Crow returned Penelope’s smile, but for his own reasons. So far, his plan was working flawlessly. The knight seemed to have believed every word of his sappy, little speech. Yes, it was true that she had been kinder to him than every other guard he’d had in the past, but he wasn’t overly concerned with how he was looked at by men and women of the higher classes—particularly knights. They could despise him if they wished; it made no difference to him. He would always find a way to manipulate them into giving him what he wanted in the end.

[color=fdc68a][b]“We’re almost there,”[/b][/color] William’s voice interrupted the silence, distracting Crow from his thoughts. [color=fdc68a][b]“The town’s right up ahead.”[/b][/color]

They were already arriving at the village they were due to stop in? Crow leaned out the window again to get a better look, and, sure enough, he could see small houses beyond the tree line. He grinned to himself. The sun had only sunk about halfway to the horizon. They were making excellent time. If they continued on at this pace, they would reach the outer villages by noon tomorrow, and the thief could make his long-awaited getaway. The thought set his heart to racing.

After a while, the wagon finally slowed to a stop and Crow climbed out of the back. He looked around and was pleased to see that this village was in a much worse condition than the last one they had stopped in. They were very close to the outermost edge of the kingdom now, and for a moment he toyed with the idea of ditching the knights here. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to find his way back from this village, and he knew the area well enough that he could find food and shelter along the way if need be. But, unfortunately, William made his decision for him.

“Lockton,” the knight said sternly when he noticed Crow’s wandering eyes. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and narrowed his eyes, “Don’t even think about running.”

“Why must you always assume that I’m scheming?” Crow returned his glare. “I was only thinking.”

“About running,” William growled. “I’ve been watching you, thief. If you try anything, I will put you in chains before you can take two steps. You will do well to keep that in mind.”

Crow just rolled his eyes and turned away from the knight. William was sharper than he had thought. He would have to be more careful around him in the future… or maybe he could use Penelope to his advantage instead. He glanced at her. William would never leave him alone with Abraxas, but he trusted the female knight. He just needed to find a way to recreate the situation from the night before. If he could steal some time alone with Penelope while her guard was down, he might have a chance at slipping away.

“I need to make arrangements with the innkeeper,” William announced to the other two knights. “Abraxas, take the horses and find some local knights who are willing to watch them during our stay here. And you two, wait for me [i]here[/i],” he emphasized the word, shooting Crow another cold look. “I will be back shortly. It’s still early enough that we can find somewhere to eat dinner before we turn in for the night.” With that, he walked off down the dirt road.

[i]That was fast,[/i] Crow thought. He turned to Penelope, wondering idly if this could be the opportunity he was looking for. She definitely seemed distracted, but he couldn't tell if she was distracted enough for him to make a run for it. He clicked his tongue. [i]Not yet.[/i]

“Looks like it’s just you and me again, love,” he said to her with a playful smirk.