Chapter Thirty One

A New Mystery

ANNA

Something's wrong in Stormtide? You don't say. Anna frowned. "What do you mean?"

"When I was doing a trial run of the breakout, I saw the guards at the gate smuggling sorcerers out of Stormtide. Handing them off to men in brown cloaks." Janus sat up a little straighter and leaned forward as if afraid that someone outside would overhear him. "So we went about talking to some of the other prisoners. Apparently the Warden knows about it and is doing a deal with the cloaked men."

"And where do they take the sorcerers?" Melody asked, intrigued.

"I don't know." Janus' expression was grim. "But something's definitely wrong."

If Stormtide's warden is working for the Confederation and authorised to make the hand-offs, then that could mean-" Anna trailed off, glancing at Melody.

She nodded in agreement. "King Uxzas and the others might actually know something about this."

Anna sighed exasperatedly. "I should have known."

"No one could have guessed." Melody said. "The CAST was perfect cover. Legalising the arrest of sorcerers, where they would be locked away from the public eye. And then, the sorcerers would be handed off against their will to these men in cloaks." She turned to Janus. "Do you have any idea who they are or where they're from?"

"My hunch is they have something to do with the Confederation."

"Let me worry about that." Anna said. "You guys just focus on getting our friends back before they disappear too."

"Right." Melody stood up. "Janus, do you think you can make the journey with us tonight?"

"I'll manage." Janus levered himself to his feet, wincing slightly at the aches. "Just make sure we pack enough food for the journey. We don't want to be riding through the forest and having to rely on whatever wild berries are out there."

"We'll pack plenty." Melody said. "Let me gather up Oliver and the others. And then we'll ride out in forty five minutes. Get some rest first, and we'll be back."

Janus nodded and sat down again in relief as Melody left the tent. He turned to Anna. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring Elsa with me, Ma'am."

Anna waved a hand. "Dispense with the formalities. And I understand, though I can't pretend to not be worried for her safety." She gave him a forced half smile. "Have you kept Elsa safe all these months?"

"I tried my best." Janus said, averting his eyes. "But she's been insistent on putting herself in danger."

"Yup. Sounds like Elsa." Anna muttered under her breath. "You'll get them all back." Anna said in a normal tone, exuding more confidence than she really felt. "I know you will."

"Thanks." Janus flashed a tired grin at her.

"I've got to go." Anna stood up. "Meeting with the Confederation members. We're expecting a battle at Korynes soon." She paused before exiting the tent. "Good luck, Janus. You're going to need it. Bring them all back safely."

"I will."

###

The meeting that night took on an entirely different atmosphere, at least for Anna. The forced formalities didn't change, and as usual there were the unspoken alliances between the representatives. Anna and Prince August on one side, with Uxzas, Helmsley and Horatio on the other side. Melody wasn't present because she was preparing to ride out, and Anna had given the excuse that the princess wasn't feeling well after the day's incessant rain and snow.

It wasn't an unbelievable excuse. Wet and cold bred sickness, and already there had been soldiers that were down with cold and flu. Frederick had told her once earlier during the campaign that the weather was a far more deadly weapon than any army they could face. After all, bad weather meant that sickness would breed. Fevers would break out, and people would die due to the poor conditions of the march and the weather. So far, not many had died yet, and Anna hoped that it would remain that way as the winter wore on.

Dinner was hosted by King Uxzas this time, and Molcorran cuisine was served. Anna didn't exactly fall in love with it, but she had to admit the Molcorrans could cook. It was tasty with all the right amount of seasoning to leave you wanting for more, but the Molcorran cooks seemed to have a penchant for dousing everything in red pepper, which made Anna's eyes water. She had sneezed one too many times at the table, which drew the disapproving eyes of Helmsley and Uxzas.

Dinner had become a lot more frequent and common after the peace summit - if it could be called that. Anna suspected that everyone knew tensions were running high, and each individual wanted to steer the results of the campaign and the following necessary actions in each kingdom's favour. And as the march to Korynes dragged on across the rainy days, the formalities and facade of political restraint were beginning to wear off like camouflage paint after a long drizzle.

