Page 133 of Sidhe
Nathan clutched at a nearby chair, trembling from the weight of all that rested on his shoulders. “What am I supposed to do…?” he asked the room and whoever might be listening.
He did not expect the large, firm hand that came down to rest on his shoulder, a presence Nathan knew well, recognized easily now, and that carried with it an immediate sense ofpeace. “You’ll know,” said Dave’s smooth drawl, right there with Nathan, real and solid.
All Nathan wanted to do was turn around, feel that peace wash over him fully, but when he did, Dave wasn’t there, and Nathan wasn’t there anymore either. He was waking up, Sasha warm beside him, a slight crick in his side from sleeping on just a few blankets and a pillow on the bar floor.
Malak was coming, Nathan could feel it. It wasn’t yet dawn—whatever that meant without the sun actually rising—but it was time to face the day, even if half their soldiers were still sleeping. Nathan wasn’t sure he knew what to do, but he had to believe in Dave and everyone else who had faith in him that when the time came he would figure it out.
Chapter 47
Itwaschaoticatfirst, gathering the seals in front of the Gatehouse while Gwen, Oberon, and Aloysha gathered their own groups to them. Sasha and Jim had both cleaned out their Veil Slips of every weapon that could possibly help in the fight. Nathan had the goggles from Schuester around his neck, ready to be worn when the battle started. It was time to tell everyone the plan.
There hadn’t yet been any sign of Malak’s approach, but Nathan could feel it in his bones, right to the depths of his very marrow, as if some part of him were still connected to Malak; and as much as he hated that thought, he knew that was more than likely true.
They were still making sure everyone was accounted for when Ula came running up to Nathan from the fae camp with Danny in tow. Nathan frowned at the shapeshifter he knew to actually be Puck in disguise, but turned his focus on Ula.
“I want to stick with whoever stays at the Gatehouse,” Ula said before she had even caught her breath. “You have to be keeping some people back to help with wounded and supplies, right? I’d be no use in the front lines, Nathan, I just needed to see my friends before this started. Do you have any room for me?” Her blue-green eyes were hopeful, so heartfelt that Nathan wouldn’t have been able to refuse her even if he had reason to.
“Right here is just where I want you, Ula.” Nathan patted her shoulder. “Glad to have you. And, uhh…what aboutDannythere?” He raised an eyebrow at Puck.
“Unfortunately, I have a larger role to play than even you know, Nathan,” Puck said, looking rather apologetic as he faded to his natural form. He gave the stunned Ula a look that Nathan took for actual—and quite deep—affection. “Sorry, my dear. Meant to tell you before the battle started all along, but now I realize…I might need to reveal my biggest secret yet. I may not have been quite as honest about a few things as I led you to believe.”
He then promptly transformed…into Oberon.
Nathan gaped, as did several others around them. He looked back to Gwen and realized for the first time Oberon’s absence from the group of light fae this morning. He’d been absent because he’d been talking with Ula. He was Puck. He was Danny. He was…
Just to be certain, Nathan slipped on the goggles. He wasn’t quite prepared for Oberon’s true fae form, like some eight-winged angel, with pointed elf ears and a face too beautiful to look at directly, but it was clearly Oberon at the core, not another of Puck’s tricks.
“You lying sonunvabitch!” Ula shouted before Nathan could say anything. She stood there bristling, equally shocked and livid. “After all the years we…and you said how you understoodbecause…” She seemed incapable of getting out the right words, her face gone flush with color.
“I meant everything I said, I simply am not precisely a shapeshifter. My glamouring abilities are incomparable for…another reason.”
Yeah, like being the freaking king of the freaking light fae,Nathan thought.
“But why?” he managed to ask as he pulled down the goggles, since…well, to be kind about it, while Oberon’s true form was angelic, shapeshifters had a ratherX-Filesalien appearance that was just too weird when he was used to Ula as a blonde.
Oberon, clad once more in his armor to the naked human eye, shrugged in a way that seemed entirely out of character, like maybe his real personality had a little bit of Puck in it after all. “What better way to get around unnoticed, to gather information, and simply have some time to myself. Even better if people believe I don’t fully trust my First Lieutenant, especially if it was me all along. I figured now was the time to be honest about it, as this may be the last war we ever face.” He looked to Ula as he spoke, not Nathan.
For a moment Ula just stared. Then she looked at Nathan. “I’ll be where you need me,” she said, before heading over to join Alex by the Gatehouse doors, leaving Oberon looking oddly defeated.
Suddenly, Nathan realized that Gwen wasn’t the only one who’d ever fallen for a dark fae, and he felt a wave of sympathy for the bastard.
“Much as I’m sure you’d like to go after her and sort this out,” Nathan said, “apocalypse approaching, remember? Time to get this show on the road. We’ll worry about your love life later.”
Nathan walked away before Oberon could comment on that, and hopped up onto his makeshift soapbox to call everyone to attention. It was insane the way so many people quieted andswiveled their heads his direction purely at the sound of his voice.
“Now…I know we don’t know what to expect,” Nathan said, “and that’s why I don’t want to take any chances. Keep this goal in mind: protect the Gatehouse. That’s what we’re doing here. We’re not fighting back Malak’s army. We’re not keeping the apocalypse from spilling over any further into normal people’s lives. We’reprotecting the Gatehouse. Understood?”
There were several shouts of approval. It was easier to imagine winning if all they had to do was keep the Gatehouse from being overrun.
“Good. The other thing is…I just don’t see it as smart to keep us segregated. I know some of you don’t like the idea of working with an incubus, or dark fae, or even light fae in some cases, but this is the army we have, and we are all on the same side. We’re going to have a few soldiers from each camp crossing over to make sure we cover all bases. I’ll be sending some seals over to the other groups too. But this group, the normal humans and seals—including me—our job is to be the last line of defense. From here around the Gatehouse we can see the entire fields. We’ll know who needs help and what areas are most sparse, leaving openings for Malak’s fae to get through. Our job is most important. The people I’m keeping inside the Gatehouse to hand out rounds and supplies know who they are. Fall back to them when you need something. Fall back if you get injured. I know most of you won’t listen to that, but I had to say it anyway.”
Smirks were Nathan’s reply, because seals, whether young, old, male, female, gritty, or suave, never backed down from a fight. If they did go back for a fix-up, or for more ammo and weapons, which was more likely, Alex and Ula were amongst those staying behind to offer aide. Nathan wouldn’t trust anyone else with the responsibility.
“We hold here,” Nathan said again. “If help is needed up ahead, I’ll make the call on who goes. Chances are we’re all going to be seeing action right from the start, so don’t go getting cocky. Take out as many as you can, but protecting the Gatehouse is priority. Nobody goes ahead unless I say, even if I’ve gone ahead myself.Especiallyif I’ve gone ahead myself. No matter what, wehold this line.”
Nathan hopped down to the exclamation of cheers and readying whoops. He wasn’t used to using so much authority on people who weren’t Jim, and Jim had gotten so good at telling him to shove it or calling him bossy that he forgot how good he actually was at being commanding. Nobody had any questions, any dissention. They split into groups to hold the area secure without barely any prompting, and Nathan turned to those he would be sending away.
“I need the reps going to the other groups to be the people I trust most. Which means most of you aren’t going to be with me when things get rollin’.” Nathan cast an apologetic look around the group, close to where Alex and those staying behind were setting up supplies just inside and outside the Gatehouse doors. “Alex, as you know, is staying at the Gatehouse. Lindsey and Charis are coming from the incubus camp to join me and the seals in the front lawn, along with several fae, and—”
