Following a janitor through service corridors was not how Reyn had expected to continue their investigation, but then again, figuring out a murderous rabbit’s dietary preferences hadn’t been the plan either.

  The teachings don't mention these things, she thought.

  Gared moved with surprising speed for someone his age, leading them through a door marked with a giant hand signaling STOP, that opened into a world entirely different from the Tower’s surprisingly clean and tidy public face.

  ?Don’t mind the mess,? Gared said, navigating past stacks of broken wands, crates of expired potions, and what looked like a decade’s worth of lost student projects. ?The real work happens back here, it does.?

  The service corridors were narrow, simple, and completely lacking in shimmer. Pipes ran along the ceiling, occasionally dripping something that glowed or steamed. The walls were plain stone, marked with directions in simple script that Venn read out loud as they walked by: ?Kitchen,? ?Storage,? ?Absolutely Not Storage (Dann’s Office).?

  ?You seem to know your way around,? Rast said. ?I get more lost for each corner we turn.?

  ?Forty years mopping floors teaches you things, it does. Like which doors to avoid on Tuesdays, and why you never trust a wizard who says ‘it’s perfectly safe.’?

  They passed other service staff who nodded at Gared who nodded back without further ceremony. A cook covered in flour. A woman repairing what looked like an exploded crystal ball. A young man carefully feeding something in a cage that Reyn decided not to look at too closely, considering it was impossible to tell which of its thirteen eyes looked back.

  ?The Bormecian who visited this Patch,? Venn said, slightly out of breath from keeping pace. ?Can you tell us more??

  ?Kael, his name was. Yes, Kael. Heard them talking while I cleaned, I did. Big ideas about changing the world. Making things ‘fair.’ Patch got excited, he did. Finally someone who appreciated his ‘vision.’? Gared snorted. ?Vision. Boy couldn’t see past his own nose, let alone into the future. No one does, they don’t.?

  They climbed a service stairway that spiraled up through the Tower’s core. Unlike the public stairs with their floating steps and unnecessary magical effects, these were simple stone, worn smooth by countless feet and time.

  ?Patch thought magic should be used, that it could fix the world,? Gared continued, not even winded despite the climb. ?Make the worls better. People more cooperative. Less selfish. Kael liked that idea, he did. Liked it too much. None of them seem to remember the Wizardry War, they don’t.?

  ?You seem to know quite a lot for a janitor,? Rast said, biting his teeth woth every limp trying to keep pace with the old man.

  ?I like to read, I do.?

  Reyn rose an eyebrow. ?Why??

  She didn’t notice the other three looking weirdly toward her.

  ?He studied... suggestion, was it?? Venn said, skipping over Reyn’s question. ?And he wants to use magic to… control people?.?

  ?Smart girl. That’s why Patch’s proposals got rejected, it was. Can’t go around adjusting people’s minds without permission, you can’t. Ethics committee was very clear about that, they were. Wizards and magic shall not directly control people or events, only assist when needed, they shall.?

  They passed through another door into a corridor that looked slightly more official. Still service areas, but cleaner, with actual carpeting.

  ?Criminals don’t have ethics committees,? Reyn said, to which Rast sighed.

  ?No, they don’t. Desperate wizards don’t ask questions when someone offers to fund their research, they don’t. Dangerous match.? Gared paused at an intersection, then took the left path. ?Patch left happy, he did. Finally appreciated. Finally valued. I’m not sure who thinks he’s fooling who, I’m not.?

  Turnip shifted on Reyn’s shoulder, chittering softly. Gared glanced at the rabbit with a slight smile.

  ?Rabbids bond for life, they do. They are born in two’s or three’s, the strongest eating its siblings to be strong, then they stay until they are strong enough to find a mate, they do. When mated, the female eats the male. Looks like you have a female, it does. Wonder if it used you as a horse to find its mate. Hope you like vegetables, I do.?

  ?We’ve noticed the vegetable preference,? Reyn said, ignoring the smug chittering in her ear.

  ?It’s not a preference, it’s a need. They eat meat when hunting, vegetables when not. Keeps them balanced, it does. Unbalanced Rabbid is a dead Rabbid. Or more often, dead everyone else. Rare creatures they are. Very dangerous.?

  They climbed another set of stairs, these ones actually polished. The service feeling was fading, replaced by something that suggested importance without quite achieving it.

  ?The Crimson Hand changed after Patch joined,? Venn said. ?From freedom fighters to just another gang.?

