Ethereal Underground Part 10

"We should do as he asks," Annalise agreed, trying to show him that she was in agreement, "The sooner we are able to get this over with the sooner I can go home and we can all get back to normal."

He looked over at her, clearly disappointed and trying to hide it, but she wasn't sure why. She thought they were on the same page. This was something they needed to get done, and they were doing it together. Then they would go back to their lives, even though that meant being separate. There was nothing between them, he had made that clear to her. It would never work. Still, she wondered. All these feelings had her so messed up, and she would not make a rash decision without getting them under control first. Especially if he did not want her to stay here with him. She had seen mortals in love, those wanting to be together, and this was certainly not it. Really, she wasn't even sure why he was looking at her like that...or what it meant.

"Okay then," Natara agreed, "But first, tell me what you know about killing a fallen."

"Well nothing. I know that silver bullets stun them for a limited amount of time. They seem tough but I love a challenge." Ash said, eyes moving over to look at Annalise and then back at the fallen in front of him. She looked at him puzzled, wondering what he had meant by that glance. She wished she had a book on mortals, or had paid more attention to these subtle cues while she had watched them in her globe.

Arie interjected, clearly irritated at the way things were going, "I'm sure little Anna here knows about challenges, huh? She's the reason we are in this mess."

The seraph narrowed her eyes, irritated that the girl that she barely knew and did not get along with was shortening her name. That was a pet peeve of hers, and only her closest of friends were permitted to use it, "My name is Annalise, and no I did not cause this."

Natara interrupted the conversation, putting it back on track, "It doesn't matter who started this, so forget the bickering. What you guys need to know is how to deal with the fallen. Annalise, how do you kill a seraph?"

The seraph was shocked to hear Natara asking her such things. Of course, she knew the answer, but it wasn't something she cared to think about. Absent mindedly, she raised her hand to run it through her ponytail and took a few slow breaths before answering, "A sword. It must be a silver sword or one dipped in silver. Some of our power comes from our wings. Once removed, we somehow loose our ability to remain immortal. They will grow back over a few days, but during that time we are incredibly vulnerable. If one were to cut off the wings of a seraph, they would only need to kill them as if a mortal but with that same weapon. That would end their life."

She dropped her eyes to the table, not wanting to talk about the subject anymore. It was enough to worry about losing Leon, seeing as she had no idea what he was doing. Every time she thought about it, she paused to see if she could feel anything. If he were to die, she would know it, feel every second of it, and put everyone else at risk.

Natara picked up where she left off to explain the rest, "That is the same way you destroy the fallen. With a silver sword. That should do the trick."

"Where can we get the swords?" Ash asked, excited and ready to get set on the mission.

"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 embarra.s.sed 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 embarra.s.sed 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, pus.h.i.+ng 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 s.p.a.ce. 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 pa.s.sed 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 th.o.r.n.y stems etched into it. Natara stepped up to it, retrieving a small key from her pocket, placing it into the hole and pus.h.i.+ng 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 s.p.a.ce 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 s.p.a.ce, 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 rea.s.suring 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 the 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 circ.u.mstances. 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 a.s.sured 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 b.l.o.o.d.y 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 s.p.a.ce 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 still 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.

Suddenly, Ash grabbed her hands, and she looked up at him in question. "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to pull her hand away from him. She wondered what she had done to upset him, not understanding why he would be upset with her for helping him. Those emotions she did not understand were making her so confused, he was upset, but yet he was not.

"Are you going to do what Leon asked you to? Are you going to kill me?"

"What?" she exclaimed, shock coming over her face as she looked up into his worried eyes. It was obvious to her now that he had stewed over this since they had left her realm, but she had been trying to ignore this connection and hadn't realized it. She had to make him understand, there was no way she would do that. He was her friend. They were in this together. She owed him that because she cared about him. More than she had allowed herself to admit before. It hit her then, these feelings that she was having for him. "No, I would never. Ash, I think-"

Annalise wasn't able to finish her sentence, because he was leaning in to her, his eyes closing as he closed the distance between them. She froze, her body unable to move in antic.i.p.ation of what was about to happen. She felt her heartbeat speed up as his face inched closer. He had leaned in like this previously, on the beach, but only kissed her hand. Annalise felt her body begin to tremble once again, but she hoped he would not stop this time. His lips connected with hers then, sending a thrill of electricity through her body. She felt him run his hands up her arms and take her face in his hands. Her hands moved up to his arms to steady herself, doing the best she could to kiss him back. It wasn't something she had done before, and she could only hope that it was correct. He pulled her closer to him, so she a.s.sumed it was just fine. Deepening the kiss, she tried to follow his lead. He was slow and steady, not rough and quick like Leon had been in their quick goodbye, but Annalise could feel the pa.s.sion in it. He was letting out all of the things he hadn't said to her, and she in return was showing him how she felt about him. If he wouldn't let her say it, she would show him.

