Page 9 of Burning Heir

What happened next was more or less a nightmare.

Screams echoed. A girl fell to her knees, dragged toward Charles by a guard gripping her hair and wrist. Her hands flailed like a griffin caught in a trap.

Six more students walked over, knowing their fate as they whimpered in fear.

A few tried to barter with the headmaster. “It was a mistake, sir. I want to continue with the academy.” Tears stained the stone as their cries consumed the air.

I whispered to Knox, “They should have known there’s only one way out of here.”

“There’s always death.” Surprisingly, I didn’t shudder at his words, but an awful ache rolled in my chest, knowing those twelve wouldn’t make it a year in Malvoria until they were left with half a soul and a crippled body.

The headmaster glared at a male student whose hand went above his heart. “Forgive me,” he whispered, eyes on my eldest brother.

Professor Mundair offered no remorse.

“There are no second chances. Your heart does not lie with Galthyn, but you will spend the rest of your life protecting our land.”

Distorted shrieks sounded from that male student. His hands bent, palms flat as he collapsed to his knees.

“What is that sound?” I asked Knox, nearly wincing in pain from the screech.

“It’s a screamer quell,” he said with a grunt. “Rare but deadly.”

A few ears bled, silenced to their buckled knees. Charles closed his eyes and walked toward the male, then wrapped his hands around the boy’s neck and… Oh. He snapped it.

I stifled my scream as a deafening crack went through the hall as the male’s body hit the stone.

Charles… how could he?

How could he?

A part of me never believed that cruelty spored within him. And perhaps power and protection were molds, slowly growing until they infected his mind.

I buried my face in Knox’s leather jacket. “Is it over?” I asked and felt Knox nod. “Knox? Charles… he…” I gripped his elbow, and he shrugged me off.

“You look weak, Severyn. Control it,” he snapped, eyes glazed on the still body below Charles. “We can’t allow anyone to view us as weak.”

Another first-year snickered beside us. “And that is why they teach you how to control your quell here. He would never have made it, even in Malvoria. Screamers aren’t someone you want living beside you. Albeit their voices are deadly, there isn’t much sense when everyone around you is in pain, even your fellow guards.”

And he was killed without even possessing a forbidden quell. Charles killed someone. He killed a student. In front of me.Us.

Chapter Three

“A mark of the six realms will appear on your palm,” the headmaster said. “Those with the same mark will be both allies and rivals in your journey to greatness. The academy chooses based on bloodline—here, heirs are made. Pain is temporary, but legacy lasts. A student mentor will guide you to the trial grounds, where, in the next two nights, you will discover your quell and your enigma.”

Knox leaned over in pain, clenching his fist until his knuckles whitened.

“Shit, it burns,” he hissed, his lip curled as thick, purple veins jutted from his neck and arms.

Groans and shallow breaths filled the air as first-years writhed in their stance. But I felt… nothing. No power rushing through me. No sharp pain like Knox’s.

“Let me see,” I said,my voice tight.

Knox uncurled his fist, revealing a glowing circle etched into his palm, bright as the sun sinking beneath the horizon. It looked raw, like bone and skin had fused beneath the surface.

“Is this some kind of joke?” His voice cracked slightly as he glanced around, like someone might leap out to laugh at him. “Severyn, I didn’t get Winter. This is Day’s mark.”

I hadn’t looked at my own palm yet. “How is that even possible?” I asked, slow and deliberate. “Knox, you’re a Winter. We’re Winter.”

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