Page 20 of Frostforge, Passage Six
Roran's eyebrow arched, a sardonic smile playing at his lips."Wolfe asked the same question.I gave her the same answer.I was four years old when I was separated from my Warden parents.If I've been on a fortress-whale, I don't remember it."
Thalia moved away from the railing, pacing the length of the deck.Her mind raced, evaluating options, discarding impossible scenarios, constructing new ones.The schooner rocked gently beneath her feet, the motion familiar and oddly comforting despite the circumstances.
She was dimly aware of Roran watching her, his expression a mixture of concern and something warmer, more personal.Affection, maybe.
"Okay," he said finally, breaking the silence."I know that look.What's on your mind, Greenspire?"
She stopped pacing, turning to face him squarely."I'm not being sidelined," she stated, the words carrying the weight of decision."I'm not taking those documents back to Frostforge while the three of you sail off to certain death."
"I expected nothing less," Roran replied, and the smile that spread across his face contained genuine warmth.Then his expression shifted, becoming uncharacteristically serious."Believe me..."he said, his voice dropping lower, "I don’t want to take this on without you by my side."
The admission hung between them, charged with meaning beyond the simple words.Thalia found herself moving closer to him, drawn by something that had been building between them since that first day at Frostforge, when he'd appeared in her training class with his cocky grin and secrets in his eyes.
She thought about his reckless nature, about the wild storm he had conjured to fight the Wardens in the harbor, the way he had stirred these usually calm waters to free her city.It had always been inevitable, she realized, that Roran would find himself in trouble at Frostforge—a natural consequence of who he was as a person.The storm in human form, restless and powerful, unable to be contained by rules and orders despite his best efforts.
Maybe the same was true of her.Maybe she could no more be the perfect, obedient soldier than Roran could deny the storm magic in his blood.
"You're a terrible influence," she said, the words barely above a whisper.“And you’re going to get me in trouble.”
His smile deepened, creasing the corners of his eyes."Oh, please.You’re going to get yourself in trouble.I’m just going to be in that trouble with you.”
Thalia closed the remaining distance between them.Their bodies stood inches apart, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him, could see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes.For a breath, neither moved, suspended in possibility.
Then his hand came up to brush her cheek, callouses rough against her skin, and she leaned into the touch.Their lips met in a kiss that felt both inevitable and surprising—gentle at first, then deepening with a hunger that startled her with its intensity.His arms encircled her waist, drawing her closer as she wound her fingers through his hair, loosening the tie that held his curls at bay.Once freed, they bloomed around him like a billowing storm cloud, soft to the touch.
Time seemed to slow, the world narrowing to the points where their bodies connected.The kiss spoke of things neither had voiced aloud—trust built in battle, respect forged through shared dangers, desire that had simmered beneath the surface of their interactions for longer than either would admit.
A deliberately loud footstep on the deck behind them broke the moment.They sprang apart, Thalia's cheeks burning as she turned to find Ashe standing at the top of the ladder leading below decks.The Northern woman's expression was difficult to read—her eyebrow arched high, her mouth quirked in what might have been amusement or disapproval.
"Don't mind me," Ashe said dryly, gesturing between them with one hand."I'll just pretend I didn't see...whatever this is."
Roran cleared his throat, running a hand through his now-loosened hair."Did you need something, or did you just come up to practice the delicate art of ruining moments?"
Ashe rolled her eyes, then noticed the tension in Thalia's stance, the set of her jaw.The Northern woman's expression sharpened, becoming more alert."What's happened?"
"I know about the fortress-whale," Thalia said without preamble."The mission you three have been hiding from me."
Ashe's gaze flicked to Roran, who shrugged."Don't look at me.Kaine told her first."
Thalia stepped forward, her decision made, her course set."There's been a change of plans," she announced, the authority in her voice surprising even herself."An unsanctioned change of plans."
Ashe crossed her arms, her red-streaked hair lifting slightly in the breeze off the water."I'm listening," she said cautiously.
Thalia glanced at Roran, finding unexpected support in his steady gaze.Whatever came next—whatever her plan entailed—she knew he would back her.It was a heady feeling, that certainty, almost as intoxicating as the kiss they'd shared moments before.
She turned back to Ashe, squaring her shoulders."If you’re going after a fortress-whale," she said, "you’re not doing it without me."
CHAPTER TEN
Verdant Port’s harbor slumbered beneath a blanket of stars, its waters still as glass, reflecting pinpricks of celestial light like scattered diamonds.The schooner floated in the center of this mirror world, a darker shadow against the night-painted water, its sails furled tight, its lines coiled in patient readiness.Not a single lamp burned aboard her, save for the small, shuttered lantern at Thalia's feet, casting just enough light to illuminate the parchment balanced precariously on her knee.The quill in her hand trembled slightly, hovering above the page as she gathered her thoughts, as she prepared to commit to words the decision that had crystallized in her heart.A decision that would either save them all or condemn her to a watery grave far from everything she'd fought to protect.
Behind her, the ship creaked, a gentle complaint against the pre-dawn stillness.The sound was punctuated by the occasional soft clink of a rigging chain teased by the breeze that whispered across the harbor.In the distance, Verdant Port's lanterns glowed faintly, their light a dim promise of life returning to a city so recently freed from occupation.Somewhere among those lights, Kaine slept, unaware of her plans, of the betrayal she was about to commit.
He’d rented a room at a local inn rather than sleeping in the ship’s hold.Kaine was stoic about most discomforts, but he had always been less than fond of the constant sway of the ship, the creaking of its timbers.
Thalia closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself.Then she lowered the quill to parchment and began to write.
Kaine,she began, the familiar shape of his name flowing from her hand with a strange finality.Thank you for everything you've done for me.For risking your life, time and again.For letting me come with you on this mission, even though orders dictated that I should stay at Frostforge.For recognizing that those orders meant less than the lives of my mother and sister.
