“Alright,” Crow said when Penelope suggested that they look for a stable to spend the night in. He noticed that she seemed just as nervous as he was about the castle in the distance. She was probably thinking the same thing he was: that they didn’t have much time left; that they only had the beginning of a plan worked out; that they weren’t prepared to handle whatever was waiting for them within those huge palace walls. They didn’t have long before they would find out if their efforts had been enough.

He followed her as she took them closer to the tree line in search of a nearby stable. Fortunately, it didn’t take long before she found a place that could work. “Let’s check it out,” he said, moving closer to the edge of the forest to take a closer look at the potential lodging. He crouched down by a bush, his green eyes sweeping over the clearing in front of him. From the dim glow in the upstairs window of the house, it looked like whoever lived there had turned in early for the night. The rest of the estate was quiet as well, with not a stable boy in sight.

Crow was about to turn back to tell Penelope his findings, when he felt a drop of water land on his nose. He blinked and looked up to see dark storm clouds rolling ominously across the sky.

[i]It’s just some bad weather,[/i] he tried to reassure himself. [i]It’s not an omen.[/i]

“Remember what I said about how we’ve been lucky with the weather?” he asked, glancing back at her. “Well, that’s over now. Let’s hurry up and get inside.” He stood up straight again and took the lead as they ran for the stables.