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Meanwhile, Ashe had scrambled up the back of the construct, her ice-pick raised high.With a shout, she drove it down into the creature's core — the pulsing center where its magical energy was most concentrated.The golem jerked violently, nearly throwing her off, but she clung to its frame, twisting the pick deeper.

Kaine disengaged from the hammer-arm and rolled clear, coming up in a fighting stance with his sword at the ready.But it wasn't necessary.The golem's movements were already becoming more sluggish, the light at its core flickering erratically.

With a final, convulsive shudder, the construct froze in place.Cracks spread across its frame like a spiderweb, and then, all at once, it shattered — collapsing into a heap of broken metal and ice fragments.Ashe leaped clear at the last moment, landing in a crouch nearby.

For a moment, no one moved.The only sounds were their heavy breathing and the constant moan of the wind.Then Ashe straightened, brushing ice crystals from her coat.

"Is she alive?"she asked, nodding toward Brynn.

Thalia checked Brynn's pulse, rapid but present."Yes, just unconscious.She needs a healer."

"We need to get back to Frostforge," Kaine said, sheathing his sword and moving to examine Brynn's injuries.His face was grim."We can't carry her through this terrain, not with the weather worsening."

Thalia looked around desperately, her gaze falling on the scattered herbs that had spilled when she'd rushed to save Brynn.Many were crushed or lost in the snow.She began gathering what she could, her movements frantic.

Ashe watched her for a moment, then sighed heavily."You should have left her.We need those herbs."

"And become the kind of person who lets someone die when I could have helped?"Thalia shot back, more sharply than she'd intended."Is that what Frostforge is supposed to teach us?"

Ashe's expression remained hard, but something flickered in her eyes.After a moment, she knelt and began helping Thalia collect the salvageable herbs."You're too soft for this place," she said quietly.

Kaine had moved to examine the remains of the golem, pulling out several pieces of flat metal from its collapsed frame."We can make a sled," he said, returning with the largest pieces."It won't be comfortable, but it'll get her back."

Together, they fashioned a crude but functional sled from the golem's remains.Kaine and Ashe used ice-picks to punch holes in the metal plates, then threaded rope through to bind them together.Thalia contributed strips torn from her undershirt to pad the makeshift transport and secure Brynn's broken leg as best she could.

As they worked, the sky darkened further, the snow falling more heavily around them.Time was running out; if they didn't start back soon, they'd be caught in the full force of the blizzard.

"That's as good as it's going to get," Kaine said finally, standing back to examine their work."Let's move."

They carefully lifted Brynn onto the sled, securing her with the remaining rope.She stirred at the movement, her eyes fluttering open.Despite the pain that must have been coursing through her, she focused immediately on Thalia.

"Why?"she rasped, her voice barely audible above the wind."Why didn't you leave me?"

Thalia met her gaze steadily, feeling the weight of the herbs against her chest — less than half what they'd come for, but still something.Perhaps enough to make a difference.

"Because you're one of us," she replied simply."And I'm not a monster."

Something flickered across Brynn's face — confusion, perhaps, or disbelief.Then, almost imperceptibly, she nodded before her eyes drifted closed again.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Thalia counted the empty seats in the dining hall, marking each one in her mental tally of the sick and bedridden.Twenty-three missing today — five more than yesterday.The grand hall, once alive with the clatter of cutlery and boisterous conversation, now held a subdued atmosphere, punctuated by occasional coughing fits and the scrape of utensils against nearly empty plates.As the winter deepened outside Frostforge's ancient walls, so too did the pallor of its inhabitants, their faces growing gaunt with hunger and exhaustion.

Three weeks had passed since the announcement of the supply line disruptions, and conditions at the academy had deteriorated with alarming speed.The healers' wing overflowed with students suffering from a persistent respiratory illness that spread through the dormitories like wildfire.Those still healthy enough to attend classes moved through the halls like ghosts, conserving energy, speaking in hushed tones as if volume itself was a luxury they could no longer afford.

As Thalia’s gaze moved through the hall, taking stock of those still standing, her eyes landed on Brynn.They made brief eye contact; Brynn turned her gaze down to her bowl, a scowl on her face.

Despite her injury in the Golem Fields, Brynn was among those who still dragged themselves to training each day.She had suffered a concussion and a bruised rib in the attack, and had faced the healers’ wrath with a stiff silence.Frostforge’s administration didn’t much care whether students put themselves in danger; if they were killed by their own foolishness, it was considered a lesson to the rest.But the healers were bound by different oaths.Only Thalia’s offering of the gathered smokeneedle had softened their scolding.

The healers had warned Brynn to rest, but with the Frost Walk trial approaching, there was little time for recuperation.Every student still upright was pushing themselves harder, trying to prepare for a journey that demanded strength few of them still had.The academy didn't wait for the sick or the injured.It didn’t care about bruised ribs or hollow cheeks or the rattle in one’s lungs.

Thalia stirred her thin porridge, stretching the meager breakfast as long as possible.The pale gruel contained flecks of something unidentifiable — bark, perhaps, or some other filler the kitchen staff had added to create the illusion of substance.Her stomach growled, unsatisfied with what little she'd managed to consume.She'd given half her portion to an ashen-faced first-year from the Southern Kingdoms whose fever had broken only yesterday.

"Drink the water, too," she had instructed, pressing the cup into his trembling hands."It's steeped with pine needle extract.Not exactly delicious, but it'll help keep the lung sickness at bay."

Now, seated with Luna and Ashe, she watched the doors to the dining hall, counting familiar faces as they straggled in.Roran entered, his normally energetic stride reduced to a careful walk.His eyes brightened when he spotted her, and he made his way toward their table.

"Morning," he said, lowering himself onto the bench beside Luna.His voice was hoarse, but his expression remained determined."Or what passes for morning in this frozen pit."