Ethereal Underground

by Briana Gaitan

  Ash scoffed at the seraph. “That’s great Fin, but what about the two of us who can’t fly? If we jump will you catch us?”

  Finlay didn’t look too amused by the comment, looking at Annalise, who nodded in agreement.

  “Leon will carry Ash, and I will carry Arie,” he said simply.

  Both the humans’ mouths opened up in shock.

  “I am not being held by – you!” Ash told Leon. Arie nodded in agreement.

  “Well Anna’s wings are smaller than mine, and Ash you weigh twice as much as Arie, Finlay pointed out, Will you be satisfied if I carry you and Leon carried Arie?”

  Ash looked over at Arie, a silent agreement passed between them. There was no way that Ash was going to put his arms around Leon, no matter what the situation.

  In the mood to protest, but eager to get the whole thing over with, Ash walked up to Finlay and let the seraph scoop him up in his arms. He reluctantly put his arms around the large blonde and sighed.

  “Fin- I swear if you try anything funny. I am going to stick my blade so far up your bender…”

  Finlay rolled his eyes and turned to Leon. “Be careful with her. I am trusting you.”

  Leon pulled Arie close and whispered something into her ear. Annalise tapped her bangle and let her wings fly out behind her.

  “You first Fin,” she urged.

  One at a time, the five of them lifted a few feet off the ground. Their wings barely moved, but Ash could feel the wind flowing around them to keep them afloat. Finlay flew straight down into the small hole. Annalise was right behind them. Ash looked up to make sure she was okay. Sure enough, Annalise was majestically soaring above them into the depths of the pit below.

  It was a few minutes before they reached ground. As soon as he felt Finlay’s feet touch the ground Ash scrambled out of his embrace.

  “Thanks,” Ash mumbled as he put his pride aside.

  Finlay reached out to put a hand on Ash’s arm, “For what it’s worth- I really am sorry. I never meant to betray your trust. I wasn’t allowed to tell you what I was, just as you couldn’t tell me you were a keeper.”

  As much as Ash wanted to hate Finlay, they were once good friends. Deep inside, he wanted his friends to be happy. Ash gave a half smile.

  “I understand- and I guess I overreacted over the whole Arie thing. She is free to be with whomever she pleases.”

  The air was cleared and a burden felt like it had been lifted off of Ash’s shoulders. Annalise stepped by his side as they looked around. Everything around them was rock and dirt, the sounds of water dripping echoed from a distance. The overhead florescent lights were also gone, but a single torch burned on one of the nearby walls, as if their presence was expected.

  “Are you okay?” Ash asked her. Annalise gave her arms a small shake and hid her wings.

  “Yes. I am just tired.” Ash put his hand on her cheek and slowly swiped a bit of dirt off of it. The closer they got, the more Ash dreaded the finale. Annalise would go back home. Ash would return to the eighth layer and this entire trip would be a distant memory. He wanted to remember Annalise liked this in case something happened to him. He was certain that either Finlay or Leon would take care of her if he got hurt, but he still felt better when she was near him to protect.

  “Let’s find this seer shall we?”

  Each one of them drew out their weapons as they walked through the tunnel. Finlay once again pulled out his lighter and branch to light up the pathway. They hadn’t gotten far when a voice called out to them

  “Who disturbs my slumber?” The voice was old and dry.

  No one answered. Finlay nudged Annalise with his elbow.

  “You are the nicest of us all,” he urged. “You sweet talk it.”

  “I- I- It is Annalise. We are here to ask permission to pass through your lair to gain entrance to the tenth layer.”

  Finlay held the fire up higher and Ash squinted his eyes to make out the figure moving closer.

  It was hooded and short, only coming up to Ash’s waist. It limped closer and closer at a slow pace. Within a few moments it stopped in front of the group. Two hands came out of the old and dirty gray cloak and lifted to take off the hood. Under the cloak was an old woman. Her skin was cracked and dry. So much, that her skin was starting to bleed and separate. The wrinkles hung off her face loosely and the sockets where her eyes should have been were empty. The seer smiled to show a toothless grin.

