Chapter Forty Seven
Seeing the Future
HANS
"I suppose I could have been wrong about you." Dreambinder said.
Hans graced the cloaked priest with a lazy expression. Does it look like I care what you think? "Oh?"
"You are resourceful and cunning, I will give you that. When you told me that you still had a plan to extract the information, I did not believe you. But you have delivered on your promise."
"Don't I always?"
"Lord Magnus will be pleased."
"I'm glad I could satisfy."
Dreambinder, or Brother Talmaq, as his real name was, had been waiting out of sight with Brother Salvadore and another of the High Priest's acolytes whom Hans didn't know. They were his extraction plan, so to speak. In the natural, there would've been no way for Hans to escape from the Warriors, navigate through the Coalition-won city of Korynes, and make it out alive. Fortunately, he had alliances within the Crimson Order who were charged with helping him accomplish his mission.
To the Warriors, it had seemed like he was surrendering wilfully, but of course, he always had a plan up his sleeve. Hans chuckled to himself. Fools. By now, he would've thought that at least Anna or Elsa would've been more cautious around him. Or perhaps they had too much misplaced faith in their little band of friends.
His ploy had been a success of course. All along, he never really expected Elsa to spill her secrets. A part of him had known from the start that she was strong enough to withstand any torture - physical or psychological - that he could deal out.
She was way stronger than anyone gave her credit for, and Hans found it amusing that apart from probably only her own sister, he was the only other person who could see it. He knew Elsa well enough to know that she wouldn't cave, yet he had set the plan in motion to have her captured and brought to him anyway.
That had been an utter waste of his time, apart from the pleasure of having her as his captive. He wished that he'd been given more time to slowly torture Elsa and watch her squirm before eventually killing her, but he had other pressing concerns that needed to be fulfilled. There was no time to inflict his usual precise, intricate torment on his victims. No. He'd needed the location of the League urgently.
However, when Elsa had resisted like he had anticipated, he turned to his more viable plan. Manipulation.
Hans knew for a fact that Anna and her little band of friends would come to save Elsa. He had also known that one of them, the sorceress called Jade, had just lost her brother. She would be mentally weak and an easy target for the picking. And so, he had deliberately allowed himself to be captured in the hopes that he could manipulate Jade under the guise of being interrogated.
It had worked spectacularly, going every bit the way he had intended. The rest were none the wiser while Jade had fallen for the bait, soaking in every drop of hope that he had dealt out. In exchange for his connections to the Crimson Order and the demon known as the Eternal King, she had given him the one thing he had come for.
The location of the League of Sorcerers' base of operation. Swynvort Tower.
Of course, he prided himself on being a man of his word. Both in the good and the bad. That's an ingrained flaw of mine, I suppose. He would speak to Lord Magnus about Jade. There wasn't any harm in that. What was the worst that could happen? Her brother would be resurrected by the Eternal King, only for him and the rest of the League to be killed in due time when the Crimson Order exacted their misguided vengeance against them.
"Here we are." Brother Salvadore parted the dark clouds with the mere wave of a hand. A moment ago, they had been in the city of Korynes, just fleeing from the League of Sorcerers. And now, they were in the catacombs, the long, winding tunnels that led to the cult's lair deep below Kalneron Cathedral in the very heart of Exon's capital. Melodramatic, but effective.
Hans stepped out into the rock-walled tunnels of the catacombs. The familiar damp, musty smell of centuries of existence filled his nostrils. Revolting. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness, only lit by a few flaming torches at sparse intervals along the tunnel.
"Ignahon Malkovtoh." Dreambinder nodded to Salvadore, and took the other cloaked man with him.
Hans watched as they departed into another tunnel that he assumed led to another part of the lair.
"This way." Salvadore led him down the tunnel he had taken once before, winding left and right a couple of times before they debouched into the large cavern which acted as a foyer of sorts and a main hall. A key was produced and a lock undone, and Salvadore took Hans down yet another tunnel, this one leading to Magnus' private study.
"Your Eminence." Salvadore bowed. "Brother Hans has returned."
"Ah." Magnus drawled, looking up from the parchment scroll which he had been reading. "Good. You may leave, Brother Salvadore."
The cloaked priest dipped his head and slunk off into the shadows. Hans kept his eyes on the High Priest as he leaned forward, the force of the old man's gaze discomfortingly penetrating.
"I gather your mission has been a success?"
Hans kept his features neutral. "Of course."
"I expected no less." A faint smile broke out on Magnus' cracked lips, the majority of his features still concealed by the shadows and the hood drawn over his head. "You haven't failed me thus far. But if I'm being honest, I had my doubts."
"Oh?" Hans said noncommittally.
