Page 95 of The Scars Within
A flash of orange glimmered ahead, the form of another first-year atop their dragon. I released Lakota’s spike, flattening my hand against his scales and letting our energy merge. Together, we propelled forward faster, cutting through the sky like a knife.
Tatum and Echo appeared at my side, their synchronized movements reflecting hours of practice. With perfect timing, our dragons engulfed our opponents in a swirl of flames.
Tatum and I exchanged an air high-five as we descended back to the valley below.
Davis landed beside me, smirking. “Damn, Thorne. You sure you’re new at this?”
I winked in response, the adrenaline still buzzing through me.
While Shayde has been completely absent, Davis has spent more time around Rhodes. He’d even been invited to our private lessons, though he swore to Allie to keep his mouth shut.
It was a sight to see when Allie twisted his arm behind his back, making him swear multiple times before letting go.
Ignoring my conflicting feelings for Shayde, I slid off Lakota’s back and peeled off my leather jacket. The breeze was cool, contrasting the heat pulsing under my skin.
Tatum slapped my hand. “Atta girl! We kicked their asses.”
“Hey, I’m standing right here,” Davis muttered, slipping off his own jacket.
Tatum flipped her braids over her shoulder, blowing Davis a playful kiss. His face flushed pink as he threw his jacket at her. She caught it with ease, laughing as she inspected the tag inside.
“L. Davis? What’s the ‘L’ stand for?” she teased.
I must’ve zoned out because Laney snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hello? Elements to Scarlet. What’s on your mind?”
I shook my head quickly. “Nothing, just winded from the flight,” I lied.
In reality, the uncertainty of the past few weeks has been gnawing at me. None of it makes sense—the Burn Trials, the prophecy no one seems to know about, and the hidden chamber that definitely no one knows about. A map of the college would answer so many questions, but there are none due to ‘safety concerns.’
What in the elements does that even mean?
Laney’s voice boomed in my ear before I could continue with my inner dilemmas.
“Hey, Wylder! How about yourow, row, rowyour ass over here and help us figure out how to make them win faster?” Delaney bounced on her tiptoes, cupping her hands around her mouth as she called out to Rhodes, who was deep in conversation with Allie.
He grinned and jogged over to us. As our group bantered back and forth, Rhodes strolled over to me, leaning in close. His voice was a low murmur in my ear.
“How’s the view?”
I blinked, confused, looking up at him. “What do you mean?”
He smirked. “The view of what it’s like when you finish first,” he added, nudging my shoulder.
I smiled, nudging him back.
My life has been very different lately. It’s been filled with a lot more excitement, laughter, and friends. I’ve been keeping myself busy so that my mind doesn’t spiral into wondering why Shayde has disappeared from my life. Yeah, his brother has been around a lot more lately. But Shayde is a fire elemental, too. Couldn’t he be helping us all with our lessons?
Maybe I am overthinking it.
Or maybe I’m not.
Even though I am comforted by having so many people around me, I can’t help but feel so alone.
Chapter 39
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.
