Knocked out quite thoroughly by the medicine in his system, Crow slept soundly both through the physician’s visit and even after she left. It was the deepest slumber he’d had in years—possibly even in his life. Neither sound nor touch could wake him until the painkiller finished taking its course through his body, and he eventually woke on his own.

The thief’s eyes fluttered open, still feeling heavy with lingering weariness, and he looked dazedly around the tent. While the delirium from the drug had passed, he was still mildly disoriented and had to take a moment to comprehend where he was. However, before he finished trying to remember everything that had happened, his thoughts were interrupted by a deep ache in his torso. He winced as the pain brought back his memories more quickly. He recalled that Layth had pressed down on his wound, and he had been in excruciating pain. Everything after that was all a blur. He didn’t even know when he’s lost consciousness.

[i]Did I pass out from the pain?[/i] He wondered, tiredly lifting his head a bit to look down at bandages around his middle. To his surprise, they looked fresher, as if someone had recently changed them out. The realization made him shiver. No matter how or why he had been asleep, it seemed he had been so deeply unconscious that he hadn’t even woke when someone had redressed his injury. He didn’t like that at all. Being in the middle of the camp of his enemies, he needed to be more alert than that. What if Layth had come back and attacked him while he’d been out cold? It was dangerous for him to let himself rest so soundly.

As he grew more aware of his surroundings, Crow noticed there was someone else in the tent with him. He turned his head curiously to find that Penelope was still there. The sight of her brought a faint sense of relief to him. If she had been looking out for him during the whole time he’d been asleep, it was unlikely that anyone had done anything to hurt him while he’d been so vulnerable. He appreciated her willingness to stay nearby, even when he’d been unconscious and unable to converse with her.

In addition to Penelope, he then noticed a second knight in the tent: Olivia. He knitted his brow slightly. That was strange. He couldn’t remember when the other noblewoman had come to join them. Perhaps she had arrived while he’d been asleep? [i]Just how long was I out?[/i] he mused with a twinge of concern. Even if she had appeared then, he didn’t see why Olivia would have bothered to come by at all, especially since she couldn’t get any entertainment out of pestering slumbering thief. Had something happened while he was unconscious?

Crow groaned and stretched on the bed, shaking his head as he tried to clear away the remaining fogginess. “Gods, I’m exhausted,” he muttered, wrinkling his nose as he realized how dry his mouth was. When was the last time he’d had any water? Thinking back on it, he couldn’t quite remember. He turned to look across the tent at Penelope. “What happened?” he asked with a frown, deciding to focus on the more pressing questions he had at the moment. “When did I fall asleep?”