the track, feeling naked and exposed, reaching for the other side.
* * *
She made it to the landing field on time.
When Marie reached the flat, barren strip of land, it appeared deserted and she wondered if she was too late and Will had retrieved Julian and gone on without her. But there were small stakes in the ground, ready to be lit as soon as the plane neared. She saw Will then by the cover of the trees.
“Any sign?” she asked as she neared. Will shook his head. She was flooded with disappointment. Julian might have been here by now. Marie pushed down the feeling of uneasiness that formed in her throat. A few hours did not mean anything. There was a window of time when a plane might be able to land. The pilot might have been delayed, or circled around due to fog or fear of detection.
“We should wait out of sight.” He led her from the open field of trees. One had fallen and behind it the ground was hollowed out to form a small ravine. He sunk to the ground and gestured for her to do the same.
A chill came into the air, and she shivered, feeling the wetness from the river that lingered in her boots. She wished for a fire, though, of course, that was impossible. She moved closer to Will, not caring if he minded. She stared out across the darkened field, wishing for a sign of Julian. He wasn’t there. She could almost see his silhouette stepping from the shadows, smile cocked even as his eyes were terse and alert. But it was a mirage, a figment of her mind. Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, and hope turned to disappointment, then to worry.
She leaned against a tree and closed her eyes, too nervous to sleep. Then she sat up with a start as there came a noise from above, something filmy seeming to fall from the night sky.
A parachute!
She leaped to her feet and ran heedlessly into the field. They must have dropped him because it wasn’t safe to land. As the parachute lowered, she sidestepped to avoid being crushed. “I told you I would come back,” Julian said.
A buzzing sound overhead awoke her suddenly. Her eyes snapped open. She was still sleeping in the darkness of the woods. The reunion had been a dream. Still no Julian. She had shifted slightly from the tree trunk to leaning on Will’s shoulder. He had put his arm around her for warmth. Hurriedly they straightened, separating. “Anything?” He shook his head.
The night sky remained dark but it was beginning to pinken at the horizon. It was too late now. Julian’s plane wasn’t going to show.
She looked into the blankness above, searching for answers about what happened. “Could the landing information have been mistaken?” she pressed.
“I’ve never known it to be. It was quite certain.” Though he didn’t say more, the fear in his eyes was unmistakable. Julian was supposed to be here. Something had gone horribly wrong.
Marie stared into the sky, which was turning to gray as dawn neared, willing the whole thing to be a bad dream. “Perhaps the plane will still come,” she said, feigning hope.
But knowing the protocol and unwilling to pretend, Will shook his head. “Not enough fuel. Too close to dawn.” He rattled off rapid-fire the reasons it was impossible.
“You said that the delivery was confirmed. What could have happened?”
“I don’t know. Anyway, we can’t wait any longer. If it wasn’t safe for him to land, then it likely isn’t safe for us to be here.” Marie’s skin prickled with fear. “We have to go.” Will’s voice was insistent.
He stood and started for the trees. Leave and come back the next day at the same time; that was the protocol when a scheduled drop or landing did not happen. Marie lingered behind a moment. Despite the danger, she did not want to leave the spot that was their best—and perhaps only—hope of reuniting with Julian. The hours until they could try again stretched out in front of her, dark and agonizing. Will was right, though. Every second here risked capture and death, not just for themselves but the other agents and the locals who helped them.
“Maybe he had orders to stay,” Marie suggested, as she caught up with Will in the woods.
“That wouldn’t stop Julian,” Will replied firmly. “My cousin would always come back.”
Only he hadn’t. That could only mean that something was very, very wrong.