The Majors, Cold Fury (Book 2)

Chapter 54: Gemini POV

My shoulders burned from being hung up like a piece of meat inside of the cage.

I watched as Xornoth and Erin paced around the platform, thinking. "We could use the wizard after you've been pulled all the way from the crystal." The white-haired girl suggested. "Even if she's dead, the blood will still work for the spell."

"I suppose that would work." I heard Xornoth answer. "The gnome would have worked better though."

"Why?" Erin asked with a sneer.

"Even if she is supposedly the most 'powerful' wizard the Crystal Cliffs has seen, she's still human." Xornoth said with an agitated tone. "But she'll do."

I was a bit offended, but I kept my mouth shut. I could feel the life dwindling out of me, and I had barely enough energy to keep my eyes open, let alone speak.

"Honestly, you should probably check if she's still alive." Erin said. "I have no idea how fast the spell works."

Without an answer, Xornoth appeared in my cage, his long violet hair twisted in a knot at the back of his head. I bit back a gasp, I hadn't seen him up close yet, he was taller than I remembered. Xornoth gave me a glare. "Nope. She's alive." He said with a disappointed sigh.

I stared at his chest silently. It was still a little transparent, the crystal was pulsing fast, like a heartbeat. Xornoth then crouched down, so we were eye level, his eyes narrowing. "What are you looking at?" he growled.

I tried to back away from him, but the tips of my feet just barely brushed the bottom of the cage and my movement sent pain shooting up my limps, burning as if they were on fire. A cry of pain slipped my lips, and tears stung the corner of my eyes. I closed them as tight as I could, not wanting to look at the elf any longer, just wishing he would go away.

When I opened them again, Xornoth was still there, but instead of a glare, he wore a puzzled expression. "I guess these could be looser." He muttered, straightening up, grabbing the metal encasing my wrists. I felt heat through it, as he released them from the ceiling. He pulled my arms down, a little roughly, before he reattached the metal to the ground, it instantly cooling, so that I was in a kneeling position. I stared up at Xornoth, gaping in shock. I was speechless.

"Don't look at me like that." Xornoth sneered, standing back up and disappearing.

Something was definitely up with Xornoth.

***

Okay, that was a really short chapter. I'm sorry about that. But I promise, tomorrow will be a good chapter. I just couldn't find a way to incorporate this into another chapter so, ya, that's it today.