There was something special about being back in a neighborhood you grew up in after having spent literal decades away and finding it mostly the same. Sure, there were a few changes here and there. The cut-stone pavement below his feet was new, which told him that the shop owners of Lantern’s Walk had finally managed to get their voice heard and got the uneven and pot-hole prone ground fixed. The district was a little noisier and a little more active. But it was nothing compared to the subconscious expectation Miles had of finding it completely different.

  It really wasn’t. The people were mostly the same. The familiar smells—not all of which were that pleasant—reminded him of his early days when he’d worked as a courier to build up stamina and make some cash in between delving classes. Just like Thalia and Brie had chosen to join the Watch and make some money there before they’d start delving, Miles had worked as a courier, which often took him to this specific area as the local Runner’s guild was only a couple of blocks away. And considering he was on his feet all day, going from one end of the city to the next, he had needed his calories, and so Talissen’s and Viv’s shop had become an almost daily stop in his runs.

  Talissen was as friendly as he’d always been, but Viv was another matter entirely. Back then, she’d never taken the time to talk to him and ask about his day. Not even when he skipped their Rivercakes a day or two. At most, if he didn’t show for a week, he’d get a slightly longer look before she’d focus back on her craft. Once or twice she had broken the silence when he had got there with a black eye or a bloodied nose, but even those she got used to eventually.

  Being gone for six years though? That made her speak. And that made her refuse to serve him unless he answered her questions, which took him a little bit by surprise. He hadn’t expected her to be that affected.

  “I had gotten a job and needed to stay down there for a while,” Miles had explained to the old couple when Viv had held his order ransom, unwilling to part with the mouth-watering treat until he told her where he’d been. Of course, it was in good humor, and she made him promise to come back soon and tell them about what he’d been up to, which he agreed he would once he had settled a bit. Still, as pleasant and peaceful as all of this was, something had begun ticking in the back of Miles’ mind, and while the girls stepped up to the counter to get their orders in, his thoughts wandered.

  There was a search for him. Those who had bounties for his secret persona were about to come sniffing around, and one would never know how that could go. There was still the issue of mana. There was the matter of his summons still recovering and there was a massive portal-platform in his Custodial room he needed to look into. And this was just for starters.

  Caspian—the Torchbearer he’d rescued and let out back in the world a couple of days ago would be in trouble, Miles wasn’t callous enough to let the man fend for himself after going through the trouble of saving the man’s life. And while Ilyon—the Mender—had staved off some of the pressure, that wouldn’t last long.

  I’ll pay Lott to run some errands. See if the Shadows can get the man out of Skygate. Then have him snoop around what’s going on with the land of the village while I test out the gate of my room. For that though…

  Turning to Thalia, he found her already digging into her own Rivercake, and Miles realized he hadn’t even heard her order anything. Thalissen had seen her and a few seconds later, he was handing her a piping-hot, paper-wrapped Rivercake drizzling with honey and chopped nuts.

  “I don’t remember you liking this stuff,” Miles mused as they slowly made their way toward a nearby park to sit down for a bit. “I remember trying to convert you but you tasted them once and turned your nose at ‘em.”

  He’d talk to her in a second. He might need to postpone tomorrow’s meeting and the whole thing with aunt Seren. Just for a handful of days. As easy going as things seemed, he needed to stabilize things a bit, starting by addressing the mana issue.

  Brie hummed, leaning forward to stare at her friend. “Thalia? She brought me here the first day we’ve met,” Brie said, whose own order was slathered with apricot jam before she turned to Thalia. “You didn’t like this stuff before? What’s wrong with you?”

  Miles chuckled while Thalia’s face went red, and they were almost at the park—which had also changed a little, with the trees standing a little taller while a few more benches had been added—when he heard the whistle-like tone that filled the air. They all came to a stop, recognizing the alert signal, but when it didn’t ring again, he relaxed. This was a small alert, nothing too dangerous or problematic, though it most likely meant there was some Watch business about to take place.

  Both Brie and Thalia grimaced and shared an annoyed look, while Lott’s eyes sharpened as he peered over the crowd. The heathen had passed on the Rivercakes. If one could be capable of such.

  Brie cleared her throat, turning her own Rivercake in her hand as she adjusted her grip without biting from it. “I know we’re off… but should we?”

  Thalia pressed her lips. “I’d rather not. But… maybe we have to?”

  Miles oh-ed silently. Right. They were part of the Watch, technically, so this would be a recall alert for them.

  “If either of you are seen ignoring an ongoing alarm, you’ll be in trouble,” Lott said, gaze calmly scanning his surroundings. “Better go and make sure it’s nothing too important. The fact that the whistle’s public means it can’t be that bad.”

