Page 45 of Frostforge: Passage Two

"Not worth it," Luna whispered, her dark eyes flicking toward the crowd."That's exactly what they want."

Thalia allowed herself to be pulled away, though everything in her wanted to stand her ground."They're blaming us for their own sabotaged materials."

"Of course they are," Luna replied, guiding her toward the eastern workshops where they'd been assigned space for their golem projects."People grab the easiest explanation when they're frightened.And right now, everyone's terrified of failing the Gauntlet."

The workshop was quieter than the corridors, though no less tense.Students hunched over their workstations, faces drawn with concentration and worry.Some worked in pairs, others alone, but all moved with the frenetic energy of mounting desperation.The Forge Gauntlet wasn't just a test — it was a crucible designed to identify weaknesses, to separate those worthy of continuing at Frostforge from those who weren't.

Thalia settled at her station, where her half-completed golem waited beneath a protective cloth.She glanced around, noting the furtive looks thrown her way, the mixture of resentment and curiosity on her classmates' faces.Word had spread that her project was one of the few progressing without issues.She felt almost guilty for her success, even though she wasn’t the only one who had built a working golem.Other students had gotten lucky with pure alloys.In Thalia’s case, though, it wasn’t luck; her choices of metal throughout the term had been careful, deliberate.

Luna slid onto the stool beside her."Any movement on your special project?"she asked quietly, the question carefully phrased to remain cryptic to any eavesdroppers.

Thalia shook her head."Still exactly where we left it."

"Interesting."Luna tapped her fingers thoughtfully against the workbench."Either our suspect hasn't taken the bait, or —"

"Or we're wrong about who's behind this," Thalia finished, her stomach sinking at the thought.If Senna wasn't the thief, they were back to square one.

She pulled back the cloth covering her golem, revealing her work in progress.Unlike many students who chose iron or steel for their constructs, Thalia had selected brass for the main components, with tungsten reinforcements for the joints and critical structural elements.The golem's chest cavity gleamed with polished brass plates, intricate gears visible through strategic openings.One arm was fully articulated, fingers curling and extending smoothly when she flexed them.The other arm remained incomplete, wires and metal sinews exposed.

Thalia placed her palm against the brass heart casing, extending her awareness into the metal.The alloy responded to her touch, vibrating with a pure, untainted resonance.This was quality material, free from the impurities plaguing so many other students' projects.

"How do you always know?"Luna asked, watching Thalia's assessment with fascination."Even the instructors can't tell the good metal from the bad before it fails."

Thalia's fingers traced the seam where two plates joined, feeling the way the metals sang together in harmony."It's like...listening to a song.Pure metals have a clear tone.The sabotaged alloys are discordant — notes that don't belong mixed in with the melody."

While other students grabbed whatever metals were available in the stockroom, Thalia tested each piece before incorporating it into her design.She'd gravitated toward the tungsten for joints and silver for the heart not out of preference, but necessity; they were less popular choices, which meant their supplies hadn't been extensively tampered with.

Another crash sounded from across the workshop, followed by a string of curses.A boy stood over the smoking remains of what had been a nearly completed golem torso, his hands shaking with rage or despair — possibly both.The acrid smell of burnt metal and melted solder filled the air.

"That's the third one this week," someone muttered nearby.

Thalia felt another twist of guilt in her stomach as she turned back to her own project.Her golem was coming along beautifully, each component responding perfectly to her magic.She'd even begun incorporating some of the more advanced enchantments Instructor Wolfe had mentioned offhandedly in class — not required for second-years, but challenging and useful additions that would set her work apart.

"You should be proud," Luna said, noting her expression."You don’t have to feel bad for succeeding.”

"Easy to say when half the academy isn't struggling to create something functional," Thalia replied, keeping her voice low."I could tell them, you know.About the metals."

Luna chuckled."And explain how you can magically sense metal purity when no one else can?They’d laugh that right off.Or it would just fuel their suspicions that you're involved somehow."

She was right, of course.Thalia's unique abilities already marked her as different; revealing the full extent of her talent would only isolate her further.And yet, watching her classmates struggle with materials doomed to fail filled her with a sickening helplessness.

"I still can't believe Maven dismissed your concerns," Luna said, picking up a small gear and examining it."You'd think the instructors would want to know if someone was sabotaging materials."

Thalia remembered Maven's dismissive wave, the cold indifference in her single eye as she'd accused Thalia of trying to make excuses for students' failures."Maven thinks it's just poor craftsmanship.She believes in 'natural selection' — only the truly skilled deserve to advance."

"Charming philosophy," Luna muttered, setting down the gear."Meanwhile, half these students might be hurt or lose standing for something entirely outside their control."

The guilt in Thalia's chest hardened into resolve."Which is why we need to catch whoever's responsible — and soon."

As the afternoon workshop session drew to a close, Thalia carefully covered her golem and secured her tools.Students filed out around her, shoulders hunched, faces drawn with exhaustion and worry.The copper-haired girl from the courtyard passed by, her gaze lingering on Thalia's workstation with naked hostility.

“Typical Southern scum," she said to her companion, loud enough for Thalia to hear."Cheating's the only way they know how to compete."

Thalia's hands curled into fists, but Luna's warning look kept her silent.When the workshop had emptied, they gathered their things and headed toward the weapons storage area where the traced blade waited.

They found Kaine already there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, observing the rack from a distance.His posture was casual, but Thalia recognized the alertness in his stance — a predator waiting patiently for prey.

"Still there," he said without preamble as they approached.

---