Chapter 6
The first thing that stopped them dead in their tracks was the deafening explosion from the tail end of the train.
Then the car shook violently as Izetta stood protectively in front of the Princess, her eyes darting wildly to the window and she noticed the shimmering rays of the rising sun showering the edges of the precipice on the side. The ravine that they were passing in was very wide and flanked by two steep cliffs that towered over their train, but the railway bridge was built pretty high up, so they could not just jump off the train if they wanted to. Izetta quickly realized that if someone decided to attack them at that moment, they were pretty much trapped inside.
"What's happening...?" Finé's whisper reached her ears. The Princess's voice sounded much calmer than Izetta expected.
"I have no idea, I-"
At that very moment, the radio in her holster started blasting messages directly to them, some from Bianca and various royal guards, the other sounded like Sophie's distinct angry voice.
"Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!"
"Izetta! Izetta, do you copy?"
"Izetta, where the hell are you? Report back immediately!"
She quickly fished it out and responded to their panicked voices, "I'm in the empty coach after the dining car. The Princess is safe with me. I repeat, the Princess is safe with me."
There was a crackle of static before Bianca replied. "Good job. Now go back to our coach as fast as you can."
"Bianca, what in the world was that explosion just now?" Finé asked.
"Princess...you won't like this, but..."
"What the fuck! ? Shoot them! Shoot them all! !"
"Are those...flying trees? ?"
That was when something appeared on the window outside and their voices were completely wiped out from Izetta's mind.
Two black-hooded figures were peering inside, and they both were, unmistakably, flying. And not just flying, because they were constantly following the train which was moving at full speed. One of them released her grip from the metal rod she was riding and clutched the window sill. Her face was obscured by her hood, but she leaned closely toward the window, as if trying to get a better look of Izetta and Finé.
Izetta's heart threatened to stop.
"…witches...?"
If witches would ever use their powers in such a blatant way, it could only mean two things.
One, these people were Anathemas.
And two, they were here to take the life of one person.
As soon as that realization hit her, she saw something much larger hovering behind those two's backs.
She only caught a glimpse of the massive pine tree trunk angling down toward their window before it grew bigger and bigger at an alarming speed, prompting Izetta to pull Finé to the ground and yell, "Princess! Get down! !"
Less than a second later, the tree impaled the car through the window with such mighty force that it shattered the glass instantly and went diagonally through the other side of the car, nearly cutting off both Izetta and Finé's heads when they ducked on the floor. The coach wasn't made to withstand such an attack, the tree created two enormous holes on the wall and the floor as easily as a sword piercing a jelly, and the resulting shockwave from the magic broke almost all of the windows inside. Feeling the car tilting as she was pinned down by the huge trunk, Izetta glanced to the side and among the mess of branches and leaves, she noticed the debris of ruined seats and pieces of her radio scattered around her, so at least the tree succeeded in destroying their only means of communication. She shot a look at the window and realized that the hooded witches were gone.
But right now there was something far more important.
"Princess! Princess, are you okay? ?"
The blonde beside her moved, and Izetta spotted a single trail of blood from her forehead. "I'm alright...Izetta. But it's a little hard to move under here..." she panted. The car was shaking and rattling in a worrying manner, the attack just now must have damaged its wheels.
"We have to get out of here fast."
She tried to crawl out and release her lower part of her body, but the unwelcomed piece of wood was large and firmly in space after being lanced through a train car. She tried strangling, kicking, with less than pleasant results. Her mind was awash with horror when she realized the possibility of being stuck.
They saw Princess... she thought, If...they attack this car again...now when we are completely defenseless...
She didn't want to imagine that.
Aside from when they were using it with intense negative emotions, witches could not recognize other witches' magical energy. For these Anathemas, Izetta was no different than the human beside her. They would kill her too, alongside the Princess.
Should I...use magic when Princess is right here next to me...?
Finé 's searching lavender eyes met hers and she swallowed.
No...
We're too close...she would find out...
She promised herself to use magic as a last resort. Fear and adrenaline pushed her to try harder. Beside her, the Princess was doing the same thing. Sometimes she admired how resilient she was, but now was not the time to let Finé break her back. If anything, it should be her who broke her back protecting her.