  Thalia and Brie deflated at once.

  “Fine,” grumbled Thalia, straightening up as she turned to Miles. “You’re not about to run away for six more years, are you?” she grinned at him, and Miles chuckled, shaking his head.

  “Nah. I’ll be around. But,” he added, glancing around. “Let’s delay tomorrow. Just for a couple of days. I got some business to take care of.”

  Thalia raised a brow, then nodded, while Brie leaned forward excitedly, but when no details came through, she pouted. The girls said their goodbyes, and after a quick discussion about where they’d meet, the two Watch trainees left, leaving Miles and Lott alone.

  “Is it safe to speak here, or should I deploy something?” Miles asked, taking another bite of his own treat.

  Lott continued scanning around for a couple of seconds. “I don’t see much, but one never knows.”

  “Alright. Hold on, then,” Miles said, then gingerly, willing most of the presences to stay within him while excluding all sounds and spells, he spread out his aura around him and engulfed Lott, whose shoulders tensed. The aura should stop sound from traveling in and out, and should prevent spells from slipping through without his notice. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do for now.

  “You hanging in there?”

  “Yes, si—” Lott cut himself off, then nodded. “Yes.”

  “Good. I got some more errands for you. For a price, of course. You in?”

  A glint shone in the Shadow’s eyes as his lips pulled into a smile. “Of course. But… can I ask for something specific?”

  Miles shrugged. “Shoot.”

  Lott nodded, shoulders slightly relaxing as he got used to the aura. It was also helping that Miles was adjusting his control on the fly. “I’d like lessons. I want your input and help to improve my Veil a bit more.”

  Miles listened, crumpling the wrapper and chucked it in storage to dispose of later before wiping his hands. “I can do that. But you don’t know what I’m going to ask. Isn’t it too soon to settle on a price?”

  Lott shrugged at that. “I don’t believe you intend on ripping me off, Miles. My help is not crucial to you, it’s convenience, and I’m happy with that, so long as I can learn a few things here and there. I’m already learning a lot so frankly, I wouldn’t have minded to run some errands if it meant I’m still around to learn.”

  A rueful chuckle escaped Miles as he shook his head. “I can work with that,” he said, then cracking his neck, he focused. “First, help me find a spot to stay. Any decent tavern, inn, or a hotel that won’t attract too much attention. Discreet staff that won’t be snooping around. Staying in the area would be nice, too.”

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

  “I’ll think of something. Anything else?”

  Miles grinned. “Yes, plenty.”

  ***

  An hour or so later, Miles found accommodation he liked.

  The spots immediately near Lantern’s Walk hadn’t been up to par, but a couple of blocks away, closer to an affluent neighborhood, Miles and Lott walked into a pretty animated but still spotless inn. The innkeeper, a sharp woman that seemed to be in her thirties but most likely was in her seventies welcomed them in and had someone show them two of the spare rooms, and even though there had been no secondary doors in the room for his Custodial key, Miles realized he could just stick it in the wardrobe’s door and he’d get access to his room.

  It was perfect. The room was spotless, and it smelled of fresh air and lavender. Enchantments, he quickly deduced, before confirming his hunch as he leaned under the window sill and noted the faintly glowing blue runes.

  Lott was gone, having left as soon as Miles finished assigning him his tasks. Starting from the third day from now, Lott was to check with the innkeeper if Miles had left a message for him, which would mean Miles was done with what he had to do. In the meantime, Lott was to send a job offer to Caspian and look into getting the man here, and though that could cost a pretty penny, money wouldn’t be an issue. Lott needed to just make sure everything would be safe.

  He was also supposed to promise protection along with that job offer, but Lott would handle the details there.

  Aside from that, he wanted him to look into the state of the village and the land around it. What its situation was, who controlled what, if selling was on the table or at least, a long term lease.

  And finally, he asked him to deliver a gift. It was a particular gift he’d initially set aside for his adoptive parents, but with uncle Auren gone, he couldn’t use this particular set. So he’d gift it and considering he was about to head down in the Dungeon, he’d make another set for aunt Seren.

  Should be easy enough.

  Taking a deep breath, Miles made sure the inn’s room was locked and latched, then did the same with the window before slotting the Custodial key into the wardrobe. The door changed, gaining in bulk and decoration, but it never grew larger than the wardrobe itself and swinging it open, the rolling hills of his Custodial room extended in front of him, and Miles couldn’t help the grin that stretched on his lips.

  Pretty sure there was a story about something like this, back on Earth, he mused as he stepped within. Closing the wardrobe’s door behind him, he removed the key and without wasting any more time, he summoned Hazel.

