Page 34 of Burning Heir

But Damien didn’t let me talk. “How interesting that Severyn’s mother used to ride that same wyvern, and now you are roommates.”

“I was going to tell you, Sev—” Malachi began, but her words were swallowed by a sudden commotion. A dozen students turned their gazes skyward toward the glaring sun.

“The trial is starting,” she whispered, tension lacing her voice.

Malachi bonded with my mother’s wyvern? The revelation struck me, but the chaotic energy of the trial distracted me before I could demand answers. Above us, the clouds parted, and a dozen folded scrolls rained down like fluttering origami dragons.

“This trial pissed me off last year,” Damien muttered, reaching up to snatch a golden-edged scroll mid-air. “Took me nearly a year to figure it out.”

Students scrambled, their hands darting to catch the delicate parchments before they touched the ground. The red ink shimmered under the harsh sunlight as I lunged forward, grabbing one for myself.

Malachi opened hers first. Her eyes widened, and her fingers trembled as she read the contents. “What the hell,” she hissed, quickly folding the paper and shoving it into her boot.

If hers was that bad, I couldn’t imagine what mine read. I uncurled the note.A failed bargain for your freedom leaves the Winter throne without sunlight. Betray them before they destroy you.

I shuddered.

My freedom?“Are these supposed to be cryptic?” I slid the paper into my pocket, turning toward Malachi. “Are you okay?”

But she left before the words reached her.

Damien stayed still, reading over his scroll word for word a few times. I’d heard the clang of metal and assumed paranoia’s passion crept into some students’ minds. Friends would turn onfriends. And, it’d become a blood bath if it already hadn’t. I knew this trial was to stir us, to poison our minds slowly.

Father’s wardswereshattering, and the sun had dimmed over the years. Was it my fault?

I reached for Damien’s arm. “Damien,” I stuttered. “We—we should head back.”

But he stayed locked on that scroll. “Go, Severyn. Go back to the castle.” A flash of rage stormed across his features. White knuckles flushed as he crumbed the golden-edged paper. “I need a moment alone.”

I took off for the academy. I was in no shape to stay as students fought. I ran through the trails, stopping at the guttered cliff.

The zip line had snagged in the middle.

The waves rippled, curling with blackened clenches. I pulled on the rope, heaving it back, but it wouldn’t budge. I needed to get my leg up and around.

I jumped, grabbing the wire with one hand as I hoisted my knee over. The wire dipped low, curving into an outstretchedCas I crawled across, my hair sprawling over the rapids below. The wire bit into my palm, a few strands snagging and pulling me down. Pain tore through me as I screamed, gripping the wire with my injured hand.

Reaching for the bar, I nearly slipped, swinging to the left and tipping sideways. My elbow caught the edge, and I gasped as my sore wrist took the brunt of my weight.

Moisture speckled my brow as waves crashed into the rocks below, each pull dragging me closer. The trail opened ahead, speckled leaves ricocheting off the buzzing ward.

With one final swing, I released the wire. Air shredded through my hair, and I barely skimmed the ground before rolling onto my spine.

Summer had spit me out.

I stumbled along the slicked stone pathway toward the academy. Cold air rushed over my heated cheeks as I collapsed onto the floor beside the library doors, inspecting the welts on my arms and brushing the dust off my knees.

From that voice in the forests to the scroll—my mind was a tumble of skewed thoughts.Failed bargain. Find him. He’s alive.

He’s alive.

Was Klaus alive? Or was it simply a beast luring me into the woods?

“You were smart to run,” a voice rang behind me. “The test of sanity is a sure way to decipher who has the mental ability to look beyond words.”

Archer.He was leaving the library with a concealed book tucked under his arm. The words on the cover were smudged as if the ink had rubbed off. Numbness crawled along my nerves as

I stared up.

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