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He smiled at the thought and all his nerves seemed to disappear.
Ali studied him and returned a grin.
We’re really doing this.
They turned down a side street toward the post Eli was working. Nik thanked the gods that he’d been assigned one of the side posts. He was still pretty certain they could’ve made the main entrance work for their plan, but it would’ve been trickier. Here, there was less chance of a stray person walking by. It would take more time for anyone to realize the post had been abandoned.
The houses sat dark and quiet. Nik could only hear the sound of Ali’s heavy breathing next to him. The moonlight was bright enough to illuminate their path, but they stayed hidden in the shadows.
They avoided the town center, just in case there were any night owls heading to or from the tavern. Luck was on their side. They didn’t spot a single soul until they were almost to the wall.
A young couple a little older than Nik walked home, hand in hand. The man hummed a soft tune and swayed back and forth while the woman watched him, a huge smile on her face.
Nik felt a pang of jealousy. That these two could walk together, out in the open, without a care in the world. Soon. Soon, he would get to have that with Ali.
The couple moved slowly and then turned down a street to their left. The man’s song faded into the night.
“Let’s keep going,” Nik whispered to Ali.
At last, they could see Eli’s post. Nik squeezed Ali’s hand, adrenaline pumping through him. He could feel his dinner rising in his throat, but forced it down. Instinct told him to proceed with caution, and he was never one to ignore his instincts.
“Wait.” He held out a hand and stopped Ali in the shadows of the last house in the row. They were twenty feet from the wall, but he couldn’t see Eli. He squinted but couldn’t make out a figure at the top.
Where is he? He should be here.
“What’s wrong?” Ali asked.
“I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Can you see him?”
“No. I don’t see anyone.” He scanned the wall in the darkness. Had he just missed him? “Stay back.”
Nik shifted his foot in the pile of snow on the ground and uncovered a small stone. He picked it up and moved into the open. His throw was precise and hit the top of the wall, a clunk echoing into the night sky. He quickly ducked back into the shadows with Ali, peeping out just far enough to see someone stand and look over the edge.
He moved behind the house, pulling Ali with him. “It’s not Eli.”
“How can it not be Eli?” Panic was rising in her voice; her eyes grew to twice their normal size. “I thought you said this was his post.”
“It was.” He shook his head. “It was. I checked the assignments three times to be sure.” He couldn’t comprehend. Everything was falling apart. Their plan that they’d spent weeks on. The image of their future together melted, like a painting that hadn’t been left to dry, the vibrant colors he’d pictured dripping together into an ugly mess.
“What do we do now?”
“We can check some of the other posts. Maybe they moved him last minute.”
They quietly moved along the outskirts of town, hidden in the shadows of the houses. They first moved clockwise, checking one post and then another. After checking two more posts, they headed the opposite way.
Counterclockwise was more dangerous. The further they moved from Eli’s assigned post, the closer they got to the main entrance, which would be more heavily guarded and better lit.
At each post, Nik stooped to grab a stone, throwing it against the wall to draw out the guard on top. And each time it wasn’t Eli, his heart sank a little deeper. He never thought he’d be disappointed to not see Eli.
They had checked every post except for the main entrance.
Nik paused to gather his thoughts. This was the worst possible outcome.
“We need a distraction. I can’t get close enough to the wall in this light.”
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.
