As soon as Fwhip and Erin had broken off from us, Gem grabbed my wrist. "We can't worry about them now, though I will say that if they kill each other in the process of trying to catch these guys I called it."

I swallowed a lump forming in my throat, feeling horrible about how this would go... but I snapped back to reality as I chased after Gem. There was no way we could chase after those automobiles, and we watched hopelessly as they sped around the corner.

"Carry me."

Gem's voice cut through the delusions I was creating in my head, every way this situation may go. Somehow, I ended up in between the jaws of one of Shrub's wolves in one of them. "Wha— what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can fly. Carry me." She said, sounding entirely serious. "Hurry up, we don't have a lot of time!"

I blinked, before nodding and pulling Gem closer a bit tentatively.

"Oh my god Scott you are so awkward just—" She grabbed my arms, pulling them around her waist. "Now. Let's. Go."

I clenched my jaw, giving her a quick glare of annoyance before tightening my arms around her torso and unfolding my wings, propelling us into the air. Gem hooked her arms around my neck to support herself better, narrowing her eyes as she peered around for the cars. "There!" she declared a moment later just as I too spotted the van-like car. I immediately dove, feeling Gem's fingernails dig sharply into the back of my neck, like mini needles being stabbed into my skin.

I trailed behind closely, my hair whipping in front of my line of sight making it harder to see, the dry but chilly winds of the Grimlands hardly stinging my skin with its cold, cold that I was used to. But this cold didn't nearly penetrate my bones as my own did, didn't come close to the crawling feeling of goosebumps plaguing my skin like an infestation. Didn't chap my lips and hands till the point they bled and my mouth near permanently tasted metallic. Didn't bite at my fingers and ears as if eating away at them slowly...

I propelled us farther down towards the van that I guessed to be a little less than fifteen feet long, and we landed with a thud on the roof. One that would have most definitely alerted those who had been inside it of our presence.

Gem dropped away from me, holding onto the edges of the van as her red braid whipped behind her which at first glance looked like fire trailing from her head.

I tucked my wings tightly to my back so they wouldn't get tossed around and catch the wind that was going at who knows how many miles per hour. Because if it hit my wings at the right angle, I would be thrown off the van without a second to spare or figure out what was happening.

The rush I felt as the van sped through the city with us on the roof was slightly overwhelming. It pounded through my body, forcing my thoughts to run faster than ever in tune with the thudding of the car in the potholes on the street.

Just as I had suspected, they did know we were here. With the snap of one of the car doors opening, two of the intruders had flipped themselves onto the roof to face us.

My eyes narrowed as I held tighter to the roof, watching their sickle-like knives glint in the setting sun just barely peeking through the stormy grey sky.

Then one lunged, straight for me. I narrowly dodged, hearing the metallic swish of the blade vibrate just by my ear as I landed on my side. I kicked one of his shins out from under him with my heel, and he fell forward to hit the sheet of metal onto his chest, narrowly missing sliding off if not for driving the point of his sickle into the roof of the car with an unbearable grinding noise.

He pulled himself back onto the roof with a grunt, before slashing down at me again, aiming for my head. I again ducked to avoid getting my head cut off, sliding underneath the elf's outstretched arm to stand behind him, grounding myself.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Gem blasted the second off of the car straight through a window of one of the buildings we passed in a haze of purple. I didn't have time to wonder how she did it without her staff, because the elf instantly turned around, sprinting back at me.

I waited, watching as he lunged before swerving to the side, hitting his wrist to force him to drop the sickle. I hit the roof, grabbing the blade as it fell from his hand before swiping with the weapon, driving the point up to slash across his torso and chest, tearing the dark outfit he wore.

With a strangled cry mingling with the sound of ripping flesh and cloth, he staggered backwards off the side of the van, and I watched right as we turned a sharp corner his body go still as he laid crumpled on the street. But I hardly had time to be distracted by that.

