Page 11 of Frostforge: Passage Four
Felah's cry snapped her back to the present.The first-year had fallen backward, weaponless, as the golem advanced.Its programming should have recognized her disarmament and adjusted accordingly, but something in its movements seemed too aggressive, too purposeful.
Thalia didn't hesitate.She surged forward, her own ice-titanium shield raised as she placed herself between Felah and the advancing construct.
"Stop the exercise!"she shouted, her voice ringing across the plateau."Instructor Calloway, call off the golems!"
For a terrifying moment, the golem continued its advance, its bronze arm raised for another strike.Then, as suddenly as a candle being snuffed, it froze in place.The other three constructs followed suit, settling into their neutral positions with mechanical precision.
Silence fell over the plateau.Thalia could feel every eye upon her as she knelt beside Felah, examining the cut on her cheek.It wasn't deep, but the girl's dark eyes were wide with shock and humiliation.
"I'm sorry," Felah whispered, her voice barely audible."I tried to strike like you showed me, but the blade just —"
"It wasn't your fault," Thalia said firmly, helping her to her feet.She turned to face the Smith's Anvil, where Calloway and Wolfe stood in judgment.
Calloway's face was a mask of Northern severity, her dark hair whipping around her pale features in the cutting wind."That was far from adequate, Greenspire.Your squad showed no cohesion, no coordination, and a complete lack of adaptive strategy."
Thalia's throat tightened, but she kept her gaze steady."Yes, Instructor."
"We will discuss your performance in detail after the rest of the squads have completed the exercise," Calloway continued."For now, clear the field."
Thalia nodded, turning back to her scattered team.Daniel looked defeated, his earlier determination crushed under the weight of their failure.Rasmus and Sigrid stood apart, their expressions a mixture of vindication and contempt.Only Felah seemed to be looking to Thalia for guidance, her eyes still wide with shock.
"Come on," Thalia said quietly."Let's get that cut cleaned up."
As they moved to the sidelines, Thalia knelt to gather the shards of Felah's broken blade.The metal fragments lay scattered across the crystalline surface like accusatory fingers.With practiced care, she collected them, allowing her fingertips to brush against each piece.Her metal-sensing ability flickered to life, and what she felt confirmed her suspicions — subtle impurities in the steel, trace flaws that shouldn't have passed inspection.
The errors were small, easily dismissed as manufacturing defects to the untrained eye.But Thalia knew better.These weren't random flaws; they were deliberate weaknesses introduced during the forging process, designed to ensure the blade would fail at the worst possible moment.
Her gut churned as she pocketed the largest fragments.Someone had wanted Felah to fail — or more likely, for Thalia's leadership to be undermined.The question was who, and why they had chosen to target the most vulnerable member of her squad.Her gaze traveled subconsciously toward Einar, who stood off to the side, smirking.
As they rejoined the line of students waiting for their turn or recovering from their assessment, a hand touched Thalia's shoulder.She turned to find Kaine standing behind her, his broad frame blocking the worst of the wind.His intense blue eyes were fixed on the pocket where she had stored the blade fragments.
"Something was wrong with that blade," he said, his voice low enough that only she could hear.His calloused fingers brushed against hers as he took one of the fragments, examining it with the expertise of a master smith."These impurities...they shouldn't have passed inspection."
Thalia nodded, relief washing through her at the confirmation."I thought so too.It felt wrong, even from a distance."
Kaine's jaw tightened, a muscle working beneath his pale skin."Watch your back, Thalia.Someone's playing a dangerous game."He leaned closer than was strictly necessary, his breath warm against her ear.
She nodded, her heart suddenly lodged in her throat.Kaine's proximity sent her thoughts scattering like leaves in a gale, reminding her of their kiss in the forge — a moment that seemed to belong to another lifetime, before the weight of fourth-year responsibilities had descended upon her shoulders.
Then she felt it — a prickling sensation along her skin, a metallic taste coating her tongue.The air around them seemed to thicken, charged with static electricity.The faint scent of ozone reached her nostrils, a smell she had come to associate with one specific source.
Storm magic.
Thalia looked past Kaine to see Roran standing several paces away, watching their conversation with an intensity that bordered on hostility.He seemed almost unaware that electricity was rippling over his hands, dancing between his fingers in tiny blue arcs that could be seen by anyone who bothered to look.
Horror gripped Thalia's chest.After everything they had discussed about keeping his abilities hidden, after all the warnings about Northern suspicion toward anyone connected to the Isle Wardens, Roran was manifesting storm magic in plain view of the entire academy.
She glared at him sharply, willing him to notice his own lapse.A moment later, realization dawned in his eyes.He glanced down at his hands, alarm replacing the jealousy that had been etched across his features.The electricity dissipated as quickly as it had appeared; Thalia scanned the crowd to ensure no damage had been done.To her relief, everyone’s eyes were trained on the fight, Luna’s squad taking on Calloway’s golems.
"Excuse me," Thalia said to Kaine, her teeth gritted behind a forced smile.She crossed to Roran with measured steps, aware that running would only draw more attention.
"What are youdoing?"she hissed as soon as she was close enough."There are people everywhere.If they weren't all focused on Luna's squad fighting the golems, someone would have seen you."
Roran's dark eyes were wide with genuine shock."I didn't — I didn't even realize it was happening," he said, staring at his hands as if they belonged to someone else."It just...it came out of nowhere."
Thalia believed him, which was almost worse.If Roran couldn't control his abilities even when he was trying to conceal them, how long before someone noticed?How long before the whispers of "Isle Warden spy" became shouts of accusation?
"You need to get a grip," she said, softening her tone slightly at the alarm in his expression."This isn't just about you.If the instructors catch you using storm magic, they'll investigate everyone who's been close to you.Including me.And youknowwhat will happen to you if you’re caught.You know what the Northern laws say."As she spoke, a small shudder ran down her spine.Ever since she’d first discovered Roran’s secret — that he had been born to Isle Wardens, albeit raised in the Southern Kingdoms; that storm magic ran in his blood, and he wielded it with the expertise of a fully-fledged Warden sea mage — she had looked into the punishments handed down to Isle Warden prisoners of war in the Reaches.
