Alyson Noel - Horizon

“What do you think changed?”

“I think it’s because I was never afraid of the dark. Before I met Paloma and started reading energy, eternal night was the natural state of my being. Whatever the reason, as long as I keep talking, I’m pretty sure I can lead us out of here.” I take a step forward, tug on Auden’s hand, expecting him to follow, but he remains firmly in place.

“Where are we going, flower? If it’s dark here, it’s dark everywhere. Doesn’t matter where you lead us. It’s all the same in the end.”

While he makes a good point, there’s no denying I’ve just been offered a gift, and I refuse to ignore it. “Honestly,” I say, “I have no idea where we’ll end up. But we’ll never get further than here if we don’t at least try. As long as our friends are still out there I refuse to call it quits. At the very least, we need to determine what happened to them.”

LITA

The second the world turns dark, I sink to my knees in surrender.

Overcome by a combination of exhaustion and I-no-longer-give-a-crap defeat, I officially call an end to the fight.

I’ve been running from demons and hiding from Richters for too many hours to count. And now, with Daire clearly dead, I don’t see the point in continuing.

There’s nowhere to go.

Nothing to see.

It’s just a matter of time before evil claims me.

I drop my head in my hands. Give myself permission to cry. But surprisingly, the tears just won’t come. Instead of the panic I assumed I would feel, I find myself immersed in a strange wave of calm.

I guess there really is peace in certainty.

Even if the thing you’re certain about is your own grisly demise, it’s still better than the anxiety that comes with not knowing.

And it’s not like I don’t see the irony.

When Axel first left, it felt like the end of the world. But clearly I was wrong. The end doesn’t feel anything like I imagined it would.

It’s not at all panicky.

Doesn’t make my heart ache so badly I’m sure it’s about to implode.

It just feels final.

Imminent.

Sure to find me when it’s good and ready.

With nothing more to do than wait, I settle onto the ground and curl up on my side. Resting my head on my arm, I tuck my chin to my chest, and allow my eyes to drift closed, when something floaty and soft tickles the tip of my nose.

I gasp. Leap to my feet. Convinced some kind of foul creature, most likely a cockroach since they’re definitely set to inherit the earth, is building a nest in the neckline of my dress, I frantically bat at myself, until it tips from the bodice and glides to my feet, where I discover it isn’t even remotely close to an insect.

It’s the eagle feather Axel gave me right before he left.

Same feather I stashed in my bra, figuring it was useless.

But now, with nothing to lose, I hold it before me and squint into the dark. Striving to make out its lilting form, but unable to discern anything more than the shadowy curve of its vane, I close my eyes and make a wish.

One that isn’t the least bit frivolous.

If Axel is right, if belief and intent really are the spine of both miracles and magick, then I can’t afford to not take this seriously. Gathering every shred of faith that remains, I project it onto the feather. Refusing to feel silly, refusing any emotion other than my unwavering devotion to see that it’s done.

Imagining how the scene might look. How it might make me feel, both inside and out. Until I’m so consumed with the vision, I snap my eyes open, expecting to see it manifesting before me, only to find I’m surrounded by black.

I settle back onto the ground, bring my legs to my chest, and wrap my arms around them. Consoling myself with the thought: At least I tried. At least I gave it all that I had . When a hand clasps onto my shoulder, and Xotichl says, “Hey, Lita. You okay?”

DACE

“How much do you remember?”

Daire lifts a hand to my brow, and I’m quick to reach up, clasp it in mine. All the while giving silent thanks for the darkness that shrouds me.

While I’m glad the beast has been slayed, while I’m grateful to be reunited with the love of my life, unfortunately, I have full recall of every heinous act.

Every evil urge.

My rampage lives on in a spool of horrifying images that’ll haunt me for the rest of my days, and I couldn’t bear for her to see me this way.

But to Daire, I just say, “I remember plenty. Enough to know I’ll never be able to make up for all that I’ve done—”

She places a finger to my lips, halting the words. “The Richters are gone. You spared Chepi’s life. And while you could have easily killed me, you always stopped short.”

“And what about Leftfoot?” My voice croaks. I bury my face in my hands. Tormented by the image of my mentor and friend with his slashed and bloodied neck. “He wasn’t a demon. Wasn’t even a Richter. He was like a father to me. How am I supposed to make peace with that?”

Daire falls quiet, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before she speaks. “It was an accident—Jennika shot you with an arrow and in your attempt to flee, you accidentally cut him.” I turn my head to the side, reluctant to believe her. “Look, you may never make peace with your actions, but you have to accept the things you’re unable to change. Otherwise, peace will elude you in all facets of life, not just the ones of your choosing.”

I pull her to me. Fold my arms tightly around her. Aware of her soft even breath, the cool smoothness of her skin. Marveling at how close she came to dying at my hand—but for some reason, even in full-blown beast mode, I couldn’t go through with it.

Though the all-consuming desire to make Leandro pay for what he did to my mother never abated.

I’m glad he’s finally gone.

I take solace in knowing he can never again harm anyone who has the misfortune of veering into his path.

Though it does nothing to erase the harm he’s already caused.

Still, if Chepi’s learned to live with it, found a way to look past the painful memory of how I came to be, then maybe, someday, I can learn to accept it as well.

“So, where do we go from here?” I return to Daire.

“First, we find a way to return order to the worlds, then we locate our friends.” Her voice is determined. “And then, once that’s done, we celebrate this event like the victory it is.”

“Any ideas on how to begin?”

Daire grins. Although I can’t see it, I can feel it in the way her energy lightens and lifts. “That’s where Raven comes in.”

I remain quiet, the question posed by my silence. Raven’s locked in a cage, somewhere in the distance.

“Raven flies into the dark to bring forth the light.”

“Another soul merge?” I ask, my voice betraying my worry. Although she hasn’t mentioned it, I can feel her presence thrumming inside me. Unlike the beast, hers is a presence I cherish. She’s the reason I’m here. The reason behind every breath. And while I’m grateful beyond words, I worry another attempt will leave her depleted.

“Not to worry,” Daire says. “After all of this time, I finally understand what Paloma was really trying to teach me. I don’t have to merge with Raven to call on the power of Raven. He guides me. He’s in me. All I have to do is access his truth. There’s an old story about Raven stealing the sun from Coyote, who was determined to keep the world shrouded in darkness. It was back in Valentina’s time. She was one of the earliest Seekers, she went to great risk to document the events of her life and she’s often the one who comes to me in times of distress. Despite the centuries that separate us, my life often mirrors hers. But now, with the Richters finally gone, I’m determined to get a much happier ending than Valentina could secure for herself. It’s like I owe it to both of us.”