Chapter Forty Three

Whatever it Takes

HANS

Hans didn't need sleep. The demon's powers rejuvenated him, keeping him healthy, fresh and strong. The fight against Elsa and the rest of her friends was proof enough that he was an immortal now. Nothing could hurt him for very long, let alone kill him. Still, that didn't stop him from getting a good night's rest whenever he felt like it. But his sleep had been anything but good.

Last night, even as he shut his eyes, he could hear voices whispering inaudibly and incoherently in his head. He'd tried to shut them out but that didn't work, and instead had fallen asleep to the disturbing whispers. It wasn't until he was fast asleep that the whispers began to make sense.

He saw flashes of a life that didn't belong to him. A palace, ancient buildings on fire, women and children fleeing for their lives, and smoking chariots being pulled by frantic, runaway horses. The city was burning. The skies grew dark with ominous clouds and falling arrows, and thunder rumbled in the sky as if signalling a bad omen to come.

Gasping, Hans awoke in a pool of cold sweat, breathing hard and fast. His heart hammered sporadically in his chest, and though he felt out of breath, the powers of the demon had already gone to work repairing his body and strengthening him. Slowly, he felt himself calm down and he wiped cold sweat from his forehead in disgust. Pushing himself up into a seated position, he sat up in the dark on his comfortable bed, looking round. He was alone in his bed chambers in the castle. Thankfully, no one had witnessed his mild embarrassment. Frowning hard, he racked his brain to try to make sense of it all. Why am I seeing someone else's memories?

It stings, doesn't it?

Hans' heart sank. "Not you," he growled out loud.

You're going to be stuck with me for a very long time, the Eternal King's laughter sounded like a tempest roaring. You knew the price you'd have to pay when you sold your soul to achieve immortality.

"I did. And I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake."

Well you can always give up the power. Find me another suitable host, and I'll gladly leave you.

Hans clenched his jaw. He couldn't do it. He couldn't go back to being a loser, vulnerable, weak and powerless.

I didn't think so, the demon taunted. Such is the burden of those who dare to bear the crown of the Eternal King.

"Those visions. They're yours, aren't they?"

Yes. They belonged to my first host. The ruler of Ancient Hyutreno.

Ancient Hyutreno was one of the greatest kingdoms that had ever existed. In a way, Hans was using the ancient kingdom as a benchmark for himself, and already he could see himself doing far better. Ancient Hyutreno had never been a fully fledged empire. It had risen to prominence, only to be destroyed in time by its enemies. Today, it was merely a city of no significance. The only traces of its former glory were in the history books, learnt by school children and scholars all around the world of the old, ruthless military battles.

"The first Eternal King," Hans said.

Yes, my boy. For a long time, I never thought I would find another with so strong a will, a hunger for power so great, or a fire in his soul that screams for vengeance upon the world, the Eternal King's noiseless voice whispered in his ears. Until you.

"I will be the last," Hans set his jaw, his eyes narrowed. "I'm not letting this power slip from my grasp."

That is entirely up to you. If you are able to curb your old habits for revenge, resist succumbing to your theatrics and finish off your enemies once and for all, maybe you can accomplish what the first host never could.

"And what's that?"

World domination. Hans could hear the Eternal King licking the equivalent of his demon lips. And once you get there, there will be nothing and no one to threaten your right to rule the earth. You won't be in the history books. You will shape history in our image. The demon paused and Hans imagined him shaking his head. But if you fail…

"If I fail?"

Those memories you see will be your future. You will crumble, you will fall, and you will take me down with you just like my first host did. The Eternal King's fury burned within Hans, and he felt his stomach grow hot, his own blood bubbling in his veins. I will not spend another eternity trapped in the dark. He snarled. Locked away, forgotten, relegated to an obscure fable.

"It won't happen," Hans retorted, unease stirring within him. "I won't let it."

You would do well to remember that. Because I doubt you'd want to spend the rest of eternity trapped with me in a dark dungeon somewhere, rotting away and abandoned to the ages. Forgotten.

"I won't let that happen." Hans slammed his fist against the wall so hard that he made a dent, tiles cracking and chipping off. "This world is mine."

Good, the Eternal King crooned disturbingly. Good… The demon's voice echoed and faded gradually, and Hans felt his presence slink back into the recesses of his mind.

Growling, Hans rubbed his eyes and massaged his temples. Being the host of the Eternal King felt like he was having a mental disorder. Hearing voices that no one else could, feeling and sensing things that were abnormal, and seeing memories that belonged to someone else. And that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Hans had no idea he'd be experiencing all of this as a demon host. The Mage Slayers made it look so effortless. Then again, they were hosts to ordinary demons. The demon that inhabited him wasn't just a demon. It was once the most feared entity in the ancient world, and now by the Crimson Order too. And it is mine now.

