Crow nodded when Penelope said she was surprised Olivia and Alistair had even waited until they had stopped for the night to wander off together. He supposed he couldn’t blame them though. From what he knew, the two didn’t even meet up as often as he and Penelope did. They were probably ecstatic to have a few days together without parting.

[i]I have a feeling we won’t be seeing much of them during the upcoming nights,[/i] he thought with a faint smirk as he followed Penelope over to a grassy spot. However, just as he was about to sit down, he turned to her in mild surprise when she kissed him on the cheek and announced that she wanted to help Gavin with the preparations for supper. He glanced at the other knight with a frown, disliking the idea of leaving her alone with him, but also understanding her desire to do her part to learn a new skill.

After a moment, he turned back to her and smiled softly, “Alright. If it means that much to you, then go ahead.” He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. Even though he wasn’t fond of the idea of her spending time with her former suitor, he trusted her not to let anything happen between them. Plus, he had another reason why her involvement in the cooking would be a good thing.

Taking a step back from her, Crow glanced out at the trees. “While you do that, I’m going to look for a place to refill my flask.” He glanced back at her with a sheepish shrug. “I finished most of my water on the way here, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find a well nearby to fill it back up.” He touched one more kiss to her lips and then crouched down to retrieve an empty flask from his bag. “I’ll be back soon. I can’t wait to try your cooking, love.” He casted her a wink and then turned to head into the surrounding woods.

He walked for a while until he felt confident that he was out of sight of the camp before he peered back over his shoulder and slowed to a stop. Casting a quick look around to make sure he was alone, he began pacing slowly around another small clearing, keeping his gaze fixed on the foliage at his feet. [i]Come on,[/i] he thought intently, chewing on the inside of his lip. [i]I know Hazel said it grows around here… It has to be here somewhere—There![/i] He knelt beside a small plant that was growing near the center of the clearing. It was short with twig-like stalks that were topped with clusters of white flowers: Valerian.

Another pang of guilt struck him as he began to carefully dig the plant up by its roots. He didn’t want to drug the knights, but with Gavin intent on leaving to start the interrogation so early, he didn’t have any other choice. If he slipped enough of the valerian root into their supper, they would sleep through the morning and give his plan enough time to pay off. All he had to do now was disrupt their guard shifts during the night, and he already had an idea about how he would do that, assuming Gavin would take the first watch like he always seemed to do.

Once he had managed to meticulously pull up most of the plant’s roots, the thief stood up again and dusted himself off, shoving the valerian into his trouser pocket. He headed out of the clearing, making his way back to the outskirts of Wheldrake, where he remembered a well was located. It didn’t take long for him to fill up the flask he had brought, and when that was done, he finally turned to walk back to join the others in the camp, his heart racing with anticipation for what he was about to do upon his return.