Page 8 of Frostforge: Passage Two

Thalia forced her attention elsewhere, scanning the growing crowd for another familiar face."Have you seen Roran?"

"Bright?Not yet."Ashe's brow furrowed slightly."Though I heard rumors that he was held up at a soldiers’ checkpoint."

Before Thalia could process this concerning information, a sharp, metallic clang reverberated through the hall, silencing all conversation.Students froze in place, all eyes drawn to the central platform where Instructor Maven stood, her ice-forged blade raised after striking a stone pillar.The light from the surrounding torches gleamed off the metal plate covering her missing eye, the amber of her remaining one burning with fierce intensity as she surveyed the assembled students.

Thalia felt Maven's gaze pass over her, lingering just long enough to send a chill down her spine before moving on.

"The weak were culled last year," Maven announced, her voice carrying effortlessly through the cavernous space."The rest of you worthless louts survived — somehow.But survival isn't enough.This year, you prove your worth."

A nervous murmur rippled through the crowd, particularly among the first-years.

Maven's blade flashed as she pointed it toward the entrance."Class assignments and schedules are posted at the hall's entrance.If you don't like where you've been placed — too bad.Adapt, or be left behind."She lowered her blade, steel scraping against the stone floor."The North faces threats on multiple fronts.Those who cannot contribute will find themselves without a bed."

With that, she stepped from the platform, moving through the crowd which parted before her like water around a blade.No formal dismissal l— Maven never saw the need for such niceties.

The crowd surged toward the entrance, students jostling for position to view the postings.Thalia hesitated, her mind still lingering on Kaine's proximity to Senna, and the news about Roran being held up at a checkpoint.

"Standing here won't change what's written on those lists," Ashe said, nudging Thalia forward with surprising gentleness."I want to see what combat cohort they’ve placed me in.”

Thalia allowed herself to be guided toward the entrance, where the crush of bodies made progress slow.The heat of so many bodies pressed together was almost welcome after the perpetual chill of the hall.Almost.

When they finally reached the front, Ashe found her name quickly among the combat rosters, nodding with satisfaction at her placement.Thalia scanned the metallurgy lists, starting with the standard second-year cohorts where she expected to find herself.

Her name wasn't there.

Frowning, she checked the beginner lists, wondering if her summer away had somehow erased her previous progress in the instructors' eyes.Nothing.

"Try the advanced section," Ashe suggested, pointing to a much shorter list posted separately.

Thalia's eyes widened as she found her name among only seven others — all Northern students, aside from her.

"That's..."Thalia didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"Impressive," Ashe supplied, grinning."You’re the only Southerner in the advanced course."

For a brief moment, pride flickered in Thalia's chest.Her affinity for sensing the currents in metal, for understanding how elements could be coaxed and combined to create something stronger than their individual parts — it hadn't gone unnoticed.Even Maven's apparent dislike couldn't override the evidence of Thalia's talent.

Then reality set in.She would be the only Southerner in a cohort of Northerners who had grown up around forges and metalcraft.At Frostforge, the Northern students were a tight-knit bunch, often hostile toward their Southern Kingdom counterparts, particularly those of low status like Thalia.In her first term, she had faced plenty of threats from the Northern Reaches’ recruits, and some of those threats had proven to have teeth.Within the academy’s grounds, sabotage and regional divisions were more dangerous than the unforgiving cold.

"Congratulations," Ashe said quietly, seeming to understand the conflicting emotions flashing across Thalia's face."Or perhaps condolences are more appropriate."

Thalia took a deep breath, feeling the frigid air of the North fill her lungs."Both," she decided."Definitely both."

CHAPTER FOUR

Thalia sank onto the bench in the lecture hall.The warmth of the hearty stew served at dinner still radiated through her body, dulling the constant chill of Frostforge just enough to let her mind clear.Around her, fellow second-years filled the tiered rows of seats, their voices creating a low hum of anticipation that bounced off the ice-veined stone walls.This assembly felt different from last year — her class were no longer wide-eyed recruits, but survivors of the Trials of Ice.The empty seats scattered throughout the hall, which had once been at capacity during their year’s orientation, served as silent reminders of those who hadn't made it.

Luna slid onto the bench beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched."Thirty percent," she whispered, eyes darting around the room."That's how many didn't return from last year's trials."

"You counted?"Thalia asked, though she wasn't surprised.Luna noticed everything, despite her carefully cultivated appearance of distraction.

"I always count," Luna replied, fidgeting with one of the metal beads in her dreadlocks."Helps me calculate the odds."

Before Thalia could respond, the heavy doors at the front of the hall swung open.Instructor Wolfe strode in, her steps measured and purposeful.Unlike Maven's thunderous presence, Wolfe moved with the quiet precision of a well-honed blade.Her silver-streaked hair was pulled back in a severe knot at the nape of her neck, and her pale blue eyes surveyed the room with clinical detachment.Where Maven wore her glacier bear claw like a trophy, Wolfe's only adornment was a thin band of ice-silver around her wrist — a symbol of mastery few instructors earned.

The room fell silent without Wolfe having to utter a word.Power radiated from her in controlled waves, unlike Maven's barely contained fury.Different flavors of intimidation, Thalia thought, but intimidation nonetheless.

"Second-years," Wolfe began, her voice carrying to every corner of the hall without seeming to rise."You have survived your first year at Frostforge.Some of you even managed to do so with a modicum of skill."Her gaze swept across the room, neither approving nor condemning."Last year, you faced the Trials of Ice — a test of your ability to survive in the harshest conditions the North has to offer."

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