Crow returned to the ravine just before dusk to find that the camp was still empty. He walked over to a fallen tree that the thieves had converted into something of a bench and sat down, feeling relieved to be the first one back. After casting a quick glance around to be absolutely sure he was alone, he drew the vial that the herbalist in Myrefall had given to him and popped the top open, eyeing the dark liquid curiously. It reminded him of a mint leaf dressing he had tried at a banquet in Farhill many years ago. [i]Just a few drops, huh?[/i] he thought. It was interesting to him how something that looked so innocent could be so potent. Nevertheless, he followed the herbalist’s instructions, lifting the vial to his mouth and allowing three drops to fall on his tongue. In the next instant, he coughed roughly, however this time it was due to his surprise at the powerfully bitter taste of the draught rather than his illness. Even though he had only taken a small amount of it, the liquid made his mouth feel like it was filled with cotton. “Gods, this stuff is rancid,” he muttered, wrinkling his nose as he capped the vial again. “Hey, Crow!” At the sound of the unexpected voice, the thief jumped and fumbled to stash the medicine back inside of his tunic. He turned around to see Alistair and Rikki climbing down the side of the ravine, having returned from their trip to spy on the battalion knights. Covering his surprise at their sudden arrival, he stood up and walked over to greet them, “Hey, guys. How did it go?” “Eh,” Alistair waggled his hand in the air. “They didn’t notice we were there, but they didn’t give anything useful away either.” “Yeah,” Rikki shrugged. “I saw some of them go into a tent at one point, but we couldn’t get close enough to eavesdrop. They probably did all their strategizing in there.” “We ended up taking bets on how many servings of lunch this pudgy knight would eat instead,” Alistair snickered. “I won,” Rikki cut in, shooting the other thief a mischievous smirk. “He had three.” “No way,” Alistair combatted, leaning down so they were nose to nose. “He clearly went back for a fourth.” “Doesn’t count. He didn’t fill his whole plate.” “He still ate more than three!” “Alright, alright,” Crow rolled his eyes as the two went on to argue over the results of their gambling. He moved to get between them before things turned violent. Alistair and Rikki were the most hotheaded members of the group, so their fights often came to blows if no one stopped them. “Sorry, boss,” Rikki shrugged haplessly. For a moment it looked like the tension was over, but then Alistair leaned in one more time to whisper in her ear, “It was four.” “Why you—!” Rikki spun on him and threw a punch at his face. Alistair dodged her attack and proceeded to wrestle her to the ground, where they continued to fight in the dirt. Crow just shook his head and walked away, leaving them to work things out on their own as he noticed Simon appear at the top of the ravine. The blonde thief worked his way down into the campsite and met him halfway, “No money yet.” “Damn,” Crow sighed, crossing his arms. He had been hoping the knights would pay them quickly so they could give the villagers of Myrefall enough to get through the end of the season, when the tax collectors would be arriving. “Don’t worry,” Simon said confidently. “They’ll pay up soon enough. They can’t risk being short on weaponry when Younis could attack at any time.” “I hope you’re right,” Crow nodded. “But if worse comes to worst and they refuse to pay the ransom, I’ll go to Younis and sell everything off to their knights.” “You know… we still have the option of sabotaging the Brerratic knights for a wage,” Simon said hesitantly. “The Younisians would pay us handsomely if we work for them during this war.” “No,” Crow shook his head. Simon had brought up the idea to him before, but he always shut it down. “I’ve told you before: It’s too much trouble to take sides. If we work for Younis, it’ll put an even bigger target on our backs and give the knights from our kingdom a reason to come after us. As long as we continue to steal indiscriminately, we’re not too big of a threat to anyone, and neither side will have a reason to spare knights to track us down.” “Whatever you say,” Simon said, seeming unconvinced. However, he didn’t challenge Crow’s authority and instead walked away to find a quiet place to read his book before the sun disappeared. -- The thieves spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other’s company. Simon mostly kept to himself, although he often joined in conversations that piqued his interest, while the other three gambled with dice that Alistair had carved from soft stone a while back. Overall, it was a peaceful night. That is, until Crow caught the sound of footsteps near the top of the ravine. He looked up sharply, his eyes sweeping over the tree line, before he turned to get the attention of the other three. “Someone’s coming,” he said with hushed urgency. Immediately, the thieves stopped what they were doing and hurried to the closest hiding places with rehearsed efficiency. Crow appreciated that, despite how carefree they usually were, they knew when to stop playing around and take a situation seriously. It was the main reason why they hadn’t lost any members during the past year that they had been together. Crow took cover behind a boulder near the edge of what used to be a river in the center of the ravine, watching as the others did the same. Simon crouched behind a bush, while Alistair and Rikki climbed up separate trees. Once they were all in place, they drew their weapons and fixed their gazes on the edge of the hillside, waiting for the intruder to show their face.