Still shaking off the last of his weariness, Crow moved a little slower than usual as he slid his cloak over his shoulders. Around him, the rest of the group was getting ready to leave as well. Otto and Rayner were nearly done putting on their armor, having been the first to wake up, while Preston was standing by the door and Percival had gotten up to start on his armor too. Watching the knights, the former thief was grateful that the uniform he had to wear was simpler than theirs. The fabric of his surcoat and cloak were heavy, but at least it was better than tying metal plates to every visible part of his body. He would never envy the work they had to put into getting ready every morning and taking it all off to sleep every night.

Stepping off to the side to wait for them without being jostled by any elbows in the small space, he glanced at Penelope, who had approached him in the same moment. Her furtive demeanor caught his attention, and he leaned toward her slightly as she asked him where she should tell his old companions to meet him. Considering the question, he narrowed his eyes slightly as he pictured the landscape between Silverpool and Myrefall. There were plenty of potential meeting spots that the thieves would recognize, since they were all familiar with the area, but one stood out to him above the others.

“Tell them to meet me at the fallen tree halfway to Silverpool,” he told her decisively. “They’ll know what you mean.” In the middle of the woods, there were countless fallen trees, so he knew the message sounded cryptic. However, there was one particularly enormous tree that he and the others had seen a few times when they had traveled to and from the border village. From what he could tell, it sat almost exactly halfway between Silverpool and Myrefall, so it would be a good point for them all to meet.

“Fetch the horses now that everyone is ready.”

Crow glanced up as Otto sent Preston and Percival off on their usual errand. It looked like all of them were finished putting on their armor, so they would be leaving for the next village as soon as the two men returned with their rides. That meant he would be saying goodbye to Penelope very soon too. At the thought, he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. He wished they could travel together longer, but it was important to him that he got to see his old friends at least once while he was in the outer villages, so unfortunately, they would have to part ways here.

[i]It’s just two weeks,[/i] he reminded himself, turning back to her. “How about you wait with us for the horses before you go?” he suggested, grasping at one last opportunity to spend time with her before they split up. “Preston and Percy are already on their way to get them, so you might as well stay until they come back.”