  The witch’s tall form materialized out of the billowing clouds of purple and deep green magics. Her hand was still gone, and she gave him an exasperated look as she took in her own state.

  “Miles. I need more time to recover if I’m to be of any use. What—”

  Miles cut off the oncoming rant before the witch would get going. “I’m heading down. To test this—” with a wave of his arm, the dark stone platform appeared to his right “—can you recover here and keep an eye on mana level? We’re testing if the mana being funneled here is affected by how deep I can get.”

  Hazel’s eyes widened, and she nodded, her lips curving into a slightly creepy smile. “Oh why didn’t you say that from the start? That sounds like a good plan,” she said, sitting down on the ground and resting her hand on her knee. “How long will you be gone?”

  “Three or four days, I hope.”

  Hazel nodded. “Good. Good. If we’re right though…”

  Miles could almost see the glee take physical form as it wafted off the witch. The sheer amount of potential and chaos the Custodial room could create would be unheard of. If the mana quality of the room could be raised, and with them having access to the depths’ mana on the surface?

  Well, suffice it to say people killed far more for much less.

  “Great. Oh, and when I’ll be back, I’ll take you out for some Rivercakes.”

  Hazel squinted her eyes at him. She was barely shorter than him, even while sitting down. “Those are the fried delicacies you mentioned, aren’t they?” she asked, taking a deep inhale through her nose before her green eyes swiveled to his hands as he hopped up on the platform and sensed the portal ask him whether he wanted to go in or not. “You! You already had so—”

  “Bye now! Gotta go!” Miles shouted back, disappearing within the black and purples lights of the portal, and as the eerie silence of the teleportation pressed on his ears, he grimaced.

  This way’s better. She’ll be able to pick whatever flavor she wants, he told himself. He’d gotten distracted with all of what was happening, and it slipped his mind to bring her one of the treats.

  She’s gonna hold a grudge, he sighed. But he knew Hazel enough, he’d be able to placate her with a few well thought out offerings.

  Still, he really should have brought her some.

  ***

  Viv’s POV

  Grimacing a little, Viv worked the wet towel against the marble of the counter, occasionally imbibing a little of the cleaning tincture on the cloth before she got back to it. Her shoulders hurt. Her back hurt. Even her legs felt heavy. But while the assistants had cleaned a good deal after the close, it wasn’t up to her standards and she couldn’t keep them long. They had classes and other matters to attend to. And Talissen was worse off than her. He already had needed to take a painkiller for his bad back and was conked out of his mind, so he couldn’t help her here.

  She sighed for a second, taking a beat to rest her shoulder before going back to it. She loved her little shop. She really did. But lately, she’d been thinking that it might be time to let go. The work—and time, were taking their tolls. But as soon as she’d think that, her whole soul would revolt.

  She couldn’t. This shop was her life. She had poured blood and sweat and time in this little place, and she couldn’t see her handing it to someone who’d squander it.

  Just the idea of see it go to shit was enough to channeled some vigor into her limbs, and like every other days she has had these same thoughts, she put her head down and continued to work, and by the time she finished wiping the counter, she heard the soft rattle on her shop’s window.

  “We’re closed,” she huffed, but she still made her way to the door. She unlatched it, opened it, then the cool breeze of the night slipped through, refreshing her for a little as she gaze about. There was nothing. Was this a prank.

  “Annoying little—”

  Her voice cut off as she caught the glint of metal. She had been turning, and she had almost missed the little rectangular black box that sat in front of the door. She looked around once more, but she found nothing.

  She poked it at first, but nothing happened. Then she picked it up and went inside before her nosy neighbors caught what was happening.

  Setting the box on top of the customer’s counter—the one they ate from, not the one where she prepared the food—she unlatched the box and lifted the cover, and her breath caught in her throat as she noted the two rows of glistening, glowing vials arrayed in front of her, with the left one being a little dim, then growing in brightness as they progressed to the right. They all glowed with a soft, off-white glow. Almost golden.

  Viv swallowed.

  She didn’t know what she was looking at, at first. She just knew this was most likely more expensive than anything she owned or that she’d ever own, and it took a few more seconds to the possibility of what this was to trickle into her mind and through her sheer shock.

  And there was a piece of paper tucked between the two rows. Unrolling it with trembling fingers, she read it.

  This is a grade-10 elixir set.

  Starting from the left, you and Talissen should take one vial every two weeks. The set should take you two from wherever you are all the way up to tier-10. The first vials might not do much, but trust the process, and most importantly, do not take a double dose. No matter what.

  Thank you for the amazing treats. -M

  Viv, heart hammering in her chest, didn’t dare move a muscle. She was going to need a minute.

  sure.