"I didn't think you would manage to pry information out of the Snow Queen. How did you do it?"
"A little cunning wit and manipulation goes a long way."
"Hmmn. I knew I was right about you. Much more than Sister Eleanor anyway." Magnus leaned forward, placing his forearms on his desk. "So tell me. Where are the League of Sorcerers based?"
"Swynvort Tower." Hans said.
"Very good." A wider smile spread across Magnus' face. "All that trouble for a simple piece of information. It'd be amusing if it weren't so vexing. Aurelius!"
A man emerged seemingly out of nowhere from the wall beside Hans, making him very nearly start. These "Mage Slayer" assassins or priests were really beginning to irk him with their mysterious and eccentric ways.
"Yes, Your Eminence." Aurelius said. His voice was deep and foreboding, and he was ridiculously tall and lanky. He wore the same brown robes as the rest of the Order, as well as the hood over his head.
"Spread the word through our usual channels. I want the nearest companies of the CAST Force in the vicinity of Swynvort to rally together and attack Swynvort right now." Magnus commanded. "No prisoners. No surrender. No one's going to prison this time. I want every sorcerer dead."
"What about the bounty hunters?" Aurelius asked.
"Contact the Witch Hunters. The more help we have on our side, the faster the executions will go. We cannot allow the League any chance to escape."
Aurelius dipped his head and slipped back into a corner of the room, and Hans watched as he melted away into the shadows. The assassin disappeared from the cave completely, as though he had never been there. Hans sighed internally and turned back to Magnus.
"Interesting." Hans said. "Not to tell you how to run your business, but why don't you dispatch the Mage Slayers to deal with the League? They're more than capable, I gather. And far deadlier than any task force or bounty hunter."
"No." Magnus' tone was sharp, cutting through the air like a knife. "We must not reveal our existence under any circumstances. We've remained hidden for centuries, and I will not allow our faith to be jeopardised."
Internally, Hans laughed. But they already know, you old fool.
By luck somehow, Elsa, Anna and the rest of their cohort had discovered the Order's existence. How they did it in the first place, Hans didn't know. But he'd seized the opportunity to tell them more about the Crimson Order in the hopes that the results would push him in the direction he needed to go. And it's working gloriously. He suppressed a smile.
"I defer to your better judgement." Hans said. "And of course, there's just the little outstanding matter."
"Yes, yes." Magnus said impatiently. "What do you want in return for this information you brought me?"
"Nothing much. I just have two requests."
"Name them."
"As you know, I had to go through a great deal of trouble to learn this little piece of information." Hans said. "It had to come at a price."
Magnus narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"
"I bargained with one of the sorcerers within the Snow Queen's circle. This girl gave up the location, but she wants our help."
"Our help?"
"She wants her dead brother resurrected." Hans explained. "Not that I could really care less about her, but I believe this presents us with an opportunity."
"How so?"
"This girl is one of the Elemental Sorcerers."
"Ah." Magnus' expression changed slightly. "I believe something can be arranged."
"Excellent."
"And what's the second thing?"
"That one is a little more personal." Hans smiled. "I want to see the demons again."
Magnus had a peculiar look on his face. One that spoke of incredulity, utter bafflement and an inability to grasp his ally's intentions. "And what for?"
"The demons intrigue me." Hans admitted truthfully. "But I can assure you, no harm will come of my little expedition. If I wanted to betray the Crimson Order, why do you think I'd wait so long to do it?"
"I have no clue." Magnus' stare was unsettling. "In the decades I've been the High Priest, I've never met a man such as yourself. I can't decide if it's a good or bad thing."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Magnus sighed and shook his head, waving a dismissive hand at Hans. "Very well. Tell Salvadore that you have my consent. He's waiting outside."
"Thank you, Your Eminence." Hans suppressed another smile. Everything is falling into place.
###
Once out of the inner tunnel, he told Salvadore about Magnus' approval. Face blank, Salvadore took Hans to another locked iron gate, and opened it for him without a word.
"You're not coming?" Hans asked. He had expected that the man would accompany him just in case.
"Lord Magnus did not give specific instructions that you were to be followed, yes?"
"No he didn't."
"Then you shall be on your own." Salvadore said, his expression betraying a hint of discomfort. "I have no desire to follow."
Hans gave him a curious look. He seemed afraid of the stronger demons. A demon host himself afraid of the demons? "As you wish, then."
As he walked down the tunnel towards the dungeon, the stench of dried blood and unwashed bodies reminded him of why no one liked to visit the place. On top of that, it exuded a deeply disorienting atmosphere as he approached. Maybe its just the nerves.
