The Majors, Cold Fury (Book 2)

Chapter 18: Scott POV

The next day I was exhausted.

It was evening and Erin should be getting back from evacuating most of the city. I had spent the day dismissing the council of elves and getting the palace ready for an attack.

I was leaving the throne room after a long day of work and I was passing an empty room when I heard a thump, thump coming from it.

I frowned before I opened the door. Erin had her back to me. She was wearing a cropped tank top and she had a bag hung up on the ceiling which she was punching. We had done this in the ice palace to pass the time. We just packed snow tightly into a leather bag.

Erin wiped sweat from her forehead and looked up. "Oh, hi." She said, out of breath before she punched hard at the bag and the chain snapped. "Three down two to go." She said with a smirk and hung up a new bag.

"I wasn't expecting you back so early." I said and leaned up against the doorframe.

"Yeah...well more people stayed then we thought." She said and threw a punch. "I'd say a good 10,000 are willing to fight for you."

"Seriously?"

"Yup." Magic spiraled down her arm as she again punched the bag off the chain. It went flying and smashed through the wall. "Oops." She said, withdrawing her fist.

I snickered. "I think that's enough. I don't need you destroying more of the palace."

Erin rolled her eyes before unwrapping the tape from her hands and knuckles and punching me in the shoulder. "Ew, get away your sweaty." I joked.

"Oh, I'm sweaty?" she asked and then hugged me.

"UGH" I said and shoved her away. She wiped her hands on my shirt while giggling. "You are SO gross." I scrunched up my nose and she copied my expression mockingly. "Go take a shower."

"The pipes are all frozen dumbo." She said and crossed her arms. "The shower doesn't work."

"Oh right...then go roll around in the snow or something." I said. Erin started to crack up, but abruptly stopped laughing and bit her lip. "What is it?"

"Nothing." She sighed and pushed past me to get out of the room.

I frowned. She had been doing this the past day or two. She always caught herself talking and joking with me and then just walked away. "You sure you're, ok?" I asked. "You've been acting kind of...strange."

She looked back at me and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." She said before turning back around and walking away.

"Just tell me if you need anything!" I called after her, although I'm not positive she heard me. She had been in her own world for days.

She's been off since she had the crystal...but I pushed that thought away. Instead, I had to prepare for the other rulers' inevitable arrival in Rivendale.

The army was training, I knew it was. I hardly knew my generals, but I knew they were some of the best in the empires. Although I'm not sure an army of twenty thousand, five hundred will be able to take basically the entire world. Although that's not counting the ten thousand citizens...

It occurred to me how loyal they must be to stay under the threat of invasion, and for resisting Fwhip's rule. That gave me a little more confidence.

I heard a metallic grinding coming from upstairs. What the heck was Erin doing? When I opened the door to her room, she was sharpening the daggers I had given her.