Ethereal Underground

by Briana Gaitan

  “It is not something you needed to know.”

  “You lied to me!” she insisted, trying to pull her arm from his grasp, “How dare you. I trusted you, and all these years you have lied to me. What else have you lied about? Do you sit under the Lilligan tree with all those gossipers and laugh at silly old Annalise and her naivety?”

  Leon frowned and let her go, “That is something we are required to tell everyone. It is a widely kept secret to keep those who would hunt them out from doing so. The fallen are evil creatures, yes, but they do look like us. Who was it that you saw?”

  “Endarial,” Annalise said, unsure of why she was still talking to him, “She was the same as before, except for her black eyes, but she could no longer create fire. Just as you said.”

  “Of course not, they are stripped of their powers once they are cast out.”

  “But she was wearing a ring that enabled her to manipulate fire…she carried a lighter with her. Oh and she was angry, Leon.”

  The male seraph froze, his eyes searching Annalise’s for more answers, “I had no idea. None of us did…that they had such things. This must be a new development. I must tell the Elders.”

  “See, I can give you information. I can get it for you, be a spy perhaps.”

  “No.”

  “I can do what I want, Leon, you cannot stop me. I have to help him. Ash. He and I have this connection. He can manipulate water, and I can feel him. His…feelings. They are intense, overwhelming at times. It is not natural. These things should not have come to pass, but I have made them so. I must make it right,” she explained, stepping towards her friend and putting her hands in his.

  Leon shook his head, sadness creeping up into his face, one that Annalise had not seen on his face before, “My dear Anna, that is not something you can do. The Elders have given us an ultimatum. They know about what you have done, and that the keeper was killed in the process. They think that you two are somehow working with the fallen since you were there when Jedzia’s soul was reaped. You were not supposed to be there during her reaping, this I know. She was one of my charges. It was her time, but you were not supposed to be involved. The fact that you were has thrown everything off balance. Things are not as they should be and everyone is scared. The Elders have decided that you should be cast out. Either this or you must prove yourself, that you are not a spy in our midst. You must kill the boy, Ash.”

  Annalise felt the breath catch in her throat, fear and panic setting in to her being. That was her choice? Kill the mortal or be cast out? “That is not fair,” she cried out, stepping out of Leon’s reach and wrapping her arms around herself, “I cannot kill someone, especially that mortal. What if we are bound? What if it destroys me as well?”

  “That is our choice, Anna, our only choice. I could not stand it if I had to cast you out.”

  “You?” she asked, taking another step back from him, “What are you talking about?”

  Shaking his head, he apologized and took a step forward.

  She took another step from him and glared at him, “You are still keeping secrets from me! If you had been honest with me in the first place, I would not be injured right now. These fallen, they have some sort of substance on their weapons that causes us not to be able to teleport, makes it more difficult to heal those who we need to heal, or ourselves.”

  “Are you hurt?” Leon asked, looking her over from head to toe, pausing when he saw the blue spot on the front of her dress. He walked over to her and fell to his knees, examining the wound. She was still angry, so angry she wanted to step back from him, but if she and Ash were to get anything accomplished, she needed to be at her best and healed.

  “Endarial ran me through with her sword with that substance on it. I do not know what form of alchemy she could get that from, but it was the same as what made it hard to bring Ash back. I am sure of it.”

  Leon ran his hand over her wound, taking it in, and looking up at her, “I will have her head. Don’t worry about that. Please stand still. I will heal you. Release your wings.”

  Annalise did as he asked, tapping her gold bangle and giving a content sigh as she felt her wings release to their full span. It had been several hours since she had been free, let herself be seraph and nothing else and it felt so incredibly good. Opening her eyes, she turned her attention to Leon and hoped he would be able to repair the damage that had been done.

  She watched him place his large hand over her wound and put pressure on it. Closing her eyes, she tried not to make a sound. It was painfully excruciating, and she knew that it was worse than she had originally thought. Annalise had never been wounded before, never had a reason to be in battle. Leon had countless times, however, and a guardian’s way of healing was rougher and more intense than a reaper, often needed in the heat of the moment. He began mumbling his blessing, fast and deep, low enough that she could barely hear it. As he did so, he pressed his hand closer to her, his other one coming to her waist as he steadied her. She put her hands on his shoulders and bent over slightly at the waist, the pain flowing from the wound and out into her body. She hoped Ash couldn’t feel this, the intensity of this healing. And the pain. Letting out a small cry, the pain retreated back into the world and she fell to her knees. It was gone.

  Annalise opened her eyes, meeting the green ones staring back at her in worry, “Are you okay? I’m so sorry it hurt you.”

  “I am fine,” she mumbled, lost in the moment for a second and realizing just how close they were to each other. For a minute, she wondered what it would be like to be this close to Ash, what it would feel like for him to touch her sweetly instead of always protectively. Would they ever have a chance to just talk? She could feel herself opening up to the mortal, thinking of him as a new friend, and looking forward to getting to know him more.

  Suddenly she stood up, opening her eyes in shock, feeling Ash’s feelings slamming into her.

  Something had happened.

