Crow blinked, a bit taken aback by the sharpness of Penelope’s tone. He hadn’t expected her to respond so passionately about it. He understood why she was upset, but as a peasant, he also understood why Hazel might be reluctant to partner with a noble. The hatred often stemmed from negative personal experiences, where knights had treated them poorly because of their low class. He didn’t know what Hazel had gone through, but he had heard her talk about nobles with more venom than anyone else he knew. There was obviously some deep rooted hurt in her life that caused her to despise them more than most.

“I’ll try to talk to her,” he sighed, reaching to take Penelope’s hand in his. “I just don’t know if she’ll listen to me. We don’t have... the greatest history.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I hurt her a few years ago, and she hasn’t let me forget it. Honestly, I barely convinced her to come here to help me in the first place. I think she’s just doing it for the villagers in Myrefall, and the fact that I’ll be healed too is just a side effect to her.” He shook his head. “To ask her to work with a noble when she’s already barely willing to work with her patient might be a stretch.”

Even if Hazel agreed to work with the physician Penelope had in mind, he had to wonder how they were going to keep the meetings a secret from the other thieves. As things were, the herbalist was already being forced to do most of her medicinal work during the night. If she had to leave at any other time of the day, it was going to be difficult to explain to the others without alerting them to the fact that something else was going on.

[i]The others,[/i] Crow’s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered that the knights had sent out patrols to hunt them down. Without thinking, he jumped to his feet, only to immediately regret the action when a sharp wave of dizziness made him press a hand to the boulder for support. “Damn it,” he muttered, shaking his head. Turning back to Penelope, he went on urgently, “How long was I out? I need to find my companions and make sure they’re alright.”