Chapter Twenty Six

Solitary Confinement

JANUS

"There." Janus nodded at the direction of the gate, which was now being guarded by a line of six burly prison guards, all shouldering muskets. "Tell me what you know."

Just after lunch, the inmates were allowed out of their cells for some yard time. The "sacrilegious" time slot was the most coveted on any given day. Being able to step out from behind the damp-smelling and dark prison walls, to be able to smell the fresh air and see sunshine, some inmates would have killed for that.

Thankfully though, the Warden wasn't exactly stingy with yard time, since there really was not much of a risk. Sorcerers without their magic weren't much more than regular, helpless people - or so he thought. So every day, the inmates got to see the outdoors, which in this case worked in Janus' favour.

The Warriors had agreed to split up to cover more ground, since they really needed the support of the majority of the prisoners if their full plan was going to work. They had all settled on the fact that only Janus should break out, since he had the best chance of escaping. Though he hated the idea of leaving Elsa and the others behind, he couldn't dispute that.

After he escaped the island by boat, he would travel through the woods in search of the Coalition. It would be easy to learn where the long column of soldiers was headed, since the Coalition would have passed by small villages and tribes along the way. Then upon reaching the Coalition, Janus would secretly seek help from Anna, Melody, Kristoff and whoever else was willing to help them storm the prison.

They would return to Stormtide, where the prisoners would be freed and offered sanctuary with the League of Sorcerers in Swynvort. That of course, was the plan, but Janus was quite aware that nicely laid plans didn't always go well in practice. So for the moment, the best the Warriors could do was the ensure the support and alliance of as many prisoners as they could get.

Elsa and Deirdre were in the library, speaking to the black market dealer, which the former had apparently managed to form an uneasy alliance with. Maui, on the other hand, was making some new friends of his own in the mess hall. Jade was in her cell sleeping. No one really wanted to disturb the poor girl these days, since she didn't seem to be responding well to anything. In time, hopefully.

Meanwhile, Janus and Tracy were speaking to their new allies which included Monco, the girl called Venetia, and a couple of others whose names he couldn't quite recall. Them being thieves and burglars before being captured, they were an observant lot, and Janus was counting on that right now.

"Two guards will pass by every night. From what we can tell, the first pair passes by at a quarter past nine, and it takes five minutes for the next pair to pass by the gate." Monco, the big thief, explained gruffly. He looked like the sort of man who could tear a lesser man apart with his bare hands, and Janus was quietly glad that he had gotten the man on his side.

"Hmmn." Janus said. Five minutes wasn't too bad. He inclined his head upwards, but not so much so as not to attract the attention of the prison guards in the vicinity. "What about up there?"

"From what our friends tell us, they're on a half-hour rotation." Venetia said. Apparently, the girl harboured a sort of mild awe for Elsa, and she often asked Janus about her. "So if you get rid of the snipers up high around a quarter past nine, you should have about fifteen minutes to make your escape. Shouldn't be too hard for you, eh?"

"Shouldn't be." Janus mentally performed the steps of the plan in his mind. Get out of his cell the same way he did last night, only now the fifteen minutes he had before the guards patrolled his cell block again would be split between removing the snipers, eliminating the prowling guards patrolling the prison grounds, and then commandeering a boat that would take him back to the mainland before the next detail of snipers could arrive at half past nine. Simple enough.

"That's it, right?" Venetia asked. She and the others had been briefed on his plan. She did look a little skeptical, as did the rest, probably owing to the fact that many others had tried to escape but failed due to their heavy reliance on their magic.

"That's about it." Tracy nodded. "But we still need to garner support for when Janus comes back with reinforcements to storm the island. We can't risk having the prisoners break off into little riots by themselves if they all want to make it out of here alive."

"You're serious about that part?" Monco asked in his low voice. He too, was a little taken aback by the idea that the League of Sorcerers would want to help even the thieves and criminals. "Getting us off the island?"

"Yes." Janus said. That part of the plan had been Elsa's call. If it were up to him, he wouldn't really want to risk it, but the woman he loved had her own moral obligations that she lived by, and he respected that. Doesn't make my life any easier though.

