Ethereal Underground (Ethereal Underground Trilogy) (28 page)

He stopped telling the story and looked away from the group. Annalise knew he did not like letting what emotions he
felt show in front of others very often. She knew that if he could cry, if seraphs had that ability, he would do so now. She thought back to how she had cried when she returned to the seraph realm and realized that it must be because of the bond and her new emotions. Sighing, Annalise leaned over on her knees and tried to take everything in. Having a counterpart that you could trust and spend time with was something other species just did not get, and she did not want the girl to think he was in love with Prisscylia, “You have to understand, counterparts are together for hundreds or thousands of years. You cannot comprehend the bond that is created there. The fallen took her and consumed her powers. I am not sure how they do it, but they create something that gives them seraph powers again for a short period of time. Gives them the illusion of being one again. It is sick.”

“I’ve refused to have a new counterpart created since then. I just could not go through that again
and for some weird reason, the Elders allowed it,” he explained. He turned to Arie and sighed, “That’s why when I had an opening, I immediately went to the Elders and requested to be given you as a charge.”

Arie let out a quick gasp, having asked about her guardian earlier and not been answered.

“If I can keep you safe, that’s what I’m going to do,” Finlay explained, “I have someone else covering all of my other charges. You are more important right now.”

Annalise felt suddenly uncomfortable now, not hearing Finlay talk about anyone like that since he had lost his counterpart. Even then, it hadn’t been love between them, just that special bond. But as she watched him try to get Arie to understand, she could tell this was much more than that.
As a seraph, he didn’t have the human capacity for love, but she could see that he cared for Arie as much as he could.

She was thankful when Finlay excused himself
and took piece of the burning wood with him to go into another cave connected to this one. Arie was up from her seat quickly to follow behind him. Annalise could hear the questions flowing from her mouth, and she let out a sigh. It was difficult enough being around Ash when she did care for him, and not being sure if things could ever work between them. It wouldn’t work with Finlay and Arie either, she knew that, but they did not seem to be as worried about it. They were living for the now, cherishing each other while they were together, and it made her miss Leon. Before all of the events that had transpired, there was never an awkward moment between them. It was easy for her to be herself with him. Here with Ash, she was unsure of what she should do or say.

Ash

The air stood still this far down in the underground, so the only thing that could be heard was the sound of creatures lurking in the distance and the crackling of the small fire. Ash sat awkwardly on the ground, his body heavy after a long day of walking. He hadn’t realized how far they had to travel to the end of the ninth layer.  Once they descended down into the tenth layer where the fallen were, there would be no turning back. He felt pretty confident that he could kill Endarial, but he didn’t feel confident that they would get out of there alive. If he couldn’t make it, he wanted to make sure Finlay got the girls out safely. He made a mental note to talk to Finlay and turned to Annalise who was huddled in front of the fire beside him.

“How many fallen do yo
u think there are down there?” he asked. He put his hands out closer to the flame wishing the heat would come faster.

“Finlay says close to twenty. If we are lucky, most of them will be gone.
Natara said that Loki’s followers are growing enormously. I hope we finish off a few before they even realize we are there.”

Ash nodded in agreement, he hoped that luck was on their side. He pointed behind him where Arie and Finlay had run off to.

“Did you know about that?” Ash asked her, referring to Finlay being Arie’s guardian.

“No,” she shook he
r head, “I am guessing it happened right after I saved you. Finlay enjoys the way you mortals act; I am not surprised he is taken by your Arie. He tries to be like one of you.”

Ash gave her a look of disgust and tried to change the subject; he scooted over to her and leaned in close.

“I didn’t realize the bond between two seraph partners could be so intense. I’m sorry for always talking bad about Leon. I’m sure he is a great seraph.” The last words were hard to get out, but he needed to clear the air. After seeing Finlay get more emotional than he had ever seen him become over losing his counterpart, he realized how much Annalise must be hurting.

“I’m sure he is okay,” he said.

Annalise closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. “I hope so. He has been with me for so long; I cannot stand to think otherwise.”

Ash reached out to squeeze her hand; he couldn’t be petty or jealous anymore. This trip wasn’t about him and Annalise, it was about righting the wrongs that had been done. 
In their own world, neither of them were welcome anymore. If they were successful, things would go back to the way it should be, for Anna at least. Ash wasn’t sure what his future as keeper would be, but he was positive he didn’t want to go back.  Maybe if he laid low for a while, they would think he was dead. After all, the underground was a very big place and the keepers were fewer in numbers these days. He stared off into the distance and wondered if he would ever see the suns or the stars again. It was a depressing thought, but he didn’t care as long as his friends were safe.

“What did Jaron mean? When he said those things about you?” Annalise asked timidly. He knew she was afraid of his answer, and frankly Ash didn’t want to give one to her. She was too curious though, so he knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge the question.

“I was not the model keeper,” he explained, “When I was given permission to be a mentor a few months ago, they gave me Gabe. He was so strong and witty; he was going to make a great keeper.” Ash smiled at the thought of the young boy, the one who didn’t get the pleasure of a long life.