  “I have been waiting for you, Annalise. You must have Ash with you also.”

  Ash straightened up and gripped Annalise’s hand. He looked at her, letting his strength fill her up.

  “I am here,” he told the old lady.

  She reached out toward them with her long bony palms.

  “But there are three others I was not expecting….”

  A lantern magically appeared in the woman’s hands. Finlay shrugged and put out his own light source.

  “Finlay, Leon, and Arie are also with me,” Annalise confirmed.

  Ash knew to keep quiet this time; he let her do the talking.

  “No one ever asks to go down there. No one ever asks to come out. You sure this is what you want?”

  Annalise took a deep breath, “Yes seer. This is something we must do.”

  The seer nodded and walked closer to them.

  “You must rest before you go down there. Make yourself comfortable.” She held out a hand as she gestured toward the tunnel behind her.

  Ash looked around expecting to see some sort of living quarters, but there was nothing but the rocky walls and dirt floor. Finlay put his hand on the ground and from the floor sprouted a large patch of soft willowy grass.

  Arie giggled at the romantic gesture and sat down. Finlay went around making the same soft spot for all five of them.

  Once they were seated, Finlay put on his game face.

  “So the plan is to sneak in quietly. We need to kill as many fallen as we can before they have time to react. The element of surprise is in our favor.” They all nodded in agreement.

  Finlay leaned over to Arie and held her close. Ash could tell that being down here near the fallen was the last place he wanted him and Arie to be, but he was here to help clear his friend’s name. Ash was surprised at how loyal the seraphs were to each other, it was so different from most of the people on Cabalin. Everyone looked out for themselves. Even the keepers who claimed to have everyone’s best interest in mind, had lost sight of what loyalty really meant.

  Annalise turned to Ash and reached out to place her hand on his.

  “Let’s work on blocking our feelings again, this time without distractions,” Ash told her with a wink. He watched her face turn red. Her eyes darted quickly to Leon.

  He closed his eyes and slowly started to clear his mind like he did when he was stressed.

  “Close your eyes Annalise, clear your mind, don’t think about anything or anyone. Pick a safe place in your mind and imagine you are there. Be there, nowhere else.” Ash took a few deep breaths, and channeled all of his emotions away.

  He opened his eyes and watched as Annalise started to relax. Gradually, he felt all of her confusion and fear melt away from her body until there was nothing left. He closed his eyes again and tried to focus his mind on the fight, and what he wanted to accomplish.

  “If we are not distracted by the other person’s emotions we can concentrate better on the fight,” he told her. He blocked out everything around him. The whispers from Finlay and Leon, Arie crunching on some food, at times Ash swore he could feel Leon’s gaze on the two of them. Nothing else mattered right now. It was only Annalise and him. The overwhelming tether of emotions between them was under control. After a few minutes, their quiet moment was interrupted by the seer.

  The seer sat down and moved close to Annalise. She roughly took her palm.

  Ash grabbed for his blade, but Annalise put her hand out to stop him.

  “It is okay,” she reassured him and patted him on the knee.

 
The seer made some noises in her throat and smiled that toothless grin. “Annalise. You have a path to choose. Make the wrong choice, and you will be alone and lose everything. The right one will satisfy your longing and save everyone you care for.”

  Annalise looked at her friends in confusion. The unicorn had mentioned the seer could foretell the future.

  “I guess we impressed her,” Finlay said, nudging Arie slightly. He reached down to make a flower appear at his feet. He picked up the red bud and presented it to his beloved.

  At the sound of his voice, the seer’s head swung in Finlay’s direction. He had caught her attention, and she was curious.

  She reached out to Finlay, her arm not quite reaching far enough. She compelled Finlay to meet her half way with his hand. “Ohhh…” she moaned as their fingers touched, “You are a difficult one. Brave but so empty inside. Ahead of you lies betrayal, but be careful not to betray yourself.” She let out a long, deep moan one more time. Finlay looked at Leon with worried eyes. The seer was almost as creepy as the unicorn. Ash leaned in close to Annalise

  “Creeper,” he repeated his words from earlier.

