Page 25 of Frostforge: Passage Four
Thalia felt her squad shift nervously behind her.Daniel's breathing had quickened, and she could sense Felah's slight trembling without even looking.The Northern students, Rasmus and Sigrid, maintained their stony expressions, but their rigid postures betrayed their tension.
"Each squad will man a war canoe," Marr continued, gesturing to the sleek vessels tethered to the arena's edge."Your objective is simple: capsize your opponent's canoe.You may use paddles, physical strength, and limited cryomancy.No weapons, no direct attacks on opponents.This is about teamwork, control, and tactical thinking."His gaze swept over them, lingering momentarily on Thalia."The water is cold enough to kill, so if you fall in, remember your survival techniques."
Calloway stepped forward."Greenspire squad and Halloway squad, you're first.Take your positions."
Thalia turned to her team, keeping her voice low and steady."Daniel, Felah, you'll take the middle positions — focus on paddling and balance.Rasmus, you're strongest in cryomancy, so you'll be our offensive at the bow.Sigrid, you'll handle defense mid-ship."
Sigrid's copper hair gleamed as she tilted her head, freckles stark against her pale skin."And you, Southerner?"
"I'll guide from the stern," Thalia replied evenly, refusing to rise to the bait.
The words hung between them, heavy with unspoken challenge.Since their success in the Golem Fields, Rasmus and Sigrid had shown marginally more respect, but their obedience remained a brittle thing, ready to snap at the first sign of weakness.
"Let's go," Thalia said, moving toward their assigned canoe.
The war canoe was larger than she'd expected, a sleek vessel of lacquered wood reinforced with ice-metal bands along its hull.It rocked gently as they climbed in, settling into their positions.The wood beneath Thalia's fingers was smooth but cold, and she felt a flutter of apprehension as the vessel dipped under their combined weight.
Daniel's hands gripped his paddle with white-knuckled intensity."I've never been in anything smaller than a river barge," he whispered, his bronze skin paling slightly.“This thing moves a lot, doesn’t it?”
"Just follow my lead," Thalia assured him, watching as Felah nervously adjusted her position, her slight frame almost lost in the fur-lined coat she wore.
Across the arena, Levi Halloway's team climbed into their canoe with practiced ease.Levi sat at the stern, his posture relaxed, hands loose on his steering paddle.Thalia frowned, remembering that Levi's father was a fisherman from Verdant Port.Unlike her limited experience watching from shore, Levi had likely spent his childhood on boats, learning the rhythms of water and wind.
"He has the advantage here," she murmured to herself, gauging the challenge anew.On land, in the forge, even in the Golem Fields, she'd found her footing.But here, on water?This was Levi's domain.
The thought hardened her resolve.She'd overcome every obstacle Frostforge had thrown at her.Water would be no different.
"Canoes at ready!"Calloway's voice rang out.She stood on a raised platform at the arena's edge, one hand raised."Begin on my mark!"
Thalia gripped her paddle, feeling the grain of the wood against her palms.She drew a deep breath of the cold, salt-tinged air.
"Mark!"
Paddles sliced into the water with a synchronized splash.Their canoe lurched forward, wobbling slightly before finding its rhythm.Thalia called cadence from the stern, guiding them with firm, measured commands.
"Steady pace!Rasmus, watch our angle — we'll approach from port side!"
Levi's team moved with fluid efficiency, their canoe cutting through the water like a blade.They curved in a wide arc, clearly aiming to flank Thalia's team.
"Hard to starboard!"Thalia commanded."Sigrid, ready defense!"
The canoes closed on each other, the sound of paddles and the splash of water filling the air.As they neared Levi's vessel, Thalia saw the opening — a perfect chance to ram their bow into the opponent's mid-section.
"Rasmus, now!Ice spike the water to propel us forward!"
But Rasmus hesitated, his cryomancy a moment too late.The burst of ice beneath their canoe came weakly, pushing them forward but off-angle.The critical moment lost, Levi's team slipped past their bow, gaining position on their starboard side.
Thalia bit back a curse."Reposition!Daniel, Felah, hard paddle starboard!Sigrid, defense ice wall, now!"
She wouldn't let Rasmus's failure derail them.A leader adapted, compensated, and kept moving forward — she'd learned that much in her years at Frostforge.No plan survived first contact with the enemy.
As she shifted her weight to adjust their course, Thalia felt a strange shudder through the hull.Something cold and wet seeped through her fur-lined boot.She glanced down, her heart sinking as she saw water pooling at her feet — not spray from their paddling, but a steady trickle coming from beneath.
A breach.Their canoe was taking on water.
Thalia's mind raced.Should she alert her team, potentially causing panic?Or keep it to herself and push for a quick victory?The water was rising slowly — they had time, but not much.
"Change of plans," she called, infusing her voice with calm authority."We need to end this quickly.Daniel, Sigrid, block their approach on the starboard.Rasmus, prepare to freeze the water along their hull when I give the word.Felah, keep us balanced."
