"Enough for a month, maybe six weeks if we stretch it.The underground springs haven't been compromised."Kaine ran a hand through his hair, a habit that surfaced when he was troubled."The fjord's fishing grounds are lost to us now, with the black waters encroaching."
Jorik took this in with a grim nod."And the defensive capabilities?I saw the work on the eastern wall."
"We're experimenting with new barrier designs," Kaine said, leading them up a flight of stairs worn smooth by centuries of feet."Combining traditional forging techniques with storm-caller magic.It's showing promise, but..."He trailed off, unwilling to voice the doubt that plagued him—that all their efforts might amount to nothing against the full force of the Deep Tide.
"But you don't know if it will be enough," Jorik finished for him.His expression softened slightly."No defense ever feels adequate when you're the one building it.I learned that in the borderlands."
The casual reference to Jorik's years as a soldier sent a pang through Kaine's chest.In his mind, despite the evidence of the man before him, Jorik remained the fourteen-year-old boy left behind—someone to be protected, not someone who had fought and bled in battles of his own.The cognitive dissonance left him perpetually off-balance, like a ship caught between competing currents.
"We need to get your people together with our researchers," Kaine said, making a mental note to speak with Wolfe about it."There are instructors here who have spent decades studying magical theory.Combined with your practical experience, we might be able to refine these techniques, make them more effective."
Jorik nodded, though Kaine caught the slight tension that entered his shoulders."Some of my people are wary of authority figures.They've had...negative experiences with military hierarchies.Northern and Southern alike."
Kaine understood the implication.Deserters, outcasts, those who had refused orders or fallen afoul of leadership—Jorik had gathered a collection of people who existed in the margins, who had reason to distrust established power.
"Wolfe can be rigid," Kaine admitted, "but she's not unreasonable.She understands that survival requires adaptation.And the other instructors..."He paused, considering."Some will resist, but others will listen.Marr, especially.He values innovation."
They had reached a heavy door of carved oak, its surface inlaid with runes that glowed faintly blue—one of the few entrances in Frostforge that still maintained its original enchantments.Kaine pressed his palm against a specific pattern in the center, and the runes flared brighter for a moment before the door swung inward with barely a whisper.
"The archives," he said, gesturing for Jorik to enter."One of Frostforge's greatest treasures."
The vast chamber beyond stretched farther than seemed possible, given the external dimensions of the keep.Row upon row of shelves towered to the vaulted ceiling, each laden with books, scrolls, and artifacts collected over centuries.The air carried the complex scent of aged parchment, leather bindings, and the faint metallic tang of preservation spells.Globes of cold light hovered at intervals throughout the chamber, casting a gentle illumination that wouldn't damage the delicate materials stored within.
Jorik stepped inside, and for the first time since his arrival, Kaine saw genuine awe cross his face."I've never seen so many books in one place," he murmured, turning slowly to take in the full scope of the collection.
"Knowledge from every corner of both the Reaches and the South," Kaine said, unable to keep a note of pride from his voice.Despite the conflicts that had fractured Frostforge over the years, the archives remained a testament to what cooperation between traditions could achieve."Magical theory, historical accounts, geographical surveys—even fiction, though the instructors would never admit to keeping that."
He led Jorik deeper into the chamber, past tables where lamps burned low, illuminating stacks of reference materials left by students or instructors in the midst of research.Most of these projects had been abandoned after the attack; their pursuers focused now on more immediate concerns of survival.But as they rounded a particularly tall shelf of ancient grimoires, Kaine was surprised to find one table still occupied.
Luna sat surrounded by a fortress of open books and unrolled scrolls, her small form nearly hidden behind the stacks.Her dreadlocks were tousled, as though she'd been toying with them, and smudges of ink marked her fingers.She was so absorbed in her reading that she didn't notice their approach until Kaine cleared his throat.
She looked up, blinking as though emerging from deep water."Kaine," she said, her voice hoarse from disuse.Her gaze shifted to Jorik."And you must be the brother.The resemblance is clear around the eyes."
"Luna," Kaine greeted her, surprised to find her here rather than at Thalia's bedside."I thought you'd still be in the infirmary."
A shadow passed over Luna's face."Roran is with her.And we've had to suspend the awakening attempts.For now."She gestured to the books surrounding her."So I'm pursuing other avenues of research."
Kaine stepped closer, his eyes scanning the titles of the nearest volumes.A chill ran through him as he registered what he was seeing:Cryomantic Maladies and Afflictions,The Dreamer's Trance,Remnant Energies and Their Effects on the Physical Form.These weren't books about magical theory or ancient history—they were texts on magical illness and healing.
"What are you looking for?"he asked, his voice carefully neutral even as his heart rate accelerated.
Luna rubbed her eyes, which were red-rimmed from exhaustion."Information on cases similar to Thalia's.Records of other practitioners who channeled power beyond their natural capacity, who fell into prolonged unconscious states afterward."
"And?"Kaine prompted, trying to keep the urgency from his tone.
"And I'm beginning to think we've misunderstood her condition," Luna said, tapping a yellowed page before her."This isn't just magical exhaustion.It's something more fundamental."
Kaine moved to stand beside her, drawn by both dread and desperate hope.Jorik followed, his expression curious but respectful of the gravity he sensed in the conversation.
"What do you mean?"Kaine asked.
Luna pushed her chair back slightly, allowing him to see the text she'd been studying.The page showed intricate diagrams of the human form overlaid with patterns of light that represented magical currents.
"The body is naturally designed to channel only certain amounts and types of magical energy," she explained, her finger tracing one of the diagrams."When someone attempts to channel power beyond those natural limitations, the body must either reject that power or adapt to accommodate it."
"And you think Thalia's body is...adapting?"Kaine asked, struggling to follow the implications.
Luna nodded."Her current-sensing ability already gave her a unique relationship with magical energies.What happened in the Founders' Price chamber—whatever ancient mechanism she activated—it forced a massive influx of power through her system.Power that should have killed her outright."Luna's voice dropped lower."Instead, it appears her body has entered a state of suspended animation while it undergoes the necessary transformations to handle that power."