With that in mind, she kept at it, using her whole upper body strength and pain tolerance to squeeze herself out. She felt like she just cracked a few bones in her exertion, and after several seconds of extreme agony, she succeeded in slipping out of the gap. Her feet were cold and numb, but at least she could still walk properly. Without wasting any time to check if the rest of her body was still functioning, she hurriedly went to the Princess to help her out. However, from this new angle she discovered that Finé was stuck in a smaller gap than hers. It was so tiny that she even feared the Princess's legs were crushed, but she remembered Finé had a very slender figure.
"...I feel like a sandwich," she sighed, "You should run and save yourself, Izetta..."
"What are you talking about? ? I swore to protect you, Princess...!"
"This tree looks so old it probably weighs at least a ton. You won't be able to push it off me. I don't want to get you into trouble..." she said, "Besides, I still managed to get hold of my gun. At least I can try to stay alive."
"You're in no position to act so selfless! I'm your guard, I have a duty to defend you with my life...!"
"...You might be my guard but...you are my friend," she said with a pitiful smile, "A friend that I thought I would never have. My dearest friend...Izetta. At the very least I want you to survive."
It felt like the trunk just leave a gaping hole in Izetta's heart instead.
The lavender, trapped in a glass case, thought the girl from outside the glass was her friend...without knowing that the girl was holding a burning match behind her back.
Am I here...to protect the flower...? Or destroy it...?
Her hands shakily clenched into fists. It's both...
And now is not the time I leave her to die...
"...sorry to keep you at the job, Izetta."
"No! Let's try again, Princess! I..."
But before she could finish, a number of dark shadows were cast on the floor, leaping out to the from the windows outside.
Izetta's worst premonition came true...the hooded witches came back.
They were surrounded by floating boulders nearly twice the size of their car and even bigger tree trunks. There was even a brightly burning kerosene lamp.
These Anathemas...they're serious. They're going to demolish this whole car just to kill the Princess.
Those people outside were Izetta's kind...the ones who shared the same sentiments and mission as Izetta: to ensure the survival of witches.
While this woman inside the car with her was her the daughter of their greatest enemy, and Izetta understood why the Anathemas wanted her dead.
It was just probably purely for revenge...or a statement that they were fighting back...
However...
This is wrong.
The Princess is our only lead, and the Archduke will never be stopped if she dies.
Drawing her gun out of her holster, she watched the witches menacingly circling the car. Then when they were close enough, Izetta could hear the words that came out of their mouths.
"Princess..."
"Is it the Princess...?"
Witches couldn't communicate telepathically.
And if violence was the only answer...
"Back off or I'll shoot...!"
She shouted the warning loudly and clearly, and while shielding the Princess with her own body, aimed the gun boldly at one of the Anathemas outside the broken window.
She counted to three inside her mind, the same number as the witches outside, and with one final glance toward Finé, she tightened her grip and pulled the trigger.
Fresh blood spattered out of the witch's right shoulder. A shrill shriek echoed between the stone walls as she clutched the stain on her clothes and lost balance, falling into the darkest depths of the ravine like a raven with broken wings.
The disruption in magical energy is immediate; Izetta noticed the two other Anathemas had erupted into rage. Praying that she didn't just kill the first, she quickly whirled around and pointed, as quickly as she could, at the second witch and fired a shot. Her aim was less than satisfactory in her hurry, but it managed to hit her stomach and she let out a wail of pain. Some of the stones and trees they controlled fell along with them. Izetta had never fired successive shots that fast in her whole training, and aiming at moving, flying targets were much harder than she ever imagined. That was why when she tried to gun down the third witch, her concentration faltered. She missed; the third Anathema easily avoided her bullet, and she raised her arm furiously, prompting Izetta to expect that they were going to be hit by a particularly giant rock she controlled. However, just when the hooded witch was about to disappear from sight, Izetta heard a loud bang from behind her and saw a bullet going straight into the Anathema's outstretched hand. Howling in agony and covered in blood, she reflexively clutched it with her healthy hand and lost grip of the metal rod she was riding. The boulder dropped into the ravine before it could hit their car, and the hooded witch immediately vanished.
