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Thalia felt a surge of satisfaction.The trap was set, and Senna had walked right into it.

"I never said anything about my blade," Thalia replied, her voice soft but cutting."But it's interesting that you know the precise details of the sabotage."

The flicker in Senna's eyes — there and gone in an instant — told Thalia everything she needed to know.Senna's knuckles whitened around the dagger's hilt.

Thalia stepped closer, close enough now to see the tiny scar above Senna's left eyebrow."I don't know what you did to it, but I know that my metallurgy was flawless.Do you want to know how I know?"

Senna's jaw clenched, but she remained silent, a dangerous stillness settling over her.

"Because Kaine told me it was."

Senna's nostrils flared, her composure cracking just enough for Thalia to see the possessive rage beneath.The Northern girl’s gaze burned into her back as she walked away, but refused to give her the satisfaction of looking back.

Thalia's hands shook only after she turned the corner, the adrenaline finally breaking through her carefully maintained composure.She leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, processing what had just happened.She had confronted Senna — had all but confirmed the second-year student had tried to kill her — and walked away unscathed.

For now.

The realization that she'd made a dangerous enemy was tempered by the certainty that remaining silent would have been even more dangerous.Senna would try again, but now she knew that Thalia wasn't the easy target she'd imagined.

The funeral pyre would be ash by now, the dead committed to memory and warning.Thalia pushed away from the wall, straightening her shoulders.

She had survived the Frost Walk.

She had survived Senna's sabotage.

She would survive whatever came next.

***

The main hall hummed with nervous energy, students arranged in neat rows by year, their breaths collectively held as Instructor Maven unrolled the scroll containing the year’s final rankings.Thalia stood with the other first-years, her hands clasped behind her back to hide their slight trembling.She had survived, yes, but survival alone didn't determine one's standing at Frostforge.Performance, skill, adaptability — all would factor into where her name appeared on that list.And at Frostforge, rankings weren't merely a matter of pride; they determined everything from training opportunities in the coming term to placements within the war effort upon graduation.Higher-ranked recruits became higher-ranked officers.

The great hearth at the end of the hall crackled with blue-tinged flames, the only sound breaking the tense silence.Light from the high windows cast long, pale rectangles across the stone floor, illuminating the frost patterns that never fully melted, even indoors.Maven’s single amber eye swept across the assembled students, lingering briefly on the gaps in formation where the fallen would have stood.

"First-years," Maven began, her voice echoing in the cavernous space."Ranked first: Brynn Firstborn."

No surprise rippled through the assembly.Brynn's position at the top had been as certain as the ice on Rimspire Peak.Brynn stepped forward to receive the silver pin that marked her rank.Her face betrayed no emotion, save for the slight lift of her chin.

Maven continued down the list.The second position went to a Northern student Thalia barely recognized.The third went to Roran, which sent a wave of whispers through the ranks.

"Ranked fourth: Thalia Greenspire."

The sound of her name jolted Thalia from her thoughts.Fourth?She had expected perhaps tenth, maybe eighth at best.Not fourth in her entire year.Her feet carried her forward automatically while her mind raced.Around her, she heard the slight intake of breath from several students — surprise, perhaps respect, possibly resentment.

As Maven pinned the silver emblem to her collar, a stylized number four overlaid on the academy's crest, Thalia caught the instructor's eye.Was that the faintest hint of approval in that amber gaze?No, impossible.Maven had made it clear from the beginning that she considered Southern students inferior, and had treated Thalia with open hostility.

Thalia's gaze drifted across the hall as Maven continued through the rankings.She found Ashe ranked eleventh.Luna placed thirty-third — deliberately underperforming, Thalia suspected, to maintain her facade of mediocrity.

Thalia met Brynn’s gaze and offered a slight nod.To her surprise, Brynn returned it, the barest movement, before turning her attention back to Maven, who had finished the first-year rankings and moved on to the second-years.

Kaine placed third among the second-years, his jaw tight as he accepted his pin from Maven.Senna ranked fifth, her silver-gray eyes flashing with barely concealed fury as she glared at the student who stood between her and Kaine.

When the rankings were complete and all pins distributed, Maven rolled her scroll with practiced precision."And now, news that will please even those of you at the bottom of these lists."Her voice carried a rare note of satisfaction."The Isle Warden blockades have been circumvented.Supply ships broke through three days ago."

A collective exhale swept through the hall, followed by murmurs of relief.The last weeks of limited rations and dwindling resources had taken their toll on everyone.

"This means," Maven continued, raising her voice over the growing chatter, "that you will all be permitted to return home for the break — those of you who wish to do so.Transport ships will depart in three days.Those staying at Frostforge must register with the administrative office by tomorrow evening."

The formal dismissal that followed released a flood of excited conversation.Students broke formation, clustering in animated groups.Thalia found herself surrounded by her friends, Luna's mask dropping the moment they were in relative privacy.