There was no place safer than the Sanctum of Kamar-Taj—at least until a certain candidate for Sorcerer Supreme arrived. Wanda looked around nervously, completely unsure of what she should be doing. In the end, it was Solomon who pulled her aside and tasked her with watching over Jeanne's body.
It wasn't an easy job. To extradimensional beings, Jeanne, with her witch bloodline, was a source of terrifying allure. Massive quantities of hyperdimensional bacteria continuously slammed against the arcane barriers, trying to consume her runaway magic and the remnants of her consciousness. Only the Sanctum of Kamar-Taj could sustain such powerful protective spells long enough to buy time for Solomon and Bayonetta's mission. Wanda's duty was to monitor the spell's integrity and, if necessary, use every means to protect Jeanne.
Solomon had rejected Bayonetta's proposal to move Jeanne's body to the Gates of Hell bar. Even though Rodin, a fallen angel, owned the place, his magical expertise simply didn't compare to Kamar-Taj's. Bayonetta was competitive by nature, but when it came to magic, she trusted Solomon's judgment more.
Rodin hadn't been useless—he sent a rare liquor that could slow the damage Jeanne's out-of-control magic was inflicting on her body. Beyond that, the souls of the angels that had invaded New York were used as currency. With vast numbers of lower-ranked angels, a handful of mid-ranked, and even a few upper-ranked ones, Rodin had no hesitation in offering a large stockpile of weapons and equipment for the battles ahead. The only issue was that Rodin couldn't enter the Sanctum of Kamar-Taj—unless he had a death wish. The Sanctum wasn't yet degraded enough to allow extradimensional beings inside.
Solomon had briefly visited Hecate via a portal and returned with a few potions—and a name.
Upon returning to the Sanctum, he received a command from the Ancient One, relayed through Baron Mordo. This command also included a name, dredged up by the mages from the Cauldron of the Cosmos. It meant the same thing as the name Hecate had divined, just worded differently.
Either way, it signaled that the Ancient One was permitting Solomon to take the next step.
"This portal is located in the Tian Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan. Fimbowinter—its name comes from the Asgardian myth of the Fimbulwinter. At the foot of the mountain lies the town of Noahduun, the origin place of both the Witch Clan and the Clan of Sages."
"I've never heard of that name," Bayonetta said. Solomon placed his hand gently on her back, his arm circling her waist. He could sense her emotions. He knew she needed comfort.
"Neither had I. So I took a trip to the library. These documents were gathered from Sun Island by Kamar-Taj during the fall of the Witch Clan," said Mordo. "Though a portal could take you straight there, I wouldn't recommend it. Any portal has the potential to alert your enemies. You should fly from the Himalayan headquarters and open a portal just outside the target area. I believe you have several aircraft, don't you?"
"Did the Ancient One really allow me to fly planes into the Sanctum?" Solomon asked.
"The Ancient One didn't forbid you from doing anything—not even traveling to Europe. She just said to be careful," Mordo replied with a shrug. "She instructed me to cooperate with you, though I doubt you really need anything."
"All I need is time," Solomon said, glancing at Bayonetta. She had already spoken with Madame Butterfly, confirming that Jeanne's soul hadn't been taken by the Lady of the Styx. In fact, the Lady of the Styx was frantically turning her domain upside down, hunting for the thief who had stolen Jeanne's soul. The surrounding ecology was in chaos, with beasts from the lower planes fleeing en masse, forcing Kamar-Taj's mages to work overtime herding them back. Outwardly calm, Bayonetta was more anxious than anyone. Only after learning of Hecate's divination did her anxiety begin to ease.
Solomon pulled out his phone and quickly looked up Fimbowinter. He retrieved satellite images of Mount Fimbowinter and Noahduun Town to prepare for the mission. "I need time to get the sky carrier to Noahduun. I must prepare for the worst," he said. "If things spiral out of control, I'll destroy Mount Fimbowinter and bury all access to Noahduun. You understand why, Mordo. I'm a mage of Kamar-Taj."
"I know, I know," Mordo sighed, patting Solomon on the shoulder. "Relax. I'll help. You and the witch go to the Himalayan Sanctum. I'll take your Honor Guard with me and open a portal for the sky carrier."
"Thank you," Solomon said sincerely.
"No need. It's the Ancient One's order. The fate of the Witch Clan, and even that chaotic deity's destiny, will be determined by this mission. You have a duty to represent Kamar-Taj and oversee it all. Of course, participating is fine too. Our mission is to kill those who call themselves gods, isn't it?"
"Catherine, open the hatch."
"Yes, my lord."
At Solomon's command, the rear hatch of the assault dropship slowly opened. An icy wind instantly swept through the cabin, but neither the Sisterhood clad in powered exosuits nor the lightly dressed witches flinched. Solomon's own armor had been refueled and outfitted with a detachable jetpack. Catherine and her strike team would take part in the operation, though not by entering Noahduun with Solomon. This dropship carried two bunker-buster hydrogen bombs—powerful enough to flip the entire town if necessary. Catherine's role was to act as the ultimate failsafe before the sky carrier arrived.
Solomon was no believer in lone heroics. He knew that numbers were an advantage in their own right.
Once the sky carrier arrived, Catherine would lead the Sisterhood and Honor Guard to rendezvous with Solomon and coordinate the sky carrier Judicator, the sky battleship Cross Rose, and the Liliflora to bombard the target. Solomon had spent dearly to retrofit the keels of both battleships to enable them to provide fire support. He believed not even an upper-tier angel could withstand a direct hit from one of those guns.
As for the civilians in Noahduun, Solomon had already triggered the town's air raid sirens through hacking, broadcasting a fake missile alert. Most of the residents were now fleeing with their families, giving Solomon and Bayonetta the room to operate. It came at a cost—Stephanie had called over a dozen times, demanding to know whether it was really necessary to spend his crypto-market earnings on something like this.
"My lord." Just before Solomon and the witch leapt from the gunship, Catherine stepped forward to address her squad. "When can we join you in slaughtering the evil spirits? The sisters are getting impatient."
"Soon, my daughter. Search and destroy. That's the order." With that, the mage and the witch leapt together.
Catherine hurried to the hatch and saw that Solomon and Bayonetta's figures had already blurred as they passed through a magical gate.
She quietly stuck out her tongue, then ran a hand through her wind-tousled white hair.
"Lady Catherine?"
"Shut the damn hatch, or I'm gonna swallow an entire blizzard."
(End of Chapter)
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