The van lurched forward as the engine roared, thick smog spilling from the exhaust pipes into the street, black skid marks following the car while it swerved, clearly trying to throw me and Gemini off because their previous attempt of sending their own men hadn't worked. 

But a moment later I felt my stomach dropping right as two arms wrapped around my waist, forcing me over the edge of the roof of the car out into open air, falling towards the street. I bit back a scream that instead strained against my throat while I braced myself for what I thought would be a painful and harsh impact against the bricks. But it never came. Instead, it felt as if I had fallen backwards onto a pillowy surface, cushioning my fall as the soft feeling pressed against my shoulders between my wing joints. Though a moment later, it disappeared, and I roughly fell the measly one or two feet onto the street.

Even though my eyes had been open the entire time, I finally processed what I was seeing. Gem was pushing off of me to her feet, brushing the top of her dress off. She had been the one to throw both of us off of the vehicle.

"What. On. Earth?" I asked as I finally regained the ability to speak after the shock of our fall.

"I know what you're thinking." Gem said quickly, holding out a hand. I grabbed it, hoisting myself to my feet, keeping my eyes narrowed at her.

"You better have a good explanation for this." I replied, clenching my jaw the slightest.

"I do, I promise." She answered, tugging the purple amulet she had been wearing the entire night off from around her neck. "Sta mutatia." She then murmured under her breath, causing the purple crystal set in the necklace to glow. She tossed it into the air, and faster than I could comprehend it began to change. Once she had caught it, it had completely transformed into her staff. "Before I tossed us both off, I managed to place a tracking spell on the automobile. We can follow its traces without them even knowing we're still on their tail." 

"I... oh." I said, my eyes widening in realization. "Remind me to call you a genius later if this actually works-"

Gem rolled her eyes. "Just follow me, Smajor." She sighed with a vague sarcastic edge as she began to walk at a fast pace down the street the van had taken off down.

"Hey since when have you called me Smajor-?"

Though we were on foot, it didn't take us long to arrive at our destination. 

It was a large, looming building just barely within the east side of Eastvale. Its walls seemed to be made of a black brick, but just by looking at the place I knew it must be reinforced. Parked outside along many other vehicles was the van we had been following, recognizable by the deep gash in the roof from where the elf had prevented himself from falling the first time.

From the corner of my eye, I watched as Gem's hand tightened around the wooden grip of her staff. "Stealth is of the utmost importance. We should get in and out as quick as possible. We just need to find the crown." She instructed.

I nodded, keeping my lips pressed together in a line. I had a strange feeling that this would not go at all how we planned.

Silently, we slipped through the doors after I had broken the doorknobs by freezing the locks. We crept down the ominous hallway, the light pattering of our footsteps echoing the slightest off the empty walls.

"You are so loud!" Gem whisper shouted at me as we turned a corner. I nearly ran into her after she stopped dead in one of the hallways.

"Wha- no I'm not!" I protested under my breath, giving her a glare before we continued. 

Every second we stayed there, every breath that I took I thought for sure we would be found. I hardly noticed the frost creeping just behind us as we made our way through twisting hallways and doors that had no purpose but to separate meaningless halls from more meaningless halls.

"Scott, calm down." Gem hissed, and only then did I realize my breaths were coming out in white clouds, drifting through the cold air that surrounded my body like an aura.

"Sorry." I whispered back, trying my best to retract the frost and suppress all the anxious feelings bubbling up inside me like a geyser about to blow.

I exhaled slowly before we continued. I regretted not bringing my sword. I had assumed this would be a peaceful gathering, just as everyone else had. Why hadn't I thought like Erin this once? But I suppose, I don't need a weapon if I am the weapon, right?

Gem's hidden staff had reminded me of something Sausage had actually taught me not too long ago. As we walked, I flicked my wrist up. The single gold ring I wore seemed to melt, the metallic liquid dripping down my wrist over my sleeve, though it didn't soak in. As it neared my collar, it shifted into a golden chain, my fur-lined cloak appearing behind me. Adds a lot of flair to an entrance, don't you think? More drama.

