Ethereal Underground Part 4

Ash let his mind wander from the current conversation. To his relief, Arie seemed too engaged with Finlay to bother bugging him about what had happened the other night. He just wanted to find the blonde girl from the other night, if he could find her; maybe she would be able to give him some answers on what had happened. His curiosity had been eating away at him, and the next time he had a chance he was thinking about sneaking back up to the keeper conservatory to speak with his old partner. Jedzia knew every legend about their world inside out. Maybe she would be able to figure out why he was still alive. Ash took another swig of his drink in hopes that pretty soon all of his troubles would disappear.

All of a sudden, he felt a p.r.i.c.kling sensation moving up the back of his neck. He had the strangest feeling that the mystery girl was nearby. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he stood up and started to look around just the same. He threw a few gems on the table for his drink.

"I've got to run, Fin, I'll see you around. Later, Arie."

Without taking his eyes off his surroundings, he made his way to Arie's favorite spot in the bar, the metal staircase railing. If she was here, he would certainly be able to see her from up there.

Annalise She watched him from her spot across the bar in the Ethereal Underground. This wasn't a place Annalise had ever been before, and she had made sure her wings were hidden when she arrived. The moment she had laid eyes on him, however, she also made herself invisible. She wanted to watch this boy, the one who had flipped her whole world upside down, try to figure out what he was all about before she approached him. He had spent most of the night with Finlay which was surprising to her. She knew that her fellow seraph frequented the place, but he fit in so incredibly well one would have thought he was mortal. It was something she could only hope she could do herself. She had never been around the mortals, except for reaping and healing as needed, watching them in her globe when Leon wasn't around and she had some free time. However, she just needed to blend in enough to get across the room to the mortal and figure out what was going on. A girl joined them as well, one that Finlay was flirting with, but Annalise could tell that the mortal was protective over her. The redhead was the same one that had been walking the streets with him, minutes before he had been stabbed by the fallen's sword. She bit back her irritation at the girl and turned her attention back to Ash, who was walking away from them. The air here was thick and smoky, unnatural to her in the worst way, and it made it difficult for her to breathe.

When she had taken Finlay's advice and came to find the mortal, it hadn't occurred to her what she would say. Should she walk right up to him and demand that he tell her what kind of trick he pulled, or should she hide in the shadows and see if she could figure out what he was up to? Controversy had never been her strong point, never being one to confront others and leaving that up to Leon. But she had gotten herself into this and she was determined to show everyone that she was mature enough to handle her own problems.

Letting herself s.h.i.+mmer into reality, she followed a few steps behind the young man up the staircase. Her eyes were glued to the back of his head as she followed him, mind blank and focused solely on keeping him in her sites. Once they reached the top of the stairs, she reached out to tap him on the shoulder, but he turned on his heels as if he sensed her presence and stared at her. He stopped in his tracks, taking her in as she tried to catch her breath. She felt herself lose her senses for a moment, looking into his beautiful blue eyes as they tried to place her.

"It's you," he said simply, not giving her much information to go on.

"Annalise," she replied, as if explaining everything, but unable to say anything else. This was a bad idea she decided. Being this close to him alive showed her he wasn't just a boy, he was a man, strong and cunning, everything she was not. She couldn't believe she was doing this. It was such a bad idea. She was out of her element and if the fallen were to attack, she would be....

"Annalise," he repeated, her name rolling off his tongue made her blush slightly for an unknown reason, as he stood up a little straighter, composing himself, and making her feel even smaller than she already was, "you are more beautiful than I remember. I'm Ash, small time star in the galaxy. Welcome to my territory."

Before she could reply, he had his hand at her waist, leading her the other way towards a series of tables. She followed him willingly, even though she was more conscious that she was still clad in her pale pink polka dotted dress. It made her stand out among the other patrons, several species of women wearing completely different ensembles were looking at her oddly. Thankfully this was the only mortal she had ever shown herself to, so no one else knew what she was.

Ash paused at one of the tables, pulling out a chair and motioning to it. Annalise furrowed her eyebrows and looked back at him, confused, "You are the ruler here?" She was so very confused; she had been told he was a keeper. They were not rulers, they were enforcers.

He gave a little laugh and took her hand, not answering her question, leading her to the seat and forcing her to sit in it as he took a seat across from her. Ash cleared his throat before he spoke and nodded, "Quite the star actually; fight winner, jewel gatherer...you name it, I have it wrapped around my fingers."

"Your fingers?" Annalise questioned, leaning closer to him to observe his fingers, "But I do not see anything there."

"You're not from around here are you?"

"Definitely not."

Annalise was surprised when he reached over to play with the hem of her skirt, "This is a color you don't see every day, where did you get this?"

"From the market where I am from," she said, slapping his hand to make him stop. Every time he touched her, it seemed as if her brain couldn't function properly. She would forget her reasoning for coming here.