  ?Not just another gang,? Rast forced through his teeth. ?Darn assholes who make the other gangs seem like rodents.?

  ?Course they did. Patch never was a good wizard, but suggestion can play with existing feelings. Suggestion magic on that scale? Makes people easy to lead into darker paths, it does.? Gared’s voice had gone hard. ?That’s the danger of suggestion. Not the big compulsions, but the little nudges. The slow erosion of will.?

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  They reached a heavy wooden door with ?Headmaster? written in gold letters that tried too hard to look impressive.

  ?Here we are,? Gared said, producing a key from somewhere in his janitor’s uniform.

  ?Wait,? Venn said. ?This is the Headmaster’s office. We can’t just—?

  Gared opened the door and walked in like he owned the place.

  Every room needs cleaning, Reyn thought, not quite understanding Venn’s reaction.

  The office was everything a wizard’s office should be. Books that floated themselves back to shelves. A crystal ball that showed different views of the Tower. A desk made from wood that had probably been ancient when it was cut down. And behind it, a chair that suggested both authority and lower back problems.

  ?The Headmaster will—? Venn started.

  ?What? Object?? Gared settled himself into the grand chair with a satisfied sigh. ?I doubt it, I do.?

  Reyn was confused. ?Why would the Headmaster care where he sits??

  ?You’re…? Venn began.

  ?The janitor. Yes. Also the Headmaster. Have been for twenty years, I have.? He gestured at the office. ?A bit extravagant, it is, but it is what it is.?

  ?But the wizards…? Rast said weakly.

  ?Think I’m the janitor. Amazing what people say when they think you’re furniture, it is. That purple-robed peacock you met first? He’s my front man, he is. Handles the ceremonies and speeches. Wizards are a bit prickish on who to lead them, they are. I handle the actual running of things, I do.?

  Reyn found herself grinning. ?You run the Tower while pretending to clean it. Good leaders keep to the ground.?

  ?Best way to know what’s actually happening, it is. Wizards lie to their superiors. They don’t lie to their mops.?

  ?Why tell us?? Venn asked.

  ?You are on pilgrimage, are you not? Tracking down what Patch and his Crimson friends are doing. Because that Rabbid on your shoulder means you’re already neck-deep in strange, you are.? He leaned back in his chair. ?Now, I hope my rambling has been useful for your pilgrimage, I do. You dealing with these problems give me smaller problems.?

  ?It gave us more to follow, thank you,? Reyn said. ?Anything helps.?

  ?Good.? Gared folded his hands on the desk. ?Now, maybe you can help us, you can.?

  ?Of course,? Reyn said.

  ?With what?? Venn asked slowly, with Rast sighing behind her.

  ?Greenlake. You passed it, you did. We have a problem that needs solving, we do.? His expression was grim. ?A while ago, a wizard named Cornelius and his students wanted to create the ultimate guardian. Something that could protect important places without walls or armies.?

  ?Let me guess,? Rast said. ?It didn't work out as planned. I see where this is going.?

  ?Oh, it worked perfectly, it did. The thing eacaped, and has been in Greenlake ever since, guarding absolutely nothing with high success. Won't let anyone near the water, it won't. It started with frgos and mice, but it has grown bigger, it has.?

  Rast sighed. ?So the rumors are true.?

  ?So go around the lake,? Reyn said. ?Just avoid it.?

  ?Can't. The road by Greenlake is the only way south that doesn't add two weeks to your journey. And the creature's territory keeps expanding, it does. Soon it'll cut off trade entirely.?

  ?Not to mention the fishermen,? Rast added.

  ?What kind of creature?? Venn asked.

  ?We're not entirely sure, we're not. Cornelius destroyed his notes before he died, he did. Something aquatic, we know. Something with many teeth, we assume. Something that sees the entire lake as its territory, we are sure of.?

  Reyn shifted uncomfortably. ?How deep is the lake??

  ?Deep enough that you can't see the bottom, it is. Why??

  ?No reason,? Reyn said quickly. This would definitely count as a great beast, but… ?I appreciate your help, but I am not sure if we are the right people for the job.?

  Rast glanced at her. ?That doesn’t sound like you.?

  ?All I mean is that this should probably be handled by people with boats. We don’t have a boat.?

  ?We could get one. Plenty of local fishermen would be happy to assist in dispersal of the Greenlake monster.?

