Crow shook his head when Penelope said that Layth wouldn’t have even let him into the camp if he hadn’t had a letter from his father. He disagreed; killing him on the spot would have been to merciful for her brother. Layth probably would have had him arrested the instant he set foot within sight of the guards and then come up with some cruel way to torture him for all the trouble he’d caused. Either way, he was relieved that Albin had planned ahead for such circumstances and ensured that he was untouchable to the knights.

When they reached the tent, Crow glanced furtively over his shoulder at the knights who were still watching him and muttering amongst themselves. He sighed and turned towards Penelope again, though he kept his guard up just in case any of her comrades were foolish enough to disregard the king’s orders. He couldn’t wait to get inside the tent and away from their venomous glares. So, as soon as she raised the flap at the entrance, he eagerly followed her through the opening.

However, once they were inside, he paused as his eyes landed on two other figures who seemed to have beat them there. He blinked in surprise, hanging back slightly as Penelope asked Olivia and Gavin why they were there. A small smile curved his lip. It seemed the two were even more curious to find out what was going on than the rest of the battalion. When Olivia questioned him about what was going on, he casted one more glance over his shoulder before moving a bit further into the tent and sitting down across from them. He met Olivia’s gaze with a serious expression, took a deep breath, and then said: “Eh, I think I’ll make you wait until tomorrow.”

“Not you too!” Olivia groaned. She leaned forward to give his shoulder a shake. “Come on! I’ve been waiting [i]all day[/i] to find out what happened with you two. You’ve gotta give me something!”

“Alright, alright,” Crow laughed, throwing up his hands. “Fine; I’ll tell you. You just have to swear to me that this doesn’t leave the tent. Got it?”

“I swear,” Olivia nodded eagerly, resting her hands on her knees and holding his gaze intently. Gavin murmured his agreement as well.

Crow studied their faces for a moment before, determining that he could trust them, he exchanged a quick glance with Penelope and then turned back to them, speaking in a lowered voice: “When we went to the castle, the king offered me the job as his viceroy.”