Chapter Nine
Cloak and Dagger
JANUS
It's funny. Janus mused to himself as he tugged on a cheap brown coat with the furry materials that the people of Juliusson were fond of wearing. Who would have imagined that I'd still be in this business when I switched sides?
Throughout his life, no one would have pegged him as one of the good guys. He was branded a killer from the tender age of twelve, after having avenged his mother's death in prison. Then when he had escaped, he had taken on the profession of a hired killer, training with the best for a couple of years before establishing himself as Bruvesqk's most feared mercenary.
The rest of course was history. He had been hired by Ingrid Grendstav as her enforcer in the League of Sorcerers. That was before Elsa had showed up and changed his world. Then more than a year later, he found himself hired and aligned with the Empress to serve as the Captain of the First Imperial Guard.
It was safe to say that Janus had never really been on the right side of the law. That was, until Elsa showed up again in Denmark, forcing him to make a decision on whose side he really wanted to be on. At the time, he thought he had done her a favour by saving her life in the Merchant's Bank. In hindsight, it was she who had saved him.
If it wasn't for Elsa, he suspected that he would have still been running from confronting the truth: that he could be a better person and that he had promised he would try. Reunited with Elsa and her allies, Janus had unofficially become a member of her team, after which they had worked together to drive the Empire out of Denmark.
Then a showdown had culminated on the hills during the Battle of Arendelle, and he had worked together with Elsa, Melody and the rest to force the Imperial Horde to retreat. That was the first time he had been on the right side and succeeded.
The Queen, Elsa's younger sister, had given him her approval to be with Elsa. That alone was enough. However, Elsa and her kind, those with sorcery, had then been declared as criminals to be hunted down. Janus remembered having to make a decision: to stay in Arendelle with full immunity from the Queen for his past actions as a mercenary, or to flee together with Elsa and the rest.
He had taken the latter option in a heartbeat. There was nothing, he had resolved, nothing that would separate him and Elsa again. He wasn't going to let that happen. However, as a result, he would continue to live his life on edge.
There was a time after he had been reunited with Elsa when he had thoughts of having a normal life after the Battle of Arendelle. To settle down with her, and to enjoy each other's company as regular people.
But now, after spending eight months on the run and being branded as a criminal near the top of the Confederation's wanted list, Janus was very well aware that he would never be free, and would never really have a normal life that he had envisioned for himself with Elsa. But at least Elsa and I are still together.
"Be careful out there." Elsa said for what must have been the hundredth time.
And Janus gave the same response he always did. "I will."
"You know," Elsa hugged herself. "I can never get used to the idea of you going out there and risk getting captured by the Blue Wolves."
"We've been doing this for eight months." He walked towards her. "All of us. I think we're experienced enough to remain out of reach of the Blue Wolves."
"Still…"
"Don't worry." He rubbed her shoulders. "I'll be fine."
Of this, at least, he was rather confident. As he had said, they had been doing this for eight months. Once the Coalition had mobilised a few months back, the Warriors had shifted their modus operandi. Now instead of randomly going from city to city, village to village in order to save helpless sorcerers from the ruthless Blue Wolves, the Warriors tailed the Coalition.
Sometimes, they would camp a village or a forest away from the Coalition, no matter where they were. Even as they passed through the mountains, valleys, or thick forests, the Warriors had done a considerably good job of staying hidden from their predators.
The whole purpose of sticking so close to the Coalition was so that they could swoop in and pull out the hunted sorcerers before the Blue Wolves could get to them. The Warriors had found out rather early on that the CAST Force was tagging along on the Coalition's campaign so as to further increase their efficiency at capturing sorcerers from the freshly liberated cities and kingdoms.
However, the Warriors were leaving themselves vulnerable and there was always the possibility of being spotted by a random soldier from the Coalition, and everything would come crashing down. After all, everyone knew the faces of the Confederation's most wanted criminals.
