Ethereal Underground (Ethereal Underground Trilogy)

by Briana Gaitan

  Annalise wanted to beg him again to go, as she suspected the fallen were toying with them. The keepers were really good fighters, she could see that, and she wished she could pry herself from the grip of her captor to help them out.

  One of the males leaned down in front of her and blocked her view from the battle raging on only a few feet away from her, “You, my dear, look absolutely scrumptious. Leon will be so sad to see you dead. And I will make sure he feels every second of your pain.”

  “You are a filthy creature. You need to leave here before Leon comes and rips each of you to pieces,” she said, eyeing him and trying not to let him see the fear that she was feeling inside. Maybe if she did not show it, they would leave her be, but it was so hard. Her emotions had been so confusing and out of whack since she had saved Ash.

  The sound of metal hitting the floor, a weapon lost, made her freeze. She heard Ash continuing to struggle, and then she no longer heard that either. Only his voice showed any fight in him now, “Don’t you dare touch her. You need to leave before I kill all of you monsters.”

  The fallen in front of her smiled, moving to turn his attention to what was going on in front of them. Fear and anger were swirling around Annalise, choking her, making it hard to breathe as she raised her head to see Endarial was backing Jedzia up against the far wall. The older woman was trying to find an escape from the fallen, but there was none. Her dagger was out of her reach, her eyes were searching for a way out as the fallen grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground.

  “Stop! Put her down!” Ash insisted, being held back by two fallen guards. Annalise was caught off guard by the wave of emotions flowing off of him and somehow into her. He was angry, scared, worried, confused, rarely having been in a situation where he was not in control.

  Doing all she knew to do, Annalise sent out her water again and it beat against the fallen's back. Endarial laughed, loud and cold, and it filled the room with its terror. The fallen holding the seraph moved his hand to her throat, “I will rip off your head if you do not stop using that pathetic excuse for an affinity.”

  In fear for her life, Annalise released her powers, finding herself almost suffocating under the weight of Ash’s emotions and her own mingling with it. She wasn’t sure how she was feeling his emotions, but they pained the seraph and confused her as they slammed into her. Suddenly, Endarial went quiet, moving her face closer to Jedzia and whispering loud enough for the room to hear, “You will be my witness to them all. The terror of the fallen has begun, and no mortal or immortal can stop us now.”

  Annalise slammed her eyes closed as she heard the snapping of the older woman’s neck and Ash’s desperate screams. He was threatening them, demanding that they tell him what they wanted, who they were, his words jumbling over each other as she tried to fight back her own tears. She didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what she could do until the fallen let her go, her body dropping to the floor as she covered her eyes. She didn’t want to see the scene before her, hearing it and feeling it from Ash was bad enough.

  A new voice rang throughout the room, “What have you done?”

  The fallen paused, listening to the voice and turning their attention to him.

  Opening her eyes, Annalise saw the man entering the room. His frame was slightly larger than Ash, dark hair spiked upon his head, his large eyes going to the lifeless body of the older woman in the corner. He glanced over at Ash and glared at him accusingly, “You have brought them here.”

  Taking the time to crawl away from the two large fallen beside her, she pulled herself to her feet and tiptoed around them as they didn’t move, their eyes focused on Endarial for orders.

  “He has,” Endarial agreed, as the man stepped closer to her, “He has brought us here to kill the keepers. You are all doomed.”

  “Jaron, don’t listen to her, she has killed Jedzia. I will destroy them all, all of the fallen, whatever I have to do-” Ash insisted, but his words were cut off when the fallen clamped his hand over Ash’s mouth and forced him to his knees.

  Tuning out the voices around her, Annalise tried to teleport again to no avail. She crept over to where Ash was just as the male let him go. She grasped for him, seeing that the attention was all on Endarial and whoever this new male was. “Come with me.”

  His blue eyes turned to her, angry and sad at the same time, “I can’t, there is no way I am leaving here. Save her, like you did me.”

