This was the second time in a day that Seth wished he could have just walked wherever Algea wanted to go. He was lying on the sand looking up at the sky, trying not to puke what little he had eaten all over himself. Unlike Algea, he had landed hard in this new world. The sand coated him and irritated his eyes as he blinked at a clear blue sky.

“Blood travel doesn’t agree with you.” Algea stood over Seth with her head cocked to one side. Her braids tickled Seth’s nose as she leaned over, checking for anything serious. She decided he was fine, grabbed him under his arms and lifted him to a sitting position. Seth swayed forward, but she caught him and dusted the sand off.

“You will get used to it eventually,” Seth only groaned as he tried to curl more into himself. “On the bright side, we shouldn’t have to do that again soon. I could only get us close enough to the city to walk a little. It should just be long enough for you to feel better. Come!” She pulled him up shakily to his feet. “Walking helps with the nausea.”

Unfortunately, Seth had to agree with her. After a couple of steps, he felt better. The sand shifted as he stepped, wearing him out faster than expected. His shoes were already full of sand, but Algea seemed unfazed. Looking down, he noticed that she didn’t have normal tennis shoes. Her feet were covered in a black fabric up to her waist. The soles covered only the toes and heel of her foot with pieces of leather. Seth also noticed that besides the simple top, she only wore a thin linen skirt on top of her shoe pants hybrid. The skirt only covered the sides and back of her legs, acting more like a cape than a skirt. Her arms and most of her torso were bare, showing off many dark and silvery pale scars littering what skin he could see.

When Seth first saw her in the alley, she was completely covered in dried blood and was only in a pair of shorts and a shirt. He was beginning to think the outfit was more for camouflaging the human world than what she normally wore. If he had been honest, what she wore now would have turned heads even in the busiest city.

Algea suddenly stopped and threw her arm out, causing Seth to stumble a little. She was ridged and looking around quickly.

As suddenly as she had stopped, she scooped Seth up and sprinted to a nearby rock formation. If Algea hadn’t been so serious, Seth would have demanded to be put down. The thought of someone seeing this small woman carrying a tall, lanky Asian man bridal style had Seth blushing in embarrassment.

Algea dove behind the rocks, resulting in Seth sprawling out on the sand again.

“Hey!” Algea put her hand over Seth’s mouth. It was cool to the touch, which surprised Seth. The heat had him sweating rivers, making his clothes and sand cling to everywhere on him.

Algea peaked over the boulder to look for something. That was when Seth heard the sound of metal clanging rhythmically.

“I can’t believe we would run into her here.” Growling under her breath, she inched closer to the side of the rocks. Peering over the sandy bolder, Seth saw a tall woman clad head to toe in black armor. The armor was detailed in vines and was polished to the point the sun’s reflection blinded Seth for a moment. She was traveling alone, which Seth thought was odd, considering there was no civilization as far as he could see.

Algea tensed. Seth could tell she was getting ready to attack the woman in armor. Before he could reach out to stop her, a sound caught his attention. Looking around, he noticed something moving to his right. He saw a small piece of reddish fabric blowing in the wind. Shrugging it off, he turned back to Algea. Unlike Seth, she was fully focused on the piece of fabric, a small smile growing into a grin as she crept forward.

“Wait.”

Seth jumped, but Algea looked like she was expecting the cloth to talk. Inching back, she hid below the rock’s edge, making herself smaller. The metallic steps started to get quieter, but Algea did not move. Seth followed her lead as he, too, crouched even smaller.

A large gust of wind ripped through Seth as he curled tighter. The sand blew into his eyes, ears, and up his nose. His throat tickled at the new irritant, and he suppressed a cough. Algea must have heard the cough he kept in his throat because her eyes widened. Seth gave her a thumbs up with a grin, hoping to convey that he was alright. He wasn’t going to give their position away. Her eyes only narrowed.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Seth went back to hiding and listening for the sounds of armor. It was faint but still present enough that he wasn’t comfortable asking if they could leave the safety of the boulders. Algea shook her head, apparently reading Seth’s mind.

