Alyson Noel - Horizon

“The damage is internal. Something tells me it’s his heart that’s failing.” I strain to see through the dark to the shadowy figures who guide me. Though they remain unseen, I can still feel them, and it’s Django who speaks next.

“Daire, my beautiful baby girl. I’ve been watching after you since the day you were born, and I’m so incredibly proud of you. Not only have you faced the very thing I tried so hard to flee—you’ve succeeded in all the places I failed.”

“The only way to heal Dace is to love him.” The voice belongs to Valentina. “Jolon was right about miracles—they’re nothing more than love in action. But you’ll have a hard time working one if you can’t find it within you to love yourself first.”

I swallow hard, reach for the key that hangs from Dace’s neck with one hand, while grasping my own with the other.

“When you curse your destiny, you curse yourself,” Django says. “I’m a prime example of that. But you are the Seeker, Daire. And Dace was so proud of you he gave you the tool that allowed you to take him down. He understood all too well what you would be called to do, and he forgave you long ago. Now it’s time for you to forgive yourself. Time for you to love yourself. It’s the only hope Dace has, but you can’t give what you don’t have.”

Love myself.

A pretty tall order considering the circumstances.

Still I’m committed to trying, I have everything to lose if I don’t.

My father’s words reminding me of the day I visited Paloma’s grave—when I faced the mountain and rededicated myself to my legacy and the destiny I was born to claim.

No matter what becomes of me—I won’t go down easily. The Richters will pay for the heinous acts they’ve wrought on this town—on my loved ones—on the Lower, Upper, and Middleworlds, which are mine to keep balanced.

From the moment I killed Cade, I made good on at least half my word. Though the three worlds still need to be dealt with.

Still, no one ever promised a clean victory. And Paloma always warned that a Seeker’s life is one of incredible sacrifice.

But what if it doesn’t have to be?

As I’ve already seen, prophecies are not concrete.

What if the future really is mine to design?

I lean toward Dace, pushing our keys together until the edges are evenly matched. Clearing my heart of regret and replacing it with a surplus of love, I lower my lips to meet his and kiss him with all that I have.

But it’s not enough.

His breath hitches. Falters. And I have no idea what to do next—until Paloma whispers, “It’s just like I taught you, nieta. You’ve got to peer through the darkness and see with your heart—if you are to see his.”

I shutter my eyes, blocking out everything but the boy lying before me. Cutting through the darkness I delve inside his body, peering at a heart choked by a tangled web of darkness that must be removed if Dace has any hope of surviving.

Now turn on your light.

With my hands centered over his chest, I summon my light and project it toward him. Watching it chip away at the darkness until it’s nearly diminished, allowing his heart to swell and expand.

But before it can be completely eradicated, Dace heaves a harsh breath, followed by another.

“Not to worry,” Valentina says. “The bit of darkness that remains won’t harm him. Everyone has a shadow side. This just makes him human. Though there’s still more to do, your fix is only temporary.”

“Wait—what?” I peer into the dark. “He’s breathing—what more can I do?”

“While your light has served to illuminate his darkness—when you killed his twin, he took a piece of Dace’s soul with him,” Paloma says. “Without it, I’m afraid he won’t last.”

No.

No!

I rock back on my heels. Hardly able to believe I had it all wrong. I was sure that the only way to kill Cade without harming Dace was to catch him in beast mode, or, in his case, Coyote mode. Turns out I was wrong.

One brother down.

Won’t be much longer until the other one follows.

“But there is a way . . .” Django hovers by my side. “I’ve seen your soul, Daire. It’s strong—fueled by so much love and light I’m betting you have plenty to spare.”

I glance over my shoulder, and for one fleeting second I see him, really see him, materializing before me. The father I’ve only known from old photos is smiling and nodding and encouraging me to act before it’s too late.

I return to Dace, unsure how to proceed.

“Think of it like a soul jump,” Paloma says.

“Only this time, you’ll leave a piece of your soul behind,” Valentina chimes in. “You’ll be bound forever—but isn’t that what you both want?”

Bound.

Fated.

In the way we always dreamed.

Finally, the nightmare that started this journey gets a new ending.

I focus on Dace with all that I have, vaguely aware of my body collapsing as I enter his world and my soul merges with his.

Viewing Dace as a young boy, eagerly exploring the world.

Dace as a teen, the very first day he laid eyes on me.

Dace as the beast, calling on every scrap of what remained of his will to spare me from his drive to kill.

His love for me matched only by my love for him—I leave him with a piece of my soul and slowly extricate myself.

Finding myself back in my body only to discover the world is still dark.

My ancestors are gone.

And Dace is lying inert before me.

I’ve failed.

Truly failed.

Nothing left to do now but wait for the end.

The thought leaving me strangely still and bereft—until Dace drags a long inhale and pulls me into his arms.

XOTICHL

The second the world falls dark, Auden clasps tightly to my hand and we fall into a state of communal stunned silence.

There’s no need to speak, when we both know what it means.

Daire is dead.

The beast has won.

The dark days have dawned.

And our lives are over before they had a chance to really get started.

Though, for Auden and me, our lives were in jeopardy well before that.

“Auden, I—” I want to share my regret at not being able to see how the Richters were manipulating us all this time, when I notice a sliver of space opening up all around him.

At first it’s subtle. No more than a glimmer. Though it’s not long before it expands into a glorious nimbus of light that circles around him. Stretching and pulling at the edges until he’s completely illuminated.

“Auden,” I whisper. “You’re glowing! Can you see it?”

“Are you serious? I can’t even see my own hand.” He raises it between us and wiggles his fingers to illustrate his point.

“Wait—” I fall silent for a handful of seconds, long enough to see if my suspicions are right.

“Xotichl, what is it?” He squeezes my fingers, but the glow is now gone and I can no longer see him.

“If I’m not mistaken, I think I might’ve just found a way to get us out of here.” The sound of my voice bouncing off Auden’s form causes him to light up again, confirming I’m right. “It’s kind of like echolocation, except instead of sensing the sound wave of the object before me, I can actually see what’s before me.”

“You can see me? Now? Seriously?”

“I can’t see you in perfect detail, but I can definitely determine it’s you. You know, when I first started seeing Paloma, I asked her to show me how to do it, especially when we discovered I was guided by Bat. But Paloma said she could do me even better, and taught me how to rely on my blindsight. And yet, ever since my vision returned, my blindsight was lost. Until now.”