All the senior officers were there. The generals of the various armies, as well as the commanders in chief, namely Marquess Horatio, Duke Helmsley and Prince August. King Uxzas had replaced Marshal Cicero with a four-star general who became the new commanding officer of the Molcorran forces. It was still evident that he wasn't pleased that an Arendellian Field Marshal had been chosen to lead the Coalition for the rest of the campaign.

Kristoff and Frederick were present as well, and were in the midst of presenting the Coalition's strategy for engaging the Imperial Horde to the rest of the generals. Their plan had already been approved by the Confederation yesterday, with quite a few questions and arguments. But the one thing that none of them could dispute, was that Frederick knew his business, and was the most qualified amongst the senior officers to lead. Right now, Frederick was in the midst of explaining the plan to the rest with a scaled map of the terrain unrolled and held up to the tent wall.

"At this point tomorrow morning," Frederick pointed to a fork in the road. "We will diverge. The Molcorrans, Vjormans and Einsfeltai who make up the front five divisions will march towards the east. This road will lead here." He traced his finger along the new road, which rounded off and circled round to the right flank of the city of Korynes.

One of the Vjorman generals cleared his throat politely. "Sir," he began. "If I may ask, this would take us extra time, won't it? Perhaps half a day more to reach the vicinity of Korynes."

"Correct." Frederick answered. "Which is why we are planning to going to have to time it perfectly. At the battle of Turnsheim, Hydrech did not see our reserve, so he has no way of determining exactly how large our force is. Therefore," he pointed at the main road which led to the front of Korynes. "When the Arendellians, Danish and Xerflorians open the battle here, Hydrech will have reason to believe that's all we have."

"And then the first five divisions will attack his flank a short while later when he has invested most of his artillery and infantry to deal with their front, catching him off guard." A young Xerflorian general said, eager to sound intelligent in the presence of his fellow officers.

Frederick nodded. "Well put, general. We will, however, require two brigades of Molcorrans to march with the Arendellians. Hydrech was mostly engaged with the Molcorrans during the previous battle, so it stands to reason that he'll expect at least some men in blue." He turned to the Molcorran generals. "Would any of you like to nominate one of your brigades?"

"First Division, Third Brigade, Sir." General Soultzen, a sprightly middle-aged man, barked. "A fine lot, they are. Didn't see much fighting at Turnsheim, and from what I gather they're champing at the bit to see some good action."

Another general Anna didn't recognise cleared his throat. "Third Division, Second Brigade, Sir."

"Very good." Frederick fished out a notebook from his back pocket and scribbled something in it.

"In total, the five divisions at the head of the column will be breaking off at the fork." Kristoff, who was more in charge of administrative stuff, nodded at those who would be forging ahead tomorrow. "And since the road will take you longer to get into position, you will need to have a head start. Say, roughly an hour before dawn, so that you'll get into position the same time we do. The timetable has been drawn up, and the written orders will be delivered to you all by tonight."

"Yes, Sir." The generals chorused.

"Right," Frederick said. "Now, gentlemen. If I may draw your attention back to the map, you will see here that…"

Anna's attention had begun to drift. While the others were paying close attention to what Frederick was saying, her mind began to go through what Janus had told her and Melody earlier this evening.

Something's definitely wrong, Janus had said. And he was right. Sorcerers disappearing from Stormtide in the middle of the night? What's more, the Warden authorising it?

The CAST was perfect cover, Melody's words rang in Anna's ears like a bell. Whatever the reason, whoever was behind this was quite possibly from the Confederation. Who else would have gained from putting the CAST in place?

King Uxzas and the others might actually know about this. Anna suspected that Melody was right. They've been lying in wait, letting the men in cloaks do whatever they want with full authorisation from above. But who is really in charge?

In her mind, Anna began to narrow down the possibilities. There was no way Prince August was involved. He was on their side and he had shown that he had no animosity whatsoever towards sorcerers. The Vjormans had a culture of acceptance that spanned back to the era of their kingdom's golden age. They had a healthy number of sorcerers living in their kingdom and not causing any trouble, up until the CAST was established. No ulterior motives for all this shadowy business.

Melody and herself were definitely in the clear, which meant that only left Helmsley, Horatio and Uxzas.

