Page 57

He'd left two hours ago, reluctantly, after she'd insisted she could finish the tempering process on her own.

"Don't stay too late," he'd warned, pausing at the heavy wooden door."You need rest before the trial."

Now, alone with her thoughts and the half-formed weapon, Thalia found herself wondering if she'd made the right choice focusing so heavily on metallurgy.While her skills with the forge had improved dramatically, her cryomancy remained rudimentary at best.During their last class, she'd managed to create a thin sheet of ice across the surface of a water basin — an accomplishment that had earned her a rare nod of acknowledgment from the instructor but would hardly protect her from a rampaging golem.

She withdrew the blade from the forge when it reached the correct temperature, laying it carefully on the anvil.With practiced movements, she began hammering the edge, each strike precise and measured.The metal sang under her hammer, a clear, ringing tone that echoed through the empty forge.

And then — a discordant note.Not from her hammer, but from somewhere behind her.The subtle shift of weight on stone.The whisper of fabric against leather.

Someone was watching her.

Thalia didn't turn immediately.Her grip tightened on her hammer as she continued working, her senses heightened.There were no scheduled late-night forge sessions aside from hers.Kaine wouldn't have returned without announcing himself.Which meant her visitor was either lost — unlikely given the hour — or had sought her out specifically.

"I know you're there," she said finally, setting down her hammer and turning slowly.

Senna stood several yards away, her tall frame outlined against the darker shadows of the forge's entrance.The glowing coals painted her pale features in shades of orange and red, transforming her face into something otherworldly and predatory.Her silver-gray eyes reflected the firelight like mirrors, giving no hint of the thoughts behind them.

"Burning the midnight oil?"Senna asked, her voice deceptively casual as she stepped closer.Each footfall was deliberate, measured, like a predator stalking prey."How dedicated."

Thalia wiped her hands on her leather apron, acutely aware of the isolation of their surroundings.The nearest occupied room would be at least two corridors away.Even if she shouted, it was unlikely anyone would hear her over the constant wind that gave the Howling Forge its name.

"I need to finish this before the trial," Thalia said, keeping her voice neutral."What brings you here so late, Senna?"

Senna's lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes."Curiosity," she said, running her fingers along a workbench as she circled closer."I wanted to see what keeps pulling Kaine back to these forges night after night."

Her gaze fell to the blade on the anvil, examining it with expert assessment."Your technique is improving," she conceded, "but your grip on the hammer is still too tight.It'll affect the balance of the blade."She looked up, meeting Thalia's eyes directly."Kaine's influence, no doubt.He always favors control over impact."

The possessive way Senna spoke his name made Thalia's skin crawl.There was an intimacy to it, as if she were laying claim to him with each syllable.

"Kaine has been generous enough to share his expertise," Thalia said carefully."As have several of the second-years."

Senna moved closer, and Thalia resisted the urge to step back.Showing fear would only encourage Senna's aggression.

"Did he tell you about us?"Senna asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous purr."About the nights we’ve spent together?About the promises we’ve made to each other?"

Thalia maintained her neutral expression despite the unexpected twist in her stomach.Kaine had never mentioned a relationship with Senna, but then, why would he?Their own connection, whatever it was, remained unspoken, defined more by shared silences and the brush of fingers over heated metal than by any declarations.

"Kaine's past is his business," Thalia said."As are his relationships."

Senna's laugh was sharp and cold."So diplomatic.But you're not a diplomat, are you?Just a Southern slum-dweller who somehow caught the eye of a man too good for her."

The insult stung, but Thalia had heard worse growing up in the poorest district of Verdant Port.She turned back to her blade, lifting it with the tongs and examining its edge in a deliberate dismissal.“It’s none of your business what I do – or what Kaine does.”

The air temperature dropped several degrees.Thalia felt the hair on her arms rise as Senna's magic manifested — not in an outright attack, but in a display of power that frosted the nearest workbench and sent plumes of condensation curling from her lips when she next spoke.

"You mistake my concern for jealousy," Senna said, her voice now rimmed with ice."I'm trying to protect you.The Frost Walk is dangerous, you know.Even for those with strong cryomancy skills and years of training in the North – and you have neither advantage."

Thalia kept her attention on the blade, but her spine stiffened.

"That little pocket knife won't save you if luck isn’t on your side,” Senna murmured.“Accidents happen in the Golem Fields all the time."

The threat was thinly veiled, and Thalia felt a cold that had nothing to do with Senna's magic settle in her chest.She set the blade down carefully, turning to face the older girl once more.

"Is that what you're planning?"Thalia asked, surprising herself with the steadiness of her voice."An accident?"

Senna's eyes widened fractionally — surprise, perhaps, at Thalia's directness — before her expression settled back into calculated menace."Planning?No.Merely observing that those who interfere with natural bonds often find themselves facing natural consequences."

She stepped closer, close enough that Thalia could see the fine tracery of scars along her jawline — marks from past battles or training accidents, worn like badges of honor.They marred her otherwise smooth skin.