Someone knocked outside his bedroom door. Eyebrows knitted, he checked the large clock that stood on the sturdy table beside his bed. It was five in the morning. But maybe it was the important news he'd been waiting for. Getting to his feet, he began dressing in a crimson shirt.

"Enter," He said in a loud voice as he buttoned up the shirt.

The door opened and in peeked one of the imperial staff. "Your Imperial Majesty," the doorman bowed stiffly, betraying his fear. "The captain of the Imperial Blitzguard is here to see you."

"Show him in." Hans yawned, lighting an oil lamp on the wall. The room became illuminated dimly, casting flickering shadows across the large bedchamber.

In marched Captain Pyke, who stopped and saluted smartly. "Your Imperial Majesty." Pyke greeted in Exonite as he lowered his hand. He didn't hold fear in his posture, only determination, and Hans respected that.

Hans nodded. "You have something for me?"

"I'm afraid it is only a report, Sir. You did tell me to inform you when I had something concrete to report."

"Ah, yes." Hans had indeed made it clear to both the Blitzguard and the Crimson Order that he wanted to know any developments as soon as they happened. He wanted these loose ends tied up. The longer Elsa and her allies were free to roam in his capital, the harder it would be to recapture them - and kill them.

"As you already know, we found where they've been hiding," Pyke began. "Griegenheiser district, where the low income and at risk families are housed in the poorer region of the city."

"Yes, yes. This I already know. And?"

"I arranged several waves of the Blitzguard to engage. Hopefully to box them in and contain them before it got out of hand."

"And?"

"But they broke free," Pyke continued. "They had an escape route planned, and they fled with one of the carriages. We mounted and gave chase, but they had witchcraft on their side."

"I did warn you that your targets were two witches and an assassin."

"Yes, sir. You did," To his credit, Pyke's voice didn't waver. Any other individual reporting his failure would have crumbled and burst into tears in Hans' intense presence. "We tracked them all the way to the heart of the city where they managed to give us the slip. The last we saw of their carriage, it had been abandoned in an alley beside Yelzig's Cross."

"When was this?"

"Yesterday, Sir."

Hans' raised his eyebrow. "And you're only bringing this to me now?"

"We wanted to make sure that the trail went completely cold before I came to you. I had the Blitzguard comb every district and every block for a half mile radius in every direction from where the carriage had been abandoned."

"But you found nothing." Hans concluded, staring at the man with cold eyes.

"I accept full responsibility for my failure, Sir," Pyke said. "We lost them and haven't been able to pick up their trail since. They've gone to ground somewhere else, and it's going to take us time to root them out again."

"No. I don't think we have that kind of time on our hands to waste. We're going to have to smoke them out," Hans folded his arms as his mind began to work. "They'll find somewhere to lie low and wait us out, but that's not going to happen. I want them found, and soon." His lips formed into a hard line. The Mage Slayers had reported their failure a day earlier, so it wasn't exactly surprising that the Blitzguard had failed too. If demon assassins couldn't take down Elsa and her allies, what chance would elite soldiers even have?

No. This called for a new approach. A risky one, one that would threaten to upset the established order in Exon. Chaos would erupt. Cultures and tradition would be challenged. But if it meant tying up loose ends, then it wasn't really a decision at all.

"Tell my staff to get the cabinet down here right now. And I want representatives from every major newspaper in the capital here too."

Pyke allowed bafflement to show on his features. "Sir?"

"I'm going to make an announcement," A small smirk tugged on the edges of Hans' lips. "It's time I took this public."

###

"Your Imperial Majesty," Count Schulzmacher said slowly. The Minister of War avoided eye contact. "I don't mean to question your judgement but are you certain you want to take this course of action?"

"Yes, I am," Hans responded with a cold, calm determination in his voice that evidently unsettled the count. He glanced round at the men and women in the room. Journalists lined the walls, furiously scribbling down everything that was being said by the emperor and his cabinet ministers. Meanwhile, the nobles and other ministers sat around the long oak table. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were rather taken aback by his decision, but one or two brave souls at least had the courage to say something about it.

"We can't afford to allow these enemies of the Empire to roam freely in our great capital." Hans went on in a loud voice, making sure that the journalists could hear him too. "These are violent war criminals with a history of kills under their belt, employed by the Coalition for one purpose, and one purpose alone. To infiltrate our homes and destroy our way of life. They're not just any ordinary soldiers of fortune," He paused to draw in a deep but well-faked contemplative breath. "They are high profile individuals from the League of Sorcerers."

The ministers began to murmur amongst one another, and the journalists along the walls penned every word he said in their notebooks, whispering in low voices as well. Hans suppressed a smile. He had received the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"Judging by your responses, I am sure you've heard the stories about the League of Sorcerers." He continued in a calm but authoritative voice, and the room lapsed back into silence. "But for the benefit of those who aren't privy to their existence, they recently revealed themselves to be very real threats to our world. They are evil witches and wizards, who hide behind the very guise of peace and balance and kill in the name of justice. And our enemies, the Coalition, aligned themselves with these outlaws to take us down.

