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 your father. 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.

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  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 loosed 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.”

  “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.