She let him lead her, moving his hands back down her body and eliciting s.h.i.+vers throughout her skin. Had her wings been there, they would have presented some problem, he continued to move his mouth against hers and pull her closer to him. Running her hands up his chest, she wrapped them around the back of his neck and pulled herself closer to him. She found her breath coming quicker with each movement, odd sensations rolling over in her stomach.

"Ash," she whispered, making him pause to look at her as he played his hands along her side.

"Yes?"

Again with the short answers, but this time his voice was softer, those intense angry emotions fading away.

"I do not want you to hate me."

"Anna, I don't hate you," he said with a laugh, a lazy smile coming over his face as he leaned down to kiss her again.

This must be what mortals speak of when they write about bliss in their poetry. This need to just be held by the one you care about. Being in his arms now made her realize that she had longed for it since the time they had met. She had thought several times of the way he held himself, of how blue his eyes were, his adorable smile when he would joke around with her or think she was funny because of her cluelessness. She trusted him, with everything she was, in a different way than she had Leon. It wasn't just with her safety and loyalty, but her heart as well. She was a part of his life now, and he was a part of hers, whether or not either of them wanted to admit to it. They would never be the same again, and she knew it.

As their kisses became more urgent, he pulled her closer to him and continued to kiss her. She didn't want to speak again, ruin what they had as his kisses moved down her neck. But she couldn't help herself, there were so many bad things that could happen the next day and she felt like they needed to talk about them. "One of us could die tomorrow, Ash," she said, breath coming slightly labored as she pushed at him.

He pulled back from her and shook his head. His hand came up to cup her face, his finger caressing the side of her face as he spoke, "I know, Anna, and I don't want any regrets. I've not been able to get you out of my mind since I met you. I know you say that us being together is forbidden, but we're already on the run...and I don't want to miss out on this connection we have. Do you?"

She considered it for a second. If he died tomorrow when they went on their journey, would she regret the choice to not spend time with him, just enjoying his company and his lips on hers? She cared about him, that much was clear now. As much as she knew this could never work and she wanted to be home so badly, she knew she could never forgive herself if she let this opportunity pa.s.s her by. The inability of herself to pull away from him, look away from his eyes now, showed her that he had changed her life.

"No, I do not. Just be patient with me," she said softly, still concerned she would do or say something wrong.

He laughed, lowering his eyes to meet hers, "I'm not even worried about it. I will take care of you. You are safe with me."

It was something that she already knew, because he had never been anything but protective of her. Annalise gave him her best smile and nodded, happy and content where she was for the first time since she had brought his soul back. He kissed her again, more pa.s.sionately, as his hands moved around her neck. She wrapped her arms around him in response and tried to pull him closer, unable to think clearly as his fingers began to undo the knot at the base of her hair. She began to feel self-conscious. She reached up to stop him, feeling more nervous as he was surely more sure of himself than she was.

"Trust me," his voice cooed as he let go of the fabric and took her hands in his. He placed kisses down her knuckles and looked deeply into her eyes.

Annalise felt the breath catch in her throat as he pressed their hands to his stomach. She grasped the bottom of his s.h.i.+rt and he nodded. She pulled it upwards, slowly, anxiously, her hands trembling as he dipped his head to allow her to remove it. Tossing it off to the side, she allowed herself to take in his chiseled and tanned form, the muscles moving along his body as he leaned forward to kiss her neck again. She closed her eyes as electricity ran through her body as he did so.

"Ash," his name slipped from her lips and her fingers played up his body and gripped his shoulders firmly. This was where she belonged, she was sure, in his arms and with him. Bonded and together. Until they would be forced to separate. She just hoped that he would ask her to stay so they could be like this again, and live in love with each other. She knew now, that this feeling every time he came near was love, and that she never wanted that to stop. That's all she wanted as his hands glazed softly against her skin and she lost herself in the sweet smell and indulgent touch of his body.

