Ethereal Underground

by Briana Gaitan

“I have several weapons at your disposal at my home. We can go there and rest up for tomorrow.”

  “I don’t want to waste time with sleeping.”

  “Ash,” Finlay said, hand slapping the table dramatically, “You mortals need your sleep. I’m not having my Arie going out there trying to fight fallen and getting hurt because you were too anxious to go jump into battle.”

  Arie huffed at his comment and turned away from him, “Whatever, Fin.”

  But Annalise was sitting close enough to see Arie try to hide her embarrassed smile by looking off to the side so no one could see. The seraph tilted her head to the side, puzzled at this girl’s behavior. She was tough enough to hunt down the universe’s most vicious creatures, but still girly enough to be embarrassed when someone was trying to take up for her. It was something that Annalise needed to work on, she decided, being tough and being a valuable member of the team, but still being vulnerable enough so that she could remain girly and herself. She did not want to be someone they were protecting during battle; she wanted to pitch in so they could all be safe. However, she didn’t want to lose herself in the process; that is what was making Ash be protective of her, and she found that she enjoyed that.

  Natara leaned in over the table, catching her attention as she spoke to the group, “Okay, we need to get out of here and head to my home. I have a back door, you could say, to get down to the lower levels. The fallen are in level ten, that is, if you can survive the monsters lurking in level nine.”

  “That’s impossible,” Arie exclaimed, sitting up in her chair, “You can’t go into the tenth layer, it’s been closed off. You can barely get into the ninth layer, it’s too dangerous. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

  “Well, little girl, you’re in for a surprise then,” the fallen laughed as she stood up from the table. “There is one more thing, however,” she said seriously as she looked back and forth between Annalise and Finlay, “You guys will not be able to teleport once we get into the ninth layer. The fallen have some sort of technology from an alchemist that prohibits this. Just be forewarned.”

  This bit of information scared Annalise; teleportation had saved them several times and if they could not teleport, they had no choice but to rely on weapons and fighting skills. Neither of these was something she was good at, and she had a feeling that Ash would rush them into some dangerous situations with his impulsivity. She would be forced to follow him.

  Everyone stood up, pushing in their chairs and making their way to back exit of the bar. Annalise once again followed behind Ash, taking a hold of his garment and trying to breathe in the tight space. The closer they got to this dark battle, the more anxious she was becoming. She had never been in battle before, only heard stories from Leon. He had said he would come help them, take out Loki himself, but he was nowhere to be found. It hurt her to think her counterpart may have turned his back on her. She had left with the mortal, the one she was supposed to kill, and here she was continuing to aid him on his quest. Yet it was her quest too, the only way she could see to get back home and have a normal life again. They left the bar and continued down the street to a dead end.

  As they neared the wall, she set her eyes on two large males, creatures she had never seen before. She wasn’t sure what species they were. They were large, much like the guards in the Grand Hall, and they looked down at Natara in recognition.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I need to get home,” Natara said simply with a wave of her hand.

  The guards looked at the rest of them in curiosity, their eyes stopping at Annalise and narrowing slightly, “I’ve never seen that one before.”

  Ash pulled her closer to his back protectively, “She’s with me.”

  The guard considered Ash’s words for a moment before nodding, “Okay.” He must have recognized Ash as a keeper, probably unaware he was not currently active.

  Annalise held onto him fearfully as they passed the guards, looking straight ahead to avoid looking directly at them. She leaned into Ash and whispered, “What is the purpose of those guards at the entrance to her home?”

  “They keep the inhabitants of the ninth layer from getting out.”

  It made her fearful that such things had to be done and she wondered what kind of awful creatures lived below in order for such precautions to be put into place. They walked into a tunnel, this one made out of a large round tube of metal. As they walked, Arie turned to look over Ash’s shoulder to address Annalise, “You know, I knew a girl once that got lost in these tunnels on her way home. No one ever heard from her again, never even found her body. They say you can still hear her screams late in the night if you listen closely.”

  “Arie, don’t scare her too badly,” Finlay chastised and took her hand, leading her a little further ahead of them.

  Annalise tried to ignore the words that the mortal said, knowing that she would be safe with two other seraphs with her, even if one was technically a fallen at the moment. She noted that the tunnels veered off in several directions as they continued on and could see how easy it would be to get lost down here.

  At the end of the tunnel stood a stone door with rosebuds and thorny stems etched into it. Natara stepped up to it, retrieving a small key from her pocket, placing it into the hole and pushing the door open.

  “Welcome to my home,” she smiled and moved aside for them to walk in.

  Annalise took in her surroundings, pleased to find themselves in a living space with furniture made of wood and what appeared to be soft feather seats. She let go of Ash and walked over to sit down on one of the soft surfaces, “This is fantastic. How were you able to bring this here?”

  “I made a very good deal with the Elders when I chose to spy for them,” Natara said and shut the door behind her as the others took their seats.

  Annalise looked around the room, taking it all in. It was a small space, much like her own home, but with a fancier kitchen than she would ever have there. It appeared more as one that Arie had in her home. There were no windows, so they were still closed in, but there were various plants throughout the home. That made it slightly less intimidating and more like home. It made her feel safe, being here. She hated to think that they would have to leave tomorrow and some of them may not return. Even though there was no sunlight or sky to look at, she felt more at home.

