Page 21 of Frostforge: Passage Two

"We could try moving it together," she suggested."If we can slide it just a few more inches..."

Kaine nodded, positioning himself at one side of the ancient furnace."On three.One, two —"

They pushed in unison, their boots scraping against the stone floor as they strained against the massive iron structure.For a moment, it seemed immovable, but then, with a groaning sound like a creature awakening from centuries of sleep, the furnace shifted.One inch.Two.Three.

Thalia stumbled forward as the resistance suddenly gave way, nearly falling before Kaine's hand shot out to steady her.The furnace had moved almost a foot, revealing a previously hidden section of wall covered in more densely packed runes.

"Look," Thalia breathed, crouching down to examine the new markings.These were smaller, more precisely carved than those above.

Kaine knelt beside her, his shoulder brushing against hers as he leaned in to study the wall."We need better light, and something to trace these.They're too faint to copy by memory."

Thalia dug into her satchel and pulled out a stick of graphite she used for sketching designs."This should work, if we press lightly."

Kaine retrieved a lantern from a nearby workbench, adjusting its flame to cast a steady golden light across the wall.In the improved illumination, the runes seemed to sharpen, their edges more defined.

They worked in silence for several minutes, Thalia carefully tracing the outline of each symbol onto the stone surface, making them more visible without damaging the originals.Kaine held the light steady, occasionally pointing out markings she might have missed.

"There," she said finally, sitting back on her heels."That should make them easier to study."

The newly highlighted runes formed what appeared to be a continuous text, unlike the scattered, individual symbols they'd found above.Thalia ran her fingers lightly over the markings, and the tingling sensation intensified, as if the stone itself was responding to her touch.

"Can you read any of it?"Kaine asked, shifting the lantern to better illuminate the section she'd traced.

Thalia shook her head.She pointed to a series of connected markings."This pattern is reminiscent of some cryomancy runes, but more complex."

"There," Kaine said suddenly, pointing to a sequence near the bottom of the revealed section."That symbol means 'founder' or 'creator.'It's used in some traditional naming ceremonies in the Reaches."

Thalia leaned closer, examining the indicated rune.It did bear a striking resemblance to the symbol she'd seen in her textbooks, though with additional flourishes that altered its meaning slightly.

"And this one," he added, pointing to an adjacent mark, "looks like the rune for 'payment' or 'cost.'I’ve seen a similar one on merchants’ stalls."

"'The Founder's Price,'" Thalia read aloud, the words hanging in the cool air of their hidden corner.

Kaine's brow furrowed, his expression troubled in the lantern light."'Price' implies sacrifice."

"Or payment," Thalia added."Something given in exchange for something received."

They stared at the ancient inscription, the implications settling between them like a physical weight.The founding of Frostforge wasn't a subject covered in detail in their classes — they'd learned the bare facts of when the academy was established and by whom, but little about the circumstances or methods.

"Do you think it's referring to the founders of Frostforge?"Thalia asked, voicing the question that had formed in both their minds.

Kaine's jaw tightened."I don't know much about the academy's founding.But this..."He gestured to the inscriptions."This has dark implications."

A shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature ran down Thalia's spine."What kind of price would require such secrecy?These markings were deliberately hidden behind a furnace that hasn’t been moved in decades."

"The kind of price people don't want remembered," Kaine said softly.

They fell silent, the weight of the discovery hanging between them.The flame in the lantern flickered, causing the shadows to dance across the ancient runes like specters trying to communicate across time.

"We should check the archives," Thalia suggested."There might be old texts that could help us translate the rest of these symbols.Or at least give us context for what 'The Founder's Price' might mean."

Kaine looked skeptical."If this information is something the academy has gone to such lengths to conceal, I doubt they'd leave books about it lying around for students to find."

"Maybe not, obviously," Thalia conceded."But Frostforge is old, and bureaucracies are rarely perfect.Something might have slipped through, been miscategorized, or simply forgotten over time."

Kaine considered this, then nodded slowly."It's worth trying.But we should take care who sees us researching this."

Together, they replaced the furnace, not all the way back to its original position but enough to conceal most of the newly discovered inscriptions.No sense advertising their interest to anyone else who might enter the forge.

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