"Besides," Janus said reassuringly. "It's Kristoff we're talking about. He wouldn't sell us out to the Coalition."
"No," Elsa agreed. "No, he wouldn't."
The Queen's new husband, Prince Consort Kristoff, was regularly meeting with Janus once a month to deliver him updates and developments in the Coalition camp. The Warriors needed to know what the Confederation was planning, or in what direction they were headed next. These meetings with Kristoff took place as and when something important was about to happen, or if there were a change in plans for marching orders.
Of course, when this whole meeting thing started, the Warriors had decided that Janus was the best choice to be their representative. Amongst Elsa, Tracy, Maui, the three Elemental Sorcerers and himself, it was rather obvious who would be the most likely to remain in the shadows and avoid getting caught.
Janus had been trained to blend into environments and to slip away from predators, so he was the perfect point of contact. And like clockwork, every time he met with Kristoff in secret, he had escaped unharmed. Though Elsa's paranoia was not entirely unfounded. There would always be the lingering danger of walking straight into a trap or ambush that Kristoff didn't know about.
"Do you have an escape route planned?" Elsa asked. "Just in case."
Janus nodded. "I scouted the roads earlier today."
"Good, good." Elsa deflated considerably. "Though I'd still wish that you be careful."
One hundred and one. Janus smiled. "You keep repeating yourself, you know that?"
"I know, I know." Elsa said irritably. "But can you blame me? The risk of getting caught out there…"
"I won't get caught." Janus gave her a gentle squeeze. "It's me, remember?"
Elsa gave a feeble chuckle and looked up into his eyes. He gazed back into her mesmerising deep blue ones, and for a brief moment he was lost in the sea of his wave of feelings towards her. Tender emotions flooded into his mind, and his heart thumped faster in his chest.
Her body was close to his, and he could see the worry in her eyes and the uneasiness in her body language. She's really worried about me.
Janus kissed her on the lips and reluctantly pulled away from her. "Don't worry. I'll be back within the hour."
"Be careful." She called after him as he walked out of the room.
One hundred and two. Janus smiled slightly as he walked down the stairs of the motel lodging where the Warriors were all staying at for the moment.
Exiting the building, he was met by a cold gust of wind. It was already well into the late hours of the evening, and the nights were quite cold during this time of year. Winter will be here any day now, and if the Coalition doesn't finish their campaign…
Janus shook his head. He didn't want to think about that right now. As he travelled towards the rendezvous point, he stuck to the shadows mostly and the roads less traversed. During the few days they had spent in the small town of Juliusson, he had studied the traffic and found that the Southern regions of the town were slightly more dead than the rest.
One would have thought that his days of sneaking around in the shadows, doing this cloak and dagger business, would have been behind him. Sadly, that was not the case. Well, this is the path I signed up for.
As he approached the rendezvous point, he checked his belt holster for his revolver. For obvious reasons, he couldn't wear his full mercenary outfit - mask, hood and all - since that would attract way too much attention. And attention was something he was trying to avoid, especially now.
It didn't help that the Blue Wolves had all been briefed that a masked man with a bow and arrow was helping the Snow Queen and her allies. So nowadays, he had instead resorted to entering the field in civilian clothes to blend in. Leaving his bow, arrow and sword behind with the rest of the Warriors, he had taken with him more inconspicuous weapons.
Janus' hand shifted across his belt and felt for his dagger. It was there, along with the other blades he had stuffed into his leg holster and into the pockets of his greatcoat. One couldn't blame him for being paranoid too. Better to be prepared and all that.
Before coming to this spot, he had cased it during the daytime. It seemed free of vantage points or blind spots where the Blue Wolves could launch an ambush. The rendezvous point was the inner pillar of a building's cornerstone. The building itself was at the end of the road, closest to the edge of Juliusson. As arranged, Kristoff - the Prince Consort - was there, alone as usual.
"Your Royal Highness." Janus slipped out of the shadows without so much at the patter of footsteps.
