FROST- Jotun Chronicles #1

Wolves

It wasn’t until much later, when I was back in the circle of tents, sitting around the fire with Loki and the other girls that I realized what had really happened. When I looked up, they were all staring at me with wide eyes, as if they were expecting me to explode or something. A shiver of panic ran through me, “Guys! I can’t do this!”

Charlotte’s eyes were glowing. “Yes, you can! Megan, you should have heard the speech you just gave! You sounded like a leader! I would have followed you into battle right then and there!”

“Same,” Margaret said. “That was amazing.”

Loki put his hand on my arm, “Single handedly, you got an entire group of stubborn frost jotun to agree to come to Muspellheim. That’s no easy feat.”

I sputtered, “but…I’m not…Queen…” words weren’t coming out properly.

“That would be so cool.” Charlotte shrugged and pretended to appear casual. “Yeah, my best friend is the Queen, no biggie.”

“Let’s put it this way,” Stacy spoke up. “You cannot possible do a worse job than Eira. You’ll look amazing by comparison.”

“Thanks,” I muttered. Subconsciously my hand tightened on the hilt of my katana. I had attached the scabbard to a belt that Erik had loaned me, and it’s comforting present at my hip made me feel just a little bit better.

“We leave in the morning,” Loki said happily. “It will take a day and a half to travel there, maybe two. I can’t wait to get back there,” his eyes suddenly seemed to focus on something far away, reliving memories, “Ah, I missed it. You’ll love Muspellheim. The crackling fire, the music, the giant feasts! And a never ending flow of ale…” He trailed off, a dreamy look on his face.

We were all silent for a minute, and the noise of the camp reached me. People were getting ready to leave tomorrow, they were packing up their belongings, rattling pots and pans and shaking out blankets, yelling to one another, and far off on the other side I could hear the high clinking of one of the horses being reshoed. I caught sight of Erik running here and there through the camp, giving orders and yelling instructions. It was odd to see him here, in his element and so obviously in charge. The rebel camp was so different from the cool grandiosity of the ice palace, and he seemed to fit so effortlessly in with both. It was starting to get dark in earnest now, and the campfires glowed orange amongst the tents, more being built as I looked on. When I looked back down at the fire I noticed that Loki had vanished into his tent, and my stomach sank a little. He’d gone without even saying goodnight?

“I wonder how we’ll get to the other place.” Margaret was staring into the fire, mesmerized. “I mean, I wonder if the dimensions are attached to one another, or what…”

Stacy shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Something warm and heavy draped over my shoulders suddenly, and I stiffened. Soft fur brushed my cheek as I looked over my shoulder. Loki was sitting back down beside me. He’d gone to get me a blanket.

“Thanks,” I murmured.

“You looked cold.” 

We both knew that was a lie, but it was cute, so I pretended, curling the blanket tighter around my shoulders. Thankfully the girls were still talking, and it was getting really dark now, so they didn’t seem to notice when Loki reached out and took my hand in his, stroking his thumb over my palm, sending tingles over my skin.

                Eventually the warmth of the blanket and the hypnotic dance of the flames in front of me made my eyes droop, and I found myself leaning on him. Closing my eyes I allowed myself to drift, inhaling his scent with each deep breath I took. Feeling the rise and fall of his chest and hearing his heartbeat.