"Well, we spoke to some, like Elsa said to do." Venetia said, as though Elsa's words had been divine instruction.

"And what do they think?" Tracy asked.

"Some are eager to help. Others not so much. But when I bring up the fact that you guys are from the League, they're suddenly more willing to help out." She stole a nervous glance over her shoulder. "But we daren't touch those chaps."

Janus followed her gaze, and his eyes rested on a cluster of men, looking as tall and menacing as Monco was or worse - if that was even possible. They were gathered around a stone bench, a couple of them smoking and talking, while two more were working out on the ground.

"Who are they?" Tracy hitched a thumb over at them.

"Don't," Monco growled. "Don't point at them."

"They're not a nice bunch, I'll tell you that." Venetia warned in a hushed voice. "They're called the Big Boys coz of their height. Not very original, I know, but you don't get much intelligence from those meatheads." She added when she saw the raised eyebrows from Janus and Tracy. "Everyone who knows enough will stay clear of them. If a riot breaks out, they'll be the first to raise some hell and make it work in their favour somehow."

"That ain't good." Tracy exchanged glances with Janus, who pursed his lips.

They would be a problem when the fighting broke out. And that was a liability that Janus needed to make sure wasn't going to hinder them when the time came to break out.

"Who's in charge?" Janus asked.

"Charlie. Their boss in the centre." Monco said, a touch of discomfort entering his voice. "Now look, don't go do anything stupid."

Janus sized up the man Monco had referred to. He was big, as big as Monco but bulkier and well into middle age. He was like a version of Maui, but had none of the friendliness. Safe to say, he was most likely going to be a problem, one that needed to be sorted out.

"Right. Stay here." Janus told them as he started towards the group at the centre of the recreation yard that were gathered around the stone bench.

"You damn fool!" Venetia hissed. "Get your ass back here!"

Ignoring her, Janus carried on towards the men, and tapped the nearest one on the shoulder. The man who was a head taller turned and stared down at the ex-mercenary with an unfriendly expression.

"What do you want?" The man asked in an unrefined Einsfeltai accent.

"To talk to your boss." Janus said mildly. "Charlie, isn't it?"

"Get lost. The boss is busy." Another snarled at him, blocking his path.

"I can see that." Janus said. "Now move, before I make you."

The two men directly in his path were both way bigger than Janus, who considered himself modestly tall. They snorted with laughter and looked ready to hit Janus.

"Let him through." The new voice was a polished one, sounding pleasant enough.

Janus slipped past the oversized bodyguards before they could move, and stood before Charlie, who was seated comfortably on the stone bench with a cigar in hand. He mused to himself that the voice didn't really suit the bulky form of the man, but that really wasn't for him to judge.

"Are you in charge here?" Janus asked.

"What do you think?" Charlie answered pleasantly.

"I suppose so. Now, I'm sure that you've heard rumours by now that there's to be another breakout attempt." Janus cut straight to the chase. "Do you and your friends want to escape Stormtide?"

Charlie neglected to answer, his face calm and impassive.

"Now I know people have tried before and failed. But we, my friends and I, are members of the League of Sorcerers." At this, Janus watched for the slightest change in expression from Charlie that would give away his thoughts, but to his disappointment there was none. "And we will succeed. But we need to know that when the time comes, and the rioting breaks out, that you won't impede us." He paused. "In exchange, we can guarantee you safe passage out of Stormtide and refuge with the League of Sorcerers. Do we have an agreement?"

"Now, see here." Charlie drawled in a still polite tone and Janus' heart sank. "I don't like it when some young punk comes up to me and tells me what to do. And I don't like following plans especially since I'm usually the one who makes them."

"Were you listening to anything I said?" Janus said in exasperation.

"I answer to no one, kid." Charlie smiled, a lot less pleasant than he had been before. "I think you need to be taught some manners."

