It was dark out when I was finally pulled out of the cages.

  The guards and I made the slow march up to the other side of the village. At night, it was very peaceful. The breeze passed through my hair, and a floral scent wafted with it. As the town was at the edge of a cliff, the view of the land stretched out before me was stunning. On one side, I could see the green forests and hills, while on the other, a waterfall cascaded down the side of the mountain that towered magnificently over the land. At that mountainside stood the towering statue of Sophia, holding a sword that ended at the hilt. Water poured from it in a steady stream and formed a shimmering blade as it fell. Finally flowing to become the stream that curved a wide half ring around the village before slipping away and tumbling down the mountainside at the cliff’s edge.

  We followed the path up beside the training grounds, where I spent so much time getting beaten to a pulp by Carrick only a couple of days ago. After passing through the main areas of the village, we finally made it to the Great Hall near the great stone statue. Sophia was in there, and she would be deciding my fate.

  When I walked in, I was surprised not to see her sitting in her chair in the Great Hall. Instead, I was escorted into the back room, which was her office. I figured that was a good sign.

  Sana sat down on one of the chairs, leaving the other one empty. Carrick was standing near a wall, but not leaning on it. Sophia’s white hair brought my immediate attention to her, and she gestured for me to sit, which I did right away. Sana and Sophia looked at me, but Carrick looked straight ahead, as if he were there as a silent guard. I studied him while the rest of the soldiers escorted themselves out of the room. My worry heightened.

  Sophia, sharp as always, or maybe just a mind reader, spoke, “No. Carrick isn’t standing there to be a guard. I do not need protection. I protect the village.”

  Her words frightened me. First, she knew what I was thinking, and second, she said she was protecting everyone. Did that mean she was the strongest person in the village?

  “No, I am not reading your mind. I have lived a very long time, and children are easy to read,” she said, and Carrick glanced over at her, but still not at me. “Carrick is standing like that because he wants to separate his emotions relating to you from his duty to the village. If I ordered him to kill you, he would, but he wouldn’t want to look at your face because he cares about you.” One look at Carrick’s face told me how difficult that position must be. “But you shouldn’t worry. We are not going to kill you.”

  With that, the tension in the room was lifted. The pressure I held for Carrick, even more than myself, felt better, and I only realized I was tense.

  “Thank you,” I squeaked.

  “So you do realize what you were doing would invoke the wrath of the Black Rock Islands, and you made that choice anyway? That is good. Choices shouldn’t be made lightly, even if it is the right one, because not all good choices are the correct choices.” I think she was trying to explain that sometimes not doing something good could be the right choice, because while doing something bad is wrong, it might lead to better outcomes. “I have interviewed everyone and…” she said while gesturing delicately.

  Rabbit interrupted me and said, “Not everyone.” He often did this. He would make little comments that I wouldn’t reply to, but would still hear in the back of my head.

  Sophia paused and looked directly at me, as if she had noticed I found something wrong with her statement. She continued, “You are right. Not everyone, but all those whose word I can trust.” It didn’t feel like my face moved or changed at all, and I once again wondered if she could read my mind.

  “Creepy,” Rabbit commented.

  She didn’t stop talking. “They all spoke well of you. However, I would like to confirm with you the events and your perspective on what transpired. Also, I want to ask you some questions that are under suspicion. First, while on a hunt with Carrick, your group noticed a fire and the Black Rock Island boat in the distance. You knew from previous conversations that there was a hunting party clearing rot in the forest. You then led Carrick to the spot where the people were as quickly as possible. Is that all correct so far?”

  “Yes,” I replied. While it was summed up, it was all correct.

  “Is it also true you speak Pukka?” Sana asked, joining our conversation, just as expressionless as Sophia.

  “Pukka?” I said, confused.

  “It’s the common language of the Black Rock Islands. It comes from their homeland. You don’t think their society grew on that island?” Sana explained condescendingly.