  She turned to the house to see Ash running from the door and taking a hold of her arm, his blue eyes locked on hers, “The fallen are here.”

  “You have brought them here,” Leon said accusingly as he stood up and stared down the other man.

  “This isn’t the time to be fighting me when you have several evil guys coming up on your house, fighting your people. I’m the least of your worries.”

  Annalise let out a shriek, covering her mouth as Leon reached for his sword and pulled it out of its hilt, holding it up in front of him in a threatening manner, “Do not test me mortal.”

  “Stop it, Leon,” she demanded, moving into his field of vision, “The fallen are here in our realm. We must go.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Ash said, “I’m going to kill every single one of them.”

  Annalise could see the anger in his eyes, and feel the need to get revenge on the creatures that had killed his partner. The fact that fallen had found their way into the seraph realm terrified her, and she had to find a way to get him to leave. She put a hand on his arm, blue eyes going to him in concern, “They will kill you. And I-I cannot fight. Do you want me to leave by myself?”

  He looked at her suddenly, as if the thought had not occurred to him. She could feel just how much he wanted to fight, but also the realization that she could not. With a sigh, he nodded, “No, you can’t do that. I will go with you.”

  “I do not like the idea of you going with him,” Leon said and stepped closer to them. She could see the confusion on Leon’s face, the indecision. Annalise had never seen him unsure before, he always knew what to do, when, and how to do it. To see him so hesitant made the situation even more frightening to her.

  “We have no choice, Leon.” She pressed the button on her bangle to hide her wings before leaving.

  His eyes turned to look at her, understanding filling up the green orbs, “Just remember what we talked about. If you want to come home, you know what you have to do. If you cannot do it, I will do it for you. I want you home.”

 
; “I will protect her,” Ash insisted, reaching for his own weapon and pulling it out to display to Leon.

  Leon frowned at the dagger in Ash’s hand, “I suppose that will do.” He paused and gave the mortal a knowing smile, “I’m also sorry about your friend.”

  “Leon,” Annalise said hurriedly, begging him to stop talking so they could go.

  He turned to her, sword lowered to his side, and took her cheek in his hand, “I will come for you. I will have Endarial’s head, and Loki’s as well for harming you.” Then his lips were on hers, rough and passionate, something he had never done before. And Annalise froze, unsure of how to respond. She could feel Ash’s anger rising up in him and his sudden grip on her arm, jerking away from her counterpart and insisting they leave in a less than pleasant voice.

  She gave one last shocked look at Leon, and apologized with her eyes, unsure of what to say to him, before she teleported them out of their realm and left him behind.

  Ash

  The third time around, Ash was pretty much used to the whole teleporting thing. The moment he opened his eyes, he knew exactly where they were. On many parts of the planet, manmade oceans lapped up against the land in an orderly fashion. Back and forth, back and forth, the waves crashed against the rocks near the shore.

  “It’s my favorite place on the surface. How did you know to take us here?” Ash gave a small smile, but it faded quickly as he realized how drained he felt. He hadn’t slept in so long, and now the exhaustion had finally set in.

  “I felt you’re longing for this place, I just let your thoughts show me where to take us. I do not know exactly. I have never done anything like it before.”

  It was only a few hours till sunrise; still the moons shone brightly against the planet. The beach was where he normally took all his conquests, a way to ooh and ahh the women. This time it was different. He was with a girl he liked, but he had more on his mind than impressing her. After the conversation he overheard between Annalise and Leon, he was mixed up inside. Either she was going to kill him or let him live and lose everything she believed in. He just didn’t believe she would choose him over her Leon. When Leon had kissed her, he had to fight the urge to attack Leon and claim Annalise as his own. He had no right, and he had to keep reminding himself of that.

  “I’m sure Leon will be okay. He seemed like a…tough seraph.” He wasn’t sure of what words to use, what to say to comfort her. Annalise nodded, but didn’t look his way. Her eyes stayed locked on the waves in the distance.

  “Leon is a brave warrior. No fallen could harm him.”

  Ash nodded in agreement. His entire life, he had been taught never to run and to always protect those around him. He had learned to be a keeper and a keeper’s job was to keep the planet safe. In his early years, he had fought alien races and piloted space crafts. He had killed armies that threatened the safety of the planet, stopped riots in the layer, yet here he was running from the fallen. He felt like his masculinity had been ripped away from him. When the fallen soldiers had come running toward the house with fire, ice and electricity flying from their hands, his first instinct had been to stay and fight the fallen hoard that had ruined his life. He wanted to make them pay for killing Jedzia, but when he remembered that Annalise wasn’t strong enough to fight he knew he needed to protect her, so he agreed to go with her to safety. Just the thought of the last few days made him cringe. He would not run anymore, he would kill every last one of them. He just needed to be more prepared. All his weapons were at home or at Arie’s house. Once he was prepared, Endarial would regret ever touching Jedzia. He sat down in the warm sand and rested his hands behind his head. He needed a plan. If he could find out as much as he could about the fallen then he would be able to search them out. He also needed help. Arie was one of the best, and she was already searching out Loki. If she knew where Loki was then he could lead them to the others. The anticipation of killing Endarial weighed heavily on his mind.