He frowned at her, obviously bothered by her smacking him, but she did not know why he insisted on touching her clothing. "What are you?" he demanded suddenly as he leaned over on his elbows.

It took her aback, his blatant questioning of her as if she had any reason to tell him anything. She had always been taught not to tell mortals anything about the seraphs, but this one had her questioning everything she had ever learned. She leaned back in her seat, uncomfortable at the closeness of him. "I do not know exactly what you are meaning. I have come here to ask you the same thing. What is it that you have done to me?"

"Done to you? I'm the one who woke up from being stabbed with a sword with no sign of a wound and you straddling me," he laughed, pulling a piece of parchment from his clothing and setting it on the table. "Which of course you are more than welcome to do again if you'd like another shot," he said as he unrolled the paper and slid it across the table to her.

Not catching on to his innuendo, she took the parchment from him and saw the sketching of her face. She let out a shocked breath, rolled it back up and held it to her chest, "You must never show this to anyone."

"No worries darling, you answer my questions, and I will show you around. Like I said, this place is all mine, and you are just in luck that I am free tonight."

Annalise eyed him curiously, not sure what to make of him. One minute he was kind and playful and the next he was upset and demanding. From what Finlay had told her, he was not at all as powerful as he was saying he was. "I will not tell you anything about myself," she said clearly with a wave of her hands.

"Come on, whatever this is that's happened between us is out of this world. You can't just keep it to yourself," he insisted, blue eyes boring into her.

She dropped her eyes to the table and away from the intensity of his gaze. He was making her uncomfortable. "There is no reason I should tell you anything. You are the one who has bewitched me."

"Bewitched you?!" he exclaimed, a smile coming over his face, "Darling, you haven't seen nothing yet."

"I must go," Annalise said and shook her head, "It was a bad idea to come here." He wasn't cooperating with her at all, not even answering her questions.

As she stood up to leave, he reached out to grab her wrist, "Wait."

She looked down at him in shock and grimaced, "You are being difficult and I am not going to waste my time here."

"Don't be so worried," he said. His voice grew serious and the smile faded from his face, "You can trust me. I'm not going to tell anyone anything. Do you think I want others to think I'm crazy?"

Annalise paused for a minute and considered her options. If she left now, none of her questions would be answered. She would have no reason as to why she would betray her people and save this mortal. If she stayed with him and gave him information on herself, it would help them both figure out what had happened. It was obvious to her that he was just as confused as she was. However, she would try to take control of the situation and keep him from trying to distract her with his silly comments and gestures.

Sitting back down, she looked him directly in the eye and whispered, "I am a seraph. I am sure you have heard of us."

"I knew it," he said, a smile taking over his face, "Whatever you've come back here for, just know I'm not interested."

"I want to know why I saved your life when I was supposed to take it," she said bluntly, shaking her head in confusion and irritated that he was being so nonchalant about the whole thing.

"You did what? What are you?"

"I told you, I am a seraph. A reaper to be exact."

"So you are a soul saver?" he asked, laughing as he said it.

"Do not laugh at me. You should be thankful." How could he not see that he was supposed to die, and that without her, he would be dead this very moment? He was acting as if something serious had not happened just a couple of days before.

"Oh I am darling, happy to live another day and be able to show you around this place," Ash said as he stood up from his chair abruptly and almost fell over.

Annalise teleported without thinking, finding herself behind him and grasping for him before he fell. Their eyes met and she jumped back from him, confused at why she was so quick to make sure he was okay. "I do not need you to show me around anywhere," she said defensively, irritated with him for not staying on topic, "I just want you to answer my question."

"I will tell you everything you need to know," he insisted, taking her hand and leading her over to the bar. He sat down and she did the same, still keeping her eyes on him so he didn't disappear. He leaned over the counter and demanded to see the owner of the bar and turned back to her, "I know the owner, she makes me special drinks and makes sure I have a spot at the bar."

"Quite impressive," Annalise said with a smile, even though she never again intended to drink that horrible substance that Finlay had tricked her into tasting. She hoped that mortal drinks tasted better.

A small lady floated over to where they were and Annalise couldn't help but reach out to Ash's arm to ground herself. She had never seen a race of mortal such as this lady before, and she wasn't sure if she was welcome in her bar.

"Maize, I need the usual for myself and some simple Jadza fruit for my friend here," Ash said, flas.h.i.+ng a smile at the bar owner and then looking over at Annalise.

"No problem Ash, not too much going on tonight so whatever you are up to, don't cause a scene. I don't need any trouble here with such a small crowd," the small woman said, moving over to make their drinks.

