Chapter Sixty Six
The Night before Christmas
ELSA
"T'was the night before Christmas when all through the town, not a local was stirring, not even the crown. Equalitar troops were ready for the ambush with a shitload of firepower, in hopes that the Blitzguard would show up before we're forced to stay another bloody hour," Tracy sung under her breath - if that could even be called singing.
Elsa rolled her eyes as she, Tracy and Peggy stood atop the roof of a relatively tall building, one of many lining the endless number of streets in the very heart of Exon. They were in the exchange district, nine blocks away from Merchants' Square, where the bunker was hidden safely below street level. But that didn't mean that the three girls were alone.
"I owe you all a great debt," Ludwig turned to them after he'd dismissed some of the Equalitar's lieutenants, nodding gratefully at Elsa and Tracy. It'd been four days since the attack on his household and the evacuation to the bunker. They'd just ended their final briefing, with the Equalitar's militia commanders dispersing to return to take up their spots before ambushing the Imperial Blitzguard. Meanwhile, Ludwig had remained behind to speak with the three girls for what was probably going to be the last time.
He glanced at Peggy. "And you too, Margaret Sal Voda. Who would have known you were qualified to be a servant girl?"
Peggy shrugged deferentially. "I guess I needed a simple life for a change."
Ludwig gave her a rueful smile. "Unfortunately I suspect that your peaceful days are over."
Elsa side-eyed the duke. It appeared he was willing to buy the cover story that she was the daughter of a Molcorran and an Exonian who'd grown up in Molcorra, who'd left the life of a Molcorran soldier behind to adopt a simpler lifestyle in Exon's capital where Ludwig had recruited her. Or maybe Ludwig was sharper than he let on, in which case he chose not to say anything about it, which worked fine in their favour.
The lesser questions were asked about who Peggy really was, the better. Frankly, Elsa was still having trouble wrapping her head around the truth. But then again, Peggy had shown her that strange device which displayed their family's history. And then there was the fact she knew about Ahtohallan. Elsa pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She had more pressing matters ahead of her. Her birthday had come and gone two days ago like it was of no significance, what with everything else going on around her. It was the first time in years that her birthday hadn't been celebrated - and not that she really had time to care. More importantly, they had an escape to execute.
"Remember, whatever it is, do not engage them directly," Elsa reminded Ludwig. "And don't let them see you."
"Of course not. The Vodarian Eagles are among the best trained sharpshooters in the Empire." Ludwig said proudly. "And I'm certain the other houses have good men fighting for them as well."
The plan was simple really. At least, for the Equalitar. Elsa and Tracy would intentionally use their sorcery, making their presence known to the Mage Slayers, who would then inform Hans, and in turn, the emperor would dispatch the Imperial Blitzguard to smoke the sorcerers out who he thought were bound to be hiding together with the rest of the Empire's traitors. To the Empire, it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of the traitors as well as the 'witches'.
And when the Imperial Blitzguard did come, they would receive the shock of their lives. The various households that had been on the purge list had sent their militia to take up arms against the Imperial Blitzguard, alongside all the able-bodied volunteers of the Equalitar who could load and fire a musket. The girls and the heads of the Equalitar had agreed to hold the ambush on their own terms, in an urban setting where the numerous buildings in the heart of the capital gave them good cover.
The Blitzguard soldiers would be out in the streets while the Equalitar's militia would flank them on both sides with enfilade fire from the windows. By no means were they going to wipe out the entire Imperial Blitzguard, but they would certainly deal a hefty blow to the emperor's best soldiers which would show the common Exonians that they too could stand up against the oppressive Imperial system.
But the Equalitar would only serve as distraction to keep the Blitzguard out of the girls' hair. The real fight was going to be with the Mage Slayers, who would no doubt come straight for Tracy and Elsa. And the plan they had - Elsa had to admit - was an incredibly risky one, more so than usual. There was no way to be sure it would work. Well, no plan was concrete and infallible but this one was shakier than most, leaving Elsa feeling extremely uncomfortable with it.
"Well," Ludwig broke the silence. "I should be off," he moved to leave then paused, turning again to regard both Elsa and Tracy. "You girls proved me wrong, you know."
"Yeah? How so?" Tracy quipped.
"You aren't the monsters our Exonian upbringing make you out to be," There was a twinkle in his tired eyes. "You're heroes. Warriors."
"I guess we'll take that as a compliment." Tracy grinned back.
"Thank you." Elsa said.
"No, thank you," Ludwig said. "By tomorrow morning, the whole capital will know of the emperor's game. I've passed the evidence you gave me to my contacts down at the Ministry of Propaganda, which will be spread through tens of thousands of copies of our local newspapers. The fall of the Empire is about to begin."
"Glad to hear it, Your Grace," Peggy smiled, evidently pleased that the seeds she'd carefully laid to steer Exon onto the path of democracy were beginning to sprout.
Ludwig nodded. "I expect I won't be seeing you again after tonight?"
