Alyson Noel - Horizon

I nod. “It’s sacred ground for Seekers.” I meet his gaze. “I’m not sure we have any right to intrude. We have our own sacred places—why force ourselves on theirs?”

“Since when have I ever forced myself anywhere?” Leftfoot makes an exasperated face, and pushes ahead of me until he joins Cree and Chay inside the cave, while I remain stubbornly fixed outside. Trying not to cringe under the weight of Leftfoot’s scrutinizing glare when he says, “You questioning me?”

I shift my weight from foot to foot, knowing I shouldn’t, that I have no place to doubt his wisdom, yet there’s no denying the truth.

I rub a hand over my chin, shoot him an apologetic look.

Only to see him grin as he says, “Good. You passed. Never trudge onto sacred land without a proper invitation. But now that you’ve been summoned, you have a handful of seconds to join us, before the offer will close and you’ll be shut out for the duration.”

DAIRE

I enter the house to the sound of shrieks and giggles drifting from under the door of my old room that can only mean one thing: Lita and Axel are at it again .

I head for the sink, drop my cap on the counter, flip on the faucet, and stick my head under the spray. Looking to cool off after a long run in the scorching heat, and hopefully drown out the blare of the love-fest down the hall.

With my ponytail clinging to my neck, and water streaming down the back of my tank top, I pour a tall glass of iced ginger tea and position myself before the fan I’ve propped on the counter. Surveying the pile of dirty bowls in the sink, the mixer stand speckled with crud, the baking pan left to cool on the stove—all the usual remnants of yet another failed breakfast experiment.

I’m annoyed by the mess.

Annoyed to always return home to this.

But mostly, I’m annoyed by the sheer force of their happiness—and my inability to warn them of their ill-fated future.

We’re doomed.

Every last one of us.

Making me feel like a virus—infecting everyone around me.

The only ones who stand half a chance are Auden and Xotichl. And yet, there’s no denying that things between them aren’t quite as intense as they were. Ever since he left Epitaph to work on a solo act, he’s off playing gigs in other faraway cities. And while I know it’s been hard on Xotichl, she’s mostly really proud of him. She knows how hard he’s worked for this, and how much it means to him.

I turn back to the sink and flip on the faucet again. This time filling the basin with warm sudsy water, preparing to clean up Lita’s mess, when she enters the kitchen with gleaming brown eyes, cheeks flushed light pink, and a tumble of dark waves cascading messily over her shoulders, the newly bleached ends nearly meeting her waist.

“Didn’t hear you come home.” She grins happily as Axel comes to stand beside her in a pair of dark denim jeans and a white V-neck tee that Lita picked out for him. And though he looks undeniably good, it’s still weird seeing him in anything other than the white tunic he wore in the Upperworld.

“You were busy.” The words come out gruffer than I intended, or maybe not. My mood is unstable, my nerves are jangled, and while I’m tempted to blame the heat, I know better. This is about the dream. No matter how hard I pushed myself during my run, I just couldn’t ditch it.

“Sorry.” Lita’s tone is as sheepish as the look on her face. “Sorry for the noise, the mess, and the overall intrusion on your life.” She sneaks a peek at Axel, motioning for him to grab the dish towel as she edges me back toward the fan and takes over the washing. “To be honest, Daire, I’m not quite sure how to be around you anymore.”

I lean against the counter, unsure how to take that. Catching the cautionary look Axel shoots her as he whispers, “Lita—”

But Lita’s not one to be shushed, and so she hands him a bowl to dry as she looks at me and says, “Truth is, when you’re not outwardly irritated, you’re so cut off and withdrawn it makes me miss the annoyed sighs and frowny faces you make.”

My gaze drops to my feet. Her words cut to the bone, yet there’s no denying their truth.

“And even though everyone tells me to back off and give you the space that you need—thing is, it’s been six months, and—”

“Six months, and what ? What’s that supposed to mean? Is that the timeline you’ve placed on my grief ?” I’m seething, glaring, ready to explode, but to her credit she continues washing and rinsing, keeping her cool.

“That’s not fair and you know it. I miss Paloma too. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. What I meant was, it’s been six months of watching you shut us all out, acting like we’re in the way. And while I’m aware that, technically speaking, we probably are, we’re not the enemy here, okay? We’re your friends. And we’re here to help. We’re dying to help. We’re begging to help. And we feel like we’re left to idle on the sidelines, just passing the time. Looking for ways to relieve some of your burden, only you won’t let us.”

My shoulders sag in surrender. While there’s no denying I needed to hear it, that doesn’t mean it didn’t sting. “But that’s the thing—you can’t help.” My eyes find hers.

“How do you know we can’t help if you don’t let us try?” She hands the last bowl to Axel, wipes her hands on her shorts, and heads for the stove where she retrieves the baking pan and unceremoniously dumps the muffin remains into the trash.

“You can’t help because I refuse to endanger you any more than I already have.”

She dunks the pan in the sink, leaving it to soak, as she squares off on me. “Well, I hate to break it to you Daire, but just living in this godforsaken town puts us in danger. At least with you, we’re fighting on the side of good. At least with you, we’re protected by knowledge and awareness. C’mon Daire, let us in. Let us help. You don’t have to go this alone.”

I look to Axel for support. He more than anyone should know what it’s like for people like me. But he remains focused on returning bowls to their cupboards, spoons to their drawers, as I stand before the whirring fan blades and say, “But that’s the thing—I do have to go this alone. That’s pretty much the nature of being a Seeker. We train with a mentor, maybe enjoy a brief, ill-fated love affair that usually results in a child, only to end up alone and dooming those poor children to the same lonely fate. It’s what happened to Paloma, and all those who came before her. It’s a well-documented fact. I can prove it, if you want.”

“No need, I believe you.” She shakes her head, scrunches her forehead. “Though I can’t help but think you’ve successfully beaten the odds too many times to surrender so easily.”

I push away from the counter and turn to gaze out the window toward Paloma’s garden, and the collection of strange, hybrid plants I’ve struggled to take over. While they continue to thrive and bloom, it’s not with the same intensity as when they were under my grandmother’s care. She’s a hard act to follow. And while I’m doing my best, I can’t help but feel like I’m falling remarkably short.

While I’ve no doubt Lita’s feelings are echoed by the rest of my friends, while she’s merely acting as a spokesperson, it’s not nearly as easy as they think. And the irony is that her all-consuming love for Axel is as doomed as my own love for Dace.

That’s just the way it’s always been. And history has an uncanny way of repeating itself.

“Intent is magick’s most important ingredient,” Axel says from behind me. “And belief is the spine of intent.”