"And now sources have informed me that three of them - two of the most powerful and cruel witches, and the League's best assassin - are here in the capital to wreak havoc and destroy everything that we've worked so hard to build." Hans put on a mildly worried and disturbed expression. "I'd hoped to keep the situation contained and capture these criminals, but I'm afraid things have gotten out of hand. They were chased into the heart of the city by the Imperial Blitzguard, causing a massive disturbance on the roads and obstructing the flow of traffic. Unfortunately, they have vanished and gone to ground somewhere in our city," He glanced round with practiced unhappiness. "Do you now see why we need to let this go public?"

Most of the ministers around the table nodded, save for a few. But Hans ignored them and carried on.

"Furthermore, I believe we need to be transparent with the people. And that is why I'm taking this public. They need to know the threat we face. We owe it to the people to inform them," Hans squared his shoulders. "The people need to know so that they can defend themselves against these monsters."

"Respectfully, sir, if you go along with this, the peace will be disrupted. People will panic when they hear that there are monsters in their midst. There will be chaos in the streets." The Minister of Economics, Duke Voda, protested.

"I agree. They may take things into their own hands to root out these witches themselves," Count Bergerdun added. "We have to consider the fact that Exon's cultural upbringing will factor heavily into how they react to what we tell them."

"And that's why we have the police force to keep the peace," Hans put on a rueful smile, acutely aware that everyone in the room was watching him. "And if the police force is understaffed and in need of assistance, I will be more than glad to authorise the mobilisation of the Imperial Blitzguard. I'm sure Captain Pyke would oblige."

Duke Anton affected a polite cough. "Sir, if I may?"

"Please, go ahead."

"I believe that it is the right decision to take this public and let everyone know the threat we face. If they can help us solve our problem, they will be doing the Empire a great service." The duke said in his false, drawling voice. "I support your decision, sir."

Hans resisted rolling his eyes at the man who looked more like a penguin than a government official. He'd seen and heard first hand how Anton was a bootlicker who'd agreed with everything Eleanor had said to save his own skin. None of the other ministers on the cabinet liked him, but not all of them were still alive. He was.

"Thank you, Your Grace." Hans forced himself to give the duke a grateful nod. He didn't need the approval of anyone, actually. As Emperor of Exon, he had the right to demand a citywide manhunt without consulting or speaking with the cabinet first. But the game he played wasn't just one of total domination. It was a game of politics and public image too, and he was careful to sculpt himself as the image of the perfect, wise ruler. And thankfully, Anton had done the dirty work for him.

"I believe you brought up an excellent suggestion, Anton." Hans affected an air of pensiveness. "If the entire city gets involved, we will be able to root out these criminals much faster. Yes," he said loudly before any of his ministers could raise further protest. "We will give the power back to the people. What say you?"

The rest of the ministers were beginning to nod. All they needed was one snivelling fool to announce his approval of his dangerous plan, and the rest would follow like herded sheep. A pack of fools, every last one of them, all playing right into his hand.

Hans kept the rueful smile on his face as he surveyed the cabinet. "Anyone else would like to air their concerns?"

The council chambers was silent, even the ones brave enough to protest had decided to hold their tongue, smart enough to know they were beaten. Absolute quiet reigned, apart from the frantic scribbling of the numerous journalists lining the walls.

"Then it is official. Let the manhunt commence," Hans stood, and so did the rest of the cabinet members. "I believe we can get these war criminals locked behind bars and have this resolved as quickly as possible without minimal casualties. When I pledged to protect Exon, I meant it. But in times like this when a great threat hangs over our heads, drastic measures need to be put in place. Good day, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming."

As the men and women began streaming out of the council chambers where the meeting had been held, Hans watched the body language of the cabinet members. Some of them, with shoulders slightly slumped and a drag to their steps, were evidently uneasy with Hans' decision. But the majority of them left as per normal, reassuring Hans of his standing with the cabinet. In truth, he didn't need any of them to like him, for they would still have to do their jobs regardless of who was on the throne. But allying himself with the right people would help him in the long run, that much he was certain.

Inside, the Eternal King stirred. Damn it. Hans tried to keep a straight face as the room continued to be emptied.

Impressive, the demon said. Not something I was expecting.

Hans scoffed internally. "We want the three of them out of the way quickly, don't we? Then this is the way forward."

Upsetting the established order, throwing the city into chaos, and manipulating the Exonians' learned fear and hatred of sorcery to serve your purposes? The Eternal King's laughter roared ferociously within him. You are even more ruthless than I gave you credit for. Congratulations, Westergaard.

"Whatever it takes to get the job done," Hans muttered in response. And he would get the job done. No more theatrics. No more games. It was high time he dealt with Elsa and her allies once and for all.