"Unfortunately, I don't think so. The life of battle calls to me again," Peggy answered apologetically. "My time here is done."
Sighing, Ludwig nodded again. "I thought as much. You will be of more help to the League of Sorcerers than you can ever be stuck here in the city. I wish you the best of luck, Peggy."
"Thank you, Your Grace." Peggy bowed one last time.
Ludwig acknowledged it and glanced at Tracy and Elsa. "And I wish you the best of luck tonight. May you find your way out of here unharmed. I hope to see all of you again someday."
"Likewise," Elsa thanked him and watched as he left, pistol in hand.
"You ready for this?" Peggy asked her once he'd gone.
"Frankly, no." Elsa admitted. "I still have no idea how the hell I'm supposed to help Janus break free from his spell."
"Like I said, I'll be the one doing most of the heavy lifting," Tracy said. "All you have to do is make physical contact with him, connect with him on an emotional level, and focus on letting my magic flow through you."
"Right." Elsa's jaw tightened. She still had no idea how to do it. Letting Tracy's magic flow through her? It wasn't something they'd attempted before, and while Tracy seemed to be confident of trying her new spell, Elsa wasn't feeling quite as adventurous.
Tracy had told her that she was just going to be like a lightning rod to absorb the Ha'naeth's sorcery, and then channel the black magic to reach Janus. The only reason why Tracy couldn't do it herself was because she didn't have a strong emotional connection with Janus. Only someone with an intimate or familial bond with the target could break the seals on his mind.
Or in other words, to put it simply, love was the key ingredient to getting through to Janus. It was sappy and ridiculous, but Tracy had insisted that it was part of the spell to break the demon's hold. And where Tracy's vast powers were concerned, Elsa decided it was best to trust her in spite of her own doubts.
"Remember, you have it in you," Peggy reminded her. "I know it for a fact."
"So you keep saying." Elsa muttered. Her mysterious descendant from the 21st century had claimed that Elsa was able to break tethers and wards with ease in the future. The girl had been rather stingy on the details, saying something about it not being a good idea to let Elsa know too much about her future. But in any case, Peggy had been rather firm on her belief that Elsa had it in her to access that kind of magic.
In fact, Peggy seemed to know more about her than Elsa did about herself. The benefit of coming from the future, I suppose. But did that mean she'd been scratching the surface of her potential all along? Was she capable of breaking seals and wards and so much more than she was at this point in time? She didn't know. But the fact remained that at this very present moment, Elsa still didn't have a damned clue how to channel Tracy's sorcery the way the Ha'naeth had described. She supposed she was about to find out if she really could do it.
"Yeah you still look lost, but you'll learn. Now's as good a time as any," Tracy grinned. "You just gotta take a step into the unknown."
"You've got to be kidding me." Elsa muttered.
"Hey, no sweat. Just follow my lead and we'll have Janus back in no time. Right after we resurrect him, that is."
Elsa rounded on Tracy. "What?"
"So I uh…discovered a little kink in the plan. But don't worry, I have it all sorted." Tracy added hurriedly.
"You mean to tell me your spell's going to kill him?"
"Yeah, but only for a little while," Tracy explained. "He's just a regular human after all." She received an icy glare from Elsa. "Calm down! Like I said, I have it all figured out!"
"And how's that?" Elsa said tightly. She liked the plan even less now.
"Look, I just found out when I was practicing the spell earlier but it's the only way to break the Mage Slayer's control. Your connection with him is going to channel my spell into his body but it'll overload his heart. Luckily we've got a couple of minutes to revive him before it's too late."
Elsa felt the blood drain from her face. "And what's your plan for bringing him back from the dead?"
"A quick jolt of lightning to the heart should do the trick," Tracy said. "We just have to lure Jade in and get her to shoot her magic at us. We'll use Janus as a shield and the shock will restart his heart. I'm no doctor but I'm pretty sure Holli would agree that it'll work."
"You're joking," Elsa stared at Tracy in disbelief. "I can't believe we're going to do this. It'sthe worst plan I've ever heard."
"I'm sorry, did you have a better idea?" Tracy asked sarcastically. "Or would you like me to spend another two weeks exploring new spells while being hunted by the Empire?"
"I'm sorry but I've got to agree with Elsa." Peggy shook her head. "As far as plans go, this one's just plain mad. I've got to be honest. I've heard so many tales about the Warriors and their great exploits but I never thought it'd look like this. You're planning on killing her boyfriend and leaving your other ally behind."
"Oh, and I almost forgot. We're supposed to leave Jade behind too," Elsa rolled her eyes. Unfortunately though, Tracy was right on that score. They'd agreed earlier in the day that without a strong emotional bond with Jade - which none of them possessed except for Jordan who was already dead - they couldn't save her.
"For now." Tracy reiterated. "I'll keep working to find another way but for now we can't save her. We have to keep moving, find the bastard who's stopping me from conjuring the Crossing Points, and kill him."
