Chapter Twenty Seven

A Daring Rescue

JANUS

Janus' heart pounded as he pressed his black-clad body against the uneven wall of the pitch black catacombs. He was sure that she could hear his heartbeat. Forcing himself to slow his breathing, he strained his ears. The footsteps were drawing nearer.

Easy, he told himself firmly as he fought to keep his breathing calm. She can't see you. You were trained for stealth. Focus. But every instinct within him screamed that her sorcerous senses would seek him out like a needle in a haystack. Janus' hand crept towards his belt, where the pellets were nestled. The footsteps were growing louder.

After a week of running and living like a sewer rat, his eyes had adjusted fully to the dark and he could make out every detail in the cavern. The ledge he was perched on was narrow, giving him no room to manoeuvre safely if she did manage to spot him. There had been no time for him to escape from this cavern, as she blocked out the only way. The tunnel the Warriors had used to enter the city had been blown to rubble days ago. He'd tried to use that route to escape and regroup, only to find himself trapped. Trapped in the endless catacombs with his former friend who'd been turned against him by the Crimson Order.

Jade appeared at the other end of the cavern, dressed in the brown cloak of the Mage Slayers. From where Janus was, he could see no life on her face, only a cold, dogged determination to finally smoke out her target. He'd been running from her for a week, and she'd been utterly relentless. The Emperor had commanded her to give chase and slay him, and she hadn't succeeded yet.

Something told Janus that she wasn't going to stop till he was well and truly dead. He'd dodged and had brief stand-offs with her over the past week, but he'd always managed to slip away into the shadows and hide deeper in the endless catacombs beneath Exon's capital. Was he even still beneath Exon at this stage? He'd wandered so far that he didn't know. But the chalk marks on the wall would be his salvation. Wherever he went, he'd marked the walls with a tiny white chalk to remind him of the way he'd come. He didn't think that Jade would notice such a tiny detail. Or maybe she had.

Janus gritted his teeth as Jade drew closer. He could see her cold, unfeeling red eyes sweeping across the cavern, scanning for any other signs of life. Sweat began to roll down his face and he felt exceedingly uncomfortable in his black tights and armour all of a sudden. Would she see him?

He glanced down. A yawning drop lay beneath him, the bottom invisible. How could he escape if she spotted him? His sharp eyes fell on a gap between two rocks. A hole large enough for a man of his size to squeeze through could possibly mean another tunnel. But hopefully things wouldn't come to that.

Jade prowled the cavern in search of him, finally coming to a stop at the end of the ledge he was perched precariously on. She paused for a brief moment, scanning her surroundings.

Come on. Janus willed her to turn and leave, clinging to the rock wall and doing his best to blend into the shadows. His heart hammered uncontrollably now, pounding so loud that he could hear it in his head.

Thankfully, Jade turned to go. But before Janus could deflate, she suddenly paused again. She whirled round with a snarl, eyes glowing bright blue the colour of lightning. Her hands sparked, lighting up the cavern in a brilliant but ominous flash of light.

Shit. His hand grabbed a pellet and hurled it at Jade with all his might. There was an explosion of smoke that engulfed the sorceress, inciting a furious growl from her. Janus dove off the ledge as bolts of lightning disintegrated the wall. Free falling, he unlimbered his bow from his back and nocked a grappling arrow. He judged the distance as he fell and let fly.

The grappling arrow thoked into overhanging rock, anchoring itself deep. When the cable went taut, it pulled Janus towards the gap between the two rocks. His nimble frame slipped into the gap and he fell on his back. So it was a tunnel.

Scrambling to his feet, he quickly detached the grappling arrow from his bow and looked up. Jade was staring down at him from the cavern above, her eyes glowing in the dark. There was nothing left of the ally he'd once known. Heart heavy, he tore himself away from the edge and moved deeper into the new tunnel.

###

Staring down at the remaining rations in his hand, Janus' heart sank. There would only be enough for one more day. He'd taken to eating only one meal a day, each time consuming an eighth of a standard ration portion. Between the severe lack of food and water and being hunted like a rat by his former ally, it was a miracle he'd survived this long.

