Page 52 of The Scars Within (Twisted Thorn #1)

Aunt Cora was teaching our class how to create a simple summoning grum, which was supposed to instantly sprout fresh, ripe vegetables of our choice when buried in the soil.

It was anything but simple.

“This is getting on my damn nerves,” Laney muttered, yanking up a clump of weeds that had sprouted after she buried her third attempt.

My results weren’t much better—tiny baby vegetables, still far from the harvest I had hoped for.

“Now, now, class!” Aunt Cora clapped her hands, strolling through the rows of cadets kneeling in the dirt.

The sunlight blazed through the conservatory windows, making it hard to concentrate.

“The key is not to overdo the grounding of your sheeshkaferns! If you grind them too much, you’ll end up with rotten veggies.

Too little, and they’ll mix improperly with the umproot seed, leading to.

.. well, this.” She gestured at the unwanted weeds littering the ground in front of Laney.

I nudged Laney, who hastily flipped her mortar, dumping its contents in a huff.

“You know, this is why we’re friends with Cleo. She could do this in her sleep,” Laney whispered sharply .

“True, but Cleo may not always be by our side,” I reminded her. “Relax, start over, and go step by step.”

I could barely contain a laugh as I watched her glare at the mess in front of her, fighting her rising frustration.

“Once you have the sheeshkaferns ground properly, then– oh!”

I turned around, sitting back on my heels, to see what had startled Cora. Four men in military uniforms had entered the conservatory, their leader scanning the group of cadets until his gaze landed on me.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” Cora asked, her voice tense.

The group leader cleared his throat and shifted his focus to her. “We need Cadet Thorne to come with us. Immediately.”

My heart pounded. What the hell have I not done now? I stood up, brushing the soil from my leathers, and walked toward Cora and the men.

“Why on earth for?” Cora demanded, her voice edged with nerves.

“That is none of your concern, Professor,” the man growled.

“We are in the middle of herbology class! You have no right to remove her without my permission. I was not informed of this, and I cannot allow you—”

“It’s fine, Aunt Cora.” I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. “I’m sure they just want to ask me some questions about the Burn Trials.”

Cora looked at me, her eyes filled with worry. She gently laid her hand on top of mine. “You don’t have to do anything they say, my girl,” she whispered.

“I’ll be okay. I always am.” I forced a grin, though inside, I felt far from okay.

I have no idea what these men want, but it can’t be anything good. So, I threw on my strong-bitch attitude and prepared for whatever came next. I straightened my shoulders, raised my chin, and looked the leader straight in the eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, I said, “After you.”

We left the conservatory without another word. Two men walked ahead of me, two behind.

Like I’m some damn criminal.

Thankfully, Lakota soared above us. As if reminding them not to lay a hand on me.

They didn’t lead me back to the castle as I had expected. Instead, they took me to the far side of the school grounds, opposite Dragon Valley. A small stone building was hidden behind a cluster of tall, thick trees. A chimney rose from its roof, soot trailing up from a lively fire.

The leader opened the door and gestured for me to enter.

The building was just one open room, shrouded in darkness except for the light from the fireplace. Although the floor was cobblestoned, the air smelled musky and…

I closed my eyes, breathing in, breathing out.

This is not the shed.

The men moved around me, silently taking their posts in different corners of the room. The leader spun a chair around to face me, his eyes locking onto mine with a smugness that made me want to slap the look off his face.

But I didn’t.

As soon as I sat in the steel chair, the other men fastened iron shackles around my wrists and ankles. My instinct was to fight them off, but their grip was too firm. The leader pressed my back against the chair, ensuring I was secured tightly.

“What in the elements do you want from me?” I screamed, my voice echoing off the stone walls.

The silent men stepped back to their posts while the leader slowly circled in front of me .

He clicked his tongue. “We just want some answers, Cadet Thorne. As long as you cooperate, we won’t have any problems.”

I clenched my teeth. “Who sent you?”

He crouched down until he was at eye level with me, his leather uniform creaking as he moved. “The one you call daddy, of course.”

My blood boiled. I wanted to scream that Thorne is not my father, but no one knew I had discovered the truth. So, instead, I spat in his face.

He didn’t even flinch. Calmly, he wiped his face with the back of his hand.

Then he backhanded me across the jaw.

I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to distance myself from the pain.

