Eventually we had to leave, not because we had anywhere to go, but because the pain of echoing memories became too much to stay.

As we gathered ourselves and began to walk to the front door, I noticed a glimmer of silver out of the conner of my eye, a stunning contrast to the soft wood tones of the house. I reached out – and felt my hand slip through the uncanny barrier of an illusion. 

I grasped a cool metal cube and pulled it out of the boundaries of the small illusion that had been hiding it. It was a small, ornate, and most importantly expensive jewelry box. 

My aunt had led a simple lifestyle; she wasn’t one for jewelry. What little she had would’ve been gifts from close friends that she always wore.  

Bobart noticed the small box in my hands, “What’s that?” He asked his brow furrows. 

“I don’t know, something my aunt left behind I suppose.” 

“What could she have been keeping in there? No offense but she doesn’t seem to be one for,” Bobart mimed drinking tea with his pinky out, “Society life,” 

I chuckled slightly, “No, she wasn’t that type,”  

“Well, let’s see what's inside,” He replied, leaning against the wall next to the door. 

I looked at the box and around the house, feeling a slight twinge in my heart, “No, not yet,” I wiped a small tear that I hadn’t noticed on my cheek. “Let’s get out of here,” 

“Okay! Which direction is home?” Bobart stretched, standing and looking out the front door. 

With a start I realized that for a second, I had forgotten that he didn’t know my secret. 

He studied my face for a second as fear froze me in my tracks. "Alex, do you have a home to go back to?"

"Yeah- but I'll be fine!" I said trying to hold my voice steady, "I can find my own way home."

"I wanted to ask about your parents."

My mind exploded, almost instantaneously all I could think of was 'How am I going to get out of this situation,'

"What?"

"Are your parents the Mors?"

"How in the-"

He cut me off, "-diplomat, remember? I need to know a lot about where I travel."

"You know why you can't take me back then?"

He pushed a hand through his hair, "The things I've seen your family do are despicable, to say the least. The law requires me to turn you in to your parents but that doesn't make any sense right now, so..."

"We break it?"

"Look I can't send you back to those people, but what am I supposed to do with you otherwise? You're practically a kid; you should still be in school!"

"I don't care," I stressed each syllable, "Don't send me home."

He let out a long sigh, "Well... technically I am allowed to take an apprentice..."

"Yes!" the mix of emotions inside of me right now felt volatile, euphoria surged, grief raged, I lost a lot of family that day, but I gained one more.

The journey back to mage would be long, and treacherous, as Bobart informed me. Especially given how isolated Skull Island was (named for shape, not magic.) We were currently in the Bearded Wood, a largely lawless area, Bobart told me that due to unrest in this area, those in charge of the island had banned people from the Bearded Wood to enter that capitol city, which contained the only international port.

After a few days of careful travel, with the occasional emotional scaring of a bandit via necromancy, we exited the forest fortunately unscathed. 

"Well, there you have it Alex," we stood on the edge of a short cliff face, overlooking the valley of the Skull Isle, green plains, dotted with farmland that stretched from the edge of the forest to the coast, where from this angle you could see the capitol, with ships unloading in its harbors. 

"Wow..."

To a person who has lived in a forest all their life, the sight of sky draped as far as the eye can see is like gold. 

Much to my current personal chagrin, I must admit I did spend a long time frolicking and rolling down those hills, but to preserve my reputation, I will not go into detail.

We arrived at the gates of the city after a few more days of travel. Though it was only a little past noon, the gates blotted out the sun, leaving the land around them washed in darkness. They rested in the mountain, built with some forgotten technique for some forgotten people, now they were hollow, dotted by arrow slits. 

"Well, this is..." I said, not finding the words for how this place makes you feel, even now I can only say it made you feel like an intruder in a place of giants.

"Makes you feel tiny, doesn't it?" Bobart said, almost reading my thoughts. He ushered me into some sort of priority queue, we slowly waited our turn with other foreign dignitaries, until we reached the front of the line. 