Janus sat with his back against the wall of the new cavern. There were thousands of these little caves throughout the endless catacombs. He hadn't forgotten his primary mission, the reason he was in Exon in the first place. Elsa and Tracy were still prisoners of the Crimson Order - and the Emperor himself. He still couldn't shake the memory of how he'd given Hans everything he had and still failed to kill him. The gloating face of the Emperor lingered in his mind and he clenched his jaw.

There was no way he could have emerged victorious from that exchange. He'd been an arrogant fool to think he could have. And while he'd escaped to complete his original mission, the rest of his friends had paid the price. The worst part was, he had no idea what had happened to Melody and the others. Were they even still alive?

The guilt never ceased to plague him. He'd abandoned them in the fiercest part of the battle, all so that he could save Elsa and Tracy. But even then, he'd failed. He had no goddamn clue how far away he was from their position.

Dropping his head, he put down the rations and exhaled deeply. The only way he could make it all worth it was if he finished what he came to do. Save Elsa and Tracy, and get the hell out of this shit hole. Besides, he wouldn't last much longer if he lingered down here anyway. It was time he stopped playing the hunted and remember his mission.

With much difficulty, Janus levered himself back to his feet and donned his mask again - the one he'd stopped wearing over the past week. Picking up his bow, he slung it across his back and looked up at the miles of cavern before him. If he wanted to find Elsa and Tracy before he starved, then he had better get started.

It took him what felt like hours to retrace his steps using the white chalk marks. He offered up silent thanks that he'd thought to mark the walls. If he hadn't, there would've been no way of finding his way back. He finally entered a tunnel that seemed vaguely familiar.

Janus glanced around at his surroundings. The tunnel was at least dimly lit by sparse lamps hanging at erratic intervals on the walls. Pipes rang parallel to the walls, rusted over by decades and perhaps centuries. The passage was narrow, warm and humid.

Yes, he decided. He and the others had been down this stretch of tunnel more than a week ago, right before they'd all been soundly beaten by Hans and the Crimson Order. The thought brought another bout of guilt crashing over him, and he tried to shake it off. Focus. Find the damn chalk marks.

As he prowled down the narrow path, he kept one hand on his belt where his assortment of pellets and vials lay. Who knew when Jade would suddenly pounce at him from out of nowhere? In any case, he didn't think he was ready to seriously harm her. At least, not until he was absolutely sure there was no way to break the enemy's hold over her.

The tunnel suddenly widened out into a small foyer. Turning around, he recognised the fork of tunnels. The Warriors had opted to go down one and left the other two unexplored. If only they'd decided to go down a different tunnel, maybe everything would've turned out different. And he wouldn't be trying to do this alone.

He stared at the two remaining tunnels, both looking equally ominous. Instinct was telling him to pick the tunnel on the far right. He didn't know why, but he knew enough to trust his instincts. They were rarely wrong, but he'd gone against his better judgement to aid his allies in a showdown with the Emperor. And look how that turned out.

Janus removed a different chalk, a grey one, and pressed it against the wall. He would need it if he was going to retrace his steps again. But he hoped that this tunnel would lead him right to Elsa and Tracy. The truth was, even though he was worried, he was angry too. Angry mostly at Elsa for betraying his trust.

She'd promised not to face her problems alone. She'd promised to share her burdens with him. But she hadn't, had she? No. Instead, Elsa had dragged Tracy into her mess and charged straight into the lion's den and gotten them both captured, or worse. She'd broken his trust and for that, he couldn't help but feel hurt and angry. But his worry for her outweighed his vexation. First things first.

Moving down the new passage, he soon debouched into a wider tunnel. The distinct stench of blood and rotting flesh began to grow very strong, and he had to stop himself from gagging.

This feels like the right place. Smells like it too. Unfortunately, his mask wasn't offering him any protection against the horrible miasma. But at least he knew that where there was death, the Crimson Order ought to be near. With one hand hovering near the leather hilt of his dagger, Janus moved more slowly, careful to make sure his footfalls were inaudible. His stealthiness took him all the way to the end of the corridor before a brown cloak suddenly rounded the bend unsuspectingly.