  “Well, I’m exhausted,” Finlay said as he feigned a yawn and stretched his hands above his head, “I think I’m going to head on to bed so we can get going early tomorrow.”

  Annalise could see Ash roll his eyes, knowing that seraphs did not need to sleep, that the blonde probably had more on his mind than that. She reached over to put a reassuring hand on Ash’s leg, noting the less than happy glare in his eyes. She gave him a small smile as Natara spoke.

  “There are three bedrooms. I know it sounds like a lot, but I house a lot of guests coming back and forth between the underground and the lower layers. Both fallen and seraph take refuge here. I just have to be mindful for them not to see each other.”

  Arie narrowed her eyes at Finlay, “We better be able to trust her.”

  He just shrugged and put an arm around her, “It’s all good, dear, Natara here is just like one of us.”

  Natara did not respond, she simply stood up to come take a seat across from Annalise and Ash. Arie’s concern worried Annalise somewhat. She had no reason not to trust her old friend, but she had been gone from their realm for a long time, and they had a lot of catching up to do. Ash, however, needed rest so she did not want to keep him up too late. She needed to be there to watch over him again this night, as she had before.

  Finlay led Arie out of the room, making himself comfortable in the home as if he had always been there, leaving the three of them alone in the room. Annalise decided to bring their situation to her attention, if anyone knew what was going on it would be Natara. She was known for her vast knowledge of the mortal culture, as well as that of the fallen. Her home in their realm had housed every book ever written by t
he seraphs and she had read them all, several times. She would be able to answer any of their questions.

  “Natara,” she started, ready to have some answers, “what has happened to me and Ash? I can feel his emotions, and he can feel mine as well. He can manipulate water, as the fallen do, not create it as the seraphs do. This has been since I healed him, brought him back from the brink of death when I was sent to take his soul to the Grand Hall.”

  She could feel Ash go still beside her, no doubt troubled by her sudden questions. The last time she had spoken to her kind of such things, Leon had given her the ultimatum; the one to end the mortal’s life in exchange for a free ride home to prove her loyalty. She had turned her back on her people in a sense, and she just hoped she could be forgiven.

  She could tell this statement came as a surprise to Natara, as she leaned back in her chair and eyed them curiously, “You two are bonded. Souls are meant to be taken, Annalise, when the time is right. Sometimes when a mortal is brought back after death, it creates a bond between the two. A deeper bond than would have been if they had met with different circumstances. That is what you two are. Bonded.”

  “What does it mean to be bonded?”

  “It means that Ash here is part seraph now. He is still mortal, but he can survive in our realm as well as his own. He can learn to have more control over manipulating water, since it is your affinity. This power will be a lot stronger when you are around though. It is possible though that if you are not around it for a long period of time, his ability could become dormant. You, however, are becoming more like a human. I’m sure you’ve noticed the overwhelming sense of your emotions being more powerful than usual?”

  Annalise nodded in response, but kept quiet to listen to the rest of the story.

  “You have gained the ability to feel as a mortal does. It is odd, though, that you have bonded with a keeper who has been trained to keep emotions in check…but still get those intense emotions.”

  “That makes sense. I have felt more powerful emotions, as well as those I do not recognize.”

  Natara’s eyes wandered over to the quiet Ash, and Annalise could feel him struggle to hide his feelings from her. She wondered what he was thinking as he stared intently at the fallen, absorbing all she had to say. She wished that she could put up such a wall in front of her feelings.

  “Actually, there is a legend that says a bonded pair will destroy the fallen. We do not know what this means exactly, and it could be complete rubbish,” she said with a wave of her hand, “but rest assured the fallen will try to kill you if they find out what has happened.”

  “Oh, they are quite aware,” Annalise said, frowning. The thought of the fallen looking for them worried her.

  “Anyway, bonds like yours used to happen all the time. Before the seraphs closed off our realm from that of the mortals, about a hundred or so of the seraphs were bonded with mortals. Back then, the guardians would protect the female seraphs and also help fight alongside the mortals to keep the invaders off of the planet. The female seraphs would aid in healing when they would return from battle. The mortals would seek out seraphs or vice versa to bond with, and stay together until the mortal died. This would allow not only protection for the mortal from outside threats, but also give the seraph a partner in battle. That is what these abilities were used for, the sharing of affinity and emotions. Both of which can be controlled, but it takes much more practice that what you two have done to be done correctly.”

  Annalise turned to her companion for his insight, and saw that he was deep in thought. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she could tell something had changed in his demeanor. Leaned over on his knees, chin rested on his hands, he appeared to be thinking about the things that Natara had said. It was then that she noticed his still bloody hand. It was swollen slightly from the fight with Finlay with cuts along it. She was frustrated with herself that she hadn’t healed it yet. That would be something she would need to do when she had the chance.