Duke Helmsley was too much of a coward to get something like this done. The Duke of Wellingbrook was a stickler for tradition, always a strict believer in following the law, doing things by the book and Anna really couldn't imagine him green-lighting an underhanded operation like this. Besides, what does he have to gain from this? The monarchs of Einsfelt basically had no interest in politics whatsoever, choosing to delegate the running of the kingdom to the noblemen and their council members.

Then on the other hand there was Norman Horatio. The pompous Marquess wasn't entirely incapable of pulling something like this, but Anna highly doubted it. He was an ass, a hot head who loved the heat of battle and to stir up conflict and hate. But Anna didn't think he had the brains to orchestrate an entire operation in the shadows without it coming to light somehow by the slip of his long tongue. And anyway, he had to answer to his mother, the Duchess of Xerflorn. He was too low-level to do something like this, and the same could be said for the Duchess.

So there was only one likely candidate, Anna grimaced. Uxzas. The King of Molcorra had always been against the idea of sorcery in commonplace society. He was an old-fashioned minded monarch, much like how Anna's own grandfather Runeard had been when he was alive.

Uxzas had been the one to push hard for the approval of the CAST, pressuring the other Confederation members to sign the treaty. At the time, Anna had noticed him to be pleased at the knowledge that the sorcerers would be arrested and thrown into Stormtide.

Did he know all along? Was he responsible for it all?

It was very highly likely that he did. Everything seemed to point in his direction. His motivations, his goals, his ideals. The chances of him green lighting a shadowy operation like this were quite high, but Anna didn't know for certain yet. She didn't want to outright call him out for something without any evidence. But how am I going to get any evidence?

And in any case, what was he doing this for? Who were the men in cloaks? Where were they taking the sorcerers? So many questions burned in Anna's mind, and she wanted to blurt them all out, scream at Uxzas for inciting so much chaos, shake him by the throat and demand to know the answers to her questions. But no. She had to be more cunning and subtle than that.

If he really was working with someone, then unexpected news would certainly take him by surprise. He would need to update and inform whoever it was he was working with. The men in the brown cloaks. Something began to spin at the back of Anna's mind, an idea beginning to take form.

"Gentlemen." She said when Frederick and Kristoff had finished laying out the details of the rest of the march and the battle tactics. "May I have a few moments alone with the rest of my fellow Confederation members?"

"Of course, Your Majesty. We've concluded tonight's agenda, at least on military matters." Frederick saluted.

The rest of the generals followed as well. Then, facing Frederick and Kristoff, they gave a unified, crisp salute and the bark of "Sir", and finally excused themselves.

Frederick and Kristoff followed suit, leaving Anna alone with her fellow Confederation members. When she was sure everyone was out of earshot, she cleared her throat.

"There was something I was hoping to bring up tonight." She began.

Horatio groaned insufferably. "Surely you're not going to bring up your petition to halt the campaign again and-"

"No." Anna said shortly. Not tonight at least. "I have something a little more-" she paused, searching for the right word. "-sensitive, on the agenda."

"And pray tell, what is that?" Helmsley drawled.

"The League of Sorcerers." Anna said. As she said the words, she carefully studied the expressions of everyone in the tent for clues. But out of all, she tried to focus on Uxzas without giving away the game. "My former allies. My sister." She stressed. "They've escaped Stormtide."

Most of the faces around the table bore some similarities. Surprise. Fear. Shock. A general feeling of not expecting a certain type of news. But there was something else behind Uxzas' eyes. His face twitched behind his thick white moustache, and he worked hard to regain control. But it was too late. Anna, who had been watching discreetly, now knew for certain.

"The League of Sorcerers," she repeated slowly. "Have escaped custody and fled Stormtide Island."

There was a slightly drawn out silence, as no one really knew what to say. After all, no one had expected the sorcerers to break out of one of the most secure facilities, nay, fortresses, on this side of the continent. The fact that they were now free was something to chew on, but Uxzas, as expected, was the first to speak.

"And where did you hear this from?" Uxzas said, voice betraying a hint of disbelief.

He's growing paranoid now. Anna kept her expression falsely grim, inclining her head in his direction. "My former allies tried to reach out to me. To tell me they've escaped."

"Ah." Uxzas said noncommittally. Obviously he had accepted her story, for his mind was already elsewhere.

