Chapter Three

Hunted

Author's Commentary:

Towards the very end of the chapter, there's some suggestive material. Again, nothing really explicit.

ELSA

Down Cruxnoir Street, a couple of two horse carriages were waiting, a driver mounted at the front of each. During their preparation of the extraction plan, Elsa remembered that there were always be cabs on the roadside of Cruxnoir Street. This was a place where Arendellians and tourists alike came to eat, so carriages for hire were always in abundance. And she had counted on it.

Sure enough, there were a few lined up, just waiting for passengers. Elsa and Janus bolted to the front of the line and hopped into a two horse carriage.

"So," the driver turned around lazily. "Where t- "

Elsa didn't know if it was the sight of her, the princess, who was a wanted criminal, or the masked man in black with her, but the driver was stunned into silence, gaping at them incredulously.

Elsa took charge of the situation. "The edge of West Arendelle. Go fast. GO."

"Y-yes of course." The driver said, tugging on the reins.

The carriage set off, albeit at a painfully slow starting pace, though it eventually began to pick up speed. However, due to traffic regulations, there was only so fast a carriage could go in town. That changed very quickly when a pistol shot made its report.

"Someone's shooting at us?" The driver was alarmed.

"Keep your eyes on the road." Janus instructed, a tone of danger in his voice. "And go faster."

The pace increased exponentially, and Elsa chanced a look out the small window of the carriage. Apparently the Blue Wolves had commandeered the remaining carriages on Cruxnoir Street, and were giving chase. These operatives are relentless.

"How many?" Janus asked.

"Three carriages." Elsa said, ducking her head back into the safety of the carriage before a pistol ball could blow it off.

Her report was corroborated by the beginning of incessant fire from behind as the Wolves shot at her carriage. Pistol balls pinged and zinged as they flew wildly and erratically. Somehow though, by sheer bad luck, a ball struck the driver and blood flew.

Without nothing as much as a sound, he slumped forward in his seat, blood spewing from the wound in his back. The horses, frightened by the shots ringing out all around them, continued to gallop at breakneck speed, showing no inclination to slow down.

"Damn it." Elsa swore. "Driver's been hit."

Janus too cursed under his breath, inaudible over the cracking, whining and thoking of lead balls all around. Something struck a component of the carriage, and it lurched violently, more so than the constant jostling and bumping over the stony road.

"I don't like the sound of that." Elsa said.

"Me neither." Janus got up. "I'm going to take the reins."

"Don't be an idiot," Elsa hissed and grabbed his arm. "It's too dangerous!"

"It's our only chance. We need to get control of the horses to take us to the edge of the city!"

She swallowed hard. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Without the driver, they would collide with something sooner or later, and they would be at the mercy of the Blue Wolves if the both of them did manage to somehow survive.

"Be careful." Elsa said, though the statement itself was redundant. This was Janus she was talking about.

He gave a nod. "Cover me while I get to the reins."

As he climbed towards the front box where the driver was slumped, Elsa looked out the small window. There was no way she was going to be able to effectively lay down an attack and cover Janus' back from such a small gap. Which left only one option. It's dangerous, Elsa grimaced. But I don't exactly have a lot of options.

Kicking the door of the carriage, it swung open, swaying back and forth violently in the hot summer wind as the horses continued to gallop on at the speed of light. The gunfire had ceased for now, with the Blue Wolves taking time to reload their cumbersome weapons in the hopes that they could hit the wheels and grind the carriage to a halt. But Elsa wasn't going to give them that chance.

Clutching the handle on the side of the carriage, she nimbly swung herself outwards, planting her feet as securely as she could on the narrow platform steps. She tottered a little at the edge, and fortunately regained her balance. With her free hand, she aimed at the carriage directly behind her.

Elsa could almost hear shouts of alarm as ice gushed from her hand, freezing the ground directly behind her. The horses and carriage skid, and men screamed as their animal and vehicle spun out of control and crashed at the side of a building.

The second carriage skilfully swerved around the wreckage of kicking horses, splintered wood and angry men, continuing its pursuit of Elsa and Janus. The third carriage did likewise.

"Elsa! The brakes!"

She turned her attention to Janus. He had gotten control of the reins, but even from behind the mask, she could tell he wasn't pleased by what he'd found.

"The brakes are blown!" He shouted. "We can't stop!"

