“No,” he said, more to the ground than to me, “I would’ve found a way to get to you before you boarded.”
“I already said you could’ve asked to meet me alone. I’m usually fairly accommodating when someone isn’t trying to kill me.” I rubbed my neck. I knew Rourke was still searching for me, so I had to wrap this up. “But, Jeb, we’re done debating this. I need you to explain to me the real reason why you brought me here. And if you want my trust and cooperation, I suggest you stop cloaking your true nature. I don’t suffer fools or pretenders, and I’m warning you, I don’t trust easily.” I crossed my arms and waited for him to make up his mind.
“Fine,” he said. “I will do as you ask.” He flung his arms wide, in what was becoming a decidedly Jeb-like flare, and chanted something into the air. Powerful magic gathered around him, swirling, causing the air to change until there was one final surge. His clothes transformed with a loud whoosh, leaving him in flowing white robes.
I hadn’t been expecting that.
The robes were a touch comical because he was so short. The effect wasn’t as dramatic as I think he’d intended. His arms were now extra hairy and thick with muscle, and his hair was even longer on top but still stuck straight out. No amount of gel in the world could have given it that effect, so it had to be either natural, or magically secured into place.
He held something in his arms. It was a leather-bound book of some kind, and it was gold and glossy and took up his arm space. His power prickled me and I took a reluctant step back. “Holy cow,” I said. “Your magic is potent. It’s making my hair stand on end.”
“I am the Gatekeeper of Fate, the High Ambassador of the Coalition.” He sniffed, for what must have been the fifth time tonight. “As I told you, I am the keeper of all things supernatural. Every supernatural on earth, and throughout the realms, must pass through me to get to you. And once you assume your place at the head of the Coalition—”
“Wait.” I held a hand out to stop him. “What did you just say?”
“I said once you take your seat at the head, I will be at your service—”
“The ‘head’ part I don’t understand. I’m just the Enforcer. I can’t be the head of anything. The Coalition is a team, made up of five equal members.” At least that’s how I envisioned it all working.
“You are the chosen leader of the Coalition. The female wolf, who acts as the Enforcer, is the head of the council. It’s always been that way. And I am your secretary, if you will. Your chief operating officer, as a better term.” He inclined his head in a slight bow.
“Just because it’s always been that way doesn’t meant it has to stay that way, does it?” I could hear Eudoxia, the Vamp Queen, right now in my ear, moaning and constantly complaining about my lack of everything necessary to lead the council. I didn’t want to suffer through that daily if I didn’t have to, and she was right, for the most part. I was very green. Not an ideal candidate to rule.
Jeb raised a furry eyebrow at me. “I suppose it could be another, but that would be unprecedented.”
“Somehow I think that will become the unofficial tagline for the new Coalition: The Unprecedented Bunch. I can already promise you, we aren’t going to act like the old guard. This is a new era, Jeb. You said so yourself. The other women on the Coalition will be much better qualified to run things than me. It’s likely that we will vote on most things. There’ll be five of us, so that makes it easier. We’ll always have a tiebreak.”
“So be it,” he nodded, “but no matter who will sit at the head of the table, you will always be the leader, and I will answer to you, for it is you who I give the assignments directly to.”
“Jeb, you’re not hearing me. The ladies will vote me out. I can promise you, I will not be the leader.”
“You will.” His face was set. He wasn’t going to listen to any more rational explanations, and honestly, it really didn’t matter now anyway. This entire thing was a ways off, and who knew what would happen between now and then? And almost like he was reading my mind, he added, “But all of this is conjecture if you don’t heed my warning right now. You have angered the Hags.” He shifted his weight and opened the big book with a flourish. The pages moved on their own, stopping toward the end. His big finger went over the lines as he paraphrased. “The Hags are only one station above me, but they like to think they are the supreme rulers of the entire universe. But from what I can see here, you have no choices left to you. You must appease them if you want to live.” His lips moved as he read the words silently to himself. “To do that, you must find a way to settle your debt to Fate and put yourself back on your true path.”