Page 97 of The Scars Within
As soon as I sat in the steel chair, the other men fastened iron shackles around my wrists and ankles. My instinct was to fight them off, but their grip was too firm. The leader pressed my back against the chair, ensuring I was secured tightly.
“What in the elements do you want from me?” I screamed, my voice echoing off the stone walls.
The silent men stepped back to their posts while the leader slowly circled in front of me.
He clicked his tongue. “We just want some answers, Cadet Thorne. As long as you cooperate, we won’t have any problems.”
I clenched my teeth. “Who sent you?”
He crouched down until he was at eye level with me, his leather uniform creaking as he moved. “The one you call daddy, of course.”
My blood boiled. I wanted to scream that Thorne isnotmy father, but no one knew I had discovered the truth. So, instead, I spat in his face.
He didn’t even flinch. Calmly, he wiped his face with the back of his hand.
Then he backhanded me across the jaw.
I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to distance myself from the pain.
“Tell them they have three seconds to let you go, or I will burn this pathetic building to the ground,” Lakota growled in my mind.
Once I steadied my breathing, I repeated his words to the leader.
The man smiled a cold, sadistic grin. “Oh, honey, we’re all fire elementals. Your dragon’s flames won’t touch us. But you’d be responsible for the loss of this asset to Mageia. I doubt you have the funds to cover that.”
“My jaws will snap him like a twig,” Lakota snarled.
“I’m fine.”
Lakota trilled from outside, the sound reverberating through the walls, making the building tremble.
The leader clicked his tongue. “Tell him our dragons are on their way, and four against one won’t end well for him.” His smirk widened. “You wouldn’t want to see that, now would you?”
“You wouldn’t dare harm him.”
“Try me,” he sneered, eyes glinting with a challenge.
I kept my mouth shut. I might not have the common sense to stay quiet regarding my safety, but when it comes to those I care about, I know better.
“How did you channel two elements?” He tilted his head down, glaring at me with malevolent eyes.
I kept my chin lowered, but my eyes locked on his. “I channeled air, then ran into the pit to save my friend when Lakota chose me as his rider.”
His hand came down hard, slapping me across the face. My head snapped to the right, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.
“Try again.”
I slowly looked up at him. “I didn’t purposely channel fire. I have no idea how it happened or why Lakota chose me. We don’t question the will of dragons. They aren’t our pets.”
“I beg to differ,” he snarled.
“Does your dragon know you feel that way?” I shot back.
His silence was all the answer I needed.Got him.
“Where is the Eternal Tomb located?” he asked, his tone sharp.
“What do you mean? The Eternal Tomb is where the Mareki lies. Everyone knows that. Isn’t it guarded at all times?”
