Page 49 of The Scars Within (Twisted Thorn #1)

“Please, spare us, oh mighty mage!” she mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Every head in the courtyard swiveled toward us, and suddenly, the laughter erupted. It was deafening. Heat rushed to my cheeks as my stomach clenched with humiliation. My mouth went dry, my body trembling uncontrollably. It felt like my knees were about to buckle beneath me.

I turned slowly, taking in the faces around me—some I knew, some I didn’t. Faces of cadets I had shared meals with and trained beside. Even a few I’d considered friends. They all pointed, sneered, and laughed, relishing in my embarrassment.

Before I could face Pehper again, my gaze caught on something—or rather, someone. In the far corner, leaning against the stone wall were those familiar, warm brown eyes that once made me feel safe.

Shayde.

He wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t mocking me.

But he wasn’t standing up for me, either.

My heart sank like a stone. The sting of betrayal hit hard, burning behind my eyes. I blinked back, the tears threatening to spill, but the pain wouldn’t let go.

“Oh,” Pehper cooed mockingly, her eyes gleaming as she raised her hands to her mouth. “Are you going to cry?” She giggled, curling her fists by her face and twisting them with an exaggerated pout. “The big, bad mage is about to cry!”

The laughter around me intensified, but I barely registered it. My gaze remained fixed on Pehper, my pulse thudding in my ears.

“Let’s get out of here, Scarlet,” Laney’s hand tugged at my arm, her voice cutting through the noise. My friends urged me to leave, but their voices felt distant, like I was submerged underwater.

I stood frozen. My breath was tight in my chest. Gaining the confidence to take control.

Then, without a word, I turned and pushed through the courtyard doors. My friends followed. The heavy door slammed shut behind us, muffling the mocking laughter that was still echoing in my head.

I shut it all down .

“Are you okay?” Cleo asked, her voice soft but anxious. My friends gathered around me.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. The pressure did little to relieve the growing ache behind my eyes.

They started venting their frustration, throwing insults at Pehper and sharing embarrassing stories about the cadets who had joined in. Their words blurred, fading into background noise.

“I said I’m fine,” I repeated, sharper this time, pushing past them. “Just... follow me.”

They fell silent but didn’t protest, trailing behind me. I could feel the weight of their concern, but I needed a moment to clear my head. To shove the hurt away and focus on the task at hand.

When we reached the magical bookshelf, I checked the hallway to ensure no one was nearby. Then, huddling them close, I relayed everything that had happened to me in this very spot—leaving out no details.

By the time I finished, they were staring at me. I couldn’t tell if they were processing the information or if I had lost them with how I’d explained it. Or maybe... they didn’t believe me.

The silence was broken when Tatum finally spoke. “That’s fucking awesome. Show us.”

A wicked grin spread across my face as I turned to demonstrate. With just a little extra force, I pressed my hand against the bookshelf, and my body passed right through the illusionary barrier.

I turned back, waiting for them to follow, but nothing happened.

“Push a little harder,” I encouraged, watching them try again.

One by one, they pressed harder, then leaned with their shoulders and even kicked at the barrier with their boots. Still, nothing.

I tried it again, slipping effortlessly through.

“I don’t think we’re allowed entry,” Cleo finally voiced what the others must have been thinking .

“That makes no sense,” I said, frustration bubbling up. “How can I do it, but you can’t?”

An odd feeling washed over me then—a sense of resolve that didn’t feel like my own. It was strange, detached, like it belonged to someone else. Was I... sensing Lakota’s emotions?

“You said there was a plaque with some kind of scripture, right?” Laney chimed in. “Why don’t you write it down and bring it back? That way, we can all study it together. We’ll stand guard while you go.”

Her suggestion made sense, but I couldn’t shake the nagging frustration that I was the only one able to pass through.

Tatum dropped her pack, quickly handing me a quill, ink, and paper. I grabbed a torch from the sconce on the wall, feeling more prepared this time. And then, I stepped back into the unknown.

The air was just as cold and musky as before, the silence broken only by the occasional scurry of a rat. Critters didn’t bother me, but I silently prayed I wouldn’t stumble upon a snake. Those, I couldn’t handle.

I moved cautiously, only turning back once to glance at my friends on the other side of the barrier. They couldn’t see me, but their worry was plain on their faces, and for a brief moment, I wondered if I should’ve turned back.

But the pull of the unknown was too strong.