"You got to be kidding me!" Elsa yelled back, and a couple of pistol shots whined past her. She whirled back to the rear, sending a few bursts of ice their way. The Blue Wolf with the reins swerved to avoid being hit by her ice, and the enemy carriage lurched dangerously.

"We're going to have to jump!"

Elsa's heart sank at Janus' verdict. This day just keeps getting crazier. "How? We won't survive!"

"We will!" Janus insisted. "Trust me. We just have to get close enough to the edge of the city and time it right!"

Elsa groaned loudly, but she was sure her displeasure was lost over the thundering of hooves and the whining of pistol balls. She shot another long stream of ice which struck the Blue Wolf at the reins squarely in the chest before he could manoeuvre to safety.

The third carriage weaved to the front as the second spun out of control, and this one seemed determined to gain on Elsa and Janus. As they drew closer, Elsa turned back to Janus.

"When do we jump?"

"Not yet! Just hang on!" Janus yanked on the reins as they came to the end of a street, and the carriage swerved perilously as it made a preposterously sharp right bank.

Her feet flying off the narrow steps, Elsa clung on for dear life, both hands gripping the handle like they were her only salvation as the wheels of the carriage screamed at an ear-piercing high pitch. As they pivoted on two wheels, the vehicle leaned dangerously to the right, almost tipping the entire thing over and ending the pursuit then and there.

Somehow, by luck or pure skill, Janus managed to manoeuvre the horses and carriage back into a stable position as the horses maintained their speed, bolting down the next street towards the edge of the city, where a stone wall had been erected, punctuating a dead end.

"Janus!" Elsa shouted over the sounds of even more pistol cracks as her feet scrambled for purchase. "The wall! Slow them down!"

"I'm trying!" Janus tugged back on the reins. The horses began to slow, but the carriages were still moving at the same speed.

Elsa then realised the true danger. The horses might stop, but without the brakes, the carriage would ram straight into the horses, bowling them over and possibly killing them. Damn it, there's going to be carnage. Hands still gripping the handle firmly, she began to scale the carriage as fast as she could, and swung herself into the seat beside Janus and the dead driver.

"What are you doing?"

"We have to unlimber the carriage!" She said as her fingers worked deftly to undo the latch. "Otherwise the horses will be crushed!"

Up ahead of her and Janus, the wall was coming fast.

"Get ready!" Janus shouted. "Once we turn, get ready to dismount!"

Elsa clung to the latch which held the carriage and the horses together. They had to time this right. Otherwise…

The carriage swung left as the road came to an end.

"Now!" Janus said, grabbing her hand and pulling them off the carriage.

Elsa let go, and the carriage separated from the turning horses. The empty carriage swerved and crashed into the wall, the impact sending splinters of wood spraying everywhere.

The two of them landed on the grass at the edge of the city, rolling across it to slow down their momentum gradually. Thankfully, Janus had timed things right, letting the soft, overgrown grass break their fall. They stopped rolling as they came near to the edge of the hill outside the city. Quickly, both of them got up as the third carriage filled with Blue Wolves ground to a halt nearby.

Levering herself to her feet, Elsa dusted herself off. Bits of grass, mud and who knew what else clung to her white blouse which was more or less stained brown now. She had a cut on her upper arm near her shoulder where she had hit a rather sharp rock while trying to break her fall.

Now, she was belatedly feeling the sting, and she quickly examined her wound. A gash, but not too deep thankfully. Nothing her icy biology couldn't heal quickly.

"You alright?" Janus held her arm anxiously when he realised she was bleeding.

"I'm fine." She brushed off his attempt to fuss over her, and pulled him away from the city. "Come on, we have to get down the hill."

"Stop! Don't move!"

Elsa turned to see the Blue Wolves from the only remaining carriage stalking towards them in formation, spread out with pistols aimed.

"You've both made a mess of things." The squad commander said. "Don't let this get any worse or we'll shoot."

"No you won't." Janus hurled something at their feet, and they scampered away yelling before the capsule could stop rolling. A controlled explosion sent a pulsating sound wave reverberating throughout the nearby vicinity as fragments of fire and rock were scattered.

"Come on!" Janus seized the distraction and took her hand.

Before the Wolves could recover and stop them, Elsa and Janus sprinted down the slightly steep hill hand in hand, half sliding as they descended. Thankfully, they reached the bottom, where they found their contact waiting for them.

