the road, which read “Chief Biglot's Magic Market: Deals Guaranteed!”
Ben smiled. When they said “deals guaranteed”, they generally meant for the seller, who would do all in his considerable power to extract as much money from the hapless buyer as possible. Chief Biglot was a prominent dwarf lord, and this was his market. Dwarves were the best hagglers, bargain hunters and salesmen in the Unseen Kingdoms, and Chief Biglot hired a hundred of the best to sell his wares. Striking a deal with one of his salesmen was like going into battle. There were deals to be had, but you had to be good – very good.
Ben had never been here himself but had read a lot about it when studying in Trade. He knew a few friends who had come here and somehow spent all their money with nothing to show for it. But if Ben could get a few good spells and avoid getting completely ripped off, he was sure he would score well with the Department of Trade. On the other hand, if he ended up spending more on a spell than at the “W” store, things could go sour very quickly.
Ben walked slowly, watching the masters in action. The sound of dwarves advertising their wares in deep, throaty voices, coupled with the frequent, often argumentative haggling, filled the air like a wall of noise.
“Staffs of Levitation, 50% off until 3pm today! Only five left!”
“Heat-proof spell pouches, three for the price of two.”
“Largest variety of air spells here!”
Ben pulled out a list of spells he figured he'd need, arranged in order of importance. Could he get everything for just two hundred pounds? Ben glanced at his watch. It was 11:30am. He would give himself an hour, no more, to get everything.
Ben rubbed his hands together and, like a fighter going into battle, joined the fray.
Last year, Ben ran a national half-marathon in the heat of summer and finished in the top ten for his age group. That, it turns out, was a walk in the park compared to the hour he spent buying spells. If it wasn't for his training in the Department of Trade, he would have lost all his money in the first ten minutes. But he had studied dwarf salesmen extensively and knew many of their tricks and how to deal with them. Never show any sign of fear or fragility; don't be afraid to walk away; never accept their first three offers; ask to see proof of any claims they make; never tell them how much you have to spend. There were many other rules, but those were the ones that saved Ben this morning. After an hour of intense bargaining and sweating, he emerged with almost everything he had on his list, with twenty pounds still in hand.
Ben stumbled back to Taecia Square with his purchases and allowed himself a fifteen-minute break at a café while he downed some lunch and got his breath back. He tucked into a chicken baguette, surveying the crowded square. Somewhere here was an Institute examiner, watching and assessing his every move, most likely invisible. Ben considered his work so far. It was just past midday and he had demonstrated his ability in the Trade and Scholar departments. That still left Spellsword, Warden and Diplomacy.
Once more feeling the time constraint, Ben finished up his lunch and headed on his way. His next destination was the Dragonway. Ben stood impatiently on the platform, and was glad when his dragon turned up after just five minutes. The journey took a little longer than normal, for instead of stopping at Croydon, he was heading into London. Ben spent the time studying the sheets of paper he had taken from Grignak's file, gleaning every last bit of information he could.
It felt strange not getting off when the dragon stopped at Croydon and, when they continued into the tunnel, Ben felt a little buzz of excitement, going into the unknown. After another fifteen minutes, the dragon arrived in London. Despite having been to the Croydon station every day for the past several weeks, the London station took his breath away. There were five platforms, instead of just one. The ceiling was impossibly high and had a faint curve, creating a dome-like effect. Thousands of twinkling lights shone down on a station that was both more modern and yet vastly older and grander than the Croydon one he was used to. Amid the smoke and roars from the dragons was the chatter of