Reaching the plaque, I awkwardly balanced the torch between my elbow and side as I pressed the paper to the wall and scribbled down the inscription. Nothing new caught my eye as I studied the text, but the faint tug of something more profound in the passage gnawed at my curiosity.

I had planned to return immediately to show the others what I found. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a faint light glowing in the distance. Not just a torch or candle, but something... more.

Someone was back there—someone who might have answers.

I should’ve gone back and told my friends, but I couldn’t risk whoever—or whatever—was beyond that light slipping away before I could reach it. My curiosity overruled caution .

I moved forward, each step deliberate, trying to mask the sound of my footsteps. I knew the glow of my torch would eventually give me away, but for now, I embraced whatever stealth I could manage.

When I entered the circular room, my breath hitched. It was empty, but the light I’d seen wasn’t coming from a person. It was something far more unsettling.

The pedestal stood at the center, just as I remembered it, but now two runes etched into the corners were glowing. One emitted a soft, white light, while the other burned a fierce red. Their glow seeped into the center symbol, mixing together but not blending in color.

I hesitated, then reached out, tracing the glowing designs with my fingertips once again. The air around me hummed with magic as I felt its calling incredibly stronger than before.

And this time, I was ready to listen.

I tentatively grazed my finger over one of the unlit runes, curiosity overtaking caution once again. The moment my skin made contact, a vision exploded behind my eyes.

Suddenly, I wasn’t in the circular room anymore. I was back in the village—the same one I had seen when I tried to engage with Lakota’s bond. But this time, everything was sharper, more real. I was closer, as though I had stepped right into the scene, yet I had no control over my body.

It felt like I was watching through someone else’s eyes.

The host of the vision whipped their head to the left, the abrupt movement blurring and spinning everything around me. The dizzying sensation struck hard, pounding my head, and I instinctively jerked my hand away from the rune.

In an instant, I was back in the cold, dark room, the eerie silence settling around me once more. My heart hammered in my chest, and I stumbled back, struggling to shake off the lingering disorientation.

What... was that?

The risk should have been enough to scare me away, but it only deepened the pull I felt toward the magic humming in the room. With my heart pounding, I placed my hand over the final, unlit rune and closed my eyes.

The vision swept me away instantly.

I stood in front of the largest wolf I had ever seen.

Its sheer size should’ve sent me running, but instead, I found myself reaching out to scratch behind its ears as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The wolf towered over me from the tip of its pointed ears to the ground, its midnight-black fur glistening in the low light.

But it wasn’t the size that held me captive—it was its eyes. Golden and familiar. Eyes I had seen before.

A surge of recognition hit me, but I didn’t let it tear me away from the vision this time. I held onto it, my left arm moving of its own accord, petting the massive creature. I saw my scar from the corner of my eye, so I knew it was myself standing in this imaginary vision.

Stepping back, I felt the vision slipping away, the ethereal pull loosening its grip. I returned to the cold room, my breath shallow, my mind racing. It wasn’t just a vision or a dream—I had been in that village before. I had met that wolf before.

I knew it deep in my bones. I felt that odd sense of familiarity when I spotted it in the forest. Now I understand why. But how was that possible? How could I know a creature that I had never met?

The questions circled like a storm, but one thing was clear—whatever this connection was, it wasn’t just for anybody. It was my own; seeing my scar proved that.

I hurried back to my friends and showed them the writing.

In the veiled echoes of Mareki’s grace,

When the past unfolds anew,

The truth will come face to face,

As scattered elements entwine in the few .

The splintered shards will become whole again,

Once the forgotten realm is due.

The key lies within the Crimson Wraith,

Whose flames will guide what shadows pursue.

Cleo whispered the words aloud, and something clicked in my mind.

“Chief Kalluri mentioned a prophecy... and a—a wraith. This can’t be a coincidence,” I said, my voice tense.

They looked up at me. Laney was the first to speak, “I mean, considering where you found it, this isn’t just some random poem. What else did he say about it?”

I tried to think, but my mind came up blank. “Nothing. Professor Maksimov cut him off before he could say more.”

Tatum chimed in, “If this really is a prophecy, then we’ve got even more questions. A prophecy from whom? About what? And what is the Forgotten Realm? Our lands have never known any magic more advanced than elemental wielding.”

“That we know of,” I added, my thoughts heavy.

“Did you find anything else in there?” Laney asked.

It took me a moment before I lied, “No.”