I barely managed to keep myself together from the masked man's sudden appearance. My body trembled, and I was about to collapse to the ground if not for quickly adjusting my posture. His greenish blue eyes stared at me through the slits of the mask. Unlike the annoying crow, this man did not speak, and all he did was look at me. How was I supposed to deal with someone like that?
But, as always, salvation came from the irritating crow. It flew from its spot and perched on the masked man's shoulder, and as usual, it looked like it was conversing with him. The masked man's mouth didn't move, and yet it was clear they were communicating somehow. After a moment of that, the crow let out a long caw the first time it actually sounded like an ordinary crow before turning to me and saying in its raspy voice:
"Servant, prepare yourself. We are leaving."
I bowed, trying to appear as obedient as possible:
"If you please, great Lord Crow, would you tell me where we are going?"
