Page 6 of Frostforge, Passage Six
Kaine emerged from below decks, the portable glacenite launcher still cradled in his arms like a child.His pale face was smudged with soot, a bruise darkening along his jaw."The hull breach is sealed for now," he reported, "but I wouldn't risk another direct engagement.The schooner can't take that kind of punishment again."
Roran turned at last, his eyes finding Thalia's with an intensity that made her breath catch."We split up," he said simply."I'll take the schooner north, making it appear as though we're retreating with our wounded vessel.The Wardens will follow—they’d see it as an opportunity to sink us.Prevent us from returning north."
"And the rest of us?"Thalia asked, already suspecting his answer, already feeling the cold knot of dread forming in her stomach.
"The rest of you take the rowboat and slip into Verdant Port while I draw them away."Roran gestured toward the starboard side of the ship—the side facing away from the harbor, away from watching Warden eyes."Do you know somewhere you could hide once you get inside, Thalia?"
Thalia nodded slowly."I think I know a place.An inlet.It's hard to spot from the water unless you know exactly where to look.If we were in a shallow-bottomed vessel, we could reach it."
"Then that's where you’ll land."Roran looked to each of them in turn, his gaze lingering on Thalia."I'll lead the Wardens on a chase north, then circle back once I've lost them.Three days from now, at midnight, I'll approach the eastern cliffs.Have a signal ready—something only I would recognize."
A tense silence followed his words.The plan was bold, risky, with a dozen ways it could go wrong.If the Wardens caught Roran alone on the schooner...if they spotted the rowboat...if the three of them were captured trying to enter the occupied port…
Ashe cracked her knuckles, the sound sharp in the quiet."Good," she said with a nod."A direct approach serves only to alert the enemy.This way, we strike from the shadows."
Kaine's eyes found Thalia's, a single, sharp look that seemed to ask:Are you ready for this?She wasn't—not really—but she nodded anyway.Her family was there, somewhere in that occupied city.Every moment they delayed was another moment her mother and sister remained in danger.
"Let's do it," she said, the words coming out steadier than she felt.
They moved with the efficiency of those accustomed to crisis.Kaine secured the rowboat, checking its oars and the small storage compartment beneath the middle seat.Ashe gathered supplies—water skins, dried rations, medical supplies, and an extra quiver of crossbow bolts that she slung over her shoulder.Thalia tightened her sword belt, checking that her glacenite blade slid smoothly from its sheath.Her heart pounded against her ribs like a trapped bird.
“Thalia,” Roran said, drawing her attention.
Their eyes met, and Thalia saw in his gaze all the things he wasn't saying.Be careful.Come back.I'm sorry I can't go with you.
“Be safe,” he said.
“You, too,” she replied.
A ghost of a smile touched his lips."I'll do my best."
The rowboat swung out over the starboard side, suspended on ropes that Kaine had reinforced with strips of leather to muffle their creaking.Thalia climbed in first, settling in the bow where her slighter weight would balance against Kaine's in the stern.Ashe took the middle seat, her crossbow beside her, ready to be snatched up at a moment's notice.
The boat swayed as it dangled over the waves, the drop below suddenly seeming much farther than it had from the deck.The hiss of wind through the rigging and the creak of the ropes made Thalia's nerves churn.This was it—they were committing to a plan that would separate them from their only means of escape if things went wrong.
Roran began to lower the rowboat, the ropes sliding through his calloused hands with controlled precision.His eyes scanned the horizon, alert for any sign of pursuit.The mist swirled around them, providing cover but also concealing any approaching danger.
Then Thalia saw it—a shadow in the mist to the south, solidifying into the unmistakable silhouette of a Warden warship.A second shadow followed, twin vessels emerging from the fog like hunters scenting prey.Their black sails billowed as they changed course, moving to intercept the schooner.
"Roran!"she called, panic rising in her chest like a tide."Two ships to the south!Pull us back up—you'll need help if they catch you!"
But Roran didn't even look their way.His hands continued their steady work, lowering the rowboat toward the water with grim determination.He'd seen the ships—Thalia was certain of it—but he was sending them away regardless, ensuring they completed their mission even if it meant facing the Wardens alone.
"He's giving us our best shot," Kaine said, his voice low but firm.His hand found her shoulder, the weight of it anchoring her when she wanted nothing more than to scramble back up to the schooner."Roran knows what he's doing.Our job is to get inside the city."
Thalia wanted to argue, but the truth of his words stopped her.If they all stayed aboard, they might all be captured.This way, at least some of them had a chance to reach Verdant Port, to find her family and discover the reason behind the Wardens’ change in strategy, their purpose for occupying the city.
The ropes creaked as the boat lowered fully.Then came the sudden lurch as it hit the water, waves slapping against the wooden hull.Ashe and Kaine immediately seized the oars, their movements synchronized as they pushed away from the schooner's shadow.
Thalia glanced back, watching as Roran raised his hands toward the sky.The air around him shimmered with power, and the sails rippled, then snapped taut as he channeled a gust of wind.The schooner leapt forward, sailing directly away from the continent, drawing the Warden ships into pursuit.
Within moments, both the schooner and its pursuers had vanished into the mist, leaving Thalia, Kaine, and Ashe alone in their tiny vessel.The absence of the larger ship was immediately felt—the rowboat pitched and swayed in the choppy water, each wave seeming twice as large from this vantage.
"He was smoothing our path," Thalia realized aloud, gripping the sides of the boat as it rose and fell."Roran was using his powers to calm the waters around the schooner.Without him..."
"We row harder," Ashe finished grimly, putting her back into the next stroke."And pray to whatever spirits you believe in that we reach shore before any patrol spots us."
Thalia took up the third oar, stored along the boat's bottom for emergencies.Together, the three of them rowed furiously for the shore, falling into a rhythm that fought against the uncooperative sea.The sound of their paddles slicing through the water was drowned out by the rush of the ocean and the cries of gulls circling overhead.