The cloak snapped with the chilly wind following me down the hallway as I put more confidence into my step. I had taken down armies, what was a group of dark-clothed intruders with bent swords and arrows?

Gem quickened her pace to stride alongside me a few moments later, but we both paused once we heard voices through the door that was now in front of us.

"...didn't follow. We shook them off the car." Their voice was slightly hushed, but loud enough for us to hear them through the door while we approached as silently as possible.

"And the second group?" Asked a second voice.

"We've heard nothing, it seems the distraction worked." Said another new voice. By the sounds of multiple feet walking and shuffling around the room there were a lot more now than the ones that had broken into the mansion.

"Well, let's hope using the crown as bait works. We know the Phoenix knows this location. Let's just hope the Ice King doesn't come with her. Most of us know the havoc they wreaked during the three-day war."

My hands clenched at my sides at the title, but Gem hushed me once the frost intensified at my actions.

"I'm not sure what happened with the Righ. He was so impressionable at the beginning of his reign... I suppose the Phoenix played a big part in what he became."

The Phoenix? What was the Phoenix? I had a feeling I knew. They talked of Erin as if she were an object...

"Impressionable? More like weak. The Ice King had no idea what he was doing...at least it seemed so from here in Eastvale—"

I froze.

"Scott, no—" Gem began, but instead of listening, I blasted the door open, the ice seeping through the cracks to crush the metal like a tin can before it swung open.

"Someone say my name?" I asked, my voice low as I stopped it from shaking with rage. They all whipped around to face me in the doorway, a few staggering backwards in surprise or shock. I tilted my head slightly, looking at them all, several drawing their weapons.

A small smirk grew on my face at their panic. I had started to realize why Erin had so much fun scaring people. It was hilarious seeing them rush for protection, and all I had to do was stand there. "Come on you didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?"

"Hands up and freeze!" Commanded one of the ones aiming a crossbow at my head.

I stifled a laugh as I held my hands just above my head, level with my antlers. "I actually think this is the second time I've been able to use this pun." I grinned, ice spiraling up my forearms and wrists, crawling into the room to coat it in a slick sheet of frost.

The man, in panic, shot at me. I swerved to the side, grabbing the arrow shaft just as it flew by my ear. I twisted to gain power as ice like crystals grew up the arrow, covering it in a layer of deadly frost, before I launched it full force back. It shot back, not nearly as powerfully as it had from the crossbow but with a surprising speed, sticking into the man's forehead. His eyes rolled back into his head before he crumpled to the ground, leaving the rest stunned.

"That's my cue." Gem said, sprinting into the room just before the others came to their senses. She lunged as one sliced down towards her with their sickle. She parried just in time, the blade scraping down the wood of her staff before the wizard twisted the weapon from the woman's hand, whacking her over the head with the staff, flipping it around to nail them in the torso before again going for the head but this time kicking her in the temple with the heel of her foot. Considering this all happened within the span of ten seconds it was quite impressive.

I snapped back into focus as four came for me. I sliced my arms down through the air, shards of ice with needle thin points flying from my sleeves, one hitting its mark and embedding in one's throat while the remaining three moved to attack.

I watched from the corner of my eye as they surrounded me, each holding the fatal tools once used for peaceful farming...of course everything became violent in the end. Everything done for peace had to involve something to quiet a rebellion, stifle a war or protest. Nothing could be perfect without control, and here was a perfect example. A group of people, a minority, who still weren't happy. My mother always told me no matter what you did, you couldn't please everyone. This was still a fact I refused to accept, but here then I knew that these weren't the type of people to cooperate. I could twist every law, break every rule in the books to try and please them yet still they'd find something wrong. They'd pick my decisions and reign apart like an act, or performance set before them to either entertain them or for them to judge.

