Page 43 of The Scars Within (Twisted Thorn #1)
Today is a day of dual significance. For some, it marks the pinnacle of their lives, while for others, it signals the end of it.
The only certainty participating cadets have of making it through this day alive is if they have already channeled the fire element.
If they have, they will be able to participate in the trials in hopes of a dragon choosing them.
If they aren’t chosen, they will have to wait until next year’s trials to try again.
The sun blazes in its zenith, making today the hottest day of the year and signaling the peak of summer’s intensity before the gradual embrace of autumn’s cooler temperatures.
Today is the Burn Trials.
Dragon Valley has been transformed into the event’s epicenter to accommodate the entire war college.
Temporary bleachers were set up for the event and lined the valley walls.
I’ve been trying my best to keep my mind off the decision Tatum faces.
She has yet to reveal whether she will participate in the Burn Trials, leading us all to assume she might not.
Last night and this morning were filled with unspoken farewells. None of us dared to ask Tatum directly about her plans. If she does not channel an element by the end of today, she will be classified as a mundane and have to leave Mageia .
My friends and I settled into the stands, mingling with other first-year cadets. Unbonded dragons soar gracefully above while professors work to get everything ready for the event below. The Burn Trials will last until sundown or until the last first-year group has completed the trial.
A crunching sound drew my attention. I glanced over at Cleo, who was munching on something. “You brought snacks?” I whisper-yelled.
She shrugged nonchalantly. “Of course I did.” She popped a potato crisp into her mouth, savoring it with a satisfied grin.
I shook my head slowly, a smirk playing on my lips. I couldn’t lie, I’m a little jealous of how prepared she is. Today is bound to be intense, and the simple comfort of snacks seemed oddly reassuring.
I glanced up at Tatum, who sat behind me with an unreadable expression. Her gaze was fixed intently on the professors below, the gravity of the day etched into her features. I turned back to face the valley, the weight of the moment settling over us all.
An hour had passed as everyone within the college took their places for the day’s events.
Our military personnel were strategically positioned throughout the valley, and I was relieved to not spot Captain Thorne among them.
The second-years had occupied the bleachers nearby, though I still hadn’t caught sight of either of the Wylder brothers.
Aunt Cora was down in the pit, alongside Professor Yearwood and Professor Scrivens, orchestrating the preparations.
Professors moved in and out of a makeshift tent, bringing supplies and setting up the necessary equipment.
Thin, soft blankets lay in waiting outside the tent, ready to be draped over any cadet who completed the trial and bonded with a dragon.
These blankets will cover the cadets whose clothes are reduced to ash in the trial’s fiery test. From what I could gather, the tent serves as a triage space, a crucial stop for cadets immediately after being selected by a dragon.
The atmosphere surged with anticipation as everyone settled into their roles. The preparations for the Burn Trials were nearly complete, and the moment when the trials would commence seemed to draw closer with each passing minute.
Someone below caught my eye. Shayde waved his arm at me, motioning for me to come down. I shimmied through the bleachers and down the steps to him.
He handed me a cold drink and said, “I didn’t know if you had enough time to grab a coffee this morning.”
I looked down at the clear glass as I took it, the color was deep brown. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that iced black coffee wasn’t my thing, so I forced myself to take a sip and smile.
“Mm, thank you so much. I really needed this,” I said, trying not to gag.
Shayde told me he would see me during the lunch break, and I made my way back to my friends. A pewter thermos was sitting on my seat. I raised my brows in confusion, and Laney answered my unsaid question, “Rhodes dropped it off for you.”
A wave of some feeling that I didn’t understand washed over me. Guilt mixed with glee? I set the iced black coffee down at my feet and opened the thermos. Medium roast with sweet cream. I could drink hot coffee even on the most scorching days. It wakes me up more than iced coffee does.
I raised the thermos to my lips and paused.
Is this an ‘I’m sorry for being a dick’ coffee?
Or an ‘I’m sorry you called me out and I backpedaled like a butthurt little boy’ coffee?
A horn echoed through the valley, signaling the official start of the Burn Trials. The participating cadets in the first row of our bleachers rose and descended the platform.
