Sunlight streams in through the sheer white curtains at last, the first hint of dawn finally peeking over the tops of the hodgepodge of varying rooflines and steeples. I stand at the window alone as I watch the sky continue to lighten, Indigo still sleeping in the other bed behind me. The sheets rustle suddenly and I look over to see that she's sat up, her arms stretched up over her head.

"You're up early," she mumbles.

"Yeah, the jet lag feels weird," I admit, "I think the nap I took on the plane messed with my sleep pattern."

"What time is it?" she asks as she squints at the alarm clock on a dresser against the wall.

"5:30, Ms. Vera mentioned a tour of the catacombs around 7? They got special permission with a tour guide to go into a completely different area the public isn't usually allowed to go into."

"You're up for a tour of the catacombs?" Indigo counters in a flat tone.

I shrug at this as she shakes her head and shudders.

"I'll go if you go," she concedes.

"You don't have to," I assure her.

"Nope, my mind is made up," she quips, "I'm going to take a shower and then we can grab breakfast."

****

Narrow, concrete stairs take us deep underground, each step bringing us closer to a force of magic that is making the hairs on my arms stand up. The air is damp and slightly chilly down here as I keep my breathing light and careful. Countless sigils cover the walls, some of them overlapping each other.

Invisibility, confusion, protection, multiple soothing type sigils, others for concentration, for pain relief and healing.

This place was a sanctuary, I realize.

The tour guide at the front of the line takes an abrupt turn as they step into a small alcove and motions for us to follow her. Indigo has her hand firmly wrapped around mine as she gives me a nervous look. I obediently follow the tour guide as, at the end of the alcove the wall flickers.

"We are about to enter the inner sanctum of the Lune de Feu Coven, we ask that you keep your voices down and be respectful," the tour guide cautions us.

The wall disappears then and I try to peer past her, but all I see on the other side is darkness. Even with our voices low I can hear that they're echoing in the space past her. Torches flicker to life, the light a bright white that begins to fill the chamber. A tunnel with carved, white stone steps lead down into the darkness as we descend even further.

We have to be at least eighty feet underground by now, maybe more, how far does this go?

I almost feel like ducking as the tunnel roof becomes lower, the walls narrowing in on us as we're restricted to a single file line.

"Between the years of 1550 and 1700, two thousand witch trials occurred in France, the first execution in Paris happening in Le Chatelet in 1390 resulting in the death of Jeanne de Brigue, who was an innocent mortal," the tour guide tells us, her voice low but still somehow carrying far enough we could hear her. "Thus the sacred sanctuary of the Lune de Feu was created, carved out deep enough beneath the city to ward off unwanted attention."

The tunnel drops away from us then, as we descend the last bit into a large cavern. White pillars hold up the ceiling as it rises far above us. A large, flat platform makes up a majority of the center of the cavern, as a set of five steps lead up to it.

"This place served as a safe haven, allowing for witches to heal others, the platform ahead being used for a myriad of healing."

Even with the tour guide whispering, her voice still carries in the cavern. Somehow, some way, it felt as though we were being watched as the rest of my team silently follows the tour guide up onto the platform.

In the center there is a large, rectangular pool maybe no deeper than five feet. Crystal clear water fills the pool and I can sense some sort of enchantment has been placed on it, likely something to keep it pure. Tiny, white tiles line the pool and I can only wonder how much time it took to line the pool with them.

The base of a small pillar sits at the far end of the pool, the top having been cut off at some point. It must have been an intentional cut, as it's a clean slice that has left the top of it smooth.

Even though I knew that this place served as a sanctuary, I can't help but feel that the pillar had something...sinister about it. I don't get to think about much, as the tour guide continues to usher us into an adjacent labyrinth of hallways.