I narrowed my eyes, my arms held out in front of me, waiting... As soon as one made the first move, jumping into the air with a shout, raising the deadly weapon above their head to strike, ice shot up from my forearm into a shield, forming a grip around my wrist. The point of the sickle drove into the plate of ice with a noise almost like it were driving into metal, leaving a deep gash in the glass-like material. I swiped with it like it were a frisbee on my arm, hitting them over the head before slamming the flat of the shield into their face, knocking them to the ground and splattering the ice with crimson blood.

The second and third attacked at the same time, the third's weapon hitting my shield first followed by the second. Cracks exploded throughout the ice, distorting my view through it into tiny, broken pieces like a mirror. I threw the shield to the ground, an icicle growing practically from my hand, long and sharp enough to be a sword as I faced them, both with determination glinting in their eyes.

I struck first and thrusted my makeshift icicle sword towards one, grazing their side and missing my mark. They dodged swinging the sickle, but I caught their wrist, kneeing them in the torso before bringing my foot down and kicking at the second, ducking to avoid letting their weapon take my head off.

We were a tangle of limbs and arms as I continued to drive my icicle like a spear towards each, while at the same time I had to keep out of the way of the glinting edges of their sickles, the metal screaming and begging to be plastered with my blood.

I managed to hit one of them with my wings over the head, knocking them out cold instantly with the weight of my feathers. I hardly had time to celebrate that small victory as the last one standing swung furiously for my head. I jumped backwards, feeling the sting as it sliced through my cheek, grazing the tip of my nose. I lifted my hand, feeling the warm blood crystalize beneath my fingertips before I let my gaze of fury fall onto him. With I cry I dove for the man, using my elbow mid lunge to knock the sickle from his hand. I pressed my palm to his forehead, digging my fingers around his hairline, my other hand flying for his throat. The last sound he made was a strangled choking noise as ice spread from where my skin met his, slowly taking over his body till he was nothing but a statue of ice, frozen to the bone. I exhaled quickly, my breath coming out in a puff of white before I slammed the pillar of ice that had once been a breathing elf to the ground, letting it shatter to a million pieces, scattering against the wood.

I looked up at the rest. Gem had taken out a few herself, and one lay in a pool of blood from where their skull had made contact with the corner of the meeting table they had all been standing around previously. They watched me with terror in their eyes, their expression matching the one that had been on the face of the elf before he had been turned to ice. "Now where's the one who called me weak...?" I asked, a growl lacing my words as my own eyes flicked through the crowd of intruders, none of which I could recognize as the ones who had entered the mansion because of the masks they wore.

"You know..." began one, stepping out from the small crowd of people to the front. His elf ears poked through his dark hair, strangely lighter at the tips which was just hidden beneath his hood. There was something about those grey eyes that I recognized... "I'm glad we prepared for your coming. Maybe if you'd cooperate, we wouldn't have to take extreme measures."

"You lost all chances of cooperation when you broke into the mansion and stole my brother's crown." Gem spoke up, glaring daggers at the elf as she gripped onto her staff tighter. A curl of ginger hair had fallen from the high bun she wore at the crown of her head, just in front of her face which was glistening with sweat despite the chill of the room.

The elf hardly glanced at her, instead his steely eyes boring into mind like never ending tunnels of stone, void of almost any emotion. My silence seemed to confirm something as I kept my eyes narrowed. "Well, that's unfortunate." He said with a slightly dramatic sigh through his mask, moving to look at the ground. "I would have hoped, Scott, that maybe you would have seen the advantages of working with us. Oh well."

I had heard that before, the way he said my name. Somewhere. I tried desperately to put my finger on who he may be, or who he may have been to me, yet it kept slipping my grasp.

"Light it."

His voice pierced the room, commanding, his eyes crinkled in what I guessed was a grin, just as the smell of gas filled the room.

