Chapter Forty Seven

Equalitar

ELSA

Sucking in a deep breath of cold air, Elsa walked into the cafe with her head lowered, followed by Tracy and then Janus, with Ludwig bringing up the rear. She surveyed the interior of the cafe. It was empty, save for a waitress standing behind the counter. The cafe's windows were mostly boarded up, signifying that the cafe was more or less ready to close due to lack of business. Or perhaps it was part of the cover which made it a good reason to hold Equalitar meetings here.

"Not out here," Ludwig passed them by, then led the trio towards the back of the cafe where a room stood at the end of a short corridor. At first glance, it looked like a storeroom for food supplies or bottles of drink, but when Ludwig knocked and entered, Elsa realised that it was something else entirely.

The room resembled a small lobby which was dimly lit by a single oil lamp hanging from the wall, casting a warm glow on the walls. Two men were lounging behind a tall front desk, and they perked up the moment they saw Ludwig.

"Your Grace," One of them said in Exonite.

Wordlessly, Ludwig fished out a gold coin from his pocket and slid it across the desk.

"Of course. Welcome back." The second man motioned at a flight of stairs in the corner of the room.

"This way," Ludwig took the trio down the flight of stairs, which was longer than Elsa had expected. It led them down to a wide basement that had been repurposed as an underground bunker, filled with tables, chairs, beds, metal cupboards, crates and barrels. The place was bustling with activity, with people talking, arranging crates and cleaning.

"Welcome to the Equalitar." Ludwig said.

Elsa surveyed her new surroundings with awe, and gave her companions a sidelong glance. Evidently, both Janus and Tracy hadn't expected this either.

"This bunker was used by our people during the war fought by our ancestors. But after the peace treaty was signed with the Confederation of the North, this place was forgotten, and a cafe was built atop it." Ludwig explained, motioning for them to follow him to the other end of the bunker as they cut through the gaps between the columns of tables that represented a common dining area.

"When you said Equalitar, I think you meant an underground army." Tracy balked.

"Even with the Vodarian Eagles at our disposal, we are nowhere near strong enough to stage a coup, let alone sustain a revolution," Ludwig said grimly. "Take a closer look and you will realise we do not have the manpower nor the resources. Yet, at least."

"Still, it gives us somewhere to start," Elsa continued to look round, but more closely this time as she passed the people by. They were regular Exonians, some dressed as labourers, others as farmers or simply middle class citizens. A couple of members of the local watchmen were present too, checking out the crates which bore firearms.

"When did you say this Equalitar was started again?" Janus questioned.

"It is close to two weeks now," Ludwig answered, casting a glance over his shoulder. "But the seeds for this movement were planted long ago. Some were unhappy with the way King Ivan and his wife ran things. And then his daughter, Empress Tal Yin. Sentiment spread quickly, friends told their friends, who told their own friends."

"And the tipping point was the new emperor," Elsa guessed.

"Yes. As I told you, Peggy Sal Voda inspired me to act. And so I called upon the people I knew felt the same way I did, and we began establishing this covert network right here," Ludwig went on. "It's not perfect, but like the Snow Queen said, it is a start. With your help, we might finally make some progress."

"You have a plan?" Tracy asked.

"You could say that." Ludwig stopped in front of a small door standing near the corner of the far wall, and opened it to reveal a cramped war room.

Stepping inside with the others, Elsa looked around. There was a round table in the centre of the room, and seated around it were three other men. Two were advanced in age, and the other looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Gentlemen," Ludwig greeted as the three men rose, their postures already exuding suspicion and wariness at the three strangers' presence. He spread a hand and waved at the Warriors. "These are Elsa, Tracy and Janus. The three soldiers I was telling you about."

"We're not soldiers." Tracy cut in quickly. "We're-"

"Witches and an elite assassin, wanted by the authorities," The youngest of the three men spoke in lightly accented English, regarding them with a mixed look of spite and fear. He lifted the newspapers from the table and showed them the front page.

Two witches and an elite assassin from the Coalition loose in capital, the headline read in large, bold letters.

