Page 10

The hallway was dimly lit by the same blue-flame torches spaced at irregular intervals along the stone walls.The cold was even more pronounced here, and Thalia's breath fogged before her face as she peered out.Several other students had also emerged from their rooms, sleepy-eyed and confused, forming a loose semicircle around the source of the disturbance.

In the center of the gathering stood Brynn Firstborn, her dark hair wild around her face, eyes flashing with fury.She was dressed in a nightshirt that looked significantly warmer than anything Thalia owned, but her feet were bare against the stone floor.Either her anger was keeping her warm, or she was too furious to notice the cold.

Across from her, backed against the wall beside an open doorway, was a girl Thalia vaguely recognized from their journey to the academy — slight of build with light brown skin and close-cropped black hair.The girl's eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and defiance.

"I said I was sorry," the girl protested, her accent marking her as clearly from the southernmost provinces."I can't control what I say in my sleep!"

"Sorry doesn't help when your constant muttering keeps me awake all night," Brynn snapped, taking another step toward the girl."How am I supposed to excel here if I can't even get proper rest?Because some market-district nobody can't shut up?"

The girl flinched at the insult but didn't back down further."I'm not from the market district," she said, chin lifting slightly."My father is a shipwright in —"

"I don't care if your father builds boats for the king himself," Brynn cut her off."You're still Southern gutter trash who doesn't belong here."

A ripple of whispers passed through the onlookers.Thalia felt a surge of indignation on the girl's behalf.The hypocrisy was staggering — Brynn herself was from the South, though clearly from a far wealthier background than most.

"You’re a Southerner, too," the roommate retorted, finding courage."Does that make you gutter trash?"

Brynn's face contorted with rage.She lunged forward, grabbing the front of the girl's nightshirt and slamming her back against the wall.The solid thud of body against stone echoed in the corridor.

"I earned my place here," Brynn hissed, her face inches from her roommate's."I volunteered to be here.I’ve trained harder than anyone, even the most well-prepared Northerner."She released the girl with a shove."But you?You'll be dead before midwinter.The Reaches will freeze your blood right in your veins."

The hallway had gone deadly quiet.No one moved to intervene, not even the older students who had poked their heads out to observe the commotion.Thalia realized with a sinking feeling that this was how things worked at Frostforge — conflicts were left to resolve themselves, no matter how ugly.

"You should watch your back," Brynn continued, her voice dropping to a menacing whisper that nonetheless carried in the silent corridor."And if you talk in your sleep again, I'll make sure you never wake up."

The girl's eyes widened, but she remained silent.

Brynn wasn't finished.She stepped back, her posture relaxing into something almost casual, which somehow made her next words even more chilling."When you die — and you will die here—I'll gladly take the furs from your bunk.Maybe even your boots, if they're not too poorly made."Her gaze swept across the gathered students."That goes for all of you slum-dweller weaklings.You're just resources waiting to be redistributed."

Thalia stiffened as Brynn’s gaze met hers.The noble girl’s lip curled.

Brynn’s roommate finally found her voice again."You're insane," she whispered.

"No," Brynn replied with terrifying calm."I'm a survivor.There's a difference."She turned on her heel and stalked back toward her room, pausing at the threshold to deliver one final warning."Find somewhere else to sleep, or learn to keep quiet.Those are your options."

With that, she disappeared inside, slamming the door.

For a moment, no one moved.Then, gradually, the other students began retreating to their rooms, conversations resuming in hushed whispers.Brynn’s roommate remained against the wall, her face a mask of anger and humiliation.No one offered her help or comfort.Eventually, she too disappeared, not back into her shared room with Brynn but further down the hallway, presumably seeking alternative sleeping arrangements for the night.

Thalia stood frozen, the implications of what she'd just witnessed sinking into her bones more deeply than the cold.Maven's warnings hadn't been exaggerations or intimidation tactics.Death was a real possibility here, and some students, like Brynn, seemed to be counting on it.

"Come on," Ashe murmured, gently tugging at Thalia's elbow."This isn't our business."

Numbly, Thalia allowed herself to be guided back into their room.Luna was sitting up now, her blanket wrapped around her shoulders, eyes alert in the dim light.

"Sounds like Brynn Firstborn is making friends already," Luna commented.

Ashe closed the door with a quiet click."I know her type.We have them in the Reaches as well.A piece of work," she muttered, returning to her cot."Born with a silver spoon but acts like she clawed her way up from nothing."

Thalia climbed back into her own bed and pulled the thin blanket around herself.The cold felt even more penetrating now, as if Brynn's threats had somehow lowered the temperature further.

Sleep eluded Thalia.She lay awake, staring at the stone ceiling, replaying Brynn's words in her mind.When you die — and you will die here — I'll gladly take the furs from your bunk.

She had known Frostforge would be dangerous.She had prepared herself for hardship, for challenging training, even for the possibility of failure.But the casual cruelty she'd just witnessed, the way the other students had watched without intervention, the clear expectation that some of them wouldn't survive was a different kind of danger than she had imagined.

In Verdant Port, poverty had been her enemy.She had expected that struggle to take a different shape here, but it seemed that her social status had traveled with her to Frostforge and taken on new dimensions.

Thalia curled tighter beneath her blanket, trying to conserve what little warmth she could.She thought of her mother and sister, safe in their small home near the market district.They would be warm tonight.They would be safe.That had been the point of her coming here — to ensure their safety, their future.And, if she could, she would return to them in one piece.