Chapter Thirty Five
The Great Capital Chase
ELSA
"Janus!" Elsa screamed, rushing to the railing and looking down into the drop. To her relief, Janus grabbed the railing thee storeys down with one arm to the railing three storeys down, halting his almost guaranteed demise. Deflating ever so slightly, she turned back to the Mage Slayer, only to find herself being lifted off the stairs and pulled towards the assassin.
Struggling in the air, she jerked a hand upwards. Ice stalagmites shot out of the ground, forcing the assassin to backpedal to avoid getting skewered. With the Mage Slayer's attention divided, Elsa unleashed her sorcery with both hands, knocking the Mage Slayer off balance with a potent stream of ice. A purple coruscation of light sent the assassin crashing into the wall, causing even more debris to dislodge and coat the brown cloak in dust and plaster.
"You wanna play?" Tracy shouted. "Come on, then!" Another blast of purple energy hit the staggering Mage Slayer, and this time the assassin sprawled face first to the ground. An enormous purple fist formed out of her black magic, and Tracy brought her whole arm down forcefully. The large purple fist pounded the Mage Slayer, causing the stairwell landing to vibrate upon impact.
Released from the Mage Slayer's power, Elsa landed on her feet and sprang forward, ignoring the last few steps. The Mage Slayer's hood had fallen back slightly, revealing greying hair and a receding hairline underneath the cloak that belonged to a middle-aged man. She recognised the assassin the other Mage Slayers called Mover when she'd been trapped in the catacombs with them all; specifically the one with telekinetic abilities. She grabbed the Mage Slayer and pinned him against the wall, a long, sharp icicle forming in her hand. "How many of you are here?" She demanded, brandishing the icicle for him to see.
"Foolish little girl. There is no escape for you," Mover mocked her in thickly-accented English. "The emperor will have his victory."
"I don't think so," Elsa slammed her forearm against the Mage Slayer's nose and felt him go limp. Allowing him to crumple into unconsciousness, she let him go and tossed the icicle aside. "Come on!" She beckoned to Tracy as she began running down the next flight of stairs.
They met Janus two storeys down, the man having already climbed over the railing to safety.
"Are you alright?" Elsa asked him anxiously as she reached out to touch his arm.
"Nothing I haven't handled before." He said, rolling his shoulder with the slightest hint of a grimace. "Is the Mage Slayer down?"
"We took care of him." Tracy assured him.
"We need to move." Elsa said urgently. "We have no idea how many more of them are already here."
"Too late." An eerily high pitched voice echoed through the stairwell.
Elsa and the others spun to see two more Mage Slayers skulking in the shadows. Her heart sank as they stepped forward into the light streaming in through the stairwell window, their flowing brown cloaks gently illuminated by the weak sunlight from outside.
One of the two assassins was the woman Elsa had faced in the forest - Banshee - the one who could manipulate sound waves and produce screeching, ear piercing screams that could shatter eardrums. She smirked at Elsa, head tilted slightly as if sizing up her prey. Elsa's blood ran cold.
The other was the giant, at least a full head taller than Janus and with a enormous muscle-bound frame akin to Maui's. Janus seemed to recognise him.
"Beast." Janus growled.
"I see you've met him before." The woman remarked. She locked eyes with Elsa. "Not looking so glum now that you aren't all chained up."
"We'll see who looks glum after we destroy your ass," Tracy mocked.
"Petty insults will get you nowhere." Banshee said. "Surrender now, and we will take you to the emperor unharmed." She clicked her tongue. "But of course, that's not how it's going to go, is it?"
"No." Elsa retorted, hands hovering at hip level.
"As we thought," Banshee nodded to Beast, who suddenly lumbered straight at Janus.
Elsa watched as Janus faded sideways, then clung to the giant's back as he passed him by. Beast roared and tried to swat him off his back like a fly, but Janus held on for dear life, grappling to get a better grip around the man's neck and forehead in a sleeper hold.
"Look out!" Tracy shrieked and pushed Elsa aside as Banshee opened her mouth and let out an ear piercing scream. The sound wave rippled out, hitting Tracy at full force and sending the girl colliding with the wall. Groaning, Tracy tumbled to the ground in a heap.
