Page 39 of Frostforge, Passage Six
A chill crept up Thalia's spine despite the warming day.She had heard similar stories in Verdant Port as a child—sailors' superstitions about monsters in the deep, creatures with appetites that could swallow ships whole.But those had been fireside tales, meant to frighten and entertain, not histories passed down through generations of seafarers.
"Most laughed at these stories," Cassia continued."Called them drunken dreams.Then ten years pass.Ships are lost, but most think it is due to storms.Violent weather.Until Porpoise Cay—an island that stood since time before counting—vanished in night.Not washed away by the storm.Not sunk by earthquake.Gone."Her fingers spread, then closed into a tight fist."Nothing left but empty water where land had been."
She turned to face Thalia directly, her gray eyes intense."Deep Ones are ancient.Older than isles, older than whales, older perhaps than land itself.They dwell in darkest trenches, where light never touches.They have form, yet no form—shadow given life, darkness that moves with purpose."Her voice took on a rhythmic quality, as if reciting something learned by heart."Their magic is storm beyond storm—hurricanes that do not dissipate, lightning that burns sea itself, waves tall as mountains that come not from wind but from will."
Thalia swallowed hard, trying to picture such entities."And they...eat islands?"
"Yes."Cassia nodded gravely."They hunger always.When they rise, they bring a storm that drowns the land.Then they feed on what remains—rock, soil, every living thing."Her gaze returned to the horizon."When storms clear, nothing remains.Not debris, not bodies, not smallest pebble from highest peak.All consumed."
The ocean suddenly seemed different to Thalia—no longer merely a vast expanse of water, but a veil concealing unfathomable threats.She found herself scanning the waves involuntarily, searching for disturbances that might indicate something moving in the depths below.The beautiful sunrise colors faded in her perception, replaced by an awareness of the darkness beneath, the unknowable void where ancient horrors might dwell.
"How do you fight such things?"she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Fight?"Cassia gave a short, harsh laugh."One does not fight tide or earthquake.One survives, if lucky."She gestured to the fortress around them."Why do you think we build a fortress on whales, not islands?Whales can flee.Islands cannot."
The silence that followed felt heavy with implications.Thalia thought of the documents they had found in Verdant Port, the desperate Warden search for specific bloodlines, the references to Frostforge as an "anchor point" against the Deep Tide.
If what Cassia said was true, the century of conflict between the mainland and the Isle Wardens had been merely the visible surface of a deeper, more terrifying struggle—a desperate attempt by one people to survive an existential threat by claiming resources from another.
"Your friend, Roran, the lost one," Cassia said, breaking into Thalia's thoughts, "he looked at me with hate yesterday.The Northern woman too."She sighed, a sound heavy with weariness."This hate has reason."
Thalia hesitated, then decided on honesty."Yes, it does," she agreed."Your people have committed terrible atrocities against the mainland.They've burned villages, kidnapped children, enslaved entire cities."She found herself unable to keep the anger out of her voice."My home—Verdant Port—was turned into a prison camp.My mother and sister nearly starved during the occupation."
Cassia winced, though her expression remained composed."We are at war," she said simply.
"War doesn't justify what was done to innocents," Thalia countered, anger flaring."War doesn't make it acceptable to sort people like cattle, to separate families, to treat humans as resources to be harvested."
"No," Cassia agreed, surprising Thalia with her candor."It does not make right.But fear makes monsters of all people, yes?When drowning, even most gentle soul will push others down to breathe."
The captain's gaze swept the endless horizon, something like sorrow shadowing her weathered features."I do not defend actions of my people.Some choose cruelty when kindness might serve better.Some find joy in power over others."She shook her head."This is true of all peoples, in all lands."
Thalia couldn't argue with that truth.She had seen enough of humanity's capacity for cruelty at Frostforge—the Northern students' disdain for Southerners, the instructors' willingness to sentence Roran to death for the crime of his birth, Maven's betrayal that had nearly destroyed the academy itself.
"I want to help," Thalia said finally, the words feeling strange on her tongue."I want to help your people—these civilians, this fortress-whale.Find safe harbor somewhere."She met Cassia's gaze steadily."But I cannot and will not align myself with those who have committed atrocities against my people.I need to be clear about that."
To her surprise, Cassia laughed—a genuine sound that crinkled the corners of her eyes."I have never set foot on mainland," she said."Never raided coast, never taken captive, never burned village.This fortress-whale patrols deep waters, far from your shores."Her expression sobered."I cannot speak for actions of all Wardens, just as you cannot answer for all mainlanders."
The distinction eased something in Thalia's chest.She could help these specific people without betraying her own moral compass, without excusing the broader pattern of Warden aggression against the mainland.
"Are your people so wary of all Isle Wardens?"Cassia asked suddenly, her gaze sharp with curiosity."Or only those who raid?"
"Frostforge was built to defend against Warden attacks," Thalia answered carefully."Its purpose has always been protection of the mainland."
"And your friend, the storm-caller?Are the ice-wielders wary of him also?"The question cut straight to a truth Thalia had been avoiding.
She didn't respond, unwilling to admit that the academy she had sworn to serve would have executed Roran for nothing more than the blood in his veins, the magic that it carried.Her silence seemed answer enough for Cassia, whose lips pressed into a thin line of understanding.
The sound of footsteps on stone saved Thalia from further uncomfortable questions.She turned to see Roran and Ashe approaching along the rampart, their expressions guarded as they took in her proximity to the Warden captain.
Roran's eyes were shadowed with fatigue, his curls even wilder than usual after sleep.Ashe moved with the coiled readiness of a predator entering unfamiliar territory, her gaze constantly scanning for threats despite the apparent peace.
"Good morning," Thalia called, genuine relief in her voice.Despite the civility of her conversation with Cassia, the arrival of her companions felt like reinforcement, like solid ground in shifting sand.
As they drew closer, Thalia made a decision.The night's rest had cleared her mind, allowing her to see a path forward that might serve all their interests—the mission they had been sent on, the safety of the fortress-whale's civilians, and perhaps even a step toward understanding between peoples who had known only conflict for generations.
"I have an idea," she said, looking between her companions and Captain Cassia."The fjord at Frostforge—the water there is deep enough to accommodate a fortress-whale."She gestured to the structure beneath their feet, to the leviathan that carried it through waters too deep for ordinary vessels."We could bring you there.All of you."
Ashe's eyebrows rose sharply, while Roran's expression shifted to one of calculation, already working through the implications.
