Page 9 of Frostforge: Passage Two

She paused, and Thalia felt a collective shudder pass through the room as students remembered the brutal Frost Walk that had claimed so many lives.Thalia's own memories flashed vividly — her sabotaged equipment, the blinding white storm, the desperate struggle to keep moving when every instinct screamed to stop and rest.

"This year," Wolfe continued, "you will face the Trials of Steel."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall.Thalia glanced at Luna, whose expression had shifted from calculated disinterest to genuine attention.

"Last year tested your skill at survival.This year tests your aptitude for creation.You will build upon your basic metallurgy skills to forge your own ice-metal golems."

Thalia's breath caught.Ice-metal — the strange, gleaming alloys that only formed when metal was carefully fused with ice magic —was notoriously difficult to forge.Even experienced smiths spent years fully mastering its properties.Thalia had been introduced to ice-metal the previous year, and had forged a near-perfect blade.

"Your golems will be an extension of yourselves," Wolfe explained, her hands moving in precise, controlled gestures that made the ice-projection shift and change."You will infuse them with your essence, create a bond that allows you to command them in combat.And at the end of the year, you will enter the Forge Gauntlet."

The projection expanded to show an arena where metal constructs clashed while human figures directed them from a distance.

"The Forge Gauntlet is a trial by combat — you and your golem against your fellow students and their creations.Your performance will determine your class rank going into your third year, which in turn will influence your eventual placement in the army."Wolfe's thin lips curved into what might have been a smile on anyone else.

A cautious sense of relief spread through the room.A tournament seemed almost merciful compared to the Frost Walk.No venturing into deadly storms or navigating treacherous ice fields — just a structured combat event within the safety of Frostforge.

Then Thalia remembered the failed constructs they'd encountered in the Golem Fields — mindless, aggressive, and nearly impossible to stop.Her throat tightened.A poorly constructed golem or a flawed bond wouldn't just mean a lower rank; it could mean death, perhaps for multiple students.

As if reading her thoughts, Wolfe's expression hardened."Make no mistake.The Forge Gauntlet will test your limits in ways the Frost Walk never could.A failed bond with your golem can lead to catastrophic results.Those who cannot command their creation risk injury — or worse."

The momentary relief in the room gave way to a tense silence.Thalia caught several students exchanging nervous glances.

"Advanced students will begin construction of their golems immediately; regular students will spend time improving their skills at ice-metal forging before moving on to their constructs.This will give advanced students an advantage in the tournament, but students in the regular cohorts are encouraged to spend their free time in the forge, if they’re looking to even the playing field.”

Thalia felt a prickle at the back of her neck — the familiar sensation of being watched.She casually scanned the room, expecting to find Maven's single amber eye boring into her.Instead, her gaze caught on a figure standing near the entrance to the lecture hall.

Senna Drake.

The third-year student leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, her silver-gray eyes surveying the assembly with predatory focus.Unlike their previous encounters, Senna wasn't staring directly at Thalia.Instead, her gaze moved methodically from student to student, as if taking inventory.

Thalia nudged Luna and nodded subtly toward the door.Luna's eyes narrowed when she spotted Senna.

"What's she doing here?"Luna muttered, all pretense of distraction gone from her voice.

Senna had no reason to be at a second-year assembly unless she was planning something.The previous year, climbing spikes had mysteriously dulled overnight, frost gloves had torn, and forged weapons had been compromised — all belonging to Southern students.The sabotage had been subtle enough to avoid detection by the instructors but severe enough to prove deadly in the harsh conditions of the Frost Walk.

Thalia had pieced together the pattern and traced it back to Senna.The North-born student harbored a particular hatred for Southerners, especially those who showed promise.But proving Senna's involvement had been impossible — she was too clever, too connected, and too quick to create alibis.

And now here she was, watching the second-years with calculated interest.

"She's up to something," Luna whispered."People like her don't just stop playing the game — they change the rules."

Thalia nodded, keeping her expression neutral despite the cold anger coiling in her chest.Whatever game Senna was playing now, it wouldn't end well for those caught in it.Last year, Thalia had been too new, too naive to see the danger until it nearly killed her.This year would be different.

At the front of the hall, Wolfe was concluding her address."The next few months will determine much about your future at Frostforge — and beyond.The skills you develop now will serve you for the rest of your lives, assuming you have the talent and discipline to master them."Her pale eyes swept across the room one last time."If last year was about proving you could survive, this year is about proving you belong."

With that, she turned and left the hall, her departure as efficient and purposeful as her entrance had been.The moment the doors closed behind her, the room erupted into a buzz of nervous conversation.

Thalia remained seated, watching as Senna pushed away from the doorframe and disappeared into the corridor.The other second-years gathered in anxious clusters, already speculating about the trials ahead.Some looked excited by the prospect of creating their own golem; others looked terrified.Most appeared to be both.

"We should go," Luna said, rising to her feet."I need to check something in the archives before we turn in."

Thalia nodded and followed her friend out of the hall.The corridors of Frostforge were beginning to fill as students made their way to the dormitories.As they reached the junction where their paths would diverge — Luna to the archives, Thalia to their shared room — Luna pulled her into a shallow alcove carved into the ice-stone wall.

"I'll find out what she's up to," Luna promised, all traces of her usual scattered demeanor gone.Her dark eyes were focused and intent."No one slithers around this academy without me noticing."

Thalia squeezed her friend's arm in silent gratitude.She'd learned last year that Luna's network of informants and her talent for collecting secrets made her one of the most valuable allies in Frostforge.

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