Page 145 of Sidhe
Chapter 51
Later,afterallofthe wounded had made it back to the Gatehouse and the dead had been gathered, the remains of the fields vanished. The land simply shifted, changing back to the way it was meant to look, grass-covered and even, as if no battle had taken place and no lives had been lost, save those that had been brought in.
Many of the dead and wounded were taken away by their fellows to their own homes for burial or treatment once it was safe enough to travel, leaving only a few stragglers and those that had their own place at the Gatehouse.
Those who had fallen without someone to take them away each had their own pyre, spreading out almost all around the Gatehouse, but despite the great mass of it, Nathan had insisted they each have their own. He stood before one now beside Solrin, who’d asked to stay until this last deed was done. Several others were out with them, Jim and Sasha closest beside Nathan.
“Take care of them, Dave,” Nathan whispered into the fire, a new kind of peace washing over him as he said that, knowing more surely than he had ever thought possible that there was indeed a Heaven, a God, and something wonderful waiting for those who lived good lives. Not necessarilyrighteouslives, or pious, or any of that other crap, justgood.
Once the fires had died, the ashes spread, Solrin turned to Nathan and held out a hand. Nathan accepted it without a word and they shook. Solrin vanished into the night toward a new life that Nathan had no doubt he would make good use of with his second chance.
Everyone who remained gathered in the Gatehouse. Nathan knew before he even glanced up and saw Walter heading toward him that his Spirit Guide was coming to say goodbye.
“I must go now, Nathan. I am not meant to be here alive, but as your guardian. I will remain, ever-watchful by your side, as I promised, but it is no longer necessary for me to appear before you like this. Should you need me, all you need to do is call, and you will see me again.”
“Guess I better get one more hug in while I can, then, huh?” Nathan grinned and wrapped Walter in his arms before he could respond.
His Spirit Guide melted against him and held on tight. “It is my greatest pleasure to be the one to look after you, Nathan Grier. One day the Veil may indeed fall, but today it is once again strong because of you. Perhaps there will come a time when it will be brought down for good reasons. Fae and humans did once live in harmony, after all. Malak and other powerful dark sidhe are still a threat, but maybe…someday.”
Wouldn’t that be something?Nathan thought.
Then it dawned on him as they pulled apart that there was still an unanswered question from the fight. “Hey, Walt? I was just wondering, ya know…about the whole horsemen thing. Jim, hebrought Sol back to life. And you healed Sasha to break Solrin’s control on him. Sasha gave Solrin peace. But what about Alex? She never used any power.”
“Oh…she did,” Walter said, a small smile creeping onto his face.
“Then what was it? Opposite of Famine… I never figured it out.”
Smiling a little wider, Walter leaned in closer to Nathan and said softly, solely for him, “It’s simple really. In this case, this time, the opposite of Famine…wasFertility.”
That word echoed in Nathan’s mind a while, not quite settling. When it did, he pulled back, practically eyeing Walter accusingly. Walter just chuckled.
Nathan couldn’t help seeking out Jim amidst the crowd, finding his brother over with Sasha. Jim caught Nathan’s stare, which must have been pretty intent, because Jim immediately mouthed, “What?”
There was no way Nathan was going to spoilthatsurprise.
It was difficult, only a few minutes later, watching Walter fade away. No amount of goodbyes would have been enough, even if Nathan could call on his Spirit Guide like he used to. It had been nice having him really there, a physical presence. But Walter had one last surprise for them as he disappeared.
Nathan had never found the right time to tell the others that everyone has a Spirit Guide, a changeling and incubus included. As Walter faded, a light seemed to wrap around him first, engulfing him and filling the whole of the bar. Spirit Guides couldn’t normally enter the Gatehouse for all its interference and power, and so it was a true miracle that for one brief moment…Walter was not the only one standing there. Nathan wouldn’t have been able to decipher which outline belonged to the Spirit Guide of which of his companions, but he could seeon his friends’ faces that they knew who belonged to them even seeing them for the first time.
When the light faded, the Gatehouse—the world—was finally back in equilibrium.
Wally, perched on the bar countertop exhaustedly, stretched and yawned.
“Oh, I bet you’re tired,” Alex said, scooping the chimera up into her arms. “I saw you, little fire-starter. I think this girl has some surprises in store for us yet.”
Wally, of course, chirped innocence.
Nathan made a point of pulling Alex aside then, but when he finally had her alone, all he could manage was, “You and Jim are…good, right?”
Alex smirked at him. “Of course. We’re together. You know that’s all I ever wanted.”
Part of Nathan had wondered if Jim would ever be able to find someone who meant enough to him to get over his fears; seemed fitting it would be Alex all along.
“If we have your blessing, that is,” she said, mostly joking.
Looking around for Jim, Nathan caught his brother’s gaze from across the bar again. Jim smiled, as happy as Nathan had ever seen him. “You have it gladly,” he said.
“He doesn’t know yet,” Alex added, somehow sensing that Nathan knew her secret. “Walter told me. Apparently, my power could have manifested all sorts of ways, but during the fight, all I could think about…” She glanced to Jim as Nathan had and sighed. She’d still managed to kick ass, while a spark of life from their brief time together had been ignited at the same time.