Ash Ash wandered through the familiar tunnels outside of Natara's home. He knew each turn and path to take as he slowly made his way through the dirt, rock, and metal. He wasn't planning on going far; he just needed to get some energy out. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Jedzia. Her face as that cowl-eating fallen snapped her neck. Ash felt bad for sneaking out of the bed with Annalise. He knew she didn't need to rest, but they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. He hadn't felt a connection with another person like this before. Most of the other girls he had been around were just a way to have fun or pa.s.s the time. The girls would always come running to him after a fight. They were pushy, and didn't require any thought on his part. Sleep wouldn't come to him, however, guilt crept in every time he closed his eyes. Guilt for the part he played in Jedzia's death. Guilt for dragging innocent Annalise into his revenge trip and getting her banished, and unfortunately, guilt for kissing her. Who was he kidding? He had been holding back his feelings for her since the moment she saved his life. He had tried keeping those feelings in the back of his mind where had they stewed and ate at the brick wall he had built; until finally he had given in and kissed her. The moment she told him that she wouldn't kill him, he had been so sublimely happy. There was no way he couldn't not do it. Being with her was probably the biggest mistake he had ever made, and he had made a lot of them over the years. He didn't care though, today he was happy and that was all that mattered. He had strayed from everything he had been taught to be able to do these things, and feel these things. Why had he defied the Officials if not to fall in love or do what he wanted? If he could only get this fallen mess behind him, he could focus on Annalise and him. Maybe he could convince her to keep the bond. Ash stopped walking as he realized he had made a wrong turn somewhere. Everything around him looked the same, but he had to be close to the house. In front and behind of him were nothing but metal walls. He hadn't been paying attention; just lost in his thoughts as usual, and this had become all too normal for him. He felt his spine tingle as his keeper instincts kicked in. Someone was close by. Ash put his hand up, ready to fight whoever or whatever was around the corner. Creatures normally lurked in the tunnels, but Ash wasn't scared. He could take seven of them with no weapons and not even break a sweat. He slowly took a step forward, turning the corner to jump out and face his opponent. Instead of a hideous creature, he came face to face with an old friend. Anger and hate showed plainly on the man's face. Ash didn't dare lower his gaze, instead he looked right into Jaron's dark eyes. Jaron's brown hair stuck up around his head like a th.o.r.n.y crown and his eyes were bloodshot and tired.

"Jaron," he acknowledged.

Growing up as a keeper, it was like growing up in a different world. They weren't allowed contact with the outside layers. They only knew each other and the higher Officials. There were no parents, family or fun allowed. The days consisted of schooling, training, eating, and sleeping. On the occasional days off, Jaron and him would sneak off from the keeper conservatory and get into whatever mischief they could find. Swimming in the manmade ocean, hitching a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p ride with a trader, sometimes they would even lie out under the night sky and watch the dozens of planets in the sky. The same planets that brought war and destruction to their sector of the galaxy, these were the planets they fought. They had grown up being taught that keepers were the glue holding the planet together. Without them, the planet would be taken over. The citizens were safe underground, while the keepers kept the war off of the surface. Ash shook his head slightly as he thought about all the lies he had been fed growing up. The keeper's intentions might have started off as honorable, but these days they spent more time trying to control the people than actually saving them. Keeping the peace wasn't an easy job, most of the time. Ash had to turn the other cheek and do things he felt were wrong, all because the Officials had given him orders. He had been ordered to stop traders from bring supplies to the lowest layers. He had been ordered to take out rebels in the underground. He took orders, they all took orders. These days, no one was giving him orders and he liked it. He savored the way his freedom tasted. Now he savored something else entirely: revenge. Jaron has been the one to turn Ash in; he had betrayed him all so he could get in good with the Officials. The past couple of years; Jaron only cared about power. With Ash out of the way, Jaron had a better chance becoming Jedzia's partner and a better chance at becoming an Official. The day Ash had been chosen to train for an Official position over Jaron, was the day Jaron had turned his back on their years of friends.h.i.+p.

"Feeling the guilt yet Ash?" Jaron asked. He looked rough with his long black coat and dirty boots.

"I didn't know they would follow me there. You have to believe me; I would never do anything to hurt my friends." Ash tried not to let his emotions show; he didn't want to give Jaron the satisfaction. If Jaron let his guard down, it gave Ash the advantage to attack.

Jaron laughed and rubbed his unshaven chin with his hand. "How did he even get down here? He must have followed us from the bar and hid in the tunnels," Ash thought. He silently cursed, he should have stayed hidden.