  “Oh, yes, I speak a little of that language, but I didn’t know what it was called,” I stated, trying not to show I was nervous.

  Sophia came back in and said, “From what Carrick told me, you made it there extremely fast, even with your limited speed. In his exact words, ‘He would have had to memorize and plan the path ahead of time to follow the trail we did.’ When you arrived, you mentioned you had only been in the forest for a couple of days. There would be no way for you to be that familiar with the layout of the land in that short amount of time. It would have taken months of living in the forest to be that familiar. Add that to the fact that you speak Pukka, we have a problem.”

  At that moment, I realized that Sophia and Sana were working together before I even got here, and they must have planned on asking me separately so as not to raise my suspicions. This whole thing was a trap.

  Sophia’s cold green eyes stared directly into mine and asked, “Do you work for the Black Rock Islands?”

  “No,” I answered clearly and calmly.

  “Do you work for one of the families on the Black Rock Islands?”

  “No,” I repeated.

  “Do you work for the Unionists?”

  The unyielding and serious look on her face added enormous pressure on me, and that question threw me for a loop. Why would I work for the Unionists?

  “No,” I repeated once again, firmly.

  As if Sophia could read my thoughts, she explained, “Because if you worked for the Unionists, you could harm the Black Rock Islands and push the blame onto us. That may also make the Islanders more heavily reliant on the Unionists. Alf, as of now, I could see a hint of disdain in your eyes for the Unionists besides confusion. You shouldn’t disdain them based on our account only. They have reasons for what they do, but you should always form your own opinion.”

  That surprised me. I had never met anyone who didn’t believe their own opinion was the correct one. Everyone, and I would say everyone, believed their ideas were the right ones, and everyone else should feel the same. I had never heard someone call another person ignorant just because they wanted all the facts before agreeing. She must be much older to have that type of opinion.

  “Do you work for my brother?”

  Confused, I replied, “Your brother?”

  “I believe you for now, but how did you perform these feats if you are a new traveler?” Sophia leaned back and steepled her fingers, as if waiting for a good explanation.

  “What should I say? She is going to kill me if I give the wrong explanation,” I asked Rabbit worriedly.

  “I would tell her the truth, at least part of it. She can tell if you lie,” he replied.

  As if the pause was too long and I was thinking about it too much, Sophia stepped in to say, “I won’t kill you either way. You have saved several of our people, and as long as you tell the truth, you will have your freedom.”

  Maybe she knew that was my holdup, or perhaps she didn’t, but I then confessed part of it, knowing how serious the situation was. “I’m quick to learn and skilled at turning raw data into useful information.”

  Sana chimed in as if wanting to bury me herself. She didn’t talk directly or even look at me. She only spoke to Sophia. “He could be lying. I know Carrick said he learned to fight extremely fast, and everyone says he learned these languages as quickly as he speaks. That could just be him faking that he didn’t know anything in the first place and then slowly revealing it.”

  Sophia didn’t say a single word. She sat there thinking behind her steepled fingers, her eyes fixed on me. After a full minute of uncomfortable silence, she said, “Sana makes a good point.”

  She then stood up from her chair and walked over to her bookshelf. She ran her hand across her books lovingly until she found the one she was looking for. Putting her long finger on the volume, she pulled it out. She then sat down and handed me the book, which was in an unfamiliar language. I couldn’t even read the title.

  “How long would it take you to read this book?” Sophia inquired.

  “I have no clue,” I replied honestly.

  “Now, this is a test I like,” Rabbit said gleefully. I looked back up at her, but she didn’t say anything more, just waiting for me to read the book. “Start going through the pages. Remember to look at each page fully before turning them.”

  I then started turning page after page. Rabbit kept complaining that I was getting my fat fingers in the way, obstructing his sight, so I had to go back to the previous page ever so often. After a third of the way through, the image started shifting, and Rabbit changed the words to English. Only a small portion of the words had stayed as strange symbols. I figured Rabbit did not have a complete translation of those yet. Now that I could see what Rabbit had translated, I tried to read a piece here and there. It seemed to be some type of manufacturing book. It was talking about building stuff and metals, but I wasn’t entirely sure. It took me around three minutes total, but I finished the book.

