"Be careful out there," Kaine added, his voice dropping lower."The new refugees from the North...they're bringing stories with them.Rumors about Southern betrayal, about Warden collaborators within Frostforge."He hesitated, then touched her arm briefly."Watch your back."
Before she could respond, a sharp voice cut through the hall's general clamor."Foraging group six, assemble at the lower gate in five minutes!Bring appropriate gear for the weather!"
Thalia offered Kaine a quick nod—acknowledgment of both his warning and the unspoken connection between them—then turned toward the equipment alcove to collect the tools needed for her assigned task.Her fingers found a pair of harvesting knives, their edges dulled from constant use but still serviceable.She tucked them into her belt alongside a folding spade and collection sacks, mentally cataloging which winter plants might still be found this late in the season.
At the lower gate, she found her assigned group already gathered.Three Northern refugees huddled together, their faces bearing the hollow look of those who had witnessed horrors they could neither fully process nor articulate.Their clothing, once fine by Northern standards, showed signs of desperate flight—tears hastily mended, stains that refused to lift, hems frayed from hard travel.They eyed Thalia with the wary distrust that had become standard when Northerners encountered Southerners within Frostforge's walls.
Standing slightly apart from them was Felah, her slight frame seemingly diminished further by the bulky winter clothing she wore.Her dark skin contrasted sharply with the white fur trim of her hood, her short curls barely visible beneath it.She offered Thalia a small smile of recognition tinged with obvious relief at seeing a familiar face.
Thalia turned to address the entire group."My name is Thalia.I'll be leading today's foraging expedition.We'll be focusing on the pine forest along the eastern edge of the fjord, looking for winter mushrooms, pine nuts, and any remaining berries that might have survived the frost."
One of the Northern men—tall and broad-shouldered with a beard streaked prematurely with gray—gave a derisive snort."Following a Southerner into the wilderness.Perfect."
Thalia met his gaze evenly, refusing to rise to the bait."This fjord isn't wilderness to me.I've spent five years learning every inch of the terrain around Frostforge."She gestured toward the gate."Unless you'd prefer to lead?"
The man glanced away, his silence answer enough.Thalia nodded once, then pushed through the heavy door that led to the switchback path descending from Frostforge's elevated position to the valley below.The chill air struck her face like a physical blow, carrying the sharp scent of pine and the more subtle, troubling undertone of saltwater from the fjord.
The group fell into single file as they navigated the narrow path, ice crunching beneath their boots.No one spoke, conserving breath for the demanding descent.When they reached the valley floor, the pines rose around them like silent sentinels, their branches heavy with snow that occasionally released its burden in soft plumes of white powder.
Thalia paused, orienting herself among the trees.The forest had changed in recent weeks.Normally abundant with life even in winter—squirrels chattering among the branches, birds calling to one another across clearings—now it stood unnaturally quiet.The wildlife had grown wary, hiding from the academy's hunting parties that had intensified their efforts as supplies dwindled.What few animal tracks she could spot in the snow were old, the impressions partially filled by recent dustings.
"We'll spread out," she instructed, pointing toward a stand of older pines."Felah, check the southern edge of that clearing—there were cloud-ear mushrooms growing on fallen logs there last time I came through.You three—" she addressed the Northerners, "—fan out toward the east.Look for disturbances in the snow where animals might have dug for pine nuts.Sometimes they leave caches we can harvest."
The Northern refugees moved off with visible reluctance, muttering among themselves in the guttural dialect of the upper Reaches.Thalia caught fragments that needed no translation—their disdain clear in both tone and the occasional glances thrown her way.
"They're frightened," Felah said quietly as they separated from the men."Everyone is.Fear makes people cruel."
Thalia nodded, though she found little comfort in the observation."Fear shouldn't make us stupid.Division is exactly what the Deep Ones want—or would want, if they were capable of wanting anything."
She knelt beside a fallen log, brushing away snow to examine the north-facing side where moisture gathered even in winter.A small cluster of withered mushrooms rewarded her search, their edges frost-damaged but the centers still viable.She harvested them carefully, placing them in one of the collection sacks at her belt.
The work fell into a rhythm—search, evaluate, harvest when possible, move on when not.The forest yielded its bounty grudgingly, as if aware of the darkness approaching and reluctant to sustain those who might soon join it.Thalia found herself stretching to reach bark higher on the trees, where the most nutritious inner layers might still be harvested, her earlier excitement about the hybrid blade gradually giving way to the practical demands of survival.
A voice rose from the eastern edge of their search area, sharp with complaint."There's nothing here!We've been at this for an hour and found barely enough to feed a child!"
Thalia straightened, her back protesting the movement after so long bent in examination of the forest floor.The Northern man with the gray-streaked beard stood with empty hands, his face flushed with cold and frustration.
"Winter foraging is always lean," she called back, keeping her voice neutral."But every bit helps."
"I haven't had a proper meal since we reached this damned fortress," he continued, stomping through the snow toward her."Half-portions of thin stew, bread that's more sawdust than grain.And now we're expected to survive on pinecones and frozen mushrooms?"
Thalia felt a flare of irritation despite her resolve to remain diplomatic."None of us are eating well," she pointed out, gesturing toward Felah who had emerged from the trees with a small collection of wizened berries."We're all hungry.We're all making sacrifices."
The man's face darkened."Some sacrifices are forced upon us by the incompetence of others," he spat."If the Southern port cities hadn't fallen so quickly, if they'd held the line against the Wardens and their black sorcery, we wouldn't be trapped here now."
Thalia clenched her jaw, biting back the angry retort that rose to her lips.Instead, she turned toward a nearby pine, its bark rough beneath her fingers as she worked her knife into a seam.With practiced movements, she peeled back a section to reveal the pale inner layer.
"Here," she said, offering the strip to the Northern man."The inner bark is edible.Bitter, but nutritious.It will help with hunger pangs until we return to the keep."
He stared at the offering as if she'd presented him with something foul."I'm not eating wood like some desperate animal."
"I thought Northerners prided themselves on being tougher than Southern folk," Thalia replied, unable to keep a sardonic edge from her voice."Capable of surviving anything the mountains throw at them."
The words left her mouth before she could reconsider, fatigue and frustration overwhelming her better judgment.She regretted them immediately as the man's face contorted with rage, his companions moving to flank him in a show of Northern solidarity.
"You dare mock us?"he growled, stepping close enough that she could smell the sourness of his breath."While we're forced to scrape by on meager resources because your people let the enemy walk right through your lands?While we share what little food remains with Isle Warden prisoners who should be executed like the vermin they are?"
The mention of the Wardens sent a cold jolt through Thalia's veins that had nothing to do with the winter air."The prisoners receive the same rations as everyone else," she said carefully."No more, no less."