Drawing his dagger, Janus hurled himself at the brown cloak and forced him up against the wall, one hand on the man's mouth and the dagger at the man's neck.

"Scream or struggle, and I'll open your throat." Janus whispered. His own voice sounded strange in his own ears. It'd been so long since he'd spoken that the deep mechanical voice from the mask threw him off slightly.

The man wasn't a Mage Slayer. Thankfully. Otherwise he would've likely retaliated and annihilated Janus by now. Probably just a priest.

"Nod if you understand." Janus moved the dagger an inch back.

The priest nodded, fear in his eyes. He spoke in lightly accented English, his voice quavering "You. You're that fugitive the Emperor's looking for."

"I am. Now tell me where they're being held. Two girls."

"I-I don't know." The man's eyes betrayed him.

With precise control, Janus pressed the point of the dagger against the man's neck, not hard enough to draw blood but enough to introduce discomfort.

"One…one's being held in the regular cages, the second tunnel from the left when you're in the main cavern. His Eminence is going to try to convert her into a demon host." The man stammered.

"The one with dark hair or the blonde?"

"D-dark hair."

So Tracy was in the regular cages. "And the blonde girl?"

The man's eyes swivelled about before he whispered. "The cells used for the most dangerous sorcerers or demons."

"Take me to her." Janus quickly spun the man around and pressed the dagger against the small of his back. "No tricks, and you get to live to see the sun again."

The cloaked priest obediently brought him into the main foyer. Janus took a moment to survey the lair. It was even larger and more menacing than he'd imagined it to be. But at long last, after months of fighting an enemy he couldn't see, he was in the very heart of their base of operations. The strange thing was, there was no one else around.

"Where's everyone?" He asked.

"The surface. The…the Emperor wanted to see His Eminence and the Mage Slayers for something." The priest blurted out. "The rest of the priests are meditating in their own chambers."

How convenient. "Where's the blonde being kept?"

"Down there." the priest pointed at one of the many tunnels. "The cells are right at the end."

"And what about the other one?"

The priest pointed at another tunnel.

"Thank you." Janus slammed his forearm into the man's face, flooring him instantly. He dragged the man behind one of the large rocks and then set off in search of Elsa. There was an iron gate standing between him and the tunnel, locked and padded heavily with a sign written in a foreign language hanging from the gate.

He quickly worked his way past the gate with a vial of acid, journeying down the claustrophobic passageway. Coming to the end of the long tunnel, it was like the priest had said. Elsa was in one of the barred cells, hanging limply by her shackled wrists with a magic dampening collar around her neck and irons clapped on her ankles.

Whatever anger he felt towards her dissipated in an instant, replaced by a stab of worry that pierced his heart as he hurried towards her cell. Pouring acid from another one of his vials, the lock melted and he hurriedly threw open the door of her cell. Elsa looked to be unconscious, her loose hair knotted and clumped together in bunches, skin grimy with sweat and her bare feet stained with dried blood.

"Elsa." He stepped into the cell, his eyes flicking to the shackles. They looked to be rusty and brittle. Drawing his falchion, he cautiously slashed at each of the shackles, and caught Elsa before she could fall. Her body was limp in his arms but she stirred slightly from the movement.

She muttered something inaudible, her eyes still shut.

Janus set to work undoing the shackles on her wrists and ankles with lock picks, then unlocked the magic dampening collar around her neck. His blood boiled when he saw her chafed, red skin where she'd been chained by rusty iron. Hurling the restraints away, he gently cradled her in his arms as he knelt on the ground.

"Elsa." He repeated with worry clouding his voice. Caressing her sweat stained cheek with the back of his hand, he called to her again. "Please, wake up."

She mumbled again but this time her eyes flickered open a fraction. "Please. No more."

"It's me," Janus removed his mask. "Janus."

Her eyes came into focus and she stirred. "Janus?"

"Yes." He buried his face into her neck and kissed her. "I'm so sorry it took me so long. But I'm here now and I'm going to get you out of here."