Breathing heavily and suffering from a king-sized headache, Izetta turned around and saw Finé pointing her gun at the spot where the witch was before, smoke still coming out from its muzzle. She smiled from the floor, and Izetta spotted a bruise at the corner of her lips.
"You've gotten much better at shooting, Izetta..." she remarked, "...but all this won't be necessary if I have my bag with me. I shouldn't have left it."
"Your bag?"
"Yeah, because..."
Right at that moment, the door of their car burst open, and three royal guards rushed in with their guns drawn and ready. Izetta recognized Anna, Bianca, and her junior, the short-haired brunette Adele.
"What in the world...I see they've done the same thing to this car, huh," Bianca said, "Princess...! ! Are you alright? ?"
"Bianca, good timing. I think the trunk is sliding off...please get me out before I'm squashed...?"
"Just a second. Anna! Izetta! Help me lift that tree. Adele! You keep watch of the windows. If there are any witches nearby, kill them."
"Yes, Ma'am...! !"
Several minutes later, they managed to get Finé out, and as she wobbly stood up on her feet, she casually wiped the dust off her skirt like nothing happened. Her calm attitude convinced Izetta that this was not the first murder attempt she experienced. Or perhaps not even the most outrageous one.
"What took you so long, Bianca?"
"Forgive us, Princess. They were attacking our car too. It took awhile to escape them. And even then the coach is heavily damaged. Sophie and some of the soldiers are injured... they were moved to the armored car as fast as possible. We're not sure how strong it is against their magic, though."
"I can't believe there is such a big group of violent witches that went unnoticed by Father."
"We assumed they are actually from a number of different tribes, Princess."
"What...? I'd like you to explain further, but it'll keep. For now, let's move to the armored car..."
However, before they could take another step, a blaring static from the PA system cut through the air like an eerie siren. It was followed by a deep voice of a woman, a voice so unnerving and otherworldly that it almost sounded...alien.
"Greetings, Princess Ortfiné of Eylstadt," her chilly tone reverberated in the car and the rest of the train, "You must have heard of us before. We are called the Anathemas."
Izetta saw Bianca and Adele exchanging confused glances, but Finé stood rooted on the spot, like a statue.
"Right now, this train is under our control. The ones who steered this thing, those men in uniforms, are all our prisoners. The only reason we are moving right now is because magic is powering the locomotive," the voice went on, "If you want to save them, Princess, meet us in the second car after the locomotive. Alone, with no weapons. If you run, or disobey us in any way, we will throw them into the ravine, one by one. Their cracked skulls would make a nice decoration in this ugly gorge, don't you agree...?"
Even Izetta was horrified.
Witches were peace-loving people who believed that magic shall never used to hurt other people.
The Anathemas were a direct opposition to that belief. Their principle was using their magic and violence to get what they wanted, which they assumed to be the most effective way. The horrible things that they had done in the past were the reason behind witches' bad reputation among humans.
"You are a good princess, aren't you...? Surely, you'll listen to their cries of help. You have ten minutes. If you don't come, we will split their heads open," she continued, "And, oh, can you keep a secret, Princess...?"
The voice sounded more gleeful now. "...If you come, we might also tell you what happened to your mother," she said, "Not a bad deal, right...? And remember, you have ten minutes."
With a cruel laugh, the PA system turned off.
The car was awfully silent for a few seconds as Finé gazed at her guards one by one. When she arrived at Izetta, she looked away and said, "...I'll go."
"No...!" Bianca immediately objected, "Princess, your life is important. More important than the train staff, in fact. These insane witches want to kill you, and I'm not going to let that happen. And about your mother..."
"But those men are my people, and I can't just turn my back on them. This has nothing to do with my mother. They will kill them in replace of me. I have to stop them, no matter what."
"But..."
"Bianca."
The Princess's sharp tone shut her up instantly.
