Page 30 of Frostforge, Passage Six
True to her word, Luna emerged from the dormitory corridor exactly ten minutes later, dressed in practical attire with her hair more securely bound.The performative dreaminess she often adopted in public was entirely absent, replaced by a keen alertness, a reminder of why Thalia relied on her so heavily.
"Brynn's covering my shift," she said, falling into step beside him."Where are we going?"
"The archives," Kaine replied, leading her toward the west stairwell."We need somewhere quiet, undisturbed."
They descended into the heart of Frostforge, the air growing colder as they moved deeper into the mountain.Ancient sconces cast pools of amber light at regular intervals, their flames enchanted to burn without fuel or smoke.The deeper levels of the academy predated its current iteration—remnants of whatever structure had stood here before Frostforge was established as a bulwark against the Isle Wardens.
Or perhaps against something else entirely.
The archives occupied a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in shadows despite the lanterns that burned throughout the space.Rows of shelves stretched into the darkness, laden with scrolls, books, and tablets accumulated over centuries.The air smelled of parchment and binding glue, of dust and preservation spells laid down by generations of academy scholars.
Luna drew a deep breath as they entered, her eyes bright with anticipation."I've missed this place," she murmured."Guard duty doesn't leave much time for research."
They claimed a table near the back of the chamber, far from the few early-rising scholars who hunched over texts near the entrance.Kaine emptied his satchel, arranging the Warden documents in neat rows across the scarred wooden surface.
"I've already translated fragments," he explained, keeping his voice low."Enough to know these contain vital information.But without Roran's fluency..."He gestured to the scrolls, frustration evident in the motion.
Luna leaned forward, eyes scanning the nearest document."I remember some from Calloway's class," she said."And there are translation guides on these shelves.Between the two of us, we should manage."
They worked in silence for nearly an hour, pencils scratching against parchment as they laboriously deciphered symbol after symbol.The Warden script was angular and precise, its characters bearing little resemblance to continental writing.Each translated word was hard-won, pieced together from their fragmented knowledge and the guidebook open between them.
"This section," Luna said suddenly, tapping a passage she'd been working on."I think it's referring to Frostforge."
Kaine moved to her side, scanning the partially translated text where Luna had written "anchor point" and "last sentinel against the Deep Tide," the words seeming to leap off the page and seize him by the throat.
"Are you certain of this translation?"he asked, his voice tight.
Luna nodded, though uncertainty flickered across her features."Reasonably.This symbol here—" she pointed to a complex glyph—" has variants, but in this context, 'sentinel' or 'guardian' fits best."
Kaine felt his chest tighten as the phrases echoed memories of his research into Frostforge's oldest records.Years spent poring over founding documents, trying to understand the academy's true purpose beyond its stated mission of defense against Isle Wardens.
"I've seen similar references," he said slowly, "in Frostforge's ancient texts.Passages about a 'threat from the sea' that predates the academy's founding."He met Luna's curious gaze."I've long suspected that the 'threat' had nothing to do with the Isle Wardens.The texts are too old, and Warden incursions on the mainland are relatively recent, historically speaking."
Luna's eyes widened.Without a word, she rose and disappeared into the stacks, the soft pad of her footsteps fading into silence.Kaine returned to the documents, his translation efforts redoubled by this new connection, but his mind raced with possibilities.
If Frostforge had been founded to defend against something other than the Isle Wardens—something ancient enough to be referenced in the academy's oldest records—what did that mean for their current understanding of the conflict?
The scratch of Luna's returning footsteps pulled him from his thoughts.She staggered under the weight of several ancient tomes, their leather bindings cracked with age.She deposited them on the table with surprising gentleness, given their bulk.
"These are about Frostforge's founding," she explained, patting the top volume."But this one—" she slid a smaller, plainer book from the bottom of the stack—"might be more useful."
Kaine examined the unassuming volume.Unlike the ornate historical texts, this book was simply bound in faded cloth, its title nearly worn away by countless hands."Tales of the Ancient North," he read aloud."A mythology book?"
Luna's smile was enigmatic as she opened it, careful fingers turning brittle pages covered in archaic glyphs rather than modern letters."All the answers lie in stories," she said, scanning the text with practiced ease despite its arcane form."The oldest truths hide in plain sight, dressed as fiction to survive the centuries."
She found what she sought after several minutes of searching, her finger tracing a passage as she read aloud."'When the Deep Tide rises, islands become sea, and the sentinel at the edge of the world stands alone against the consuming dark.'"She looked up, triumph in her eyes."It's referring to a primordial power beneath the ocean.A threat so great that the entire continent united to build defenses against it."
Kaine stared at the simple book of myths, then at the Warden documents with their references to "the Deep Tide" and Frostforge as "the last sentinel."The connection seemed impossible, yet undeniable.He had spent years researching Frostforge's founding, poring over historical accounts and official records, never thinking to look in something so mundane as a collection of children's tales.
"How did you—" he began, genuinely awed by her research instinct.
"Know where to look?"Luna grinned, the expression transforming her serious features into something younger, mischievous."My father always said you could glean more truth from a good myth than from a hundred historical accounts."She tapped the book."All the answers lie in stories, Kaine.Always have."
Kaine looked again at the ancient myth book, then at the Warden documents with their urgent warnings.Whatever force was causing islands to vanish in the archipelago, whatever had sent the Wardens fleeing to continental shores—it was connected to something far older and more terrible than their generations-long conflict.
And somehow, Frostforge stood at the center of it all.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
