Chapter Thirty

Heart of the Capital

JANUS

Having left what remained of his weapons and mercenary outfit back in the room with Elsa, Janus stood perched on the rooftop of one of the many low-rise buildings in the district, surveying his surroundings with his hands on the parapet. His eyes scanned the dimming horizon that was beginning to fade to dark. As far as he could see, they would be safe here. Situated deep within the low-income neighbourhood with endless blocks of buildings meant to house the impoverished and scum of society, there was little chance the Mage Slayers or the Imperial Blitzguard would find them. At least, not so soon.

This side of town was so densely packed and populated with Exonians who were suffering from the repercussion of the war. And perhaps even more of them were victims of the late king's reign. During his tenure working for Eleanor as Captain of the First Imperials, Janus had done enough of his own digging to know that Eleanor's father had been an incompetent ruler who didn't give two shits that his people were suffering.

The income inequality and unemployment rates were ridiculously high in Exon's capital, and it seemed that Eleanor's reign hadn't improved things very much due to her aspirations for territorial expansion. But in any case, it worked in Janus' favour now.

"Admiring the view eh?" Tracy clicked her tongue. "Not exactly the best I've seen."

"And that's the point." Janus replied without looking over his shoulder. "By now the Crimson Order must know that you and Elsa are gone. Jade would've told them. And they would've told the Emperor."

"And the bastard's gonna sic them on all on us."

"Exactly. And they're going to have a hell of a time trying to track us down. We bought ourselves enough time to hide out here and regroup." He finally turned to glance at Tracy. "Is she comfortable?"

She shrugged. "As far as comfort goes in this place, I guess so." When Janus didn't respond, she went on. "Aww, cheer up a little. Elsa's gonna be fine."

"I'm just…worried." He admitted pensively, avoiding eye contact. "I've just never seen her this beaten and broken before. It hurts to see her like that."

"Listen, I've known her a lot longer than you have." Tracy said, her tone growing more serious. "I've seen her in bad shape before, but she always bounced back. She always does. You gotta give her more credit."

Janus grunted in response, silently agreeing with the former sea witch. She's right. Elsa will bounce back. She's stronger than all of us.

"So what's the game plan now? Aren't we gonna lay low with Elsa?" Tracy asked.

"We will," Janus glanced out over the edge of the rooftop again. "But first we need to make sure we blend in. Stock up supplies. Prepare for the inevitable clash when they do manage to find us."

"How?" He imagined she had a raised eyebrow and a confused look on her face.

"First things first. Over there." He pointed at the streets below.

"A bazaar?"

"Local night market. We'll get our supplies there." He turned to head for the stairwell that would lead them down to ground level. "Come on."

Tracy stopped him. "Going in empty-handed? Cocky, even for someone like you."

"I'm never empty-handed." Janus pulled aside the flap of his thick winter jacket to reveal an assortment of small blades and vials.

"Should've guessed." Tracy shook her head as she followed Janus to the stairwell.

The night market was a mobile set-up, erected at night to sell the day's remaining goods for cheaper prices to the poor, and by sunrise it would vanish to establish itself again in the more well-to-do sectors of the capital for the morning crowd. It appeared to be immensely popular with the locals in the neighbourhood, as Exonians of all ages thronged the streets.

It took Janus and Tracy a great deal of effort to navigate through the endless sea of Exonians to get to the night market. The warm lanterns that illuminated the various stalls made the scene as bright as day. Stall owners, entrepreneurs and vendors shouted in Exonite, trying to be heard over one another to grab the attention of the night market's patrons. An endless array of goods stretched out across the two columns of stalls. Bags, clothes, pocket watches, tools and all other imaginable items were there.

The smell of local food wafted towards Janus and he felt his stomach rumbling intensely. He'd ignored the hunger in the pit of his belly in favour of getting them all to safety. But now that he was here in the abundance of food and drink, he could deny it no longer.

"Wait here," Janus told Tracy and ducked behind one of the stalls before she could respond. He crouched low, eyes scanning his surroundings. The vendor in front of him was dressed in what appeared to be moderately expensive clothing. His back faced Janus as he shouted for the attention of the locals.

Janus eyed the bulge in his back pocket. No doubt a fat wallet. Slithering over silently, he nicked the wallet and melted away. The man was none the wiser. He returned to where he'd left Tracy and pressed the wallet into her hand.

"Didn't think we were into thieving now," Tracy stared down at the wallet bulging with Exonian notes. "I thought we were supposed to be the good guys."

"Men like him will survive. Definitely has plenty more where this came from." Janus replied, subtly side-eyeing his victim. The vendor was still ignorant that he'd just grown poorer. "Besides, we need it more than he does if we're going to survive."

Tracy grinned. "I like how you think." She patted the wallet. "So what's first?"

