I thought that I would never reach the top and it came as something of a surprise when I did. Gertrude had apparently not ye swept through, but the guards had left in anticipation of its arrival, taking all the light sources with them. I didn’t see the battlements on top of the wall until I was directly on top of them.

I clambered up, over the edge of the wall and found myself standing on the stone-work top, behind battlements on what could be taken for a road. Designed to allow swift movement of troop, the route was wide enough for three or four men to fi across. Even thought I knew that being caught here would be detrimental to my plan, I still had to pause for a moment to take a breath and look across the view from the top.

The darkness that had covered my approach hid most of the view. DownTown was mostly dark, only the odd light here and there hinting at any sort of life. Faircrest, by comparison, was much more brightly lit; static lights indicating buildings and moving lights would be the town’s folk who had no need to fear being out after dark. In the distance, UpTown was a blaze of light. Although it was further away, the rich inhabitants had feathered their homes with light. It was impossible to make out details, but the sparkling vista could be described as pretty. If you were that sort of person and not on a mission to get over a wall.