  When I finally raised my eyes away from the page, everyone was looking at me. While I was reading the book, I could feel Sana’s and Carrick’s eyes on me. Sana was staring daggers at me, and Carrick had his mouth open in awe. Sophia’s face was stone-cold.

  “He could be faking it,” Sana commented immediately.

  “I know,” Sophia replied. She held up one hand to Sana. “What is Gold’s third theory of alloy creation?”

  That stumped me, but Rabbit chimed in and said, “That metal purity is determined by the energy given and absorbed into the metal, but that is a misinterpretation. The energy is just burning away the impurities, and it is not absorbed into the metal.”

  I then repeated Rabbit’s answer out loud to Sophia. She looked at me, baffled. Her stoic countenance had broken to that of surprise and confusion. Squinting her eyes at me, she said, “You did not know that answer but repeated that. However, that was correct. I am not sure about your theory, but it is interesting. How could you know and not know? It could be an Ability, but I can’t understand.” This was the first time Sophia was thinking out loud. She could tell I didn’t know what I was talking about, but knew I had given the correct answer.

  Sana’s face changed to a look as stunned as Carrick’s. “Could you really read that book and learn that language that quickly?”

  “Sort of. I can’t speak it, nor do I even know what language it is. I didn’t comprehend it. I am just able to pull out the facts that I need when I need them,” I replied.

  “What type of ability is that?” Sana asked.

  Carrick chimed in for the first time. “You know the rules. No asking about Abilities. He will share if he wants to,” he added, a slight smile hinting at more unsaid. “And we all have our little secrets, like resemblances we’d rather not discuss, right?”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  There was an undertone that I didn’t understand, but their looks soon changed.

  “He is right. You are allowed your secrets. Sana, are you satisfied that this isn’t a clever plot?” Sophia asked.

  “If you are, my lady, then I am,” Sana responded with a slight bow, and her face went expressionless as Sophia’s.

  “I am. Now that we have cleared that up, let’s get to the rest of your adventure. You saw the people being taken, and Carrick says you threw yourself down the mountain. What happened between then and you healing Jack and Theo?” she continued, this time regaining the firm posture she had lost because of the previous surprise.

  “I naturally healed and woke up where all of the wounded were kept. Everyone I was with was so injured that they were of no use. So, I killed the kid who was checking up on us. I guess he wasn’t strong because he was there to make sure we didn’t die.” I looked down in shame at this. “I then fed the potions, I am guessing, to Theo. I never got his name, but he mentioned having Analysis and Healing skills, which were no help in fighting. Therefore, I gave the rest of the potion to Jack.”

  “You are wrong,” Sophia interjected, but as she wasn’t there, I didn’t know what I could be wrong about. “Theo is one of the most valuable members here. He has a skill that is valued more than most and is extremely rare. It helps during battles and everyday life.”

  “Healing?” I guessed.

  “No, Analysis. He has the highest level of anyone in this village. It is rare to level it so high, and he can see detailed information on enemies. However, your approach of sneaking around and killing was the winning strategy, so indeed, you made the correct choice. From here, it seems pretty clear that you snuck around killing enemies until you freed my people, and then you liberated the Dwya over my people’s objections. Why?”

  I did notice she kept saying my people instead of our people, but I answered simply and honestly, “No one should be a slave.”

  “But you could have freed them after you landed back here. It seems illogical to free someone who could stab you in the back. You could have fought a war on two fronts,” Sana chirped in.

  “Yes, but no one should be a slave. If I freed them and they killed me for it, it would have been their choice, but I would still make that choice again. Like I said, no one should be a slave,” I replied with all my conviction.

