“I will,” Crow offered her a reassuring smile when she told him to be careful. He nodded when she said to meet up at the trees, although her phrasing when she said she would ‘try’ to meet him there made him uneasy. For a moment, he considered changing his mind and insisting they stay together, but he had already told her to go after the other two knights. So instead, he said nothing and just watched her back as she turned to head down the hallway in the other direction.

[i]She’ll be fine,[/i] he thought, trying to reassure himself. [i]As long as I keep the guards’ attention on me, they won’t even notice a servant-looking girl in another part of the castle.[/i] Feeling a little better, he turned around to face the staircase that would take him up to the fifth floor. Apart from the two guards that had passed through earlier, no one else seemed to be travelling through this wing of the palace. He stepped forward into the open space, looking around curiously. Perhaps Penelope had been right that there were only two guards per floor. If so, that meant there were probably only two more guards on either the fourth or fifth level of the palace.

Crow walked up to the stairs and began his ascent, moving carefully so his footsteps wouldn’t echo against the stone walls. Even if there were only two guards above him, he didn’t want to make his presence known if they were nearby. He preferred to have the advantage of surprise if he came across either of the knights.

Fortunately, it appeared Lily had been correct in saying that this particular staircase would take him all the way up to the top floor of the castle. He passed by the fourth level and arrived on the fifth with no trouble at all. In fact, it almost seemed too easy. [i]Who knew that poisoning the castle staff would leave it so empty?[/i] he mused as he stepped out of the stairwell. [i]I should use henbane more often.[/i]

Rounding a corner, he entered the north wing of the palace. There was still no sign of any guards. He smiled to himself. The Younisians were fools for leaving the royal family so unprotected. It wouldn’t be long before he reached the western wing and then the king’s bed chambers. The staff would be his in no time at all.

He began to make his way around the final corner, but then froze as he was met with a startling sight. The west wing of the castle was completely covered in Aeklora-themed ornamentation. Tapestries of the goddess draped over the walls, massive gold idols lined the corridor, eye-shaped lanterns hung from the ceiling. Even the stones that made up the foundation of the hallway were each carved individually with the goddess’s four eyes.

[i]Talk about garish,[/i] Crow wrinkled his nose in disgust at the over-the-top decorations. He could understand having respect for the matron goddess, but to go this far bordered on insanity in his opinion. [i]Maybe the servant who tried to steal the staff last time dropped dead from fright after walking through this nightmare,[/i] he thought with some amusement.

Despite his distaste for the corridor, there was something strangely haunting about it—almost as if every eye in the wing really was watching him. He suddenly found it difficult to move his feet. However, he couldn’t stand there, staring at the decorated hallway for long. He soon heard voices coming from the northeastern wing. It sounded like the knights had finally figured out that something wasn’t right in the castle and were coming to check on their king.

The thief looked around hurriedly for a place to hide. He didn’t want to go into the western wing, but he couldn’t find anywhere better to hide. He dove behind the closest statue of Aeklora and watched as a small unit of guards rounded the corner, heading right for the western wing where he was hidden.