Inwardly, Janus sighed as one of the "Big Boys" put a meaty hand on his shoulder. He twisted out of the man's grasp before he could get a good grip, and wrenched the man's wrist with brute force till he had to double over in pain. A simple knee to the temple was all it took to floor him, and Janus back-pedalled quickly to put some distance between him and the gang.

Three more big men advanced, and Janus raised his fists in anticipation of a fight. This was not how he wanted things to go. A figure moved like lightning and slammed into the nearest man's side, knocking him off balance and careening into his companions.

"Couldn't keep out of trouble, could you?" Tracy grinned as she rolled out of the way before another of the "Big Boys" could swipe at her.

Janus permitted himself to grin back at her. This was certainly not how he wanted things to go, but if he had to get into a fight, he was glad to have a brawler like Tracy by his side. She wasn't a skilled fighter, but she could definitely hold her own against a couple of slow, bulky prisoners.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Monco shaking his head. Janus ducked underneath a slow, heavy swing, and returned with an uppercut to the stomach. His assailant doubled over, and Janus vaulted over him and met the next man with a roundhouse kick across the jaw which stunned and floored him instantly.

"These guys aren't really that scary, are they?" Tracy called out as she dispatched one by herself. "They really are just big boys."

Janus faded as another "Big Boy" lunged and tried to bull him down, sticking out a leg casually as he went by. The "Big Boy" crashed into a stone wall and fell down in a heap.

"Everyone get down on the ground!" A prison guard yelled, and another fired his musket in the air.

The rest of the prisoners in the yard got on their knees, including the "Big Boys", who obviously knew who were the biggest dogs in the yard, so to speak. Janus too, lowered himself to his knees as the prison guards approached him with muskets trained.

With them was Deputy Warden Leonid, looking nastier than usual today. The man was never a nice one, but today he had a particular mean streak that made Janus have a bad feeling.

"Lace your fingers behind your head!" The nearest guard slammed the butt of his musket against Janus' jaw, and a dull pain throbbed through his face. Resisting the urge to strike back with a fatal blow to the throat, he complied and did as the guard had instructed. Leonid, with hands behind his back, strolled towards Janus, accompanied by a squad of prison guards.

"You should know that we don't allow fighting in Stormtide." Leonid crouched in front of Janus. "Or maybe you and your friend are new here."

Janus glanced to his right. The guards had subdued Tracy as well, who had been caught kicking the asses of the "Big Boys". She was still grinning though, as if she had enjoyed herself.

"I think you both need to be educated properly so that this won't happen again." Leonid had a nasty smirk on his face, and he lifted his voice. "Take them both to The Hole!"

ELSA

"The Hole?" Elsa balked.

"Yeah. Solitary confinement." Venetia explained to Elsa and the remaining Warriors, having just returned from the recreation yard with Monco. "Or in Stormtide's case, an old well filled with water where you have to keep treading water if you don't wanna die."

"I…" Elsa was speechless. Her heart lurched with worry for Janus and Tracy, who had been caught fighting in the recreation yard and had been taken away to the hole as punishment.

Those idiots, she suddenly felt anger rising in her, directed at Janus and Tracy. Why the hell did they have to fight on the day the plan was to be executed? The plan, though rendered useless now, had been for Janus to break out of his cell and escape tonight.

"Why were they fighting?" Maui asked. His attempt to get the prisoners on his side had been a success. Elsa didn't really care to ask how he did it, she was just glad that he had rallied the other imprisoned sorcerers to their cause. But all of that may have been for nothing now.

"Janus was trying to convince this gang called the "Big Boys" to ally themselves with us." Monco grunted. "Then they attacked him."

"So he didn't choose to fight them?" Elsa asked.

"No."

Elsa felt the anger go out of her like a deflated balloon, but unfortunately she didn't really feel any less relieved. Her lover and good friend were still in solitary confinement, in spite of the fact that they were the ones who had been assaulted.

"Either way, the plan's ruined." Deirdre snarled. "With Janus in the hole, there's no telling when he'll be out."

"Solitary confinement can last up to months sometimes." Venetia said cautiously. It was clear that she didn't exactly feel too comfortable around the fiery tempered sorceress.

