Sanity

18. Getting Revenge.

William and Noah arrived at the old noodle shop with their hoods up to conceal their faces. Maeve had disappeared as soon as they let her out of the palace, but William could bet on the fact that she wasn't going to warn Tank. Some part of her knew that everyone was telling her the truth about Tank. She didn't mean anything to him.

"Let's watch ourselves in here," Noah murmured as they entered the shop, moving slowly through the building as if they came here all the time. The front room was empty. Noah glanced at William uncertainly.

"Be on your guard," William whispered when they reached the entranced to the sewers, seeing the ladder that would lead them to the guild's hideout. They nodded to each other, before William went to lower himself down. His heart raced at the possibility of Kamryn being somewhere down here waiting for him.

No, Jaelyn, he corrected himself with a frown. Would he ever have time to get used to that name?

They both dropped down into the room, and immediately they knew they were in enemy territory. No one was in the first corridor they landed in, but they could hear voices in an open room in front of them, and knew they wouldn't be friendly. It was reassuring to know Maeve had not lied to them about this.

"Keep your weapons sheathed, we wish to talk," William announced loudly as they emerged into the room. Despite his words, the sound of metal being drawn and aimed towards the intruders. William took a few seconds to note the state of their hideout; it was old, and smelt like it was hiding a half-decayed body. A few dozen people, all wearing dark rags, had their weapons pointed towards the prince and the king. And that was when William recognised who he could only assume was Tank, their leader. The man from the wedding; he would have recognised him from a mile away, no matter what he was wearing. He was the one having the heated conversation with Kamryn, who made her look uncomfortable.

It's Jaelyn, not Kamryn, he reminded himself again. This was going to take him a while to get used to.

"You are outnumbered, boys," Tank slurred wickedly. William couldn't help but notice the look of triumph on his face, and he dreaded to know what it meant. "My men won't hesitate to kill two intruders; especially as one of them's the King."

"We didn't come to fight you," Noah muttered, scowling at the man in turn. "You know why we're here. Where is she?"

"But," Tank announced, moving to pace the floor as he twirled his dagger between his fingers, "I thought you were the one who banished her in the first place? Am I not right?"

William's grip on his sword tightened, but with one look from Noah, he released his fist and let out a sigh of impatience.

"I don't much care for these power games," William shot back bluntly. "Cut the shit and tell us where she is."

"Well, I can tell you she isn't here," Tank replied innocently. The glint in his eye was almost enough to set William off. "I mean, she was. But we decided to make her punishment... public. Teach the people a lesson, you know? We decorated the square quite nicely, I say."

William stiffened at his words.

"What did you do to her?" Noah hissed, jumping in for his brother angrily. "If you so much as-"

"Oh, she's definitely dead," Tank admitted finally, interrupting Noah with a wonky grin. "Although, I won't lie, she did impress me. I begged her to scream, to cry, to give me anything. But she held on til the very last. Not a peep from her pretty little mouth, right up to the end."

A red haze washed over William's eyes, and all he felt was rage. Everything from that moment happened in a blur; he could hear shouting as palace guards filtered in around them, raiding the hideout and taking out anyone who stood in their way. He could hear the faint echo of Tank's laughter as it drifted away, but nothing else was registering. He could feel his limbs working without him, he could feel the blood that sprayed back onto his skin, but he didn't stop. He couldn't, because if he did, he would have to admit that she was gone. That Jaelyn was dead.