  “I am injured, I cannot heal.”

  “I won’t leave her.”

  “You have to,” she insisted, placing her hand on his face and begging him with her eyes, “If we can get away, we can work this out. If we stay and you die, there is no facing tomorrow. There will be no hope.”

  She could see the battle waging inside of him, but he nodded to her, taking her hand from his face and leading the two of them towards the entrance of the home. She was thankful he was going with her because she did not want to leave him alone. Pausing in the doorway, she turned to make sure that they were not being followed. It appeared as if they were all too interested in arguing with one another to notice the two of them slipping out the front door. Jaron was an interesting looking man, she noticed. He stood tall, his head high and shoulders square.

  “Jedzia was my friend Endarial, she was off limits,” Jaron yelled, kicking a small end table.

  “The young mortal was out of control. We had to contain the situation,” Endarial replied.

  “When I told you he was on the surface, I did not know they were coming here. You had no right!” he argued back.

  Annalise found it strange, the way they were talking to each other. They weren’t talking like strangers, but then again Annalise wasn’t mortal and the way all mortals talked seemed strange to her.

  “Annalise,” Ash snapped at her, jerking her from the doorway of the house. It was apparent to her that he had not heard the conversation or he would certainly have gone back into the home to fight again. She noticed that he was one to rush into things without thinking.

  She tapped her bangle and instructed it to lead them to the nearest area of weakness in the barrier between her world and his. “We are going back to my people. My counterpart will help us.” The words came out as sure as she could make them, even though she was not sure that this would be the case. He would help her for sure, but she wasn’t sure about Ash.

  They rounded the corner of the last house and Annalise pulled back on his hand to stop. She closed her eyes to feel the energy around them, “There are rips in space and time throughout your realm that lead to mine. We must find one.”

  Her eyes opened as she felt the familiar sense of home and she led him to the invisible rip that she was looking for. She held his hand tightly as the two of them stepped through the small space.

  Chapter Six

  Ash

  Moving through the rip in space was much easier than transporting. No sick feelings or dizziness, at least not from the travel. Ash felt Annalise pull his hand once more. He wasn’t sure where she was taking him, in fact he wasn’t sure of anything. His surroundings were blurry and his focus was uncertain. Her hand was warm though, and it was the only thing that kept him grounded to reality. After what felt like a century of waiting, he felt her push him down onto something soft. It was fluffy and warm, and all Ash wanted to do was close his eyes and never wake up. He had been in plenty of risky combats, but never had he lost anyone close to him. Now Jedzia was dead, and he was the reason. He had brought the fallen to her home; he should have never gone there. He couldn’t believe that she was gone. She had been his partner, his other half. It had been his job to have her back and keep her safe. Even though he wasn’t a keeper anymore, he had felt a major sense of duty toward her. She had trusted him when she opened that door to let him in; he had betrayed her by letting her get killed. He had been held back by insanely strong immortal winged freaks, and for that he would kill every last one of them. Ash wasn’t weak, he was a fighter. Endarial would soon under
stand that, and if it was the last thing he did he would tear her apart with his bare hands.

  He felt someone put a piece of fruit in his hands. Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up at Annalise. She looked worn out but the light still shined from her blue eyes.

  “You are a mortal. You need to eat and sleep.” Ash shook his head, he couldn’t sleep. Not right now anyway. Sure, he hadn’t slept in days, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw Jedzia lying on the ground. Her eyes were wide open, lifeless. Yet, the fruit in his hands looked fresh. He took a bite of the round yellow flesh. It didn’t taste like any fruit he had ever gotten at home. It was sour, and it melted in his mouth.

  Annalise put her hand on his back. “I am sorry about your friend.” Ash tried not to wince at her words. It had been almost thirty seconds since Jedzia had crossed his mind.

  “I’m going to put a sword through that fallen piece of cowl,” he replied. He gazed around at the scenery. It looked like someone’s home.

  “This is your home?”

