Crow stood at a standoff against the knights in the hallway, his dagger hovering threateningly next to the Younisian king’s throat. His heart pounded in his chest. So far, the knights hadn’t called his bluff, but they weren’t going anywhere either. If he couldn’t think of a way out of this situation soon, they would probably realize he was lying about killing their king.

“Step aside,” he growled, his eyes darting between each man. “Let me through or I’ll kill him.”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty!” one of the younger knights called out, ignoring the thief’s threat. “We’ll save you.”

“Shut up,” Crow snapped at him, trying to sound intimidating. “I’m serious, here. If you idiots value your king’s life, then stand down!”

“You can’t kill him,” another knight spoke up. “Aeklora won’t let you.”

“Oh yeah?” Crow raised a brow, shifting his dagger a little closer to the old man’s throat. “Care to make a wager on that little superstition of yours?” As hard as he tried to scare them off, these knights weren’t budging. He had to come up with something else, fast. He glanced over his shoulder at the king’s open bed chambers. He wasn’t sure if there was another escape route in there, but at least it would give him some cover until he could think of another way to get away from the knights.

Turning back to the guards, he narrowed his eyes, “I’m taking him in there. If any of you take even one step towards us, I’ll cut his throat.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” one of the knights tensed, seeming ready to disobey the thief’s order.

Crow swallowed nervously. The guards were literally one step away from discovering that he had been lying to them. His mind raced to come up with another plan, but fortunately, he didn’t need one.

“Do as he says,” the king spoke up unexpectedly. He smiled at the knights. “I will be fine.”

The men exchanged uncertain glances, but stood down. Feeling a wave of relief, Crow backed into the royal chambers, still holding the king’s arm tightly behind his back to keep up his charade. Once they were inside, he released the old man and quickly closed the door, shoving what looked like a wooden cane through the handles to keep the guards at bay.

Finally able to breathe easy, he turned to the king warily, “Why did you help me?”

“Because Aeklora didn’t strike you down for laying a hand on me,” the old man answered unhelpfully. When the thief just stared at him blankly, he gave a knowing smile. “If you were truly dangerous, she would have killed you the instant you touched me.”

“She sounds like a lovely person,” Crow muttered dryly, looking around the room they had entered. It was elegant, yet simply decorated like the rest of the palace. In the center was a large bed, and resting against the bottom bedpost was…

[i]The staff,[/i] his eyes widened at the sight of it. Skillfully crafted, the staff looked like it had been carved by a master craftsman and dipped in high-quality gold. Glittering rubies were embedded into the knot that sat atop the body of the staff. Even in the low light of the bed chambers, the whole thing seemed to glow of its own accord. It was mesmerizing.

Noticing Crow’s lingering gaze, the king stepped up to his side and cracked another smile, “I see you’ve taken an interest in the goddess’s symbol of power. Is it not the reason you’ve come here?”

The thief shifted his weight, forcing himself to turn away from the staff so he could meet the old man’s eyes. He had never spoken to anyone that he had stolen from like this before. It was strange, and he didn’t know what to think about it.

“You do not have to worry,” the king chuckled, seeming to read his mind. “If you are here to take the staff, I will not try to stop you.”

“You won’t?” Crow asked in surprise, finding his voice again.

“No,” the king’s kind gaze turned serious. “If you are not supposed to remove it, Aeklora will stop you, herself.”

“How thoughtful of you,” Crow snorted. His eyes wandered back to the staff and he slowly moved closer, drawn by its luster. As he approached the golden rod, his heart began to race again. There was something unexplainably powerful about it that made him nervous to be so close.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he turned back to the king once more, “Have others really died from touching it before?”

“Of course,” the old man said with an airy shrug. “I am the only one who has ever held the staff and lived.”

“That’s not exactly the answer I was hoping to hear,” Crow frowned.

“If you are afraid, then why are you still here?”

“It’s not that simple,” Crow lowered his gaze. “I’m not doing this because I want to. I’m doing it because I have to.”

“Interesting,” the king stroked his beard.

“I’m glad my discomfort amuses you so,” Crow said with biting sarcasm.

The old man laughed and shook his head, “No, no. You misunderstand me. However, the musings on my mind are of no concern to you.” He shuffled over to a chair and sat down with a grunt, casually picking up a book and thumbing through its pages. “Do what you will, young thief. I pray that you do not end up like those who came before you.”

“Thanks,” Crow exhaled, turning back to face the staff once more. He stared down at it, entranced by its aura of power, yet unable to bring himself to reach out for it. By this point, his heart was hammering wildly. After hearing about the servant who had died five years ago, and knowing that the current king was the only one who had ever lived, he was more apprehensive to touch the staff than ever. It sounded like the legend was true after all—only the rightful ruler of Younis could hold it without being smote by the goddess.

[i]What have I gotten myself into?[/i] he closed his eyes, wishing he had never agreed to carry out this ridiculous mission—wishing that the king of Brerra had chosen any other thief to steal it in his stead. Yet here he was, chosen for gods knew why, to risk his life for the sake of two kingdoms. It was a heavy burden for one man to bear.

Suddenly, an image of Penelope flashed through his mind, and he softened. [i]For what it’s worth, this trip hasn’t been all bad,[/i] he smiled to himself. [i]Even if I die tonight, I got to meet her before I go… I got to experience what it is to love and be loved by someone, and that’s something worth dying for.[/i]

Opening his eyes again, Crow looked down at the staff with new resolve. [i]I’m ready, no matter what the outcome is.[/i] He reached towards it slowly until his fingertips brushed the edge…