Throwing her hands out towards Banshee, Elsa let her sorcery flow through her rapidly and ice punched the Mage Slayer off her feet, driving her a couple of steps back. Banshee countered with a sonic scream, shattering the stream of ice and overpowering Elsa's sorcery.
Gasping, Elsa dove out of the way as the scream rocketed just inches away from her right ear, rolled and came up to her feet, and threw out short but sharp spikes of ice meant to wound and incapacitate her opponent. But Banshee swerved out of the way and closed the distance between herself and Elsa.
My magic's not strong enough yet, Elsa evaluated quickly. Time to switch things up. Just in time to sidestep Banshee's charge, Elsa grabbed hold of the excess of her brown cloak and viciously gave a tug. Off balance and having her momentum rudely halted, Banshee fell backwards, only for Elsa to catch her in a vice-like grip that Janus had taught her. Hooking her arm beneath Banshee's underarm and connecting her hand with the forearm that was wrapped around the assassin's neck, Elsa planted her feet and resisted the flailing.
"Yield and call Beast off!" Elsa leaned forward into the hold, putting extra pressure and weight on Banshee.
"Never." Banshee snarled as she struggled to free herself.
Elsa let her hands grow icy, and Banshee's skin began to grow blue with cold, eliciting a cry of pain. "Do it!"
Janus was hurled right into Elsa, causing her to lose her grip on Banshee. Dragged down by the momentum and force from the throw, Elsa and Janus fell down a couple of steps and landed in a heap, with the latter on top and pinning her to the stairs.
Her body dull with pain, she forced herself to look up. Beast was stalking towards them both, evidently the one who'd thrown Janus like a cheap toy. He tilted his neck and it made an ominous cracking sound.
Elsa tried to push Janus off her. "Janus! Get up!"
He stirred with a low groan, and lethargically levered himself to his feet, walking up the few steps to meet the giant on the landing. Digging into his belt, he brought two daggers to bear and crouched low. "Come on, you son of a bitch." He growled at Beast, wielding both daggers in icepick grips.
The giant moved faster than he should have, batting away Janus' attempts to sever his tendons. But in spite of the beating he'd taken, Janus was fast too. His hand a blur, he managed to give Beast a nasty cut which sent blood oozing from his side. The Mage Slayer growled and drove an open palm into Janus' chest.
Janus was sent flying back down the stairs and again crashed into Elsa who'd just succeeded in getting back to her feet. The both of them tumbled down the rest of the stairs in a messy tangle, Elsa getting the worst of it.
This time, she didn't have the strength to lift Janus' body off hers. It felt like a deadweight, pinning her to the landing. Her body screamed in protest, her senses on fire. Grunting, she tried to ignore the pain and focus on the threats before them.
Beast loomed large at the top of the stairs, and he was joined by Banshee, who cackled and inhaled deeply.
Shit. With great difficulty, Elsa extended her hand and froze the ground directly in front of her and Janus, raising a thick barrier of ice that shielded them both, just as Banshee's sonic scream hit her ice. Gritting her teeth, she pushed more ice into the barrier to fortify it. The assassin's scream was relentless. To her dismay, Elsa could feel herself growing weaker and her connection to her sorcery waning. Evidently, she hadn't fully recovered yet and her sorcery wasn't at full capacity.
Banshee continued to press her attack, her scream beginning to crack the ice. A bright coruscation of purple light erupted like enfilade fire, sending both Beast and Banshee helplessly pinwheeling out of sight from the sheer force of the attack.
Tracy stumbled into view, clutching her back. "Bugger it all, we're outmatched!" She hollered, running down the stairs towards Elsa and Janus. "We need to get the bloody hell out of here!"
"Damn right we do," Janus groaned as he once again clambered off Elsa, relieving her of the weight that held her down.
Helping a still woozy Elsa to her feet, Tracy dusted her down. "That noisy bitch has some serious lungs on her."
"No kidding," Elsa nursed her ribs and a sharp pain made itself known as she tenderly pressed her side. She let out a short gasp of agony.