Finally, he reached the end of the tunnel and entered the dungeon where the most dangerous demons were being kept. Right now, the place was empty of any priests, the demon hosts being the only ones present. All the better.
Ignoring the eyes of the demon hosts on him, Hans kept his head straight and briskly walked down the narrow corridor in between the cages. Demon hosts on both sides watched him quietly, and Hans could feel their eerie eyes on the back of his head. Even to a level-headed man such as himself, Hans felt his hair stand on end. His blood began to curdle and run cold in his veins, and he pulled on his dark blue overcoat a little tighter.
At long last, he found the demon he was looking for. Just to be sure, he checked the name engraved on the wall outside the cell. In any case, there was no mistaking the demon host inside. Father Time was watching him with the same piercing green eyes, studying his every move through strands of dark, untidy hair falling over his face like a wraith from the pits of hell. Not too far from wrong, given where we are.
Hans shifted uncomfortably and adjusted his gloves. But before he could speak, the demon host beat him to it.
"Welcome, Hans Westergaard." The raspy voice of Father Time was like a deadly whisper, echoing in Hans' ears and leaving an unpleasant noise lingering in his head.
"You know who I am." He said cautiously. It wasn't a question.
"I do." Father Time said, "Son of Ulrich Westergaard. Former Prince of the Southern Isles. Chancellor of Exon."
"Very perceptive." Hans said. "I suppose I wouldn't want to know how you know so much about me?"
"Probably not." Father Time smiled, showing rotten teeth of his host. "But you are here to learn more about yourself."
"And how could you know that?" The moment the words left Hans' lips, he wanted to hit himself. Of course he knows. He's Father Time.
The demon laughed huskily. "You already know the answer to that."
"You have the power to glimpse a person's past, and his future."
"The latter only applies in full if the subject allows me to." Father Time said. "That's why you're here."
"Yes." Hans said carefully, measuring every word. What he was about to do here was going to change things for him. Monumentally.
"You want to see your future." Father Time whispered, his voice like the wind. "You want to know if you become a great man."
"I do."
"And if not, you want to change it."
Hans kept his expression calm, matching the piercing gaze of Father Time. "Yes."
"It has been decades since anyone has approached me. In the past when I was free, these things usually come at a price." Father Time inclined his head towards Hans. "But for you, I'll do it without charge."
"And why would you want to help me?"
"Because I see great potential in you, boy."
Hans stiffened, the word sparking hateful memories of his own father and the leather belt. "Don't call me boy."
"Touched a nerve, have we?" Father Time smiled disturbingly. "Very well. I do see great potential in you, and I must admit I'm curious to see how it all pans out."
"Then we have something in common."
"Sit down." Father Time gestured at the ground outside the cage.
It was filthy with hay like in a barn, and the ground stank of piss and human excrement. Even blood. Nonetheless, Hans lifted the tails of his overcoat and sat opposite the demon host.
"Remove the gloves and give me your hands."
Slowly, Hans began to peel off his gloves, studying the face of the demon host opposite him. For a moment, he thought he glimpsed the true form of the demon behind the eyes of its host. Remember, this is what you wanted. Cautiously, he placed them on the ground and offered the demon host his hands through the cell bars.
Father Time gripped Hans' hands in his own, and Hans could feel fingernails - or claws - digging into his palms, hard enough to draw trickles of blood.
"I must caution you, the experience can be disorienting for some."
"Just do it."
Something surged through Hans like a jolt of lightning, and everything went white for a few moments. Blinded, Hans grunted and shielded his eyes from the unforgiving light. Then the light began to fade. When Hans chanced a look, he blinked once and then his eyes went wide.
He saw himself as a young boy, running in the Southern Isles' palace garden. But not running and playing with his older brothers. No. He was running from them as they chased him with slugs, worms and other god-awful creatures in their hands, laughing as he screamed in terror.
And then the scene faded away, replaced by another. The royal court, where his mother was explaining to an over-eager Hans for the first time that because he was thirteen in line, there would never be a chance for him to be king. The words of sympathy and comfort gradually faded as they were drowned out by sobs of anguish from the young boy, his hopes and dreams crushed and burnt.
Again, the scene faded, and this time he was in his father's private study. A defiant teenage Hans stood before the cold eyes of his father, King Ulrich, berated and roared at for not being more like his brothers. A leather belt in his hand. A tone of disdain. Contempt. Shame.
Hans narrowed his eyes. The painful past. He turned his body - if it actually existed in this realm of time - to face the demon, who was nothing more than an invisible spirit whose presence could be tangibly felt.
"I don't need to see my past, damn it." Hans growled. "I've been through enough of that to know I never want to look back. I'm here to glimpse my future."
"I know." Father Time drawled annoyingly. "Just one more, to satisfy my curiosity."
