Page 69 of Sidhe
The sight of them marred, changed like that, lingered. And Nathan knew why. Solrin saw things just as Nathan once had—garishly clear and terrible because it was throughMalak’s eyes. Nathan saw the Veil when Solrin touched him because that cursed grey eye was connected toMalak.
“Nathan?” Solrin cocked his head, staying back but obviously concerned, regretful even that he might have caused Nathan pain. “Forgive me, but I know you saw the truth. You see it now. You see the darkness in them.”
Nathan clenched his eyes closed. Opened them. The marred images remained.
“I see it.”
“Nathan,” Jim called, offended and angry.
“Nate?” Sasha echoed more sorrowfully.
“I see it,” Nathan said again, turning to face Solrin once more, “but the difference between you and me, Sol…is that I know thatthat,” he pointed at Jim and Sasha, unable to look and see the awful vision of them again, “that is the lie. Not them. Not me loving them or them loving me. Whatever you think you know, it’s not true. Whoever set you on this path, it’swrong. Who warned you, Sol? Who told you I needed to be protected? Was itMalak?”
“You know of Malak?” Solrin asked hopefully.
Nathan felt utterly defeated, just what Malak had wanted, no doubt. “He’s already come to you.”
“Yes, many times,” Solrin said, grabbing up Nathan’s hands as if they had some marvelous connection now. “He told me of you. The power you could have if you became one. With him, Nathan, you will bring order to the world.”
Nathan clung to Solrin’s hands in return. “Sol…no. He’s the one who’s lying. Whatever he told you, that’s the lie. He’s the evil, the enemy, thedamn darkness. He’s the fucking Devil, the honest to God, Big Bad, I swear. You have…to…” but Nathan trailed, because Solrin was smiling as wide as Nathan had ever seen, and then he was actuallylaughing.
“Nathan. The name he gives us is Malak. Of course I know he is the Devil.”
The floor was falling out from under Nathan and he suddenly really wanted his hands back. “What…?”
Solrin held onto Nathan tighter. “He is the only being in existence that has ever truly understood the way the world is. I will follow the Morning Star gladly, and he will make this world as it was meant to be, as itshouldbe. The corrupted beings must be wiped from this earth. Nathan, that is why you must lead. When you become one with him,” he said almost giddy, “together we can make the world right. You will have the power to take the darkness from them,” he gestured at Jim and Sasha, “and make them truly the way they have made you believe they are. Then if you still love them, you can be sure it is real. He would never ask you to give up what you love.”
And Nathan had to assume that the only reason Solrin believed that was because he didn’t have any loved ones for Malak to take away. Or maybe he did, maybe the hard life Solrin had lived was all orchestrated by Malak too, for this end, for this damnable future.
Nathan wished he could make it all untrue somehow, go back and find Solrin before Malak got to him, but he couldn’t. Malak set him up for this. He set him up perfectly.Again.
“Sol.” Nathan took a step back, pulling his hands from Solrin’s grip finally, and hating the whole damn world because he had no choice but to pull his own gun and point it at Solrin’s chest. The white-haired seal did not look startled, but the pity on his facereturned. “You’re wrong. Malak isn’t the answer. Now let them go. Because between you and them, you are not going to win.”
Solrin stood tall, not even having to pay any mind to Jim and Sasha to ensure his power over the incubus remained in place, leaving them both immobile. “You will not shoot me.”
“I don’t want to,” Nathan said, “but I can’t let you hurt them. I can’t let you twist everything to serve Malak. You’re wrong about them, Sol, and me, but especially abouthim. Let them go. Or Iwillshoot.”
Face benign and resolve steadfast, Solrin took a new step toward Nathan, only his mismatched eyes betraying that same reverence like Nathan was something holy. “I have waited for you,” he said, unafraid of the gun pointed at him, “I will not let them corrupt you any further.”
A horrible choking sound came from Jim, Sasha’s grip tightening against his will.
Nathan hated that the only thing he could do was cock the gun.
“You're right, he can’t have what I love,” Nathan said warningly. “No one is taking what I love away from meever again. You want to be a fool and think Malak’s promises are real, go ahead. But you’re wrong. He’s the dark sidhe king, Sol, not some angel sent to save the world. How can you think he’s the Devil and believe he would make the world better? If I gave myself to him like he wants, it would be a brave new world, all right, overrun with the very things you hate. I don’t know what promises he’s been feeding you, but it’s all afuckinglie. Either you stand down or I shoot.”
The rest of the room fell away, only the sound of Sasha and Jim’s heavy breathing nearby keeping him grounded. Solrin’s face was impassive.
“Guys! Anyone! Is the whole fucking Gatehouse gone or what!?”
Nathan froze, eyes wide in horror as he sickeningly thought,Iain.No.
Nathan’s hesitation was all the opportunity Solrin needed to rush forward. His wrist stung as Solrin gripped it too hard and snatched the gun from his hand.
“And what will I see in him, I wonder?” Solrin whispered. “Another monster hiding behind kindness and normalcy? I will prove the truth to you, Nathan.” They were too close to the door, close enough that Solrin was out of the room the second he let Nathan go.
Nathan heard an agonized gasp from Jim, and turned to see that Sasha had released him. The incubus looked even weaker than before, his eyes still red like he couldn’t change them back, and he suddenly dropped straight to the floor.
Jim, still coughing and sucking in air, dropped down beside him, gathering Sasha into his arms to make sure he was all right. He was conscious, at least. “Nathan!” Jim looked up at him. “Iain!”
