A few minutes before, while Nora was preoccupied with her attempts to entice Erik, Elora had gotten up from the floor, seemingly none the worse for wear.
Naturally, most of her earlier weakness and daze had been faked.
Since then, she had been casually preparing the stage for after Erik did his part.
For Erik, the hardest part during all this was to keep a straight face and keep his eyes trained on Nora, even while his fairy companion was setting up some contraption she had pulled from the storage jewel on her forehead.
The contraption looked like the metal framework of a three-dimensional, life-size cube. There was a metal plate with cushions on the bottom, and four pillars rose up in the corners, with four horizontal beams connecting those pillars at the top.
Sturdy-looking metal chains and rings covered the entire structure in various places, making its purpose clear.
Hey guys, I'd love to hear what you guys think of these chapters.