Page 5 of Frostforge, Passage Six
But Roran's attack had not gone unanswered.From the deck of the third warship, a figure in elaborate armor raised a staff adorned with shells and bones.Lightning crackled around it, then shot toward the schooner in a jagged arc.
Roran deflected the bolt, sending it harmlessly into the sea.Another followed, and another.He blocked each attack, but Thalia could see the strain on his face, the tremor in his hands.Storm magic against storm magic—he was facing another practitioner of his blood-born art.
Kaine emerged from below decks again, his face smudged with soot but his eyes bright with battle-fever.He aimed the portable glacenite launcher he'd designed—smaller than the cannons below but no less deadly.The weapon discharged with a hiss rather than a boom, sending a concentrated bolt of frost-magic toward the warship bearing the enemy storm mage.
The bolt struck true, exploding in a shower of glacenite shot and cryomantic ice that engulfed the Warden's lower deck.The enemy storm mage faltered, distracted by the sudden attack on their vessel.It was the opening Roran needed.
He channeled his power once more, summoning a gust of wind so powerful it heeled the enemy ship over onto its side, exposing the vulnerable bottom of its hull.Kaine fired again, this time aiming for the exposed underside.The frost magic spread rapidly, freezing a section of the hull so thoroughly that the wood cracked under the sudden stress.
For a moment, it seemed they had turned the tide.The blockade was broken, the path to Verdant Port open before them.
Then a blinding flash lit the sky as a bolt of lightning slipped past Roran's defenses.It struck the schooner's hull at the waterline, wood exploding outward from the impact point.The ship lurched violently, throwing Thalia against the railing.
"We're taking on water!"Kaine shouted, already moving toward the hatch."Hull breach below!"
Thalia dispatched her current opponent with a final thrust, then raced after Kaine.She practically flew down the ladder into the hold, where water was already ankle-deep and rising fast.The breach was a jagged hole nearly two feet across, water gushing in with each roll of the ship.
She fumbled for her frost gloves, cursing as she struggled to pull them on with fingers slick with sweat and blood.The specialized gauntlets would protect her hands from the cold of her own magic—a lesson painfully learned during her first attempts at cryomancy at Frostforge.
Planting her feet wide to maintain balance on the tilting deck, Thalia raised her hands toward the breach.She drew a deep breath, reaching for the cold energy that lay dormant within her.It came reluctantly, as it always did, a trickle rather than the torrent she needed.
"Come on," she muttered, forcing her will upon the reluctant magic.Ice began to form around the edges of the breach, creeping inward like crystalline fingers.But it was too slow, too fragile.Water still poured in, melting her ice almost as quickly as she could form it.
Above, she felt the ship lurch again, changing course abruptly.The sounds of battle grew distant, suggesting they were retreating from the engagement.It was the right call—they couldn't win this fight—but retreat meant failure.It meant leaving her family in Warden's hands for who knew how long.
The thought sent a spike of desperation through her, and with it, a sudden surge of power.Ice spread more rapidly now, sealing a quarter of the breach, then half.But water still poured in, the pressure increasing as the ship settled lower in the water.
Footsteps sounded on the ladder behind her.Thalia didn't turn, couldn't spare the concentration.
"Hold it steady," Roran's voice came from just behind her shoulder.Then he was beside her, his own hands raised, frost gloves already in place.
Together, they channeled their power into the breach.Roran's cryomancy was stronger than hers, more precise.Where her ice was opaque and brittle, his was clear and resilient.Layer by layer, they sealed the hole, reinforcing each section until finally, the flow of water stopped completely.
Thalia lowered her hands, suddenly aware of how much energy the effort had cost her.Her limbs felt heavy, her head light.She leaned against a supporting beam, breathing hard.Inches of water lapped harmlessly at her ankles.
"What happened?"she asked, gesturing toward the deck above."Did we make it through?"
Roran shook his head, droplets of water flying from his hair."I was wrong," he admitted, the words clearly difficult for him."We can't break that blockade—not directly.There are too many of them, and at least two storm mages among their ranks.We're retreating to reassess."
Thalia closed her eyes briefly, disappointment a bitter taste in her mouth."So we've failed."
"We've survived," Roran corrected, his tone gentler than she'd expected."And we've learned something valuable—holding Verdant Port is crucial for the Wardens.It’s worth committing four warships and multiple storm mages to defend."
CHAPTER THREE
The schooner listed gently to starboard, its damaged hull creaking with each roll of the waves.Thalia braced herself against the mainmast, her palm pressed to wood still warm from the lightning strike that had nearly claimed their lives.
The smell of charred timber and frost magic hung in the air, mingling with the salt spray that misted across the deck.Her ears still rang from the clash of steel and the thunder of glacenite cannons, but now an unnatural quiet had settled over them—the quiet of a battle postponed, not won.
Around her, the others gathered in a loose circle, their faces etched with exhaustion and grim resolve.They had failed to break through the blockade, but they were still alive.And while they lived, they could try again.
Roran stood at the port railing, his shoulders rigid as he surveyed the distant harbor they'd just retreated from.The mist had thickened again, obscuring the Warden ships, but Thalia knew they were still there, waiting, perhaps even pursuing at a cautious distance.
Blood crusted on Roran's temple where a Warden blade had grazed him, and his knuckles were white where they gripped the wooden rail.The controlled fury in his stance reminded her of a storm held in check by sheer force of will.
"We need a new approach," he said without turning, his voice steady despite the defeat they'd just suffered."We can't break that blockade—not with four warships against our one, and not with storm mages supporting their defense."
"Then what?"Ashe asked, straightening from where she'd been checking a wound on her arm.Her red-streaked hair had come partially loose from its bindings, giving her a wild look that belied her composed tone."We can't simply sail away in defeat.Not when we've come this far."
