Ethereal
underground
By
Brooke Kennedy & Briana Gaitan
Ethereal Underground
Ethereal Underground Series
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
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Copyright © 2013 by Brooke Kennedy and Briana Gaitan
First Edition, 2013
This is a work of fiction.
All characters appearing in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
The Mortal Rules
RULE ONE: Do not take anything they say literally.
RULE TWO: Always assume the mortal has another motive. They usually do.
RULE THREE: If they try to kiss you, always kiss them back.
- Finlay
The Ethereal Underground
Prologue
On a lush, green world in the farthest corner of the galaxy, the tiny planet of Cabalin stood far from the influences of any mortal being. Compared to the many larger planets which neighbored it, Cabalin stood out for a rare and exceptional quality. Its native inhabitants never died, and a portion of this magic extended to anyone or anything that lived there. Cabalin served as the ancestral home of a mystical race known as the seraphs, who lived in harmony with the planet, and possessed magical abilities drawn from its natural elements.
As many different species arrived and began to explore the galaxy around Cabalin, the planet was soon taken over by a humanoid race. The different races tried to live together in peace, but it was soon clear that the mortal beings were too violent and destructive for the seraphs. A powerful war began in the galaxy as different species tried to stake claims on all the newly discovered planets. Many of the immigrants in the galaxy sought refuge on Cabalin; even so the battles still entered the planet’s atmosphere. Eventually, a force of strong warriors vowed to protect the planet from the hostilities and created an ecosphere under the planet’s surface for inhabitants to live. The ecosphere consisted of nine layers of cities constructed from metal, and burrowed deep into the center of the planet. The warriors called themselves “the keepers”, because they kept the raging war in the galaxy off of the planet. The inhabitants of the planet trusted in the keepers, allowing themselves to be relocated under the surface and permitting the new officials to remain above.
The seraphs watched the destruction of their planet from the building of the ecosphere and the separation from the surface, but being a gentle and more peaceful race, they did not interfere. They did the best they could to help with healing the mortals after battles, sometimes sending their own males to help fight. Over time, the seraphs decided that they could no longer sit by and watch the annihilation of their home. They retreated from the mortal’s world, creating a separate plane of existence and closing the veil between the two. Shortly after their departure, the planet mysteriously began to die. The grass and trees withered away, the wildlife slowly died off and became extinct. For unknown reasons, many of the occupants started to mutate into vicious looking creatures who were then banished to the ninth layer, along with the remnants of the original inhabitants by the keepers. Ultimately, the seraphs stayed safely in their realm.
After centuries passed, the existence of the seraphs faded away into legends, and the reality of their presence was written down as fiction. Even then, the wars that raged on outside of the planet continued on with no end in sight. The keepers had rid the planet of intruders as far as they knew, but continued to wage in galactic battles. Still, the citizens of Cabalin grew restless waiting for the day when the war would end and they could once again see the suns.
Chapter One
Ash
As soon as Ash walked into the Ethereal Underground, he was surrounded by smoke. The swirling forms of purple, black and blue drifted through the bar, carrying the patterns and emotions of the life form that blew it out. The smoke looked unusually eager this evening.
Ash smiled; it was a good night to be here. He had just won one of the biggest fights of the Underground, and tonight he was celebrating. He normally didn’t have time to stop in and hang out at the Underground, but tonight he was free of obligation and commitment. He was taking a short sabbatical from his job as a keeper, and he finally had the time to step back and focus more on the fun things in life. He had spent his entire life within the keeper walls, being taught the importance of protecting the planet. The keepers patrolled the planet from the surface. The job was never ending and exhausting, and anytime he could Ash tried to kick back and blend in with the population.
The planet they lived on consisted of layers upon layers of cities. The keepers and other important Officials lived on the top layer, and the further down into the planet you traveled, the more dangerous and seedy the inhabitants became. In fact, he had to travel down eight layers just to get to his favorite bar, the Ethereal Underground. The people who surrounded him here kept their distance and never asked questions. Most of them disliked the keepers and he didn’t blame them. The inhabitants were kept living underground with limited access to supplies and electricity. Here he wasn’t a keeper; he was just a local nobody, and he preferred to keep it that way. He pushed through the hordes of bodies to make his way up towards the front of the bar. People danced up on each other as the sound of an ancient music box filled his ears. He recognized the tune immediately; that clunky wooden box only had a few songs inside, and since they didn’t make jukeboxes anymore he knew every word of every song on the playlist. Ash passed by a few small tables filled with Cabalins who were probably plotting something devious. They huddled closer as he walked by; afraid he might overhear their plot. He noticed a few drunken patrons were stumbling toward the exit, falling over every couple of steps. Everyone was smiling, laughing, and drinking to their heart’s content. The place was jam packed tonight, and everyone stood shoulder to shoulder. Well, at least those who had shoulders; some of those who frequented did not have humanoid forms.