"The war criminals are members of the terrorist organisation known as the League of Sorcerers," Tracy read aloud. "They have infiltrated our fair city to wreak havoc and undermine everything that Exon stands for. Emperor Westergaard urges all citizens to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activities or sightings of these war criminals to the local watchmen or the Imperial Blitzguard. These enemies of the state are the notorious Snow Queen, an accomplice with dark unkempt hair and a ruthless assassin with a bow and sword," She looked up in disgust. "What garbage. I'm no one's accomplice. And my hair isn't unkempt. It's bloody styled!"

"Word travels fast." Janus muttered.

"Indeed," Ludwig said. "That statement was just issued earlier this morning."

"It isn't even noon and already the whole city knows." One of the older men with a rather noticeable neat grey goatee added.

"All the more reason for us to get started quickly." Ludwig said grimly, then turned to the trio, waving a polite hand at the men around the table. "This is Duke Von Jal Salvo, Minister of Health."

The older man with the neat goatee gave a light nod in their direction.

"This is Count Litz Kal Schulzmacher, Minister of War."

The other middle aged noble's face was still tight, but he too gave them a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"And this is Count Uel Kal Mano, minister of transportation."

The younger man who'd shown them the newspaper studied them silently with hands behind his back, not offering them any form of acknowledgement.

"Is 'Jal' and 'Kal' really all your middle names?" Tracy asked insensitively, and Elsa reflexively covered her face with a cringe. Talk about inappropriate.

"Not exactly," Count Schulzmacher broke his silence with a tiny hint of a smile. "They are titles. Formal salutations for us aristocrats."

"Dukes go by 'Jal'. Counts, barons, earls and the rest go by 'Kal'. You get the idea." Ludwig continued. "The title 'Sal' is for commoners. And if they are servants of a household, they adopt the last name of the household."

"Like Peggy Sal Voda." Janus said.

"That is correct." Ludwig answered with a nod. "And of course there are the royals. The 'Tal'."

"Eleanor Tal Yin," Elsa said the name with much animosity.

"Precisely," Count Salvo's voice was almost a whisper, filled with the cynicism synonymous with older men. "And now the new emperor is being addressed as Hans Tal Westergaard too though I hear he isn't even Exonian, if the rumours are to be believed."

"He isn't," Elsa confirmed. "He's from the Southern Isles, a kingdom off the coast near where I'm from."

"And you know so much about him because?" The young one, Count Mano, glanced at her - his eyes lingering on her chest and hips perhaps a little longer than appropriate.

"He's been a thorn in my side for years," She explained, her body growing unintentionally tense.

The aristocrats around the table exchanged curious looks, before Duke Salvo spoke again. "Please tell us everything you know about the emperor."

Taking a deep breath, Elsa nodded. "It all started when he arrived on the shores of Arendelle as Prince of the Southern Isles."

"You're gonna want to sit down for this. It's a bloody long story," Tracy chimed in with a grin.

Everyone took their seats at the table, Ludwig offering the trio chairs as well. The Exonian nobles, including Ludwig, leaned forward intently to hear what this strange blonde 'witch' had to say.

Janus gave her a reassuring sidelong glance, and she continued. "He came to my kingdom with one purpose, and one purpose only. To usurp the throne of Arendelle."

"You are the famous queen of Arendelle who froze her kingdom, no?" Count Schulzmacher asked.

"I was the Queen of Arendelle," Elsa stiffened slightly. It seemed that word of the Great Freeze hadn't escaped even a place as far as Exon. "My sister is the queen now."

Count Schulzmacher leaned back in his seat. "Please, go on."

"After he was exposed and thrown into prison, Westergaard was liberated by the former Empress and given the role of her consul," Elsa continued, relieved to steer the conversation away from herself. "And then after the Empire tried to invade Arendelle, the Empress promoted him to chancellor."

"Grand Chancellor, in fact." Count Mano corrected her. "Everyone knew she favoured him."

"Yes, and he made use of that," Elsa felt her blood beginning to boil. "Westergaard manipulated her into trusting him and handing him the reins of the Empire. He spent his time consolidating his power, rallying the cabinet behind him, and garnering the support of the people."

"Then I'll say he did a damn fine job of it." Duke Salvo folded his arms. "He has the entire Empire under his thumb and eating out of his hand. After the tyranny of Empress Tal Yin, the people are treating him like a saviour."

"Not everyone," Ludwig interjected. "There are those like us who see through his lies and manipulation, and our numbers are growing."

"Not quickly enough, I'm afraid," Duke Salvo gave him a bleak look, then turned back to Elsa. "Is it true that Empress Tal Yin is dead?"

