Liam is just inside the door, wringing his hands as we step in. Why didn’t he follow me in? Is he not allowed to? Was he afraid of something?

  The Janitor waves a hand at the clerk. “No harm done. I caught our young guest before anything could happen. You can leave this out from the log.”

  “But, Lady Janitor?”

  “Relax, Liam. It’s all good.” She smiles at the clerk. Even if the smile isn’t aimed at me, I nearly stumble as my knees feel suddenly weak. “We’re heading out. Close your mouth, kid.”

  I snap my mouth closed and follow her. I guess I’m in the clear, after all. She could have just killed me if she had wanted me out of the Ride or taken me to a cell or something. We exit through the same door as with Lictor and I expect us to go to the Wily Wizard, but she walks us past it.

  I’m mildly disappointed. From what little I managed to taste last time, the stew was really good. I wanted to try it properly this time. It’s an odd thought to be having, when I’ve just run away from Lictor and gone on a Ride on my own. And been caught by another Janitor. I must be in more trouble than anyone has ever been.

  We arrive at another pub and she scans the room for an empty table. The pub is actually too fancy to be one. Everything has gilded decorations and the waiters are dressed in fine uniforms. One waiter bows to her and escorts us to a table. She asks for a coffee and says we will consider eating after a moment.

  I hold my hands on my lap and wait.

  “So, kid, please, tell me what the trouble is,” she says as the waiter has gone.

  I prepare myself for a long explanation, putting the pieces in place in my mind. I take a deep breath. “Ok, I know it seems there’s no other way than killing all the Kertharians—“

  “What?” Her face tightens.

  “The device we’re supposed to take to Kerthar?”

  She takes a long break, breathing in through her nose. “I have to admit I’m surprised,” she says after a moment.

  I could have guessed as much. I need to ask the real question. “Why?”

  “It’s not my area of responsibility, but as far as I understood, the plan was to postpone the problem.”

  I’m speechless. We both are.

  “Postpone?” I finally ask.

  She doesn’t seem to hear me. Her brow is furrowed. The waiter comes back and brings her the coffee. It’s pitch black, glinting rich brown, served in a laughably small and dainty cup on a delicate saucer. She thanks the waiter and takes a careful sip.

  “What do you mean—?”

  “I don’t know any more than that. Somehow, they want to buy us time to try to solve the problem without too much bloodshed.”

  “Buy us time?”

  She takes another sip and the corners of her mouth edge up. “Maybe it’s literally what they are going to do? Would that be more surprising than everything else you have experienced today?” A smile flickers on the edges of her eyes.

  I think about it. “Well…”

  “Actually, it would be,” she says. “We know even less about working with time than we know about using the Mountain Ride.” She sighs deeply and drinks the rest of her coffee.

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  What does she mean they don’t know much about using the Mountain Ride? It sounds like a slip, not something I was intended to hear. The contrast with Lictor is striking. He kept me off-balance intentionally, but I think she is just as lost as I am. It must be rare for a Janitor to be part of someone else’s Ride and not the other way around. I almost feel sorry for her. “You’re different from Lictor,” I say aloud.

  “I should hope so. We have our own areas of responsibility and we’re suited to those. Mine is cleaning up. That’s why I’m spending real time on you.” She places the coffee cup on the small saucer that it came with.

  “Real… wait, right, you’re not on a Ride!”

  “Shh, not so loud,” she says and pouts at me in mock disapproval. “We’re in a nice place.”

  The couple from a table near us glance at us. They look like caricatures of what Lille has said people in the city are like. Dressed in clothes that look expensive and uncomfortable, distaste evident on their faces as they look at me.

  I raise my hand to flip them off, but the Janitor grabs my wrist and pushes my hand down.

  “Kid, please.” Her tone is now firm.

  My cheeks burn. I knew it was a childish thing to try to do, but who cares? I’m trying to save these overdressed city folks, and they’re sneering at the village boy. “Why? It doesn’t matter, anyway. And my name’s Locke.”

  She fixes me with her eyes. In any other situation, I would drown in them, but now her look is too stern for that. “Of course it matters.”

  “But—”

  “Kid, Locke, listen. You can act like nothing matters when you’re on a Ride, but I think you shouldn’t. Lictor likes to say there are no consequences, and he’s right, in a way.”

  I furrow my brow. “What are you getting at?”

  ”Even if nothing you do on a Ride follows you back, you do. That’s the whole point.” She sighs and nudges her head at a waiter listening to an order at another table. “What would you think of me as a person, if I was nice to you, but rude to the waiter?”

  “I’d probably think you’re not actually a nice person.”

  “As you should. So, how about if I was acting like nothing matters when I’m on a Ride?”

  “But...” I really wish I also had a coffee or something, so I wouldn’t just need to face her stare and could take a moment to think about my answers while taking a drink. “It’s not the same!”

  “Isn’t it? How can you be sure that everyone you meet on a Ride is not a real person? A metaphorical waiter.”

  I stare at her.

  “Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Why I insist on cleaning up after ourselves? Treating everyone with kindness?”

  I swallow. I stop myself before I say “but” another time, without knowing how to continue. “I guess. It feels like it makes sense, but…”

  “The stakes are so high, you want to say?”

  I nod, glancing to the side. Lille would never accept the ends justifying the means as a justification for something. On the other hand, she hasn’t needed to think about stopping a major war, as far as I know.

  She smiles a rueful smile. “Unfortunately, they really are.”

  We sit in silence for a moment. She glances behind my back and raises an eyebrow.

  A waiter is immediately behind me, reaching for the empty cup and saucer. “Can I bring you anything else?”

  She shakes her head at him before I have a chance to say anything. The gesture spills hair over her shoulder like a waterfall of gold. As the waiter turns to go, she turns back to me. “Now, enough of ethics. You’re here to accomplish something.”

  I swallow, pulling my thoughts together. “Our mission. How can I find out more about it? If not yours, whose area of responsibility is it?”

  She grimaces, and I know the answer.

  I remember Finna mentioning the fossils . “Above him, I mean. The council?”

  She pouts her lips. “Well, yes. Getting them to listen might not be easy, though.”

  “Couldn’t you come with me? Help me!”

  “I couldn’t. Even if I could, I have my responsibilities to handle. I’ve spent as much time on you as I can afford to.”

  I’m about to argue back, say time doesn’t matter when on a Ride, but I remember this isn’t a Ride for her. What is it for her, then? I banish the thought. I feel that thinking too much about it would break me. “Anything you can do to help? Any guidance, even?”

  “Hmm,” she says, standing up. She throws a coin on the table. My eyes go wide as I see it’s a whole silver. “You’re crafty. That’s the whole reason you were picked for the mission you’re on. I’ll introduce you to Liam. He can point you in the right direction. Once you’re out of this Ride, tell me that Minerva says you can be trusted. She… I will help you.”

  I stand up and bow to her. “Thank you… Minerva?”

  She chuckles. “I’ll walk you back to the Hall. You realize what kind of hurry you are in?” Her face is serious again.

  I nod. Lictor must already have noticed I’m missing. It’s going to be interesting to see how he reacts to that. I need to find out how long it takes them to notice I’m gone. I’m hoping I can get back to the room in the real world before he realizes I’ve been gone at all. I’ll have to think how to defuse the situation so it appears natural. My mind’s whirring with plans and considerations as I follow her to the door of the cafe.

  When we step outside, the rain is just starting.