Chapter 496
Katelina and Jorick took their place near one of the gates. A stone foundation stretched across the ground and a lake glittered through the screen of trees. Budding branches swayed gently. Early spring grass poked up from the damp ground. Katelina could smell the earth and the young greenery. Somewhere a cricket chirped, unaware of what was coming.
To her right she could see the next gate, where Verchiel and Jamie were stationed. The redhead hopped up the wall to stand on the gate's ornate roof, hands on his hips like a medieval knight surveying enemy forces.
She turned to Jorick. "We're supposed to take a high vantage point."
"He has one." He nodded to Verchiel, who ran along the wall toward them. "He can tell us if there's anything to see."
An explosion cut through the air. Katelina saw the plume of smoke rise in the distance, likely in the middle of the town. "That wasn't twenty minutes."
"No, it wasn't."