It didn't take us long before the the taillights of the man's car came into view. The yellow Ferrari looked almost grey under the pale light of the moon.
The car drifted recklessly around the turns in the road, its tires screeching and smoking, leaving black tire marks etched on the asphalt.
"He's going to crash if he keeps driving like that." I observed. "What spooked him?"
"I don't know, maybe it's the fact that there's a car tailing him just after he ran out of the castle." Joshua replied sarcastically.
I couldn't even hit back at him.
Joshua floored the pedal and the car's engine screamed, cylinders humming, exhaust pushing out cold blue flame. The Fenris surged forward, the acceleration throwing me back into the leather.
Five seconds. That's all it took to put us right behind his bumper. The man must have realised he couldn't outrun us, so he threw out a trick that impressed even me.
He hit hard on his brakes, smoke erupting from his burning tires, as his car came to a screeching stop.
"Woah!!" Joshua yelled, as he yanked the wheel of the Fenris, swerving the vehicle around the Ferrari.
"Why'd you do that?" I snapped, twisting in my seat to look at the car receeding behind us. We could have just smashed into him. The Fenris wouldn't even get a dent.
"We can't get information if he's dead." Joshua yelled back. He yanked the steering wheel and the Fenris screeched in protest, it's cylinders roaring.
Behind us the Ferrari turned in a circle, building momentum before it began to race back towards the castle. But Joshua already had the Fenris banking sidewards.
"Oh, no you don't."
He stretched his hand through the open window and sent a gush of frozen wind so strong it froze the asphalt. The frost moved forward at terrifying speed, the road turning white as it crept towards the Ferrari, freezing its tires stiff.
The car swerved madly, it's driver no doubt trying his best to keep it under control, but it swerved off the road and slammed into a massive tree.
"Ouch." I remarked dryly.
I and my brother stepped out of the car, Joshua adjusting his cuffs while I fished out a pipe from my coat's pocket, and into my mouth.I snapped and a cold blue flame light it up, smoke flowing out of it's orifice.
"You think he's still alive?" Joshua asked as we approached the smoking vehicle. I nodded in the affirmative.
"I can still hear his heartbeat."
As if to prove my point, the door flew open and the man fell out of the vehicle to the ground, his face bleeding and frozen. He crawled down unto the ground, whimpering like a child.
"Please..I did as you asked... please my wife...my daughter." He pleaded through his tears, his hands joint together in supplication. Joshua chuckled lightly, before squatting down to the man before us.
"Dude, Why'd you think we want to hurt you?" He asked, his voice thick with mock concern. The man's fear was immediately replaced by confusion. He looked up at me but I kept my face completely neutral.
"You're not Eda's?" He asked sheepishly.
Joshua looked back at me and I nodded in understanding. The night was begining to unveil more. We now had a new name.
"Who's Eda?" I asked sharply, before sending a whiff of smoke up my pipe. The man looked at the frozen asphalt and then at me and Joshua, his minding putting the puzzles in place. His confusion turned to panic in an instant.
"Frost gods." He whimpered and immediately rushed to his feet, frantic to escape.
Mortals were so predictable stupid. I flicked my wrist, freezing the patch of grass he stood on and the man slipped, crashing skull first into the hood of his wrecked vehicle.
Joshua walked towards the groaning man. "You shouldn't have done that." He remarked playfully before swinging the man unto the ground.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forgive me." He pleaded frantically, his hand shielding his head. The night was filled with his pathetic sobs. "I have a wife...oh god please..."
"What is your name?" I asked curtly. The man's sobbing came to an abrupt end, his hands slowly leaving his face.
"Tell me your name or I will freeze you so hard your blood turns into icicles in your veins." I added after an annoyingly long moment of silence.
"My name's Joshua!" The man immediately offered, rising up to a kneeling position, turning from me to the calm Joshua by my side.
Joshua's face fell."Oh come on." I bravely fought back a smile. As funny as the coincidence was, it still carried a major implication. The name did not ring a bell to either of us.
The man had worked for my father, knows about frost gods, but we knew nothing of him.
The world was masked form the mystical by Askarion's veil, if this man could see through it, it made him special. And dangerous.
"Mr Joshua." I said, stealing a peek at my annoyed brother. "I have just one question for you. Answer truthfully and you live."
The man nodded slowly.
"Why did you run out of the gala?"
The man shuffled uncomfortably and made to speak but I quickly interrupted him.
"Remember, you lie...you die."
"They told me to." He said. I turned to my brother and saw the unease in his eyes.
"Who told you to?" I asked. Joshua...the mortal Joshua stared around, stealing glimpses at the trees.
"Joshua." I called impatiently and both Joshua's turned to me. "Not you idiot." I snapped at my brother.
I turned back to the man.
"I hate being made to wait. Tell me who told you to leave?"
The man raised his hands slowly and pointed behind us. "They did."
A faint whistle tore through the air and my brother fell face first to the ground, a golden dart sticking from his back.
I made to turn, my hands already freezing but a sharp pain sprouted from my neck. I turned to see our hostage holding some kind of dart gun.My vision blurred immediately and I stumbled to the ground.
But that wasn't the worse part. Before my conscious faded, I heard the sound of heels on the frozen asphalt and a terrifyingly familiar voice.
"Good job Joshua." Catherine said.