"You're hurt," Janus' voice was laced with concern, though he didn't look to be in a much better state than she was.
"I"m fine. We have to keep moving," Ignoring the pain lancing through her body, Elsa motioned for the others to follow her down the stairs. "They're not going to stay down for long."
"I doubt they're the only ones coming for us. They probably got here ahead of the others." Janus picked up his bow and slung it over his back again.
"All the more reason to get the hell out of this sorry place," Tracy shuddered as she brought up the rear. "These bloody demons give me the creeps."
The descent to ground level felt like it took forever. But eventually they reached the exit and debouched from the musty, dark building out into the open where snow was still falling rather heavily. Outside, another dispatch of Blitzguard soldiers were waiting.
"Damn it," Elsa muttered under her breath as the nearest soldier who'd been keeping watch yelled for his comrades.
"Get behind me!" Tracy hollered, throwing both hands wide. A purple, translucent mist spread out in front of the trio, creating a screen that expanded outwards even as the soldiers opened fire on their position. The lead balls pinged and zinged, a couple getting lost in the mist while the others bounced off uselessly. "Where do all these guys come from?" Tracy screeched.
Elsa rounded on Janus. "Which way?"
He pointed in the opposite direction. "There."
"I'll cover us! Just lead the way!" Tracy maintained her shield, concentration written plain across her stance.
Janus took Elsa's hand and began pulling her down the street and away from the Imperial Blitzguard. Not far behind, Tracy back-pedalled and in one explosive motion, she let her sorcery erupt from her being. A wave of thick, dark purple magic burst forth, blanketing the entire vicinity and obscuring the trio from sight.
"That ought to slow the bastards down," Tracy remarked as she caught up to Elsa and Janus. "Remember where you parked?"
"Yeah," Janus said, rounding the bend two blocks away from where they'd been staying. They entered a poorly lit alley, where a horse and a single hackney carriage waited for them.
"Janus, tell me you didn't steal these," Elsa stared in disbelief as Janus set about mounting the horse, a wince on his face as he stretched his injured arm.
"Do you want to get out of here or not?" Janus took the reins as he settled into the saddle. "Get in the cab!"
Tracy shrugged and scaled up to the carriage, throwing open the door and jumping in. Elsa followed suit, and the moment her feet left the ground, Janus spurred the horse into motion.
The hackney carriage rocked a little too unsteadily for comfort, and Elsa tumbled into the cab, holding on for dear life as Janus banked right out of the alley, and the hackney cab whipped round sharply, its wheels skidding against the snow and tipping the carriage to one side. Locals dove out of the way, exclaiming in shock and hustling their children to safety.
"Go, go, go!" Tracy shrieked.
The hackney carriage hurtled past the Blitzguard soldiers, who were still trying to fan away the lingering purple mist that Tracy had conjured. The sheer speed at which the horse galloped blew away some of the mist, and Elsa heard the soldiers shouting after them.
"They're gonna be coming after us," Tracy warned. "Faster!"
"There's only so fast I can push this one," Janus shouted over his shoulder. "I didn't exactly have time to find a thoroughbred!"
"I still can't believe you stole someone's horse!" Elsa gripped the side of the carriage tightly as they mounted the curb and hurtled into the next street.
"I didn't think we had the luxury of considering ethics!" Janus leaned forward in the saddle. "We're considered criminals here, remember?"
Elsa couldn't argue with that. She just hoped he hadn't left its owner lying in a pool of blood.
"Bugger it, we've got incoming!" Tracy hollered.
Heart sinking, Elsa turned to peer out the gap in the back of the carriage, and followed Tracy's finger. Sure enough, a few horses were bolting towards them, towing carriages full of Imperial Blitzguard soldiers. They wielded rifles, and some were already taking aim.
"Down!" This time it was Elsa's turn to pull Tracy to the floor as the sounds of rifle cracks filled the air. Two lead balls bore holes in the wooden backing of the carriage.
"Bloody hell," Tracy muttered with both hands covering the back of her head. "And here I thought maybe we could sell the cab when we were done with it."
"Janus!" Elsa shouted as she got to a knee. "Get us out of here!"
