It"s the single seed of humanity that lives deep inside him.
The mine-his presence in the Lowerworld-it"s only partly about ama.s.sing a fortune and controlling the Middleworld. At its very core, it"s a bid to wow his dad. Willing to destroy countless lives in an effort to gain his father"s approval. And, according to Dace, he"s failed on every level.
Xotichl and Paloma were right-he"s definitely human.
Though that doesn"t mean I won"t kill him.
"I stood right outside the door and listened to him verbally rip you to shreds," Dace continues. "Heard the way you begged-your voice high-pitched and whiny when he shot you down, refused to listen. See the smile I wear?" He stands before him, finger arrowed toward a wide empty grin. "It"s nothing like the way I smiled then." He pauses, pretending that it"s merely an afterthought when he adds, "Oh, and by the way, you so much as go near my girlfriend again-you"re dead." His fingers slip free of his pocket, revealing the blowgun that didn"t work so well the last time. Though one look at his face tells me he has complete faith he won"t fail again. "Actually, you"re dead either way. So say good-bye, brother."
Raven squawks.
Wind swirls at my feet.
Coyote crouches, head lowered, teeth bared.
As I take a few backward steps, drop to the ground, and summon the knife to my hand.
Unmoved by the threat on his life, Cade rushes Dace until only a whisper of s.p.a.ce lies between them. Gaze probing with interest, he asks, "What"ve you done?"
He leans forward, attempts to grab hold of Dace"s shirt if only to get a better look. But Dace veers from his reach, lifting the blowgun to his lips, as I grasp the hilt in my hand. Confident that from this vantage point, I can nail this particular bull"s-eye.
Cade whirls on me, eyes blazing and red. "Sure you want to attempt that, Santos?"
I glance between them. Noting how aside from the hair, there"s no discernible difference between them. Dace"s eyes are as bleak and empty as his brother"s.
"Daire, leave it. I"ve got this," Dace says, one eye closed, the other on Cade, taking aim.
And while I"ve no idea what"s happened to make him this way, for now my only goal is to stop the prophecy from claiming his life-his light. So I inhale a sharp breath and hurl the athame at the same time Dace releases the dart.
Mesmerized by the way it glints-arcing in a quick flash of silver-as it slices through the air. Ultimately overtaking the dart to lodge deep in Cade"s neck, just as I"d envisioned.
Only it"s no longer Cade.
The demon has taken his place.
He hooks a sharp talon around the handle, drags the blade free, and tosses it to the ground, where it falls to a thud at his enormous clawed feet.
The sight so astounding, so unfathomable, I"m left blinking in confusion. Unable to make sense of why Cade stands monstrous and grinning before me, the knife and dart abandoned at his feet, as Dace collapses to his knees, blood gushing from the wound his brother should bear.
Cade glances between us, his face impa.s.sive, his voice toneless as he says, "Told you we were connected. Though I guess I failed to tell you how deeply. So let me enlighten you now. In order to kill me, you need to catch me in human form. But be warned, I will not go alone. I"ll take my brother right along with me. And believe it or not, I prefer to keep him around." He turns toward me with glowing red eyes that fix right on mine. "Oh, I may rely on Coyote to keep him in line from time to time-the wounds he inflicts on Dace bear no effect on me. Which is something you both need to consider the next time either one of you gets another homicidal urge."
His words leave me speechless, numbed. I stare between the two of them, horrified by a truth made suddenly real.
Killing Cade means killing Dace.
It"s an incomprehensible choice I could never, ever make.
Yet I have to.
It"s what I was born to do.
Is this what Paloma meant when she warned me that a Seeker"s life requires great sacrifice?
Did she suspect all along we were doomed from the start?
Cade looms before me, his monstrous face taunting as though this is his idea of big fun. While Dace ignores the rush of blood now streaming from his neck and grabs at Cade"s ankles, his knees, trying to stop him from getting to me.
But in full demon mode, Cade wields incredible force. He won"t go down easily. He kicks Dace away, barely sparing him a backward glance as he says, "Don"t worry about him. He"s hurting, no thanks to you. But your aim"s not that good. You missed the main artery. Thing is, that"s twice you"ve tried to kill me. Leading me to believe I can no longer trust you. You"ve run your course, Seeker. You"re the end of the line. It"s been interesting, but don"t think for a moment I"ll miss you."
Behind him, Dace leaps for the knife, willing to sacrifice himself in order to save me.
A selfless act that a.s.sures me he"s still in there.
Somewhere.
I haven"t lost him entirely.
But he"s no match for Cade.
With a quick flick of his wrist, Cade"s already s.n.a.t.c.hed it.
Already coming at me in a blur of gleaming red eyes and two-headed snakes that shoot from his mouth.
