They did as the alderman had said. The hours had passed and Gael and the mustached guard, who was sitting on the opposite side of the inn, both sat at their dinner. Gael had been waiting bitterly. Yeavinkhall forest was his best bet of finding the little hindsblue. Another guard entered the inn and said:

  ‘Good afternoon sir. Tonight ill take south, George north and Janus east. How are you?’.

  ‘Best guard job I ever had’, the mustached guard said almost mockingly loud. They then started arguing about whether the bakery would make cherry pie tomorrow and Gael focused on his meal.

  The town bell tolled. And with an expression that said: ‘My job here is done’ the mustached guard looked at Gael. Gael ignored the guards, stood up and went outside. It was almost dark as Gael walked towards the gate. Just as he arrived two guards were locking it up. Gael thoughts drifted home. If he had stayed he wouldn't be in this predicament.

  ‘I’m sorry’. The mustached guard said from behind Gael and added:

  ‘I want to ask you to go back to the inn and go to bed early. Continue your search in the morning.’

  ‘One night wasted’, Gael sighed as he walked back past the guard. When he entered the inn the innkeeper gave him a painful smile.

  ‘Can you wake me at first light? I’m going to bed early’, Gael asked her and entered his room. He started to pack his belongings. He put his notebook in the shoulder bag and held the bag in his hands. The leather had creased and was frayed at the edges. It had probably seen a lot of adventures Gael thought. He could hear the words of the inspector:

  ‘You don't seem like that much of an adventurer to me. Sometimes you’ve got to be bold, take risks.’

  With those last words clear in his mind he put on his cloak and swung the bag over his shoulder. If he recalled the conversation between the guards correctly there would only be guards in the north, east and south. If he got to the western edge of Yeavinkhall unseen he could find a way to get to the other side of the wall. Strangers stand out in towns like this Gael thought.

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After a moment of hesitation he leaned over to the window and unlatched it. Very slowly he climbed out of the window carefully lowering himself onto the dark muddy alley. He looked back through the window and saw the relative safety of his room with the rest of his belongings. He suppressed the urge to climb back in, and made his way through the alley. As he entered the streets and made his way west, sticking to the dark where he could.

  When he arrived at the western edge of he started to understand why there were no guards. Between him and the wall was a large open square with lantern posts. Gael thought the people of Yeavinkhall used this space for festivals or celebrations and to Gaels relief, the lanterns were not lit. On the opposite side of the square was a tower embedded in the wall, with a big wooden door. There were more than thirty yards between him and the Tower.

Gael surveyed the houses on the edge of the square and saw light flickering behind opaque panes of glass. Against better knowledge Gael left the shadow behind to cross he harrowing distance. He heard his footsteps softly echo against the walls when he closed in on the tower. At the door he carefully lifted the wooden lever which unlocked the door. Slowly he pushed the door which loudly creaked when it was only partially opened. Gael grabbed the shoulder bag and held it in front him as he inched himself through the door.

  Inside, the silent dark felt safe in comparison to the plaza but still his heart pounded as he sat squatted inside the tower. His eyes had to slowly adapt to the darkness. The only light entered through a hatch in the ceiling. The little space the tower had was filled with boxes and barrels. Gael could see the ladder leading to the hatch on the other side of the small room. He could move the boxes around but Gael figured there was little to no room for that. Carefully he climbed on some big boxes which held his weight comfortably. Confident he climbed further along the room which made him stand a few feet from the ground.

At the front of the ladder there was a stack of large barrels. He placed one foot on the top of a barrel and reached for the ladder with one hand. His fingers reached the ladder and he slowly shifted his weight further. As his full weight was on the barrel the lid of the caved in with a loud crack. He swung towards the ladder tipping over the barrel. When he grabbed the ladder with his other hand he heard a thud which was deafening in comparison to the silence from before. It introduced a new grinding sound and Gael looked behind him. The barrel fell on another barrel and was slowly pushing it over. Realizing the inevitable Gael quickly climbed the ladder to the top of tower. Below him the barrels fell onto each other and crashed loudly on the floor.

With a thud the hatch fell close as Gael stood on the ramparts. There was no point in being quiet anymore. Though he always disliked heights Gael hastily climbed on the merlons. Voices sounded from across the plaza but when Gael peered in the darkens behind him but could only see the silhouettes of houses against the clouded night sky. Gael looked down the fifteen feet drop when the voices became louder. He jumped. Gael landed feet first but fell and ended up with his face onto the wet grass on the other side of the wall. As pain surged through his body Gael climbed up and ran into the dark Yeavinkhall forest.