Page 32 of Frostforge: Passage Two

"You didn't tell me you were planning this," she said quietly.

"It was...impulsive."Another shrug, equally unconvincing."I got word about a lead and just followed it."

"Why tell me now?"she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Roran's gaze remained fixed on the horizon."I don't know."His fingers flexed again, the bruises darkening in the cold."Maybe I'm tired of keeping secrets."He turned to her finally, his face unreadable."Or maybe I just wanted someone to know there's more to me than what Nash and his friends think."

Something in his tone struck Thalia as off — rehearsed, perhaps, or not entirely truthful.His eyes didn't quite meet hers.

"Is there something else?Something you're not telling me?"The words escaped before she could reconsider them.

A flicker of something — alarm?Guilt?— crossed his features before being replaced by a more familiar expression of rueful charm."Just that my eye hurts like hell and I'm considering pushing Nash off this plateau next time I see him."He forced a grin that didn't reach his eyes."But that's probably not a confession I should make out loud."

The attempt at humor fell flat between them.Thalia wanted to press further, to ask about the gaps in his story and the hesitation in his voice.But the shuttered look that had crept back into his expression told her she'd reached the limit of what he was willing to share today.

The wind picked up, sending a spray of ice crystals dancing across the plateau's surface.One of the massive golems in the field below creaked and shifted, ice falling from its limbs in a glittering cascade.

"We should head back," Roran said, already turning toward the path."It's getting colder."

It wasn't, really — the sun had actually emerged from behind the clouds, warming the air slightly — but Thalia nodded anyway.As they picked their way back toward the academy in silence, she couldn't shake the feeling that something fundamental had shifted between them.Roran had opened a door just slightly, but what she'd glimpsed inside wasn't what she'd expected.

His confession about seeking vengeance made sense — fit with everything she knew about him, his loss, his determination.But there was something else, something hidden beneath the words.A current running counter to the surface flow, subtle but unmistakable to someone trained to sense magical discordance.

Thalia cast a sideways glance at him as they walked, noting the careful way he held himself, guarding his injured ribs.The Roran she thought she knew wouldn't have hidden his search for his family's killers.He would have mentioned it, perhaps even asked for her help.

So why keep it secret?And why reveal it now, after the fight with Nash?

As they reached the academy gates, the questions circled in her mind like ravens over the frozen Golem Fields, dark shapes against an inscrutable sky.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Thalia's hands moved with delicate precision as she etched the final series of grooves into the gleaming silver sphere.The metal sang beneath her tools, responding to her touch in a way that steel or brass never did.Silver was the most conductive, the most responsive to magical currents — and thankfully, one of the few metals in the Howling Forge that hadn't been compromised.She traced her finger along a completed line, feeling the nearly imperceptible warmth as it absorbed a fraction of her intent.The golem heart was coming together perfectly, each connection and circuit laid with meticulous care.When Instructor Wolfe announced that class time was ending, Thalia barely looked up from her work.

"Advanced students may continue working if they wish," Wolfe added, her voice carrying across the forge."The other second-years will be arriving momentarily for their lesson."

Thalia exhaled with relief.The creation of a golem heart required uninterrupted concentration; breaking her flow now would set her back days.Around her, three other advanced students also chose to remain, their faces illuminated by the glow of forge-fire and molten metal.The rest packed their tools, eager to escape the sweltering heat and acrid smells of the workshop.

Heat pulsed from the nearby furnaces in steady waves, beading sweat along Thalia's hairline.She tucked a stray lock behind her ear, leaving a smudge of silver dust on her temple.The rhythmic clanging of hammers and the hiss of cooling metal formed a familiar backdrop to her thoughts as she returned to her work, measuring each chisel strike with mathematical precision.

Silver was an unusual choice for a golem heart.Most students opted for copper — easier to work with, more forgiving of mistakes.Even Instructor Wolfe had raised an eyebrow when she'd brought out the precious metal.Silver required triple the work hours and left no margin for error.One misplaced groove, and weeks of effort would be wasted.

But silver conducted magical energy better than any other metal, and Thalia needed every advantage she could get.

As she worked, her thoughts circled back to the mystery that had been consuming her for weeks.Weapons disappearing from across the academy.Training gear being replaced with inferior materials.And now, students' projects failing catastrophically.Yet, through it all, the silver reserves remained untouched.

Why?

The answer materialized as she carved another delicate line: silver made terrible weapons.Too soft for blades, too malleable for armor.Beautiful, valuable — but useless in combat without significant magical enhancement.The saboteur wasn't interested in precious metals; they wanted iron, steel, materials of war.

The implications chilled her despite the forge's heat.Whoever was behind this wanted to ensure that when Frostforge students faced real combat, their weapons would fail them.

The door to the forge swung open, admitting a stream of second-year students.Their voices carried across the workshop, a blend of excitement and nervousness that Thalia recognized from her own first days.She glanced up briefly, noting the predominance of familiar Southern accents.The regular class — those deemed less talented, less worthy of acceleration.

She returned to her etching, but her attention remained split.From the corner of her eye, she watched as Instructor Wolfe organized the newcomers around a central workbench.

"Today," Instructor Wolfe announced, her voice pitched to carry over the ambient noise of the forge, "we begin our study of golem animation.The heart you see before me is the cornerstone of any successful construct."

Thalia's hands continued their work, but her ears strained to catch Wolfe's words.She held up a simple brass core, perhaps one-third the complexity of what Thalia was creating, and began explaining its basic functions.The students crowded closer, their faces rapt with attention.

---