###

Janus sat on a different rooftop, but this time, with a thick steaming hot wrap in hand. He took another huge bite out of it, relishing the taste of proper food after more than a week of combat rations. A local Exonian-styled wrap with braised beef, thick layers of rich cheese and juicy tomatoes, topped off with local spices. Even if these Exonians were savages, they sure knew how to cook.

Bottle in hand, he chugged half the beer down before setting it aside. He sighed in contentment. It felt good to be eating and drinking properly again. All that persevering in the catacombs was worth it after all.

He'd sent Tracy back first with newly purchased clothes and fresh supplies so that she could check on Elsa. He still needed to do some reconnaissance in the event that they needed an escape route when their enemies eventually caught up to them. Up till now, he hadn't formed a clear strategy yet, which was unorthodox for someone in his line of work.

The thing was, he couldn't see a way out. Not that he wouldn't be able to figure out a physical route out of this part of the capital to go back into hiding somewhere else. He was more worried that the three of them couldn't face the Mage Slayers and escape again. Between Tracy who couldn't summon the Crossing Points, Elsa who was still weak, and himself, they wouldn't be able to fight their way out of a confrontation with the Mage Slayers. Especially not if Jade was with them.

Janus grimaced as he finished his wrap. With someone as cruel and sadistic as the Emperor calling the shots, there was no doubt that Jade would be part of the hunt. Hans would do it out of spite, just so that their former ally would be their undoing.

No, we have to find a way to break their hold over Jade. That should be our first priority. Janus' brows furrowed as he tried to think. With Jade back on their side, it would be a hell of a lot easier to square things with the Mage Slayers. They had to find a way to save Jade.

He glanced out into the dark. By now, night had fully fallen and it'd even begun to snow again. Not the harsh blizzards that'd plagued the land in the past, but a slow, constant fall of snow, blanketing the rooftops and streets in white. Escaping through the snow-covered streets is going to be a pain in the ass.

Picking up his bottle, he began sipping slowly. He should've been in a hurry to get back to the apartment to check on Elsa. But he wasn't. A large part of him wanted to, but there was a small part of him that was still angry. He didn't want to have to confront Elsa, not after she'd broken his trust again and landed them all in this situation.

Don't be a fool, he chided himself as he climbed off the parapet. You have bigger problems to worry about than be angry just because she didn't rope you into her suicide mission. But that was the point wasn't it? He didn't know if he could still trust her moving forward. She'd broken his trust one too many times. She'd promised to face danger together with him, yet she'd left him asleep in the tent and disappeared into the night to go confront the Emperor. And look where that landed us all.

He sighed. He'd hoped to gain some clarity up here on the rooftop, but the conflict within him wasn't subsiding. Half of him wanted to keep his distance from Elsa for the time being, now that he'd successfully rescued her from the dungeons. But the other half of him was still deeply concerned for her. In spite of everything, he still loved her. Didn't he?

"Damn it." Janus growled softly and tossed aside the empty bottle. He got to his feet and headed back for the stairwell.

ELSA

Elsa awoke with a splitting headache. Attempting to sit up, she groaned as her body gave way under her and she fell back onto the soft mattress. Soft mattress? She opened her eyes again which felt gummy, and glanced around at her surroundings. This isn't the dungeon.

The small room she was in was rather spartan, and apart from a small wooden chair that sat near the bed, there wasn't much else to distinguish where she was. The walls were peeling, evidently aged by years of existence. The ceiling caved inwards slightly but still held, though dangerously. At the side of the room stood a round wooden table that looked to be on the verge of collapse and beside it, a single window that was cracked and stained with dirt and grime, making it impossible to see what was on the outside.

So it wasn't a dream. Janus did come for me. Elsa ran a hand through her greasy hair. She'd had so many of those that she didn't know what was real anymore. Drifting in and out of unconsciousness over the past week with very little food and water and being forced to conjure blizzards daily had very nearly killed her. But here she was, lying in some strange room, safe and sound. Presumably.

She pressed her palms against her eyes and massaged them, letting out an involuntary groan again. Then, with great difficulty, she propped herself up and slowly swung her feet over the side of the bed. Looking down, she found herself still in the same clothes she'd been wearing for the entirety of her imprisonment. By now, they'd been stained with sweat and soaked through with cold water so many times that they smelled horrible.

Her feet hurt like hell and her ankles were still sore from being chained. Grimacing, she saw that her feet were stained with dry blood. I need a change of clothes and shoes, she thought. Instinctively, she waved a hand to conjure a fresh set of comfortable clothing but found…nothing.

Reaching deep within, she could sense no trace of her magic. There was no connection to her well of sorcery. Elsa frowned. Something's wrong. It took her a few seconds to remember. The repeated conjuring of the blizzards and lack of water had drained her of her powers, leaving her 'sorcery-blind'.

