Against the Fallen

by Devin Lee Carlson

  “What the hell? It worked!” Realization struck me in the gut. Hard. I was no longer imprisoned inside the DanJal lab.

  Hidden from view, a feminine giggle snared my attention. “Oh no, what did I interrupt?” I tilted to one side to reveal Ariane leaning on Sabree with her hands clasped in his. She stared over his shoulder. Hesitant, I waved at her and mustered a meek smile. Neither one had reacted to my first outburst.

  When she didn’t return my gesture, I glanced down at my torso—transparent, ghostlike the way Sabree used to tease me into thinking he was a ghost. I waved my hand in front of my face, see through as well. It shimmered as it moved. Instead of fully materializing, I was stuck in some indeterminate state, neither here nor there, but mostly in my office because nothing of the torture lab remained. Either inexperience, my depleted state, or the anti-vamp serum prevented a complete transference.

  Ariane’s voice velvety with desire tugged me from my thoughts. “We have to work as a team. I know I’m headstrong, but I almost lost you. I refuse to lose Brian. When he brought you back from death’s door, I realized how much I love you. No need to respond now, because I don’t regret taking advantage of you. I want this baby.”

  The stiffness in Sabree’s back relaxed as he pulled her closer. I crept around the desk to inspect the soft lavenders eyes, his emotional radar, that announced the French lover had melted to her whims. His breaths became shallow wheezes when he said, “I feel the same. About you and Brian and especially about our child. There’s nothing to forgive, Ariane Rose.”

  I backed off when they kissed. Time to leave since neither could see nor hear me. Odd, how I had no trouble with my three senses.

  “I want the truth,” Ariane said. “Should we trust Gibyss and Euriel?”

  “No, don’t!” I charged the couple hoping my closeness would stir their detection. “They’re both DanJal.” Neither reacted.

  Sabree rubbed his ear as if my voice had tickled it. “Not completely, but we need them. The DanJal locked him in a safe tank deep inside the underground complex. The mystery metal that lines the entire structure impedes all blood-ties. They intend to hand him over to the Malakhim, who have already escorted the Screnian clan into the portal. We won’t know if that’s true until we rescue Brian. Only he can confirm their fate.” Sabree slid off the desk and stretched. One arm whooshed right through my head. “I have crossed too many of the DanJal to rescue Brian on my own. We need their help.”

  “I don’t understand why we have to wait until morning or listen to your so-called friends who kidnapped Brian in the first place.”

  “I only have one true friend.” Sabree slipped his hand around her back and pulled her closer. His face sobered. “Humor me. Stay here, for yours and the baby’s sake.” He sighed when she shook her head in answer. “Too much activity and without Brian’s exact location, our surprise visit could influence the DanJal to take rash action.” His eyes raked over hers. “I’m waiting to hear from Euriel. We need him to fly you there.”

  “Euriel?” Ariane asked. “Are you effing crazy? He tried to kill me.” In response to his exaggerated shrug, she propped her arms over her belly and stuck out her chin. “Think what you wish, but I’m going even if I do have to catch a ride with flyboy.”

  Sabree shook his head as he stared at the floor.

  “No way. I’m going.” She pushed away and left the room.

  “One true friend?” I smirked. If JLS had actually worked, I wouldn’t have to jeopardize Sabree or Ariane’s safety. I tried to shove the framed selfie of us three off the desk. Instead my hand passed through it into Sabree’s back.

  He whirled around. Teal eyes surveyed the room, glancing over me. “Damn you, Brian. You’d better not be a ghost already. Please be alive.” He rolled his neck and strolled out of the room.

  This botched escape of mine had failed miserably. Now I sat here—half here—all alone. Heat rushed to my head as I imagined Sabree and Ariane living on their own. Nope. Not happening. Escape inevitable, I would find my way back. Nothing could keep me from being an uncle and Sabree’s brother-in-law. My sister would have to put up with me for all eternity.

  Crimson pooled around me as I imagined my captors drowning in the Blood Sea planet. “No! Don't go there. Don’t think of the damned place.” The rabid thoughts unearthed my personal hell.

