It had been two weeks since Jayden had seen Maggie. He wasn't quite sure what he expected. Was she going to rescue him, help him get home? Or take him away on some kind of adventure? Or become his new best friend?

It seemed strange she had taken so many risks to get him to safety and then just disappeared out of his life.

Still, Jamal was a kind man, if somewhat forgetful. He was patient in teaching Jayden how to be a leather apprentice.

Jayden's skill at making the right cuts in the right way was growing. And occasionally he was getting a sense of being proud of his work. But he still desperately wanted to get home, and still worried constantly about his mother. He hoped someone had stepped in to help her. He wished he could just hear how she was doing, whether she was safe and being cared for.

Jayden worried about his skiff. He worried about his mum. He worried about his business. He worried about his friends. What would his friends be thinking? And the people that he traded regularly with. Would they find other suppliers?

Jayden felt alone. But he also felt frustrated. Very disempowered. There was really nothing he could do, except settle into his new life as a leather apprentice.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The visit from the town guard had almost been a non-event. They had come into Jamal's shop and made Jamal and Jayden stand against the wall. Then they began searching every nook and cranny of the entire building.

They looked for hidden rooms, trap doors or anywhere else a stranger might be hidden. It was almost comical how little attention they paid to Jayden as he stood against the wall.

They had asked each of them their names, their occupations and how long they've been in town.

Jamal answered for both of them. "We've been here 40 years."

One of the town guard nodded. He knew Jamal. He had gotten a custom-made bracer from him a few years ago - a present from his father.

"And the boy?", the sergeant asked looking at Jayden.

"This here is Lachlan", Jamal replied. "He's my nephew from Safforn. He's been apprenticed to me for the last year. He does go home to his family every now and then. But by and large he's been with me since January last year.

"Very good", said the sergeant. And that was it. Interrogation complete. Deception complete.

They finished searching the building and moved on to the next one.

Jayden had breathed a sigh of relief, but Jamal had looked unperturbed and went back to his work as though nothing had happened. It made Lachlan wonder if the town guard often came by to do this kind of thing.

That had been the last that Lachlan had seen of the guard. And pretty much the last he'd seen of anyone, as he continued to hide out in the back of the shop.