"I want vengeance! Vengeance!" a shrill voice cried in the night.
"Nonsense!" another voice said. "You'll kill all of us!"
"I don't care!" the shrill voice cried. "I don't care. Send me back! Take me back!"
"You!" the man was clearly getting angrier. He took a few steps forward and raised his hand. Julie, who looked more like a ghost than a person, raised her head and stared at him.
The man looked at her arms. His hand shook and he could not bring himself to do anything. He knew what had happened to her after her cover was blown and he did not blame her for wanting revenge.
"Julie, you have to realize," the man said with a sigh. "Time's are different now. The situation is not looking good for His Royal Highness. There is only a dozen of us left and you cost us four of them. Do you want us to lose everything we've worked for?"
Julie stared at the man, her eyes burning with hatred. "I want revenge, brother."
The man sighed. "You don't understand, do you? Do you remember what I said before you left? Anfey is a dangerous man. You underestimated him. You want revenge, alright. You will avenge yourself but now isn't the time. We have to wait. Wait for the right time. Do you want us to challenge him publicly? Do you want me to? Say it and I will go."
"Brother…" Julie whispered. She choked on her words and started sobbing quietly. The thought of her brother was the only thing that supported her. The only reason she was still alive was her brother. She couldn't send him to his death.
"Julie," the man said, holding her in his arms. "I know what you went through. I promise you. I won't let this go. Just give me some time."
Julie nodded, her eyes filled with tears.
"Get some rest now," the man said. He patted her shoulder and tucked her in carefully.
"Wait," Julie called. "Wait. Do not trust them, brother."
"Of course not," the man said. "Don't worry about me." He walked out of the room and said to the two guards, "Keep an eye on her for me."
The two guards nodded.
The man walked down the hall slowly. Another man in his sixties was waiting in the lobby. "See him," the old man frowned and said coolly, "I need an explanation."
"You know what she went through, Mr. Douglas," the man said. "She made a mistake. I promise this won't happen again."
Douglas smirked. "That's fine by me," he said. "It's not my men who died. I just came to tell you that the plan will be postponed."
"Postponed? Why?"
Douglas's eyes widened in shock that the man did not understand. "How can you not get it?" he asked. "Your sister's behaviors have startled Anfey."
"Mr. Douglas, can't we take him on if you and I just work together?" the man asked, holding his anger back.
"I think we both know the answer to that," Douglas said, leaning back into the chair. "You see, it won't be just Anfey, will it? Have you forgotten Baery, Saul, and Steger?"
"It will be difficult, but I am not afraid."
"I'm not either," Douglas said. "I'm not planning on returning without having done anything."
The man smiled. "That's all I need from you," he said. He was working with Douglas and he could ignore Douglas's rudeness as long as their goal remained the same.
Douglas frowned and said, "I think the plan should change. I am an assassin and you are not that different. We should try a method that works better for people like us."
"You mean—"
"It's funny," Douglas said, shaking his head. "If I knew Anfey would be this much trouble, I would have taken care of him a long time ago. I had a man called Brufit. When Anfey fled Sacred City with the Knights of Sacred Flame on his heels, he was among those who saved him. If I am not mistaken, your sister Julie helped him as well."
The man nodded. "No one knew what he could do in the future. I am sure His Majesty sent them to protect Christian and Niya."
"It's scary how fast things can change," Douglas said with a long sigh.
"I remember Brufit," the man said. "His Majesty trusted him, yet he left Sacred City without a word."
"Does His Majesty really trust him?" Douglas said, shaking his head. "Brufit believed he was in mortal danger."
"He's paranoid."
"Paranoia isn't that bad of a thing to have," Douglas said. He turned to the man and said, "Now, let's talk about the future."
The man chuckled drily.
"Your people attacked Suzanna, which is enough to provoke Anfey," Douglas said. "Which is why my people are leaving this place. If you get into trouble, I won't be able to save you. Of course, if I get into trouble, you are not obligated to do anything."
"Do you have to say things like this?"
"Better say it now than later," Douglas said, getting up from the chair. "If I knew your sister's cover would be blown, I wouldn't have chosen to work with you. But there's no need to talk about that now."
The man frowned but did not say anything. Even if they were working towards the same goal, he was still getting angry at Douglas. He needed Douglas to take on Anfey and he had to keep Douglas happy.
"Take that as a lesson," Douglas said. "Don't try to provoke him anymore. We have to have a clear plan. What's good does killing Suzanna do? Don't forget your priorities."
The man took a deep breath to calm himself, then asked, "You said our plan will be postponed. Until when?"
"Be patient. Until we are no longer Anfey's priority."
"When? A month? A year?" the man asked quietly. "How long do we have to wait? We've startled him, but will he really forget about us?"
Douglas frowned. The man was right. Anfey was a very patient man and it would take a long time for him to forget something.
"What do you want to do, then?"
"Give him an explanation," the man said. "A convincing one. That way, we don't have to wait too long. I think we both know that we don't have much time."
Douglas frowned. He knew what the man meant. He wanted to give up a group of men, the more powerful the better. This way, Anfey would think he had taken care of the moles and would lose interest. But it wasn't Douglas who made a mistake. Why should Douglas give up his men?
"That's one way," Douglas said quietly. "I'll wait for your words."
"What? I…" the man frowned. He only had a dozen people. He didn't have anyone to give up.
"Your sister caused this mess," Douglas reminded him. "Shouldn't you clean it up?" Hearing no other words from the man, Douglas turned to leave.
The man stared at Douglas, stone-faced. After a few moments, he angrily muttered under his breath, "Who do you think you are? You're just Golman's dog, Douglas! You bastard!"