“The Officials were given information about a drug peddler receiving shipment through one of the supply ships. It was our job to follow the ship and find out who it was. I had just gotten a place near the Ethereal
Underground and the thrill of living there was still pretty new. It was my secret hideaway. I got caught up one night and forgot to go back to the surface. We were supposed to meet at sunrise. When I wasn’t there, Gabe went without me. I don’t know why, but I think I would have done the same thing if I were him. He was just like me. Cocky, arrogant, thought he could take on the whole world. I was only thirty minutes late, if only he had waited just a few minutes longer. He never made it back; the Officials didn’t blame me at first, until a few weeks ago when someone told them where I had been the night before and what I had been doing during my time off. Jaron was the one who told them. He has hated me ever since I was picked to become an Official over him.”

Ash tried to push his emotions away like the keepers had taught him, but the thought of Gabe made him feel the guilt all over again. Ale always made him talk too much, so he decided to shut his mouth before he said anything he would regret.  Annalise squeezed his hand tighter, making him feel a bit better.

“He should not have gone alone,” she told him.

“And you shouldn’t have saved my life.”

Annalise’s body stiffened beside him. “I told you, I do not regret saving you. I only regret all the pain it has caused everyone else.”

Unable to come up with a good reply, Ash sat there in silence. He was eager for tomorrow to come so they could get this trip over with. He had so many unanswered questions for Annalise.
What was going on in her mind? Had she changed her mind about returning home? Did she compare him to Leon? He gathered up the courage to just spit them out.

“Is Leon the one you want?” Ash whispered, afraid of the answer.
He and Annalise had a connection; it was something he couldn’t explain. The more he wished it gone; the stronger it became.  She stared into the fire for a few moments. Each second that passed made his heart grow heavy. Her silence told him everything he needed to know.

He cleared his throat softly and looked away from her.

“Tell me about the other seraphs,” he urged. He had heard her and Finlay talk a bit about the others but the world was still practically a mystery.

“We are very different from your kind.
Our world is centered around nature and our affinities. Few of us live like Finlay- indulging in the mortal world when we can. Finlay is a high ranking seraph, so he gets away with much more.”

“
Is Leon the rule breaking kind?”

Annalise shook her head.
Of course, Leon never broke the rules. In her eyes, Leon was perfect. Ash grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. He could feel how much she missed her realm. 

“This feeling you have right now. It’s called being homesick. I know how different this world can be. I know you miss the sun and the greenery. I know you miss the simplicity and…and…” He paused for a second before continuing on, “Leon.”

Annalise looked up at him. He watched as a small smile formed on her face. She was reassured by his words. At least that’s what he thought. Sometimes he couldn’t get a clear reading with the bond.

“Do you miss you home too?”

Ash chuckled and shook his head. Missing the keepers was definitely not on his mind. “No, I don’t miss the keepers. I suppose I may have missed them when I first left the surface. I kept thinking I would find my way back, but then I kept getting the feeling that they don’t care about the citizens of Cabalin. Our Officials only want control.” He pulled out the keeper blade he had taken from Jaron from its spot on his side and rubbed his finger along the ancient symbol. The small symbol was practically meaningless to him now. After that confrontation in the conservatory, he knew he didn’t belong there with those people. He was willing to take the punishment. If they came to take him away, there were things he needed to take care of. Killing the fallen took top priority. Who knew what could happen after that. The keepers may decide to take him back. They may decide to banish him to the ninth layer. They could even kill him, and from what Jaron had said it seemed like that was the final decision. Yet, he wouldn’t draw conclusions from that traitor’s actions. He had been working with the enemy for reasons Ash still couldn’t figure out. Arie had mentioned earlier that Jaron was probably working alone. He had been too worried about Annalise earlier to seriously consider the possibility, but now it ringed very true in his ears. If the Officials wanted him dead they would have sent a bounty hunter not a fellow keeper. They wouldn’t risk losing another of their kind to Ash. Ash could have easily taken him if they had met on a fair playing field. Anna had once again saved him.

“If the Officials offer to take you back after you kill the fallen; will you go back?”

Ash thought for a moment. “No,” he simply said.

“I hope my Elder
s take me back.”

Ash nodded in agreement. “This is my fault. I will make sure they do. Even if that means you have to kill me.”

Annalise gasped and pulled her hand from her his grip.

“I told you; I will not do that!” she cried.

Ash groaned at how stubborn she could be and grabbed her by the shoulders. He looked into her blue eyes so she could see the fierceness behind his face. She was seeing the warrior inside of him now, not the cocky, fun Ash. She trembled slightly from fear.

“What are you going to do then? Do you want to be made into a fallen? You made the choice to save me, Anna. Now you must deal with the consequences. If it comes down to it; you will kill me. I let you come along on this journey because you want so badly to clear your name by killing an enemy. You have two choices. You give it all up and we can be together; or you do anything you can to get back home.” He released her suddenly. She wouldn’t say anything to that. He knew her well enough now to know he had just rendered her speechless. In a perfect world, they would kill the fallen and go home and live happily ever after. In this dying world, one of them may not make it home from this journey alive. If they did make it home; there was no guarantee that their own kind wouldn’t kill them anyways.

The sound of Arie’s laughing make Ash groan. He laid back on the dirt floor and covered his ears.

“I need to get some rest.” He turned toward the direction the couple had walked off to and yelled. “I hope you two get eaten! Could you get any louder?”

A low hissing noise from the corner of the cave knocked Annalise off her log and onto the floor with Ash. He put his arm around her protectively.