Hans gritted his teeth, knowing full well that he had no control over anything here. He just had to sit through it like a passenger on a coach ride, waiting for it to be over so that he could get to his desired destination.
The scene changed once again to something more recent. A landscape of harsh snowstorm, the background blanketed in white and the skies dull and grey. The ground was ice, and before him was a young, slender blonde woman in a blue dress, fallen to her knees after Hans had just told her that her sister was dead.
His eyes narrowed farther and clenched his jaw, even as he watched his younger self draw his sword, a victorious expression written across his features. This was always doomed to fail. A plan hinged on the emotions of an unstable monster who the people crowned queen.
The sight of a younger Elsa brought back fresh hatred to Hans, burning white hot behind his eyes. He shut them tightly as he imagined the sword falling to futility. If it wasn't for her, everything would've been different...
"Interesting." Father Time's voice thundered and broke through his introspection. "You really hate this girl, don't you? Giving up your own freedom to slay her?"
"She's a monster."
"Fascinating. You are a troubled soul, one filled with darkness like a swirling storm." Father Time drawled. "I've seen the rest. Your time in prison. The cunning work you've done with the Empress of Exon. A mad scramble of calculated retreat as you've met your match in the Arendellian queen. Again."
"She's nothing." Hans growled. "Elsa will fall, like all the rest, but not before I'm through with her."
"We shall see." He could feel Father Time smiling, if that was even possible in this realm. "Now let's see what's ahead. It might be a little quick, as time hasn't set in yet."
Hans was about to say something in protest, but instead he was blinded by successive flashes before he could close his eyes. In those split-second flashes, he saw images slowed to a crawl and frozen, etched in his mind. Visions of what was to come.
A fallen Empire. Fire blazing in the night and smoke rising into the sky. Collapsing buildings, holes and rubble in parts of walls that had been shelled by artillery. Blood in the streets. Utter ruin. Coalition soldiers storming through the Capital of Exon, with Field Marshal Kane arrested for war crimes and Eleanor's bloodied body lying in the streets after a hysterical last stand. Hans himself saving his own skin and fleeing to the mountains, abandoning her, the Crimson Order and everything he'd ever accomplished.
The League of Sorcerers led the way through the streets, Coalition soldiers and Confederation members rallying behind them. Sorcerers and common humans united. And the League of Sorcerers cheering in victory, having been the catalyst of the turning point of the long-drawn war. And at the head of the column, Queen Anna with her husband, and Elsa, together with the rest of her precious League.
Finally, Hans saw a wretched, emaciated version of himself, trudging through the snow on a cold blizzard day alone and destitute as a war criminal being hunted down like an animal, eventually collapsing and being buried beneath the snow only to be forgotten over the centuries and remembered only for his failures.
No, no, no, this cannot be true. Hans' eyes were wide as he stared at the visions, frame after frame, playing out in front of him as though it were a stitched together account of what was to come. He tried to tell himself it wasn't real, and that it wasn't true, but he failed to convince himself. It was clear as day. He would die a humiliating death. Alone. Robbed of victory and revenge. Forgotten by history. A loser.
"Such a pity." Father Time shook his head. In another flash of blinding light, they were returned to the mortal plane of existence where time unfolded second after second.
"Wh-" Hans stuttered, blinking as he willed his mind to accept that he was back in the catacombs.
"Unfortunately, it seems I have been mistaken." Father Time said ruefully. "So much potential, only for it to be lost like this."
Something snapped in Hans and he jerked his hands out of Father Time's grasp. "I will change it. This will not be my fate." He said sharply, temper flaring spectacularly. A wild look on his face, he got up, snarling. "I will not be a failure the way my father said I would be. The way everyone thought I would be. I have not come this fucking far only to fail now."
"But you've known all along that seeing your future was only part of your elaborate plan." Father Time cocked his head. "Or am I wrong?"
No. Hans forced himself to remember his plan. No, I'm still in control. Seeing my future changes nothing. Like Father Time said, it's still part of the plan. Remember what you came for.
He steadied his breathing, and a forced calm and trained discipline returned. "No." Hans said, voice level again. "There is more to my plan. And I will need your help for what comes next."
"And what do you require?"
Hans leaned forward and whispered his plan to the demon host. He would not be denied his victory. Not now.
"Fascinating." Father Time drawled. "In all my years of existence, I have never met another man as ambitious - or as dangerous - as yourself."
"Can it be done?" With eagle eyes, Hans watched the demon for signs of untruth.
"Yes."
"Good." In spite of a minor setback, the plan was still progressing as he had planned. I will not be a loser. Never again. A very tight smile began to form at the edge of Hans' lips. "Then let's begin."