Page 1 of Frostforge, Passage Six
CHAPTER ONE
Thalia Greenspire pressed her back against the weathered wood of the crow's nest, the sea breeze tugging at the dark cloth wrapped around her face.Below, their schooner—its hull stained black, its sails painted with the jagged emblems of the Isle Wardens—cut through waters too calm to be natural.From her perch, she surveyed the misty horizon, squinting against the morning light that filtered through the fog like a diluted memory of sunshine.The knot in her stomach tightened with each league they sailed southward, toward Verdant Port, toward home—if home still existed.
The disguise they'd crafted for the vessel was convincing from a distance—the dark stain on the hull, the painted symbols on the sails, even the arrangement of ropes and rigging had been altered to mimic the distinctive style of Warden ships.But Thalia knew the deception was paper-thin.One close inspection would reveal the truth: this was a continental schooner, stolen from Frostforge's small fleet, crewed by academy deserters on an unsanctioned rescue mission.
Her fingers found the hilt of her ice-glacenite blade, its weight a comfort against her hip.She'd avoided drawing it since they'd entered Warden waters, knowing the toll the strange metal would take on her mind.The hallucinations it triggered—visions of her mother and sister in danger—were too close to the fears already plaguing her thoughts.She didn't need magic to conjure those nightmares.
Below, Roran worked the wheel and rigging with a fluid grace that belied the complexity of the task.His movements were economical, precise, almost choreographed, as though the ship were an extension of his body.Watching him, Thalia was reminded of those early days at Frostforge, when she'd thought him nothing more than a merchant's son with an uncanny knack for navigation.
Now she knew better.
Wind shifted the sails without Roran touching the lines, currents nudged the hull in subtle course corrections, and the very mist seemed to part before their bow—all responding to his will, to the storm magic he'd hidden for so long.What had nearly condemned him to death at Frostforge had become their salvation on these treacherous waters.
A thin wisp of fog curled around the mainmast like a curious serpent, then dispersed.Roran's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on some invisible pattern in the air.He adjusted the wheel a fraction, and Thalia felt the ship respond, sliding into what must have been a favorable current.The vessel barely disturbed the water's surface—another subtle manipulation of his power.
"Keep your eyes sharp," he called up to her, his voice barely audible above the gentle lap of waves against the hull."We're entering the outer patrol zone."
Thalia nodded, though she doubted he saw the gesture.She returned her attention to the horizon, where the mist thickened into an opaque wall.That unnatural fog was the surest sign of Warden presence—a defense mechanism they employed to mask their movements and confuse continental ships.
The rhythmic sound of metal on metal rose from below decks—Kaine at work.She pictured him hunched over his portable forge, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he made final adjustments to their weapons.Unlike Roran, Kaine couldn't risk showing his face on deck.His pale skin and Northern features would instantly mark him as an enemy to any passing Warden patrol.
The same was true for Ashe, though Thalia suspected the Northern warrior wasn't passing the time with smithing.More likely, she was pacing the hold like a caged rimwolf, itching to be free of the ship’s confines.
When Thalia had first stowed away in the schooner's hold around a week ago—defying direct orders and risking court martial—she'd known the potential consequences she faced.But the alternative—remaining at Frostforge while her family languished under Warden occupation, and while her friends took on the dangerous mission without her—had been unthinkable.
Her probationary status at Frostforge, the result of her abandonment of her post in the Northern Reaches, had prevented Wolfe from assigning her to this mission.Thalia knew that she was repeating her transgression.She knew that the consequences would be severe.But her intuition had proved right before when it led her back to Frostforge, away from the dull, frigid outpost where she’d been stationed.If she hadn’t defied her orders in the North and risked punishment, the reverberations would’ve been worse than any punishment Wolfe could dole out.
Roran would be dead.The academy itself could have fallen to the Isle Wardens without her discovery of glacenite.
She'd be damned if she let her superiors' orders override her judgment this time, too, with her family's lives on the line.The parameters of this mission were mostly reconnaissance of Verdant Port, an assessment of what the Isle Wardens were doing in the city—how and why they had taken it hostage, rather than their usual strategy of attacking and retreating.But Wolfe had also authorized a limited rescue operation, as well.The extraction, if possible, of Verdant Port residents whose safety could bring a tactical advantage to Frostforge.Thalia wasn’t sure if those criteria included her family, but she wasn’t relying on Frostforge’s definition.She wouldn’t leave the city without her mother and sister.
Thalia swept her gaze from port to starboard, searching for movement within the mist.To the east, the shoreline was a dark smudge, punctuated by the occasional flicker of fires—Warden encampments, their black tents spreading along the beaches like ink stains.She'd grown up on these shores, had gathered herbs from coastal forests, and traded with fishermen who plied these waters.Now it was enemy territory, transformed by occupation into something alien and hostile.
The mist directly ahead parted momentarily, revealing choppy waters and the faint outline of what might have been a watchtower in the distance.Verdant Port was close—perhaps only a few hours' sail away.Thalia's heart quickened at the thought, hope, and dread wrestling in her chest.
What would she find there?Zanaya's harrowing account of the port's fall still haunted her—the screams, the black-tipped arrows raining from the sky, the strange, hulking figures that emerged from the sea foam.Had her mother and sister escaped before the Wardens seized control?Were they among the refugees who'd fled northward?Or were they still there, prisoners in their own city?
The mist closed again, swallowing the distant shore.Thalia tightened her grip on the edge of the crow's nest, forcing herself to focus on the immediate task.First, they had to reach Verdant Port.Then they could search for answers.
"Ship ahead," Roran called suddenly, his voice tight."Port side, moving fast."
Thalia spun, eyes straining through the gloom.At first, she saw nothing but undulating fog, then—a shadow, darker than the mist, cutting through the haze.The distinctive silhouette of a Warden scout ship emerged, its narrow hull and twin masts unmistakable.
"How many aboard?"she called down, keeping her voice low.
"Can't tell yet," Roran replied, his hands steady on the wheel."But they've adjusted course.They're coming toward us."
Thalia's mouth went dry.This was the moment they'd prepared for, yet dreaded.
"Should I signal Kaine and Ashe?"she asked.
Roran shook his head."Not yet.Let's see if we can talk our way past.Get down and hide."
Thalia hesitated.From the crow's nest, she had the best vantage to oversee the encounter and come to Roran’s aid if needed—but her presence would also raise questions from any Warden patrol.With reluctance, she began the climb down, moving carefully to avoid being seen from the approaching vessel.
Halfway down the mainmast, she paused, finding a position where she could wedge herself against the rigging, partially concealed by a sail.From here, she could still observe while remaining hidden unless the Wardens came aboard.
The scout ship drew closer, water foaming at its bow as it cut through the waves with unnatural speed.Thalia could make out figures moving on its deck now—six, perhaps seven Wardens, their bodies draped in dark leather and cloth that seemed to absorb rather than reflect the meager light.Each wore a metal gorget at the throat, engraved with symbols Thalia recognized from Instructor Calloway's lessons on Warden hierarchy.These weren't simple raiders—they were part of the occupation force.