  Annalise nodded. “My counterpart, Leon, he will be home soon.” The last thing Ash wanted to do was have to deal with her “counterpart”. They obviously lived together, and that made him somewhat upset. He took a minute to look around at the clean and tidy home. It looked similar to a mortal’s home in many respects, but it was overly clean and somewhat empty. It didn’t feel cozy or warm; it was practical. Without the need to eat or sleep, working constantly, maybe there wasn’t much use for a cozy home. Everything was natural, made from wood or cotton materials; such a difference from his home where everything was made of steel or metal. The roof was made entirely of glass; sunlight poured in through it and lit up even the corners of the room. He noticed a little nook in the corner of the room full of gardening supplies; a bucket of dirt, a watering pail, apron, and a few tools.

  “Do you garden?” he asked, nodding towards the pile of tools.

  Annalise nodded. “I have been trying, but I am afraid my plants may have suffered while I was gone.” She gave a big sigh and walked over to the watering can. She picked it up and walked over to an old wooden water pump sticking out of the floor.

  “Couldn’t you just, you know, use your affinity to shoot water from your hands or something?” Ash asked. He was still confused about how her world worked, how her kind lived.

  Annalise let out a smile, the first one he had seen from her. He was happy that she was starting to let her shell crack. “I cannot use my affinity right now,” she replied, motioning to the bloodied stain on the front of her dress, the place where she had been stabbed. Only he noticed that the color was a blue, instead of red. She walked toward the back door and out of the house, over to some rose bushes and plants growing on the side. Tired, but interested in her hobbies, Ash decided to follow her. He wished that he could do something for her injury, but he wasn’t a healer.

  “I do not understand,” she whispered, when Ash came up behind her.

  “What’s not to understand, your flowers look great.”

  Annalise poured some water on the plants and put her hands to her head in confusion.

  “I have not been able to tend to them in days, they should be dead. Unless….” Her voice trailed off but strangely Ash knew what she was thinking. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she brought him back to life, but right now her strong emotions poured off of her in waves. He could feel her. She thought that her counterpart had taken care of her flowers. She was grateful and proud of Leon.

  “He must care about you a lot.” Ash put his hand on her shoulder and forced out a smile. He was no match for her other half. He knew what she needed, he understood her. Most of the time Annalise couldn’t even understand what Ash was talking about. Annalise opened her mouth to say something. Ash hoped that this would be a protest. Something along the lines of “We are just friends” or even “He’s actually my brother, so of course he loves me.” But nothing came out of her mouth, her attention turned to something behind him.

  “Leon!” she cried, stepping back from Ash so his arm fell off her shoulder.

  The male seraph stepped into view, his eyes settling on Ash for a moment, staring coldly at him before turning his attention to Annalise. Ash tried not to glare at him. He didn’t like being ignored. He didn’t even know this seraph, but just looking at him made Ash want to kick him into the ground. He didn’t like the way he looked at Annalise- it was as if he knew her secrets. As if Annalise was Leon’s only focus in the world, and Ash was just an annoying gnat that swarmed around the two of them. If they started finishing each other’s sentences, Ash would throw up right now.

  “Annalise. I have been looking everywhere for you.” He held a large sword in his right hand, one much like Endarial had been carrying, and he carefully slipped it into a sling behind his back. Annalise didn’t move, didn’t say anything to him. Ash could feel the worry and uncertainty coming off of her, not knowing if she should go closer to him or not. Ash shook his head and gave a loud pretend cough; he hated awkward silences.

  “Is this the mortal?” Leon demanded, taking a step forward and studying Ash. They were almost the same size.

  Ash puffed his chest up and spoke. “Yeah, I’m the mortal. What’s it to you?”

  Annalise took a step toward him, her arms out to stop the two men from getting too close to each other, “Leon. I can explain if you will just listen to me.” Annalise held her hand out for his, asking for a moment of retreat.

