Crow remained a bit more alert than he had been before as the group continued on their way to Whitebridge. After running into Layth and his men, he’d had his fill of unexpected encounters with patrols for the day. He hoped the rest of their trip would be less eventful. His eyes wandered to Gavin again as he thought about how it had been the knight’s carelessness that had gotten them into trouble in the first place. If they got spotted again before they made it past the camp, he had half a mind to just run and bring Penelope with him. Unfortunately, he knew she wouldn’t be as willing to abandon her comrades as he was.

He squeezed her hand as he felt her fall in step a little closer to him. Glancing down at her, he noticed that she had a focused expression on her face, and he could tell that the run-in with her brother had left her unnerved as well. She was probably just as concerned as he was about being seen by any other knights.

As Penelope and Olivia began to chide Gavin about his mistake, Crow held his tongue. He could have taken the opportunity to prod at the knight with them, but after seeing the embarrassed expression on Gavin’s face, he could tell the message had already gotten across. There was no reason for him to beat a dead horse, so instead, he said nothing on the matter and continued to keep watch for patrols as they walked.

“It will be good to stay alert, but I doubt we’ll have any trouble with the guards in Whitebridge,” Crow said when there was a lull in the conversation. As a local from the outer villages, he thought it would be a good idea to share some of what he knew about the place they were headed with the knights. “We’re going to be searching the tavern, and the knights there tend to stay away from it. They think they’re better than the people of the village, and they keep their own stock of liquor, so they have no reason to go there unless they’re already looking for someone.” He turned to the others. “As long as we don’t draw attention to ourselves, they should leave us alone.”

“Define ‘draw attention to ourselves,’” Olivia said with a challenging smirk.

“It’s pretty simple really,” Crow shrugged, ignoring her expression. “Don’t get drunk and don’t start any fights.”

“What’s the point of even going to a tavern if you’re going to take all the fun out of it?” Olivia pouted.

“Oh, and another thing,” Crow went on without answering her question. “While we’re there, avoid telling anyone we’re looking for a group of thieves and don’t mention any names.” He met their gazes in turn. “There may be more crime in the outer villages, but that doesn’t mean every villager we speak with will approve of it. Just say we were wondering if there was a large group of travelers that passed through and ask for details about what they looked like if anyone saw anything. The people of Whitebridge don’t often turn to their guards for help, but they might if they think there’s a band of thieves living near their village. We don’t need them sticking their noses into this, because they’ll just make it harder for us to catch Jaxon.”

“If they’re so worried about criminals, then why wouldn’t they be concerned about you?” Gavin eyed him suspiciously. “You’d think the villagers wouldn’t want an infamous thief around.”

“They don’t like it when I visit, but they tolerate me,” Crow smirked at him proudly. “I’m not going to give you any of the details, but I will tell you that I have a better reputation amongst peasants than I do among nobles.” As long as he kept bringing the villagers money to help pay their taxes and helping them in the war, they had agreed not to turn him in to the local guards. It was a deal he had made in all of the villages that were intolerant of thievery, and it had worked well for everyone involved. The peasants survived tax season, and the thief could trust that his location was kept secret from the knights.

“They’ve made an exception for me, but they won’t do the same thing for a group they’re unfamiliar with,” Crow continued. “It’s just a safer move for us to keep the details of our search private, so less people try to get involved. That way, it’s less likely that word will get back to Jaxon that anyone has been looking for him in Whitebridge. Understand?”