"I don't know. When I confronted Ha-I mean Westergaard, he had her locked in the dungeons," She gestured at Janus. "Afterwards, my ally here informed me that she helped a small team of operatives to attempt to subdue the emperor."

"And what happened?"

"I don't know. I wasn't around to see the end," Janus said laconically and lapsed back into silence.

"So it's safe to assume that Empress Tal Yin is dead," Count Mano concluded with acid in his words. "Good. She was an indulgent tyrant who cared about nothing but herself."

Count Schulzmacher looked at the younger man. "And the emperor is any better?"

"No," Count Mano regarded the three Warriors. "The people here in the bunker have begun calling Westergaard 'the Mad Emperor'."

"And they are right," Elsa confirmed, realising that in her intensity, she had unconsciously shifted to the edge of her seat.

"Are there more of you?" Tracy asked the nobles. "I mean, more politicians unhappy with the new emperor?"

"Not many," Duke Salvo replied with an unsatisfactory look on his face. "The emperor managed to manipulate the majority of the city into thinking that he's the next best thing after the Saviour Emrau."

"The Exonians worship Emrau as the first defender of Exon," Ludwig explained to the Warriors. "He drove off our enemies and kept our kingdom safe."

"So technically, the four of you are the only ones in the emperor's cabinet that defected." Janus stated.

"Yes. The others like Bergerdun and Anton are far too cowardly, even if they know the emperor is wrong," Ludwig shook his head. "It's just us, along with the men and women in the bunker."

"The Equalitar," Count Mano scoffed lightly. "Still feel we could have gone with more subtlety."

"Back up," Janus regarded Count Schulzmacher. "Did you mention that you are the minister of war?"

"I am."

"Then with all due respect, what's stopping you from ordering the Imperial Horde to withdraw?"

"I may be the minister of war, but everyone knows Field Marshal Kane is the one who is really in control," Count Schulzmacher said miserably. "He does not even have Exonian blood, but the soldiers worship him like a god of the battlefield. No one will think to defy his orders."

"So you can't call them off," Elsa said quietly.

"As much as I desire to, I cannot," Count Schulzmacher shook his head. "You see, this is what many fail to understand. They think a minister of war is passionate for battle. Violence. Victory. But we know the truth better than most. There are no true victors of war. Everyone loses in the end. Somewhere, a city burns, a loved one dies, trauma blooms and people are thrown into poverty. Long after the fighting has ended, the effects of war drags on for decades and the horrors go into the annals of history."

"Bloody hell," Tracy said. "That was intense. Okay, so standing the Imperial Horde down is out of the question. What else do we have?"

"Do not fret. We have a plan to take the emperor down," Ludwig looked semi-confident.

Elsa shook her head, almost desperately. "If we're going to take him down, I can guarantee you that he'll see it coming. In my experience, if we choose to do anything, it's because he wants us to."

"Not this time. Thanks to the many suggestions from the volunteers of the Equalitar, we're prepared to play on his level." Ludwig straightened with increasing determination written across his face. "We're not going to stage the usual sort of revolution where we charge the gates of the castle and burn the imperial loyalists at the stake. No. We need a far more subtle approach if we want to outwit the Mad Emperor."

"And what's that?" Tracy asked.

Ludwig smirked. "Well for starters, economics."

JANUS

"So let me get this straight," Elsa said, her face a mask of intrigue. "You want to show the people how the emperor has drained the economy dry by pouring government funds into the military and crowding out all the private sectors?"

Ludwig nodded. "Yes. When Empress Tal Yin first declared that Exon would start the campaign for expansion, the economy was nowhere near equilibrium. Her predecessors didn't exactly care about anything other than the fact that they could live in luxury."

"You'd think that after so many generations of incompetent leaders, everyone would finally want a fresh start." Count Mano muttered.

"So you're trying to prove that the Empress' and emperor's decision to increase military spending resulted in demand-pull inflation?" Elsa asked.

Janus listened intently, doing his best to keep up. He'd never been to school, let alone learn something as technical and intrinsic as economics. Stealing a sidelong glance at Tracy, he could tell she was largely lost too. But the both of them weren't alone. The other three ministers were just listening in, but the looks in their eyes told Janus that they were equally out of their depth too.

