Gaius stepped onto the path. He was walking slowly, feeling more than listening for any signs of a disturbance, magical or otherwise. The statues were particularly suspect. Gaius half-expected them to come to life and attack him.

  Eyeing the statues, Gaius nearly missed the jolt of arcane energy shoot up from the ground.

  He stopped mid-step, leaned back, and used the tip of his boot to test the ground before him. A patch of illusory grass blocked his way. Peeling away the veil of magic, Gaius could see a pit hiding underneath. And it was just that. Not a bottomless pit. Not one stacked with nasty-looking spikes. Just a pit. But still, Gaius had no desire to tumble into one before his quest could even begin.

  Guided by his arcane senses, Gaius went around the hole, and several others like it, zigzagging his way to the cottage.

  It was that state of heightened attunement to the arcane that allowed Gaius to feel a wave of magic extend from the cottage and rush towards him.

  Right before it hit, Gaius rolled to the side as the ground he just stood on transformed into a maw of rocks and dirt that chomped empty air.

  The wind carried a series of shocked gasps from where Esven's constables were positioned. And while Gaius couldn't see exactly what he avoided, he had a general idea. He knew he couldn't stay there and take a breather in the cool grass.

  He needed to move, but the question was, where? The magical attack caught him roughly halfway to the cottage. He could keep going just as well as he could run away screaming.

  Your average merchant was likely to panic, but the traveling merchant Esven knew him as, would probably push his luck at least a little. And while Gaius definitely wasn't one to pride himself on never quitting, his freshly-scraped side made him want to exchange a few pointed words with this wizard.

  And without even a tower, how good could she be, Gaius thought as he pressed on. This feeling of annoyed determination put Gaius on the wizard's porch soon enough.

  Staring at the cottage's door, it occurred to Gaius he never asked Esven for the wizard's name.

  As if prompted by this realization, the door opened, putting Gaius face to face with a nice old lady.

  "I'm Gertrude, young man," she said in a voice that was intended to sound warm, but Gaius could hear the calculated and measured notes hidden deep beneath those words. "Come in, come in. Let me offer you some tea."

  Back in Mystlund, then later on the road, Gaius dealt with enough wizards. They usually fell into one of two categories. Those obsessed with titles, family names, and honorifics, and those who preferred to keep things simple and understated. The second group was significantly more dangerous.

  A wizard like that offers you tea, you take it even if your whole life you've been a coffee man.

  Following Gertrude deeper into her cottage, Gaius couldn't shake the feeling he might have miscalculated this whole situation.

  This little old lady with a neat grey hair bun was draped in a fuzzy pink robe that was such a stark departure from your usual arcane garment decorated with stars and glowing runes.

  She must have known that she looked ridiculous. She was a Mystlunder after all and not a crazy Caladonian like Esven. Which meant her attire was a conscious choice. She wanted to at the same time feel cozy and also signal to anyone worth worrying about that she didn't need no fancy robes to project power.

  Wizards. There was always an angle or hidden meaning with them. In a way, they weren't too unlike thieves. And perhaps learning at least a few magic tricks was exactly what made Gaius so good at what he did.

  Everything inside him screamed to be careful around Gertrude. And even her name, it felt somehow familiar, like he knew it from somewhere. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what that was.

  Gaius' thought process was interrupted when the two of them reached what looked like a living room. It was tidy and neat, and being neat wasn't something a lot of wizards could be accused of. Especially those who didn't have a lot of space to work with.

  The middle of the room was occupied by a sturdy table and a couple of rocking chairs. A flowery teapot and a pair of porcelain cups were already steaming on top of it.

  "Much as I enjoy seeing a friendly face in this strange land, I have to ask. What brings you here, young man?" Gertrude said once they were seated.

  Gaius spent a good while nursing his teacup before answering. "Well, how do I put it. The locals are a bit displeased about the incident," he said.

  "Oh gosh, and what incident would that be, pray tell me?" Gertrude asked, pushing Gaius to actually spell it out.

  "You know. A bunch of local kids got eviscerated. The constable's words, not mine. And there's now talk that you may have been involved in that. You know how these Caladonians are."

  Gertrude leaned back and slapped her knees with amusement.

  "So that's what all that fuss outside is about. I've been wondering," she said as if she wasn't the one testing Gaius' reflexes with the stone maw minutes ago.

  "Well, that's basically how it goes, yes. We all know how annoying children can get, but people do tend to take it personally if someone grinds them into a paste," Gaius pointed out.

  "If that's all there is to it, you should go and inform those brutes outside that their kids are fine," Gertrude said, once again throwing Gaius off his game.

  "Fine?" Gaius echoed her. "Not to question your definitions, but the traps on the way here didn't strike me as the type to leave anyone fine."

  "They knew the risk when they decided to traipse all over my lawn and be loud and obnoxious."

