The next morning, Crow was the last to wake as usual. He sat up on his bed to see that the cavern was mostly empty. All three of the other thieves had left, and the only one who remained with him was Hazel. The herbalist had her back to the rock wall on the other side of the cavern and was scribbling in her journal, intermittently chewing on the end of her quill as she worked. She only looked up when she noticed him get up and walk over to sit beside her, and even then, she only spared him a brief glance before returning to whatever it was that she was writing.

“What time is it?” Crow asked, stretching his legs out as he leaned back against the stony wall. His green eyes swept over the cave, and he noticed that the breakfast dishes had already been washed and were currently sitting on a cloth near the entrance to dry. The sight made him frown slightly. This was the first time in a while that he’d missed breakfast. Even if he slept through the meal, Rikki had always saved a portion for him to eat when he woke up. He felt a fresh pang of guilt as the thought reminded him of how he had hurt her. After everything that had happened the night before, he doubted she would save him food ever again.

“It’s almost midday,” Hazel answered, scrawling something down on the yellowed page that he couldn’t read. A short pause fell between them for a moment before she spoke up again, “So, how was your meeting last night?”

Crow eyed her suspiciously. There was a knowing edge to her voice that he didn’t like. “The meeting was fine,” he said curtly.

“Mhm,” Hazel looked up from her book and smirked at him. “Anything interesting happen?”

Now he was sure she knew more than she was letting on. “You knew Raven followed me, didn’t you?” he narrowed his eyes at her accusingly.

“We all knew she was going after you,” the herbalist rolled her eyes. “As soon as you left, she announced to everyone that she was going to make sure you got there and back alright.”

“Why didn’t you stop her?”

“Because she had a good point,” she shrugged. “In your condition, you shouldn’t be out on your own… Also, I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to throw a loop into your perfect little fantasy world.” She smirked at him slyly.

Crow scoffed and shook his head. Rikki may not have been a vengeful person, but Hazel most certainly was. “Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself, because thanks to you, Raven found out about me and Penelope in the worst possible way.”

“She walked in on you two?” Hazel snorted and brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“No,” he rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I could have played that off easier. She saw us kiss and overheard us talking about our plans after the war.”

The herbalist whistled, “Wow, there’s no coming back from that one, is there?”

“Not a chance,” he sighed, drawing his knees to his chest.

“Well, that makes two women you’ve hurt now, snake,” Hazel clicked her tongue. “Looks like you’re becoming a bit of a heartbreaker.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to be,” he raised his voice slightly in frustration. “I just don’t understand what the right move is in these sorts of situations. Every time I think I’ve figured it out, someone gets hurt.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t get it. How do I keep making all the wrong decisions?”

Hazel’s lip twitched upward in an amused smile. “It’s because you’re too in your head, moron,” she said, poking his forehead with her index finger. “If you’re going to deal with an emotional situation, you’ve gotta be more empathetic. Try to think about it from the other person’s perspective and don’t do anything that seems like it’s likely to offend them.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Crow muttered irritably.

“It is. You’re just a dumbass.”

“Shut up,” he shoved her shoulder and then glanced around the cave again. “Anyway, do you know where the others went? Penelope told me the next battle will be happening tomorrow, so we need to prepare to leave before the afternoon is over.”

“Tomorrow?” Hazel quirked a brow. “That’s pretty soon.” She paused. “So… I take it you’re still planning to go with them?”

“I am,” he nodded.

“Do you have a plan yet?”

“No, but I’ll think of something along the way.”

“If you say so,” she shrugged. “Just don’t get yourself killed, alright? We might finally be onto something with your medicine, and it would be a real waste for you to go and get your head lopped off before I see some results.”

Crow clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, “Damn; and I was so hoping to let a knight decapitate me this time. Too bad.”

“Whatever, smartass,” Hazel snorted. “Anyway, if you’re looking for the others, Simon told me they were all going to the clearing to the north to practice sparring. They didn’t leave long before you woke up, so I’d bet anything they’re still there.”

“Thanks,” he nodded appreciatively and rose to his feet. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, he stepped over the opening behind the waterfall as he headed out to tell the other thieves the news about the upcoming battle.