Elsa winced. She also hated the idea of killing, but in this case, she agreed to let Tracy do her thing. After all, it really was the only way to ensure they could escape alive. And like Janus always said, this was war. There were bound to be casualties.
"Look, just stick to the plan. It's bonkers, but we're gonna need a little bonkers if we're gonna get out of this shit hole alive." Tracy said.
Sighing, Elsa resigned herself to her fate. It wasn't like she had any better ideas. Hans had consistently been ten steps ahead of them thus far, anticipating their every move, but there was no way he could anticipate someone as wild as Tracy. So maybe she was right. Maybe Tracy was going to get them out of here alive.
"Alright, we should get ready for…whatever this is." Peggy rose to her feet. "I'm going to take up position on the other end to keep watch."
"Be careful," Elsa found herself saying, realising belatedly that such a statement sounded ridiculous to a spy who was almost as deadly as Janus himself. But then again, this girl was supposedly her descendant, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for her that hadn't been there before.
"And holler if you see anything," Tracy added.
"I will," Peggy walked towards the other end of the rooftop, leaving Tracy and Elsa to cover the street right beneath them, where the Imperial Blitzguard would no doubt have to traverse.
By now, the buildings all around them must have been populated with Equalitar volunteers as well as the households' militia, with snipers perched on the surrounding rooftops, all waiting for the Blitzguard to walk into their trap. Thankfully too, the streets were empty. At this hour, the locals were already safely back in their homes for the night and wouldn't be casualties of the impending shootout.
"Are you ready?" Tracy glanced at Elsa when Peggy had taken up her spot and settled down to keep watch.
"I don't like this," Elsa said. "Leaving Jade behind in the emperor's grasp. What if he decides to kill her after we escape?"
"I'm bloody sure he won't," Tracy insisted. "Hans will keep her around as a prized trophy, sick as that is. If he can still use her to get to us, he'll do it."
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right." Elsa grimaced. But at least it meant Jade would be alive, giving them time to find another way to free her.
"Look, I don't like it any more than you do. She's my friend too, even though she tried to kill me back in that bloody arena," Tracy pointed out. "I don't like any of this. You think I feel great risking it all and going up against Janus and the Mage Slayers out in the open like this? You don't think I'm scared I'll screw up the spell and Janus ends up murdering us all? Or worse, him ending up dead?"
A sense of dread washing over her, Elsa felt her toes curl. But deep down she knew there really was no other way. She sighed. "But if this is the only way to get Janus back, then we must do it. And if it allows us to escape, we don't have a choice."
"Damn right. I'm not spending another night in this godforsaken city." Tracy turned her palms to face the sky. "You ready?"
Jaw tightening and muscles tensing, Elsa nodded. "Do it."
Tracy released a single burst of her black magic, a mist of purple energy rising harmlessly into the sky. "And now we wait."
Watching with bated breath, Elsa's hands hovered at hip level as the mist of sorcery was blown away by the cold winds and the falling snow. It was a dark night, adding to the ominous and foreboding mood that hung in the air. She couldn't help but feel a sense of dread for what lay ahead. What if I can't reach Janus?
But she knew she already had. Back on that rooftop, there'd been a brief moment where he'd snapped out of his mindless bloodlust and tried to warn her to flee before it was too late. She'd seen it in his eyes that he'd broken free for a precious few seconds before he'd been consumed again.
And then there was the fact that he'd showed up before the rest of the Mage Slayers did. Tactically, it would've made sense only if the assassins attacked together to overwhelm them, so then why did Janus show up before the rest? Because - she surmised - he subconsciously needed to warn her and the others. If anything, it proved that Janus could be saved. He was strong enough to break the conditioning once, and with their help, he could do it again.
Minutes passed, though Elsa didn't know how many. She began to lose track of time as she grew increasingly on edge, shifting from foot to foot as she waited, anxiously running a hand through her unbraided hair every couple of seconds.
"There," Tracy whispered beside her, pointing afar. "I see them."
Elsa squinted. A few districts away, she could see faint blobs moving, growing clearer as they approached. Multiple carriages coated in white were rolling down the snow-covered streets, no doubt belonging to the Imperial Blitzguard.
"The Blitzguard are coming," Tracy said. "Which means the Mage Slayers should be here anytime now."
Elsa was banking on the fact that Janus would appear first, like the last time. It would give them a window of opportunity to get Janus back on their side before they had to collide with the rest of the assassins head on.
"Look out!" Tracy suddenly screeched as she whirled.
Gasping, Elsa ducked just in time as a familiar falchion blade swept inches from her face, slicing the ends off a few strands off her hair as she moved. As fast as she could, she spun to put some distance between herself and her attacker, as did Tracy.
"As we hoped," Tracy remarked, backpedaling even further with her hands by her hips.
Elsa locked eyes with Janus as he reorientated himself to face them. Cold eyes penetrated the mask, staring back at her with deadly intentions and a chill ran down her spine.