  "And yet you're telling me they're all fine?"

  "Yes, yes, they're perfectly alright," Gertrude said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Any geomancer worth her salt is perfectly capable of burying a bunch of miscreants without causing them any lasting harm. They needed a lesson, so I wanted to keep them under until they started to run out of air, and only then let them out. But since you're telling me the locals are getting ornery, then so be it, I'll let them go right now."

  From his chair, Gaius could feel the ground outside tremble and shift, then he heard high-pitched screams intermingled with loud cheering.

  "I'm not mad, you know," Gertrude said as if nothing just happened. Apparently exerting her power over the earth came so easily to her, she didn't even need to put her cup down to do it. "I may not be too fond of children, but I'm not about to cause a diplomatic incident just because those brats were acting out."

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  Well, that was easy. Gaius leaned back in his chair, taking this opportunity to come up with an exit strategy that wasn't disrespectful to Gertrude's unexpected hospitality.

  In doing so, he spotted a bookshelf by a wall. It was stacked with multiple copies of the same book, The Official Guide to Adventuring. Seeing them finally scratched that annoying mental itch Gaius had to deal with ever since Siembra's wizard introduced herself.

  "Those books," Gaius said, rocking himself closer to the table. "Are you by any chance the Gertrude on the cover?"

  "Why, yes." Gertrude jumped up and brought one of the books to the table. It was signed with a fancy ink that glowed when the light hit it just right. "Are you a fan, young man?"

  "No," Gaius admitted. Then, seeing Gertrude's shoulders sink, he added, "But I know a guy who never leaves the house without your book. I heard nothing but good things. Any chance I could buy a signed copy? It would make my friend's day."

  "Just take it," Gertrude pushed the book closer to Gaius. "I have stacks of these things on the lower levels."

  And that unveiled another piece of the puzzle that was Gertrude. Her being a geomancer meant that instead of a tower that went up, she could have one that burrowed deep into the earth. She's closer to her source of power, she attracts less attention, and she even takes up less space.

  Taking a moment to appreciate the book, Gaius asked, "How does it even work? You're not the biggest fan of children, as today's events clearly indicate. But you're writing books for them? How come?"

  "Isn't that exactly the point?" Gertrude said. "There's no love lost between me and the juveniles of this world. And that's exactly why I wrote my guide. They can read it, learn something and turn into productive members of society. Or they can ignore my advice and get eaten by a troll in a cave. Either one works for me, really."

  Not sure how he would even begin to counter that, Gaius grabbed the book and started working on getting out of Gertrude's rocking chair when she asked, "So, what brings you here?"

  "I thought we already went over it."

  "No, I mean to Siembra. Discounting the adventurers, the two of us are probably the only Mystlunders here."

  "Ah, that's a long story. But the short of it is, I used to be a traveling merchant. But now I'm working for this big-shot Vasily in one of his many emporiums. Sure, I get less freedom, but the pay's better and I don't have to sleep in tents anymore."

  "Vasily, you say?"

  Gertrude moved her hands in the air without any visible effort, to which Gaius' chair responded by sliding closer to the table, informing him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't yet excused.

  Gaius decided not to dwell on getting kidnapped by the old wizard. Especially since he could at any time fall out of the chair to try and make his escape. That, of course, would likely lead to Gertrude burying most of him under a bunch of dirt. He never liked to so clearly define where both parties stood in a conversation. He stayed put.

  "You know the old coot?" Gaius asked casually.

  "We've met once or twice."

  "And by met you mean?" Just thinking of Gertrude and Vasily going at it made Gaius uncomfortable, especially when he remembered that the old man has been dead for who knows how long.

  "Oh no, nothing like that, young man." Gertrude didn't seem to be bothered by the implication. "By the time I knew enough about the arcane to get noticed, I had too little vitality left in me to satisfy Vasily's needs. And he's not overly interested in much else."

  "I see," Gaius said, lacking any better options.

  Gertrude threw him a glance Gaius couldn't quite decipher and asked, "Do you by any chance know if he has any plans to visit the local branch anytime soon?"

  "Sorry," Gaius said. "You just missed him. He was here last month. Don't know if he plans to come by again."

  Gertrude's pursed lips betrayed her disappointment. "That's unfortunate."

  "How so?"

  "I wanted to pick his brain about a pet project of mine, you see."

  Even though he wanted nothing more than to finally leave Gertrude's reverse tower, now, Gaius was forced to ask.

  "And what's that?"

  "You're clearly not a wizard," Gertrude started.

  Gaius slammed his hands into the table. "Finally," he yelled out. "At least someone here knows the difference."

  With that outburst behind him, he adjusted the collar of his shirt and said, "Please continue. It just can get so frustrating dealing with the locals when they all see you as a wizard if you can conjure a simple light orb."