Kristoff jumped slightly and grunted petulantly. "You have to stop doing that."
Janus studied him in the darkness. In all the times they had met thus far, Kristoff hadn't lost his apprehensive outlook where the ex-mercenary was concerned. He couldn't blame the Prince Consort, since he didn't exactly have the cleanest reputation. After all, the two of them had fought before back in Quodrun over the acquisition of Will Daltrey, but that was more than two years ago. It feels like another lifetime.
"Sorry, force of habit." Janus apologised. "Are you alone?"
"Yeah."
"Did you make sure you weren't followed?"
"We've been doing this dance long enough, don't you think?" Kristoff asked.
"I have to take precautions," Janus said. "You know we can't afford to be caught by the Blue Wolves."
Kristoff nodded. "Listen, I have news."
"What is it?"
"The peace treaty here earlier today," Kristoff began. "It didn't work out the way we wanted."
Janus held his tongue. He had sort of expected an outcome like that, since there really hadn't been very much chance that the Empire would just give up their territory and retreat back to Exon.
"Which means," Kristoff went on. "The war isn't over. The Coalition breaks camp at dawn. We're a day out from Turnsheim, which means we'll probably attack in two days' time."
"Hmmn."
"Tomorrow we're going to continue down the dirt track, and across the Branzeit fields to the edge of Turnsheim territory. About fourteen miles in total." Kristoff finished. "You can probably tail us after seven in the morning, and stick to the trees once you get to the fields. There are forests lining both sides of the fields, so you'll be out of sight there."
"Got it." Janus said. "Anything else we should know?"
Kristoff scratched his beard. "No, not really."
An awkward silence passed between the two men. There was still the elephant in the room, the same question that remained constant in every meeting they shared.
"How is Elsa and the others?" Kristoff finally broke the silence and asked the question. "Are they well?"
Janus nodded. "They're fine. And how is the queen?"
"She's under a lot of stress." Kristoff admitted, looking troubled. "Having to deal with the rest of the Confederation members and all."
"That doesn't sound pleasant."
"It isn't." Kristoff sighed. "Will you pass Elsa and the others a message for me?"
"Sure."
"Tell them to hang in there." Kristoff said. "As always. We'll work something out to bring them all back…eventually."
The odds of that actually happening weren't high, but it still did them all some good to hear the words. Janus nodded again. "I'll tell them."
"Thanks." Kristoff said and the two men shook hands. "Look, I better get back to the Coalition camp before someone gets suspicious. Remember the route tomorrow, and don't get caught."
Janus watched as the Prince Consort departed, and waited till he vanished out of sight. He kept to his position behind the pillar, listening for any giveaway signs that the Blue Wolves were here to ambush him or tail him back to the hideout. There weren't. When he was satisfied that he was alone, Janus zigzagged back into town in convoluted routes just in case to confuse potential stalkers, consciously sticking to the shadows.
###
"And what did old Kristoff have to say this time?" Tracy asked.
The Warriors - consisting of Tracy, Jade, Deirdre, Jordan and Maui - had all gathered in Elsa and Janus' shared room to hear what Janus had learnt during his brief meeting. It wasn't often that they came together like this anymore, at least not in the open. Outside, they would all move in smaller groups to avoid attracting attention.
All around, apart from Maui who was dressed in a too small tight nightshirt and pants, the girls were all in their nightgowns, having come from their own rooms in different parts of the motel. Janus himself was still in his local civilian attire, and he shed his greatcoat, draping it across a nearby empty chair.
"Not very good news." Janus said truthfully.
"Same old Kristoff." Tracy grinned. "Always the pessimist, eh?"
"What did he tell you?" Maui asked.
"Kristoff told me the peace negotiations were a flop. The Coalition will be on the march again tomorrow. They'll be taking this route here," Janus traced his finger over a region on the map. "So he advised us to wait for a few hours after dawn before moving out, and keep to the trees once we get to the fields."
