Page 51 of Frostforge: Passage Two

Thalia watched Luna exit the arena, noting the casual way she patted her golem's shoulder, as if congratulating a friend on a job well done.Their connection was impressive — Luna had clearly spent as many hours refining her control as Thalia had.

Several more matches followed, each revealing the stark difference between those with properly constructed golems and those whose creations harbored hidden flaws.Twice, Thalia winced as golems malfunctioned mid-battle, their movements becoming erratic or seizing entirely.The instructors merely noted these failures as technical forfeitures, showing no recognition of the pattern forming before their eyes.

Then came the match Thalia had been waiting for: Brynn Firstborn versus Ashe Redwood.

The two women entered from opposite sides of the arena, each projecting confidence in her own way — Brynn with her characteristic aristocratic poise, Ashe with the measured stride of a clan warrior.Their golems followed, both impressive specimens.Ashe’s was iron, while Brynn’s was an unusual, nickel-rich steel that gave it a darker hue.

"This should be interesting," murmured a voice at Thalia's side.She turned to find Roran standing next to her, his dark curls tied back, eyes fixed on the arena.

Below, Brynn had drawn her signature dual blades — elegant weapons with curved guards that caught the light as she spun them in a practiced flourish.Across from her, Ashe extended her metal staff, its ends capped with weighted spheres.

At Falcroft's signal, both women launched into motion.Their golems crashed together in the center of the arena, metal meeting metal in a sound that echoed across the plateau.But it was the duel between Brynn and Ashe that drew Thalia's eye — a deadly dance of precision and power.

Brynn moved like a full-force blizzard, her blades extensions of her arms as she flowed around Ashe's staff strikes.She was speed incarnate, never in the same place for more than a heartbeat, her attacks coming from impossible angles.Ashe countered with the disciplined technique of her clan's combat style, using her staff's reach to keep Brynn at a distance, the weighted ends creating arcs of threatening force that even Brynn had to respect.

Their golems mirrored the intensity of their battle, though with less finesse.Brynn's construct — sleek and angular like its creator — executed a series of rapid punches that drove Ashe's more solidly built golem backward.But Ashe's creation absorbed the blows, its heavier frame allowing it to withstand damage that would have crippled a lighter opponent.

"She's good," Roran commented, nodding toward Brynn as she executed a perfect backflip to avoid Ashe's sweeping staff.

"Too good," Thalia agreed.Brynn's movements spoke of years of professional training, not the kind of skill one picked up in standard Southern combat classes.As the eldest daughter of a wealthy noble family, she'd clearly had access to resources beyond what most Southern recruits could dream of.

The fight intensified, both women now sporting minor injuries — a bruise blossoming on Ashe's forearm, a torn sleeve revealing a scratch on Brynn's shoulder.Their breath came in controlled gasps, neither willing to show fatigue despite the grueling pace.

Then, in a moment of overconfidence or miscalculation, Ashe extended too far with a thrust of her staff.Brynn's response was immediate and vicious.She deflected the staff with one blade while the other sliced forward in a silver arc — a move that should have been pulled short in a training match.

But it wasn't.

Blood beaded along Ashe's cheek where Brynn's blade had cut a thin line from cheekbone to jaw.The crowd went silent, all eyes on the two women frozen in the aftermath of that strike.

Ashe's face transformed, shock giving way to cold fury.She whirled her staff in a renewed assault, but something had changed — her movements now held the edge of real anger, making them more powerful but less precise.

Brynn smiled, a predator sensing weakness.She danced away from Ashe's increasingly aggressive attacks, conserving her energy while her opponent expended hers in powerful but ultimately futile strikes.Meanwhile, their golems continued their separate battle, Brynn's construct slowly gaining the upper hand as it targeted the joints of Ashe's heavier golem.

The end came with brutal efficiency.As Ashe launched a overhead strike with her staff, Brynn darted inside her guard, one blade pinning the staff while the other pressed against Ashe's throat — not touching, but close enough that the match was clearly over.At the same moment, Brynn's golem delivered a precision strike to the back of Ashe's construct's knee, sending it crashing to the crystal floor.

"Victory to Brynn Firstborn!"Maven announced, his voice cutting through the tense silence.

Brynn stepped back, sheathing her blades with a flourish.Ashe remained still for a moment, chest heaving, before lowering her staff.The cut on her cheek still bled, a vivid streak of red against her pale skin.

"Good match," Brynn said, loud enough for the audience to hear, her tone carrying the unmistakable note of someone who had never doubted the outcome.

Ashe didn't respond.She recalled her golem with a sharp gesture and left the arena, her straight back and measured stride betraying nothing of what must have been bitter disappointment.

The crowd erupted in excited chatter, senior students pointing out particular moves and techniques to their neighbors.Clearly, this match had lived up to its anticipated drama, though Thalia couldn't help feeling uneasy about the unnecessary cut Brynn had delivered.In a school where accidents could be fatal, such deliberate aggression crossed an unspoken line.

"That was unnecessary," Thalia muttered.

Roran nodded."But effective.She got in Ashe's head after that cut.Classic tactic."

Before Thalia could respond, Luna appeared at her side, her usual distracted demeanor replaced by focused intensity.

"Nice work out there," Thalia offered, nodding toward the arena where Luna had so handily defeated Levi.

Luna waved away the compliment."That's not important.I have something to show you."She glanced around before pulling Thalia a few steps away from the crowd, into the shadow of one of the crystal formations that dotted the plateau.

From inside her jacket, Luna withdrew a small, folded parchment, its edges worn as if it had been handled repeatedly."I found this a few minutes ago," she said, voice barely above a whisper as she unfolded it."It's a ledger — records of all the stolen materials and who they were sold to."

Thalia's pulse quickened as she scanned the neat columns of figures and names.Quantities of various metals, dates of transactions, payment amounts — all recorded with meticulous precision.And at the bottom of each page, a signature that made her stomach clench.

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