Groaning weakly, she closed her eyes again.

"What did they do to you?" He whispered, staring at her. He'd never seen her so fragile, so broken before.

"They drugged me everyday. Forced me to conjure blizzards," She rasped, gazing at him groggily. "Threatened to kill Tracy if I didn't do it. I…I can't feel my sorcery anymore." She said weakly, her voice laced with dismay.

"Shit." Janus muttered under his breath. This is bad. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out. Maybe we can find a way to restore your powers." He tried to sound reassuring, though he hadn't the foggiest clue if that was even possible. "But for now, we have to get the hell out of here."

Elsa struggled to sit up by herself, finally putting a hand to her temple. Her forehead creased. "The others. Where are they?"

The stab of guilt returned. He averted his eyes. "There's no one else. It's just me. I…I don't know what happened to the others."

"No." She whispered, evidently taking great pains to speak. "Hans?"

"Yeah." He refused to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry. He…he was too strong. I couldn't stop him. We couldn't. The Crimson Order was overwhelming us all. I had to leave the others behind if I was going to get a chance to save you. Otherwise we'd all have been slaughtered."

"You left them behind?" Elsa was slightly more lucid now, leaning her back against the cell wall. Her hoarse voice held a tone of incredulity. "You left them to face Hans alone?"

"I had no choice. My mission was to save you." He could feel his indignation towards her take root again. "If you hadn't snuck off by yourself in the first place, none of this would've happened."

"Can we not do this now?" Elsa winced. "We can argue later when we're out of here. Help me up?"

Grunting, Janus relented and gently pulled her to her feet. She was right. There would be time to hash out their differences later. Elsa wobbled on her feet, her legs threatening to buckle beneath her. Janus steadied her, then lifted her in his arms.

"Just hold on," He told her. "We're going to find Tracy first then she can teleport us out of here."

Elsa nodded, closing her eyes. Her head lolled and her body went limp again.

As he carried her back the way he'd come, he could feel the exhaustion mounting even though she was considered light by most standards. The exertion coupled with the severe lack of food and water was enough to make him collapse. It was a wonder he hadn't passed out yet. But he couldn't afford to. Not when Tracy and Elsa depended on him to get them out of this shit hole.

Mustering every ounce of strength, he managed to drag Elsa out into the open foyer. He was met by two cloaked priests who looked up sharply. They exclaimed, and moved to intercept him. But they were too slow.

Setting Elsa down quickly, Janus whipped two tiny blades towards them, and each blade embedded itself in the throats of the two priests. Crimson bubbled out of their mouths and they sank to the ground choking on their own blood.

Picking Elsa up again, he placed her behind a particularly large wall that would obscure her from sight. "Wait here. I'll be back after I get Tracy."

Following the instructions the priest had given him, Janus broke through the gate of the second tunnel from the left and swiftly went in search of Tracy. At the end of the passage, instead of cells like the one he'd found Elsa in, there were many human-sized cages lining a long hallway. Many humans - or demon hosts - sat in the cages, and all turned their attention to Janus as he entered the cave.

This is sick. Janus clenched his jaw and tried to take slow, shallow breaths. The stench of unwashed bodies, blood and decaying flesh hung heavy in the air. He scanned the cave as quickly as he could, trying to ignore the eyes on his back. Some of them gave off an eerie aura that Janus guessed meant that they were already possessed by demons.

Many of them had long, unkempt hair, were deathly skinny, and stared at him through hollow eyes. Disturbingly enough, they were all silent, something he hadn't expected at all. It made the experience all the more bone-chilling. Where the hell is Tracy?

"Bloody hell, are you a sight for sore eyes."

Janus whirled, scanning the room. His eyes finally fell on a familiar figure at the far end of the cave, slouching against the cage with her head pressed against the bars.

"Or however the saying goes. I kinda forgot." Tracy looked like she'd taken a beating. "Whatever. It's good to see ya."

"Tracy." He heaved a sigh of relief and jogged over to her cage, examining the lock. Rusted over, like most of the others. "Hang on, I'll get you out of there."