  “True words, but Sana’s logic is correct. Regardless, you judged them correctly, and it worked out. After taking the ship, all parties agreed that you were in charge, and you decided to help the Dwya free the prisoners at the main port of the Black Rock Islands. Why?”

  “Hold on. I was not in charge. I just agreed that we should do it, and we wouldn’t have another chance. Jack knew some vital information, and it seemed like once we stole the ship, they would hunt it down to make sure their vessels didn’t escape. It was an opportunity that would not have come up again, and the others agreed with me. I was not in charge,” I tried to explain again, this time to someone who didn’t feel indebted to me. Maybe she would fully understand.

  “The others joined you because you freed and saved them from a life of slavery. If you asked them to swim back so you could keep the ship, they might have accepted. You were in charge,” Sophia said flatly.

  “That’s what everyone keeps telling me.” I sighed. “Well. As I said, I don’t think anyone should be a slave. The risk was worth it to me, and I believe it was to the others as well. I mean, they were about to be slaves. I think they saw how important it was at that moment.”

  “Valid. So your group killed the guards on the docks and freed the prisoners. Jack also said that you looted as much as you could.” Upon saying that, Sophia reached down and picked up my bag. “May I have permission to search for it?”

  “Sure,” I said and waited for her to look through the bag. I was surprised they didn’t search it earlier.

  She slid it closer, and as I didn’t get the hint, she said out loud, “Touch the bag and give me permission. It is soul-bound only to you.”

  Being ignorant of this world, I touched the bag, which, knowing my intentions, gave me the prompt:

  Do you wish to allow Sophia to have unlimited access to your bag? Unlimited access will enable them to place and remove items in this space without any restriction. This does not remove your soul-binding, and you may withdraw this permission at any time while touching this object.

  Yes or No.

  I chose yes and then pushed the bag toward her. Rather than opening the bag and examining the items inside, Sophia reached in and then stared off into space, as if she already knew exactly what it contained.

  When she was done, her placid expression broke with a smile. “You know, this bag is incredible,” she remarked, looking me in the eyes. “I am surprised that you know its value, yet didn’t realize the value of the Analysis Skill. Kaylie told me you instantly knew what this bag could do. As powerful as it is, it must also be kept in balance.” She then paused, letting me think over her words. “From examining your bag, I see it was quite a profitable experience.”

  I smiled.

  “I can’t allow you to keep so many weapons.” And just like that, my smile faded. “That is to say, you can’t keep them while in this village,” she clarified. “You are more than welcome to leave and keep all of them. If you had this many swords, bows, and armor, you could arm the new people while inside our defenses and cause quite a problem. I am not unreasonable. You have proven yourself, and you will be allowed to personally keep two swords, one bow, and one set of armor.”

  “Well, at least that is something,” Rabbit said, and I felt what he meant. It was a lot of loot to lose. She didn’t say anything about the arrows, but I thought she might end up taking those as well.

  “The armor you found was unique to the Black Rock Island soldiers and may be useful. As a trade for that armor, I offer you a better set if you wish to use it.” Sophia pulled out the equipment.

  It was black and looked like it was built in layers, so that for every foot, there was a new piece of protection that overlapped. It didn’t make sense to me. Why wouldn’t they make it in one solid piece? It would make it stronger. Additionally, it wasn’t metal but looked more like shiny leather.

  “This is light armor, and it would suit you better than the heavy armor you found. The reason there are so many pieces overlapping is that it was crafted from the remains of a giant centipede. That monster had a tough yet light carapace. We used it to fashion this armor, and it gives increased mobility. I know you cannot see stats, but it’s better than most armies’ foot soldiers and is likely to save your life. The Black Rock Island armor is likely to slow you down, which is fine if you are in a defensive area, but unwise if you are out in the world exploring,” Sophia explained while detailing the armor with her hands.

  Out in the world exploring? What was she talking about? Did she want to kick me out already?

  “Which armor do you wish to keep?” Sophia asked.