"Whew." Tracy whistled. "I had my doubts you both would make it back."

"You're a sight for sore eyes." Elsa said.

"How was the wedding?" Tracy asked.

"Maybe we could save the details for later. We're in a bit of a pickle." Janus glanced over his shoulder at the Blue Wolves who were clambering down the hill towards them.

"Right, right." Casually, Tracy conjured up one of her Crossing Points, made up of a large portal of purple mist.

The three of them leapt through the portal, and it closed abruptly behind them before the Blue Wolves could get within firing range.

###

It felt strange to be back in Srevnjor. Elsa had been here once, but only for a brief time. It had been when she was still being blackmailed by Ingrid Grendstav to work for her, and she had led the Elemental Sorcerers to steal the map of Ancient Hyutreno's catacombs for Ingrid to seek out the Eternal King.

It had also been the place where Anna had confronted her, and Elsa had hit her sister to keep up appearances. It feels like such a long time ago.

After escaping from the Blue Wolves prowling Arendelle, Elsa, Janus and Tracy had returned to a remote corner of Srevnjor, where the rest of the Warriors were holed up in separate motels and hotels across the border. This was to avoid attracting attention, since the Warriors were a relatively large group.

Tracy, Maui, Janus, Deirdre, Jade, Jordan, and herself. Seven made for a rather noticeable crowd, and Elsa had figured back then that if they split up, if one of them was caught then the rest wouldn't be compromised. They would only come together again when they needed to help rescue some poor sorcerer being hunted down by the Blue Wolves.

It was needless to say that the Blue Wolves were everywhere, spread out in endless numbers across the continent, and it was inevitable that sorcerers would be smoked out of hiding and captured. Thus, Elsa and the others had taken it upon themselves to rescue these innocent sorcerers from the Blue Wolves and Tracy would teleport them to Swynvort to be kept safe with the rest of the League who were being managed by Vonco, Holli and a few of the other senior League members.

It wasn't a perfect solution, especially since sooner or later the numbers would pile up and Swynvort would be hopelessly overcrowded. But for now, it would have to do until something happened to make the Confederation abolish the CAST. However, Elsa suspected that it wouldn't happen anytime soon.

For now, the Warriors were hunkered down in separate locations in Srevnjor, which Elsa had deemed to be relatively remote and far enough, even for the Blue Wolves. After all, there had to be someplace where the Confederation's jurisdiction ended.

"You sure you guys are fine?" Tracy asked as they stepped out of the Crossing Point behind a dimly lit alleyway, hidden away from curious and suspicious eyes.

Elsa nodded. "Thanks Tracy. I don't know what we'll do without you."

"Yeah." Tracy scratched her nose. "I don't know what I'll do without me either."

Elsa chuckled. Somehow, the former sea witch turned veteran sorceress had maintained her snarky, edgy sense of humour even in the face of such unpleasant odds. It was good to have her around.

Janus turned to Tracy. "We should split before someone spots us."

"Right, right." Tracy said. "Well, you guys know where to find me if you need me. Or any of the others."

"We do." Elsa smiled. "We'll be in touch."

"See ya." Tracy opened up another portal of purple mist, which illuminated the shadowy alleyway and stepped into it. And then, she disappeared through it to return to her own hiding spot in the small town.

When she was gone, Elsa blew out a long breath and let her shoulders fall in exhaustion.

"Come on." Janus took her arm gently. "We should get back to the hideout before we get spotted here."

The "hideout", as Janus had called it, was simply a small room in the Kittrive hotel, which was as tiny as one could get. It was a rest stop meant for tourists who didn't have much to pay, and they got exactly what they paid for: a cheap room to spend the night.

However, Elsa and Janus had been spending the past two months holed up in that single room, and it was starting to get on Elsa's nerves. Not that she didn't enjoy Janus' company - he was the one thing that kept her sane - but it felt like her life was just going in circles. The same four walls, and the occasional rescue of a frightened sorcerer. That's what her life had come to.

It really felt like her life had hit rock bottom. Elsa remembered that just half a year ago, she had finally abdicated the throne, and was finally free to be herself and live her life in the Enchanted Forest with the Northuldra.

