Even when Cade was at his darkest, it was the one bit of humanity that managed to survive.
I could kill him in a second. And yet, knowing what I know, it no longer feels right.
No longer a monster, the light has rendered him human. And like the Bone Keeper said, killing humans is not the Seeker’s game.
From across the canyon, Leandro approaches the ledge. “That’s it, Cade,” he shouts. “You’ve had your chance. I should’ve left it to your brother like I promised. It would’ve been over by now. But since you can’t seem to handle the one thing I’m asking you to do, I’m coming over there to take care of it for you!” He crouches down low, ready to make the leap, when the beast appears by his side, dragging Chepi behind him.
THIRTY-NINE
DAIRE
The chasm yawns between us, and I pray I really can nail it. If I’m wrong about Dace, Chepi won’t stand a chance.
I gather my skirts, do as Paloma taught me, and think from the end. The image of myself landing safely on the other side firmly entrenched in my head, when Chepi shouts, “Daire—no! Stay where you are!”
Leandro roars with laughter as though the scene just became greatly amusing, as Chepi turns her focus to the beast. The resigned look on her face telling me she’s not the least bit surprised to see what’s become of her son.
Is that why she tried so hard to shield him from his mystical legacy, along with the horrible truth behind his conception?
Did she suspect all along that this day would come?
Just as I thought, Dace is completely transformed. Far surpassing anything Cade was ever capable of becoming, he’s transcended into something so sinister, so horrific—it’s impossible to turn away.
His towering height, rippling muscles, blazing red eyes, and crown of black feathers circling his head, making for a sight that’s as stunning as it is diabolical. And by the way Leandro stands beside him, beaming with pride, it’s clear he agrees.
Refusing to see him as he is, Chepi insists on appealing to the shred of humanity she’s convinced still exists. And while I was in full agreement just a moment ago, watching her now, so defenseless and vulnerable, reminds me of what Jennika said.
It’s my duty to protect her.
If it turns out I’m wrong, the beast will soon kill her.
“You’ve outlasted your usefulness, old woman,” Leandro taunts. Looking between the beast and Cade. “Do it!” he urges. “Both of you, strike now! You have one last chance to redeem yourself, Cade. Kill the Seeker while Dace kills his mother. Rid the world of these obnoxious do-gooders, and you’ll make me proud beyond measure.”
Cade sneaks up from behind, but even in his unstable state, I’m a lot less worried about what he might try, and a lot more worried about what will become of Chepi. One swipe of the beast’s hand is enough to see her permanently eliminated from the world, and I’m the only one who can possibly stop him.
From somewhere within the earth’s core, the ground begins to tremble and quake, as the sky glows a dark, blood-drenched red. And when a coil of wind begins to stir at my feet, there’s no denying the prophecy has begun.
Won’t be long before the wind becomes a tempest and all three worlds are ravaged by flames.
Unless I can stop it before it gets to that point.
With Chepi in Dace’s grasp, I can’t take the chance that I’ll miss. So I inch toward the ledge, raise the blowgun to my lips, and aim for Leandro instead. Taking my shot at the same time Cade yanks hard on my dress and jerks me back toward him. The move causing the dart to veer wildly off course before disappearing into the chasm.
The beast snarls and roars. Grasping Chepi by the throat, he holds her up high as though considering the most efficient way to destroy her. As I wrench free of Cade’s grip, swerve out of his reach, and reload my weapon. Fully aware the attempt was half hearted at best, staged to make Leandro think he’s serious, and I don’t have time for his games.
I center my aim, ready to shoot, when Cade rushes from behind. Leaving me no choice but to nail him with a swift roundhouse kick to the jaw that sends him reeling and skidding across a long swath of rock that rips a hole in his sleeve and burns off a good portion of flesh.
“Dammit, Cade,” Leandro shouts. “Get up! If you kill her now, the world will be ours! We are two kills away from ruling the worlds!”
The beast growls, the sound deep, guttural, echoing through the ravine. His glowing red eyes fixed right on mine as I center my aim on Leandro again.
Releasing the dart just as the beast lifts a hand, about to remove Chepi’s face, when, at the very last second, he changes course, pushes her out of harm’s way, and removes Leandro’s instead.
His features falling away like a discarded mask, Leandro’s pulpy mess of a mouth screams briefly in outrage, before collapsing inertly beside his old face.
Chepi looks on in horror, presumably thinking the same thing as me.
Another Richter felled.
Another relative killed.
No telling how the beast will react.
Though one thing is clear: Dace has now managed to outshine his twin in every conceivable way.
Cade turns on me in a fit fueled by rage, grief, and deeply rooted shame. Having failed at his one and only chance to make his father proud by slaying me.
With his fists clenched to his sides, his whole body shaking, he throws his head back and howls in a way so primal, so chilling, Coyote quickly chimes in.
But no matter how desperately Cade yearns to transform into the two-headed, snake-tongued, monstrous version of himself, he can’t make the shift.
