I thought about it over and over as I walked, and eventually I came to a conclusion. So when at last I saw the familiar house come into view in the distance, I took a moment and tuned aside into the woods that lined the road at that point. I released the illusion spell that had hidden the house mark and collar. I tore a strip of cloth off of the lower edge of my tunic and tied it around my neck like a scarf, covering the collar. I pulled the brim of my hat low over my forehead to hide the mark. Next I hid my staff. I found a grove of slender saplings and stood the staff in the middle of them. I took the time to carefully construct the spell that made the staff look like just another young tree. Even to mage sight there would be nothing unusual about it. Then I tried a kind of experiment. I conjured a mage mirror in the air in front of me so I could be sure it worked. I knew I could shift all the way in one direction, becoming fully Ritah and going beyond to become the leopard, but I also suspected that I could go the other way as well. I was right. As I concentrated my features subtly changed. My pupils became rounded, my eyes less intensely green, my ears were rounded too, and my fingers had ordinary fingernails. I smiled at the mirror and my reflection smiled back with blunt human teeth. Lastly I worked one more spell. It was similar to the spell I’d used to hide my staff, but more complex. It hid my magical aura, cloaking it utterly. I worked on it until I was sure that nobody, not even my father, would be able to detect the least hint of magic around me. Not even the faint aura that marked latent power would be visible. With a last glance behind to make sure the staff was well hidden I emerged back on the road.

I thought over what I was doing one last time. Should I deceive my parents? Could I pull it off? But I had to know. It all came down to that. I simply had to know.

That last mile seemed to take forever. I was tired, weary to the bone, and anxious too. What would my welcome be? And yet paradoxically it rushed past all too soon. The moment when I would either be fully accepted or fully rejected by my father was only minutes away. And then I was there. I stood at the gate that led to the inner courtyard of the house. Our home was something less than a castle, but something more than just a house. I stood there for several long minutes before finally lifting my hand and knocking. The door creaked open and a familiar face peered out. It was David, a long-time servant of my father. I’d known him since I was a child, and the sight of him raised a lump in my throat. All at once I really believed that I was home.

“Here now, if you’re after charity you need to call at the back door, not the front.”

I looked at him and smiled. “Have I changed so much that you don’t know me David?”

His eyes widened in recognition. “By all the gods! It’s the young master!” He flung the door open wide and I found myself engulfed in a rough embrace. After a moment David stepped back, looking embarrassed. “Pardon me, Master Ashen, but it’s just that we’d near given up on ever seeing you again. But what am I keeping you here for? Your mother will be wanting to see you right away! And your father!” A sudden thought occurred to him, and David said, “But how did you get here? We’d just heard a few days back that you were held prisoner by some mage in far-off parts. Why if you’d come just a day later you’d have missed your father. He’s been putting together a rescue party to go and fetch you back.”

“It’s a long story,” I said, feeling a faint lift in my heart at this confirmation of my father’s desire to have me back.

“Ach, what am I doing, keeping you here again. You can tell me the tale another day.” Then he led the way into the courtyard. I followed, my heart pounding. The courtyard bustled with activity. It was obvious that David had been telling the truth about Father’s planned expedition. In the middle of a knot of people I recognized two faces. One, I noted with surprise, was the lady thief. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see her here. All my attention, however, was centered on the second. My father. He looked different, older than I recalled. His face seemed more careworn and his robes weren’t as perfectly pressed as usual. He saw us hurrying toward him out of the corner of his eye and turned. His eyes widened as he saw me. There was no mistaken identity now, even ragged and worn as I looked, he knew me. “Ashen!” Everything else receded into the background as my father caught me up in a hug. He held me tight and said over and over, “You home, you’re home.” I realized with a kind of shock that he was crying. I don’t think I had ever seen my father cry before. I was crying too and it was a long time before either of us let go. He held me at arm’s length for a moment and just looked at me. I saw a question appear in his eyes as they met mine and he noticed my round pupils. Before either of us could say anything, I heard a familiar voice shout joyfully, “Ashen!” and then my mother flung her arms around me.

“Oh Mom!” I didn’t have anything else to say. And then as if to complete the family, Chris came flying across the courtyard. I let go of Mom and grabbed him up in a fierce hug, whirling him around. I set him down and for a minute just stared at the three of them. My family! Standing a ways back I saw the lady thief grinning at me. She gave me a thumbs up. I grinned back. I was home.

“What happened?” asked my mother. “We heard you’d been kidnapped by some mage, made into a slave.” I looked at her, and some of the sadness crept back into me. I took off the hat I’d been wearing so that Lord Morren’s house mark was plainly visible. Mother gasped. Father looked grim, and Chris stared wide-eyed.

“Maybe we could discuss this somewhere more comfortable,” I said. “It’s a long story.”