Change of Darkness Read online

  Table of Contents

  FRONT MATTER

  OTHER BOOKS BY JACINTA JADE

  QUOTE

  KASLON TIME & ANIMALS

  THE PROPHECY

  PART ONE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  PART TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  END OF BOOK 3 - CHANGE OF DARKNESS

  LETTER TO THE READER

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  BOOK 4 EXCERPT

  JACINTA JADE ONLINE

  CHANGE OF DARKNESS

  By Jacinta Jade

  Copyright 2019 © Jacinta Jade

  All rights reserved

  Cover design by Ravenborn_20876 through SelfPubBookCovers.com

  Licence Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the author and publisher.

  Disclaimer

  This story is entirely a work of fiction.

  No character in this story is taken from real life. Any resemblance to any person or persons living or dead is accidental and unintentional.

  The author, their agents and publishers cannot be held responsible for any claim otherwise and take no responsibility for any such coincidence.

  OTHER BOOKS BY JACINTA JADE

  The Change Series:

  Book 1: Change of Chaos

  Book 2: Change of Edict

  Book 3: Change of Darkness

  Book 4: Change of Fate (2020)

  For all those like me, whose parents got them the Harry Potter books …

  I hope you weren’t given The Goblet of Fire first like I was.

  Jacinta Jade

  KASLON TIME

  Cycle - is one Kaslonian year or 742 days.

  Seasons - there are seven seasons on Kaslon that make up the 742 days.

  Turn - 10 Kaslon days.

  Day - 28 Spans.

  Span - One hand shift of the sun (comparable to an Earth hour).

  KASLON ANIMALS

  Asret: Small, plump winged creatures, can’t fly, but camouflage to escape predators, normally have green and blue flecks.

  Bullide: Large grazer, but with a serious temper if threatened.

  Cripwof: Four limbs, long snout, both predator and scavenger, fast.

  Blirrus: Ferocious, small, can drive off larger predators through its tenacious and vicious attacks, skin thick & lose.

  Eudagona: A strong, reptilian beast, digs and climbs trees for insects, pebble-like skin, club-like tail.

  Fiorify: Four-legs, a large golden/orange winged creature with feather, large wingspan that ignites if angry, immune to flame.

  Gedoni: Thickly furred creature that likes to do everything in its own time and which can hold a dangerous grudge against perceived threats, massive claws that match its large size.

  Glow bug: small beetle with the ability to emit light to attract other beetles.

  Hiclum: Creature that sleeps lightly and can have mixed reactions to being awakened, depending on the season.

  Hopul: Six limbs, red and furry, bony armor on legs, arms, and torso, strong, intelligent, a natural climber, lives in small intimate communities of its kind.

  Kahurana: Large water dwelling creature that can live to be many hundreds of cycles old and is a nomad once it reaches maturity, except for when the species mate once a year.

  Kilften: Scaly, barbed tail, low to ground, claws, multiple eyes and a cunning mind.

  Kitespray: winged creature that soars at high altitudes using its magnificent eyesight to spot its prey before dropping down to snatch it up.

  Krynton: A lot remains unknown about this creature.

  Limret: small creature, considered cute by Kaslon standards.

  Munder beast: Moderate size, compact beast, bulky with muscle, not intelligent, perfect for domestication, loves company of its own and other species.

  Nowri: Loves water, builds sphere-shaped habitations by lakes, is loyal to its family, shy, will hide from most other animals.

  Oreto: Four-legged, skeletal thinness, strong neck, two long sharp horns, predator, deceptive looking.

  Oxy: Thin and whip-like creature, highly intelligent, fleet footed, with two tails.

  Pondif: Odd, smallish, six-footed grazing beasts that love high places, but there is something unique about them…

  Quison: Small, scavenging animal, like to eat glow bugs.

  Rilander: Big, passive grazer; six legs, tips over trees, grey-green colour, sleeps on feet, dangerous if it gets angry.

  Sandiota: Body like one thick muscle, hard chitinous plates, pointed teeth, two large claws on end of main limbs.

  Saluni: Winged creature known for its graceful flight.

  Seagliders: Winged creature that uses breezes to travel long distances with minimal effort, long, sharp talons, and a purple body.

  Sand vepton: Desert creature, leathery and long, glides through sand, predator.

  Sevonix: Large, feline type animal, highly revered on Kaslon, black & silver predator.

  Udun: Intelligent, generally foul-tempered and intimidating, purple underside to wings.