Blaming me for his failure, he lurches my way as Coyote continues to howl by his side, and I aim the blowgun straight toward him. All the while begging him to stop, to not go through with it, to give up the fight while he can.
“It’s over. He released you. You don’t realize it now, but he has. It’s just like you always wanted, we can work together. But instead of me joining your side, you can join mine.”
His hands curl to fists and he stops dead in his tracks, leaving only a handful of feet yawning between us.
“C’mon, Cade. You don’t have to do this. With you and me working together, we can stop the prophecy.”
“It’s too late, Seeker.” While his gaze is filled with loathing, his fists can’t seem to respond.
They’re useless.
Unable to strike.
So he turns to Coyote still howling beside him, focusing hard on Raven’s natural-born enemy until his lids begin to droop, his knees give out from under him, and his body falls unconscious to the ground.
“No!” I scream, scrambling to put some distance between us. Only the move comes too late. My boot catches in the hem of my dress, my blowgun flies free of my hand, and I land in an unarmed heap of shimmering red silk. Unable to do anything but stare helplessly before me as Coyote, now soul-merged with Cade, bares his teeth and lunges straight for me, as Raven furiously rattles his cage, trying in vain to escape.
Raven and I both watching as Coyote descends.
Knowing it won’t be long until we fall and the prophecy is fulfilled once and for all.
With no defenses left, I lift my ring high. Hoping it might distract Coyote from his mark, and watching in horror as the gem catches the last fading rays of the sun and transforms my gown into a swirling circle of flames.
I scream. Try to smother it by rolling onto the rock.
Only to realize the flames do no harm, the element is mine to control.
At the first whiff of smoke, Coyote yelps, tries to change course, but it’s too late.
I’ve already rolled to the side.
Already retrieved the blowgun.
Already taken aim at the center of his forehead.
Already gathered my breath and taken my shot.
His snout veering so close, the last thing I feel is his hot, fetid breath hitting my cheek, before his eyes roll back in his head and he falls limply at my feet. A si
ngle poisonous dart jutting from his head—a steady stream of blood pumping from the wound.
My gown smoldering, I leap to my feet, and race toward Cade, only to find he bears the same injury as Coyote.
I press my hand to his forehead. Try to stop the blood from gushing. Telling myself head wounds always bleed more. That it’s not nearly as bad as it seems. Though it fails to console.
Finally, after all this time, I’ve managed to kill him.
Funny how it doesn’t feel anything like I imagined it would.
I brush a hand across his forehead, try to think of something comforting to say to ease his transition, when I realize he’s singing.
Thinking it’s the same song he hummed when I spied on him via the cockroach, I lower my ear to his lips and realize I’ve got it all wrong.
Cade is using the last of his strength to remind me of the prophecy.
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
“You can’t stop it, Seeker.” His voice is a rasp. His lips curl at the sides as though he takes great pleasure in reminding me of my fate. “The prophecy is in motion. You are destined to fall. Leandro was wrong. I didn’t fail. I never once failed him . . .”
His eyes close.
His breath ceases.
And when the flames die, and the sky dims all around me, I realize he’s right.
The prophecy is here.
But it’s not because of him.
It’s because I snuffed the Sun and left the Shadow to rule.
FORTY
DAIRE
Chepi screams, grabs hold of his arm, but the beast shakes her off, kicks Leandro’s body aside, and makes for the ledge.
Each step causing the sun to shrink.
The sky to darken.
So by the time he’s clinched the leap and is standing before me, the three worlds are black.
I can feel his hot breath rising before me. His hunger so palpable I can sense it stirring within. It’s the only way to track him now that I can no longer see him.
With only one dart remaining, I raise the blowgun to my lips and tighten my grip. Remembering a time when I was afraid of the dark and couldn’t fall asleep without the glow of a nightlight, until Jennika found a way to convince me there was nothing to fear.
You must adapt to the darkness so the light can find you.
Such an uncanny match for the Seeker’s creed that Paloma shared with me when I first started training: A Seeker must learn to see in the dark, relying on what she knows in her heart.
I suck in a lungful of air, tracking the beast as Chay’s last words play in my head: Love is a powerful force. If anyone can save him, it’s you. So go. Go do what you were born to do.
I was born to protect—to keep the Richters contained—and the three worlds in balance.
I don’t have to look far to see how I’ve failed on every count.
My friends are all missing or dead.
The worlds are in chaos.
And though the Richters are finally defeated, the beast has now taken their place.
There is only one force more powerful than evil—love, Dace claimed.
Listen to your heart, Chay said. It will never lead you astray.
What I know in my heart is that the choice is no longer mine to make.
Destiny has made the choice for me.
If I have any hope of surviving, any hope of sparing my friends, Dace’s heart is where I must aim.
I squint through my tears, guided by the hum of his breath to locate my mark, grappling with the horror of piercing the very flesh I once cherished.
He lumbers closer.
I steady the gun to my lips. Whispering one final plea: Dace—please, if you’re in there, stop now—don’t make me do this!
He snarls. Growls. Continues his approach. Taking a swipe at me as he did with Leandro, and only narrowly missing.
