Page 37 (1/2)

"We’re not exactly underground We’re in a nexus"

"So we’re not really underground?"

Elyssa touched her chin in a thoughtfulmostly on Earth but partly in another plane"

My eyebrows climbed my forehead "You just lost ed "Someone told me this place shares space with another plane of reality which is why you have the sky even if technically we’re on Earth If you walk far enough, you’ll hit an invisible hich keeps you fro for any hint of an alien landscape "You can see ray es anyway "Sounds like we’re in a bubble"

"That’s as good an explanation as any I’ve heard" She s "It’s not like anyone else understands how this place works"

"Wait, so how did it get here? Who ed "It was here already, just like the Obsidian Arch A few buildings already existed--those are located in the historical district--but the rest was just empty space and people built up over time There are others like the Grotto scattered across the planet, but only a few are this large"

"Isn’t that kind of spooky? What if bad people or things made them?"

She pressed a lock of hair behind her ear "Believe me, the Templars and Arcane Council studied these places and concluded whoever otten"

"Like Stonehenge?"

She smiled "No, that place really is just a collection of rocks"

"That’s kind of a disappointment"

We walked down Golden Way and I followed Elyssa through s smaller streets lined hat looked like houses, restaurants, and other stores Though the place wasn’t exactly bustling with life, I saw all sorts of supers A group of va to have the best teeth-cleaning spells in the Overworld Several young sorcerers eirls wearing yellow, purple, or pink, and the boys mostly in black A pack of what Elyssa told e haunches ofup and down the street

Everything about this part of the Grotto had an old world appeal, from the cobblestones, to the carved wooden placards above the quaint shops, to the livewhat looked like lutes, pan flutes, bulbous guitars things, and even a crazy-looking nut job prancing around with bongo drums and an oboe strapped to his chest

"This place is like Disney World without all the snot-nosed little kids," I said "I think I like it"

Elyssa grinned "It’s pretty quiet here today but it gets crazy around the full and new moon"

We turned down a street absolutely packed with booths and stores Every nook and cranny see and shouting about their wares One wo exotic purple snakes A man with a turban sold flutes he claimed would charm any animal There was even a joke shop I couldn’t helpat the wild array of iteuaranteed to cover anything with illusionary creepy-crawlers when one was broken, and grabbed a few "How much are these?" I asked the thin-faced proprietor behind the counter

"Barter or tinsel?" he said

I had no idea what he ht be of use I always need redients forlike that on me," I said "What’s tinsel?" All I could think of was the silvery stuff people put on Christ the shopkeeper an apologetic smile "He’s kind of new to all this"

"Do you take dollars?" I asked, showing hi an international marketplace like this would take nor se rate" He pulled out a tablet computer--I wondered if any sorcerer worth his salt didn’t have one--and pulled up a website na for just under a buck

I ended up buying a bag of the spiderout of the shop a very happy man I couldn’t wait to test theht have to run for our lives in a little while?" Elyssa said, her eyes bright with aotta live just to try this stuff out"

She laughed "Maybe we should send it to the exit so we can pick it up later"

"You can do that?"