  Vicousery: Fierce, proud, clever, long claw on feet, fast, lean, pebbled skin.

  Wefron: Gentle, dumb, long necked, furry, four-legged creature with a stunted snout, comes in a myriad of colours.

  Wynceen: Enormous animal, four legs, segmented and armoured body, largest animal on Kaslon.

  Yeibon: A horned steed with a ridged back. Red Yeibons have straight, splayed horns and are fiery in nature to match their dusky red coats. Black Yeibons are milder, with curled horns and darker coats.


  THE PHROPHECY

  Two will fall,

  And two will rise.

  One who wears two faces.

  One who wears many.

  Through trial and hardship,

  They will meet.

  A new path forged,

  The white fire will burn.

  She will defeat those who oppose.

  PART ONE

  CHAPTER ONE

  FOR SIRAY, the rest of that terrible day following Jorgi’s execution by Captain Raque seemed to drag by in a blur of fatigue, fitful sleep, and a depressing silence between her and her friends, although now that her shock had subsided a little, she had also finally noticed the smell of the sea.

  Unbelievably, the black-uniformed Faction soldiers that Captain Raque commanded provided the remaining captives with food and water twice more over the course of the day, and after a torturous debate with Baindan and a hard-faced Wexner about whether the food could be poisoned in some manner, Siray and her friends ate their fill—albeit hesitantly at first.

  A grim melancholy continued to hang over them all, and although the group didn’t discuss the deaths of Jorgi or Deson at all that day, Siray could see her friends purposefully avoiding looking across the yard at the spot on the sandy stonework where Jorgi had been killed. But the faces of the friends she had lost continually wove themselves in and out of Siray’s thoughts.

  Each time she would think of one of them—Deson’s brown eyes, or Jorgi’s always unkempt pale-red hair—a wave of grief would wash over her, and her knees would grow weak while her stomach attempted to reject everything she had eaten.

  In those moments, Siray would lean forward over her knees, careful to keep her long red hair out of the way in case her stomach did revolt. Indeed, she hated herself for even wanting to eat, but her despair had no impact on her body’s physical requirements.

  Only remembering her earlier conversation with Tamot, when his freckled face had spilled tears onto her shoulder as she told him that they must survive, stilled any complete collapse into grief.

  She had to survive. She had to fight. And she then she could get her revenge.

  Sleep provided an escape from her grief—that aching hole in her mind and soul where her connection with Deson had one lived—and from the physical pain of her suffering body. It also protected her from seeing the anguished faces of the eight others in her little group, their expressions a reflection of what her own blue eyes had seen.

  Worst, of course, were the haunted hazel eyes of Tamot, who had continued to walk around unseeing and unhearing for most of the day after Siray had released him from the gripping hug that had stopped him from attacking the soldiers who had killed his mate, Jorgi. Tamot had only eaten something after a concerned Genlie had placed a portion of food into his palm and guided that hand to his mouth, the light-haired female trying hard to hide her concerned expression. Thankfully, Tamot still seemed to be able to chew and swallow automatically.

  But what else could be expected after his mate had been killed before his eyes?

  Siray could empathise given the pain she felt following Deson’s death. That she still felt. Deson—who had been courting her—might have been her mate. Now she would never know.

  Like the other Resistance captives around them, sleeping was how they spent a good deal of their time that day. Not that they had a choice about it, really, not with full stomachs after being almost starved and then collapsing from fatigue after three days of constant marching.

  In fact, it was amazing that any of them were able to wake for the meals that followed the first. But if the smell of the warm food brought out by the sneering Faction soldiers wasn’t enough to draw them from slumber, then the sounds of other captives moving to fill their bellies again was more than sufficient.

  Siray hated those guards. Hated the small gold X’s that crossed over the shoulders of their uniforms, hated them for reminding her of the Faction soldiers who had fired the arrows that had killed Deson, and hated them for the fact that, even though the captives outnumbered them in the yard, they were ultimately outnumbered by guards that they couldn’t see—both on the walls, in towers, and throughout the city.

  Indeed, the temptation to attack those cold-faced males and females who followed orders so ruthlessly was something Siray, and she suspected the others, had to fight continuously, given that the guards walked around with little more than short knives on their belts. But then, who knew what animals the guards could Change into? And what did it really matter when those same guards knew they were covered by archers patrolling the walls?