My heart thudded.
The professors below moved quickly to guide each cadet to their position twenty feet apart from each other. The entire valley seemed to hold its breath as the cadets took their places .
The second horn echoed through the valley, this time to announce the arrival of unbonded dragons. Everyone’s attention snapped to the sky, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the cadets in the pit.
Four cadets stood with their heads bowed, arms clasped tightly behind their backs, bracing themselves for what was to come. The fifth cadet kept her gaze fixed on the sky, her eyes wide with awe as she marveled at the creatures soaring above.
The sound of wings filled the air, clapping like thunder as two dragons began their descent. Laney reached for my hand, her grip firm and steady, grounding me in the moment. Time seemed to slow as the dragons drew nearer, their enormous forms casting shadows over the pit.
The thought of being so close to a dragon again sent a thrill through me, but it was tempered by the fear of witnessing the unimaginable—cadets reduced to ash in the unforgiving flames.
A blue dragon gracefully landed on the northern outskirts of the pit, the sunlight glistening off its scales. A heartbeat later, a green dragon landed on the western point. Their presence commanded the attention of everyone present, some in awe, some absolutely terrified.
Both dragons prowled through the cadets in the pit, assessing each one. I held my breath, waiting to see who would be chosen—and who may not survive the trial.
The green dragon suddenly shot back into the air while the blue prowled among the edible– I mean, eligible– cadets, its intense gaze assessing each one like prey.
I was transfixed by the blue dragon’s movements until a sudden burst of flames yanked my attention away.
The green dragon had chosen its rider—the male cadet standing on the outermost corner of the pit—and in a swift, terrifying motion, it soared into the sky, unleashing a torrent of fire upon him.
The acrid stench of sulfur burned my nose, and I could feel my heart nearly stop in my chest. I’m certain a shriek escaped my lips as the bright red and orange flames rained down on the cadet’s position. The blaze seemed to last an eternity, consuming the very air with its heat .
The entire valley fell silent. The other cadets in the pit abandoned their positions, turning to face their friend as he disappeared beneath the inferno. The girl who had stood tall and unflinching before the dragons dropped to her knees, hands covering her mouth in shock and horror.
The green dragon ceased fire and soared back into the sky, perching on a stone cliff above. Smoke billowed from the scorched earth, and the grass where the cadet stood was still in flames.
Professor Scrivens moved swiftly, dousing the burning land with water, while Professor Yearwood followed close behind, restoring the charred foliage to its former state. Professor Skuttlezwagon descended into the pit, using her air to send the remaining smoke spiraling high into the sky.
As the last traces of smoke evaporated, the cadet emerged from the haze, kneeling on the now plush and verdant grass.
He was hunched over, arms shielding the back of his head, but unmistakably alive.
Faculty members rushed to his side, wrapping him in a blanket and helping him to his feet.
They quickly escorted him into the triage tent for further care.
A wave of relief and triumph swept through the crowd, and the entire war college erupted in cheers. He had entered the Burn Trial—and succeeded. He was now bonded with the green dragon and a fire wielder—the most coveted elemental at Mageia.
But the blue dragon, not to be outdone, stole the excitement from the crowd as it chose its own cadet from the pit.
The flames were beautiful yet no less deadly.
The crowd fell silent; the only sound was the ominous crackling of fire as it engulfed the chosen cadet.
Professors immediately rushed to the center of the pit, prepared to intervene as they had before.
“That’s Rainae!” someone shouted from the stands, their voice tinged with hope and fear.
But then a scream ripped through the valley, echoing off the stone mountainsides, and the hope that had briefly flickered was snuffed out.
When the flames finally let up, there was nothing to cheer for.
The professors moved swiftly to extinguish the fire, dispel the smoke, and restore the grass, but it was clear the outcome was grim.
All that remained was a charred skeleton lying in a bed of ash, still smoking.
My heart plummeted to my stomach, and the rising nausea forced me to close my eyes, desperately trying to keep myself composed. Cries erupted from the cadets around me as the reality of what had happened sank in—we had lost a friend to the fire.
Rainae had not survived the Burn Trial.
She did not have the fire element within their veins.