"Hit the testing plate."
Emily Frost didn't bother with a greeting. She walked straight into Sylvia's alchemy laboratory, grabbed Alex's left wrist, and fastened a cold metal bracelet around it.
The evening lamps cast a warm glow across the wooden workbenches, reflecting off the glass beakers and polished brass scales. Alex looked down at the heavy band of woven frost-silver mesh. It was cold enough to bite through the warmth of the room.
"I just walked in the door, Emily," Alex said.
"Your saturation is below twenty percent," Emily replied, stepping back and holding up a runic recording slate. She wore her standard blue Frost delegation uniform, her blonde hair tied back neatly. "You are cleared for a controlled impact. Hit the plate."
Alex turned toward the heavy iron testing plate mounted to the far wall. He didn't use his bandaged right hand. He stepped forward and drove his left palm into the iron with a solid, open-handed strike.
