Crow let out another adrenaline-fueled holler to keep the nobles’ attention fixed on him while he continued to set fire to their campsite. By now, more than half of the tents were engulfed in a raging inferno, and it was spreading rapidly to the parts of the camp that were yet untouched. Frantic noblemen raced back and forth, torn between their desperation to put out the flames and their determination to catch the man who lit them in the first place. It was beautiful, disastrous chaos: the kind of environment in which the thief thrived. He launched one of his torches over his shoulder, causing his pursuers to scatter as they dodged the burning stick. So far, no one had even come close to catching him. He laughed, enjoying the power he held over his enemies as he dragged them into a state of utter madness. It was exhilarating.

“Stop him!” a furious voice screamed. Crow glanced back to see the blonde woman standing outside of her tent with her hands clenched in tight fists and her eyes burning with anger. She lifted one arm and pointed at the thief. “Don’t let him get away. I want that traitor dead!” The nobles who had been trying to put out the fire reluctantly put down their water buckets and joined the chase, following their leader’s command. Crow swore. Now that the entirety of the camp was on his tail, making a clean escape would be difficult. He could already see that he was being surrounded. He needed to act fast or he wouldn’t live to see the morning.

Crow’s green eyes swept across the outskirts of the campsite as he searched for a way out, but the nobles were already taking up positions around the places that weren’t alight with flames. They were trying to block him in. [i]Not good…[/i] he quickened his pace as the nobles behind him began to gain ground. At this rate, he was going to be caught in between the fire and their swords, and neither option sounded appealing. [i]Come on, think![/i] his mind raced as he worked to come up with a plan. [i]There has to be a way out. There’s always a way out.[/i] His eyes fell on the abandoned buckets of water near the burning tents, and suddenly an idea formed in his head. Lip curling upwards in a smile, he laughed again, “You’re mad, Crow. Absolutely insane.”

The thief made a sharp turn to his left and cut across the center of the camp, sprinting towards the raging fire. The nobles that pursued him began whooping like men on a victorious hunt, seeming to believe he was backing himself into a corner. If only they knew what was really about to happen. Well, truth be told, even Crow didn’t know what was about to happen. He just hoped his crazy plan would work, and there was only one way to find out. As he approached the wall of flames, he snatched up two full buckets and turned around to face the nobles. They slowed to a stop, fanning out to surround him.

“Bad move, thief,” one of the nobles snickered, taking a step towards him. He eyed the thief’s water buckets and scoffed. “What’re you going to do? Splash us to death?” He paused while his comrades laughed, then raised his sword. “You’re finished.”

“Ah, ah,” Crow set down one of his water buckets and held up his hand. “If you attack me now, you’ll be cursed by the gods. They don’t like it when one of their own is injured.”

“You’re saying that you’re a god?” the noble drawled.

“You think I’m lying?” Crow raised a brow. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Fine. I suppose I’ll just have to show you my power.” Before the nobles could react, he lifted the first bucket over his head and drenched himself in water, then did the same with the second until his clothes and hair were thoroughly soaked. In the next instant, he took a deep breath, spun around on his heels, and raced into the fire, leaving the nobles gaping after him in shock.

It only took a few seconds to run through the flames, but Crow still felt the heat burn his exposed skin. He held his breath and grimaced though the pain, forcing himself to keep going even after he reached the forest on the other side. The nobles wouldn’t take long to recover from their surprise, so he needed to put some distance between them and himself before they took up chase again. Having been too busy to check on Penelope and the others, he could only hope they made it out alright as well.