“While you’re wasting your time hassling me, the real Hartley is probably getting away,” Crow argued with the knight, although he doubted they were listening to him. He sighed and looked out over the crowd. Among the onlookers, he spotted Penelope glaring at him from off to the side. She was probably furious with him for hindering the mission just to steal a few gold coins. He shrugged and offered her a sheepish grin. He would have easily gotten away if it hadn’t been for the ridiculous peasant heroes. He was still shocked that they had sided with the knights. In Brerra, the peasants had always helped him, or at least turned a blind eye when he stole. 
But here, everyone was united against criminals. It seemed he still had much to learn about Younisian culture.

Crow caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a hooded figure making its way through the crowd, heading for the nearest exit point. He knit his brow suspiciously. [i]I’d bet anything that’s the thief they’re looking for…[/i] He looked back at the knights, sizing them up. It wouldn’t be too hard to get away from the two, especially since he knew Penelope was biding her time somewhere in the market. He just had to get away from the peasants, so they would be more evenly matched.

“Fine, I give up,” Crow said, ceasing to struggle against the knight’s iron grip. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“About time,” one of the knights said.

“Looks like you’re not as dumb as we thought, Hartley,” the other chuckled, tugging Crow along as they walked away from the market.

“Yeah?” Crow muttered irritably, letting himself be guided by the knights. “Well you’re [i]dumber[/i] than I thought if you still can’t see you’ve got the wrong man.”

“What was that?” a knight growled.

“Oh, nothing,” Crow said airily. He glanced over his shoulder, wondering where Penelope was. They were far enough away from the crowd now that it would be easy for her to overpower his guards if she wanted to. He just hoped he hadn’t overestimated hey loyalty. He still couldn’t see any sign of her as the knights dragged him to a nearby cart with metal bars around its sides. He shuddered at the sight of it. The cart looked just like the one he had been transported in when he had been sentenced to prison in Brerra. One of the knights took out a key and unlocked the door, while the other forced Crow towards the opening.

[i]Come on, Penelope,[/i] he thought, beginning to feel a bit nervous. [i]Where are you?[/i]