  The second time a meal was delivered, there was not the same rush for food. The keen edge of desperation had been dulled after that first meal in the sandy yard. And it was clear that there was plenty of food available. So any hurrying was a result of a yet-to-be-quelled instinct, one that had been heightened over just three days, when the captives had been unsure of when their next meal might be.

  So Siray forced her focus back to survival and keeping her head down. But it amazed her that, even after her second hot meal of the day, part of her still wanted to dive forwards to be the first to be served from the barrels. The first to have her thirst satisfied. But it was an impulse she checked, lest the same instinct in others result in a brawl—something the Faction soldiers would no doubt enjoy watching.

  As she lined up for food directly behind the golden-haired Zale, the male’s matching eyes scanning the yard constantly, Siray peered around over her shoulder at the other captives cautiously, bending a little to look past a fidgeting Loce who stood behind in her.

  Scanning the hopeless faces of her fellow captives, she realised that nearly everyone in that yard must have lost someone they knew—friends or acquaintances—on the long march here. Siray also noted a few of them staring back at her as their eyes found the scars that crossed her left eye and cheek, and she looked away towards the other side of that stone-walled space to avoid their looks which brought back other painful memories.

  A few captives had now formed small groups, while others were obviously keeping themselves deliberately separate. One of the latter was Melora. Even when lining up for food, the other captives gave the curly-haired female a wide birth, leaving large gaps between themselves and her.

  Siray guessed that Melora’s isolation was because of the slaughter of injured Resistance members that she had been a part of. Had been forced to be part of, in order to prove herself worthy and emerge safely from that group of thirty. And although Siray knew that Melora had been as much a victim of that fight as anyone else, she couldn’t bring herself to talk to her either. Especially when bits of dried blood from that fight still marked Melora’s clothes and skin.

  As the only survivor of that bloody fight, Melora had been offered the chance to rejoin the larger group of captives, who had each been assessed as strong enough to complete the Faction’s training program. Even with the pre-existing injuries to her lower body, and the further wounds she must have sustained in the actual fight itself, Melora had managed to survive the march.

  From what Siray had seen, Melora also hadn’t sought the company of the other Resistance captives. Instead, she had lined up for her meal, then retreated to a quiet corner of the yard, still limping slightly, her eyes tracking everyone else’s movements as she ate quickly.

  But this was only a random thought that wandered into Siray’s mind before it brought up the memory of Deson battling the female in Gonron’s recreation room.

  And any thought of Deson pushed everything else out of Siray’s mind, making her numb. Until the grief returned—sharp enough that Siray felt sure that somewhere in her a knife was twisting.

  Her only protection against succumbing to the pain was to repeat her mantra:

  Must survive. Must fight.

  After their third meal, although the sun was only just sinking out of view, Siray found she was exhausted. She longed to find somewhere dark and quiet where she could sleep. Where she could try to forget. She wondere
d if they were just expected to live and sleep in the yard, out in the elements. Because there was only one structure within the space that looked like it would house the current number of Resistance captives, a stone building bordering the edge of one high stone wall. The structure itself had multiple levels with doors built into it at frequent intervals. Possibly rooms.

  Siray was still gazing at it when a patrol of soldiers came striding out from the palace, Captain Raque roaring an order from their midst.

  ‘Form into rows of five!’

  The captives were slow to respond, and were thus hurried along by Faction guards, who pulled some weaker captives roughly to their feet.

  Faster than many of the others, Siray and her group stood and moved to join the formation.

  The nine of them had an unspoken agreement to stay together now. To only trust each other.

  As Siray reached the line, she took a position behind Genlie, who stood behind Kovi’s lean form. The pair had barely left each other’s sight since they had all arrived in the yard early that morning. Siray understood, of course, and was happy for them, yet some deep part of her felt anguished at the sight. Yet Siray had noticed that, while Kovi and Genlie stayed close, they didn’t touch or make any other overt signs of affection for each other.

  She tried not to think too hard about why they had chosen to do so, lest her own loss, or her empathy for Tamot, rose to claim her.

  Trying to divert her attention, Siray stole a glance to her right and saw that Wexner, Tamot, Loce, and Kinna were in the next row. Not seeing Baindan or Zale to either side, she assumed that both of them had joined her row.

  As the last of the captives joined the formation, the guards moved some around to even up the numbers in the rows. One trailing female captive was harassed into place at the end of Wexner’s row. Then the captain addressed them again, the serrated edge of one armour-plated shoulder flashing in the sun.

  ‘The rows you are now in will be the group you will bunk with each evening in your assigned cells.’