I locked eyes with Gem, and her expression mirrored the panic I felt. A wave of heat exploded throughout the room, fire shooting from the ground along the edges of the walls, embers flying into the air sparking orange and smoking. The flames licked the walls nearly to the ceiling, covering all the exits in the room, slowly filling the room with the thick grey smoke that made it nearly impossible to breathe.

Sweat steadily began to drip down my face, my vision blurring. I staggered back, trying to regain focus as to not let the heat overtake me, determined not to fall to the fire as I had so many times before.

Gem, clearly not as affected by the heat, shouted a spell, purple exploding from the crystal of her staff as she aimed it at the many people.

I had to ignore what was happening between them at the moment, building up frost while I struggled to keep my own little circle of cold to avoid passing out. I couldn't, not here.

I clenched my jaw, glaring up at those staring at me as I channeled my power, feeling the rush of energy in my veins and blisteringly violent cold exploding throughout my body, pounding in ripple-like circles from my form in tune like a heartbeat. Every new wave, every new beat it became colder, and colder, stifling the flames. Every new ripple of frost that coursed through the room chilled my bones deeper, pulling more power from my being as I forced the fires to die. Rage began to pool into my expression as I let my anger fuel my ice even more, the frost growing several inches thick on the walls and floor.

"You're going to have to try harder than that..." I threatened, feeling my eyes glowing brighter than their normal icy blue, taking a step forward, ice shooting in geometric patterns from where my foot hit the wood. I didn't take the time to look at the large snowflake it formed across the room.

"Scott...calm down." Gem cautioned. I hardly looked at her, hardly noticed the blood streaming from her hairline like a river of crimson down over her cheekbone, hardly noticed her torn sleeves ripped apart by arrows and stained red.

"Why? They deserve it." I replied, keeping my voice from shaking with rage as their words from before kept fueling my anger. I felt a pin sized prick of guilt, but that wouldn't stop me. Not yet at least.

"Scott." She said again, but this time more stern. "Don't."

I wanted to protest...but I didn't have the time. Before I opened my mouth to speak, a crash echoed throughout the building, followed by a shout that I suppose was one of warning, before it was cut off suddenly, leaving the place quiet. Followed by this was the sound of running feet, and several more shouts of alarm before-

With a stream of red lights exploding into the air, curling through it like snakes, my sister burst into the room, followed quickly by Fwhip. She was already sporting a large red patch on her jaw just underneath her cheekbone that would definitely bruise over. Her black blouse was torn and burned, and a series of scrapes crisscrossed along the visible parts of her collar bone, neck, and where her pants were ripped along her calves. Blood stained her knuckles and wrists, also splattering across the side of her face though there was no wound there. Fwhip hardly looked better. He looked as if he had gotten into a car crash (which wasn't out of the question), and he was covered in bruises. Blood dripped from his hairline and sweat coated his face and what I could see of his neck. He had ditched the blazer, and underneath he wore his bloodstained and mangled white button up.

"What'd we miss?" Erin asked, grinning the slightest as the coils of red contracted back towards her, wrapping up her body like vines tangling themselves around her limbs. Her eyes glowed an eerie, airy red unlike Exor's corruption, the power visibly flowing through her veins.

"Eh, not much." I shrugged, smirking the slightest back at the group, who looked even more horrified than before.

"Perfect." Erin replied, tossing one of her daggers to Fwhip to give him a weapon. He nearly fumbled it, before getting a good hold and giving her a nod as a thank you.

I looked back towards the others, and the familiar grey eyed man narrowed his eyes back at me. I think he whispered something, it was hard to tell because I couldn't see his mouth. "Well, plan b then, attack!" His voice rung through the room almost like it were projected through a loudspeaker. It seemed he was the leader, at least of this group of assassin-like people. Clearly though, he hadn't seen my sister in the mansion.

