Connor first met Garrett Clarke while doing his school shopping at the Undermarket , a secret location where the magical community met to exchange goods and services . While Connor grew up knowing of the existence of magic , Garrett was a fluke , the first in generations to show signs of power . He and his family proved out of their depth amongst the Folk , and only Connor ’ s mother intervening in a nasty misunderstanding with a minotaur got them out unscathed . Everyday stuff for the McTaggarts , not so much for the Clarkes . Connor suspected if he didn ’ t find his new friend , and fast , Garrett might land in similarly hot water .
Through the main doors , a long hallway stretched before him , bustling with kids . Rows of dull blue lockers , dented and scuffed from years of use , were covered with colorful fliers advertising clubs and activities . A rush of air was Connor ’ s only warning to duck as a student literally flew over his head . The blur of denim and feathers was there and gone in a flash . No way , he thought . Tall elves strolled by with their backpacks floating a pace behind them . A gaggle of short , green goblins hurried past him , chattering in their high-pitched native tongue . He smelled singed hair and saw two orcs wrestling with each other , one of them slightly on fire , before a teacher appeared to lift and separate them with a simple gesture and a stern glare .
The school ’ s main hallway branched off into dozens of side-passages in every conceivable direction , and down each one Connor noted a flash of light , a strange face , or a rancid smell he desperately wanted to explore . Only a nagging in the back of his mind that he needed to find his friend pulled him toward the broad double doors labeled “ DORMITORY .”