Several long minutes later, Algea relaxed and walked over to the red fabric. She bent down and yanked hard. A large sandy fabric was thrown in the air, raining sand onto Seth and Algea. Shaking his hair out, Seth got up to see what Algea had just uncovered.

In the ground was an old and broken wooden door with a spotted green copper ring as a handle. The wood was intact enough that with the cloth, the sand wouldn’t get in, but once removed, you could see fragments of a deep tunnel with a metal last.

Algea yanked the door open with an ear-splitting squeal. She just hopped down the tunnel with a small hand motion to indicate for Seth to follow. Unlike Algea, Seth decided to use the ladder.

The ladder was rough and weak, with rust. As Seth descended, he silently hoped for it to keep holding his weight with each creaking step. It was a deep pit, and as Seth went lower, he noticed the air getting more humid. With the dry air above, Seth started to have trouble breathing with the newly oppressive heat. With the wet air, the ladder also had gotten slick.

Seth’s foot slipped. His stomach dropped as he did. Luckily for him, he had made it mostly down the ladder. Unfortunately, his slip had caused him to land on his butt, jarring his back and causing him to cry out in pain.

Algea came over quickly and started to check him for any serious injuries. Her touch was light and methodical. She checked his head first and worked her way down to his feet. It was while she patted his arms down that Seth flinched. She prodded around the joints.

“You have sprained or broken your wrist. I’ll be able to tell which one later,” she stood him up after she had checked the rest out and had found no other injuries. His back was just sore, but the wrist concerned her.

“I cannot fix it now. Can you handle it until I have time to fix it?” She looked at him with mild concern. It was written in how she pressed her lips together and scrunched her nose.

“I think it is just a sprain. I should be fine,” Seth grinned as he held his hand close to his chest. Algea nodded in acceptance and turned towards the tunnel.

The tunnel was dark. The walls and ceiling dripped with water and green algae. The stones were slick, and both Algea and Seth slipped occasionally. The smell had Seth pulling a face, but they continued until a small light was visible.

The light belonged to a torch next to a metal door. It looked like one of those doors you would see for a secret meeting place. Like in the movies, Algea walked up and knocked. She was answered by a small opening appearing and someone asking for the password. Seth looked nervously between the person behind the door’s eyes and Algea. Algea pulled herself up to her full height before answering.

“I am the Reaper. My companion and I were led here by someone I assume to be working here. I advise you to let me in.” Her words were cool and calculated, and the threat was evident in how she glared at the person behind the door.

“Yeah, right. The Reaper hasn’t been seen in years. What proof do you have?” The voice was young, but it sounded jaded from years of experience. Algea only laughed.

“I guess that is what happens when you go into hiding for over fifty years. People just up and forget you,” She shook her head in annoyance before crossing her arms. “Trust me when I tell you, my proof is unpleasant. I wouldn’t want you to have to clean yourself off the walls,” Her Cheshire grin reflected the light as she leaned closer. “Your boss probably wouldn’t be too happy with this all being avoided by just letting me in.”

“I am sorry, but my orders are to not let anyone in unless they have the password,” His voice shook, but his determination held firm.

“Let her in.” A new voice came through the door. It was light and boyish, but as unintimidating as it was to Seth, the eyes that once were fearless were now wide.

“But boss,” The protest was cut short by the sounds of shuffling feet and a few thuds. After a brief silence, the door creaked open.

In the doorway stood two boys. The taller of the two were dressed in tan cloth draped all over and tied with a cord belt. The tan cloth looked pale against his skin, but the cord that held the outfit together was a bright red that stood out the most in his entire ensemble. He was covered in tattoos that swirled around his muscles, giving them more definition with small hieroglyphics hidden throughout. The smaller boy looked like the youngest of the two but was dressed in flowing clothes. They looked like they were made of a higher quality fabric than the one the other one wore, and his clothes were tailored into a white long-sleeve shirt and long dark tan pants.

“My apologies, please,” the one Seth could only imagine was the boss motioned inside with his arm. “Come in.”