength could potentially have climbed down from your balcony. Or up,’ she added after a moment’s thought.

Siraay nodded. ‘We have to piece this together quickly,’ she told the pair. ‘Someone was in here, by my bedside, as I woke. But Trelar’s body is cold now, so they must have killed her at least a span ago.’ She peered up into the females’ faces. ‘Why wait so long if they intended to kill me?’

Her guards glanced at each other, then back to her, their faces unsure.

‘Maybe they weren’t trying to kill you?’ suggested Genlie in a hesitating voice.

Siraay looked up at her sharply, about to rebuke the female for her stupidity, when the words came back to her.

Fight. Needed. War. Break.

The person had spoken to her. And what killer would risk breaking in and speaking to their victim at length before fleeing the room, job unfinished?

No, the person who had fled had been helping her. Had saved her somehow. But why had they killed Trelar?

She glanced at the females before her. ‘Where is Wexner?’ She had noted he hadn’t run in with Zale.

‘He was doing a scout of the palace, lady, in the duration before he and Zale were to switch duty with us,’ explained Melora. ‘I expect by now he has returned.’

Siraay narrowed her eyes, a suspicion forming. ‘Go check the door—now. See if they are both there.’

Melora spun and walked swiftly to the doors, flinging both open.

Two silhouetted figures met Siraay’s eyes. Their heads shifted curiously, but Melora merely pivoted towards Siraay and nodded.

Siraay frowned. ‘Close the doors.’

Melora complied, then walked back to stand before her