"Ma'am, not that I'm questioning your loyalty to the Confederation," Helmsley said cautiously. "But why would you bring us this information? From what I gather, these sorcerers," he said the word with unconcealed disgust., "theywere your friends. Not to mention your own sister. What do you stand to gain by betraying them?"

She drew in a breath stiffly, feigning distress. "I stand to gain nothing, Your Grace." She snapped sharply, blinking as if she were on the verge of tears. "I'm betraying people who trusted me. My friends and my own sister, for the sake of the Confederation. I swore an oath to always do what's right, and I gave my word I would remain loyal to the Confederation."

"Ma'am, I merely-"

"Before you question any further, might I remind you I am human too? How do you think it feels, being torn between betraying your flesh and blood or doing what's right for the people you're sworn to serve?" Anna stared at Helmsley coldly and forced a sniffle, one that was usually synonymous with pompous queens. "So yes, why indeed?"

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention." King Uxzas said. He had been silent for a while, and Anna could almost see the gears turning at the back of his head. "I will give instructions to the CAST Force to take the necessary precautions."

Anna resisted the urge to let a huge grin break out on her face. Now, to see how Uxzas reacts. Thanks to Melody, she had seen him suspiciously wander off into the night away from where his own tent had been pitched by the servants. At some point during the evening, it had become clear to Anna that Uxzas wasn't simply out for a walk or a smoke. No. He was out communicating with his allies in the shadows, whoever they were. And now, Anna had to hope that he would lead her right to them.

After the meeting was officially concluded, Anna kept her eye on Uxzas as they filed out of the tent one by one. Him being the host, stepping out of his tent wouldn't be standard practice, but that was exactly what he did. He's getting sloppy, Anna mused as she observed him looking round.

He headed in the direction of the rear, waving away any other escorts and guards as he had previously done. However, to his credit, he was smart enough not to mount his horse, but instead led it in the most inconspicuous fashion he could manage past the rows of tents.

Anna followed at a safe, respectable distance. So far so good. They reached the edge of the camp, where Uxzas had a quick word with the pickets on duty, which were incidentally Arendellians. Then, he mounted his horse and rode off at a leisure pace.

Once she saw that, she turned on her heel and sprinted for her own tent, which wasn't exactly far from the edge. Heads turned in befuddlement as Arendellian soldiers saw their monarch lift up her skirt and run across the rows of tents.

She ignored them, and finally burst into her own tent. Hayley was inside, filing through paperwork of some sort, with the aid of an oil lamp. The secretary looked up at the queen's sudden entrance, and pushed up her spectacles with a finger.

"Your Majesty." Hayley began. "What-"

"I need a dark-coloured horse." Anna interrupted. "One from the dragoons."

Hayley looked quite bewildered at this request. "But it's late, Ma'am, you can't possibly-"

"Now, please." Anna said urgently. "Tell the cavalry commander the queen needs it. Hurry!"

Her assistant, who was by now no stranger to Anna's strange requests and instructions, darted out of the tent to carry out her orders.

Anna made haste, hurriedly alternating between stripping off her cumbersome dinner dress and rummaging through her trunk at the same time. Move quickly, or you'll lose him, she berated herself. Tossing the dress in a corner, she hurriedly slipped into riding leathers, dark in colour and far more suited to hard riding as opposed to outfits meant for dinner functions.

The night was cold, so she threw on a dark greatcoat, opting to leave her favourite purple one behind. Stealth was what was required, and staying camouflaged in the shadows. Once ready, she hurriedly fastened the scabbard housing her rapier on her hip, and burst out of her tent.

Hayley, as efficient as ever, held the reins of a black thoroughbred. When she saw Anna, she cleared her throat.

"Shall I fetch His Royal Highness?"

"No need." Anna tugged at the scabbard, making sure it was secure. Kristoff was no doubt settling administrative matters somewhere with the military staff. By now, Melody and Janus must have long since left for Stormtide. Besides, Anna was quite sure she could handle this by herself.

"Or escorts from the Queen's Guard?"

"No," Anna swung herself into the saddle as best as she could, not caring if she looked undignified doing it. "There's no time. Just tell Kristoff when you get the chance."

Hayley was saying something in response, but Anna didn't hear her, as she had already applied her spurs to the horse and rocketed away. The pickets didn't even get a chance to stop her, for Anna flew past them before they could react, and off she rode into the darkness after Uxzas.