  This was a no-brainer. Since I couldn’t see any of the properties, I would have to trust her that the new armor was better. Either way, she could take all my belongings if she wanted to, so I had to give her my trust. “I choose the new armor.”

  She smiled and said, “Good choice. As for your other items, I don’t plan to take anything that is allowed to you, as you thought. Instead, I will either offer you the gold they are worth or a treasure of my choosing.”

  “Treasure!” Rabbit screamed in my head.

  “Clearly,” I replied. Rabbit always loved a mystery. I made a mental note at that moment to invest in empty boxes to trade with Rabbit for something important. I really should have done that years ago. With just the mystery of nothing, Rabbit might have made me truly rich.

  “Really? I thought I would have to argue with you,” Rabbit replied, sounding surprised. “I can’t wait to see what it is. What if it’s a burrito? I’ve always wanted to try one of those. Or cereal. Or maybe Lucky Charms stuffed in a burrito...” Rabbit continued to muse. His idea struck a chord with me. Cereal in a burrito did sound genius. If I ever made it back home, I could win the Nobel Prize for burritos, perhaps even for creating world peace with the tastiest…

  Carrick cleared his throat. I realized that as Rabbit was rambling, my mind started to wander. He was still going on, but I was ignoring him. “The treasure,” I said confidently, picking up the conversation.

  Sana handed Carrick two copper coins without looking at him. I was curious, so Sophia filled me in. “They made two bets. The first was that you were a traitor. The second was that you would take the gold. As they have been in all the meetings today, they heard Jack’s explanation of your love for loot. Sana took that to mean you love gold.”

  That was fine and all, and it was interesting, but at the moment, my mind was screaming mystery treasure. “So, what is the treasure?” I asked like a ten-year-old on Christmas Day.

  She put three items on the table. A flask and two books. My heart immediately began to sink when Rabbit chimed in, saying, “Books. Yay.”

  While he was pleased with these items, they weren’t the treasure I had been hoping for. I had envisioned something more exciting, like a cool sword or even a cape that would let me fly, even though I knew such hopes were unrealistic.

  “Don’t be disappointed. These will help you with your journey.” Sophia picked up the first book and handed it to me. “As I don’t have time to lecture you myself, this book will teach you the Elves’ secrets of the Tranquil Soul. This will allow you to get the rest of a full night in a fraction of the time. When you learn it, your sleep should be cut in half, but it will become more efficient as the centuries go by.” While that sounded like a good thing, I doubted it would be of significant benefit anytime soon, especially if she counted time in centuries.

  She picked up the second book and handed it to me. “This is a basic primer that provides knowledge about our world and magic. Almost everyone is familiar with the basics contained in this book. However, it also includes additional knowledge and theories. I would suggest that you don’t merely use your ability to absorb the information. Instead, read the book yourself to truly understand what it says.”

  So far, I was tallying it up in my head. A yoga book, a kid’s book, and soon, a flask. Yay? Hardly a fair trade for all those weapons, but who knows what these people find valuable? Books might be more important in a place like this, but they weren’t precisely the prizes I was looking for. If I could have just one day alone with her library, I was pretty sure Rabbit would end up knowing more than these people. I was hoping that at least the flask contained a magical potion.

  “The last one is the most valuable and rare,” Sophia said, piquing my interest a bit. “This is the Flask of Everlasting Water. I used it on my journeys when I was a child, much like you are now.” I wasn’t sure who she was calling a child, since I was an adult, but compared to her centuries, I probably did seem like one. “If you remove the weapons and armor from your sack, it should be as light as a book. I give you this warning freely, as this is why I wanted to make this trade. Know that while gold is valuable, it is also cumbersome. Those who seek out gold are often weighed down.”

  “She’s right. The water you’d have to carry around would take up too much weight. I wonder how the flask works. Can you ask her? Please? Please? Please?” Rabbit pleaded in my mind.

  “How does the flask work?” I echoed Rabbit’s incessant question.

