The girl led Xeron and Tara through the Lower Quarter, winding
her way through the back alleys and skilfully avoiding any potential trouble. Once
or twice a street ruffian would glance over at them, then see that the girl was
with them and look away again with a nod, as though silently understanding the
situation.
"So, uhh… what's your name?" asked Tara after a
little while.
"Martina," said the girl.
"I'm Tara," said Tara. "My friend here is
Xeron." She gestured in Xeron's direction.
"Pleasure to meet you, I guess," said Martina.
"So… I'm guessing this place is somewhere here in
the Lower Quarter?" asked Tara.
"Well… kinda," said Martina. "It sorta is,
and it sorta isn't. You'll see what I mean in a minute. It ain't that far
now."
Sure enough, only
a couple of minutes later, Martina came to a halt outside what appeared to be
an ordinary herbal remedies shop. "Alright, here we are," she said,
lowering her voice. "I gotta tell ya, though, this place is top-secret.
Tell nobody about it unless you know they're a Witch. Got that?"
Tara nodded. She was well aware of the need for secrecy
among the Witch community, and the potential consequences if the secret ever
got out. "Alright, good," said Martina. "Now, follow my
lead."
The trio entered the shop. Even now they were inside, it
still appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary herbal remedies shop. The air
was filled with the scents of dozens of different wild herbs and spices, mixing
together into a mild, soothing aroma. It was a very pleasant atmosphere, and
much unlike the emporium of arcane books and artefacts that Tara had been
expecting. Now that she thought about it, of course, the magical items were
most likely kept out back, away from view; putting them on display would be suicide.
Martina strode purposefully towards the elderly man at
the front desk, and Xeron and Tara silently followed behind. "Good
afternoon," said the old man, bowing slightly. "How may I help
you?"
"I'm looking for a spice that reminds me of
home," said Martina. "You got anything like that?"
The old man gave
her a knowing smile. "I'm sure I can find something out back," he
said. "Are your two friends after such a spice as well?"
Martina nodded. "We all miss our homes very
much," she said.
The old man nodded, and pulled a hidden lever under his
desk. A small passageway silently opened in the wall behind him, seemingly
leading underground. "Then I hope you find what you are looking for,"
he says. "Go quickly."
"Thanks," said Martina, before heading through
the passageway. Xeron and Tara also extended their thanks to the man, before
heading in after her.
The passageway did indeed lead underground, and quite
some way; there were no lights, and it was hard to see where they were going,
especially after the entrance to the passageway slid silently shut behind them.
"Will we be able to get back out again?" asked Tara.
"Oh, of course," said Martina. "There's a
special knock you'll have to do; I'll show you that on the way out."
"I assume what you told him was some kind of secret
code?" said Xeron.
"The stuff about a spice that reminds me of
home?" asked Martina. "Yeah, that's the entry code. It's shows you're
a Witch… or at least, someone who can be trusted. If you don't know the code, this
is just a place that sells herbal remedies. But if you do…"
Xeron and Tara noticed that the tunnel was starting to
get lighter, and as the path levelled out, they suddenly found themselves in what
could only be described as an underground marketplace, carved out into the rock
and dirt several metres below the city. All around them were shops catering to
both Black and White Witches, spelling spell books, potions, conjuring staffs, magical
garments, and just about anything else a Witch could ever want. Dozens of
Witches milled around the square, some carrying small sacks of goods, others
clutching spell books or staves. The whole area was lit with blue torches that
were no doubt magical in nature.
"…it becomes a whole lot more," Martina
finished triumphantly.
Tara let out a gasp. "Wow… this place is
amazing!" she said.
"Sure is," said Martina. "Welcome to the
Reservoir: the greatest underground network of Witches in all of Albion.
Whatever it is you want - books, staffs, whatever - you'll find it here."
She turned to Xeron and Tara, revelling in the looks of awe on their faces.
"So, we good now? All forgiven?"
Xeron nodded, an awestruck grin spreading across his
face. "Yeah," he said. "We're good."
"Sweet," said Martina. "I'll go talk to my
buddies, let 'em know you guys are off-limits. I'll leave you to your shopping;
I'll be in the entrance tunnel waiting for you when you're done."
"Okay," said Tara. "Thanks, Martina. I
don't know how we would have found this place without you."
"You wouldn't," said Martina, a hint of
smugness passing into her expression. "Alright, see ya later then."
With that, she headed off, and Xeron and Tara were left alone.
"So… you're the Witch here," said Xeron. "Where
do you wanna go first?"
Tara had never been confronted with so many magical items
for sale before. She had no idea where to start. She looked all around, taking
in the various sights and smells of the Reservoir, growing more bewildered with
every glance. "Uhh…"
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