  ?And risk destroying someones livelihood?? Reyn shifted uncomfortably on her weight, crossing her arma across her chest.

  Rast studied her for a moment. ?You can't swim, can you??

  ?I can swim fine,? Reyn said, frowning. ?In water where I can touch the bottom. Solid ground under your feet or solid ground over your body, that's the teaching.?

  ?The creature rarely comes to shore, it doesn't,? Gared said. ?Prefers deeper water where it has advantage. But it's been taking livestock that come to drink. Last week it got a horse.?

  ?A horse?? Reyn's expression darkened, and she felt something in her chest that she rarely felt. ?From the water??

  ?Pulled it right in, it did. Owner said he saw something long and slippery. He was quite upset, he was.?

  Turnip chittered from Reyn's shoulder, sounding almost amused.

  ?Your Rabbid finds this funny, it does,? Gared observed. ?Course, Rabbids eat their siblings and mates, so its sense of humor might be different, it might.?

  ?You want us to kill this… guardian?? Venn asked.

  ?Kill it, convince it to leave, teach it to play cards… I don't care what you do with it, I don't. Just make it stop terrorizing the lake. The local merchants are complaining, the fishermen can't work, and the King's Men keep sending reports I have to pretend I haven't already read as a janitor, they do. It would certainly help me with more pressing matters, it would.?

  ?I'm not going in deep water after some horse-snatching thing,? Reyn said flatly. ?I fight on land. Sometimes in shallow streams, if I have to. Not in lakes where something would drag me under. I am no fish.?

  ?Then you'll have to be clever about it, you will. Maybe that's better anyway, it might be. Cornelius wasn't stupid, just overambitious. Whatever he made won't be easy to kill, it won't.?

  ?What was he trying to guard?? Venn asked.

  ?Nothing. That was the test, it was. Put the guardian in an empty lake, see if it stays put. It did. Been guarding that nothing for some time, it has. Very successful experiment if you ignore its failure and some deaths.?

  ?How many deaths?? Rast asked, producing a piece of parchment to write on.

  ?Officially? None. People just 'disappear' near the lake, they do. Unofficially? Four that we know of. Probably more, there probably are.?

  ?And you want us to handle this why?? Reyn asked.

  ?Because you're already going that way, you are. Because you travel with a Rabbid, which means you're either very capable or very lucky. The creature doesn’t respond to magic it does, and there is a sorcerer setting houses on fire all over Vaelen that I need to focus on, I do.? He smiled slightly. ?And because I think you might be clever enough to do it without getting wet.?

  Reyn frowned. ?No promises. But we'll look at it.?

  ?That's all I ask, it is. Look at the problem. Maybe you'll see something we missed, you might. Cornelius was brilliant but narrow-minded. Thought force was the only answer, he did. You might think different.?

  ?We usually do,? Venn said, glancing at Turnip, then Reyn, and smiled. ?Think different, I mean.?

  ?Good. The creature's most active at dawn and dusk, it is. Rest of the time it stays deep. Local inn is the Lakeside, though nobody rests well there anymore, they don't.? Gared stood, instantly becoming the janitor again. ?Now, best you leave the public way, you should. Can't have people seeing you emerge from service corridors. Bad for the mystery, it would be.?

  ?Wait,? Reyn said. ?I am sorry, but you mentioned a sorcerer??

  Gared shrugged. ?Yes. The reports are vague they are. How so??

  ?I had the pleasure of meeting one in Westkeep.?

  ?Ah. There were fires there as well. Can you tell me anything about him, can you??

  ?No,? Reyn said. Was Gared talking about the same sorcerer that sent her through realms that don’t exist for a month? ?I got pre-occupied.?

  ?Too bad. If you hear anything, do come back here, do you.?

  He showed them to the official door, the one important visitors would use. As they left, he added, ?Oh, and young Healer? Good luck on your Path. Followers of Helea are always welcome here.?

  Venn blushed as they emerged into the public corridor, where wizards in colorful robes continued their importantly mysterious business, never suspecting their Headmaster had just finished mopping the floors.

  ?A lake monster,? Reyn muttered as they walked. ?Why a lake monster? A guardian that’s locked to a lake? What good is that??

  ?You don't know it's a monster,? Venn pointed out. ?Could just be an aggressive fish.?

  ?An aggressive fish that pulls horses underwater??

  ?A very aggressive fish??

  Turnip chittered what sounded suspiciously like laughter.