"Too long," Maui set his jaw. "We'll have to break him out."

"Are you crazy?" Venetia turned to him. "You wanna end up in the hole too?"

"No, no, he has a point." Elsa had been quiet for a while. She'd racked her brains hard to think of something, and there were now a few sketchy ideas floating around in her mind, just waiting to be tied together into a comprehensive plan.

Deirdre glowered at Elsa. "Are you mad?"

"Maybe. But we have to improvise." Elsa said. She and Deirdre had managed to secure the support of Petra and her goons, which came as a surprise to her. Probably because the black market dealer had some respect for Elsa after seeing her as a force to be reckoned with yesterday in the library. She turned to Maui. "How many people have you rallied behind us?"

A grin played at the corners of his mouth. "Quite a number."

"So if we push forward the riot to tonight, do you think we'll have enough prisoners to lead an attack and cause enough confusion?"

"Woahh, woahh, what are you talking about here?" Venetia looked genuinely alarmed.

"We're shifting up the timetable." Elsa said, feeling a little excitement rise as she began to tie together the strands of ideas in her mind. "This might actually work in our favour now."

"How so?" Deirdre looked skeptical.

"We'll need to work out the details, but the idea is that if we cause enough confusion at the right time, we might be able to break Janus and Tracy out, and Janus can still execute the escape plan in the chaos."

"I don't know…" Deirdre trailed off, and Maui looked pensive.

Elsa went on. "It'll also give me the opportunity to get the attention of the higher ups."

"Higher ups?" Venetia asked.

"Elsa's planning to get herself into the Warden's office and find out what's going on with the disappearances." Deirdre rolled her eyes, scowling at Elsa. The three remaining Warriors had just been discussing this before Venetia and Monco had arrived from the recreation yard with the news. "I'm still against the idea."

"Do you have a better plan?" Elsa asked. "Because I don't."

"I don't get it." Venetia scratched her nose. "Why the hell do you even need to do this?"

"We can't just let the Warden keep smuggling prisoners off to the men in cloaks. We need to get to the bottom of this and find out what's going on." Elsa said a little more confidently than she actually felt. "We used to think that the Confederation was the sole authority in running Stormtide. But now, with the men in cloaks in play, I'm not so sure anymore."

"What are you saying?" Venetia asked.

"That maybe there's someone else pulling the strings here." Maui said. "Maybe it's King Uxzas who suggested the CAST in the first place. Or it could be someone else entirely."

"And we're getting to the bottom of this." Elsa finished with squared shoulders.

"You mean you will." Deirdre sounded extremely displeased. "I don't like the idea of you going into the lion's den alone."

"I have to agree with her." Maui sided with Deirdre. "You know what will happen if you present yourself as a target to the Warden."

"I'll disappear." Elsa said in a quiet voice. "The men in cloaks will take me."

"Exactly." Venetia was wide eyed. "You can't be serious."

"Think about this." Deirdre pleaded. "The League of Sorcerers need you. All those sorcerers, those kids back in Swynvort. They need you. We need you. We'll find another way."

Elsa felt as if an arrow had been stabbed through her heart, but she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I have to do this. There's no other way. We have to know who's behind this, and then I promise we'll stop them once and for all."

"That's all well and good in theory, but remind me again how we're going to find you if you're trapped in their clutches?" Maui asked.

"Tracy. Once Janus returns with backup and Stormtide has fallen, you'll all be free." Elsa tapped the metal collar around her neck. "Get the magic dampening collars off, and your powers will be back. Then Tracy can use her magic to find me."

"That's a very big risk." Deirdre snapped. "What if they kill you before we can get to you? Did you think about that? What then?"

Elsa set her jaw. "It's a risk we're going to have to take."

"I don't like it." Maui said point blank.

"Hell no, I don't." Deirdre crossed her arms.

"Honestly, me neither." Elsa relented, drawing in a long breath. She tightened her features, staring round at the remaining Warriors as well as her new acquaintances. "But unless we have a better alternative, what other choice do we have?"