Jack didn’t wake until his mother roused him at six in the morning to check his injuries and offer him breakfast. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling sore. Every muscle felt like it’d been pulled between two angry donkeys. His calves, in particular, felt as though every muscle fibre had been shredded from the sprint through the forest. He groaned as he stretched. “Ow. Everything hurts.”

  His mom chuckled as she examined each treated area. Most of his cuts and scratches were so minor that they didn’t need any further treatment. He just had to keep them clean until they healed.

  “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to take up archery,” she said. “You aren’t meant for fighting, Jack. You’re a scribe; your weapon is a pen.”

  He frowned as memories of Baron Greaves killing his family surfaced. I wish that were true, Mom. Taking a deep breath, he said, “I didn’t lie about being attacked by a goblin, but there was more to it than that.” He paused for another calming breath and to settle the sting of his conscience. I wish I could tell her the full truth about everything. I could share my worries and plans with her…

  But he didn’t. He chose to lie. Jack was going to tell her some of the truth, but some parts would be fabricated. “I went to a forest about four miles from the city,” he said. “It’s supposed to be safe. Plenty of adventurers practice there, Mom.” He smiled, adding, “It was a really nice walk to get there; Dad would have liked it. I got distracted and spent time sitting in a meadow sketching dragonflies and bees… I even wrote a short poem…”

  His mom scoffed with a smile. “That does sound like you. I’d love to read your poem and see your sketches.” Her look was one of fearful worry. “That’s what you should be doing, Jack. Not fighting goblins in a forest, miles from safety!”

  Jack smiled. “I’ll show them to you later.” They were still in his pack underneath the rogue’s blood-soaked armour. “After that, I bumped into four young adventurers. They aren’t much older than me, and they were friendly. They showed me a good place to practice with my bow. It was a clearing in the forest. I was left alone practising for almost an hour.”

  He continued, “As I was preparing to leave, a goblin burst into the clearing. It had a rusty sword.” He paused, noting the horror in his mother’s eyes. “It ran at me, so I shot two arrows and was lucky; the arrows slowed it down, but… but I had to finish it off with my dagger.” He took a deep breath, “It was messy, but I was proud of what I did, Mom. I killed a goblin on my own, to do what was right.” He realised this was the ideal moment to mention he’d not be giving up archery as a hobby.

  Before he could say anything else, his mom spoke. “Didn’t you say the goblin was injured?”

  “Yes, I did. But that wasn’t true.” He looked guilty. He always had trouble lying to his mother’s face. “It had a small scratch on its cheek, but other than that, it was uninjured. I think it was being chased.”

  Anna nodded, her face still reflecting shock at the tale.

  She’s not going to like what I tell her next, he thought. “The Adventurers Guild pays 3 silvers for a goblin’s right ear, so I took its ear…” He paused as his mother’s eyes widened more than he ever thought possible. “I also took its rusty sword as well. To sell.”

  His mother shook her head in disbelief. “Why? We aren’t short on money… and you’ll be working at the Royal Library soon. You don’t have to take such risks, Jack. Not for so little money.”

  Jack didn’t know what to say. The truth was, he needed gold to train and gear up to assassinate Greaves a few years from now. He couldn’t ask his parents to give him all their savings, even if it was to save them.

  He continued his modified version of the events. “As I was preparing to head home, six adventurers confronted me. They told me the goblin was their kill and demanded I hand over the ear and sword.” Jack clenched his fists in anger. “I risked my life fighting that goblin, and all they did was cause a small scratch on its cheek. They were lying, Mom!”

  She nodded along.

  He took a deep breath to calm down. “When I refused to hand them over, their archer. They had an archer, though he might have been a rogue. He fired a warning shot near my foot. They were prepared to kill me over a few silvers!” He shook his head. “It didn’t make any sense. Even the rusty sword couldn’t have been worth more than a few silvers. I handed over the ear and the sword, and their leader. I think he was their leader. He told me to leave, so I did.”

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  “You did the right thing, Jack,” Anna said. “It’s not worth dying over a few silvers.”

  Jack smiled at her approval. “As I was leaving, I overheard the archer say he wanted my bow, so I ran for Lundun. But I knew I couldn’t outrun them.”

  His mom placed her hand on his knee and gave him a reassuring smile.

  Jack rubbed his sore side before continuing, “I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could, though that wasn’t for long. By the time I got to the edge of the forest, I was already scratched and cut by all the branches I ran into. I knew if I left the forest, the archer would be able to shoot me in the back. I didn’t know what to do.”

