Page 40 of Frostforge: Passage Two

"You designed all these?"she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

Kaine nodded, still turning pages."I had a lot of time to think in prison.Drawing helped pass the hours, and I kept the habit."There was no self-pity in his voice, just a simple statement of fact.

He stopped at a page near the middle of the book and held it out for her to see.The sketch showed a sleek, single-edged blade with a curved, almost wave-like pattern along the spine.The hilt was minimalist, wrapped in sturdy leather, and the guard bore an intricate engraving of interwoven lines — almost like the magical currents Thalia felt in the metals.

"It's called a falchion," Kaine explained."Versatile, practical.One-handed, so you can use a shield or spell with your other hand.The wave pattern isn't just decorative — it strengthens the blade while reducing weight."

Thalia studied the design, impressed by the level of detail in the sketch.Next to the main drawing were smaller diagrams showing the tang construction, edge geometry, and what appeared to be channels for magical reinforcement.

"It's a good lure," Kaine continued."A blade that looks valuable but isn't flashy enough to be questioned.Something practical, but unique — irresistible to the right kind of thief."

She took the notebook from him, running her fingers over the sketch as if she could feel the weapon itself taking shape beneath her touch."You've really thought this through."

"I've been designing weapons longer than I've been using them."There was something unspoken in his words, something heavy with memory, but he didn't elaborate.Instead, he tapped the page where he'd noted the metal composition."Ice-steel?"

Thalia nodded."If we’re trying to give it value, standard steel won’t cut it."She handed the notebook back."We'd better get started, then."

For the next hour, they worked in near-silence, communicating through gestures and brief words.Thalia heated the metal carefully, keeping an eye on the shifting colors that indicated temperature.Even though she'd found a pure alloy, she remained hypervigilant for flaws — nothing would slip past her, not tonight.

Kaine watched her work, occasionally correcting her form or adjusting the heat, but there was no impatience in his guidance.When the metal reached the right temperature — a bright, clear orange that made the surrounding air tremble — he nodded at her.

"Now," he said simply.

Thalia placed her hands on either side of the glowing metal, careful not to touch it directly.It was delicate work, threading ice magic into molten steel without cooling it too quickly.Like tracing the veins of a leaf without tearing the delicate structure.Cold flowed from her fingertips in controlled streams, sinking into the red-hot metal.

Where ice magic met molten steel, a curious reaction occurred — the metal neither solidified nor remained liquid, but entered a third state, semifluid and shimmering with pale blue light.This was the moment of creation, the birth of ice-steel, stronger and more receptive to magic than ordinary steel could ever be.

Kaine's eyes reflected the blue glow as he watched her work.His expression was focused, intent, but there was something else there too — a kind of reverence, as if he were witnessing something sacred.

The process took nearly thirty minutes, Thalia's arms aching from the extended precision.When she finally stepped back, sweat beading on her forehead despite the ice magic flowing through her, the metal had taken on a subtle blue-silver sheen beneath its yellow heat.

Kaine didn't speak, but the appreciative nod he gave her conveyed more than words.He lifted the metal with tongs and submerged it in water, which hissed and steamed on contact.The water didn't cool the ice-steel fully — it needed to be heated again, shaped, and then given its final tempering in a special oil.

As Kaine returned the metal to the forge to heat it once more, he glanced at Thalia."Are you ready to add the trace?"

She hesitated, suddenly uncertain."I've never done anything like this before.What if I mess up the entire blade?"

"You won't."The certainty in his voice was absolute.He looked up from the forge, meeting her eyes directly."You can do this, Thalia."

Something in his steady gaze bolstered her confidence.She nodded, taking the small nugget of aluminum and warming it in her hands.Unlike the steel, aluminum melted at a much lower temperature, making it easier to work with for this delicate operation.

When Kaine removed the ice-steel from the forge, now glowing again with heat, Thalia approached with the aluminum piece.With careful precision, she began to thread it into the blade, working the softer metal into a thin filament that she wove through the molten ice-steel.She used both her hands and her magic, guiding the aluminum so that it became part of the blade without compromising its integrity.

To anyone else, the aluminum would be invisible, indistinguishable from the steel itself.But to Thalia, with her sensitivity to metal compositions, it would always sing its distinct note — a beacon she could follow wherever the blade went.

As she worked, Kaine watched her quietly.The firelight played across his features, softening the hard lines of his face.Minutes passed in concentrated silence as she completed the trace, finally stepping back with a deep exhale.

Kaine took the blade then, moving it back to the anvil, where he began to shape it according to his design.The ring of hammer on metal echoed through the empty forge, a lonely sound in the night.As he worked, his strikes precise and measured, he glanced at Thalia briefly before returning his attention to the metal.

"There's something I’ve been wanting to tell you," he said, his voice barely audible over the hammering.“I feel like you deserve to know.”

Thalia tilted her head, waiting.Something in his tone made her stomach tighten with anticipation.

Kaine exhaled slowly, continuing to shape the blade as he spoke."About my father.About why I was really in prison."

Thalia tensed.She'd heard the rumors but had no idea what to make of them.Kaine had always been deliberately vague when he'd talked about his past.

He paused, as if gathering courage, then continued, his words matching the rhythm of his hammer."My father was a respected man in our community.A master weaponsmith, a war hero."The hammer fell."But behind closed doors, he was a different person entirely."Another strike, harder this time."He was cruel.He was dangerous."

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