How It All Goes Down
- The Patrician stares at Rincewind while being informed that they caught the wizard riding a horse full throttle toward the Hub Gate.
- The Patrician spells out Rincewind's crimes: oathbreaking, theft of a horse, and circulating fake coinage (1.7.7).
- Rincewind tries to argue against that false coin charge but backs down.
- In the corner of his eyes, he spies a flickering shadow.
- Note: All wizards on the Disc see death just as they can see the octarine, "the basic color of which all other colors are merely pale shadows impinging on normal four dimensional space" (1.7.18). Death also comes for all wizards himself when they die, rather than outsourcing the task to a subordinate. If you think about it, it's really quite an honor in a take it or leave it sort of way.
- But the Patrician has other plans for Rincewind, and the shadow vanishes.
- He informs Rincewind that that Counterweight Continent is not a legend, but it is just as rich and powerful as the legends say.
- So instead of killing the wizard, he wants Rincewind to act as Twoflower's guide per their agreement and make sure no harm comes to the man.
- Should anything happen to Twoflower, no doubt the Agatean Emperor would seek vengeance. That would be dreadful for Rincewind because, as the Patrician says, the Empire's mercenary fleet "might find their anger tempered by the sight of [his] still living body" (1.7.41).
- Rincewind leaves, deciding not to ask for his five rhinu back.