Already shoving that two-sided knife straight into my chest, the blade making an awful sc.r.a.ping sound when it shoves past the key.
I stagger backward. My gaze swimming with the sight of his ghastly demon face bearing down on mine, as my hands fumble at the gash in my flesh. Watching in dismay when they come away drenched in red.
"Hurts, don"t it?" Cade grins. Allowing those two-headed, soul-stealing snakes to leap from his mouth, going straight for the gaping hole he"s left in my breast.
This is just like the dream. Just like the prophecy. Only I"ve managed to change the ending. Instead of Dace dying, I"ve taken his place.
I cling to the thought as I watch it unfold. Watch it as though it"s happening to somebody other than me.
My hands flopping before me, useless and weak. Wanting so badly to tell Dace that I love him-that I"m sorry to leave him like this.
But the words are soon drowned by a torrent of something metallic and bitter that clogs up my throat.
Blood.
My blood.
And it won"t stop. There"s just so d.a.m.n much of it.
Raven shrieks.
Coyote yips in unbridled excitement.
Cade shouts in unrestrained victory edged with frustration.
As Dace calls after me, shouting my name over and over again, his voice hoa.r.s.e, mangled. Though it"s not long before the sound begins to fade, as though it"s being filtered through too many layers to be properly heard-drifting from a place that grows increasingly distant.
My body shivers.
My breath comes in desperate, ragged spasms-and sometimes it doesn"t come at all.
If it wasn"t for these strong arms that hold me, I"d be falling-tumbling to a place from which I"d never return.
If it wasn"t for these strong arms that protect me, Cade would"ve succeeded in stealing my soul.
I want to tell Dace not to worry. Want to tell him about the golden one looking after me-the glowing hands that support me-but the words just won"t come.
Hush, coos the being as he sweeps a long golden finger over my lips.
But I haven"t spoken. I tried, but I can"t.
Hush your thoughts.
I do. For a while. But then they pipe up again.
Where are we going? Where are you taking me?
Up.
My eyes drift shut. Aware of the light still shining behind them but too tired to keep looking at things I don"t understand. Preferring to immerse myself in this warm, buoyant feeling of comfort and love that he brings.
You must be the sun! The thought rushes through me-my eyes snap open again. Trying to make out his form, but all I can see is a radiant blur of gold. I told Dace he was wrong, said there is no sun in the Lowerworld. It"s just some fable Leftfoot told him when he was a kid. But I was wrong, wasn"t I?
Do I look like the sun?
I squint, straining to see that which has so far remained hidden. Gasping in delight when the glow begins to fade just enough to allow the features to sharpen and a face to take shape.
The skin is fair, as though carved from beams of light. The hair so blond and pale, it"s almost as white as the skin. Though the eyes stand in sharp contrast, the irises are an unusual yet beautiful shade of lavender that gaze down at me.
And before I can respond, I feel it.
The long slender fingers of death curling around me.
Heralded by the soft whir and hum of my life force quickly draining.
The corporeal flesh and blood part of me swiftly subsiding. Surrendering. Allowing the soul to take over. To carry me ever higher-soar as high as I dare.
The sensation similar to how I felt when I was drowning at the falls. The glowing person similar as well. The same glowing person I once accused of haunting me back in that Moroccan square.
But now I know better.
So you remember? He tightens his grip when I nod that I do.
Only this time is different.
This is the prophecy come true.
The other side of midnight"s hour strikes a herald thrice rung Seer, Shadow, Sun-together they come Sixteen winters hence-the light shall be eclipsed Leaving darkness to ascend beneath a sky bleeding fire Only instead of the light being eclipsed, it was me. But at least Dace is safe.
Right?
Right?
You ask too many questions. You must rest. We"ll be there soon.
I close my eyes again, using my last burst of strength for one final request: Can you please make it snow? Will you do that for them?
Don"t have to, he tells me. You"ve already seen to it.
My lips curl at the sides, my cheeks fall wet with tears, as I fumble for the blood-covered key at my chest and fold my fingers around it. At least I"ll leave them with that ...
My focus narrowing to a point so tiny-no bigger than a molecule. Surprised to find that the molecule is me-and that I"m connected to everything.
A cry of anguish sounds in the distance, though I"m sure the cry is not meant for me.
Why would it be?
I"m safe.
Loved.
Surrounded by light as warm and glowing as a kiss.
My heart flutters.
My lungs bubble with breath.
And the next thing I know, I"m crashing through a glorious silken spun web-bursting into a world of bright golden light.
season of miracles
epilogue.
Axel The girl lies bleeding in my arms.
Her brown shiny hair spilling over my shoulder-the pink of her cheeks fading as quickly as the life force within her.
Still, she is beautiful.