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“I don’t know. Maybe it can bypass the Gate’s magic, or maybe it avoids the barrier altogether. But none of that really matters. The only thing that does is the way to get in—and out.”
A cluster of fae with talons and downy black feathers running down their arms brushed past me. I did my best not to stare and leaned into Razai. “And how do we do that? You mentioned a train?”
“Think of a subway mixed with a portal and you’ll get the idea.”
Music jarred to life. I jolted and turned to see an old, seemingly dilapidated tavern shoved in between two buildings. The warm lights and raucous laughter sent a chill down my spine for some reason. Maybe my intuition magic was waking up and telling me the high danger potential here. “How is this place allowed to exist? How has it not been overtaken?”
A woman with green scales for skin and a hunched back bared her teeth at Razai. My fingers tightened on his arm, ready for a confrontation. But as soon as Razai noticed her, he lowered his eyes and bowed his head in respect. To my surprise, she returned the gesture. She tracked him with slitted, orange eyes as we passed.
He answered, “Oh, people have tried. Trust me. But the Underground isn’t a stagnant piece of dead magic. It defends itself when it needs to. Doesn’t mean people don’t get slaughtered in the process or that the whole history has been peaceful, but so far, no one’s been able to destroy the Underground.”
“So, all those times you were talking about the Underground and sneaking between Territories, you knew with absolute certainty that it was real?”
“Yup.”
He grunted when my elbow wedged between his ribs. I hissed, “You’re such a dick. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Those hurt puppy eyes were almost convincing when he replied, “Would you have believed me?”
My teeth clacked shut. It had taken me a while to even believe what I was seeing here. If Razai had claimed to have been here before, I probably would have written it off as another eccentric little lie.
Razai chuckled. “See? Give me a little credit. I know you better than you think.”
“Whatever.” My attention snagged on something interesting, however. Something that made me pull Razai to a stop. He paused, and I steered us right toward the oddity I wanted to examine.
Beneath a tattered beige canopy that clearly had once been colorful, an ancient human grinned at me with half his teeth. He croaked, “Hello, dear. See something you like?”
“Not particularly,” Razai answered with distaste, his eyes locked onto the man’s wrinkled, dirt-crusted hands.
But I didn’t care about the creepy man. I stared at the sign beside him. “Curious Spells and Cocktails? Seems like a strange name.”
“Does it?” the human replied, clearly thinking me funny. “It’s quite accurate. All potions, herbs, and spells are curious in their own right.”
I squinted at the logo on the old leather banner. A sunflower with a crescent moon at its center didn’t scream spells or magical cocktails to me. And yet I felt myself drawn in.
Why?
The feeling was weak, but I recognized that pull from my intuition magic.
When I didn’t immediately answer, the man pressed, “We have a rare sale today, miss. Ten percent off all transformative goods when you buy five! Very, very lucky!”
“Shut up,” Razai snapped with surprising venom. “We’re not looking for your magical drugs. Isra, why’d you stop?”
“I’m not… I’m not sure.” Even though my gift still felt tired and muted, it had to have some juice left to nudge me forward. The old, checked tablecloth didn’t show anything of interest. The little bottles filled with dark liquid didn’t necessarily interest me. The labels meant nothing, and the man was…
He displayed his half-rotted teeth again.
I fought the urge to step back.
Nothing called to me, but my intuition remained insistent. So, what in the hell was I supposed to notice or find?
“A pamphlet, then,” he offered, handing me a plastic foldable with clear bottles pictured and their labels.
“Thanks,” I said, this time retreating. Razai resumed his protective hold on my waist, and I finally admitted that I probably was just on edge.
However, as we took our first steps away, I noticed the window behind the man for the first time. A woman stood behind the dark glass. For a breath, I almost imagined meeting her gaze right before the crowd swallowed us.
My instincts sparked and died in the same instant.
