Page 130 of Changeling
The creatures backed away in Jim’s wake as the group moved into the corridor, so Nathan couldn’t identify anything but continuing noises. The loudest were the ones from Sasha behind them, like he couldn’t help growling in what seemed a territorial warning.
Nathan wasn’t surprised that when they exited the mouth of the cave finally they entered darkness just as thick and unrelenting as what they had come from. There were no visible stars though, just eyes and solid figures that filled Nathan with horrific awe.
There were hundreds, thousands of beings waiting for them outside the mine. Nathan had expected there would be many but not like this. Even if he didn’t know for certain that it was past dusk, the throng of varied bodies and figures would have been enough to block out the sun.
Alex gripped Nathan’s hand so hard that it hurt. Whatever calm she had been able to find in the presence of amber-eyed Jim and monstrous Sasha, she fell prey to her fear now in the face of so many unknown things. Half of the creatures Nathan couldn’t even name.
“Jim…” Nathan called quietly. They were out of the mine now but Jim was continuing ahead, walking through the tunnel of dark fae that opened passage for him as he went. “Okay, Jim,” Nathan tried a little stronger, moving quickly to catch up to Jim while still allowing Alex to cling to him, “we’re out. Good job. Now why don’t you send these things back to wherever they came from?”
Jim walked on a few steps more before turning around. Confident as Jim was, Nathan could see the toll of fatigue in his brother’s face, in the slit amber eyes that weren’t quite as vibrant. “You want me to send them away? Why? They’re all here, Nathan, all the remaining sidhe we have to find to save you. Can’t you see them? Can’t you feel them? I told you Colorado was how we’d see an end to this.”
Nathan could feel them all right; he struggled to hold down his lunch as the sounds of the collective dark force around them began to grow louder again. It was an ominous blanket covering them made up of glowing eyes and deep shadows in the dark.
“Jim, it doesn’t matter,” Nathan said. “You can’t maintain this. It’s already making you weaker. You gotta get rid of ‘em. If you lose control, we’ll never be able to fight ‘em all off.”
“Lose control?” Jim said angrily, haughtily, spreading his arms wide to encompass his army. “I have control. Don’t you want me to save you?” It was almost a plea, but Jim didn’t wait for Nathan to respond. He raised his hands higher into the air, outstretched at the gathered mass.
The amber eyes had always been localized to the iris, but as Jim began to use his powers more, that changed. The amber color expanded, filling his eyes entirely. The slit pupils remained, but the rest was filled with color.
Howls from the crowd began almost immediately, making it clear where all of the sidhe were standing even far among the ranks of normal fae. Soon they were screaming, inhuman screeches keening into the night sky. Nathan had to cover his ears to stand it.
He tried to look around, to pay attention to what was happening even amidst that terrible noise. He saw several bodies vanish into thin air, but there were so many, more than he had thought possible. It was taking so much effort from Jim that several of the dark fae began to blink awareness.
Sasha’s wings swooped in around them, pulling Nathan and Alex back against him like a bird gathering its children. He was growling possessively again, warning against the other beings that might attack. Nathan couldn’t stand it though; he couldn’t see past the thick black of Sasha’s wings. He couldn’t see Jim.
Since he was free of Alex’s hold on him after they had covered their ears, and trusting that she was safest in Sasha’s wings anyway, Nathan pushed his way out, moving fast to be sure Sasha didn’t try to pull him back.
“Nathan!” Alex called. “What are you doing!?”
But Nathan didn’t hear her. He had to get to Jim.
He tossed his hardhat aside as he ran. His brother was just a few yards in front of him, no longer standing. Jim had fallen to his knees, his arms still outstretched, as the sidhe he was sending back into the Veil howled on and some of the other creatures began to close in. It was far more than Jim could handle, even as his red light runic traps sprang up—he couldn’t maintain it all. Nathan could see the glint of blood seeping from Jim’s ears, his nose, even his eyes.
“Jim, stop!” Nathan called over the roar of sidhe. He dropped in front of his brother and grabbed Jim by the front of his jacket. “You’re killing yourself! Even if you manage to banish all of the sidhe back into the Veil, the rest of these things’ll tear us apart! You have to release them.”
“But I…” Jim choked on his words, his arms faltering now too, his eyes still fully amber but so dim, “I can…save you, Nathan. That’s all that matters. Like this…I can…I can save you.”
Another part of Nathan’s heart broke and he didn’t even have time to notice.
He could see the gun inside Jim’s jacket. He felt the boggart about to rush them more than he saw it, unable to know for sure what it was until after he had grabbed the gun, turned to fire,and struck the creature in the chest. It spasmed and crumbled to the ground. Nathan knew it wouldn’t be the last fae to break free.
“Jim, listen to me,” Nathan said more firmly, grabbing with his free hand for Jim’s shirt and tugging tight, “you and Sashacansave me. And you’re going to save me. I don’t care if it’s with that clever mind or all these damn powers, if you’re this amber-eyed you or the furthest thing from it. But if you don’t stop, we’re all gonna die. I see what you wanted to show me now,” he said, feeling so closed in, hearing cries from Alex, knowing their time was too short, “I know how powerful you are, how powerful you can become. But you can be better than this. You don’t need to lose any part of my big brother Jim to be the hero. Please, Jesse James…just let them go.”
Maybe it was proximity, because Nathan was so close and the cave so far—they were further from the influence that had made Sasha and Jim act that way to begin with. Maybe it was because Jim was listening to him for a change even if he was all the dark parts of Jim and none of the humanity. Whatever it was it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Jim smiled, so thankful, so genuine, lowered his arms, and said, “Okay, Nathan.”
There was an eruption of air and a great chaotic chorus of wings and movement. Some of the creatures seemed to take off on foot or to the air while others merely vanished, all relinquished back to wherever they had come from. When it was all over there was nothing but the sky above, the trees, and the still sound of silence.
Nathan looked back to make sure Sasha remained, and the incubus was still there, his wings held out like closed doors to keep Alex safe. As Nathan watched, Sasha saw that the threat was gone and swooped his wings back. Nathan nodded to Alex before turning to his brother.
Jim was slumped forward, still on his knees and leaning against Nathan’s body. His arms hung limp beside him as he gasped for air.
“Jim?” Nathan called gently. “You okay?”
Coughing a little into the crook of Nathan’s arm, Jim started shivering. He lifted his head as if it weighed a ton, his eyes heavy, the blood drying. He opened his mouth but only a choked sound came out before he cringed and pitched to the side. Nathan gathered Jim into his arms before he realized his brother’s eyes had flashed back to blue.
“Sasha!” Alex called, making Nathan’s head snap behind him again. The incubus had crumbled much like Jim, his monstrous features rapidly fading away to leave a shaking young man in nothing but a pair of torn jeans. Sasha’s eyes were blue too.
Jim gave a sharp gasp, and when Nathan looked down again, his brother was clutching at his arms and looking up at him with the most pleading, horror-filled eyes. “Nathan…?”
