Crow pulled slightly ahead of Penelope as they raced through the woods, taking the lead since he was the one who knew where they were going. He always loved a good chase, and having been out of prison for two years now, his stamina had improved quite a bit. Even at the pace they were currently moving, he hardly felt the burning in his legs and lungs that used to plague him when he ran. Instead, he felt energized from the adrenaline of being pursued by the local knights. It was exhilarating.

To make things even better, he enjoyed having Penelope by his side again. Running with her now, he remembered all the times they had done so in the past. It was a bittersweet memory that only served to remind him that she wasn’t his anymore, but even so, he was glad that they were able to do it one more time.

Suddenly, he heard a thudding noise behind him and glanced back over his shoulder to see that Penelope had fallen. He skidded to a stop and doubled back to run to her side when he noticed she had to lean against a tree when she got up. Assessing the situation quickly, he saw how she was favoring her right foot and how the knights were catching up to them. If he and Penelope didn’t move fast, their pursuers would reach them within the next minute.

Crow met her gaze as she told him to keep going. For a moment, he toyed with the idea of actually leaving her behind. After all, she could be fine. What were the odds that the guards would recognize her as another knight, really? He was known in Myrefall, but she didn’t have a reputation there. It was starting to sound like the best plan, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Perhaps it was foolish, but even though they weren’t together anymore, he still felt the need to protect her if he could.

“No,” he finally said with a shake of his head. “I’m not leaving you here.” Turning back towards the two knights, he drew the daggers at his waist and stepped forward to confront them.

As they reached him and Penelope, the knights slowed to a stop and brandished their swords. The one on the left raised a brow in amusement and let out a low whistle, “Would you look at that? It’s Crow Lockton.”

The second knight grinned, “How much is the bounty on his head worth now?”

“I’m not sure, but the last time I checked, it was a hell of a lot,” the first knight began edging around to come at the thief from the side.

“Split it fifty fifty?” the second knight mirrored his comrade. “He can’t take us both.”

“Try me,” Crow curled his lip at the two, watching them carefully as they attempted to get on either side of him.

The second knight laughed, “Cocky, aren’t you?”

“Funny,” Crow smirked at him smugly. “I was going to say the same thing to you.” In the next moment, he tensed as the knight charged at him with sword raised to strike. From behind, he could hear the other knight doing the same as they attempted to catch him in between their blades. Unfortunately for them, the thief had become quite a skilled fighter over the course of the last year.

In one swift motion, he stepped to the side to dodge the sword of the knight in front of him, kicking out his leg to strike him in the knee as he twisted at the waist to block the other enemy’s sword with one dagger while he threw the other at the man’s foot. Both knights cried out as his blows landed. The one he had kicked dropped to his knees, and the thief spun his remaining dagger around in his hand, delivering a sharp strike to his head with the butt of his weapon before he could recover. As the man crumpled to the ground, Crow did the same with the second knight as he reached down to pull the blade out of his foot.

“Halfwits,” he muttered with a roll of his eyes as he retrieved his second dagger and wiped it off in the grass. With both of their immediate attackers unconscious, he sheathed his weapons and walked back over to Penelope, eyeing her injured foot with a concerned frown. “How bad is it?” he asked, looking up to meet her gaze again. “Can you walk?”