Fortunately for Crow, he had been right that Jaxon’s thieves hadn’t come anywhere near Black Hollow. Even after questioning villagers until the sun had completely disappeared on the horizon, not a single person he or Rikki asked had heard anything about any travelers passing through. They stayed at the tavern for a while longer, merely because Rikki was determined not to give up, but after they still came up with nothing, even she had to admit their lead had been another dead end.

As they headed back to the clearing where they had decided to set up their camp tonight, a bitter mood had fallen over the female thief. “I can’t believe it was another fake tip,” she growled, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. “While we’ve been wasting our time up here, Jaxon could be on the move again, and we’ll have to start all over!”

“The man from Myrefall did say it was a rumor,” Crow shrugged, kicking a small rock down the road as they walked towards the woods. “Word of mouth isn’t always reliable.”

“I know,” she sighed, looking up at him with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I was accusing you. I’m just… [i]tired[/i], you know? I wish at least one of these leads would have gotten us somewhere. It’s frustrating to feel like we’re running around in circles.”

“It’s alright,” Crow said, although he knew she had every right to accuse him of misleading them. “I’m frustrated too, but we both know he can’t hide forever. We’ll find him eventually.”

“Or we could call it quits and join him,” she shook her head. “I’m sure the Younisians would accept our help if we offer it. The more we take from the knights from our kingdom, the faster this cursed war will be over.”

“Maybe,” Crow nodded, hating how much sense her plan was making to him. He cringed at the thought of siding against his own kingdom and people, but perhaps that was the only choice they had left. He was already working for Jaxon behind the others’ backs. Why not make the best of a bad situation and take the opportunity to rescue Penelope too? He swallowed nervously, finding himself more tempted to go with his companions to speak with the Younisian barons.

[i]I don’t have to make any decisions yet,[/i] he thought, kicking the rock again. [i]I’ll just see how things play out for a little longer, and then I’ll decide what to do.[/i]

--

When they got to the camp, they found that Alistair and Hazel had already returned. Of course, neither of them had heard anything about Jaxon’s group either, and it was decided by everyone that there was no point in lingering in the village any longer. First thing in the morning, they would begin the trip back to their hideout.

The four ate a simple dinner together and went straight to sleep, none of them having much to say to one another while they were all in such dismal moods about the results of their failed trip to Black Hollow.