A large grin spread across Erin's face as she twisted the remaining dagger she had in her right hand at the elf's command. She looked as if she were itching to slide the sharp end of the blade through flesh, and it was being delivered right to her. The determination and excitement practically radiated off of her, becoming incredibly contagious before I too began to smile, readying myself for their attack. And attack they did, this time much fiercer than previously.

I bent backwards to avoid getting slashed across the face by a sickle. I watched the metal gleam an inch from my nose before I fell onto my back and kicked their legs out from underneath them. I scrambled from the floor, watching weapons fly after Fwhip twisted a sickle from the woman he was fighting's hand.

I never had known he was so good with a dagger.

In the small break I had I watched Erin launch herself with a wild determination, something I had grown to know so well. Excitement was alight in her eyes as she made the first move, jabbing down at the elven woman's shoulder with her remaining dagger.

But I couldn't concentrate on that now or I'd be as dead as those already laying on the floor slain.

Moments after, however, my thoughts got lost in the craze of the battle, my body moving of its own accord almost as if it had memorized this like a part of a routine. The blades of the enemy never touched me, not before I penetrated their bones with my ice.

But a sound snapped me out of my daze, one that pierced toward me like a bullet, one that made panic rise though me like almost nothing else could.

And that was Erin's scream.

My head snapped up. I hadn't seen what had happened, just the aftermath. I watched, like I were frozen to the spot, as Erin staggered backwards, her body seizing as something like electricity shot down her limbs. Her face twisted in pain before she doubled over, hitting the ground.

Just before the person standing above her was about to deal a fatal blow, Fwhip rammed into them with his shoulder, driving Erin's dagger into their torso, twisting the blade which drew a strangled cry from the man.

Fwhip glanced back at Erin just as I raced towards her, ice shooting in spike-like formations from where my feet hit the ground, my panic only worsening. I slid to the floor beside where she had fallen, her eyes screwed tightly shut, every breath she took sounding painful and sharp.

I scanned her body quickly for whatever could have been causing the pain, for a wound, or a weapon, but I found nothing until my eyes landed on a small, black disc stuck to the side of her neck the size of a copper coin crackling with the same electricity that had just spasmed down her body.

I reached for it, feeling a slight shock after I dug my fingernails underneath the edges to yank it from her skin. There was a small needle attached to the bottom to stick her, and as soon as it released from her neck she gasped with relief.

I threw the strange device on the floor, crushing it with my foot before I leaned back down, helping Erin to her feet all the while glaring at the one who had thrown it. The male was sat with his back to the wall, clutching the knife wound in his abdomen that Fwhip had induced.

Erin staggered up, listing the slightest onto my side. As she opened her eyes, they were filled with rage. They swirled purple before flickering red, the strange power spiraling down her arms.

The few still left in the room began to back up as Erin left my side, making her way towards the man seated on the floor. His face paled, being replaced by fear as he scrambled backwards, pressing himself against the wall looking like he hoped he'd go straight through it.

The look on Erin's face was crazed, wild with anger. Blood trickled slowly down from the spot the device had pierced...and it seemed the man she was approaching had thrown it.

"Plea- Please show me mercy." He practically begged of my sister, trembling.

"Oh?" Erin asked, stopping in her tracks. Her head tilted the slightest as she watched the man, her eyes wide. "Oh I'll show you mercy." She snarled. She raised her hand towards him, the coils of red magic twisting around her arm, arching like snakes poised to strike before launching at him. They curled around his torso, dragging him against the wall, up till his feet no longer touched the ground.

With a strangled scream the coils snaked up his neck, curling up the side of his face. With one smirk and one quick motion of her wrist, Erin snapped his neck by hardly moving a muscle.

The man crumpled to the ground, as an appalled gasp echoed. "That was not mercy!" An elven woman snapped.

"Was it not? I showed him mercy by killing him quickly! Want to be next?" She snarled, her voice dangerously low. "Now where's the crown...?"

Silence filled the air louder than words would have from the half dozen left standing on the far end of the room.

