Ethereal Underground

by Briana Gaitan

  Ash climbed up beside her and scanned the crowd. The staircase behind them carried people who came up from downstairs where the card tables were, so minus the threat that someone could sneak up behind them, it was a great scoping place. From here; he could see almost the entire bar. Patches of smoke moved across the bar like clouds, covering a few patrons, but most of the crowd was in plain sight. Why was she looking for a fallen? The fallen were the evil counterparts of an ancient extinct species, the seraph. As far as he knew, the fallen never really existed. He had never met anyone who had actually seen one. It was mainly rumors and hearsay, although some of the older keepers did believe in the species and spoke of them often. For some reason, in spite of his doubts, tonight his interest was piqued; he wanted to catch this Loki.

  “Who wants a fallen? Are you sure this isn’t a joke?” He tried to keep his voice even and nonchalant.

  Arie laughed, “Don’t be sly. You know I can’t talk about that with you. Trust me though. They are real.”

  He shrugged, it was worth a try. She had to keep her client list confidential.

  “I can tell you that someone has a very big grudge against this one, and if daddy’s sources are right, he is supposed to be here tonight.” He could feel her foot tap along the railing impatiently. A nervous tick that always made him cringe. He reached out and put a hand on her leg to steady her.

  She was tense, more so than usual, she was scared of capturing a fallen. He didn’t blame her though, not too often do you come across an immortal species who could take you out with a blink of an eye.

  “How do you plan to capture him if he is immortal?”

  Arie patted her side to show the gun she carried in a holster.

  “Apparently they aren’t really immortal. I have a weapon to stun him. He is wanted alive. By the way, where’s your partner in crime?”

  It took Ash a moment to realize that she was talking about Finlay. Finlay was Ash’s sidekick in the Underground. Finlay scheduled his fights, and they both had an unquenchable taste for ale and women.

  “He’s around somewhere. He ran off after all the bets were paid out. I bet he has already found some random girl to dance with.”

  Arie snorted loudly in response.

  They sat in silence, and scanned the crowd. He had never seen a fallen before, or even a seraph for that matter. If he could catch a fallen, Ash was sure that his status among the keepers would be restored. They were so mad at him right now; maybe this could work out in his favor. He remembered some of the ancient stories; keepers who claimed a seraph had healed them or protected them, and seraphs that could control elements such as water or fire. He had even heard a few rumors that fallen had eyes as black as night. That was all he had to go on, so he sat there scanning the fading crowd for a face with black eyes.

  Annalise

  Standing up from her spot on the soft green grass, Annalise couldn’t help but smile widely at her own creation. In her 1,500 years, she had never tried her hand at gardening, always relying on those seraphs blessed with an affinity for verdure powers to make sure her crops were sowed correctly. This season, however, she had gotten it approved through the Elders to try her hand at growing her own crops. Sometimes when she wasn’t reaping she would help out in the market, but she wanted to do something for herself. Gardening was something the others were always boasting about, and she had always adored walking through the rows of crops and flowers, picking out what she wanted to adorn her home with and filling her basket to the brim.

  Today, the sky had been the bluest and the ground the softest so she decided to give it her best shot. In her world, it never rained, the sun never set. In fact, there was no set location of what was lighting up the sky. If one wanted to see the night sky, they had to leave this realm and travel to that of the mortals. She had never seen one in person. Leon, her counterpart, had told her about the dark blue sky with stars and moons scattered across it, and she longed to see it one day. Only guardian seraphs were allowed on the surface of the planet to watch over their charges there. It was rare that reapings took place there, due to it being the home of the planet’s government and their ability to keep the surface’s inhabitants safe. On the rare occasion that someone died there, a guardian would bring the deceased to a separate layer of the planet. The reaper would then go retrieve the soul. This protocol kept the female reaper seraphs safe. Annalise wished for the opportunity to go there. This unfortunately, she knew, would never happen. Seraphs were not allowed to spend time in the mortal world, unless duty called them there. Still, she had found herself sheltered compared to the others, and it had recently been pointed out, much to her confusion. She had never felt that way herself, but now it made her wonder.

  Annalise pushed the negative thoughts out of her head and gave a small giggle. As she did so, she stretched out her hands in front of her and felt the rush of power go through her body and out the end of her palms. Small droplets of water appeared over the ground, falling in the precise spot where she directed it. Her laugh grew louder, one that was infectious to others when she was around, even though she was completely oblivious to her own charm.

  She was pleased with herself and wiped her now dirty hands on her pale yellow dress and her forehead with the back of her hand, smearing dirt across it. It was a gesture she had seen humans utilize after hard work, wiping the sweat off their brow, though it was just pantomime as seraphs don’t sweat. She had found herself watching them from inside of her home on the globe, eager to learn more about gardening without having to ask Finlay for help. He was a close friend of her and Leon, although he rode the fence of what was appropriate for a seraph and was often very boastful. She couldn’t wait to share her success with him when her plants sprouted.

  Annalise heard the familiar foot steps behind her and knew that Leon had returned home before he cleared his voice, a small amount of amusement held in his words. “The garden is looking good, Anna.”