  "Yes, quite," Gertrude nodded. "But how deep does your surface-level knowledge of the arcane go?"

  Back in Mystlund as a young man, Gaius prided himself on learning as little as humanly possible to get the passing grades. He then spent the rest of his time doing anything other than studying old tomes.

  "It's spotty," Gaius admitted. "Try me, and if I can't follow, you'll be able to tell by my snoring."

  Gertrude chuckled. "I like that."

  Before proceeding, she refiled the cups with tea that was still steaming hot without any outside help. While not as impressive as Vasily's portable feast, Gaius saw this as a clear indication that Gertrude didn't just know how to move dirt around.

  "As you're probably aware, the tunnels underneath this city are infested with creatures most curious," Gertrude said.

  "Yes, alefs. The locals don't seem too interested in what they are, because everything that comes from under the ground to them has to be a message from their goddesses," Gaius pulled on the same thread.

  "Exactly." Gertrude nodded. "And those few who do try to unearth anything about these so-called ale fiends tend to never be seen again."

  "Well, they are pretty tough," Gaius said.

  And that lit a light deep inside Gertrude's eyes. "You talk like you have first-hand experience. Tell me all about it."

  Realizing that he talked himself in a corner, Gaius spent a full cup describing in great detail his alef encounter.

  Gertrude listened to his every word. When he was finished, she said, "That was positively illuminating. All the specimens I get down here tend to be disabled."

  "Disabled?"

  "I guess you can call them dead for clarity's sake," Gertrude said. "But after spending enough time digging through them, I doubt they've ever been alive in the first place."

  "They looked perfectly alive and even quite spry to me," Gaius insisted, upon once again thinking back to his first day in Siembra.

  "Come now, young man. Don't tell me you need to be educated about automatons."

  "Yeah, I've seen enough of those. None of those lumbering machines compare."

  Gertrude clapped once and smiled at Gaius. "And that's another great observation from you, young man. An observation that begs a question. Who made them? Or even better, who keeps making them, and why?"

  The idea that alefs didn't just breed on their own deep down in the tunnels had never occurred to Gaius. And now that he had it inside his head, he would sleep a little bit worse.

  "It's a good question," Gaius said as he kept nodding his head without realizing he was doing it.

  "Indeed. That's exactly why I set up shop here. To learn more about those fiends. And it's exactly why I wouldn't mind consulting with someone of Vasily's vast knowledge."

  "You know, I'm sending these reports to him all the time. I could mention your research into alefs, see if he decides those things worthy of his time." Now, Gaius was no longer driven by a desire to leave Gertrude's home in one piece. Instead, he wanted to know what she knew to figure out if he had to worry, or rather how much he had to worry about alefs.

  Gertrude looked down. Staring at the table's surface, she said, "I don't think I have anything concrete just yet. Just my crazy theories. And I'm not willing to share those with the world right now."

  "Come on, I told you what I know. The least you can do is return the favor. And after all, I'm not a fellow wizard. I won't steal your research or try to discredit it. I'm merely curious."

  "Well, alright." Underneath her doubts, it was clear Gertrude was dying to share her findings with someone.

  "It's quite obvious that alefs are automatons," she said. "The metal parts are a dead giveaway. But after spending enough time with their remains and comparing those samples with what I know of human anatomy, I'm starting to think there's a good chance we, humans, and the other sentient races might be as well."

  "Might be what as well?" Gaius asked to make sure he was getting the message.

  "Automatons," Gertrude said.

  "Automatons," Gaius repeated after her. "I don't feel like an automaton."

  Gertrude bit the inside of her lower lip. "Perhaps automatons is too crude of a comparison. And I'll spare you the needless magical jargon, but if you look close enough at a living creature, you can recognize the building blocks it consists of. And there's no doubt in my mind. We share more than a few of those with alefs."

  "But can't it simply mean that whoever made alefs combined some metal with a bunch of human parts. It's quite grisly, but it's possible, right?"

  "Yes, it's possible," Gertrude agreed. "And it's the main reason I've not shared my findings with anyone until now." She rubbed the side of her face, wiping away a pained expression. "But I honestly don't think so. Those shared strings of basic blocks we have with them are close, yet ever so slightly different. And now that I know where to look, I'm noticing similar patterns in dwarves and elves."

  Gertrude, the old wizard with her pink robe and unusual tower, looked odd but not insane. And that was the scariest thing about this interaction. Sane wizards of her caliber were rarely wrong.

  "I'll be sure to share your concerns with Vasily," Gaius promised.

  He got up from his chair. This time Gertrude didn't stop him.

  Still, she looked up at him and said. "And no one else. I'm well aware of how it all sounds. That's exactly why I must continue my research without any needless interruptions. So be a dear, tell that captain that the next time there's a ruckus on my lawn, I might not be so magnanimous."

  Story Facts - Chapter 19