Ash nodded at a few familiar faces that stood out among the dark crowds. One of them was the young and beautiful Arie Raines. With her long curly red hair and tall athletic figure, her beauty stood out among the other patrons. Ash noticed a few locals staring at her, yet because of her father, they stayed clear. She was in the corner of the bar, perched at the top of a metal staircase railing drinking from a mug, all while twirling a small dagger in her right hand. No other girl could make that look so casual. Arie was a local bounty hunter whom the keepers hired often. She was also the only person in the bar who knew who he really was, but luckily she knew how to keep a secret. Arie tossed her fiery red hair back behind her shoulders and nodded at the bar where her father sat. They were probably here on business looking for a bounty. If you needed to find someone, the Ethereal Underground was the place to do it. Ash winked back at her to let her know that he understood to keep clear. He smirked as her face turned red enough to match her curly locks. He had known her since she was old enough to join in on her father’s hunts, and she had never made her feelings for Ash a secret. Being a keeper also meant not being allowed the time for a real relationship, so Ash was careful not to give her any ideas. That didn’t stop him from flirting with her every chance he got. He just couldn’t help himself. Ash continued to push through the crowd, careful not to step on anyone and start a fight. He felt a few random people slap him on the back congratulating hi
m on his win. Each word of praise was received with a cocky grin before pushing past.
“Great fight,” said a girl with long brown hair. She pushed up against him as she danced in rhythm with the music. She ran her hands through Ash’s short brown hair, down his shoulders and stopped on his large biceps. She giggled as Ash impulsively flexed his muscles through his tight black shirt. “I’m Tanner. Buy me a drink?” Ash looked her up and down slowly. She was definitely a mixed species, but she could pass for a humanoid. He could definitely enjoy her, but wasn’t in the mood for groupies tonight.
“Maybe some other time, find me later?” He stepped beside her and continued to push through the crowd. The low lighting mixed with all the smoke made it hard to see up close, but somehow he managed enough to make it to the bar where the owner Maize was handing out drinks. Maize’s face lit up when she saw Ash.
“Ash, darling, it’s been too long. Come have a drink on the house.” She swung around to grab an empty glass from behind the bar and started to fill it up. Maize looked tough for being as small as she was. She stood only about three feet tall, but a small pair of translucent wings kept her towering above everyone else. She flashed him a wicked smile. Ash watched as her mocha colored skin lightened to match her wings. Even though he had seen her change colors a million times, it still freaked him out. All of the keepers he had grown up around were of a humanoid race. The species that frequented the Ethereal Underground were various and shockingly diverse.
Ash noticed Maize scowl at a local customer who sat on a nearby barstool with a drink in hand. As the six foot dribbler looked up and saw her face raging with anger, he quickly jumped up out of the seat and hurried to the other side of the bar far away from Maize. Dribblers were an unusual and ruthless species. They had abnormally large bald heads and tinted green skin. They had four eyes along the front of their head. All four were small and beady. Ash laughed as the big guy scurried away. Her influence in the bar could not be dismissed; she was known for having quite the temper. He took a seat upon the now open stool and graciously took the drink from Maize’s hand. He felt his body relax as the cold brown liquid ran down his throat. He had been craving this drink all day. Maize brewed the best ale on the planet. She handed him an already packed hookah and pretended to tidy up the bar a bit.
“Now Ash, please don’t make me beg for details, everyone in here is in a good mood tonight. Seems your little fight won a bunch of people a lot of money,” she said and playfully poked a bony finger into his shoulder.
Ash held in a long drag and exhaled the purple smoke, which meant that his emotions were proud. Each color of smoke from a hookah gave away the emotion that the person was feeling at that moment. He watched the smoke drift away from him and mix in with a nearby patron’s red smoke. They swirled together for a moment before disappearing altogether. The magical fruit that Cabalins smoked passed their emotions into the smoke, leaving the smoker with clarity. It had become a huge craze among the citizens.
“Everyone knows better than to bet against me,” he boasted arrogantly.
Maize pounded loudly on the metal bar counter with her fist, causing many of the patrons to stop and stare.
“In celebration of Ash’s winning fight, drinks on the house for everyone!” she shouted.
A round of hurrahs and excitement poured from the crowd as everyone rushed up to the bar to get their free drink. Annoyed, Ash glared at a tall gammon woman who knocked into his elbow and caused him to spill his ale all over the bar. The gammons were solid blue humanoids with an extra set of arms that grew out of their waist. She pretended to ignore him and stuck a few arms out to grab a drink from Maize. Ash kept his anger in check and used a towel on the bar to wipe up the spilled drink. Nothing, not even this gammon, would ruin his good mood tonight.
Ash kept a careful watch from the corner of his eye on Arie and her father. To his left, Arie appeared to still be scouting the place out. A small man with dark brown hair and a full-sized beard sat about three stools down. He had his head down, and sat quietly with a drink in his hands. Arie’s father, Sasha Raines, was known as the bar drunk these days, but Ash knew better than to underestimate him. In the last few years, the man had singlehandedly taken down more faces on the Official’s most wanted list than all the other hunters combined. Of course, his profession wasn’t a very well-known one. Most people thought he was just a simple deadbeat pilot. He had taught his daughter well so that she could take over the family business, but she had yet to surpass her father’s deadly talents.