  “Sit, Anna. I won’t bite you. I promise.”

  Annalise narrowed her eyes and slowly lowered to the warm sand.

  “Do you bite others often?”

  Ash snorted and decided to ignore her burst of innocence, but she didn’t let go too easily.

  “Should I want to be bitten? Is that some sort of mating ritual?”

  Ash shook his head and decided to put the poor seraph out of her dive of curiosity.

  “No- It was a figure of speech. If I wanted to ‘mate’ I wouldn’t be biting you...” He looked at her with serious eyes and watched her squirm under the pressure of his gaze. He loved watching her. After a few moments, he broke the silence.

  “What are you going to do? We can’t keep running away. Eventually we are going to have to face the situation.”

  She nodded. “I understand. I am just…disoriented.”

  When he felt the confusion radiate off of her, Ash scooted closer to her. He hated to see her so out of sorts, so unlike the seraph who walked up to him demanding to know who he was and why she had saved him.

  “I don’t know about you, but I am going to find Endarial and any other fallen I can get my hands on and eradicate that entire species.” The words sounded certain and brave when they left his mouth, but inside he wasn’t so certain. He was confused. Confused over this connection he felt with Annalise and confused over what he should do. Ash was pretty certain Jaron would tell the Officials about his part in Jedzia’s death and how he led the fallen to their homes. That meant he would never have the chance to be reappointed as a keeper. Strangely, Ash didn’t care as much as he thought he would. He did care that he wouldn’t have that sense of authority he once had. No more keeping the peace and order among society. He wouldn’t miss the rules and the tyranny from the Officials.

  “Are you well, Ash?” Annalise grabbed his shirt with her hand and shook him violently. It was then that Ash realized he had probably been sitting there for minutes not moving.

  “Geez, Anna, I’m fine. I was just thinking.” He rubbed his neck in pain. “You’re pretty strong for a little girl,” he joked.

  “I am not a girl. I am a seraph,” she corrected.

  “Right a seraph. Sorry,” he repeated. This girl needed to loosen up. He watched her stare at the small shining stars up above, the sky filled with distant planets and burning stars. These were the same planets that fought in ancient wars for control, and the stars that were slowly burning up one by one.

  He picked up some sand between his fingers and let it fall to the ground.

  “This used to be a desert you know. A few years ago, the keepers made the ocean and beach, hoping to grow sea life on the planet. This was all a body of water, hundreds of years ago. When it dried up, they tried to recreate the ocean. It was a huge failure. Nothing grows here. Now it is just a reserve for the ecosphere.”

  Annalise followed his movements with the sand.

  “We do not have this in my realm. I have never seen water this big, or these objects in the sky.” She pointed to the moons which shone high in the sky.

  “You don’t have moons?”

  “It is only green. Only day. Everywhere.”

  Ash snorted “You say that like it’s a bad thing. My world is dying. Nothing grows here. People live in darkness underground, breathing fake oxygen and scrambling for real food.” Ash stopped as he realized that he was now going to be one of those people. This may be the last time he would ever get to see the surface. Only keepers lived on the surface, to protect the planet from invaders. He was no longer a keeper.

  “You mortals are interesting though,” Anna pointed out. “You are free to pursue hobbies and relax and go to that bar you like and play games. Seraphs are all about duty and traditions.”

  “That must be a pain. I understand though. That’s the way the keepers are. But when I found my way into the underground, I realized there is more to life than duty.”

  She shook her head, “No, there is nothing more important.”

  If she could stop feeling so gu
ilty for what she did, maybe she could have some fun, he thought. He wanted her to branch out like he did and experience the fun in life.

  “One day with me, and you will learn there is more to life.”

  Annalise didn’t look too assured.

  “One day with you. I have turned my back on everything I believe in, watched your partner die and mine walk away from me,” she said.

  Ash raised an eyebrow; this was the first burst of emotion he had ever seen from her. He didn’t know what he could do to thank her for saving his life.

  “I am sorry, okay. I am sorry that I am so irresistible.” He said it with a joking laugh. Considering she was a little naïve when it came to sarcasm, he stopped when he saw her puzzled look.

  “Uh, that was a joke,” he clarified.

  “Do you want to be my mate?” she blurted out and then threw her hands over her mouth in shock. Ash sat up abruptly and looked at Annalise, who stared back at him wide-eyed.

  “Your…mate?”

  “Yes, what you mortals call….love?”

  Ash gave a small shrug, unsure of what to say. Her question was so forthright and out of nowhere. Maybe he had taken his flirting and jokes a little too far. He decided to be frank. Even if there was something between them, and even if he hadn’t been able to get her face out of his memory since she saved him, it would never work out.

  “Listen- I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. You are great Annalise, but we come from two different worlds. When this is over, we will go our separate ways.” He wanted to say the opposite of what came out of his mouth, but he couldn’t do that to her. He could tell that she had a hard time breaking even one rule.

  She didn’t react, only stared at him. He broke the silence.

  “Now it’s my turn for the awkward questions. Do you want to be my mate?”

  She cocked her head to the side and uncertainty crossed her face before she shook her head. “That is not your business, but no.”