“I’m sure you can handle it,” Crow smiled confidently. “You’ve already gotten quite a bit better at tricking people. Getting some knights to share food with the rest of the castle staff should be a simple task for you by now.” He glanced up at the sky, which had grown dark with the low evening light. There were a lot of clouds, but it was difficult to tell if another storm was coming or if it just happened to be a cloudy night. For Penelope’s sake, he hoped it was the latter.

Wanting to get out of the open before she noticed the sky as well, he peered through the trees to check if the noble’s estate was clear. “I think the stable boy is gone now,” he said, turning back to her. “We should get out of this forest before anyone sees us here.” Standing up again, he gathered his things and led the way toward the horse stables. He paused at the tree line, making sure the coast was clear, before he hurried across the open grounds.

Once inside the shelter, Crow closed the door after Penelope and dropped his bags with a sigh of relief. He looked around their temporary home. This one was larger than the last, with four horses in separate stalls lined up against one wall. Against the back, there was a stack of baled hay. For two people on the run, it would make a comfortable bed for the night. He looked up at the roof, pleased to see that this one didn’t have any warping. If there was going to be a storm, it wouldn’t be visible from inside the stables.

He walked across the room and sat down on the edge of a hay bale, leaning back to rest on his palms. “I know it’s almost dark out,” he mused. “But I’m not tired yet.”