  To Ash’s surprise, Leon’s eyes softened and he grabbed her small hand in acceptance. It made him sick that he forgave her so easily, and took her hand as if Ash wasn’t standing there. He crossed his arms in front of himself, trying to suppress the irritation building up inside of him. Why was he getting so worked up over her? Ash didn’t get these feelings often.

  “Leon, I made a mistake. I had to try and find out why I broke the rules.”

  Leon pulled her close, making Ash feel a bit more uncomfortable, again. Was it even possible?

  “I think I am going to give you two some space to talk…I’m going to go wash up,” he said, eyes settling on Annalise before turning to go inside and attempting to make himself presentable in their small home. At least inside he could listen in if he needed to. He could make sure Annalise was safe, and not have to see the way the two of them were acting around each other.

  Annalise

  Pulling away from Leon to turn and address Ash, she was disappointed to see that he was already inside of the house. She gave a small sigh and turned back to her counterpart, afraid to say anything else. She could feel the conflicted feelings flowing off of her mortal friend and she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. It was some of the same things she was feeling when she had seen him protecting Jedzia. What was this new irritation that she had felt? She would have to ask him when they had a minute alone. Shaking her head, she realized that she was considering trusting in the mortal, inquiring from him what these feelings and thoughts were, not Leon. Not the one who had been her best friend and confidant for her whole life. Somehow, things were different now, and she had never dealt with any sort of change before. Things had been the same for as long as she could remember.

  “What is on your mind, Anna,” Leon asked, getting her attention once again.

  She turned to him to give him a small smile and a noncommittal shrug, “I just do not know.”

  “He likes you.”

  Her head snapped up to look at Leon in confusion, a spark of hope igniting in her as well, “What do you mean?”

  “I think that he believes he has a chance to be your mate.”

  “Oh dear,” Annalise whispered, bringing her hand up to her face to hide it as if in shock but really to hide the burning that had crept up into her face. What was it making her act this way? She knew that there would never be anything between her and Ash. “He is silly, really, we seraph do not love. Becoming a mate and focusing so much into a relationship is simply…ridiculous.”

  When Leon did no
t reply, she felt her heart sink for just a second, making her think there was something more in his silence. Was he considering a relationship that was more than what was normal for seraphs? She lowered her hand from her face and looked up into Leon’s serious green eyes, “It is silly, right?”

  “Yeah of course,” he answered with a nervous cough as he took a step from her and pursed his lips, “Anna, that boy is going to get you into trouble. You are to reap these souls, take them to the Grand Hall. That’s it. You cannot heal them as you please, it is not natural and it does things to those mortals. I cannot say what, but it is enough for the Elders to be very upset with you.”

  “I know, Leon, but if you would just listen to me-”

  “It does not matter what your reasoning is, Annalise, this is serious. I am surprised that you are not taking it as so.”

  At that point, Annalise found herself speechless. Rarely did Leon call her by her full name, and rarely did he refuse to hear her out on her thoughts and her feelings, no matter how ridiculous they were. The worst of it, however, was that she could feel Ash’s presence, knew that he was close enough to be eavesdropping and hearing her being spoken to as if she were a child.

  “I am not that naïve, I know how serious this is and I do not need you talking to me as if I am a small child or one of your charges that needs protecting. You do not know anything about Ash and I do not appreciate your accusing words toward him. He is a fighter and you should be thankful that he has helped to keep me safe with the fallen around.”

  “Fallen?” Leon exclaimed, moving to take her by the arm, his strong hand wrapping around her forearm as he bore his eyes into hers, “What fallen?”

  “The fallen that attacked us while we were at Ash’s friend’s home. They killed her, Leon, it was terrible. They are ruthless, just like you said. Killing machines. But you will not believe this, they do not look like monsters! They look just like you and I, like they did when they were seraphs!” she exclaimed, her voice rising in excitement as she told him of these things and expecting shock to spread over his face. But it did not. She lowered her eyebrows, realization dawning on her, “You knew!”