Sanity

19. Take Two

Everything was on fire. Her entire body was in pain and she couldn't figure out what was causing it. She could feel something solid beneath her, but it wasn't as solid as stone. More like a sturdy bed. She tried to pry her eyelids open, but it was as if they were glued closed. She struggled to move her limbs without groaning.

"Hey, take it easy," a quiet voice spoke from her side, and Jaelyn was instantly on guard. She managed to get her eyes open and attempted to shuffle back onto the hard frame beneath her but from one slight motion, she hissed as a sharp white pain shot up her back, forcing her to still herself. She took a few seconds to glance around the room, but it was lit very dimly by a candle and her eyes were still a little blurry.

"Who are you?" she rasped, her voice coming out in a weak croak as if she hadn't used it in days.

The figure leaned forward slightly, the light from the candle now splashing on her face and illuminating her long silvery hair. Jaelyn's heart sank as she recognised the girl's hard features.

"Relax," Maeve ordered, but her voice was soft. "If I wanted to hurt you, I would have left you in the square."

Jaelyn blinked, unsure of what to say. Memories of what happened in the square came back to her in flashes, almost making her flinch at the sound the whip made when it came in contact with her skin. She unconsciously reached behind her, feeling a bunch of bandages wrapped around her torso. She returned her gaze to Maeve, swallowing hard.

"You should've let me die," she said finally. "Why did you save me?"

"Because you were right," Maeve admitted, bowing her head almost in shame. "I was blind. I thought I was doing the right thing, but Tank is despicable. I'm sorry for what he did to you, Jaelyn. I'm sorry for what I did to you."

Jaelyn shook her head. "Don't be," she muttered. "I would've done the same, probably. Is that why you didn't go back to the guild?"

"They wouldn't have let me," she explained with a sigh, leaning back and resting her arms on her knees. "I gave up the hideout for my freedom. Tank would never accept me back."

Jaelyn frowned. "You gave up the hideout? What do you mean?"

Maeve hesitated, looking at Jaelyn uncertainly.

"The King offered me my freedom if I told him and the Prince where Tank was," she said finally, and Jaelyn's eyes widened. "I didn't expect you to be alive, but I couldn't figure out if they wanted to protect you or hurt you, so I went to find you myself. The square was the first place I looked; I just got lucky."

Jaelyn let out a nervous sigh. "They went looking for me? Both of them? Noah was there?"

Maeve nodded. "He was furious. I thought he'd kill me if I didn't tell him where our hideout was, but it was William who said he'd set me free if I told them. That's why I didn't want them finding you; I feared they'd do a lot worse to you than Tank would."

"Noah knew about me," Jaelyn announced, grimacing as she shuffled slightly to find a more comfortable position. "If they were trying to find me, it wasn't to hurt me." Maeve hesitated, frowning slightly, which made Jaelyn cock her head sideways curiously. "Why, what's happened?"

"Well, that would make more sense," Maeve admitted as she moved her hand down to the floor beside her, picking up a ceramic mug and holding it out to Jaelyn, who took it gratefully. "The night I found you, I went back to the square after I'd brought you here. I thought they'd go there next, and I was right. I saw them, covered in blood, looking for you. I didn't hear much – I was trying not to be seen – but William said something about marrying the real princess. I thought they had no idea that Korey had instigated the contract against him, but Noah would have told him if he knew. Which means..."