Crow eyed Penelope with interest. By the color in her cheeks, he could tell that she was lying to save face from something. He wondered what was so personal about the reason that she would keep it to herself. However, he decided to drop the subject. It wasn’t that important, and besides, he had his own secrets. She could keep hers if she wished.

[color=fff79a][b]“Anyways, exactly where are we headed?”[/b][/color] Penelope spoke up, changing the subject. [color=fff79a][b]“You had better not be an idiot and get us lost.”[/b][/color]

“You’ll see,” Crow answered with a dramatic air of mystery. “And don’t worry, I won’t get us lost. Villages aren’t that difficult to navigate.” He stopped swinging his arm and looked around again. In truth, he might have been able to find his way back, but he had no idea where he was going to begin with. His references to find this place were an old map and a hunch, neither of which were very reliable. For all he knew, the place he wanted to see didn’t even exist anymore. But what did that matter? Hunting for it was half the fun.

Crow turned down a different street and caught sight of a sign pointing towards the woods. It was faded and overgrown with vines, so he almost missed it, but it was enough to convince him that he was going in the right direction. He grinned at Penelope and tugged on the chain again, “This way. It should be right over here.” He led her to the end of the road, where the stone pavement gave way to soil and trees. Instead of stopping, however, he continued walking beyond the edge of the village and into the forest.

After a while, Crow found what he had been searching for.

In a small clearing, there was a pond encircled by small, ancient relics. Underneath the moon and stars, the surface of the water seemed to glow with an unearthly light. He stepped close to the edge and gazed out over it, speaking quietly to himself, “So it [i]is[/i] here.” He glanced at Penelope and laughed bashfully. “I bet you want an explanation, right? I mean, why would a thief be interested in some water? It’s completely absurd.” He sat down and gave the chain another small tug, gesturing for her to do the same, and then turned back to the pond. “There’s an old myth about this place back in the outer villages. It’s believed that this pond is a looking glass for the gods who watch over our kingdom, and, after seeing it for myself, I can understand why they would think that. It’s near the heart of the kingdom, and it [i]does[/i] look like something touched by holy beings.” He shrugged and looked back at Penelope. “I guess I just figured we might as well pay a visit while we’re in the area, you know?”