"HALT!" Said one of the guards, "What business do you have here?"

"I told you Joe, we don't have to check people who we saw travel out." The other guard said exasperatedly.

"Come on man!" the other guard said, "It's fun to mess with them?"

"Sure, you can do that," the other guard said their eyes narrowing, "when you're not under my watch trainee! Cause you know what happens when you mess up, it's my ass that's dragged into a disciplinary hearing!"

"Aw."

"My apologies, Bobart," The senior guard turned back to us, "he is still a trainee,"

Bobart smiled at him like an old friend, "It's alright Elowyn, I'm sure you'll whip him into shape in no time."

"Wait how do you know this guy?" I asked.

"He trained me back at the academy, when we were both in a mercenary group of sorts," Bobart replied, his voice was cheerful, but on his face, I could see the slightest wince in his eyes.

"Don't be bashful my friend!" The senior guard, who Bobart had called Elowyn, boasted, the line had shifted around us, and the other travelers were being let inside. "We were in the Priyan Service! The premier global mercenary group."

"Priyan Service?" I looked from Bobart to Elowyn, who's eyes had started to narrow.

"Joe, could you come here please." Elowyn waved to their apprentice.

"What's up?" Joe slipped off the front of the queue.

"Joe here is an expert in mind searches, due to suspicious behavior we are going to analyze your recent memories." Elowyn's smile felt hollow.

"Sorry?" I asked looking wildly to Bobart.

"That is," they looked to Bobart, "unless you want to tell me where you really found this kid."

"Ya know, just around..." Bobart neck glistened with sweat.

Joe pulled a small booklet out of his pocket, "I'm sure you won't mind if we ask some easy questions, yes?"

"Well..." Bobart said stretching the word out as he rolled on the balls of his feet.

"Where. In Priya's name. Did you get this kid." Elowyn stared Bobart down.

"Just, you know," He gestured to the Bearded wood, "that neck of the woods,"

"Bobart." Elowyn pinched the bridge of his nose speaking through their teeth. "Come with me please, Simon, stay here for a second."

Elowyn led our group to a small enclave in the wall.

Elowyn's voice raised immediately, from the firm authoritative voice they had used earlier to a sharp equal in volume but louder sounding for lack of crowd chatter tone. "Why in all holy hell?!" They asked, "Would you do something SO incredibly stupidly illegal."

"If I may," I began, before both parties shot me a look that would have made the forest spoil and rot.

 "Look El," 

"You KNOW bringing people in from the wood is dangerous, not to mention that if you actually succeeded and were caught, you would be tied to a shifting isle and left to fend for yourself!"

"El, we've known each other for years, when have I ever led you astray?"

"MANY TIMES!"

Bobart paused for a second, "Fair, but you have my word as an officer, you have to trust me on this, he's just a kid and-"

Elowyn cut him off, "-plausible deniability,"

"So, you'll do it?" Bobart said, his face grave.

"Yes, as long as he passes a check, which I will perform," He then extended his hand to me, "Elowyn Alastair, at your service, friend."

I took his hand and suddenly a rush of cool energy filled my arm, rushing through my veins until it reached my brain. I could tell this was something similar to healing magic, necromancy certainly, but I had never felt it in this way. 

Then all at once, they tapped into something, I saw my memories, winding in reverse, going passed the days spent traveling, passed when I found my aunt, passed when I met Bobart.

A powerful influence suddenly tapped in, as though there was something messing with what Elowyn could see, it made my parents into simple bandits, who would certainly force me into a life a crime should I return. It was strange, I could see my true life, at the accademy, but I also saw this wrong track playing simultaneously.

Then as fast as it began it was over.

"So do you trust me now?" I asked looking them in the eyes, not yet releasing their hand.

Elowyn nodded, "You're free to go."

And finally we took our first steps into the city.