“ Tell them they have three seconds to let you go, or I will burn this pathetic building to the ground, ” Lakota growled in my mind.

Once I steadied my breathing, I repeated his words to the leader.

The man smiled a cold, sadistic grin. “Oh, honey, we’re all fire elementals. Your dragon’s flames won’t touch us. But you’d be responsible for the loss of this asset to Mageia. I doubt you have the funds to cover that.”

“ My jaws will snap him like a twig, ” Lakota snarled.

“ I’m fine. ”

Lakota trilled from outside, the sound reverberating through the walls, making the building tremble.

The leader clicked his tongue. “Tell him our dragons are on their way, and four against one won’t end well for him.” His smirk widened. “You wouldn’t want to see that, now would you?”

“You wouldn’t dare harm him.”

“Try me,” he sneered, eyes glinting with a challenge.

I kept my mouth shut. I might not have the common sense to stay quiet regarding my safety, but when it comes to those I care about, I know better.

“How did you channel two elements?” He tilted his head down, glaring at me with malevolent eyes .

I kept my chin lowered, but my eyes locked on his. “I channeled air, then ran into the pit to save my friend when Lakota chose me as his rider.”

His hand came down hard, slapping me across the face. My head snapped to the right, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

“Try again.”

I slowly looked up at him. “I didn’t purposely channel fire. I have no idea how it happened or why Lakota chose me. We don’t question the will of dragons. They aren’t our pets.”

“I beg to differ,” he snarled.

“Does your dragon know you feel that way?” I shot back.

His silence was all the answer I needed. Got him.

“Where is the Eternal Tomb located?” he asked, his tone sharp.

“What do you mean? The Eternal Tomb is where the Mareki lies. Everyone knows that. Isn’t it guarded at all times?”

He took a few steps back, his eyes never leaving mine. “You and I both know the Eternal Tomb isn’t what people are led to believe.”

“So what is it, then?” I asked, my voice barely above a breath.

He smirked but didn’t answer.

One of the men in the corner moved, grabbing a stoker from the fireplace. Once it glowed red-hot, he slowly approached me.

“You’re aware that you’re only invincible to dragon flames, right?” the leader taunted.

I swallowed hard, fighting the panic creeping into my chest as the man lowered the glowing stoker toward my knee.

“Where is the Eternal Tomb?” the leader asked again, his voice sharper this time.

“I don’t know!” I screamed, my voice trembling with fear and frustration.

The stoker seared through my leathers, burning into my skin. The smell of scorched flesh hit me as I clenched my teeth so hard my gums began to bleed. But I didn’t scream. I won’t give them that satisfaction .

My body trembled from the pain, but I held myself together. Lakota was losing his mind, but I shut him out, throwing up my mental gates to keep him from acting on instinct.

“Again,” the leader commanded.

But his henchman didn’t get the chance. I channeled air, yanking the stoker from his grasp with a force I hadn’t realized I could control. It was the first time I had ever mentally wielded my element without using my hands.

The leader growled, “Fine. We’ll do this the hard way.” He flicked his fingers at one of the other men.

The man stepped forward, pulling a small vial from his pocket. Inside was a black powder, and the sight of it sent a chill down my spine. It reminded me of a lesson Aunt Cora had drilled into me when I was young.

“ Never, ever go near black powder. It’s illegal magic, only used in the most extreme circumstances by the military. And even then, only on Tyrian captives. ” Her voice echoed in my mind.

I tried to turn my head as far as possible from the vial and held my breath, but the leader’s fist slammed into my stomach. I gasped, and in that split second, his henchman emptied the black powder into my face.

My nostrils burned, the sensation spreading like wildfire through my head and then down to my fingertips and toes. My body convulsed uncontrollably, the restraints the only thing keeping me in the chair. Desperately, I tried to reach out to Lakota, but my connection to him felt numb and distant.

As the powder dissipated from the air, the leader stepped forward again, looming over me.

“Now, where were we?” he sneered. “Oh, yes—where is the Eternal Tomb?”

Images of the hidden chamber flashed through my mind. I saw the prophecy etched on the plaque, the shadowy corridor, and the eerie circular room. The runes glowed on the obsidian pedestal, each one inscribed with markings underneath them.

It all clicked into place.

They’d used a truth powder.

And the hidden chamber was actually the Eternal Tomb.