  It was no wonder why these creatures were forced out of society. Next, the seer reached for Arie.

  “Your hand, my dear,” she said.

  Arie glanced at Finlay who gave her a nod of encouragement. She reached out to touch the seer. Her hand was small in comparison to the seer. The closer her hand got, the more it shook in fright. When they touched, the seer grabbed Arie’s wrist tight and pulled her closer. Finlay reached out to steady the girl so she didn’t fall over. His eyes narrowed in on the seer in disapproval.

  “My Arie. You have had a hard past, and have an even harder future I am afraid.” Her voice was scratchy and it echoed off the walls.

  “Tell me something I don’t already know,” Arie shot back. Everyone’s life was hard.

  “You will be forgotten, forgotten and left behind.” The seer began to laugh as Arie forced her hand back. She kept her eyes to the ground.

  The seer looked at Leon and started to move closer to him. Leon shook his head at her and kept his hands in his lap. “I do not wish to know anything.”

  The seer nodded and backed away. “If you are sure.”

  Finally, the seer moved toward Ash. At first, Ash refused to touch the wrinkly creature’s hand, but when Annalise smiled in approval he felt like he couldn’t be rude.

  When their hands touched the seer pulled her hand back in pain. She let out a loud cry, making the four of them scoot back in shock.

  “What are you?” the seer hissed at him. Ash leaned away from the old lady.

  “I am human.”

  The seer shook her head but didn’t say a word. Ash wasn’t sure what the old woman saw, but she wouldn’t comment anymore.

  “What did you see? Tell me,” he demanded. He tried to reach out to grab her, but she quickly scooted out of his reach. She was scared of his touch. She made another long moaning sound. It made Ash want to run his blade through her just to shut her up. She didn’t look dangerous, but she was banished down here for a reason.

  “This is more than I have said in hundreds of years. I must rest. I will speak more when I am rested.” Her head slumped over in front of her and she suddenly became very still.

  “Is she dead?” Annalise asked.

  Finlay shook his head. “She’s sleeping, that’s what we should do before we go any further.”

  Just great, she fell asleep without finishing my fortune, Ash thought.

  Arie shook her head. “I can’t sleep with that thing so close by.” Finlay put an arm around her to calm her down. Rarely did Arie get frightened.

  “You four sleep, I will stay up and guard.” Leon told them.

  Chapter Ten

  Annalise

  Finding it incredibly hard to sleep considering the circumstances, Annalise kept her eyes closed so she would at least get some peace from the tension that had been flowing around since Leon arrived. She was lying on the grass Finlay had created with Ash close by. Even though Leon had arrived, Ash continued to stay near her. She was sure it was to keep her safe. Annalise had been very glad to see Leon, but disappointed in herself when she had so quickly promised him she would go home with him when this was over…because she was worried about what would happen with Ash.

  As she opened her eyes to peek around, she noticed that Leon was examining another bone and distracted from keeping an eye on them. She was certain he was still paying attention to all sounds within ear shot, even though he was trying to figure out what creature the bones belonged to and what had destroyed them. He was a warrior, a guardian, and he wouldn’t let some creature sneak up on them. Annalise reached her arm out in front of her and ran a soft finger down his hand. He was so very adorable when he was sleeping, not so tough, and it made her smile. She knew it had hurt him when she promised to return home, but she did not know of any other way to get Leon to stay and not harm him. Leon had made it clear that he would kill Ash if she did not, but now she hoped he would be satisfied with her not returning to the mortal world. She gave one last glance at Leon, noting that he was pacing back and forth, and intertwined her fingers with Ash’s rough digits. His eyebrows crinkled slightly and he mumbled something, then he tightened his grip on her hand.