  Anna gave him a hug. “It’s all right, Jack. You’re safe now.” She held his shaking hands, waiting for him to continue.

  The rest of his explanation was going to be a lie. He looked down at his shaking hands. Sorry, Mom, I have to. He looked up at his mom and forced a smile. He took a deep breath, trying to recall what he’d decided to say. “I was tired and couldn’t run anymore, so I kept walking at the edge of the forest. I don’t know how long I walked. I didn’t know how far away they were. I walked past a large tree and felt a sting in my side.” Jack pointed to where the arrow had hit.

  I wish I could tell you what I had to do, he thought.

  His mom squeezed his hands. “How did you escape?”

  “The archer must have cut across the forest to head me off,” Jack lied. “I turned and ran back into the forest. I don’t know how long for… I tripped and fell next to a hole where a tree had fallen over. I crawled inside and stayed in the hole and prayed to the Gods they wouldn’t find me.”

  I had to kill someone and hide in a hole next to their warm, dead body! He shuddered, recalling how the dead body felt.

  “You poor boy,” his mom said, holding his hands tighter.

  “I hid in the upturned roots of the fallen tree for what felt like hours, hoping they wouldn’t find me. I stayed hidden in the dark with my dagger ready.” He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “I heard them walk by me three times, Mom. They were talking about killing me and selling my stuff. They thought I might die in the woods from the arrow wound. They were annoyed that they couldn’t find me to take my belongings.”

  Jack paused to compose himself. “As they talked about me dying, they were laughing and joking, as if it were just another normal day. They were more worried about getting a share of my stuff than about my life. They are… they are no better than bandits, Mom.” Jack sniffled. I wish I could tell you I got one of the bastards, Mom.

  His mom looked angry now.

  Jack continued, his voice a little shaky, “It started to get dark, and they must have given up looking as I didn’t see or hear them again. I waited until I was sure they were gone before walking home.”

  His mother tightened her grip on his hands, sorrow and anger mingling on her face. She was crying. “You-you did the right thing; it was the only thing you could do. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It’s not your fault, Son. It’s not your fault.”

  Tears streamed down Jack’s face. He felt no sympathy for the dead rogue; the rat bastard had earned every bit of his fate. Yet reliving what he had done, even if it wasn’t the real version, resulted in him feeling a deep sadness. They tried to kill him over a few coins.

  Anna stood up and shook her head. “We have to do something. There are laws…” She paced the room. “Do you remember what they look like? Could you describe them to the royal guards?”

  Jack nodded. “Is that wise, though? It would be my word against theirs… and what if they aren’t imprisoned and come after me… come after us?”

  “They… but…” His mom looked confused and angry as realisation hit. “We can’t let them get away with something like this. There are laws…”

  “I know, but it’s their word against mine. They could say I stole their kill and attacked them.” Jack continued, “There’s a rule among adventurers: whoever attacks a monster first gets the loot. Even though it was a tiny scratch, they wouldn’t be lying if they said they attacked it first.” He groaned as he stood up to comfort his mother. “I don’t believe they’ll be able to recognise me. When I killed the goblin, blood sprayed into my hair and on my face. They won’t know who I am. I think we are safe.”

  His mom was agitated. “We have to do something. If they’ve done it once, they’ll do it again” She sat on Jack’s bed.

  Jack sat beside her. “I can draw their likeness. I’d already thought about this on my walk back to the city.” He was lying; he was making this up on the fly. “I can send an anonymous letter to the Inquisition with a drawing of each of the adventurers and let them know what they are like.” He’d adapted his plan to deal with Baron Greaves.

  Anna nodded. “Hmm… there was that nice lady who visited…” She trailed off. “Would that be enough?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “It will keep us safe… it will keep you, Dad, Polly, and little Richard safe.” He remembered the little orphan girl. “And Zia. We’ll be safe. That’s all that matters.”

  She looked at the floor. “I don’t know.” His mother was too caring and law-abiding; she trusted the authorities and rarely made selfish decisions. “We should discuss this with your father.” She looked at the time. “I have to get his breakfast ready, he’s going for a hike soon…” She stood to leave. “Are you up for a nice breakfast?”

  Jack smiled. He knew his mom would bring his father into this, so that was no surprise. “Breakfast sounds good, Mom.” He groaned as he stood back up and walked towards his fresh clothes like an old man with a bad back. “Give me about three days to get dressed and cleaned up, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” he joked in his best elderly voice.

  Anna chuckled as she left his room.

  The Things My Mother Must Never Know

  She Thinks I’m Still a Scribe

  If She Knew What I Did Last Night