Mab did not ease into it.
She planted her feet the way Aestrith had taught her, how people stood when they were about to do real work, took one steadying breath, and reached toward the fuel bed at the furnace base.
She approached it carefully at first, but with full concentration, knowing hesitation could matter just as much as force. She still did not know exactly how much pressure the task required, so she chose the safer mistake and pushed hard enough to guarantee a result.
The fire reacted immediately.
They expanded.
Orange shifted through yellow almost instantly, then turned white at the center within seconds. The brightness at the furnace mouth increased so sharply that the entire foundry dimmed around it.
Beorn recognized the effect from the courtyard demonstration with the iron fittings. The energy concentration altered the surrounding light as it gathered into a single active source.
Then the heat hit.