And now, she was holed up in a dingy, stuffy hotel room, a wanted criminal. And for what? Being born the way she was. It vexed her greatly that people were this eager to brand others they didn't understand as something to be feared, or in her case, a witch.

To some extent, Elsa had lost faith in humanity. The light and goodness that she had done her best to see in people. Gone. All that remained was bitterness, anger and a nagging sense that this was the world she lived in now, and that it was here to stay.

"You hungry?"

Elsa turned to look at Janus who stood beside the drawn curtains. Even though it was now already evening and the sun had gone down, they still had the habit of keeping the curtains drawn to avoid any unnecessary risks.

Janus had already removed his mask and weapons, and was glancing worriedly at her. The long scar that spanned from his forehead to his cheek was now gone. Shortly after the Warriors had exiled themselves, they had arranged for Holli to finally heal his scar for him.

It had taken a lot of convincing on Elsa's part, since Janus had always insisted that the scar be a reminder of his greatest failure. However, since they were now on the run, it was best to remain inconspicuous. And nothing screamed suspicious and drew attention like a long scar across the face.

Now that the scar was gone and his face was properly healed, Elsa found his physical features even more attractive. That tousled brown hair, tan skin and gentle brown eyes that was usually hidden behind the mask. Behind the veil of his fearsome mask and reputation in the field, he was one of the most kind hearted men she had ever known.

"Elsa?"

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry. Just tired."

He dragged a chair over and sat down in front of her. Gently, he took her arm which had been cut while they were trying to break their fall from the carriage. It wasn't a deep cut or anything but it still hurt. By now the bleeding had long since stopped, but the wound was crusted over by dried blood.

"It's nothing." She said dismissively.

He reached out and took a damp cloth from a nearby basin.

Elsa shied away from his touch as he squeezed the damp cloth and ever so gently dabbed the wound. She winced a little and stiffened as he cleaned away the blood, and soon the wound was clean.

"Better?" He asked.

Elsa nodded. "Thanks."

"You sure you don't want anything to eat?" He asked again.

"No, I'm just really tired after our escapade in Arendelle today." Elsa shook her head. "I haven't done this much running since the time I tried to cross the Dark Sea."

Silently, Janus leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips, withdrawing after a long moment. His eyes seemed to smile reassuringly at her as if to tell her that everything would eventually work out all right.

"Better?" He asked.

"Mmn." Elsa leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry about today."

"Why?" She asked, perplexed. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He shook his head. "Your sister's wedding. It shouldn't have to be this way. You all deserve better."

Exhaling, Elsa kissed his neck. "We all do. But we can't change anything now."

"It isn't right." Janus went on quietly. "You not being able to celebrate with your sister. I can only imagine how it's tearing you apart. You know I'm here for you, don't you?" He looked anxiously at her.

Elsa smiled. "Ever since you decided to exile yourself with the rest of us, I think you've made that perfectly clear."

Janus kissed her again and gently pushed her down onto the bed, straddling her. She pulled him close to her, and felt his warm breath on her face.

Fingering the hem of his tight black shirt, she began to pull it up to reveal his tan, scarred midsection. Elsa ran a cold, gentle hand over his bare skin and he hardly flinched. He had grown accustomed to her icy touch by now.

Janus pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He leaned in close to her again and kissed her on the lips. They both lingered there for some time before Elsa pulled away. She shrugged out of her blouse and wrapped her arms around Janus.

Though the bed itself wasn't large or wide, the two of them somehow found a way to make it work. Side by side, the two lovers laid bare, tangled within each other's embrace. Janus trailed a finger slowly across her collarbone and rested his hand on her chest, feeling her heart beat.

"We'll make it through this." He said comfortingly, echoing the words he had said to her on the very first night they had spent together in the guest suite of the castle.

Elsa snuggled up closer to Janus, and placed her own hand on top of his. She enjoyed the comforting touch of his hand on her chest and the warmth of his skin against hers. At least if nothing else, being with him was the one good thing she could still be grateful for.

Author's Commentary:

Warms my heart to know that y'all are enjoying the story thus far, and to see that some of y'all are taking a real liking to Janus. Hope to keep the momentum going! Haven't really had time to work on Book 5 (am about a quarter way through it and stuck) because of school work. University's real tough :/ But, I hope I'll be able to continue working on Book 5 once my finals are over! Got a lot of catching up to do.