  Turning around, she gave him a big smile and ran toward him, stopping just a foot away and looking up into his green eyes. He was taller than her by several inches, broadly built and handsome. His light brown hair stood up slightly in the front, down all over the rest of his head, a consistent five o’clock shadow across his face. His sword was across his back resting in its hilt, his magnificent wings rested behind him, slightly gray and brown in color. His clothing was similar to all the other male seraphs, simple. His pants were a dark crimson red and his shirt was brown. It was slit up the back for his wings to go through when he needed them. In fact, there was rarely a time when his wings were not displayed openly and proudly. He had no reason to hide them, because he only went to the mortal world on missions and duties. Leon had been her counterpart for almost two thousand years, the one that shared her home and her life, her best friend. He understood her in a way that no one else did, made sure she was safe while he was around. He was partially the reason she hadn’t seen as much of the world as she wanted. Since she had been created, Leon had led her along the righteous and straight path. He taught her how to stay loyal to the seraphs; how to follow the rules and not be cast out of their realm. This wasn’t out of the ordinary. All seraphs were paired up, reaper to guardian, pairs to live together and help keep the balance in the universe. As a way to keep the females safe since they didn’t have fighting skills, they were paired with the male seraphs and lived together in small homes across the realm. There was no emotional bond, just loyalty and a sense of protectiveness to each other. Bound by duty, each seraph had an affinity for a force: fire, air, water, verdure and more, as well as a set position, guardian or reaper. Leon was a guardian seraph, set to watch over his mortal charges and makes sure they were safe and following the path set before them. Other times, he would help fight alongside the other guardians when he was needed as a warrior. Thankfully it had been centuries since he was called for a large scale battle. Annalise herself was a reaper, a seraph sent to capture the soul of an individual as they die, sending it to the afterlife whe
re it belongs before other forces could steal it for their own dealings. They were to do their duties, never stray from them.

  Before she could say anything to Leon, he raised his hand up to her and brushed the unkempt blonde hair out of her face, “I think you have more dirt on yourself than the plants do.”

  “It is called pouring yourself into the soul of the garden,” she said, as way of explanation that she could tell he didn’t completely understand. She didn’t care that she was covered head to toe in dirt; she loved nature. Still, he would give her that look, a small roll of his eyes, and a broad smile as he shook his head and looked down at her in adoration. He didn’t always understand her, but he accepted her, and that was enough to keep her happy in her own little world. She turned around to head to the house, thousands of questions on the edge of her tongue about his journeys, but not sure where to start. Annalise knew that they were one of the most revered pairs in all of the land, on the straight and narrow path, lifted up for their loyalty to the cause. Many of the pairs were envious of their relationship, many of them losing a counterpart to evil ways and the fallen throughout the years.

  As they approached their home, she paused and turned back to him and fiddled with the hem of her dress. Her form was small, thin, tanned with the light from the sky, stark white wings settled softly at her back, small enough for outside forces to harm her. Her blonde hair fell in waves down her back, tangled most of the time, except for when Leon would insist she sit down and let him brush it. Water was her affinity, not something to utilize in battle and barely enough to keep herself safe. To others she appeared fragile, making her the perfect target for an attack. Although Leon was strong, appearing tough and slightly ragged, the thought made her worry about him while he was gone. She kept her eyes low to the ground, trying not to show him her worry. Fallen were being seen more often lately, too close to home. More and more seraphs were disappearing every day. She knew that the missing seraphs were the result of the fallen hunting them down, and she did not want to see Leon be ambushed by those evil creatures. Worried, she forced the words out, “How was your journey?”

  “Eventful, to say the least,” he started as he walked ahead in front of her and through the opening of the round stone residence, “My charge was drunk and heading towards a horde of fallen.”

  He continued to speak, deep voice resonating through the home. Frowning to herself, she all but tuned him out, not wanting to know if or how he had fought a fallen. They were despicable creatures, once seraphs who now thrived on destroying her kind, devouring them to absorb their power. Annalise shivered at the thought of her partner battling such forces. She had never seen one, but she heard the stories: evil, deformed creatures who lurked in the dark of the night and sought out seraphs to sink their teeth into, or tempt them to change their ways and fall as well.

  Letting her eyes trail up to the clear glass roof of the home, she was thankful to see the sky, thankful it was still its purest blue, and it made her feel like things would be okay, even if the fallen decided to attack. Leon was here and they were safe, Finlay’s home not too far away. Their home was built of a speckled cream stone, shaped into a large igloo with an additional circular room in the back where they could rest. The floor was soft and plush, a technology only known to the seraphs. No furniture was in the main room, only pure wood shelves that jutted out from the stone for them to use as they needed. All cooking was done outside in the fire pit and the tools for that were found there. They were a simple race, relying on nature to every extent they could, all of their clothing and bedding made in their town center. All was purchased at the market and could be requested to be made there as well. They would trade goods and services there, and each seraph helped out with what they could.

