Alyson Noel - Horizon

“And, I have to go buy a new party dress,” Lita says. “Which definitely calls for a trip to Albuquerque since it’s not like I’ll find anything in this fashion-challenged town. Xotichl—you in?”

Xotichl nods eagerly, as Auden says, “I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a wrap. Anyone up for pizza?”

“I was thinking maybe we could hang in the Lowerworld instead,” Lita says. “It’s gotta be cooler there, than here.”

“Maybe so, but last I checked, there was no pizza to be had in those parts.”

“True . . .” Lita purses her lips, trying to decide which holds greater appeal.

“Was there pizza in the Upperworld?” Xotichl looks at Axel, but Axel just laughs and shakes his head.

“Poor baby.” Lita leans in, ruffles his hair. “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Which means we shouldn’t waste a single pizza-ordering opportunity.” She pulls her phone from her pocket and scrolls through her speed-dial list as Auden grabs his keys.

“You’ll need to pick up some drinks too.” I head into the kitchen and peer into the fridge, if only to confirm that other than a nearly empty tub of cream cheese and a package of week-old bagels, it truly is empty. “I’m way overdue on food shopping.”

“No worries, we’re on it.” Lita grabs her purse with one hand and Axel with the other. “We’ll take supermarket duty. Xotichl and Auden, you’re responsible for fetching the pizza, and Daire and Dace . . .” She looks over her shoulder and centers her gaze on mine. “Whatever’s brewing between you, get it settled before we return. This may prove to be our last fun Friday night for a while. So I’d rather not waste it on relationship drama.”

DAIRE

“Since when did Lita get so insightful?” I tip onto my toes and reach into an overhead cupboard. Glancing over my shoulder, waiting for Dace to react, but he remains frustratingly silent. “Hello? Anyone home?” I drop onto my heels and unload an armful of glasses onto the counter. Poking his shoulder, I say, “Dace. Hey. You in there?”

He squints. Shakes his head. Requiring a handful of seconds to travel from his private world of faraway thoughts to the tiny kitchen in Enchantment, New Mexico, where we both stand.

“Sorry. Guess I’m a little preoccupied.” He swipes a hand through his hair, pushes his bangs from his eyes.

“A little?” I quirk a brow, make a face. But when he fails to react, I say, “Anything you want to talk about?”

He meets my question with a conflicted look.

“Did something happen at work?”

He rubs a hand over his chin, purposely avoiding my gaze. “Didn’t make it to work today. Spent the day with Leftfoot instead.”

He returns his focus to me, but the move comes too late. His words were clearly veiled, and I can’t even fathom what sort of secret he’s so determined to keep.

I study his face, relieved to find my image reflected in his eyes. Last time he acted like this, that wasn’t the case. “Why would spending the day with Leftfoot leave you like this?”

“Like what?”

“Cold. Distant. Remote. Geographically close, but emotionally unavailable.”

He looks at me as though he’s just woken from a very long sleep.

“God, I’m so sorry. Is that what I’ve done?”

I bite my lip and nod.

“C’mere.” He reaches for me, clasping me at the waist as he pulls me into his arms. “I’m not trying to push you away, really.” But when his mouth tips at the side, I’m not sure I believe him. Dace’s inability to lie without giving himself away is just one of the many things I love about him.

“Dace—what’s going on? What happened today?”

He shakes his head, returns his focus to me as though willing himself to try harder. The fact that he has to will such a thing only deepens my concern. What happened to my love-trumps-evil optimist from this morning?

“It’s been a long day. A long and tiring day. You know how Leftfoot is . . .”

His breezy attitude clashes with the fine lines forming around his eyes, the grim downward tilt of his lips. Unwilling to partake in his charade, I move to untangle myself from his arms. To my surprise, he lets me.

I move about the kitchen, busying myself with gathering the correct amount of plates, napkins, and drinking glasses. Loading it all onto a tray I carry into the den where we’ll gorge on pizza and watch loads of movies where Lita will grill me about which actors I knew (and which actors I kissed) back in my former life as a Hollywood makeup artist’s jet-setting daughter. The usual plan when we don’t head for the Lowerworld.

I place the tray on the table, start to arrange all the settings, when I realize I forgot to include the red-pepper flakes Xotichl loves, and turn so quickly I smack into Dace.

“For the last time, what is going on with you?” I cry, frustrated to find him pulling away just when I need him the most.

“Daire—when was the last time you checked the prophecy?” His eyes glitter so strangely a chill slips over my skin.

I pause. Struggle to remember. Finally admitting it’s been a while. “Maybe a month—quite possibly more.” I shrug. “Why? Why is this relevant? What have you learned?”

Without a word, he grasps my hand in his and leads me out of the den, through the kitchen, and up the ramp to the office where the Codex is kept.

DACE

When the worst is confirmed, when we’ve exhausted the subject between us, all we can do is sit quietly and wait for our friends to return.

Bodies stiff, thoughts mired deep in our own private hell, when a blare of chatter and laughter bursts through the door, only to halt a few seconds later when our friends find us sitting silent and stricken with the Codex propped open before us.

Lita’s the first to react. Centering it before her, she reads the words that are branded on my brain no matter how much I’ve tried to deny them.

When air sears and water fades

When tempest winds ravage fire-scorched plains

When Shadow eclipses Sun—the Seer shall fall

Causing three worlds to descend into darkness eternal

“Okay, so what we have here is another quatrain.” Lita shrugs, pushes away from the book as though it’s not to be taken seriously. Try as she might to appear unaffected, her spooked expression betrays her. Yet, it doesn’t stop her from adding, “We averted the last prophecy, so why should this one be any different?” Her gaze searches Axel’s, seeking reassurance.

“The last prophecy was thwarted in part because of me.” Axel’s expression turns guarded as his eyes glow dark violet. “I broke one of my most sacred vows. I interfered in that which is considered strictly forbidden.”

A solemn hush descends on the room as everyone takes a moment to consider his words. But I’m focused on the words he failed to speak.

He’s one of us now.

His celestial pass, along with his celestial powers, have been revoked.

Which means there’s no one left to guide me.

No one left to step in and save us.

And, from what I’ve seen, no one should so much as attempt to spare me.

The Codex mimics the exact same story I read in the bones.

The glorious feather-crowned beast that dwells deep inside, is morphing into something else entirely.

Something wicked and foul.

Something capable of dark, malevolent deeds.

Everything I professed to believe just twelve hours ago has been flipped upside down.

Turns out, I’m not the man I thought I was destined to be.

Rather than a creature of light, the savior I imagined—I’m well on my way to becoming the very worst enemy mankind has yet seen.