Crow crouched behind a wall as he watched the dinner party in the garden. Noblemen and women chatted idly and danced around a group of troubadours playing music. He sighed impatiently. [i]This is just my luck…[/i] He had gotten back to the estate where he had hidden his bow and quiver shortly after leaving the tavern, but he couldn’t get close enough to retrieve the weaponry while the partygoers were there. On top of that, it didn’t look like they would be going anywhere anytime soon. He had been waiting for a while, hidden in the shadow of the manor, but every time it looked like they were finishing up their plates, more servants came outside with a new course of dishes. It was ridiculous how much food they had to eat.

He shifted his weight, starting to get uncomfortable from kneeling in the same position for so long, and glanced up at the darkening sky. The sun had just about vanished over the western horizon, and he wasn’t even close to the castle. If he didn’t get moving soon, he would be late to meet Penelope. He didn’t want her to worry that something had happened to him, or worse, try to finish the mission on her own when she had no prior experience with stealing. [i]Besides, she shouldn’t be the one to risk her life by touching the king’s staff,[/i] he added, nervously tugging at the grass beneath his feet. He couldn’t keep waiting around. He had to do get his bow back.

His eyes swept over the garden as he tried to come up with a way to get past the nobles. It was dark out, so he doubted they would be able to see his face if he approached them directly and caused a commotion, but he didn’t want to risk scaring them and causing them to alert the local guards. That would bring all kinds of problems for him to make it back to the keep without getting caught. No, he would have to lure them away more subtly.

He looked over the individual nobles, trying to figure out which one was the lord of the estate. It was a difficult task to do from a distance in the darkness, but after a bit of searching, he spotted a man in an especially extravagant outfit sitting at the head of the table with a woman who was probably his wife. With the way their eyes kept flitting over the party guests, as if they were trying to ensure that everyone was having a good time, they definitely looked like the hosts.

[i]Target acquired,[/i] Crow drew his dagger from his boot and slipped out from his hiding place. He walked across the lawn of the estate, moving with purpose so no one would find him suspicious. The nobles didn’t even spare him more than a passing glance as he made his way towards the table, and with the numerous servants bustling about to take care of their masters, he blended right in.

The thief eyed the wealthy nobleman at the head of the table, swallowing his fear as he poised his dagger. [i]It’s dark out,[/i] he thought calmingly. [i]I won’t even see the blood.[/i] Before he could change his mind, he walked past the noble’s chair and lifted his blade to drag a shallow cut across the back of the man’s neck, and then moved away to hide behind a tree before anyone could notice him.

The noble winced and slapped a hand to the place the dagger had cut. “I think something stung me,” he muttered, squinting at his hand to see if he had squashed an insect. Seeing nothing, he snorted and shook his head. However, after a moment, he knit his brow confusedly, clenching and unclenching his hand. He turned slowly to his wife, his mouth flapping wordlessly, and then toppled out of his chair into the grass.

Upon seeing this, one woman screamed, drawing the attention of all the others. They began rushing around to gather the poisoned man up and carry him inside the manor to see the physician of the house. Crow grinned to himself. This had been much easier than he had expected. He twirled his dagger in his hand, thankful that the henbane was working better than he could have hoped, and slid it back into its hidden sheath in his boot.

With the crowd out of the way, he stepped over to the bush he had stowed his bow and quiver beneath and reached under it to retrieve them. Fortunately, both were still where he had left them, completely untouched. He slung the weaponry over his shoulder and walked around the edge of the garden to leave. He didn’t want to stick around until the physician realized the nobleman had been poisoned intentionally. Although he doubted the truth would be discovered anytime soon, he also needed to get to the castle before it got to be too late.

He rounded a tree, heading for the curtain wall, and then stopped as his eyes fell on the bronze statue of Aeklora again. It may have been his imagination, but it almost seemed like she was watching him with sadness in her lifeless gaze. Despite his urgency to get to the keep, he lingered by the goddess figure. “What?” he narrowed his eyes at her, feeling a pang of defensiveness. “It’s not like I killed him. Besides, this is all to stop a war. I’m helping him, and all the rest of your precious Younisians.”

Crow shifted his weight, uncomfortably aware of how irrational he was being. [i]It’s just a statue. I’m wasting my time... I should get going before someone sees me here.[/i] Despite the logic of his thoughts, he couldn’t make his feet move. He stood still, staring at the bronze goddess as if he expected her to come to life.

Suddenly, his feelings of defensiveness were replaced with a sharp wave of anger. He curled his hands into fists at his side. [i]Aeklora, Aeklora, Aeklora… Cursed witch! I just want to steal the staff and leave this godsforsaken kingdom, yet here I am, arguing with a statue because I’m afraid of getting on the bad side of some overprotective goddess![/i] In a fit of impulsiveness, the thief picked up a rock from the ground and hurled it at the bronze figure. It bounced off of her head with a loud [i]clang[/i] that made him cringe.

“Damn it,” he muttered, glancing over his shoulder to see the door of the manor open as a servant with a lantern came outside to see where the noise had come from. It wouldn’t be long before the boy reached his hiding spot. He had to get away before that happened. With no time to lose, he spun around on his heel and ran away from the statue as fast as he could, ignoring the chill that trickled down his spine as he felt its eyes on his back.

Crow sprinted through the citadel, weaving between buildings to avoid being spotted by the night guards in the town, until he came to a stop in an alley near the curtain wall. He leaned back against the side of one building, panting as he caught his breath. In retrospect, it hadn’t been the smartest idea to attack the statue. He just hated how effortlessly Aeklora was able to get under his skin. He wished she would just mind her own godly business and leave the Kingdom of Younis to its own affairs. It would make his job a lot easier if he didn’t have to worry about being stopped by someone he couldn’t see, hear, or touch.

[i]Too late now,[/i] he looked up at the enormous wall that loomed before him. [i]If I pissed her off, I pissed her off. We’ll just have to wait and see.[/i] Adjusting the bow and quiver on his back, he stepped out from the alley and began the final walk to the castle’s keep.