As Penelope continued to shoot down his alternate ideas, Crow felt his heart sink. He could see now that there would be no convincing her to stay out of this. Whether he liked it or not, she was going to try to track down the thieves whom had raided her camp and killed her comrades. He let out his breath in reluctant defeat as she went on to suggest that they work together. He wanted to be excited about the prospect of working side by side with her again, but knowing who they were up against, he just felt hollow instead.

He was just about to open his mouth to respond to her question, but Gavin spoke up first, taking the opportunity to prod at him one more time. The thief glared at him coldly, tempted to give him a sharp reply, but instead, he held his tongue. Now that the tension between them had died down, he didn’t want to say anything that would cause the knight to reach for his sword again. He wasn’t afraid to fight him, but he still wanted to avoid the confrontation if he could.

Moving subtly, he sheathed his daggers beneath his cloak and turned back to Penelope. “Fine,” his gaze softened slightly. “If you’re so set on going after them, then I’m going to come with you.” He hesitated for a moment, concern lacing his expression. “However, if we do this, there’s something you need to know…” He trailed off, looking back up at Gavin and narrowing his eyes. “Though I’d rather not say it in front of him.”

“That’s just too bad,” Gavin crossed his arms. “Because I’m not leaving her alone.”

“Stubborn fool,” Crow curled his lip. “I’m sure you’re enjoying believing that I’m the enemy, but you’re wrong.”

“If I’m so wrong, then I’m sure you have nothing to hide,” Gavin retorted dryly.

Crow glared at him for a moment before exhaling in exasperation. “Fine,” he spat, turning to Penelope once more. He wavered slightly, since what he was about to admit wasn’t something he was proud of. After a moment, he took a steeling breath and went on to speak, “I can’t tell you how I know this—” He shot one more irritable look at Gavin. “But I think I know who raided your camp.” He shifted his weight uncomfortably. “They’re a band of thieves from the inner kingdom led by a man named Jaxon, and they’re some of the most vile people I’ve ever met. They’re greedy and cruel, and they’ll kill anyone who they believe poses a threat to them… no matter who they are.” He grimaced as the memory of Jaxon’s sword running through a young noble boy’s chest flashed through his mind.

“If I’m right about this, and his group is the one that stole your supplies, then hunting them down is going to be extremely dangerous,” Crow reached out to take Penelope’s hand in his, holding her gaze seriously. “These people aren’t your average thieves, love. They kill for sport, and if they figure out you’re going after them, they will not hesitate to end your life. I need you to promise me that you will [i]never[/i] go after them alone—in fact, don’t even try to track them down unless I’m at your side.” He searched her eyes, wearing an expression of worry as he tried to read if she would listen to his request. “Can you promise me that?”