Page 83 of The Scars Within
My scarlet eyes.
My dragon mark.
I flicked my finger towards a tapestry hanging from the ceiling and commanded the air element. The edges of the tapestry fluttered wildly in response.
Yep, I must be losing my mind. I’m an air wielderanda fire wielder. How is that even possible?
Realization hit me. I’m a…
The wooden doors flew open, and War Chief Kalluri stood in the doorway, gesturing for me to enter. The room inside resembled an interrogation chamber, stark and intimidating. A single chair was positioned at the front, facing a semicircle of chairs where the jury would sit, their judgment looming.
Kalluri motioned for me to sit in the chair on display, but he didn’t join the others. Instead, he stood directly before me, arms crossed, his expression agitated.
“Scarlet Thorne,” Kalluri began, his voice cold and unyielding. “Your position at Mageia is now under formal review. If it is proven that you intentionally channeled two elements from the Mareki Gem, your magic will be stripped, and you will spend the rest of your days in servitude under the Barren Watch.”
I opened my mouth, but uncertainty held my voice captive. Am I even allowed to defend myself? How can one’s magic be stripped? I glanced at Cora, her face flushed and streaked with tears, her eyes pleading silently on my behalf.
Kalluri paced slowly before me, his gaze fixed on the ground as if searching for answers. “There hasn’t been anyone capable of channeling two elements from the Gem since the Battle for Mareki. It is not possible–” He paused. “Tell us the truth. How did you reach it?”
“I—I’m sorry, Chief Kalluri. I don’t understand what you mean,” I stammered.
“You want me to believe,” Kalluri growled, his voice dripping with contempt, “that a brand-new cadet—freshly initiated into my war college—justaccidentallymanaged to channel two elements from the Mareki Gem?Unintentionally?And this just so happened to occur the day before an entire village of my people were slaughtered and hung from the trees, and a professor was poisoned in his own chambers?” His words struck like thunder, each one hammering down with the force of his accusation.
I held my ground, keeping my voice steady. “I didn’t purposefully doanything.” A lump rose in my throat, but I forced it down. “I had nothing to do with Hogboom’s death. Or the villagers. You think I’d risk everything—for what?”
“Enough, girl! Stop lying!” he snapped, his voice laced with fury as he turned to face me, his features twisted with anything but kindness. “Where are you from? Who are your parents? Why are youreallyhere?”
“Who do youthinkI am?” The question rolled off my tongue in a whisper.
Kalluri’s nostrils flared, and without warning, he seized the back of a wooden chair. With a furious roar, he hurled it against the stone wall. The impact was deafening. I flinched as the chair shattered into splinters, shards of wood scattering across the room. The professors lining the walls remained frozen, their faces blank, their silence deafening. None of them moved to intervene, none dared to speak.
My bottom lip quivered, panic clouding my thoughts. Words tumbled from my mouth, incoherent and desperate. “I—I have no idea what happened in the pit today. I’ve already channeled air; I wasn’t expecting to—”
Kalluri cut me off, waving a finger in my face with a threat that chilled me to the core. “It won’t take but a moment for me to damn you to the Barrens!”
The doors burst open, and Professor Maksimov stormed in, her hand raised defiantly. “Don’t you dare take it out on her, Kalluri! She’s just a young girl!”
The tension in the room escalated instantly. All the professors stood, each slowly aligning themselves behind the side they supported. Cora and Professor Yearwood joined Maksimov while the others stood firmly with the War Chief.
“Stand down, Maksimov,” Kalluri growled.
“Not until you see this for what it is, Chief Kalluri,” Maksimov shot back, holding her ground.
I remained seated, frozen, as the scene unfolded before me.
“You know what this means, Allionadda. The prophecy said so, the wraith—”
“With all due respect, you don’t know that this is what the prophecy refers to, Chief,” Maksimov countered. “There could be another explanation, but treating Cadet Thorne as if she’s already guilty isn’t the way to find out.”
“Did you notice who’s red that was?” Kalluri yelled.
Maksimov stepped up into Kalluri’s face then. She gritted through her teeth, “Of course I did. Of course, I know why you are so angry!”
Aunt Cora stepped forward, her voice trembling with emotion. “Sir, Scarlet is not the key that the prophecy speaks of. Please, let her prove it to you. She’s my niece, after all. Her mother died when she was just a child. The girl is innocent. She’s the daughter of Captain Thorne—”
The entire room gasped in unison. I am unsure why she lied about my father, but I remained quiet. At that moment, Captain Thorne stormed into the room, commanding attention.
“She is not mine, and you know it, Reyes!” he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Cora. “I have no idea who her father is, but it’s not me. Her lineage is not mine. She’s a bastard.”