  Thick fluid, reeking of copper and rancid flesh, oozed as though it sought to infest every orifice, every molecule that was me. By mere thought alone, the office disappeared, replaced by the blood sea. I paddled through the gooey pulp to keep myself afloat. Wary eyes glanced about, worried I might’ve pulled Ariane and Sabree along with me. Relief came quickly when I sensed neither. Not even Serine.

  As in my dreams, the Blood Sea world harbored untold number of monsters. One slithered beneath me, unaware. Fatigued, my paddles ineffective, I began to sink. In this nightmarish world, I either starred as the drowning victim or the one who flew above the sea, mourning the loss of a friend. My role as the latter, one such monster swam straight at me, except this time, its jaws opened wide as it swam through my transparent body. Had the nightmares been of me speeding around via JLS?

  An unseen force squeezed my innards, the depth deeper than I had ever sunk. My eyes already squeezed tight, I concentrated on the DanJal lab, and then on Serine and her issues. As much as I hated the idea of returning to the torture chamber, I dreaded drowning in the Blood Sea even more.

  Visuals of the steel gurney, stale air, poisonous IV, and metal restraints consumed my mind. A slight sensation of the whirlwind overtook me. Again, JLS delivered me back to square one as the lead-titanium walls transformed into actual backdrops. This time, I sat upright on top of the gurney free of restraints. One violent thrust toppled the IV stand over, tearing the tube from my arm. I was whole again. “JLS worked,” I called out to no one.

  Once the venom wore off, zipping around at JLS speed would come in handy. Somehow the half-assed transference from one place to another, twice, and then back again had released me from the restraints. But how? My see-through physicality?

  Relieved I was no longer ghostlike minus any injuries, closer inspection revealed a thin film of semi-transparent blood coating my scrubs, skin, and hair. How would I explain this to Serine? A loud rumble alerted me to her return. The door slid open.

  “What the—how did you get loose?” Serine ran to my side and stopped, eying me from head to toe. “Blood? Why are you covered in blood?” Leaning over my shoulder, she sniffed my hair. Then she brushed her finger across my cheekbone and touched it to her tongue. “Impossible,” Serine said as she shuddered all over.

  “What?” I almost fell off the slab from the sudden outburst. My eyes narrowed as she dabbed her fingers on a towel. Did she recognize the blood from the Blood Sea world? She, like most of the Originals, must have visited it at least once.

  “How did you get loose?” Serine asked again. Darting eyes glimpsed at the metallic band encasing the amulet. “Where did you go? Why did you come back?”

  Clearly, by her reaction she must have guessed that I escaped to the Blood Sea world but had no idea why I returned.

  After a brief pause, I answered with a shrug.

  “You are the anti-being; it’s the only explanation.”

  “Aye. All you had to do was ask.” The overhead speaker crackled and then chirped with an intermittent buzzing. I cocked my head. “What’s that noise?”

  “Intruders. Not the Malakhim. But don’t worry, if you are the anti-being, then I am definitely on Team Brian.” She tossed me a bag of wipes and a fresh set of scrubs. “Clean up. It’s time to go.”

  22

  WHOOPED JONATHAN’S ASS

  T omorrow morning would never come soon enough for Ariane. She had barely slept since Brian’s abduction and tonight was no different—worse perhaps. The days of waiting had dragged on. Even the chore of watching oil paint dry would be less painful. Thankfully, her work kept her occupied, perfecting the Colton tablets to last o
ver the course of three days instead of one. She chose three days at her brother’s request, the number as one of his many OCD infatuations.

  Ariane juggled a tall glass of goopy-sweet tea and a chocolate bar as she strolled out on the deck to watch shooting stars sail across the ledge. All afternoon and into the evening, she questioned if they were doing right by postponing the rescue just to discover Brian’s exact location. Gibyss came off as an untrustworthy know-it-all. The way his beady-green eyes pierced her soul, made her think of a male version of Abyss staring back. It took her a while to get used to the way Sabree’s eye color changed to suit his mood. Unlike Abyss’s envious glare, green on Sabree meant playfulness. She favored his violet hue, the way he looked at her earlier.

  Enough time wasted. Ariane placed a hand over her baby bump, now the size of a melon and realized she needed to think straight. Her list of trusted souls included Brian, Sabree, and Jesse. As for the others, her faith, what little she placed, progressed slowly. This last year had certainly changed her opinion of the so-called Fallen kindred.

