Page 7 of Frostforge: Passage Four
"An idiot who missed you," he countered, bumping his shoulder against hers."My life isn't the same without your scowling presence."
"I don't scowl."
He grinned."You're scowling right now."
She was, but she smoothed her expression deliberately, fighting the smile that threatened to break through.This was what she'd missed during the break — the easy banter with Roran, the way he could lighten even the most tense moments.There was something comfortable about being with him, a sense that he saw her — truly saw her — in a way no one else at Frostforge did.
The tangle of feelings in her chest tightened.There had been moments between them, especially at the end of last term — a touch that lingered too long, words that seemed to carry deeper meaning, a look that made her breath catch.But she'd spent the summer wondering if she'd imagined it all, if her own loneliness and longing had colored their friendship with something that wasn't really there.
She cleared her throat."What did you mean by espionage?"
His smile faltered, just for a moment — too long."Just tracking Isle Warden ship movements off the Southern coast."
Thalia stiffened.During the attack on Frostforge last spring, the Isle Wardens had specifically targeted Roran, believing him to be a traitor.The fact that he'd spent the summer near them, deliberately seeking them out.…
"You shouldn't have—"
"Don't worry," he interrupted, reading her expression."I was never in direct danger."
She wasn't convinced.There was something in his eyes, a shadow that hadn't been there before, that suggested he wasn't telling her everything.
"Did you notice anything in particular?"she asked, lowering her voice.
Roran glanced toward the first-years, then back to her."Their formations have been changing," he said, his tone carefully neutral."They’re certainly amassing more ships along the southwestern coast than usual.”
The vagueness of his response unsettled her.Before she could press further, Calloway's voice rang out across the plateau.“That’s enough for today.Everyone, report to mess for lunch.”
Thalia wanted to press Roran for more information, but he was already turning away, back toward his own squad.Her teeth clenched, Thalia turned on her heel to face her own recruits, who lingered awkwardly nearby.Their blades were still drawn, the tips dragging against the frost-hardened ground.
“You heard Calloway,” Thalia said, trying not to let impatience enter her tone.“Go on.”
In a flurry of motion, her recruits scrambled to sheathe their blades and fall into line.Felah nearly dropped her sword in the rush, and Daniel bumped shoulders with Rasmus, earning a withering glare from the Northern boy.Sigrid didn’t move at first — she stared at Thalia a beat too long, her chin tilted with quiet defiance — then finally turned without a word, stalking off ahead of the others.
CHAPTER FOUR
Moonlight sliced through the narrow window of Thalia's chamber, casting frigid blue shadows across the stone floor.She lay rigid beneath her furs, eyes fixed on the ice-veined ceiling, sleep a distant memory.Her thoughts prowled like hungry wolves — Einar's sneering face, Rasmus and Sigrid's deliberate insubordination, Roran's cryptic warning about Isle Warden movements.The Command Challenge loomed over it all, a test she couldn't afford to fail, not when her family's future hung by such a slender thread.If Thalia graduated from Frostforge and was placed in the military’s ranks, the stipend she could send back to her mother would keep them fed.If she failed, or was killed, her mother would have to choose between feeding herself and Mari — or bracing for the Selection.
A sudden movement at the edge of her vision sent her pulse racing.A silhouette detached from the darkness, sliding closer to her bedside like a phantom.Thalia's fingers crept toward the dagger she kept beneath her pillow.
"Are you awake?"Luna whispered, her face materializing in a shaft of moonlight.Her dreadlocks cast spidery shadows across her cheeks, the tiny metal rings catching the pale glow.
Thalia's grip on the dagger relaxed."Luna?What are you —"
"Shh."Luna pressed a finger to her lips, eyes darting toward Ashe's bed."You need to hear something.Come with me."
Thalia nodded, pushing back her furs and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.The air bit at her exposed skin, raising bumps along her arms.She reached for her cloak, draping it over her nightclothes, and slipped her feet into thick wool socks.
Across the room, Ashe's steady breathing continued uninterrupted.The Northern girl slept soundly, one arm flung above her head, the red streaks in her black hair gleaming faintly in the dim light.Thalia envied her peaceful slumber, even as she followed Luna to the door.
The corridor outside stretched dark and silent, save for the distant crackle of torches and the mournful howl of wind through Frostforge's stone arteries.Luna moved with practiced stealth, her footfalls whispering against the floor.Thalia matched her pace, grateful for the skills honed through three years of midnight wanderings and dawn training sessions.
"Where are we going?"Thalia breathed, her words barely disturbing the air between them.
Luna didn't answer, only gestured down the hall where light spilled from beneath the common area door.As they drew closer, voices emerged from the hushed quiet — tense, conspiratorial tones that raised the hairs on Thalia's neck.
"Redwood is no good to us."Einar's voice sliced through the stone walls, sharp as an ice-blade."She's too fond of her snow-blind Southern roommates."
Thalia froze, a knot forming in her stomach.Luna pressed a finger to her lips again, guiding them both to the wall beside the door.They flattened themselves against the stone, ears straining to catch every word.
