Chapter 29: Rookie Steps on Frozen Water

The night after the curse chain was destroyed, the Thorne cabin finally felt calm again.

Snow fell quietly over the frozen lake behind the house, covering the ice in a soft white blanket. Inside, the fire crackled while Finn and Liam ran their nightly lap around the living room—toddler-speed, which mostly meant wobbling, falling, giggling, and starting again.

Finn carried his plastic hockey stick like a prized treasure.

Liam dragged a foam puck across the floor with intense concentration.

Alex leaned back on the couch, watching them with tired eyes and a proud smile.

“Eighteen months old,” he said. “And they already run drills.”

Jake sat beside him, arms resting across the back of the couch.

“They’ve got good instincts.”

Alex laughed quietly.

“You say that about everything they do.”

Finn suddenly slipped on the rug and landed on his diaper with a soft thump. Instead of crying, he burst into delighted laughter.

Jake nodded toward him.

“See? Toughness.”

---

The League Returns

The next week, the National Hockey League officially resumed its schedule.

Every arena had been inspected, every cursed crystal removed. Technicians replaced sections of boards, and security around teams increased dramatically.

But when the Vancouver Grizzlies returned to the ice at Rogers Arena, the atmosphere felt different.

Louder.

Warmer.

Like the entire city had rallied behind one family.

Fans packed the arena with signs:

“THORNE FAMILY FOREVER”

“FUTURE CAPTAINS: FINN & LIAM”

“PUP POWER RETURNS”

During warmups, the broadcast screen showed Finn and Liam in their luxury box seats wearing tiny green Grizzlies jerseys.

The twins banged their toy sticks against the railing.

The arena roared.

Brody skated past Alex and shook his head.

“I’m telling you, man. Your kids are the real superstars.”

Alex shrugged with a grin.

“I’ll negotiate their contracts later.”

---

A Locker Room Promise

After practice one evening, the team gathered quietly in the locker room.

Coach leaned against the whiteboard with his arms crossed.

“We’ve got half a season left,” he said. “The league’s watching us closer than ever.”

Brody leaned back in his chair.

“And the elders?”

Jake stood near the door, having come down from the stands after observing practice.

“They lost their power network,” he said. “Breaking that ritual cost them.”

Alex looked up.

“But they’re still out there.”

Jake nodded.

“Yes.”

The room went quiet.

Then Coach tapped the board with his marker.

“Then we keep winning until they realize this team doesn’t break.”

The players murmured agreement.

Brody slammed his glove against the bench.

“Let’s bring another Cup home.”

---

The First Real Skate

A few nights later, Jake shoveled snow from the frozen lake again.

But this time he cleared a much bigger space.

Alex stepped outside carrying Liam while Finn held Jake’s hand.

The lake reflected the moon like glass.

Jake knelt and placed tiny skates onto Finn’s boots.

“Alright,” he said. “Official lesson number one.”

Finn stood there wobbling uncertainly.

Alex lowered Liam onto the ice beside them.

Liam took one tiny step.

Then another.

Jake steadied Finn.

“Push with your feet.”

Finn tried.

He slid forward about two feet before sitting down hard.

For a moment everyone froze.

Then Finn burst into laughter.

Liam clapped wildly.

Alex leaned against Jake’s shoulder, smiling.

“Looks like they inherited your stubbornness.”

Jake chuckled.

“Good trait for hockey.”

From the porch, Brody shouted across the snow.

“THAT’S FUTURE FIRST LINE ENERGY!”

---

A Quiet Warning

Later that night, long after the twins had fallen asleep, Alex stepped outside alone.

The frozen lake was silent.

The stars above Vancouver shimmered across the ice.

Jake joined him a moment later.

“You’re thinking,” Jake said.

Alex nodded slowly.

“They won’t stop,” he said. “The elders.”

Jake leaned against the railing beside him.

“No.”

“But they lost the biggest weapon they had.”

Alex watched the moon reflecting off the ice.

“And we’ve got something stronger.”

Jake looked toward the cabin window where the nursery light glowed softly.

“Yeah,” he said quietly.

“Family.”

Inside, Finn stirred in his crib and Liam rolled onto his side, clutching a tiny toy puck.

Alex smiled.

“Think they’ll both play hockey someday?”

Jake crossed his arms and considered it.

Finn was fearless.

Liam was patient.

Different styles.

Same fire.

“Yeah,” Jake said.

“I think the league should start preparing now.”

---

The Next Challenge

A week later, the Grizzlies flew east for a critical road game.

Before leaving, Alex knelt beside Finn and Liam near the cabin door.

“You two behave for Uncle Brody,” he said.

Finn handed Alex his toy stick like a sacred gift.

Liam tried to put the puck in Alex’s bag.

Jake laughed.

“They’re sending you good luck.”

Alex ruffled their hair.

“Then we’re definitely winning.”

The helicopter lifted toward the city as snow drifted gently across the lake.

Behind them, the cabin lights glowed warm against the winter night.

For the first time in months, the future didn’t feel like a battle waiting to happen.

It felt like possibility.

---

Somewhere in the Shadows…

Far away, deep within a frozen cavern beneath the mountains, a single figure watched the collapse of the elder network with cold fury.

The old council had failed.

Their chains were broken.

Their rituals destroyed.

But the power within the Thorne bloodline still remained.

And someone else had begun to notice.

A new voice echoed through the cavern.

“Perhaps,” it whispered softly,

“the elders were simply… thinking too small.”

The figure turned toward a map of North America glowing faintly in the darkness.

Every NHL arena was marked.

Every one.

And now the game had truly begun.