Janus was aware that Tracy had the power to teleport them all from one location to another, but everyone had agreed that using their powers in unknown territory was catastrophically dangerous. Someone could spot them emerging from Tracy's conjured portal, and if that someone was a Blue Wolf, it would all be over for them. They had decided that they would stick to the old fashioned method of travelling on foot and sticking to the shadows.
"And when are they gonna fight?" Jade asked. "I assume the Coalition is still planning on freeing Turnsheim from the Imperial Horde's occupation."
Janus nodded. "Kristoff said they'll probably deploy for battle in two days' time. Which means we'll have to wait them out before going into Turnsheim and rescuing any of the local sorcerers being smoked out by the Blue Wolves." He turned to Elsa, who had been silent up till now. "If that's what you want."
The room was silent for a moment. Up till now, the only three people who had been quiet were Deirdre - who most of the time preferred to keep to herself, Jordan - the mute brother of Jade who couldn't speak but made up for it with his powers and valour, and Elsa, who was still deep in thought.
"It's getting riskier." Elsa said quietly. "The Blue Wolves know who we are. They know our powers, and they know how we operate. Every time we go out into the field, the ground is shrinking beneath our feet."
"Are you suggesting we sit this one out?" Tracy looked surprised.
"No, no." Elsa clarified quickly. "I just…don't have a very good feeling about this one. Call it a hunch."
"We'll be careful." Maui said. "We always have been, haven't we?"
Apprehensively, Elsa nodded. Janus felt a pang of sympathy for her. Being the Pilgrim - the leader of the League of Sorcerers- couldn't be easy. Making all the tough calls and having to bear the responsibilities of the consequences if the mission went sour. He remembered the haunted look on her face after Will Daltrey had died.
The boy had never wanted to be a part of the League of Sorcerers, but he sacrificed his life to save hundreds. Elsa had often woken up in the middle of the night in cold sweat, and Janus had had to remind her repeatedly that it wasn't her fault that he had died. She had a tendency of taking the blame upon herself - a trait that all good leaders possessed, it seemed.
"Like Kristoff suggested, tomorrow we'll take the route through the trees here." Elsa pointed a thin finger at the map. Unfortunately, she had grown skinnier over the course of the past few months, likely from the stress and the inconsistent meal patterns while moving from place to place. "The Coalition will dig in here by the rise of the hill in the night, which means we should keep well to the rear. Possibly stick to the inner parts of the forest in case the Coalition decides to send out foragers."
Everyone agreed, and soon after discussing their plans in detail for a little while more, they began to return to their own rooms one by one. Then, it was just Elsa and Janus. Elsa waited till the last of their team closed the door before speaking again.
"How's Anna?" She asked. The older sister anxiety was shining through prominently. "Is she alright?"
"Kristoff told me she's fine. Just stressed with managing the whole political situation with the rest of the Confederation."
"All this never should have happened." Elsa said guiltily. "If I had known that the continent would be facing war, I would have never have thrown the responsibility of the crown to Anna. I would've stayed on as queen to weather the storm. It isn't fair to Anna that this happened."
"It's not your fault." Janus took her smooth, delicate hands in his own. Even the weight of her hands felt lighter than they used to. "No one could have known that the Empire would wage war on the continent."
Elsa exhaled and closed her eyes. "I just hope the war will end soon, and then Anna can return to Arendelle to get the break she needs. It's all been so tough on her."
"It's been tough on you too." Janus reminded her. "You need a good rest when this is all over."
"Will it ever be over for us?" Elsa mumbled half to herself. "Will we ever be free to go home again?"
"I don't know." Janus admitted quietly. "But I do know one thing."
"What's that?"
"Wherever this takes us, I'll be here for you." Janus pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I promise."
As Elsa put her arms around his waist and leaned on his chest, Janus asked himself the same question, which depressingly refused to go away. Will we ever be free?