  Inside the townhouse, “Demons” played on Brian’s cell phone. As soon as she realized he hadn’t taken it with him, Ariane jumped off the lounger and ran to the coffee table. She hesitated, dreading who might be on the other end.

  “Is this Ariane?” a man asked. Static distorted his voice.

  “Hello, this is she. Jesse? Brian’s been abducted by the DanJal again.”

  “I know. Just listen. The DanJal were set up by Tripper. They were first on his radar. Brian’s in danger. You must rescue him now. It’s 3:33 in the morning here. Bring gas masks.”

  “Where?”

  “The Azores—São Miguel. Leave right now,” the voice ordered.

  The end-call emblem displayed on the screen. She could be mistaken, but Ariane swore the voice belonged to Jesse. Screw it, she refused to wait until tomorrow. After Brian risked all to bring Sabree back from the dead, she recalled how he vowed to save Sabree’s life, no matter the cost. With no time to waste, Ariane gathered the nose filters.

  No sooner had she exited the lab did Euriel, Gibyss, and Sabree intercept her. “We need to leave now,” Sabree said, his gaze tracing her apricot sundress. “Dress warm. Lots of wind riding on the back of flyboy.”

  A half hour later, in the wake of a 3,000-mile whirlwind flight, Ariane smoothed the folds from her black-leather jumpsuit, stretchy enough to accommodate her baby bump. Before they entered the back door, she instructed the three how to activate their nasal filters. As expected, they had zoned out when she explained how to insert them.

  She inhaled a breath of sea air mixed with hibiscus and camellia growing wildly in the outskirts of the DanJal stronghold. Savoring the island flavor, she reluctantly shoved the small nasal filter inside her nostrils and inhaled again. She caught a brief whiff of polymer and pocketed the spare bag of filters. Sabree grasped her hand, so they could follow Gibyss together. Only he knew where to enter the DanJal fortress to avoid detection.

  “Ready?” Sabree asked. Instead of his trusty duster, he borrowed Brian’s bomber jacket. “No telling what kind of voodoo we might walk into. The call could be a trap.”

  “Born ready,” she said with more certainty than ever. She gave a nod to Gibyss when she realized Euriel had vanished. Good riddance. His arms wrapped above her baby bump during the flight left her unsettled, grateful he flew faster than a jet. Excuses or not, she refused to let Euriel get off easy. Never forgive the rogue for almost lopping off her head.

  After they zigzagged down a narrow tunnel, it opened into a large room. As dark as the tunnel, the hall the size of a football field, housed rows and rows of books and withered scrolls. The DanJal archival room, Ariane surmised. Her nose wrinkled from the stale air, surprised the mustiness infiltrated her nasal filter.

  Behind her, someone coughed and gagged, and then cried out, warning everyone to leave. “They’re on to us already,” she called to Sabree.

  Cocking his head, Sabree held a finger to his lips.

  Screams and cries for help from the Fallen inundated their minds. The attack had already begun. Ariane recognized the banana organic bite of the anti-vamp venom, having worked on it so often in her makeshift lab. Eric must’ve injected a gaseous form into the DanJal ventilation system that fed the entire underground facility. She pinched her nose and sniffed. The air pure, she no longer breathed in the sickly-sweet venom or the musty books.

  “Quick,” Ariane hollered and demonstrated how. “Activate your respirators. Now!” A quick glance Sabree’s way showed he followed orders as his fingers released his nose.

  “We’re too late,” Sabree said while he stooped over to assist a clan member who collapsed. “Eric’s already here. We better find Brian.” He nudged the barely conscious librarian. “Tell me where they’re keeping the prisoner. The intruders mean to rescue him.”

  Between gasps, the librarian managed to speak. “He’s down in the protective quadrants, the tombs.” His tear-filled eyes gazed at Ariane.

  “I know the place,” Gibyss said as he knelt beside them. “The lower level where they conduct research.” He shoved an extra filter up the librarian’s nose and pinched the bridge. “Here, breathe through this.” “Time’s a wasting. Follow me.”