  The sound of buzzing caught her attention and made Leon’s story come to a halt. She walked over to the center of the room and stepped over several pillows scattered around the large round globe in the center of the room. It was made of magical glass and stood several feet off the ground on its wooden stand. The wood curved around the bottom of the sphere and either seraph could look into it and see what they wished, including any mortal that she felt like watching that day. She could call her reapings by name if she knew them, and Leon could call his charges. Once they knew a mortal’s name and it was attached to them for duty purposes, they could call upon them again. Sometimes though, Annalise would find a random human to watch when Leon was not around. They fascinated her, the way they would let their emotions run them, working as she did but not letting that dictate who they were and what they did. She did not understand that. Seraphs were made with emotions, even though they were not felt as deeply as mortals could feel. With their emotions not being as strong, relying on them could cause a seraph to become a fallen. They were never taught to use those emotions, however. They were discouraged from using them and shunned by the Elders whenever one was caught expanding their feelings past what was accepted. Humans were taught to use their emotions and rely on them. Most of the time, Annalise could only identify those emotions that were normal to her kind, and she would struggle to understand some of the feelings the mortals displayed. The globe also would show her and Leon what their new assignments were, any new charges for Leon and any reaping opportunities assigned to her. She found herself excitedly chewing on her lip as she peered into the globe, watching as the pink and blue clouds parted to reveal a fight between a human and a creature that she couldn’t place. The larger being held a sword in one hand, the human was cornered against the wall. Turning her back to the scene, she looked over at Leon and forced a smile to her face. She could never stand to see the killing blow. Life was a prize, it was a privilege, sacred, and she hated to see it scuffed out. But it was always so exciting to get to travel to the human world. Each reaping was like an adventure to her, even though she would never allow herself to stay and wonder around. Leon had made sure that she was aware of the dangers of a fallen, and also the dangers of being made one if she did not promptly return home.

  Annalise turned to give the brunette a small wave. Leon’s face fell slightly as he walked over to her, hand cupping her face and making her look at him, “Please be careful.”

  “Am I not always careful?” she asked, pointing out the obvious to him.

  He nodded, letting her go and taking a step back to give her space.

  She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and tapping the large golden bangle around her wrist. Annalise pictured the place that the globe had shown her, excitement filling her up as she teleported there. It wasn’t anything new to her, teleportation was the easiest way to get anywhere, and she would rather do her job quickly. When she opened her eyes, she saw the larger unknown species walking away, the mortal laying in a pool of blood in the room. She was thankful for her strong stomach, it came with the job she supposed; otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to handle reaping. The excitement of being in the mortal world again crept up into her as she walked over to the being. Looking around, she took in the gray metal walls all around, and the fluorescent lit sky above. She knew she was deep inside of the planet, but wasn’t sure what layer it was. As she neared the mortal, she noted his slowed but labored breathing. He was trying to fight it. Even though she was invisible to him, her charges could always sense her presence, she could see it in his eyes. They were green, like Leon’s eyes, and he struggled to look through the slits and see what had come for him. She lowered herself to a kneeling position beside him, wings widening to create a shelter over them. For a minute, she wondered what his life had been like, who he had been. Was he good? Bad? She would never know. She badly wished that she could speak with him, heal him and ask him of the stories of his life. However, Leon’s words resounded in her ears as her thoughts continued to wonder. Reap the soul and return. You must get back to the Grand Hall before the soul is stolen by evil forces. She knew that she could never do the opposite of what she had been taught. Her counterpart was one of the highest ranking guardians, and she couldn
’t disappoint him. To do so would risk losing her position among the seraphs, one she had worked so hard to have, and risk becoming a fallen.

  She reached out to him, took his face in her hands, and closed her eyes. After saying a small blessing for him, she let her power flow through her and wash over him. She relished the power, unleashing it and letting it work its magic to pull his soul from the center of his body and lay it, round and glittering, in her palms as she leaned back and brought her hands together. It felt so incredibly good to be able to let herself go, let the power flow from her body and do as it was meant to. It was as if she was free, an open spirit and light in the darkness. This was the only time she could ever truly be herself and be free, other than around Leon. From the outside, if she were to allow herself to be seen, there would be a great light, golden and bright, shining around the two of them, until his soul rested in her hands.

  She opened her eyes, and tapped her bangle to teleport herself again, and found herself in the Grand Hall. Other seraphs took the reaping job as an opportunity to walk among the mortals, glittering ball trapped in their bag until they made their way back to the netherworld. Annalise, however, always went straight back to the Grand Hall, making sure she got the soul back as soon as possible, because she did not want to risk losing it for a few good minutes in the mortal world. Even though she yearned to mingle with the mortals, she knew what the punishment held. She never broke a rule, always doing as she was supposed to.

  As she stood up, she noted the cold gray metal walls all around her. It was the darkest place in her world, the coldest. Even though the lighting was bright, the tall dark walls always made Annalise feel small and unimportant. Still, she continued down the hallway until she reached the door where the souls were sent to their afterlife. Annalise fell quiet as she walked, knowing it was prohibited to speak in such a sacred place. She nodded at the guard standing there. Tall and dark with dark gray wings, Slade was very menacing in appearance.