Eternal sand dunes welcome our vision as we enter the North Quarter. It's bare. Steep and dangerous rock formations are apparent beyond those small hills that lie on a flat and sweeping landmass. Tris told me that it was a defence mechanism of their quarter to be seen as nothing on the surface. They were living underground and Tris once said that they reside under those rocks at the passageway of their infamous peaks– Nayon Mountains. But there is a part still in the Norte that exhibits their longevity– the Kotto. Kotto is the centre of the city. Where thousands of people spent most of the time they had on a day on it. The lively part of their quarter as Tris said. It is wide that it can be compared to one of our cities. Where the crowd is doing their own stuff, busy bustling in every turn. Where young ones play and learn their magicks. Where plants and crops fully cultivated are on sale on an active market. Shops are open with merchants, sellers, and buyers making their tricks on trading, literally and figuratively. More likely to say, it is an escape from the solitude of their homes. Finally, where we are off to, as Kotto is the only and last station of the Norte.
Ina leads the trail as if it's not her first time to roam over the busy ways ahead. She heads straight into a clothing boutique, where all sorts of garments or apparels, accessories, and accessions that feature the distinct style of a Terra are lined up in full display on several racks. She took out a few dresses of my size and successively stands to pay on the occupied counter, while I rest my hand on a coat, the colour of which reminded me of Tris' favourite– Sacramento.
"Are you going to take it?" A voice of a woman stunts me that I immediately pull out my hands off the coat.
"No," I say to her.
She quickly grabs the coat and leaves. She places her pay and a note on a desk at the back of the entrance door and skips the long line for paying. I, for the second time, get stunned at the sight of her that it freezes me. She is a maiden. I see her still wearing her white and golden robe while holding her veil until she covers herself on her bought-long coat. I barely recognize maidens on the academy except her. She was the one who watched me during my inquisition and accompanied me on my last day, on the night of my departure, which was only two days ago. Now, she seems like in a hurry and… hiding. A Prey for a hunter to catch on.
"Era!" Ina snaps and taps my back.
"What happened?" She asks while busy putting her bought clothes on our packs.
"Nothing– just– I saw someone familiar."
"My friend works at an antique shop here. It is not far from here." She talks and didn't hear me. "Let's go."
Ina walks out of the shop but in a more relaxed way.
"May I ask why, Ina?" I abruptly say as we keep jostling towards the bustling crowd.
"There is something in you that I had never seen throughout the years of my life. This friend knows certain facts we couldn't apprehend of. We're heading to him– or should I say her." Ina winks.
Ina stops at a shop that outshines the rest in the hall. Its majestic golden crown at the top of its foyer shines. Paints of various and random resemblances, scenery, and symbols on the wall glimmer as beads of crystals drew on them. Basically, it is exquisite and luxurious but in a good way.
"I know, it's weird."
"No. Actually, I like it."
It really uplifts my mood.
"Forever stare and behold darkness
Or make forward to enlightenment."
A pitchy and husky voice of a man at our backs interrupt and as we turn to the origin of the sound, Ina instantly recognizes the man standing on his glamorous and twinkling yellow-brown cloak as the rays of the sun hit him.
"Pablo!!" Ina, amusingly, screams.
"Linda?!" The man responds through my Ina's name and approaches her in a hug.
"What are you doing here?" He asks. "Let's go."
He linked his arms on Ina and leads her to the entrance while I follow them through but he stops me before I could enter.
"Oh, you?"
"She is my daughter," Ina speaks out.
"Oh, this is Era? Oh, sorry, darling."
He gracefully attaches his hand on mine and holds it by his chest— a gesture of respect and greeting from Terras. Tris also did it to me the first time we met.
"Let's go, darling."
Hand in hand, he lets us to his shop. It is pretty deep and simple inside. A mixture of light and dark colours reside on the walls and shelves, of which books and mysterious chests are properly kept and organized. All were sealed and hide inside the transparent glass. Nothing more, nothing less.
"I know it's weird." He voices out as he noticed my gaze roaming around.
"No, it's okay."
"Why are you here, Linda? The last time you consult me was years ago when Era was attacked. When was that? I don't remember. Breakfast?"
He gave us each a piece of bread and a cup of tea as we settle on an area he pointed us to sit in.