Damn it. Her scowl deepened. She had no idea how long this was going to last. She needed her sorcery, especially since she was still in enemy territory. At least, she assumed she still was.

Slowly letting her feet touch the cold stone floor, she steadied herself against the wall and took a few tentative steps forward. Her heart skipped a beat as her legs wobbled and threatened to give way. A hand went out to the wall, and she slowly shuffled towards the table, where a jug of water stood waiting. She presumed that Janus or Tracy must have left it for her, unsure of when she would wake.

Her shaky hand lifted the jug to her lips and she drank greedily, relishing the feeling of the water coursing down her dry, painful throat. The dryness in her mouth subsided and she licked her lips, thirst quenched for the moment. The jug was now empty, but she felt much better all of a sudden, but still relatively weak. She glanced around the room, hoping that there was more water. There was none. Not even a bathroom or basin.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. What is this place? Where am I? Where's Janus and Tracy? Setting down the jug, she shuffled over to the cracked and stained window. It was so covered in dust and stains that it was impossible to see anything outside. But after a couple of wipe-downs using her own palm, Elsa could vaguely make out the surroundings.

She was on the upper levels of a building, and across a narrow street stood a similar one. The building opposite looked incredibly run down and ill-maintained, with paint peeling off the sides and a good many bricks missing. The windows of the buildings appeared to be equally dirty, with some completely cracked. Down below in the streets, children were playing ball and shouting in Exonite.

The door creaked open and Elsa spun, the sudden motion sending a lance of pain shooting through her head. She clutched her head and let out an involuntary whimper, having forgotten for a second about her splitting headache.

"Ah, you're finally up." Tracy strode into the room, a big sack in hand. "I was beginning to think you'd gone and died on us."

"Tracy? How long was I out?" Elsa croaked, massaging her temples.

"Bloody hell, you sound horrible." Tracy clicked her tongue. "Far cry from that lovely singing voice."

"Tracy. How long was I out?"

"Close to a day since we got you out of the catacombs. You have no idea how tedious it was to haul your ass across town without getting spotted." Tracy set the sack down on the bed. The moment she came close, she scrunched up her nose and backpedalled a couple of steps. "You need a bloody bath, girl."

"You don't have to tell me that." Elsa said irritably. "But there's no bathroom here."

"Oh. Course not."

"What do you mean?"

"Heh. Long story." Tracy kept her distance. "You gotta use the communal toilet."

Elsa's heart sank. "The what?"

"Turn left down the hallway, at the landing you'll see a toilet. There's a communal bathing area there."

"You've got to be kidding me." Elsa stared at Tracy. She really hated communal toilets. Ever since her first encounter with them back in Stormtide Prison, she vehemently hated the complete lack of privacy.

Tracy shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers."

"What-" Elsa trailed off and shook her head. She had too many questions. But what she really needed was a good, long bath. Suddenly, it didn't matter whether she had to use a communal toilet or not. She just wanted to feel clean again after a week of imprisonment.

"Oh, and here." Tracy rummaged into the sack and tossed some clothes at Elsa, who managed to catch them before they fell.

She stared at the clothes. A white skirt made out of some rather uncomfortable material, and a dark red blouse. And a pair of cheap-looking white shoes.

"Don't ask." Tracy cut her off before Elsa could get a word in. "It wasn't my idea. You think I like it any more than you do?" She fished out another outfit supposedly meant for herself. A dark brown dress and a patched-up winter coat that looked like it'd been fished out of the trash.

Elsa stared down at the clothes in her hand again before deciding against further protest. It was good enough that she had fresh clothes to wear. Leaving the room, she turned left to search for the toilet Tracy had spoken of. Outside the room was a narrow hallway, lit only by a single lamp at the end of the corridor. There were doors on both sides of the hallway, mostly made out of cheap pine. Some of the doors were open, allowing Elsa to get a brief glimpse of the people living inside as she moved past.

A young girl squeezed past her in the hallway, her dress patched up by various pieces of different coloured cloth. A long haired boy soon followed, with a ball in hand, running down the hallway in equally tattered clothing. Elsa stared after the children, beginning to piece things together. After what she'd seen and the little she'd heard from Tracy, she had a pretty good idea of what was going on and where she was.

The toilet was at the landing, as Tracy had described. It was dark and cramped with absolutely no source of light, and the stone floor was wet and uneven, stained with mucky footprints. Elsa pulled a face as she stepped into the toilet, her bare feet squelching into a layer of unclean water. Surveying the toilet, Elsa found the communal bathing area at the corner of the small toilet. There were no bathtubs or stalls, just pails, bars of soap and a few rusty taps.

Draping her clean clothes across a rusty basin, she sighed and began pulling her blouse over her head. Let's get this over with.