Elsa seemed to be the only one who was keeping up with Duke Voda, owing to the fact that she had to have some formal education on governance as a young Arendellian princess back in her teenage years. Leaning forward intensely, she was resting her forearms on the round table as she conversed with Ludwig, a slight frown etched on her forehead.

"Yes. The government's exogenous spending has raised the short run equilibrium output by a large margin," Ludwig went on, completely absorbed in the discussion, apparently pleased that he'd finally found someone to talk to in his area of expertise. "Naturally, local firms have shifted their prices up to match the new level of output in the past two years, and hence, the spike in inflation levels."

"Consumption, investment, net exports, they're all being affected," Elsa nodded. "The people's wages lose their purchasing power because of rising inflation. The merchants and businessmen stop making capital investments and net exports drop thanks to the high local prices."

"I'm sorry," Tracy piped up. "Am I the only one who feels like an uneducated fool here?"

Shifting her attention to Tracy, Elsa's cheeks coloured slightly. "Sorry, got a little carried away." She turned back to Ludwig. "I just wanted to make sure we're on the same page."

"We are," Ludwig confirmed. He looked impressed by her ability to keep up. "Where did you say you learned economics again?"

"I had a good tutor back home," A tiny smile appeared at the corners of her lips. "I didn't spend all my time in the sorcerers' academy, you know."

"How do you intend on proving any of this?" Janus asked, feeling inclined to steer the conversation back to something he - and everyone else - could understand. "This works well and good in theory, probably, but the people need to see the evidence. They need to understand what you just told us."

"Right. How are you planning on leaking it to the public?" Tracy added, also eager that she could be a part of the discussion again without feeling completely lost.

"Ah," Janus watched as Ludwig's face grew more solemn. "Well, that's where the three of you come in."

Here we go.

"I don't have the evidence with me. All the records of government spending, invoices, notes from budget meetings, written orders and stamped approvals are archived."

"Then with all due respect," Elsa looked baffled. "Why can't you get them yourself?"

Tracy folded her arms. "Yeah, you said you're the minister of ergonomics, didn't you?"

"Economics," Ludwig said tiredly. "And yes, I head the ministry, but the law states that we can't bring any legal documents out of the Chamber of Archives."

The other three ministers nodded in agreement.

"Look, you're staging a revolution here." Janus tried not to let the exasperation show in his voice. "You're bound to break a couple of rules to get things done."

"I'm afraid you don't understand," Duke Salvo said. "The fact is, we need to think ahead. If we are going to spearhead the Equalitar for the entirety of the revolution, then the Empire cannot suspect our involvement in the disappearance of those documents. The emperor has eyes everywhere. His Blitzguard patrol the grounds and ensures the Chamber of Archives is well guarded."

"We cannot afford to jeopardise our standing with the emperor," Ludwig agreed morosely. "If we want a shot at dethroning him and destroying the system, we still have to keep our positions without being suspected, at least, till the monarchy falls. And that is why we need you. You are considered war criminals. Monsters."

"Thanks," Elsa said dryly.

"That is the picture the emperor and the propagandists have painted of you," Count Schulzmacher said. "It wouldn't be a surprise if you were the culprits."

"I'm sorry," Ludwig genuinely looked apologetic, and it wasn't some half-assed hollow formality. "If there was a better way, we wouldn't have asked this of you. As it is, the three of you are our best chance."

"So it's espionage," Janus needed to hear it out loud for himself to believe it. He was having a hard time accepting that this was what lay ahead of him. Not that he was new to it. He'd done it before. Once, back when he was still a soldier of fortune. These cloak and dagger missions were up his alley, but that didn't mean he didn't feel uneasy about this one, especially given the odds they all faced. From the periphery of his vision, Janus saw Elsa and Tracy exchanging mixed looks before turning to him. He pursed his lips.

"Yes," Ludwig said, then steepled his fingers with a half-hopeful look in his eyes. "Can you do it?"

Janus blew out a long breath. "We can," he said slowly. "It's just damn difficult. And it also depends on the terrain."

"Yes. Where exactly is this Chamber of Archives?" Elsa asked.

"Ah. How best to describe this?" Ludwig glanced at the other ministers, then back at Elsa. "You're not going to like this."

"Where, damn it?" Tracy demanded.

"The emperor's stronghold. The castle itself."