"I am not going to abandon them, and that is final," she said with stentorian voice, "This is also for the sake of the people in the armored car, for the sake for everyone who is injured because of me. I was kept alive by my people's faith in me. I only exist because of their deep love and loyalty. That is why I must fight with them until the last drop of my blood is shed, in the name of my family's honor. My name is Finé, first Princess of Eylstadt and its next Archduchess, Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt! I have sworn to never abandon my people, to do anything I can for them, and to fight to the very end for their lives! Even if I die, my father's crusade against those wretched witches will not stop. And for my sake, you will have to help him accomplish his goal, so that one day they will pay for my death and countless others!"
Seeing the anger in those purple eyes, Izetta felt like standing back in the White Witch Coven again, that same ire reflected in her own crimson pair of pupils.
"They are responsible for my grandmother's agony, and I would personally make each of them pay a thousand fold."
It was a toxic cycle of revenge that would never end, a blood feud like the one being waged by those Anathemas against humans.
...Was Izetta...the same as those mad witches...?
Would her ambition produce nothing but a perpetual war born of hatred and vengeance...?
Was that what Izetta really wanted...?
The Princess...she..truly, sincerely loved her people.
That part was not a lie.
For Finé, Izetta might not be one of her people but...
She would give her life for Izetta if she were.
"...As a princess, I shall always keep an appointment," Finé said, "But I'm not naive. If you girls decide to follow me, make sure to keep a safe distance. We don't want those men to be killed."
The royal guards saluted the Princess, which Izetta hesitantly followed. Their eyes locked with each other again and Izetta noticed the forlorn expression on Finé's face. However, the Princess could still force out a smile.
"I am really sorry about just now..." she said abruptly, before leaving with a muttered goodbye.
The only reason Izetta protected this person with her life, the only reason Izetta didn't want her to die...was because she still needed Finé for her plan with Sophie.
But that apology... and the courage she showed from the way she held her head high as she walked alone toward the lion's den... felt like a knife that was stabbed deep inside Izetta's chest.
There was no way she would just let Finé die like that.
And the royal guards felt the same way.
"Ready your weapons. You heard her, we are going to follow her from a distance," Bianca ordered, and they all nodded.
After waiting for several minutes after Finé entered the diner, and Izetta's hands already felt clammy from both anxiety and worry, Bianca gave a signal with her hand and the royal guards crossed the gap between the two cars as fast as they could. Kicking the dining car door open, the royal guards immediately scanned the place for enemies, but it was completely empty. Izetta's eyes fell on the spot where she and the Princess were sitting last night. She almost couldn't believe it happened a mere few hours ago...
"Coast is clear, let's move to the next car."
In the back of her mind, amidst the pounding heartbeat in her ears, Izetta couldn't help but feel that this was far too easy, far too quiet. Those witches couldn't possibly believe that they would just follow their orders to let the Princess go alon-
"This is how far you can go, humans."
When they were about to head out of the dining car, a hooded witch appeared from the other end. She had an uncanny grin on her face, as if tremendously enjoying this whole situation.
The royal guards didn't give her another chance to speak. Four gun muzzles were pointed at her in unison, and bullets were launched from them at nearly the same time.
However, the Anathema came there prepared. A table covered in white cloth beside the witch suddenly came to life and flew in front of her, turning itself into a shield that protected her from the shots. The bullets struck the table, creating multiple cracks on its surface, and the witch behind it was unharmed.
"Fuck, I hate witches," Anna spat.
The royal guards might see this as just another tough battle, but for Izetta, this could be her only chance to speak with one of the Anathemas.
That's right.
I can't just let this chance slip by...but I have to be fast. Fast enough to extract information and return to help Princess.
The redhead straightened her back and said to her friends, "...everyone, please leave."
"Izetta...?"
"Leave this witch to me," she said, "Don't waste your time here. Go after the Princess. I can handle her."
Bianca regarded her for a second, but as the Commander she was quick to make a decision.
"Try your best not to die."
With those words the royal guards left her alone, and she stood there facing the Anathema, with rows of tables and chairs between them. The hooded witch raised her hand, and Izetta could see the twisting magical energy around her body.
"You're going to face me, alone...? What a stupid girl you are. I don't expect much from a human."
Izetta took a deep breath, her heart slamming in her ribcage.
"...According to the witchcraft sacred code of conduct, magic must never be used manipulate, dominate, control, or harm a human. You know that, don't you?" she asked quietly.
