Page 42 of Frostforge: Passage Two

The familiar prejudice stung.Thalia glanced over her shoulder, waiting for Kaine to stand up for her, but he said nothing, his expression unreadable.She blinked, taken aback; she could still feel the ghost sensation of his lips on hers, but he wouldn’t defend her against Senna’s vitriol.His silence hurt far more than Senna’s insults.

Thalia set her jaw and turned back to Senna."Interesting theory.Except I'm not the one conducting secret metallurgy experiments with stolen materials."

Senna's eyes narrowed."What are you talking about?"

"I saw your hidden workshop."Thalia watched Senna's face carefully, noting the flicker of alarm that crossed her features before she masked it."Those inferior alloys you've been creating — they're the same ones replacing the quality metals in student projects.The same metals causing golems to malfunction."

"You're accusing me of sabotage?That's rich, coming from someone who’s skulking around the forge at night."Senna stepped closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous pitch."If anyone's involved with these thefts, it's you.The outsider who doesn't belong here."

Kaine shifted, placing himself partially between them."Enough.If you're not here to steal, then what exactly are you doing?"

Thalia used their distraction to subtly shift her body, making a show of moving the traced blade behind her back.She angled herself to ensure Senna caught the movement and caught sight of the steel edge.

Senna's gaze tracked the motion before returning to Kaine's face."What were you two working on?"Her voice softened when addressing him.

"A project," Kaine replied flatly."None of your concern."

"Everything in this forge is my concern when weapons are disappearing."Senna folded her arms."Someone has been selling Frostforge weapons to Isle Wardens."

Thalia scoffed."And you think that's me?Why would I arm the people who attacked this academy?"

"Your loyalties have always been suspect."Eira spoke from her position by the door, her Northern accent thickening with contempt.

"I've been tracking a smuggling ring," Senna continued, ignoring the interruption."According to a message from my relatives, Frostforge blades have been showing up in Isle Warden raids.Our weapons in the hands of our sworn enemies."Her voice rose, passion coloring her words."It's an insult to everything the North stands for — traitors arming our enemies while we train to fight them."

Thalia studied Senna as she spoke.The anger vibrating through her words sounded genuine, but there was something performative about it — like she was speaking lines she'd rehearsed.The way her eyes kept darting to the shadows of the forge.The slight tension in her shoulders suggested she was hiding something.

"If you've been tracking smugglers, why haven't you reported it to the instructors?"Thalia challenged."Seems like the kind of thing Maven would want to know about."

"The leadership here is slow to act."Senna's lip curled with disdain."By the time they organize an investigation, the real culprits would be long gone.I need hard proof before I make accusations."

"Unlike you," Eira added pointedly.

Thalia remembered the fragment of broken golem that Senna had pocketed after the malfunction incident."And your secret workshop?The experiments with inferior metals?That's just part of your investigation, I suppose?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Senna snapped.

"I know what I saw."Thalia held her ground."Those metals you're creating are identical to the ones causing golems to go berserk.Students could have been killed."

"I’ve created no alloys.You're throwing accusations to cover your own tracks."Senna stepped closer, her voice low and dangerous."You've been an outsider from the moment you arrived.Why should anyone believe you over me?"

The accusation stung more than Thalia wanted to admit."I've bled for Frostforge just like everyone else.I've faced the same trials, the same dangers."Her voice steadied as she continued."If you think I'd side with the Isle Wardens, then you might as well accuse Kaine, too.Or maybe you already have."

Senna's expression flickered, her gaze shifting to Kaine."Kaine would never betray Frostforge," she murmured, then added with unmistakable meaning, "Some people are above suspicion."

The implication hung in the air between them — that Thalia wasn't one of those people.That she would never be, in Senna's eyes.

Senna’s shoulders relaxed slightly.She tipped up her chin to regard Thalia as though looking down at her.“And some are beneath it.”

Kaine folded his arms across his chest, the muscles in his jaw tightening.

"We were working on a project," he finally said, his voice firm."Nothing more.And nothing that concerns you or your...investigation."

The word carried a weight of doubt that Thalia hadn't expected from him.Did he not believe Senna was involved?

Senna held his gaze for several heartbeats before nodding slightly."Fine.We're done here anyway."She turned to her companions."Let's go."

As they moved toward the exit, Senna paused, throwing one last glance toward Thalia as she withdrew the traced blade from hiding.A flicker of interest crossed Senna's face before she turned away.

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