"I thought Wolfe only sent for Ashe," he said, plunging the half-formed blade into a bath of solution that hissed and steamed."As a witness."
The unspoken question hung in the air between them.Thalia felt Luna shift closer behind her, a silent reminder of her friend's presence.The heat of the forge pressed against her skin, making her own hesitation feel more pronounced.
"She did," Thalia finally said.
Kaine wiped his hands on a rag tucked into his belt, his eyes narrowing."Then why are you here?"He glanced at Luna before returning his attention to Thalia."Both of you."
Thalia opened her mouth, then closed it.The truth, she'd found, often lodged in her throat like a shard of ice-metal—painful to hold in, dangerous to release.But this was Kaine.Whatever had passed between them in their years at Frostforge, whatever unresolved tension still lingered, she couldn't lie to him.
"We left our post," she admitted, the words falling between them like dropped daggers.
Kaine's expression darkened.His shoulders stiffened as though bracing for impact.The rag in his hands twisted as his fingers tightened.
"You—" He cut himself off, exhaling sharply through his nose.He lowered his voice, though the roar of the forge fires would have swallowed any eavesdropper's attempts to listen."You shouldn't have done that.Do you know what the punishments can be for desertion?"
His concern struck her as both touching and irritating.She didn’t know the specifics of the punishment she would face, but she had considered the possibilities, measured each of them against Roran's life, and made her choice.
"Nothing as bad as the punishment Roran might face for saving all of our skins," Thalia countered, her voice steadier than she felt."Nothing is as permanent as execution."
Kaine turned away, returning to his anvil.He picked up the half-formed blade and examined it, though Thalia suspected he wasn't truly seeing it.His jaw worked silently, chewing on unspoken words.
"I wish you wouldn't take risks like this," he said finally, his voice almost lost beneath the constant rumble of the forge."Not for him.Not for anyone."
Not even for you?The question rose unbidden in her mind, but she pushed it away.
Thalia stepped closer, feeling the heat from the anvil against her legs."I had to," she said, firm but weary.
Kaine's jaw worked as if chewing on unsaid words.His eyes flicked away, but Thalia knew what he was thinking: they had risked everything for a hopeless cause.The weight of his unspoken disapproval hung between them like smoke.
Luna cleared her throat."At least we're not the only ones who made the journey," she offered."Brynn came, too.She's gone to see Instructor Marr about her ranking."
"Of course she has," Kaine muttered, returning to his work.The hammer came down harder than necessary, sending a spray of sparks across the workbench.
Thalia decided to steer them away from the subject before his restraint broke."What are you working on?"she asked, forcing a lighter tone as she examined the blade on Kaine's anvil.
His answer came after a beat of silence, still tinged with unspoken disapproval."Military commissions, mostly.Nothing interesting."
"Nothing interesting?"Thalia raised an eyebrow."Coming from you, that's hard to believe."
A reluctant half-smile tugged at the corner of his mouth."I spend the entire day down here, as always," he said, setting aside his hammer."But I've had precious little time for my usual projects.The military needs weapons, not experiments.So I make what I know works."
The familiar topic eased some of the tension between them.This was safer ground—the shared language of metal and magic that had first drawn them together years ago.
"Can I see what you've made recently?"she asked.
Kaine hesitated, then gestured for her to follow him over to the weapons racks that lined the far wall of the forge.Despite his frustration with Thalia's risk-taking, he couldn't help but indulge in their shared interest in metallurgy.Luna trailed behind them, her eyes darting around the forge, taking in every detail with her characteristic quiet attentiveness.
The Howling Forge stretched deep into the mountain beneath Frostforge Academy, a vast cavern of fire and shadow.Great pillars of stone supported the ceiling, some natural, others carved by generations of smiths.Between them, forge fires blazed in carefully constructed pits, their heat rising through the network of vents.
Apprentices and journeymen worked at various stations, their faces glistening with sweat, their hands moving with practiced precision.The air smelled of hot metal, coal, and the strange, sharp tang of ice-metal alloys—a scent unique to Frostforge, where the ancient arts of metallurgy met the newer sciences of cryomancy.
Kaine led them to a rack near his workstation, where several completed pieces awaited delivery.He lifted an ice-steel shield from its mount and handed it to Thalia.
"Copies of a design I perfected two years ago," he explained, his voice taking on the measured cadence he always used when discussing his craft."Nothing revolutionary, but they're reliable."
Thalia turned the shield in her hands, feeling its perfect balance.The metal was cool to the touch despite the forge's heat—a mark of a proper ice-steel alloy.She traced the runes etched along its rim with her fingertip, feeling the latent magic respond to her touch.
“Oh, I remember these ones.They’re enchanted," she observed, recognizing the patterns."To heighten their cryomantic potential."
