Crow nodded when Penelope said she doubted he would be able to sneak a bow into an inn. He thought so too. Sure, maybe he could stow it away somewhere when they got a room and pick it up later during the night, but as she said, he wouldn’t be able to conceal it once morning came. It would be risky to try, especially since there were more knights around as they got closer to the castle. He honestly wasn’t sure if it was more dangerous to stay at an inn or sleep in the woods.

Looking back towards the town that was just visible through the tree line, he slowed his step. “What if we didn’t do either?” he said as an idea suddenly came to him. He turned to Penelope. “Nobles have horses, right? We could sneak into someone’s stables and stay there for the night.” He shrugged. “It’s not the most comfortable place to sleep, but it’s better than risking knights in the town and mercenaries in the woods, right?”

He turned back to look forward as they kept walking, but then stopped completely. Just beyond the distant treetops, he could see the edge of what looked like a tall building. It was barely visible from where he stood, but what he could see told him everything he needed to know. A large flag flew over a massive crenellation, designed with the emblem of the Younisian king. He swallowed anxiously. They had come upon the palace at last.

[i]This is it,[/i] Crow thought, staring up at the crenellation. [i]This is the place we’ve been travelling for two weeks to find.[/i] Without thinking, he reached to take Penelope’s hand. Her touch calmed him, and he turned to her with a halfhearted smile, “Well, it looks like we’re almost there.”