  Annalise tried to suppress a giggle and wondered what he was dreaming. Since seraphs didn’t dream, she had almost forgotten that other species did so. She did not know if it was a happy dream or not. She tried to be quiet as she moved closer to him but still left a little space in between. Angering Leon was not something that she wanted to do, but she wanted to be closer to Ash. As she closed her eyes, she found it more comfortable there, with her hand in his. It was as if he grounded her and helped her to feel whole. She did not worry about what this meant now, just tried to enjoy the silence and company around her. All of the ones she cared for were near and alive, and she could rest better knowing that.

  When she opened her eyes again, everyone else was up and talking. Leon and Finlay joked around. Arie was beside them and laughed right along with them. Ash seemed like he was trying to enjoy the conversation as well, but stayed guarded. She could tell he still did not know what to think about Leon. She could feel the uncertainty coming from him. As if he could feel her looking at him, his eyes moved over to her and he gave her a wink. It made her blush slightly, just like every other time he flirted with her. Annalise wished that she could efficiently flirt back with him. She stood up and tried to straighten her hair as she walked over to them.

  “Good morning…I guess,” she said, eyes looking at the dirt ceiling above them. She’d be so very happy to get out of the tunnels. Annalise missed the sun shining above her, the garden, and the clouds drifting overhead. She wished she could take Ash back with her to the seraph realm just for one day. They would have so much fun.

  “Bright and sunny, eh Annalise,” Finlay laughed and threw his arm around Arie to pull her close.

  The seraph shook her head in disagreement, folded her arms across her chest and looked over at Leon. He was studying her as if he had something on his mind. She wished he would stop that. He then glanced back and forth between her and Ash as if they were the most interesting thing around. She wanted to ask him about it, but there were other things she needed to get out.

  “I need to speak with Ash,” Annalise announced suddenly and took him by the arm to pull him a few feet away from the others.

  He came willingly and let out a laugh, “Want to get me alone huh?”

  “Ash,” she chastised, trying not to look over at Leon who she was sure was still watching them. Her blue orbs looked up at him, and she let out a sigh, “Please do not be upset with me about promising Leon to go home. I did not want him to kill you and he had his mind set on it.”

  “I’m not afraid of him,” Ash insisted as he put his hand on her arms and gazed down at her.

  “It is just that…he still watches us. As if he is trying to figure somet
hing out.”

  He nodded in agreement, “I know. Don’t worry so much about him, Anna. We have a mission to do and afterwards, we can deal with him.”

  “I just do not want him to hurt you.”

  “Anna,” Leon said as he came to stand beside them, “We need to get going. Whatever it is you have to talk about can wait.”

  She opened her mouth to disagree, but he pulled her away from Ash and towards the group. Her friend followed behind her, letting out a huff of amusement or frustration, she couldn’t quite tell because he was putting that wall up in front of his emotions. He was getting a lot better at this, and she still struggled. They left the seer, who was still in the same position they had left her in the night before, and continued on their journey.

  Leon did not let go of her arm for the first few minutes as they walked, this look of contemplation on his face. Suddenly, he stopped and pushed her behind him.

  “Everyone stop,” he said and looked over at Finlay, “Do you hear that?”

  The blonde paused and placed a cupped hand to his ear for dramatic affect. His smile quickly turned to a frown which showed that he heard something, “Yeah. Hulmiens. Not good.”

  “What are hulmiens?” Arie demanded as she stepped in front of them.

  “Do not let their looks deceive you. These creatures are meat eating and poisonous,” Leon said seriously, “I am sure they are the cause of all those bones back there.”

  “We can take ‘em,” Ash said as he pulled out his dagger and stepped forward.

  Leon reached out to grab the mortal’s shoulder and yanked him backwards, “They are dangerous, boy, and you are the one I am most worried about.”

  Ash shook the seraph’s arm off him and glared at him, “I don’t need your protection, and neither does Anna.”

  Annalise was surprised when Ash reached out and took her hand and turned to lead the group forward. She cast a worried glance back at Leon to see the incredibly irritated look in his green eyes, more than Annalise had ever seen him. She was also worried because she had no clue what they were walking in to because she did not know what a hulmien was.