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Sam looked distressed when he turned to walk away. He didn’t give any more details, but Nik knew it wasn’t good.
He dressed quickly and tried not to worry.
“You don’t think this has something to do with Eli? With our plan last night?” Ali could sense his nervousness and began to panic herself. He had finally calmed her down and now Sam was causing issues.
“Try not to worry, Ali. I’ll be home soon.”
He met Sam and the other guards on the west side of town. This area was mostly residential and the oldest part of town. Families settled here centuries ago, and the village had expanded from there.
It was eerily quiet. Some guards looked around at each other, unsure of why they’d been called here. Other guards looked somber, some with tears in their eyes.
“What’s going on?” he asked Sam.
“It’s not good.” Sam’s eyes were glossed over and dark, like he’d seen death.
Jameson stepped into the center of the court and cleared his throat, preparing for a speech. The guards turned their attention to him and waited with bated breath.
“Last night, Rysburg suffered another attack,” he began. “While many of our guardsmen were off scouting, our town was left vulnerable. I take full responsibility for that. Somehow…” He swallowed hard, visibly choking up. “There are people out there who envy us. They want what we have, and they’ll take it by any means. We already knew they intended to attack. We just didn’t know the nature. It seems they are willing to sacrifice our children. Our women.”
The air thickened around them. This was a speech meant to inform them of an attack, but also to unite them. This wasn’t at all what the Coyotes had told Nik when they’d attacked him. They didn’t envy Rysburg. They wanted revenge. But this was a better story to sell the guardsmen. It would fire them up and prepare them for battle.
“These vigilantes poisoned the water reservoir that feeds the west end. This morning, we discovered the dead, and while many have survived, they are now in critical condition. We don’t know the potency of this poison so it’s hard to say whether they’ll survive.”
Gasps and nervous chatter filled the air. Just like that, nearly a third of their town had been wiped out—dead or incapacitated. Nik had underestimated these Coyotes. His stomach flipped.
“What about the other reservoirs? The east and north?” someone asked anxiously.
“Those remain safe. They must not have realized we have more than one and only struck the west side. In addition, there was a fire set at the entrance of town. We’re still investigating and aren’t sure if it is related. It’s possible they set a diversion to draw our attention away from the reservoir.”
Sam huffed next to Nik.
“What was that for?” Nik asked.
“He’s not telling the full truth. The fire was set from inside the wall. Either they snuck in to set it or we have a traitor in our midst. Neither are great options.”
Nik turned back to face Jameson. This was good news for him and Ali. They wouldn’t suspect that he had set the fire. They wouldn’t be looking for an arsonist amongst their ranks. Did that make him the traitor, though?
“What do we do now?” another guard asked. Nik could see the fear in their eyes. This wasn’t just civilians they’d lost. Guardsmen had died here, too or were currently lying in the infirmary, awaiting their fate. They had effectively thinned their ranks and suffered zero casualties in the process. It was unnerving to know they weren’t safe in their own homes.
“We remain vigilant. We’re securing our borders and adding extra patrols. You’ll all be given additional duties for the foreseeable future. We’re adding extra combat training for those who need it. In addition, we ask if you see anything, anything at all suspicious to speak up. The safety of Rysburg depends on you.”
***
Chapter Thirty-Two
“You did what?” Ali exclaimed.
“Shh. Keep your voice down.” Eli looked around to see if anyone had heard her. They were sitting in their usual spot in the prison’s courtyard. Dating the prison guard had its perks for Ali. She was free to visit Eli as long as Nik was working. The guard sulked over in the corner, pacing and watching them warily. Their friendship clearly still irked him.
It was their first opportunity to catch up after the commotion of the past few days. Ali had filled him in on what happened in the west end. He couldn’t believe it. These Coyotes were even more dangerous than he had thought. It was no wonder Nik wanted to get her out of here.
Nik’s motivations had become a bit clearer, although Eli still wasn’t sure how he fit into it all. He couldn’t trust that he was a priority for Nik, that he wouldn’t leave him here if it came down to it. That they hadn’t left the night of the original plan swayed him a little, though.
Ali had told him their side of the story and he was surprised that Nik had even bothered to go through that much trouble looking for him. Maybe he’d just been appeasing Ali, but maybe Eli wasn’t giving the guy enough credit.
Eli had just finished walking her through everything that had happened the night of their ill-fated escape attempt. How his shift had been changed last minute and he had been assigned to the arsenal instead. How lucky he had been to find himself alone with the keys to all of Rysburg’s weapons…and how, in a moment of impulse, he'd stolen an explosive.
“Eli, what were you thinking? You could’ve been caught. You could still be caught. What if they track inventory? And what exactly do you plan to do, huh? Is it just sitting in your cell right now?”
