Page 103 of The Scars Within
Laney clapped her hands together. “You’re a genius!”
The cavern fell silent for a few moments, the tension from earlier fading. Then, we heard a soft whoosh outside, followed by the sound ofLakota landing. He dropped a small bundle of dried twigs in front of the cave entrance.
“It’s not much, but it’ll get you started,” Lakota said before flying off again in search of more.
Davis placed the kindling in the center of the stone circle, and I added the crumpled parchment on top. I knelt by the pit, striking the flint over and over until a spark finally caught. The parchment ignited, and I leaned down, blowing gently on the flames until they spread to the twigs beneath. I tossed one more piece of parchment into the growing fire, saving the rest for later.
A warm, flickering glow filled the cavern, and a collective sigh of relief passed through the group.
Davis clapped me on the shoulder. “Good job, cadet. You’re exactly who I’d want to be stranded on an island with.”
I couldn’t help but grin as I watched the fire grow, warmth spreading through me—not just from the flames, but from the feeling that I mattered to this team for the first time today. I was an asset.
We ate in silence around the fire. Laney sat on my left, Davis on my right, and Shayde and Pehper across from us. The tension between us was so thick that not even a dragon’s fire could burn through it.
Eventually, Shayde broke the silence. “I think Salvitto’s right. We should send scouts before sunrise to determine which elementals we’re against. Then, we regroup, figure out our next move, and hit them later in the day. If they plan a midday attack, we’ll be ready.” He tossed the core of his apple into the fire.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Laney said, “Thank you.”
“What do you think is going on with our elements?” I asked, glancing around the group.
Davis whistled low. “No clue. This didn’t happen last year. Something’s definitely up.”
Laney turned to Shayde. “Did something like this happen during your campaign last year?”
Shayde shook his head slowly, eyes fixed on the crackling fire.
“Whatever it is, it needs to stop. I’m out of water,” Pehper said, her tone clipped.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have chugged your ration then,” I shot back, unable to resist.
She scowled but didn’t respond.
“Alright, seriously though, whatever’s suppressing our elements has hit all of us. Lakota feels it, too. Drithan? Spear?” I looked over at the boys, and they nodded in agreement. “So let’s figure this out. What’s something we’ve all had in common today?” I pushed myself up from the ground, sitting on my heels. “Food?” I scanned the group, but they shook their heads. “Water?”
Everyone exchanged uncertain glances.
“What’s something we’ve all touched—”
“The map,” Laney snapped her fingers, eyes wide. “We all sat around it, holding it down with our knees earlier. None of us felt the strain until after, when we tried to light the fire.”
I mulled it over. She was right. Touching the map that Aunt Cora gave us this morning was the only thing we all had in common.
“Well, that’s a new addition to the campaign,” Davis scoffed.
Shayde stood, dusting off his leathers, and walked over to the mouth of the cavern. He sat with his legs dangling over the edge, staring into the night. Davis followed. Pehper just scoffed and sprawled out on her bedroll, clearly done with us.
Laney poked at the fire with one of the leftover twigs, still smiling despite the hellish day we’d just survived.
“How are you so positive all the time?” I whispered.
Surprised by the question, she cut her eyes at me, then looked back at the fire. “What do you mean?”
I hesitated, trying to find the right words. “No matter what’s happening, you’re always so… optimistic. Even when the day’scomplete shit. Even when we’re stuck with”—I tilted my head toward Pehper and mouthed her name. Laney bumped my shoulder with a soft laugh.
“And Shady?” she whispered.
I feigned confusion, but she saw through it.