  Together, Ariane and the others dashed out of the archival into a dim hallway lit by emergency lights. A misty vapor drifted along the floor, the venom heavier than air. At the stairway, she stepped aside to let Gibyss take the lead and sprint down six flights to another hall lit identical to the first. He stopped in front of a large metal door of polished lead.

  Ariane nearly slammed into his backside. They could have entered right away if Sabree or Gibyss misted inside, but the special alloy forged within the stronghold walls blocked that particular ability. She didn’t feel as useless now.

  While Gibyss flipped multiple levers pointing to specific symbols, Ariane studied the ancient markings similar to the ones engraved on the Caderen’s conference doors. By flipping six levers to match six specific symbols, he unlocked the door. If not for the peril, she would have commented on the superiority of the Caderen facility compared to the DanJal’s antiquated dungeon. It appeared the clan never left the dark ages.

  Mechanical gears inside the walls clicked and groaned until the heavy door rolled open. Ariane rushed by Sabree into the confined space and stopped when she saw Brian. She released a low hiss at how poorly the DanJal had treated him. Dark circles under his eyes contrasted his deathly pale skin. The stubble on his jawline stunned her for a second. His matted hair added to his crazed appearance as he muttered nonsense about seagulls.

  She glared at Sabree. “Why did they free him of the restraints?” When Sabree shook his head, she answered for him. “Because he’s too weak?” Clearly, any sustenance in his body went straight to healing himself. For a millisecond, the DanJal deserved whatever fate Eric dished out.

  Dressed in navy scrubs, Brian tried to stand. His eyes brightened.

  Ariane ran over to hug him and knocked her brother back onto the gurney.

  Sabree called her name in time to catch the spare nasal filter he tossed. He then proceeded to disengage the IV unit.

  “Already disconnected,” Brian said. “Serine was supposed to help me escape. But I did it myself. I whooped Jonathan’s ass.”

  “Jonathan?” Sabree asked. He exchanged glances with Ariane.

  Her shoulders lifted. “No idea. Must be delusional.” She supported the back of her brother’s head to insert the filters inside his nostrils. “Squeeze your nose,” she said, pressing the bridge of her own. One brow arched under her bangs. She nudged Sabree’s arm to get his attention. “Isn’t Serine one of the bad guys?”

  “Who knows anymore? Brian, take these.” Sabree popped a handful of Colton tabs into his mouth. “Chew.”

  The effects worked fast. Her brother transformed before her eyes. His wholesome appearance repaired in the time it took a therapeutic wave to wash over him before it receded into
the sea. The same surge cleansed the poisons from his system and gave him a complete makeover except for the disheveled hair and stubble.

  Ariane eased him off the table and offered an arm to help him stand. “Steady enough to walk?” When she stepped back, Brian’s lips kissed air instead, his attempt to peck her on the forehead a clear miss.

  Sabree answered for him. “Walk or crawl, we have to go. Eric’s on the rampage.”

  “Aye, I can bloody well walk,” Brian snarled. “Where’s is he? We have unfinished business.”

  If not today, then tomorrow or the next day, Ariane vowed Eric would pay dearly for his betrayal. She wanted first dibs on the spelunker-gone-bad. “Eric pumped a gaseous mix of the anti-vamp serum into the DanJal filtration system. No telling what he plans to do with the victims.” She wrapped an arm around Brian’s waist and pulled his arm over her shoulder.

  “Probably torch them. Encase them inside a welded container,” Brian said without flinching. “These filters work good. I can’t smell a thing.”

  Her imagination on overdrive, the clan’s fate made her shudder. How long before madness took hold while a charred body healed, only to be locked forever inside a small box with the entire clan. Not even the DanJal deserved such a gruesome fate. Her insides numbed from the inability to help them.

  When they stepped into the hall, her eyes locked onto Gibyss who stood guard outside the lab. Ariane recalled his informant. “What about your snitch? Was it the librarian?”

  Gibyss glanced down the hall. “No, she’s waiting outside with our means of escape. Follow me. We’re taking the back door.”

  The science labs abandoned during a crisis, they rarely came across any DanJal in the lower levels. When they ran into a clan member, they met little resistance. While Ariane helped support Brian, Sabree dropped a spare filter and a few Colton tabs within the victim’s reach.