Page 48 of Frostforge: Passage Two

Thalia entered the Howling Forge with her shoulders tense, eyes immediately seeking out the storage rack where they'd placed the traced blade seven days prior.Dawn light filtered through the high windows, catching on floating motes of metal dust and casting long shadows across the floor.The familiar symphony of the forge — hammers striking anvils, the hiss of hot metal plunged into water, the low hum of activated golem cores — surrounded her, but she tuned it out, focusing only on the empty space where their bait should have been.

She blinked twice, as if the absence might resolve itself into the familiar form of the silver-steel dagger.It didn't.The blade was gone, leaving behind only the faintest trace of its magical signature, like a whisper against her senses.

Thalia's head snapped up, gaze cutting across the wide expanse of the forge to where Kaine stood at his workstation.He was already looking in her direction, his ice-blue eyes sharp and alert.Their gazes locked, a silent message passing between them.Thalia gave a small, almost imperceptible nod toward the empty rack.Kaine's expression hardened, his jaw setting into a determined line before he returned her nod once, definitively.

Someone had taken the bait.

Thalia closed her eyes, extending her awareness outward, feeling for the unique signature of the aluminum trace they'd woven into the blade.Unlike the practice sessions with Kaine, where she'd been able to track the metal anywhere in the forge, now the signature was frustratingly faint — present, but distant, like a star glimpsed through heavy clouds.The thief had taken it far from the forge, as they'd anticipated.

She pressed her fingertips against her temples, trying to strengthen the connection.The background noise of the forge — the clang of metal, the shouts of students, the constant thrumming of active golem cores — made it difficult to concentrate on something so subtle.She would need quiet and time to properly track it.

Opening her eyes, Thalia started across the forge toward Kaine's station, weaving between workbenches and half-assembled constructs.The forge was especially busy today, with the Forge Gauntlet just days away.Students hunched over benches, making final adjustments to their golems, desperately trying to ensure they would perform properly during the trials.None of them seemed to be paying any attention to the missing blade — their focus consumed by their own success in the upcoming event.

Thalia was halfway to Kaine when a shout rang out from the far side of the forge, followed by a crash and the sound of splintering wood.She froze, along with everyone else in the room, as the cacophony escalated.

"Control it!Control your construct!"Someone yelled, their voice tight with panic.

A second crash, louder than the first.Thalia whirled toward the source of the commotion, just in time to see a fully-formed iron golem — nearly seven feet tall, with articulated limbs — sweep its massive arm across a workbench, sending tools and components flying.Its creator, a thin boy with Northern features that Thalia recognized from her metallurgy class, was frantically gesturing to the construct.

"Stop!Deactivate!"he commanded, his voice cracking with fear.

The golem's eyes — circular lenses of crystal — flickered erratically, shifting from a steady blue glow to pulsing flashes.It lurched forward suddenly, its movements jerky and unpredictable.With terrifying speed, it lashed out, its fist connecting with the boy's temple.The impact sent him flying backward into a rack of forge tools, where he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

For a heartbeat, the forge fell silent.

Then the golem turned, its head swiveling unnaturally as its gaze fell on the nearest students.A girl screamed as the construct took a step toward her, its foot leaving a dent in the stone floor.

"It's gone rogue!"someone shouted.

The forge erupted into chaos.Students scrambled away from the malfunctioning golem as it lurched forward, arms swinging wildly, catching another student across the chest and sending them sprawling.

Thalia didn't think — she moved.Darting to the nearest weapons rack, she grabbed an ice-metal short sword, the blue-tinged blade humming with cold energy against her palm.Across the room, she saw Kaine doing the same, snatching up a heavy hammer.

"The core!"Thalia shouted to him over the din."We need to disrupt its core!"

Kaine nodded, already moving to flank the construct as it smashed through another workbench, sending splinters flying.Thalia circled in the opposite direction, keeping her sword low, ready to strike.

The golem's movements were uncoordinated but powerful, each swing of its arms threatening devastating damage.Its eyes pulsed frantically, the magical energy within fluctuating wildly — a sure sign of inferior materials, Thalia recognized with grim certainty.

"Hey!"Kaine shouted, drawing the construct's attention."Over here, you pile of scrap!"

The golem's head snapped toward him, giving Thalia an opening.She darted forward, aiming to slip behind it and strike at the core housing on its back.But the golem sensed her approach, whirling with unexpected speed.Its massive fist swept toward her face.

Thalia dropped, the blow passing mere inches above her head.She felt the displacement of air ruffle her hair as she rolled away, coming up in a crouch.Too close.The construct advanced on her, backing her toward a wall of forge equipment.

"Kaine!"she called, her voice tight.

He was already moving, leaping onto a workbench and using the height advantage to launch himself at the golem's back.The hammer came down with crushing force on the construct's shoulder, the impact sending a shudder through its frame.The golem staggered, momentarily off-balance, its attention divided.

Thalia seized her chance, darting forward and slicing at the exposed wiring at the construct's knee joint.The ice-metal blade cut through with surprising ease — further evidence of the substandard alloys.The golem listed to one side, its mobility compromised.

But it wasn't finished.Whirling with alarming quickness, it caught Kaine with a backhand that sent him flying into a tool rack.Thalia's heart leapt into her throat as he crashed to the ground, grimacing in pain before rising unsteadily to his feet.

The golem turned back to her, its damaged leg dragging slightly as it advanced.When she saw Kaine in position, Thalia made her move.She feinted left, then darted right, sliding between the golem's legs and slashing at its good knee.As it lurched forward, off-balance, Kaine vaulted onto its back, gripping the ridges of its shoulders for purchase.

With a single, powerful thrust, he drove his hammer into the exposed core in the golem’s chest.The construct froze, a strange keening sound emanating from its chest cavity.The blue light in its eyes flickered once, twice — then faded to dull, lifeless crystal.

The golem swayed, then collapsed with a resounding crash that echoed through the now-silent forge.

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