"Thank you," Annalise said as she lowered her eyes down to the counter top and removed her hand from his arm. It was a gesture she would have had with Leon, grabbing his arm for comfort, and even though this Ash was mortal, he gave off the same air that he would keep her safe. She wasn't sure she liked that.

"It's no problem, it's a small favor for saving my soul back there," he laughed, "I knew I wasn't supposed to die that day."

"But you were," she interjected insistently, ignoring his boastful att.i.tude, "I saw it. That is my job as a reaper. I take the souls and I place them in the Grand Hall." She threw her hand over her mouth, aware that she was saying too much and turned her attention back to Maize who had brought their drinks over and sat them in front of them.

"It's on the house," she smiled, but then looked over at Annalise and gave a sigh. "Watch this one," and with that she turned around to serve the other customers nearby.

Annalise reached for her drink, trusting in the young man to have ordered something good for her. She took a sip, pleased with the juicy taste that filled her mouth, similar to the fruits that were in her realm but different as well. "This is delicious, thank you."

"You're welcome. Do you normally eat and drink things?"

"I do not require such things as that and sleep, only for recreation and also for replenis.h.i.+ng my spirit when I have exhausted it," she explained as she took another sip. It was delicious indeed. Just a hint of sour.

"That would make life easier, running on no sleep. That's how I've been for two days now. I've not slept at all since you healed me."

Annalise let out a small giggle despite herself, amused yet confused that he could stay up without sleeping. She had been sleeping for the past few days and it was as if they had traded places for that time.

He raised an eyebrow at her outburst, as though he was not completely sure what to think of her. Even she wasn't sure what to think of herself and her sudden outpouring of laughter. She tried to make her face serious as she spoke again, "It is not healthy for mortals to go without sleep. It-"

"I don't know that I would drink too much of that if I were you, sweetheart," a voice rang out from behind her. A large hand reached over her to the drink in front of her and took it away. She turned her head to see a familiar face, she couldn't help but smile.

"I can take care of myself just fine, Finlay."

"Is that right?" he asked, downing the drink and placing the now empty gla.s.s back on the counter as he eyed Ash disappointingly, "That's a good amount of alcohol in there. I'm surprised she couldn't taste it."

"You said that you didn't know who she was," Ash exclaimed, standing up from his seat at the bar and earning a clearing of the throat from the bar owner.

Finlay put his hands up in front of him in defense but couldn't hide the amused grin that crept over his face, "Relax friend, some things have to be kept quiet until the time is right. I couldn't very well go around giving out a secret that isn't mine, now could I?" He put an arm around Annalise's shoulders and leaned in to her with a laugh.

"Why would you put that filth in my drink?" Annalise asked, confusion showing on her face and interrupting their conversation. She did not care that the two of them were friends, this was unacceptable to her.

"Because he wants to take advantage of you," Finlay laughed.

"He what?" she asked with confusion, looking up at her friend.

Ash interrupted with a quickly mumbled, "Nothing," as if to dismiss the accusations and once again took hold of Annalise's hand. He pulled her off of the bar stool and away from Finlay.

"Annalise," Finlay said with a sigh and a shake of his head, "I should have prepared you in advance for this. I'm truly sorry, I have failed you."

"What are you talking about?" Ash spat, not giving her the chance to answer.

"I believe I'm talking to our little blonde over there," Finlay said with a laugh.

Annalise peered around Ash's large form and looked at him. She was having a difficult time understanding the dynamics that were going on. She certainly did not need protecting from Finlay because he was her friend. If anything, she needed protecting from the mortal. She tried to pull her hand away from his to no avail. Ash looked back at her as if to ask her to stop and the two of them turned their eyes back to the blonde guardian seraph.

"You have not failed me, Finlay. I just do not understand what you mean," Annalise said.

"Here, a quick lesson in mortals. Let's call it Mortals 101." Finlay held up a hand, three fingers up in the air as he used his other hand to count them, "Number one: Do not take anything they say literally. You really need to work on this. Number two: Always a.s.sume the mortal has another motive. They usually do. Number three: If they try to kiss you, always kiss them back."

Annalise rolled her eyes, "I am not kissing a mortal."

"Suite yourself, my dear. If that's all you got out of that lesson, then we have a problem already," he said, eyes moving to Ash.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before Ash forced the blonde girl behind him and stood up tall, "Listen, what we do is none of your business. What is your problem Fin?"

"Actually," Finlay said, stepping closer to Ash and letting the smile fade from his face, "what you two do is one hundred percent my business."

"I can't believe you are going to stand there and try to take control of this situation. It's not your place. You are a liar and you've betrayed me," Ash accused.

