Ethrea

I . desert

I woke up in a desert.

Thunder rumbled overhead and my thin jacket did little to repel icy rain. I stumbled around, seeing blurry blue lights through the downpour which mingled with flashes of lightning. Maybe they belonged to a city.

My boots, heavy with numbingly cold water, caught on rocks and brush. I held my pendant in my fist, praying for mercy. Please, I can't die now.

"What the hell are you doing out here?!"

Someone grabbed my arm and knelt to open a hatch hidden by sand.

"Get in!"

I clambered down and heard a clang followed by silence. Lights buzzed to life. We were in a tunnel shelved with containers and lined by exposed wires. Wet, mousy hair stuck to the boy's forehead and dripped onto his freckle-kissed nose.

"You," he panted, "are so lucky I was outside. Hi, I'm Adrien."

"Thank you, Adrien."

He smiled, then noticed my pendant. "What's that?"

Its glassy surface shimmered faint blue even in dim light. Adrien tore his gaze away from the mesmerising pendant and pulled a dagger on me.

"The one day I decide to be nice is the day I help a Sentry."

"A w-what?!"

He rolled his eyes. "Micheal would kill you on the spot. Don't even think of trying magic."

"I don't know what a Sentry is." I shivered. "I can't...I can't remember anything."

"Adrien! Who is this?" A man emerged from one end of the tunnel.

"M-Michael! She's—um, she's..." He looked at me. "She's Félicie. My partner for the mission."

Michael crossed his muscular arms. "I was not informed of this development."

"I told Sarah, sir."

"Ignoring protocol again, are we Calla? Let's hope Sarah was right in choosing you for this mission. Speaking of which"—he tossed a worn satchel—"your supplies."

Adrien sheathed his dagger to catch it.

"Be back by morning. Or we'll assume you failed like the other one."

"Yes, sir." We stood quiet, waiting for Micheal to be out of earshot.

"Why did you protect me?"

Adrien switched on a flashlight. "I haven't eaten breakfast yet. And executions always ruin my appetite. You coming?"

"Depends on where you're going." As if I had much choice.

"Crazy."

He grinned, his amber eyes glinting like a wily coyote's. Only the fear of being left alone in a dark, tight space pushed me forward. Musty air chilled me to the bone. I held the elbow of Adrien's sleeve as we walked the labyrinth.

A square of bluish light shone above us and Adrien reached to pull the hatch open. We stepped out to concrete, glass, and levels of an indoor city crawling with life.