"What's with your huge baggage, anyway? Are you moving? Have you heard the talk of the town? The officers are furious now! They are looking for that missing man who raised an evil abider! The girl is dead now, what's the sense of hunting her remnants? It's an act of disrespect!"
I instantly look at Ina as we both knew whose he's talking about. But we were more confused as her friend while busy minding his own business as he spoke, shut down suddenly the door of his shop and locked it.
"You are the enlightenment, we must see." He suddenly, seriously, speaks, looking at me. "Will you help me move these?"
His compelling voice and conviction made Ina and I skip our meals and lend our hands to follow his detailed instructions. He ordered us to unzip sacks piled on the side, which were hiding beneath the curtains or walls in disguise. The bags, upon my curious glance, were full of sands, mud, rocks, or any other earthly matter, that stick and stuck golden keys on.
"May we acquire a clear vision of doing these?" Ina finally asks, in between.
"The maidens ordered our quarter to initiate immediate confinement in isolation for unknown days. We will be held in solitary on our home until that missing mister is found."
He left us no more instructions and told us to set aside. By then, he uses his magick to throw up the sacks and moves all the keys to their designated box. I was shocked to know a terra can push or control metals.
"I bet you are wondering why I can move all these? It has been, what, decades since I last used my elements." He suddenly says. "Fantastic, isn't it?"
He makes an enormous box out the materials scattered on the floor. Properly organizes the chests that are now released, onto that box. But consecutive and loud thuds on the door shut us all.
"Keep calm, in here." He speaks then a part of the wall on the back of the counter slides open, revealing a dim path ahead. "Stay there. Now, move!"
Ina and I run towards the secret door after her friend pushed the huge box on it. Then as the wall immediately turns back to its state, I see empty transparent glasses filled with chests again and everything perceivable is glowing and bright inside, far different from the sight when we entered his store. He made illusions. And I was not worried about our belongingness left on the other side. The real chests, however, are on our account, sparkling and twinkling that out of curiosity, I tap the one on top.
"Not yet, Era," Ina whispers, patting my hand to stop me, which only grows the itchiness of my mind.
One thing that grows curiosity is the sound of silence on this site and on the other side. We hear no sign of threat but that does not mean we are close on being safe. The glimmering chests always draw my attention but were obliged to only stare at them.
Eventually, the wall cracks and Ina's friend stands smilingly holding our satchels by shoulders and arms.
"Pick it out and put it on the box!"
Ina moves but I got stuck as the sound where it came from was nowhere to be found. The words clearly spit out but the man's mouth standing in front of us didn't even flinch a bit. He is just smiling. Then he turned into ashes and vanished as the real friend of Ina appears holding the golden crown we saw earlier at the entrance. Illusion.
He keeps us closer from each other as the walls ignite to become somewhat a wagon to ride. Block cement was intact and became our rail.
"Do the honour, Linda."
The path begins to glow when Ina gracefully launches her hand into the dark alley on the front. That was then I realized lamps were attached on every side of the passageway. I am stunned. Ina seems to know already the place that every gesture would not amuse her as I did.
"Heave ho!" Ina's friend yells out and the wagon begins to move.
The ride is not as smooth as I expected it to be. It is always shaking and I constantly find myself bumping my body onto Ina and her friend that were both on my side, calmly picking up their own stand as we move. It goes up and down, right and left, in zigzag moves that I might throw up. Sometimes I find the path splits into two but the carriage knew already the destination that it didn't stop to be hesitant of the direction.
I stumble and tightly clasp on the cement rail as it stops to, I assumed a dead end. But the wall rotates and the wagon and the rail that I had been holding soon be gone as it turns to dust. The wall completely opens us up into a room entirely a shelter for texts. It is incomparable to the one in the academy. Clearly, there was some sort of control towards the distribution of books in the academe but we just ignored that thought and let it sink. But there were a bunch of books on this room I am unfamiliar to read with and it's so fascinating to know the overwhelming scripts that were kept hidden among us.
"Fascinating isn't it?" Ina's friend pats my back. By then I realized myself voluntarily stepped inside. I am completely alone in the room.
I look at Ina who is smiling watching my bewildered eyes.
"Ina-" I stutter. I couldn't construct any more words.
"I know." She says as I am completely lost.
"Let's go. I will serve you a decent meal." Ina's friend offers.