Isaak let go of my hand and moved to touch the cavern wall. “Looks like sandstone.” He swiveled, putting his hands on his hips. “Where do we go now?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Gitrin said the way would open to us, but—” I broke off at the sound of approaching footsteps. “Someone’s coming.”

Before I could react, a bright beam of light hit me in the face. I cringed, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Don’t move, either of you,” a woman’s voice said. “What are you doing down here?”

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw a short woman with Bright Horizon’s traits: green eyes and straw-colored hair. She wore her hair loose, wild curls cascading down to her mid-back and out past her shoulders. Her face and hands were covered with pale freckles, a tell-tale sign of UV exposure. A plivoin. I froze in a panic, unable to think. I hadn’t expected to meet anyone here—no one besides Gitrin, or Ceilos, or the Liberator. I hadn’t thought this through at all, I realized with a sick stomach, and now we were finished.

Before I could react, Isaak said in a steady, solemn voice, “N’elytherios tou shenos.” I stared at him in shock—even more so when the woman grinned and turned off her lantern.

“Degiim n’elytherios,” she responded. “Safe passage to you. My name’s Eliin, I’m the guardian here. I haven’t seen the two of you before. New faction members?” She squinted at Isaak. “Ah, no, of course not. With traits like yours, you must have been born on the mountain. I’m surprised they let you out, alos—any Progressive would notice your anomalies in an instant. Of course, you know what they say—it’s so easy to manipulate a mind that’s reliant on the System.”

Isaak laughed and tugged his earlobe, making my eyes widen. The gesture made him seem so effortlessly Iamoi, I could almost look past his bizarre coloring.

“So, are the two of you returning from a mission?” She began to lead us down a narrow passageway, back the way she had come.

“Yes,” I said quickly. “We were delivering Ferre to Hope Renewed.”

Eliin tugged her earlobe knowingly. “No trouble with the Enforcers, I trust?”

I smiled. “Not a bit.”

“Excellent. Well, I’m sure you’re eager to get back home. Was this your first trip outside?”

I glanced at Isaak. “Yes,” he finally said, his accent barely perceptible. “It was… different than I was expecting.”