It confused me, why Erin wanted the Grimlands crown. It was Fwhip's. She hated Fwhip. Fwhip hated her. But, then again, my sister was known for risking things for something worthless to her for the sake of victory.

My eyes flicked between the few still standing. And that's when I saw a glint of red, like rubies. In the hands of the grey-eyed elf was the crown. He met my eyes for just a moment, before sprinting back out the door down the hallway.

"GET BACK HERE!" Erin shouted, immediately diving for the door, shoving the others out of her way, before darting after him.

I shared a look of Gem, and without words I knew she was telling me to follow. I gave her a sharp nod before running after both, the sound of Gem casting a spell fading behind me as I threw myself down the hallway just as Erin's wings disappeared around a corner.

My heart beat faster than my feet slamming against the ground as I chased after the two others. Panic rose when I heard a thud, and then a scream, though it definitely wasn't Erin's scream. I whipped around into the room that Erin had followed the grey-eyed elf in, and saw she had him pinned against the wall like she had with the other, the red magic quickly coiling up his body and limbs to keep him in place.

I watched the crown clatter to the ground from his hands, and I walked over to pick it up, my eyes meeting his narrowed into a glare. I took a step back to stand beside my sister, and she smirked as she tightened her hand. I saw nothing visible, but the man screamed again, writhing violently in her hold. Again, Erin's hand tensed followed by another shout of strangled pain.

Despite the elf having both tried to kill us and having helped steal the crown, it was hard to see him being tortured. "Erin stop—" I blurted out, which she responded with clenching her hand again, drawing another scream from the man. "Erin—"

"One more scream..." she growled under her breath, a wild grin spreading across her face at the sight of the man in pain.

"Erin." I snapped sharply, and her head whipped up to look at me. For a moment she looked confused, before she slowly lowered her hand, letting the elf fall to the ground.

Before he could muster enough strength to get up, I stepped forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt, dragging him up and slamming him back into the wall, my hand clenched around the cloth. "I'll let you live but only to warn whoever you work for...don't try this again." I snarled, keeping my voice low. "Or the consequences will be greater than this." I let him go, and he staggered back, his eyes narrowed.

"You'll regret ever crossing us." He threatened, keeping a shake from his voice.

"Oh, no you'll be the one with regret. And I suggest you go before I change my mind." I countered.

He gave me a furious look from under his mask before he sprinted backwards out of the room.

"Yeah...yeah run..." Erin muttered, and I turned around to look at her. Her expression was twisted in rage and exhaustion, and she staggered out of the shadows, her wounds much more prominent in the light.

The dread I felt did nothing to help my panic as I helped her keep herself standing, sliding the crown over my wrist like a bracelet to hold onto her tighter. "What even happened on the way here?" I asked quietly.

"Car blew up or something like that..." she murmured, her eyes hardly opened as she slumped onto me the slightest.

"We got to get you back to the mansion." I said, mainly to myself. I had to half help, half drag Erin from the room, back down the hall. When we arrived back where the others were, Gem was conducting enchanted ropes from the gem on her staff to trap the remaining five members of the intruders.

"You good kid?" Fwhip asked, his eyes landing on us, traveling down towards Erin, frowning.

"We need to get her back. Here." I said, holding out the crown and keeping my other arm wrapped around Erin's shoulders to stop her from slipping and sliding down onto the floor.

Gem nodded. "I'll stay here until backup arrived to take these ones," she gestured towards the 'assassins' seated against the wall in their bounds, "To the prison."

"Alright, and I'll bring you two back to the mansion, c'mon." Fwhip said, heading towards the door, before turning around. "Right- here ya go." He added, handing Erin's dagger back to her. "Thanks for that."

Erin said nothing, shoving the dagger back into her corset for safekeeping.

It was late into the night, well past midnight, and I was lying down in a bed facing the ceiling.