  “It’s normal for bonded to feel each other’s feelings. The two of you just have to decide if you want to fight it and put up walls, or allow it to be of use to you. The bond makes the two of you an oddity. First bond to be created in thousands of years. I’m sure the Elders aren’t happy about it either. They closed off the seraph realm in order to preserve those of us who wanted to be kept safe from the treachery of…mortals…” she cleared her throat as if to change the subject and continued, “But of course, some of us were left behind and never heard of again. The rest of us tried to move on without being bonded. However, it was never discovered what the missing link was that actually caused the bond. Even when our realms were still connected, creating bonds became more difficult over time. Some tried after the worlds were separated and it never worked. Those seraphs who had left their bonded behind became lonely, filled with mortal emotions and unsure how to deal with them. That’s why counterparts were created. To tend to that part of us that would like a companion, and protect one another. It was also then that the females began to reap the souls and place them in the Grand Hall and the males began to take mortal charges. I do not really know what the point in this was, only the Elders do I suppose.”

  “Is there a way to get rid of it?” Ash asked, not moving from his spot or looking up.

  Annalise’s heart sunk in her chest, sadness creeping over her and surprising her. He did not want to be around her. He did not want to be able to share feelings with her, be bonded to her. It cut her deeper than she had thought it would, but she had her answer to if he cared for her or not.

  “There are rumored ways to end it, but I do not know that you would be willing to try them. We will have to speak of those things another day,” Natara said, standing up and folding her hands in front of her, “I believe you need to get some rest before we dig out the weapons tomorrow and send you on your way.”

  Ash nodded, standing up and walking down the hall without saying a word. Annalise jumped up from her space on the couch, hesitant to follow him but wanting to speak with him in private. She gave Natara a smile, “Thank you for your information and your help.”

  “It’s no problem my dear friend, just watch that mortal.”

  Nodding to the fallen, Annalise walked down the hallway and into the bedroom where she felt the feelings radiating off her friend. She stepped inside the room slowly, feeling slightly uncomfortable to be alone with him with such feelings swarming around her. There was fear, anger, uncertainty, excitement, all wrapped up into one big confusing aura floating over to her. He was sitting on the edge of the large bed, hands folded in his lap, serious look on his face. She closed the door behind her, considered taking a seat in the chair at the side of the bed, but decided to sit beside him so they could talk.

  Folding her hands in her lap to mimic him, she tried to avoid the increasing awkwardness in the room, “I am glad that Natara is helping us on our journey. I will watch over you again so you can sleep. I have this gun now. It shall protect us.” She laughed slightly, pulling it from her pocket and examining it again. Such a weapon was never needed by her before and she really did not even enjoy touching the material that it was made out of. Cold and hard, she moved as if to toss it into the chair by the bed.

  “Be careful with a loaded gun,” Ash scolded. He reached out to grab the gun and set it gently next to his own weapons on a side table.

  She placed her palms on her thighs, fingers moving to pick at the fabric on the jumpsuit. Uncertain of what else to say, she stared at her own hands while the feelings from her friend continued to flow to her. She could tell he was trying to hold them back so as not to bother her, but they were so strong, and there were some that she did not understand. She wanted to ask him about them, but she did not want to push him if he was upset.

  “Perhaps we should try to contain these feelings?” she asked, pulling one leg up onto the soft fabric and making herself comfortable sitting sideways on the fabric to look at him.

  He looked back at her, eyebrows s
till pulled together in concern as if he were trying to figure something out. After several minutes, he finally nodded, “Sure.”

  Annalise let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding, her heart racing the entire time he had been quiet. She turned her hands over, palm up, on her legs, “Take my hands, we will figure this out. If we are to fight, it would be best if you could better manipulate the water when I create it. That should help us. These feelings as well…they are so intense.”

  He did as she asked and placed his rough hands on hers, but he continued to look at her. She dropped her eyes from his, focusing on something else other than his intense blue eyes staring back at her. There was no other time she had felt so unsure of herself, so uncertain of what to do or say. They had been alone before and it hadn’t felt like this. There was something about the way he was holding himself, whatever he was thinking, that was making her uncomfortable. Trying to avoid it, she closed her eyes and focused her power to their hands. His skin on hers made the emotions even more intense, but she tried to block it out. For a second, she opened her eyes to look at him. He was still looking at her with that intense gaze, words on his tongue that he wanted to say.

  Annalise tried to glare at him, knowing it wasn’t the most successful expression she had ever tried, “This will not work if you do not take it seriously.”

  “I know.”

  Dropping her gaze back to their hands, she gave his a slight squeeze and he let out a sound of disapproval. She muttered an apology, realizing his hand was still injured, and pulled her hands out from under his. He was making this much more difficult than it needed to be. His short answers and unwillingness to show any sensible emotions had her so confused. “I, um, need to heal you. I am sorry I have not done it earlier. I just, I do not know…” Letting her voice trail off, she held her palms over his hand and let her power fulfill her. It was the second time she had shone bright around him, but the only time he had been able to see it without being close to death. The light underneath her hands shone onto his and she began mumbling her blessings to work her magic. Healing his hand was simple, nothing compared to bringing him back from the brink of death. She smiled in approval as she moved her hand from his to see his healed hand underneath.