  I was surprised when Sana spoke up. “There is a high-level enchantment on it. You might be able to find refillable flasks, but most need soul stones to recharge them. The one she provided should be sufficient to bathe a single person daily and keep them hydrated, or provide water for a group of adventurers. Most would think that this is a creation of water, but that is incorrect. There is water in the very air we breathe, and it absorbs the water out of that air. This is quite a good gift, not even counting the weight savings.”

  I supposed she was right. In older times, people often died from bad water, and I had heard that even in recent times, people in Africa were still battling cholera due to inadequate water sanitation and high population density.

  Sophia continued, “Now, as a thank you for saving our villagers, I offer you three things as well. First, you’ll have free passage through our lands and lodging here. This comes without any pledge of loyalty from you and without any guarantee of safety from us. If, after your journey, you decide to tie yourself to this village, I will welcome it, but it is not required. Your service has already been extraordinary.”

  That was a relief. I felt like I had spent my entire time in this village under the threat of banishment. It wasn’t nearly as serious a threat as before, now that I had some levels and gear of my own. Also, if I couldn’t manage in the woods alone, I could always move in with the Dwya, but I didn’t like the idea of that.

  From that point forward, I could come and go freely. They made it clear I was welcome as a guest, but full integration and the same treatment as their people would require swearing allegiance like a villager. For now, I was much happier with this arrangement.

  “Second,” Sophia continued, “I present you with my selective quiver. It allows you to choose any arrow you wish from within it simply by willing the one you want.” She placed a black quiver on the desk. “And lastly, I offer help on your quest.”

  “Sorry, not to act confused, but what quest?” I asked, genuinely baffled. The last thing I wanted was to be sent out with the Dwya to fight the Islanders.

  “When you first arrived, you spoke of three treasures that would make you strong enough for your journey home,” Sophia explained, her demeanor shifting from her usual inscrutable expression to a warm smile. “I’ve embarked on such journeys myself, and during my trials, my companions proved invaluable, saving my life on several occasions.” She paused, reflecting. “You are young and inexperienced, and you’ll need all the help you can get. Kaylie and Jack have already requested to join you. However, you will need more than just their courage and strength. I suggest you also bring Sana. She is analytical and intelligent, which will complement your team well.”

  That was unexpectedly generous, but Sana’s earlier animosity gave me pause. Why include someone who seemed to wish me harm? Carrick would have been a more logical choice for my team, but I doubted Sophia would part with one of her top warriors. “Thank you, I am truly humbled, but are you sure Sana will integrate well with our group?” I asked cautiously.

  “I highly recommend her,” she responded firmly.

  “Understood,” I replied, feeling somewhat chastised. “I’m most grateful for your help.”

  “You are dismissed,” she concluded. At her words, Carrick placed his hand reassuringly on my shoulder. I stood, gathered my things, and exited with him, leaving Sana and Sophia still seated together, deep in conversation.

  Once we left the room, I put my bag down and began to pull out the items Sophia had requested. Immediately, Rabbit chimed in while I was working, “I didn’t want to say anything while we were in there because I know you would have focused on it, and she would have noticed.”

  That got my hair standing on end, so I stopped what I was doing. “What?”

  “The last time we were there, I memorized all the papers she had. Most were still covered, but one new one caught my eye because it was worn. It’s either traveled far or she’s read it frequently.”

  “What did it say?”

  “Well… It was mostly covered. The only thing I could read was the fragment ‘Aegis is moving.’”

  “What does that mean?” I questioned.

  “In our mythology, the Aegis was a shield for both Zeus and Athena. It was said that the shield had the power to petrify their enemies,” Rabbit explained.

  “I don’t think that has anything to do with me.” I focused back on my bag and ignored him. While Rabbit was undeniably intelligent, he often fixated on trivial details. He loved things like the evolution of language or the cryptography of secret societies. Fascinating, maybe, but hardly practical.

  Sophia was sharp, so while unpacking, I only kept the exact items she had limited me to. When everything was emptied, she was right. My sack was light as a book.