1640 AD

England 1640

The heat was searing, and the flames rose above the trees. Jack's eyes stung from the smoke, or was that from crying?

He hid behind the men who had set fire to his home. He had a god-given talent for spinning in the dust, which made him invisible so no one could see him. None of the villagers knew that the young man they had tried to kill was standing behind them. He'd come home late, and once he saw the flames, he knew that he couldn't save his father. Though his Puritan father probably wouldn't have thanked him if he had.

These men would pay, starting with the ringleader. A brutal man who had forced marriage on the prettiest girl in the village, and that was something else he would be paying for. Jack had heard some of the men in the village talking, and he crouched behind a log pile listening as they described last nights entertainment. 

"My wife looks like a bag of turd compared to Alice, nice jugs she got," Jack couldn't tell who was speaking, but that didn't matter at the moment.

" Nice arse, needs a good thrashing, make 'er scream."

One of the men chuckled, "I can't tie my wife to a hook in the roof; she'd bring the house down, and who'd want to come and see Becca, she'd be tying me up, got a temper on her as my Becca."

What? Had they tied Alice up? Jack hated the men in the village. They were all bullies, though they wouldn't be bullies for much longer. They would be scared, little men terrified of the big bad wolf. They would regret this. He didn't mind if he took them out one at a time, but he would kill them. Sliver would enjoy himself that night.

Jack arrived home late, he'd been to deliver his father's goldwork to a merchant in the town, and he had been delayed when the cart in front of him broke an axle.

When he finally returned, he found these men, their superstitious neighbours, were standing around watching—watching the flames destroy his home. Murdering his father, a once-powerful man, who now lived a puritanical religious life since Jack had killed his mother in childbirth.

Jack and Silver used their unique talent. He moved, still spinning, to stand behind the ringleader, standing at the front of the crowd, his hands-on-hips, laughing. Well, not for long. 

Jack, he laughed in his ear, "You'll see how evil I am now, you piece of shit." Jack grabbed him by the waist and held him as he spun high into the air. Over the top of the now collapsing house, he dropped the screaming man into the middle of the fire. Jack landed on the other side of the house. He stood for a moment, listening to the man's screaming and the neighbour's shocked and awed silence. The black greasy smoke travelled upwards with just the orange sparks flickering in the sky. 

Present Day

Despite what his father had told him, Jack was comfortable in his and Silver's body. He never felt as if he was the aberration his father said he was. Jack regretted not knowing his mother, but he could do nothing about it. He never understood why his father had protected him; maybe because he was healthy and very tall and big for a sixteen-year-old- boy, he could lift heavy chests with ease and logs for the fire and deliver his fathers work without too much trouble from thieves. 

Jack looked around his beautiful home and got up from his desk, and went to the safe. The last of his father's gold was there. The gold coins and an ingot. The coins looked beautiful as he let them fall from his fingers back into the canvas bag. There was nothing like the clink of gold coins; modern money didn't sound as enticing. This was his start to a wealthy life, and he remembered digging for this gold. 

He'd waited in the forest until after midnight before he went to his father's secret hiding place and dug with his hands until he found the chest. He lifted it quickly, and the first thing he did was leave something for Alice. A bag of gold left on the stool at the side of her bed. She could get out of this place and find a man worthy of her.

He took his father's cart, and the horse, hiding the chest under some hay he had loaded into the cart, drove off to Kingsfield, the town he had been to the day before. He didn't stay in the town for more than a couple of hours, it was market day, and some villagers might spot him. He bought some food and a large knife and moved on to the next town. This time he bought a new cart, with a canvas roof and some pots and a cup. He bought an extra canvas and went into the forest to cut some saplings down. Jack wanted to be self-sufficient on his way down to London. When he got there, he would look for a house with a shop front. Buying some tools would be the next thing, and then set himself up as a goldsmith. It was all he knew. He would have to go to Goldsmiths Hall and register. He had done his apprenticeship, and he was a much better goldsmith than his father. It took weeks to get to London, though for one week he stopped, and he and Silver rested in the forest, they were deep into it, and they were not disturbed. They were safe. Jack could tell if anyone was around, he would be able to smell them. 

Silver ran through the forest, killed a deer to eat, and Silver lay in the sun by the river after he had washed the blood off his jaws and paws. Jack buried the remains of the deer. Killing the King's deer was a hanging offence, and Jack had an aversion to trouble with stroppy officials. He washed in the river and put his new best clothes on for his entry into London. He wanted to give a good impression. He had plans, and he intended to go far with them. 

Well, he'd done it. Four hundred years later, he still had an exclusive jewellery shop in many major cities globally, and after world war one and two, he ha branched out into construction. He had built office blocks and hotels and houses around the world. His days consisted of zoom meetings, and he spent his evenings running about the Yorkshire countryside with Silver. His only problem was the fact that he was alone. He tried not to let it bother him, his days were full, and he would like another wife. Julia was not his mate. He'd met her on his first day in London.

There was a queue at Aldgate, and people were getting agitated through waiting. Someone further up the column was shouting children crying. When it was his turn, he saw what the problem was a young girl. She was about the same age as him, and they had tied to a hook against the wall. She was struggling, trying to escape. He stopped the cart when the gatekeeper held his halberd up.   

Jack knew he looked older than his years. His voice was deep, and he looked like a gentleman in his new clothes. 

"What's your business?" the man growled.

"Goldsmiths Hall, I have news for them." He looked around, "What's up with her?" Jack said, pointing to the girl.   

"Stealing,"

Jack nodded slowly, "What did she steal?" He said, looking at the state of her skinny arms. It was a wonder that she hadn't slipped her hands through the ropes. 

"A loaf of bread," said the gatekeeper. 

Jack nodded, and the man let him through the Aldgate. 

Jack carried on driving for a few moments and then stopped the horse. He jumped from the cart and began to spin back towards the girl. In two seconds, the girl was in the back of the cart. 

"Stay there," he said and covered her over with the straw. He could hear her crying and whimpering as they continued on the journey. 

"What's your name, girl?"

"Julia," she sniffled.

"Don't worry. You are quite safe now. My name is Jack. They would have hung the poor girl for stealing a loaf of bread. She was starving. Anyone could see that.

"Do you have a family?" 

"No," she said, "They're dead."

"I'm sorry, I will take care of you. You can either stay with me or go. I won't mind either way, but first, we will eat. You can't decide on an empty stomach."

Jack smiled at the thought of Julia and her first pie shop. She was overawed by the variety and chose a meaty beef pie. It was a joy to watch her eat it. Julia stayed with Jack for a couple of years, and he was fond of her. He was sorry that she died of the plague and that they had no children.

It was getting late, and Silver wanted to roam. Silver ran over the fields and through the forest, rolling in the leaves and enjoying his freedom. 

"Let's go past Saffron's house," Jack mind-linked to Silver, who trotted towards the cottage. He sat in the back garden, 

"She's upset," Silver said. "I can smell her tears." 

"Yes, I know, but I can hardly do anything at the moment. Saffy has no clue what we are. It will only terrify even more. "She's asleep; nothing can hurt her now. We will come back in the morning.

Jack and Silver hurried home.