Page 41 of The Scars Within
Chapter 16
Scarlet Thorne is starting to get noticed. Not just by me but by the entire college.
And by the Grim.
She threw herself into a couple of class challenges yesterday, and though she failed both, she didn’t fail to grab the attention of our professors. There’s more fight in her than I expected—scrappier, determined.
The Grim wants me to get closer to her, and usually, that wouldn’t be a problem. But Scarlet? She’s a closed book. One moment, I feel like I can flip through her pages. And others, her story is spelled shut.
Professor Hogboom was late. The first-year cadets have been squirming in their seats for twenty minutes, the room buzzing with speculation. Should we stay or make a break for it? A handful of students whispered about him being sick, maybe forgetting to cancel class or find a substitute.
The classroom was clearly divided. Some cadets sat upright, tense, as if missing a single lecture would derail their future. Others leaned back, unconcerned, like this was just another checkpoint on a long list of things to coast through.
A sudden slam rattled the room. A thick, dust-covered tome hit the podium, shaking the air. All eyes snapped to the front. No one had seen Hogboom enter.
Dust swirled from the ancient book, its yellowed pages curled with age. From where I sat, it looked easily five inches thick.
“Someone peed in his cereal this morning,” Laney muttered in my ear. I hushed her.
Silence settled over us like a heavy fog as Professor Hogboom scanned the room. His eyes cut through the rows of cadets, pausing on each of us with a narrowed gaze. He cleared his throat, the sound rumbling like distant thunder.
“Can anyone tell me why Tyria is so adamant about claiming the Mareki?” His voice was deep and commanding, and it echoed through the space. Pehper, ever the eager one in the front row, shot her hand up. Hogboom gave a brief nod, allowing her to speak.
“They believe hosting the Mareki Gem will improve their harsh seasons,” she said, her voice confident as she settled back into her seat.
“The Mareki is not ours, cadet. It is not anyone’s property,” Hogboom corrected, his tone sharp. “That’s what your history books tell you. But who knows what’s been left out of those texts?” His eyes swept over the class again, lingering on me for a heartbeat before moving on.
Hogboom adjusted his stance, knuckles whitening as he gripped the podium. He pushed away from it, pacing slowly, hands clasped behind his back. His boots scraped softly against the stone floor with each deliberate step.
“The Mareki is far more important than any of you realize,” Professor Hogboom began, his voice steady and deliberate. “It doesn’t just fuel our magic system—itcreatedit. The Mareki is the most powerful force of nature in this world. The First Four channeled pure magic directly from it. Then came the next generation, and the next, until the Mareki’s magic was woven so deeply into our very biology that humans no longer needed to channel directly from the source.”
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle over us like a storm cloud.
“Do you truly believe,” he continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper, “that an entire war college, filled with military personnel, was built to protect something that could simply... control the weather?”
Whispers rippled through the room.
“Tyria seeks only one thing: power. Zervos didn’t sneak into the Eternal Tomb to move the Gem.” His boots echoed as he walked along the arc of seats. “He—”
“Why would the truth be removed from history?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Every head turned in my direction, and heat rushed to my cheeks. I sank in my chair, mortified. Tatum, sitting next to me, nudged me back upright.
Professor Hogboom’s gaze snapped to mine. But instead of irritation, there was a flicker of approval in his eyes. His finger began tapping on the tome.
“Now,” he said, his voice low, almost amused, “someone is asking the right questions.”
Class was interrupted when the heavy classroom doors slammed open. Captain Thorne strode in, his boots striking the stone floor with urgency. Nobody said a word as Thorne leaned in, whispering something into Hogboom’s ear. Hogboom’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t ask questions, didn’t even flinch. He stood there for a moment, eyes still scanning the room as though Captain Thorne hadn’t just interrupted the class.
Then, with a swift nod, Hogboom turned back to us. “Class dismissed,” he said, his voice as even and unyielding as before.
None of us moved as Captain Thorne exited the room.
“Now,” Hogboom repeated with a harder edge to his tone. “Dismissed.”
Chairs scraped the floor as cadets hurried to pack their things. Whatever Thorne had whispered, it was enough to end the lesson abruptly. My mind raced, wondering what could make even Hogboom abandon his lecture. As I collected my things, I briefly glanced at Hogboom forcefully snatching up the tome and exiting through the staff doorway. Something is happening, and it is more significant than any of us realize.
Chapter 17
