Page 18 of Frostforge, Passage Six
Kaine's expression tightened."That's actually sort of what I wanted to talk to you about."He guided her toward a quieter section of the street, where fewer ears might overhear."I have a confession to make."
Thalia felt a chill that had nothing to do with the morning air."What kind of confession?"
Kaine drew a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers directly."The instructors approved me to lead this rescue operation in Verdant Port, but that wasn't the entirety of the mission.There was another objective, one I kept secret from you."He glanced around before continuing, his voice lower."One I never intended for you to join."
The chill spread through Thalia's limbs."What are you talking about?"
"Roran, Ashe, and I were assigned to locate and infiltrate a Warden fortress-whale," Kaine said, the words coming out in a rush."It's been sighted patrolling the waters a few hundred knots east of here."
Thalia stared at him, shock momentarily robbing her of speech.A fortress-whale was no ordinary vessel.It was a bastion of stone and steel, built on the back of a living, intelligent whale.Stories of such monstrosities had circulated through Frostforge for years—fortresses moving through the waters of the archipelago like ships despite their immense size and fortification.
No continental force had ever been able to defeat one in battle, and few mainlanders had lived to tell the tale of their encounters with these behemoths.For the most part, they kept to the deeper waters past the continental shelf; they were the main reason the Allied continental forces had never been able to take the battle to the archipelago itself.The deeper waters meant death, and the fortress-whales were the reason.
"That's—that's suicide," she managed finally."A fortress-whale?Three of you against a fortress-whale?You might as well throw yourselves into the sea and be done with it."
"We have our orders," Kaine said, his jaw set in the stubborn line she had come to recognize as his Northern pride taking hold."The intelligence such an infiltration could provide is worth the risk.But the documents we found on the captured ship—those need to reach Frostforge immediately.They need to be translated in full, analyzed by scholars who understand the implications."
Understanding dawned like ice water down her spine."And you want me to take them."
Kaine nodded, his expression carefully neutral."I'm entrusting you with that mission.It's crucial, Thalia.If the Wardens are targeting specific bloodlines, we need to know why.Your family can travel with you—they'll be safer at Frostforge anyway—and when you arrive, you can present the documents to the instructors yourself."
Anger flared in Thalia's chest, hot and sudden."You're sidelining me."
"I'm giving you an important assignment," Kaine countered, but the slight flush creeping up his neck betrayed him.
"Don't lie to me," Thalia snapped, her voice rising."You're sending me away because you think I can't handle the real mission."
"That's not true."Kaine's own voice rose to match hers."I'm doing what's best for you.These documents might make the instructors more lenient when deciding your punishment.And the mission to the archipelago—Thalia, it’s very likely we won’t survive it."
"So you decided for me," she said, trembling not just with anger at the betrayal but also fear for her friends."You kept secrets, made plans behind my back, and now you're ordering me away like I'm some recruit who can't be trusted in a real fight.You want me to just tuck my tail between my legs and run back to Frostforge!"
People nearby had stopped their work to stare, but Thalia didn't care.She had trusted Kaine, had fought beside him, had even begun to think there might be something more between them.And all the while, he had been planning to send her away at the first opportunity.
"You have to understand," Kaine said, desperation edging into his voice."I'm trying to protect you."
"I never asked you to protect me!"
"I know," he replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration."But I have to do it anyway.Because I—" He stopped abruptly, seeming to catch himself on the edge of some admission."Because I care about you," he finished, the words coming out in a rush."More than—more than I should.More than is reasonable.And the thought of you out there, facing a fortress-whale, when you could be safe at Frostforge instead..."
Thalia felt as though someone had used cryomancy to congeal the blood in her veins."If you truly cared about me," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous quiet, "you would want me fighting at your side.Not sealed up in Frostforge's walls like something fragile that needs to be protected."
Kaine stared at her, conflict evident in his pale eyes.For a moment, she thought he might relent—might acknowledge her right to choose her own path, her own risks.Then his expression hardened, that familiar, honor-bound Northern resolve replacing vulnerability.
"Thalia, I had hoped you might understand," he said, his voice taking on a more formal tone."But if you won't understand, then you'll have to accept my words as orders.I am ordering you to take these documents back to Frostforge.You can bring your family with you—and by all accounts, I think you should—but you must depart by noon tomorrow."
The formal invocation of his authority hit Thalia like a physical blow.Kaine had been given command of this mission; technically, she was under his orders, even if he hadn’t been issuing edicts or insisting on his rank up until now.To refuse Kaine’s demand would be more than the personal betrayal of a friend—it would be direct insubordination against a superior officer.Another insubordination, another potential smear on her record as a soldier, a record that already recommended her for harsh punishment.
She stepped back, putting distance between them that felt suddenly necessary."Is that all,sir?" The honorific came out sharp as a blade.
Pain flashed across Kaine's face at her tone, but he nodded once."That's all."
Thalia turned on her heel and walked away, back straight, shoulders rigid.She held herself together as she rounded the corner of a familiar street, seeking solace in the city’s familiar pattern.
A fortress-whale.The instructors were out of their minds.Yes, the intelligence would be invaluable to the war effort, but the task was unspeakably dangerous, almost punitively so.
If Wolfe had ordered Roran alone to undertake this mission, Thalia would’ve suspected her motives; it would have seemed like an indirect means of execution.But Ashe and Kaine had always been loyal to the academy, their records clean and usefulness clear.Wolfe had no reason to punish them.
Which meant that this wasn’t a punishment—it was a legitimate mission, one the instructors hoped might bear fruit.A risk they were willing to take, from within the safety of Frostforge’s keep.Thalia’s hands curled into fists, the anger in her chest spreading through her entire body, its target shifting.