One more step and he’s on me.
One more step and I’m history.
I close my eyes. Rely on my instincts to guide me.
My cheeks wet with tears as I release my last dart. Its softly whistled hiss closing the distance between us, before slamming hard against the small golden key that hangs from his neck and ricocheting right back where it lands in a muffled thud at my feet.
I missed.
The three worlds are now his.
I’m so sorry.
It’s the last thing I think before the beast comes barreling toward me.
FORTY-ONE
THE BEAST
An old woman calls out from behind me. Her voice echoing from across the divide. She’s mistaken me for someone else. Insists on calling me by a name I don’t recognize.
She’s a nuisance.
Can’t leave well enough alone and be glad she was spared.
Still not sure why I didn’t kill her when I had the chance. Something inside just wouldn’t allow it.
It’s a mistake I won’t make again.
I shift my attention to the girl standing before me. A vision of emerald-green eyes, shining dark hair, and a tattered silk gown, she clings to a slim wisp of hope that died long ago, the darkness has rendered her blind.
Unlike me. I got the night on my side.
I close the few steps between us, inhaling the wondrous perfume of her flesh, wondering how anything could smell so enticingly sweet, as she whispers a prayer to a boy she once loved, then levels her weapon at me.
Her aim is true, but her heart is reluctant, filled with regret.
A battle between the emotion and intellect, duty and longing. It’s no wonder she misses and the dart strikes the inexplicable small golden key that hangs from my neck.
Must be some sort of protective amulet left over from the days I was human.
I take it as proof that I’m here for a reason.
I loom over her, searching for the look of betrayal, outrage, and fear I saw on the last one, but find only a resigned acceptance instead. Even when I throw my head back and release a loud and thunderous roar, she continues to gaze at me with love in her heart.
I raise an arm high. Arc it straight toward her. But once again, my hand falters. Leaving me staring mutely into her beautiful face, overcome by something I can’t quite identify, when my body goes numb and I drop to my knees. Swaying helplessly for a handful of seconds, before my legs give out, my heart sputters, and I land hard on my side.
The girl drops beside me, casts a worried gaze at my face. The expression she wears telling me, this is it.
The beast is dying.
But strangely, he’s not dying alone.
The talons shrink.
A hail of black feathers spill to the ground.
As the girl brushes a tender hand to my forehead, and says, “It’s not this breath, but the one that follows that determines whether you live or die. Focus on the next one, Dace, and the one after that. Please, whatever you do, try to keep breathing.”
Dace?
It’s the same name the old woman called me. Must mean something to them.
The girl takes my hand in hers, places that small golden key in my palm, and folds my fingers around it until the truth comes roaring back and it all falls into place.
It’s more than just a talisman—it’s a key to the past. A passport that leads to a future I can no longer have. Unlocking a cache of memories that return in a rush—the girl has a name—an identity—a revered place in my life. The knowledge streaming through me as quick as a flash.
“Turns out, you were right,” she whispers, her eyes wide and glittering. “There’s only one force strong enough to overcome evil—love. Our love.”
She brings her lips to my cheek as I heave a breath so ragged I’m sure it’s my last. No time left to tell her how sorry I am to leave her with so many unrealized dreams. How lucky I was to know her—to love her—
for the short time I did.
FORTY-TWO
DAIRE
It’s a half prophecy.
A half victory.
Half dark—half light.
Just like the twins who started it all.
Though the Richters have finally been stopped, with Dace dying before me and the three worlds gone dark, it’s hardly worth celebrating.
I crumple beside him, throw my body over his. Clinging to the promise of the whistle and wheeze in his chest, while cursing the injustice of a destiny that demands more than I’m able to bear.
His pulse fades.
An ominous gurgle seeps from his lips.
The death rattle.
Won’t be long before it ceases for good.
I lift my face to the sky and release a wail of sorrow so deep, the earth rumbles beneath me, a blast of wind buffets my body, as a shower of hail pelts down from above.
Once again, the joke is on me.
I’m powerful enough to manipulate the elements, but woefully helpless when it comes to saving my loved ones.
I settle beside him, trace a finger across the width of his brow, and remove my tears that spill onto his cheek. “You once said that miracles are nothing more than the truest expression of love.” I press my lips to his ear. “If you still believe that, then feel my love now, Dace. And breathe. Please breathe . . .”
“It was Leftfoot who taught him that.” The voice drifts from behind me, and though I can’t see her, I recognize it as Paloma’s.
She’s here!
I can feel her essence all around me.
Seems my earlier prayers weren’t ignored after all.
“It was Jolon who taught it to Leftfoot. Jolon was a wise and gifted healer. It’s said he shared a direct link to the divine. He worked many miracles, but took credit for none—claiming a healer never works alone. All healings are based on the compassionate help of the spirits, he said. And it’s true. It’s why we are here for you now.”
The moment she says it, I can feel the presence of Django, Valentina, Alejandro, and all the rest of them. Countless generations of Santos ancestors gathered around me, prepared to guide me.