"Good old Prometheus. Haven't missed a beat, eh?" Tracy watched as Janus went to work pouring acid carefully over the lock.

He swung the cage door open. "What happened to you?" He motioned at her arm, which was streaked with a long scar.

"Had to fight Jade." She winced. "She's been turned into one of those bloody Mage Slayers."

"I know." Janus muttered under his breath and gritted his teeth. All too well. "But are you alright?"

"Apart from being stuck with these zombies, I guess so." Tracy glanced round at the rest of the silent caged prisoners and shivered. "Still gives me the creeps. Can we get out of here?"

###

"Elsa!" Tracy hissed, running towards Elsa and knelt down beside her. "Holy…what have they done to you?"

Elsa slurred something mostly inaudible and moaned.

Tracy turned to Janus. "And what about Jade?"

A blue-white flicker of light began to glow from one of the tunnels on the far end of the foyer.

"No, no, no. She's found us." Janus rushed to Elsa and beckoned for Tracy. "Help me get her up!"

Tracy froze. "Jade."

"Help me prop her up." He hissed, leaning Elsa on Tracy as he drew his bow from his back.

"You know that won't stop her, right?" Tracy struggled to support Elsa's weight, eventually managing to prop her up.

"I don't have to stop her. Just have to stall her." Janus nocked an arrow and drew. His hands trembled slightly from exhaustion but he kept his focus on the tunnel where the light was coming from.

Jade emerged from the tunnel, hands glowing and sparking with lightning. The brown cloak flapped as she stalked towards the trio.

"Finally." She said, her voice hollow and ominous, eyes glowing red. "Do you have any idea how difficult it's been to find you?"

"That was the point." Janus kept his finger on the bowstring, his eyes not leaving the Elemental Sorceress. "Stay where you are."

"Jade! What the bloody hell's wrong with you?" Tracy demanded. "What was that horse shit back in the arena? Snap out of it and let's get out of here!"

"I don't think it's that simple," Janus' eyes locked with Jade's impassive ones. "She's one of them now."

Jade aimed a hand at Janus. "For the glory of the Emperor."

Janus let fly, the arrow zipping towards the Elemental Sorceress.

She unleashed her sorcery, the lightning intercepting the arrow. But that was what Janus was counting on. The arrow exploded, the shockwave catapulting Jade into a nearby wall.

"That won't keep her down for long," Janus turned urgently to Tracy. "Quick. Summon the Crossing Point."

"Oh. Yeah, right." Tracy handed Elsa back to Janus, and steepled both hands together.

Janus watched as Jade began to stir, shaking off the rubble from the wall that had fallen on her. "Tracy?"

"I just need a minute." Tracy had her eyes shut.

"We don't have a minute, damn it. Get us out of here now!"

"Something's wrong." Tracy balked, her eyes flying open. "I…I can't do it."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"Like I can't summon the bloody Crossing Point!" Tracy shook out both hands and stared at them in bewilderment. "What the hell?"

"Screw it." Janus' hand flew to his falchion as Jade stood up and began closing the gap between them again. He motioned for Tracy to take Elsa away. "The two of you get out of here. She only wants me dead."

"You know that's not gonna happen." Tracy spat. Without warning, Tracy shot out a hand at Jade. A purple aura of energy flew out, engulfing their immediate vicinity in a bright purple flash of light, blinking and exploding erratically.

"Come on!" Tracy jerked her hand violently. Purple aura surrounded Elsa and levitated her off the ground. "Oh, good. At least the rest of my magic still work." She turned to Janus. "Get us out of here. Hurry up!"

Janus took one last glance at Jade, who was busy trying to fend off the purple aura of energy which seemed to act like a force field or bubble, trapping the Elemental Sorceress within. We'll come back for you. I promise. With much effort, he tore his eyes away from Jade and ran for the exit. "Follow me."

"Bugger it all. I hope you know where you're leading us!" Tracy called out as she levitated Elsa along with them.

"I hope so too." Janus muttered quietly under his breath as he led the way back into the dark.