“You normally don’t frequent these parts during the week,” Maize noticed and raised a slim raven eyebrow.
Ash shrugged. He wasn’t one to normally comment on his private life, but with Maize it was different. Maize was like the mother he never had. The keepers weren’t big on motherly affection. He had lived with them since he was two years old, and even then he was treated like a grown soldier.
“I thought I’d switch up my life a bit. I’ve kind of been in a rut lately,” he told her. He didn’t want to tell her that recently he had rebelled against everything he had been taught his entire life. Maize worried about him enough as it was. She was constantly trying to fix him up with all her waitresses, and every time he fought she could never bear to watch. She preferred to stay upstairs at the bar serving drinks. Surprisingly enough, she had been the one to get him to fight for the first time. She had been looking for a new star, and Ash had been looking for a new way to release his anger. It was destined.
“Nothing ever happens twice at the Ethereal.” She laughed hysterically causing her skin to shoot back and forth between purple and white. Maize wasn’t good with jokes, but he knew she would be expecting a huge roar of laughter from him. Ash chuckled and tried hard not to laugh too much. The poor gal tried to be human, but she would never understand their sense of humor. Then again he didn’t understand her quirky dancing. She danced like a dying unicorn with jagged limbs flailing about. He quickly tried to change the subject from her failing joke.
“By the way, you wanted details?” he asked Maize as he downed the last of his drink. “Keep a weathered eye out tonight, something is about to go down.”
“What are you speaking of?” She leaned in and spoke softly so that no one else could hear.
“There are bounty hunters here tonight. I think they may be looking for someone.” He stood abruptly and thanked her for the drink before throwing down a few gems for a tip. Maize looked around the bar. Her face became paler and more uncertain. She gave him a tight smile and went back to making drinks for the other customers.
“See you around,” she called out. Ash knew that Maize would take him seriously. Whatever Arie and her father had planned, Ash didn’t want his old friend to get caught in the middle. He gave her a short nod and walked away. The crowd was beginning to die down as curfew approached, so it was easier to maneuver across the bar. The curfew was set by the keepers as a way to lower the crime rate. When curfew time came, all of the electricity was turned off. Ash took a startled step back as he came face to face with one of Maize’s new waitresses.
“Hey, you looked so great out there tonight,” she told him, offering him a drink. Ash politely declined the drink and instead grabbed her by the waist.
“I’ve never seen you before.” It was true. He knew all of the waitresses, and there was no way he would have forgotten this raven haired beauty. She blushed at the sight of Ash looking her over with his baby blue eyes.
“My name is Della, I’m new here.”
“Well, Della. Find me later? Maybe we can spend some time getting to know each other better?”
Ash took the opportune moment to slip past the speechless waitress. He loved to mess with the girls here. He knew he could have his pick of just about any girl in the bar, but tonight he was only interested in his best friend. He was finally able to get to Arie’s side of the bar. He scooted close to her and leaned in so she could hear him over the loud crowd.
“Looking good Raines,” h
e whispered in her ear. He knew flirting with her was wrong, but he just couldn’t help himself. However, he would never jeopardize their friendship by hooking up with her. He lifted his hand up and smoothed down a lock of her curly hair.
Arie bit her lip, before teasing him with her sultry brown eyes. “Careful Ash, Daddy is watching.” Ash cocked his head to the side and slowly turned around to look at the space where her father sat earlier. Sure enough, Sasha had turned around and was now eyeing the two of them. Ash turned back to face Arie and ignored her father. Sasha could stare all he wanted; Ash knew to keep his hands in plain sight. He didn’t want to get on Sasha’s bad side. Arie leaned back against the railing and stretched her arms over her head.
“I am so bored,” she whined. She slipped the dagger she had been twirling earlier back inside her black boot. Ash’s eyes trailed up her leg. She wore a pair of tight black pants and a matching vest. He knew she had a gun hidden somewhere under it all. She never left home without it.
“Who are you looking for?” he asked.
Arie kept her eyes on the crowd while she spoke. Unlike Ash, she never let herself get distracted from the job. “A fallen named Loki.” She was always so serious when it came to her contracts. He figured it was the one thing in her life she was proud of. Growing up in the eighth layer of the planet, she didn’t receive many breaks. Not like he did, or so she always reminded him. Ash had grown up on the surface, and considering how many lived and died without ever seeing the suns, he could see how that might make him privileged. Nevertheless, Ash still envied her. Arie was allowed to make mistakes; she was allowed to be human. Ash was allowed nothing but rules, duties, and training. It was the reason he had enjoyed sneaking down to the Underground so much. Here he felt like he could relax and have fun.
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