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

of Captain Raque’s underlings informed them as to the procedure for the night and following day, but she refocused quickly when the row of Resistance captives to one side of her began moving away. She followed Genlie automatically as her row joined the line of captives being directed towards the low stone structure she had been scrutinising earlier.

By this time, the setting sun had disappeared completely behind the nearby palace, and purple and orange shadows were settling over the yard.

As the line of captives climbed the stairs at the end of the low structure in order to get to its first level, Siray saw one of the Faction soldiers gesture and gruffly direct Kovi to break away from the first five units and lead the file of captives up to the second level.

As Siray climbed the stairs behind Genlie, she heard a soldier say, ‘Unit six,’ and saw a black-clad arm with a gold ‘X’ emblem point Kovi through the first door on that floor.

Obediently following Genlie’s tall form into the dark space, Siray resisted the impulse to freeze at the door and scrutinise the room straightaway and instead urged her legs to keep moving, knowing Zale and Baindan were right behind her.

Once the five of them were inside, the soldier pushed at the door so it swung nearly closed, and then moved off, the line of captives following him. Zale was inspecting the door in a heartbeat, and Siray watched nervously as he pushed ever so slightly against it. The door was an old model, the type that swung outwards on a hinge rather than sliding shut. Now, it swung further open as Zale nudged it.

‘What are you doing?’ said Genlie quietly.

Siray was grateful that Genlie had asked, as, with her nerves in pieces, she didn’t think she would have been able to do so as calmly.

‘Just getting to know our new surrounds,’ Zale said, leaving the partially open door and turning his broad shoulders around to look at Genlie. ‘You never know when simple facts like this will be useful.’

Siray thought she knew what he was referring to. ‘You mean that the door has no locking mechanism?’

Zale nodded and strode away from the door towards the back of the room. ‘No mechanism that we can see.’

Siray nodded and, deciding that some other torture wasn’t about to spring itself upon them, finally let herself look around at their new accommodations. The space itself was bare, except for a small doorway at the back and a pile of old blankets heaped against one wall. But it was dry, it didn’t smell too bad, and it meant, above all, that they could sleep with some protection from the elements. And watchful eyes. For a whole night.

Although she felt better after having a handful of short sleeps throughout the day, the thought of a full night of rest was enough to make her long to lay down on one the old blankets, and she almost let out a whimper at the strength of the desire. To her, those blankets looked like luxury, their thin folds promising a deep sleep.

So, naturally, she hated them. Because the Faction had placed them there. Had made her feel this way. This … exhausted. And now her body was feeling grateful for the protective walls of this … cell. Grateful for blankets.

Yes—she hated them.

Two quick dull thumps echoed suddenly from the doorway, and Siray spun quickly, every instinct rising to assess the threat even as the room darkened noticeably. In the dimness she could see nothing different for a moment, but then she realised that the door was now firmly closed. She moved towards it at the same time as Baindan, but she got there first and tentatively rested her hand on the metal of the door.

Nothing happened.

She pushed at it. It didn’t move at all.

She guessed that the first thump had been the door automatically closing—and the second one had been the locking system activating.

As Baindan moved up closer to peer over her shoulder, she stepped away so he could do his own examination.

‘I guess this place isn’t as primitive as it looks,’ she said to him.

Having finished with his own assessment of the door, Baindan nodded. ‘Something to bear in mind, I think.’

With nothing else to gain by examining the door further, Siray moved away and turned her attention back to the blankets she had so desired earlier. And then fought the impulse to rip them out of Genlie’s hands, as she had picked them all up and was layering them over one section of the floor.

‘Shouldn’t we share those out?’

Zale’s tone clearly conveyed both curiosity over Genlie’s actions and possessiveness of the blankets.

Genlie shook her head. ‘There’s not enough for all of us, and they vary in quality.’

Siray watched as Genlie shook out the fourth and final blanket and laid it down on top of the others.

‘This way,’ she continued as she straightened up, ‘we can all benefit from the blankets, but we’ll also be warmer by sharing body heat.’

Siray knew Genlie was right. It was far cooler here at the Faction stronghold than it had been at the Gonron Facility. Although, Siray admitted to herself, the shift in seasons could also be the cause for the drop in temperature.

Back at the Gonron Facility, when she had last consulted the cycle calendar in the recreation room, there had only been a bit more than sixty days—about six turns—to go before the golden time would end and the second winter would hit Kaslon.

And during their trip through the underground caves to Gonron itself, Siray and the others had quickly learned to sleep in a huddle in order to avoid developing a chill from the cold underground air and rock.

Her mind seemed to twang as it automatically brought a relevant memory to bear.

The caverns. Sleeping in a depression in the ground. Waking to find Deson’s arm curled about her waist, warming her. The opening where the caves had given way to the start of the desert