"I"m trying!" The carriage made a hard left, almost sending Elsa flying out the window. She stumbled and dug her heels into the ground to anchor herself - for all the good it would do.
Elsa turned to Tracy. "We don't happen to have another backup safehouse, do we?"
Tracy gave a loud snort. "Another safehouse? Girl, are you joking? Does it look like we managed to plan that far ahead? As it is, we were lucky enough to get that room. Real estate in the capital is bloody scarce, damn it!"
Gritting her teeth, Elsa winced as another salvo of rifle shots went off, a couple more lead balls tearing holes in the wood. This entire scenario reminded her of her escapade in Arendelle, back when she and the others were being branded as witches and hunted by the CAST. She and Janus had planned their escape route thoroughly, and it had more or less gone according to plan. But things were very different here. They weren't riding through familiar streets and being chased by incompetent Molcorran agents during summer. They were being pursued by the emperor's handpicked soldiers across the Empire's capital in the middle of winter.
But even as she pondered the severity of their predicament, a thought flashed into Elsa's mind. "Janus!" She shouted, and saw him briefly turn his head. "Remember how we dealt with the CAST?"
It took him a split second to react. "No, no, no. Don't you dare show your face out there!" He warned desperately.
"Drive safely!" Elsa called out and opened the carriage door, one hand gripping a bewildered Tracy so tightly that the latter's arm began to grow red. Cautiously, she stuck half her body outside, immediately feeling the rush of cold wind and snow pelt her body as the horse continued to gallop down a long stretch of road. The soldiers were already reloading.
Drawing in a deep breath, Elsa threw her hand out at the nearest horse carriage. Ice smashed into the Blitzguard carriage's front axle, and the entire thing collapsed. Wood splintered as the carriage hit the ground and gave way, the horse still dragging remnants of wood with it as men yelled and swore.
"Girl, you're bonkers." Tracy gaped in awe. A grin broke out on her face. "But hell, I like how you think."
"Help me out here!" Elsa called out in response, her eyes narrowed as she aimed at another carriage. There were five more in pursuit, and it was unlikely they were going to fall for a similar trick.
"Sure. Who am I to turn down some fun?" Tracy kicked open the other door and stuck half her body out. Facing their rear, she unleashed a malicious tide of purple tinted energy. It slammed right into the soldier riding the horse and he slumped from the saddle, hitting the ground. The horse went berserk, screaming and jerking its body, sending its carriage attached crashing into the one by its side. Soldiers shrieked and cursed as a couple of them were thrown from safety and onto the snow covered sidewalk, others falling beneath the hooves of the horses behind.
Elsa winced. Terrible way to go. She ducked back into the carriage as she saw the soldiers in the intact carriages behind loading their rifles. Reaching out in a hurry, she hauled Tracy back into the safety of their cab and dropped low as another salvo of rifle shots echoed through the morning air.
"Bloody hell," Tracy said breathlessly.
"Janus! We need to shake them!" Elsa shouted.
"I'm trying!" He growled, wheeling the horse left down another long stretch of road. It seemed that they'd gotten to the city proper, which was bustling with activity and other cabs. The roads were more packed here, making it infinitely harder for them to navigate through the city with so many pedestrians and horse carriages around. Another ragged salvo went off, creating a couple more holes in the wood.
"Sooner or later they're gonna get lucky and kill our wheels!" Tracy snarled, scrambling to her feet. She stuck herself out the door dangerously, both hands free and aimed towards their rear, where three more carriages were still in hot pursuit. Black magic burst out of Tracy's hands in short spurts, aimed straight at the wheels of the cabs. She succeeded in taking one out, and the carriage lurched, throwing a couple of screaming Blitzguard soldiers into the air.
"Shit!" Janus barked, yanking hard on the reins.
Two locals were jaywalking across the street, at first oblivious to the disaster headed their way. The horses brayed loudly in displeasure as Janus forced them to swerve round the Exonian pedestrians. The carriage whipped round suddenly, tipping and leaning dangerously to a side, threatening to topple completely. Tracy lost her footing and tumbled, slipping out of the carriage with an ear-piercing screech much to Elsa's horror.