Crow rolled his eyes when Penelope reminded him that she wouldn’t stop worrying about him. “Maybe not, but I’m hopeful I’ll get through to you one day,” he retorted cheekily. Perhaps it was cocky, but he really did believe he was capable of taking care of himself even in the midst of danger. After all, he’d managed to survive other mercenaries, knights, bounty hunters, the current war, and even Jaxon. If he kept up with his current track record, he was sure that he and the other nobles in their peace party would pull through if they were attacked. He just had to make sure that they knew what kind of enemies to look out for on the way to Younis, so they would be ready to fight back.

“They may be skilled, but so are we,” he pointed out with a lopsided smile. “Well… at least, [i]they [/i]are.” He tilted his head toward the knights riding in front of them. Since he’d started training with John, he’d made some improvement to his sword fighting techniques, but he still operated best in a fight when his opponents let down their guards. When pitted against someone who actually knew how to use a blade and who wouldn’t fall for his tricks, he had a much harder time holding his ground. If mercenaries did attack them, he had a feeling he would be relying heavily on the others to fend them off. However, he wasn’t terribly concerned because the knights around him were all good at their jobs, so he wouldn’t have to do much fighting anyway.

As Penelope went on, the former thief was reminded of the other subject he had yet to discuss with her. He watched with a frown as she lowered her gaze, clearly upset that they would have to part ways soon. For a moment, he toyed with the thought of forgetting about the request he’d wanted to make, so they could have one extra day together, but he quickly pushed the idea aside. Even if they had one more day, it wouldn’t change much in the long run. It was better for them to part sooner if it meant he could steal one night to be with his old companions. Between them and the knight, he was far less certain about when he would be able to see the former again. It could be weeks or even months before he could find another opportunity like this. He let out his breath.

“I will too,” he agreed with her final statement, paused, and then looked up to seek her gaze again. “And speaking of not being together much longer… I have a favor to ask.” His light eyes flicked toward the knights ahead of them and then back towards Percival and Naida as he made sure they were far enough away not to eavesdrop on what he was about to say. Once he felt confident that they could speak somewhat privately, he guided Baine to walk a little closer to Penelope’s horse and leaned toward her, dropping his voice to a whisper, “I’ve been thinking. We’ll be getting close to the part of the forest where my companions have been living, but they’re still too far out of the way for me to visit them. I can’t change our course without raising anyone’s suspicion either. I don’t want them to know I still keep in touch with criminals, so… would you be willing to part ways in the next town tomorrow morning?” He offered her a pleading smile. “I love you, and I would love to spend as much time with you as we can get, but this may be my only chance to see them for who knows how long. I don’t want to lose it, and if you go north tomorrow, you can tell them I’m in the area. Let them know that I can meet them halfway between Silverpool and Myrefall two nights from now. I promise I’ll make it up to you after we get back to the castle.”