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The instructor's pale eyes narrowed slightly."All damaged equipment is evaluated.If salvageable, it will be returned to the forges for repair or recycling.If not..."He shrugged, the gesture eloquent in its dismissal.

Left with no choice that wouldn't draw unwanted attention, Thalia surrendered the blade.The instructor examined the break with a practiced eye, his expression revealing nothing as he placed it in a sack with other damaged weapons and moved on.

Thalia settled against the rough stone wall of the cave, cradling her mug of medicinal tea between bandaged hands.The warmth seeped into her palms, a welcome contrast to the chill that had nearly claimed her life.Steam rose from the dark liquid, carrying the scent of herbs she recognized from her mother's shop — white willow bark for pain, ginger root for circulation, and something else, something native to the Reaches that she couldn't identify.

Luna appeared at her side, moving with the quiet grace that belied her carefully constructed persona of distraction and forgetfulness.She slid down the wall to sit beside Thalia, her own mug cradled in hands that bore similar bandages.

"So," Luna said, voice pitched low enough that only Thalia could hear."You wanted to tell me something?"

Thalia glanced around, ensuring no one was paying them undue attention.Most students were focused on their own recovery, too exhausted to eavesdrop.Still, she kept her voice quiet as she set her mug down and reached for her pack.

"Look at this," she said, showing Luna the tear inside the pack where her spare gloves should have been."My backup equipment was damaged before I ever left.And the blade — the one they just took — it shattered on first contact with an ice-metal construct."She met Luna's eyes, her own hard with certainty."That was deliberate weakening."

Luna touched the tear in the pack, her expression calculating."When did you last check your equipment?"

"The night before the Frost Walk.Everything was intact then."Thalia leaned closer."And Senna approached me in the forge while I was working on that blade.She warned me to stay away from Kaine.Said something bad might happen to me during the Frost Walk if I didn't."

Luna's lips thinned."And then something bad conveniently happened."

"Exactly."Thalia took a sip of her tea, grimacing at the bitter aftertaste."I have no proof beyond timing and motive, but I'm certain it was her."

Luna nodded slowly."It makes sense.The saboteur has targeted you more than anyone else, and Senna has made her hatred for you clear since you started spending time with Kaine.She’s also a Northerner."She tucked a loose dreadlock behind her ear, her dark eyes thoughtful."What are you planning to do?"

Thalia hesitated."I wasn't going to report her.Not yet."

"Good," Luna said with surprising vehemence."Reporting her would be futile and would only escalate the situation."She leaned back against the cave wall, her expression distant as she calculated possibilities."She wouldn't face any trouble, since you have no proof.But it would paint more of a target on your back."

Thalia's stomach tightened at Luna's matter-of-fact assessment."So what do I do?Wait for her to try again?"

Luna's lips curved in a smile that held little warmth."We keep a low profile while gathering evidence.And more importantly," she added, her voice dropping even lower, "we make allies.Power's not just about strength.It's about who owes you favors."

The practical wisdom in Luna's words resonated with Thalia.It reminded her of the careful social navigation her mother had taught her — how to remember which sailor preferred which herb, which merchant might extend credit during lean times, which dock master could be persuaded to look the other way when they gathered seaweed from restricted areas.Survival wasn't always about confrontation.Sometimes, it was about knowing when to fight and when to build support for the battles that mattered.

Thalia reflected on the allies she'd already made at Frostforge.Luna, with her sharp mind and carefully cultivated connections.Ashe, whose Northern upbringing gave her insights into surviving in this harsh environment.Kaine, who had been steadfast and generous with his skills, even if his company had proven dangerous after all – though not in the way she’d expected.Roran, whose storm magic and inexplicable knowledge might prove valuable.And now, perhaps, a tentative understanding with Brynn — not friendship, but a mutual respect born from shared survival.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Ashe approached, limping slightly but moving with determination.Fresh bandages wrapped her right calf, and a salve glistened on her bruised cheekbone.Without asking permission, she lowered herself to sit on Thalia's other side.

"That," Ashe said, "was worse than my clan's coming-of-age trial."

Roran joined them moments later, his arm properly splinted now and secured in a sling.Despite his injury, his characteristic good humor seemed intact."Room for one more in this gathering of the not-quite-dead?"he asked, settling across from them with his back against a low boulder.

"Always room for another survivor," Luna replied, her airy, vacant expression slipping into place so smoothly that Thalia might have missed the transition if she hadn't been watching.

The four of them formed a small circle, separate from the larger groups of students huddled around the fires.In the dancing shadows cast by the flames, Thalia studied her companions' faces.Each bore the marks of their ordeal — cuts, bruises, the lingering hollowness of exhaustion — but also a newfound hardness, the beginning of the transformation that Frostforge demanded of its students.

"Heard about your blade," Roran said to Thalia, his voice low."Bad luck, that."

Thalia met his gaze steadily."Not luck," she replied, keeping her voice neutral.

Understanding dawned in his eyes, quickly followed by anger on her behalf."The same person who's been messing with Southern students' equipment?"

"Most likely," Luna said before Thalia could respond."But we're being careful about accusations without proof."

Ashe frowned, leaning forward."Someone deliberately sabotaged you during the Frost Walk?"The Northern girl's hand moved to the knife at her belt, a reflexive gesture."That goes beyond competition.That's attempted murder."

"Welcome to Frostforge," Thalia murmured.

The conversation shifted to comparing experiences during the trial, each sharing the challenges they'd faced and how they'd overcome them.Thalia listened more than she spoke, gathering information, noting strengths and weaknesses, building a mental map of how they might work together in the future.