Annalise c.o.c.ked her head to the side, partially confused at the way they were acting and finding herself getting irritated as well. Finlay was her friend, it was okay if he wanted to stand up for her if the keeper was trying to poison her drink and she was still unsure if she could trust Ash. She knew one thing for sure, that she did not want either of them hurting themselves or the other one. Finlay would not hesitate to fight the mortal, she knew that for a fact, and he would destroy Ash if he got too wrapped up in it. If the mortal was hurt, she would never have her answers. Opening up her hands at her sides, she felt the power flow through her body; that warm tingling sensation taking her over as a thick rain began to fall on the brunette in front of her. There was no cloud, no sky for it to come from, but she thought if she could snap him out of it, they could talk about what she really came here for: answers.

Bursting out into laughter at the drenched keeper, Finlay couldn't help but comment, "She sure cooled you off."

She expected Ash to turn around and chastise her; that was what she normally got from males when she stood her ground. However, the keeper turned around, shocked blue eyes boring into hers full of questions, "How did you do that?"

"It is an affinity I have. I can create water."

"Annalise, something has happened," he said and brought up one hand to hold it over his now drenched clothing.

Annalise wasn't sure what he was going to show her, probably just wipe the water off his clothing. However, what happened next shocked her completely, and further threw off everything that she thought she knew about the universe. The droplets on his clothes began to gather in places, struggling to compose themselves and shaking as it happened, but some of them lifted off of him as he looked at her as if she should explain something to him. She had nothing to say. No mortal should be able to control the elements. No species could do such a thing but the seraphs, and Ash certainly was not a one of her kind. Determined to find out how he could do such a thing, she did the only thing she could think of.

"Oh dear me," Annalise exclaimed and reached out to grab his s.h.i.+rt frantically, "We need to go. We have to figure out what this means."

Finlay shot his arm out, as if to stop them, his eyes frantic. "Wait, don't do that here-"

But before he could stop her, she teleported both of them out of the Ethereal Underground.

Chapter Five.

Ash The world around him was spinning, a blur of colors and lines blending together without shape. Ash felt a tugging inside of him as Annalise grabbed him tighter. It only took a split second, but he felt nauseous. It reminded him of times when he was younger, he and the other keepers used to spin around in circles for as long as they could before their sprinting exercises. When the feeling stopped, he leaned over to put his hands on his knees and struggled to catch his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was vomit right here in front of this pretty girl. It wasn't like he hadn't already made a fool of himself. He couldn't help it. The second he saw her, he wanted to impress her. He could have slapped himself when he had told her this was his territory. He cringed at the memory. It was obvious that the poor girl had grown up way more sheltered than he had. She didn't even seem to understand most of his wit. Taking a slow breath, Ash stood up gently.

"What in the...unnamed worlds...did you do to me?" he cried. He took a step away from her, scared. He didn't recognize any of his surroundings. There was light s.h.i.+ning down from above but no sun. The land was green and beautiful. It looked like nothing he had ever seen before. The surface he grew up on was dark and dead and empty, this place was breathtaking. The air smelled clean, there were clouds and flowers and even a clear stream running beside the tree line.

"Where are we?" He reached out to run his hand along a huge brown plant that was growing out of the ground. It was rough, but felt st.u.r.dy. He recalled seeing a picture of these things in books. They were once called trees. The brown, rough stalk morphed into a mesh of green and yellow shapes that covered the top of the tree. He bent down to rub his hands along the green ground. It was soft and slightly wet. Ash ran over to the water and dipped his hands inside. He had never seen water so clear, it sparkled like diamonds when the light reflected off of it. Had she taken him to some distant planet? All of the planets in their vicinity were just like his home world. They were obscure, dying and virtually extinct. The wars had all but destroyed them.

"This is my home, and you should not be here. We should go." She looked around with nervous eyes. "I could not think of anywhere else to go."

"Why, I say..." Ash smirked, "Are you afraid to be alone with me?"

"I can take care of myself," she told him boldly. Ash nodded and leaned against the tree.

"Well, what are we going to do? You brought me here."

Annalise put her hands on her temple and closed her eyes. "Give me a second; I am trying to figure this out. Why do you have my affinity now? Why did I heal you? What is it about you?"

Ash pulled a red fruit from the tree and took a bite of the sweet flesh. It tasted similar to some of the fruit he had back home, but sweeter.

"Come on. Your feelings are normal. I make many of the females...excited," he joked, but all he got in return was confusion in her eyes. He didn't want the poor girl to worry. Obviously, something was wrong. But he knew exactly who to talk to. Whenever he had gotten in trouble in the past, Jedzia had been the one to help him get back on track. His partner was obsessed with alien races. She always talked about the seraph and fallen myths, if anyone knew what was going on, it would be her.

"Chin up blondie. I don't know your answers. But I told you I would tell you everything you need to know, and I will, when I find out myself, but for now I want my own questions answered. Got it?" He didn't mean to be so sharp with her, but he was used to taking charge. He often led missions as a keeper, and this felt just like another one of them.