The witch's grin vanished.
"The code of conduct...humans would never...who are you...?"
"A witch, just like you," Izetta said, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead, "I am with them now for several reasons."
She barked out an unnerving cackle. "Witches would never work for humans," she hissed, "And from that color of your hair and eyes...you must be one of the Autumn Sorceresses. A pure one, in fact, since you have such brilliant red color. And the members of that tribe are all dead as far as I know, so you must be a survivor. Those humans must have kidnapped you, enslaved you. That is okay, my friend...the Anathemas will save you. They saved everyone, every single survivor of the massacre."
Izetta bit her lip. These people were not just witches, they were witches like Izetta. Young girls whose families and tribes were wiped out by the Archduke, and they were gathered to form an army.
"...why are the Anathemas here? What is your aim?"
"Don't you think the sweetest revenge we can have is a feast made out of that princess's flesh and bones on a platter...?" she said, licking her lips, "We would drink her blood as a vow to begin our invasion of the human world. Oh, and we would destroy this train while we're at it, so the world could witness our power."
"Destroy this train...?"
"Don't you know? Magic is controlling this train right now," she said, "And we have diverted its course to a broken railway, which lines up nicely with a deep chasm. That is just a safety measure, though, in case we cannot smash this whole thing into junk with just trees, fire, and boulders. Which I doubt."
Izetta's ears were ringing.
The situation had become much direr than they expected.
The Princess was heading toward certain doom, and so was the train they were all riding. The workers were one step away from being thrown into the ravine. Sophie was injured. The Anathemas had full control of their vehicle and were dead set on turning the whole train into dust, or derailing it to go off the edge of a cliff.
How did things become like this...?
Just a day ago she and Sophie were sitting together in their room, talking about the colorful stores in Westria and how they wanted to visit all of them. They even learned how to say "We're just looking" in other languages. For once, they were happy that they were kept away from work or grueling training in the palace grounds.
And now, Izetta was standing here, alone with a witch who held out her hand to her and said, "...Come with me, Sorceress. Together with the Anathemas we will rule the world. A world owned by witches. A world with no trace of humans. Without them, we can make everything in this world just so."
If the one who received this offer was the Izetta who stood in the White Witch Coven several months ago, she would accept it in a heartbeat.
However...she knew this was not the right thing to do.
Hate would only give birth to more hate.
And Princess Finé ...
Izetta could not imagine a world without her.
"Why do you want to kill the Princess? Can't you just kidnap her? Make the Archduke surrender the stone in exchange for her life? This is the perfect opportunity to do that, isn't it?" the redhead asked.
"...It is our age-old belief that if a von Eylstadt decides to abuse that accursed magical item in their possession, then the Anathemas must disregard the witchcraft code of conduct and cut off their main bloodline in any way possible," she said, "The reason behind that doesn't matter. We are just following the orders of our saviors."
Izetta gritted her teeth.
Did the Anathemas know something she didn't...?
Or was that just a lie that they used to justify the killing...?
Either way, Izetta couldn't just let this happen without more information.
Murdering the Princess now could prove fatal for them.
"...I'm sorry, but I cannot join you."
"What...?" The Anathema's tone was that of pure disbelief, as if it was unimaginable that a witch like Izetta would refuse her.
"I cannot. This is not how we are supposed to do it. If you kill the princess, the Archduke would only try harder to murder us all. It would not stop the cycle."
She clutched her hands, shaking in indignation. "...are you siding with the humans?"
"I am not! I'm on your side. But your methods are wrong and it will only result in more deaths for us. I have to stop you."
"...You give me no choice..."
Izetta could almost hear the rumble in her dangerously surging magical energy, and the pure, undiluted hatred in her furious screams.
"You have betrayed your whole tribe by protecting the humans... you let yourself being kept down by them...you are an abomination and an abhorrence...!" she shouted, "...And your existence is such a disgrace to our kind that you might just as well die...! !"
A/N: And that is all for chapter 6!
Hello everyone! Thank you for all your reviews and comments, they really keep me going! And don't worry, Sophie might be injured, but she won't be missing the action on the train. See you next chapter, and don't forget to review!