“Where are you going?”

Crow flinched at the sound of Hazel’s inquisitive voice. He had just put on his cloak and had been about to head up the side of the ravine to meet with Penelope when the herbalist had approached him with a suspicious glare. “It’s late, and I happen to recall that you don’t like to go out drinking,” she went on. “Where are you going at this time of the night?”

Crow opened his mouth to respond, but Rikki, who had taken notice of the two, beat him to it. “He’s just going to meet with a knight who made a deal with him to be our informant for the war,” she explained, stepping over with a grin.

“A knight, huh?” Hazel quirked a brow in surprise and turned back to Crow. “I knew you were a silver-tongued bastard, but I suppose it’s impressive that you managed to get one of the king’s men under your thumb.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Rikki frowned, not seeming to like the herbalist’s harsh tone towards him. “He said they knew each other before, so I’m sure the knight is just helping us because she trusts him.”

“She?” Hazel blinked. “Oh, I get it now. You’re sleeping with this woman, aren’t you?” She shot him an accusing glare. “I knew you were a snake, but to do that with a noble? You’ve sunk to a whole new low.”

Crow just rolled his eyes, “I would tell you you’re wrong, but I know you won’t believe me, so I’m just going to leave.” He turned to Rikki with a nod of goodbye. “I’ll be back later. Don’t wait up for me.”

“See you tomorrow,” she offered him a friendly smile.

“Don’t wait up, because you’re going to be out late disgracing yourself with noble scum, right?” Hazel prodded dryly, seeming determined to have the final word. “But of course, I’m sure you’ve convinced yourself it’s necessary to manipulate this woman, just like you manipulate everyone else. She’s just another tool for you to use and throw away.”

Crow glowered at her, biting his tongue to keep from retorting. He knew the herbalist was just trying to get him to fight back so she could say she had won, so instead, he took a calming breath and turned to climb up the side of the ravine without another word. It didn’t matter what Hazel thought anyway. He wasn’t going to let her bitter attitude ruin his night with Penelope. After all, it was almost time to find out whether or not she wanted to get together with him again. His heart beat a little quicker with excitement.

--

In his eagerness to see Penelope, the journey to Myrefall felt painfully long to Crow. He traveled as quickly as he could while still remaining alert in case there were any knight patrols in the area. At one point, as he was nearing the village’s edge, he saw a few guards walking nearby, so he had to take cover until they passed, but other than that, his trip was pleasantly uneventful.

As soon as he reached the village, he made his way down the street that led to his old house. He walked briskly, a mixture of excitement and nervousness bubbling up inside of his chest at the thought of seeing her again. It wouldn’t be long now. Of course, he still had no idea what she was going to choose—she could easily say that she couldn’t give up her life for him now—but he was glad to have a sense of closure either way. Besides, even if she turned him down, it didn’t mean they would never see each other again. He still intended to do what he could to help her during the war, and he knew she would do the same for him. He had meant what he said when he had told her he would be content with her decision, no matter what it was.

Eventually, Crow made it to the house. He stepped inside and looked around, but it seemed that Penelope had yet to arrive. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to the table in the corner to light the oil lamp. Once it burned steadily, he moved it to the center of the room to illuminate the space. He slid his cloak off his shoulders and rested it over the back of a chair before moving to sit on the edge of the bed, fidgeting with nervous energy as he waited for Penelope.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long.

After a short time, he heard the door handle turn followed by the sound of creaking wood as it swung open and the knight stepped inside. Immediately, Crow stood up from the bed and made his way across the room to greet her. However, when he reached her, he hesitated, unsure how to approach her since he had yet to find out what her answer would be.

So, instead of closing the distance between them as he wanted to, the thief lingered back slightly, holding her gaze as he asked, “What have you decided?”