I was in the room Fwhip had provided me for our stay here in the Grimlands. A few of my wounds stung from the ointments and medication the Grimland healers had used. I missed Katherine's methods.

I looked up from my staring contest with the ceiling when my door creaked open. "Scott?" Gem asked, peeking her head into the room, before fully stepping in. She was in a nightgown, one of her sleeves rolled up to fit the bandages wrapped around her upper arm.

"Hm?" I asked, propping myself up on my elbows, to which my wounds protested immensely with their aching pains.

"Uh, its your sister—"

"What happened?" I asked quickly.

"Well, she's being unresponsive."

"Why? Is something wrong-?"

"I don't know. And that's the problem. She won't answer me or anyone when we ask if she's comfortable, if anything's hurting or—" Gem began, looking vaguely frustrated.

"Bring me to her room." I cut off, getting to my feet.

Gem let out another small sigh, before gesturing for me to come and disappearing around the doorway.

I followed her out into the hall, quickly realizing she was walking very fast, and I had to jog to catch up with her. My eyes vaguely scanned the hall, lined with portraits and fancy wall mounts, some used as lights and some as decoration. Although, I hardly paid any attention to these. My mind was really only on one thing.

Erin was staying just down the hall, and when we arrived, Gem opened the door, gestured me inside, and closed it behind me.

Erin was lying flat on her back in her bed, looking at the ceiling with her arms crossed over her torso. She was covered in bandages and different methods of staunching blood and keeping away infection from the amount of wounds she had collected in the fight for the Grimlands crown. She didn't even look over when I entered.

"Erin?" I asked, going to sit down on the edge of the bed next to her. I got no reaction, just silence as she continued to stare unblinkingly at the ceiling. "Erin." I prodded her gently in the upper arm in one of the only spots uninjured. Again, I got no answer. "Erin." I said sharply, flicking her cheek.

Her eyes turned and she glared furiously at me for a moment. "What?" she snapped, swatting at my hand. "I ignored you just fine the first few times, there's no need to repeat yourself—"

"Yeah, well stop ignoring me." I replied, flicking her again. "Why aren't you talking?"

"Because I don't want to."

"But why not?"

"Because."

"Why?"

"Because why."

"Oh my Aeor—" I groaned, rubbing my face with my hands. "Please, Erin, is something wrong?" I asked, dropping my hands into my lap a moment later.

She didn't answer me.

"I will smack you to the moon—"

"How would that fix anything?" She asked, scrunching her nose.

It took me a moment to respond to that one, because I was this close from dumping her off the bed and onto the floor. "Is something wrong?" I finally asked, getting straight to the point because clearly the other method wasn't working.

"No. Why do you ask?" She replied, raising an eyebrow at me.

"You're being more...you and moody, than usual."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Erin said with a glare, swatting at me again.

"Its supposed to mean I'm worried and I want to know if you're okay or not." I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I glanced away.

Erin fell silent for a moment. "I'm fine. Just...tired." She answered, speaking quieter than before.

"I get it. You've had an exhausting few weeks." I agreed. "And you need to get some rest. But we need to know if anywhere else hurts, or if you need anything, alright?"

"Alright." She said with another sigh.

"Good. Because I won't let anything happen to you, not on my watch, okay? You're safe with me." I added with a small smile, one that she surprisingly returned.

Little did I know that promise would be very hard to keep in the next few weeks.

***

Sooo yeah, not very happy with this chapter but it's here-  I dunno what it is but no matter how I write it I just don't like it- so sorry if it sucks but it's been two weeks and I need to get something out, even if it's trash.

I've also been working a lot on my other book, The Successors of Altrue. It is an applyfic but I have the first five chapters out so go check it out even if you didn't apply- it's my own original plot and I think it's pretty good so far so-

Anyways, yeah sorry for the bad chapter- I think I just procrastinated on it for too long and kept rereading it to myself so now I don't like it or something like that-

Have a good day/night everyone <3