Chapter 28
Willow shifted uncomfortably from where she lay on the rooftop. They had been taking shifts watching Xanatos' building for several days now. It was her turn; Garen had left her while he fetched them some food from a local vender. Their twenty-four hour watch was exhausting, and the rooftop was cold in the early morning hours, but Willow didn't complain. The last thing she wanted to do was remind her Master that she shouldn't be here.
Last night had been particularly chilly. The young Padawan rubbed her hands together under her cloak, her eyes never leaving the guardhouse. It was coming up on 0800, the sun had been up for close to a standard hour, but the air hadn't warmed yet.
"Anything yet?"
Willow started at the voice. She had been too concentrated on the guardhouse and had forgotten to watch her surroundings.
She shook her head slightly, "No, Master. I think they're about to change shifts though, the guard inside has been double checking the datapads for accuracy. He's done this every day since we've been watching, usually about five minutes before his replacement shows up."
Garen nodded, "Good. They've had the same schedule then for a week. We should be safe in assuming it's a set schedule then." He handed his Apprentice a cup of hot tea and a warm bundle. "Here, I brought us some warm rolls, and hot tea. You look chilled."
Willow smiled, "Thank you, Master. It's a bit cold here."
Her Master raised an eyebrow at the understatement. He could still see their breath in the air.
"Okay, maybe a bit more than cold. It's freezing." Willow took a sip of her tea, wrapping her hands around the cup. When she had stopped shivering she spoke again. "What's the plan, Master?"
He studied the guards for a moment, watching their procedure as the new shift came on; making sure it was the same as it had been for the past several days. When he was sure it was he looked back at her. "This afternoon we're going to back to our ship, and sleep someplace warm. Then tonight, during the midnight shift, while they only have one guard in the shack, I'm going to go in. Once I've taken care of everything, and its safe, I'll call for you to come over the wall. We'll go for Master Kenobi then, and hopefully Anakin will be with him."
"Are you sure that you don't want me to go with you?"
Garen shook his head, "No. This is a stealth mission. You would add suspicion." He noted Willow's displeasure and gave her a stern look, "You gave your word, Young One. Complete obedience. I do not need to remind you how absolutely necessary this is."
Willow shook her head, curls bouncing. "No, Master. I understand."
He nodded, "Good. Eat up so we can go back to the ship. You're going to need all your strength for tonight."
