Page 19 of Frostforge: Passage Two

The audience, sensing the confrontation was over, began to disperse.Conversations resumed, though now they had fresh material to dissect.

Thalia turned to Roran, confusion and hurt tangling in her chest."Roran, I was just trying to —"

"I know what you were trying to do," he interrupted, his voice low."But you made it worse.Now they'll connect us in their minds — the Southern misfits, potentially conspiring together."He ran a hand through his hair, dislodging more curls from his ponytail."I've survived this long by handling things my way.I don't need someone charging in to rescue me."

"They were about to jump you four against one," Thalia protested.

Something flickered across Roran's face — a brief acknowledgment that she might be right — but it was quickly replaced by that same dark look.This wasn't the Roran she knew — the boy who'd made her laugh despite the brutal conditions at Frostforge, who seemed to find hope in the most hopeless situations.

"This isn't you," Thalia said softly."Don't let them change who you are."

Roran squared his shoulders and stepped back.

"You don't know me, Greenspire.Not really."He glanced around at the few remaining students who were still watching them."And for your sake, maybe it should stay that way."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The heat of the Howling Forge wrapped around Thalia like a fevered blanket as she stepped through the heavy oak doors.Through the veil of shimmering air rising from the central pit, she spotted Kaine at his usual workbench, his broad shoulders hunched in concentration over a piece of metal.The advanced second-year class was scheduled for this time, but Kaine operated by his own rules when it came to the forge, and was often present during other years' classes.What she hadn't expected to see was Senna perched in the far corner, her attention fixed on a blade she was polishing with methodical strokes.Thalia's muscles tensed at the sight of her nemesis, but something was off — Senna seemed lost in her own world, her usual predatory awareness notably absent.

Thalia adjusted the strap of her leather apron and moved deeper into the forge, the familiar scent of hot metal and coal smoke filling her lungs.Fellow students filtered in around her, their voices echoing against the stone walls.

Instructor Wolfe strode into the center of the room, her boots striking the stone floor with authoritative clicks.

"Advanced second-years," Wolfe called, her voice cutting through the chatter like a blade through butter.The room fell silent immediately."Today marks the beginning of your golem project."

An excited murmur rippled through the assembled students.Thalia felt her own pulse quicken.

"This is a task that will take the entirety of the term," Wolfe continued, lifting a hand to silence the whispers."Today, you will select your alloys and begin work on your golem's breastplate.This will form the protective housing for the heart you've already learned to animate."

Thalia's fingers twitched at her sides, already envisioning her golem.

"Your entire construct must be fashioned from ice-metal," Wolfe explained, gesturing to the racks of ingots lined along the wall."Choose wisely.An overly ambitious alloy will leave you with a half-finished project and low chances of success in the Forge Gauntlet."

The students dispersed, moving toward the material stores with purpose.Thalia hung back, watching as most gravitated toward iron and steel — reliable choices that would hold enchantment well while remaining relatively easy to work.All of them had forged ice-iron and ice-steel in the previous year, and experience was valuable.

Thalia approached the racks last, running her fingers along the metal ingots.Something about brass called to her — a warm gold compared to the cold silvers and grays the others had chosen.She lifted a bar, feeling its weight, sensing the way magic might flow through it.Brass would be more difficult to smith properly, more challenging, but it possessed properties the others lacked.

As she carried her selection back to an open workstation, she felt the telltale prickle of being watched.She glanced up to find several Northern students observing her choice with smirks and raised eyebrows.

"Beginning your failure early, Southerner?"one called, just loudly enough for her to hear.

Thalia ignored him, setting up her station with methodical care.She stoked the small forge beside her bench until the coals glowed orange-red.As she worked the bellows, she lost herself in the rhythm, the way her mother had taught her to find patterns in the mundane.

"Brass is an interesting choice."

Kaine's voice startled her.He stood beside her workstation, arms folded across his chest, his blue eyes reflecting the forge fire.Unlike the other students, his presence didn't feel like an intrusion.

"Most would go for iron," he added."Simpler to work with."

Thalia nodded, placing the brass ingot into the crucible."Brass resists corrosion better," she explained, adjusting the crucible's position in the fire."If I'm creating something meant to last, why start with a metal that will eventually weaken?"She gave him a small smile."Besides, I like a challenge."

Something shifted in Kaine's expression — a softening around his eyes that lasted only a moment before his usual stoic mask returned."Smart thinking," he said."The Northern forges use brass in constructs meant for coastal regions for exactly that reason."

He lingered by her station as she worked, occasionally offering quiet suggestions when she struggled with the unfamiliar metal.The brass required a more precise temperature than iron — too hot and it would become brittle, too cool and it wouldn't take shape properly.

"You need to hammer it while it's still bright yellow," Kaine murmured, standing close enough that his sleeve brushed against hers."Brass has a narrower working window than you're used to."

Thalia nodded, focusing on the metal's color rather than the warmth of Kaine beside her or the weight of stares from around the room.As she lifted the heated metal from the forge, she caught sight of two Northern students whispering, their eyes darting between her and Kaine.

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