“Maybe not,” Crow said doubtfully when Penelope said the travelers probably wouldn’t attack them in the middle of the town. He wanted to believe it was true, but then again, the last time they had gotten attacked was when they were travelling along the main road, much like they were now. He wasn’t going to put it past them to try something out in the open—not after the boldness of their last assailant. With that thought in mind, he continued to keep the two men in the corner of his eye, watching them carefully for any sudden movements.

What made matters worse was the fact that William seemed completely unaware that they might be in danger. He wanted to alert the knight to the potential threat that the other travelers posed, but he knew he would never listen to him. Casting a glance back towards Penelope, he realized the knight might not listen to her either. William was so caught up in his distaste for their relationship that he seemed to want nothing to do with either of them at the moment. He would probably just write them off as paranoid to keep moving if either of them voiced their concerns.

[i]This could be bad,[/i] Crow thought, chewing on the inside of his lip as he returned his gaze to the two men once more. They had fallen farther behind now, but they seemed to be traveling just fast enough to keep the three in their sights at all times. He was beginning to feel more confident that they weren’t normal travelers after all.

At Penelope’s question, he shook his head concernedly, “I’m not sure. If we try to change course, William will probably just accuse us of wasting time and refuse to go along with it.” He shifted slightly to look over Penelope’s shoulder, towards the road ahead of them. It was rather straight, with only a few small bends and curves. Some people milled around the edges of the street at the stands of various merchants, but it was otherwise clear.

“We could just take off,” Crow suggested, meeting her gaze again. “William will have no choice but to chase after us, and we might be able to lose them if they aren’t expecting us to move so quickly. If we can outpace them, we might be able to come up with enough time to think of a better plan.”