The next day, Crow slept through the morning as usual. When he woke, he sat up and looked around to find that the camp was empty, which meant his companions must have already gone out for the day. He frowned, glancing at the entrance to the cavern with a fresh pang of longing to go outside. Since the last battle, the only time he was able to leave the tunnels was when someone else was around to assist him, and even then, he never went far before he became exhausted from the effort. It was frustrating to be so helpless.

For a while, he laid on his back with his head propped on his arms and stared up at the cavern ceiling, trying to make out patterns in the stalactites hanging above in an attempt to stave off his boredom. He had just found a shape that looked like a twisted deer when he heard the sound of footsteps near the front of the tunnel. He lifted his head curiously to see who had come back, only to spot Hazel making her way over to him with a bag of medicinal supplies

“Finally awake, I see,” she commented dryly as she sat down at his side.

“Of course,” he shrugged, lifting his gaze to the rock ceiling again. “I couldn’t miss out on such a beautiful day.”

Hazel snorted at his sarcastic words. “Naturally,” she said, setting down her bag and crossing her legs. “Looks like you got up just in time to catch the tail end of it.”

“What?” he turned to her with a confused frown.

“It’s almost sundown, Crow.”

“[i]What[/i]?” his eyes widened in alarm. “You mean to tell me I nearly slept through the [i]whole day[/i]?”

“That’s about the sum of it,” Hazel nodded.

“That does explain why I woke up so hungry,” he shook his head and met her gaze again. “I don’t suppose there’s any supper left, is there?”

“No,” Hazel tapped her index finger against her knee thoughtfully. “But I think I’m going to start having Simon save a portion for you. You’ve started to get thinner since you’re missing so many meals.”

“It’s not like it’s by my own choice,” Crow rolled his eyes.

“Well look on the bright side,” she smirked. “It’s a good sign that you still have an appetite. In my experience, as long as a patient has a will to eat, he’s still got time left.”

“If that’s the case, I don’t think I’ll ever die,” Crow rested a hand on his empty stomach, which had decided to chime in at that moment.

Hazel chuckled softly and reached into her bag, pulling out the all-too-familiar medicine jar. “Anyway, I just came over here to give you this,” she said as she handed it to him. “I added a couple more ingredients that might make a difference in how it affects you. Try it out and tell me how you feel tomorrow.”

“Alright,” he nodded, propping himself up on his elbows so he could drink down the medicine more easily. Once the container was empty, he passed it back to the herbalist. “By the way, you never told me about the rest of your meeting with Penelope,” he recalled.

“Right,” Hazel wrinkled her nose as if displeased with the thought of bringing the subject up again.

“What did she say?”

“A lot of different things,” she exhaled. “That knight of yours sure can talk when she wants to.”

“Okay, but specifically,” Crow frowned.

“She mostly asked about you—wanted to know how you’re feeling and all that. She also told me to tell you that the knights aren’t planning to attack Younis again for at least another three weeks.”

“That’s a relief,” he sighed.

“Mm,” she grunted and looked away. “At the end of the meeting, she brought up that physician of hers again. I… I told her that I’d be willing to meet with her to figure out what going on with you.”

Crow stared at her in thinly veiled surprise. Penelope had managed to convince the stubborn herbalist to work with a noble? He wondered what she had said to change her mind. However, not eager to say anything that might make her change it back, he simply nodded, “I hope she’s able to help you.”

“Me too,” Hazel agreed softly. In the next moment, she blinked, seeming to catch her moment of gentleness, and turned to him sharply. “I’ll be glad when I don’t have to worry about babysitting a helpless thief anymore.”

“Please,” he grinned at her teasingly. “I know you live for helping me walk to the bathroom.”

Hazel scoffed at him and opened her mouth to reply, but then paused and turned instead to look at the entrance of the cave as someone else stepped inside. Simon had returned from his evening patrol and was taking his boots off near the front.

With one last glare at Crow, Hazel climbed to her feet and dusted herself off to go meet him. “You just enjoy having the last word this time, snake,” she muttered. “I’ll get you back the next.” With that, she harrumphed cockily and headed over to Simon, who greeted her with a kiss when she reached his side.

Crow watched them from a distance, feeling a pang of envy as he laid down on his bed again. Being unable to meet with Penelope the day before also meant being unable set up another time to see her. At this rate, he didn’t know when he would be able to see her again, or if he ever would at all. His heart sank as he thought about the possibility of not being with her again before the illness took his life. At the rate his health was fading, it was looking more and more likely every day.

[i]Hazel could still find a cure,[/i] he thought, trying to hold onto the small spark of hope he still had left. [i]Who knows? Maybe the one she just gave me is it.[/i] With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off, his slumber filled with dreams of the future he longed for with Penelope in Farhill.