And now with Lita and me both holding the knife, she’s able to see what I see.
Dace and
Cade collapsed in a heap, their souls newly released. Only to have Coyote catch Cade’s in his snout and force it back into him, while allowing Dace’s to drift free.
Cade wakes with a sputter and instantly turns on his brother. “Get him out of here,” he commands Coyote. “Take him to the darkest recess of the Middleworld where no one will find him. He’s of no use to me now.”
Lita curses under her breath as we watch Coyote grab Dace by the collar and drag him away, while Cade, still gravely wounded but breathing, inches his body toward the Enchanted Spring, where he rolls into the water and emerges renewed.
Lita drops her hands, leaving me to hold the knife on my own. Her voice small, overwhelmed, she says, “What now? Where do we go from here?”
I open my eyes and lower the athame to my side. “First we find Dace. Then we restore his soul. And once that’s done, I’ll find a way to deal with Cade, once and for all.”
thirteen
Daire
On our return to Enchantment, I’m surprised to find the sun is already up and Paloma is still there, only this time with company. All of the elders: Chay, Chepi, Leftfoot, and Cree, Leftfoot’s apprentice, are all waiting for us. Their assorted trucks, Jeeps, and horses circling the site, as they huddle against the cold and keep a steady vigil.
Paloma calls to me the second she sees me emerge from the trees, but it’s Dace’s mother, Chepi, who gets to me first. Her eyes red-rimmed, her face pale and drawn, she looks as though she’s aged twenty years in the short time I’ve been gone.
“You found him! Please tell me you found him!” She grasps my shoulders too tightly, refusing to loosen her grip until Leftfoot places his hands over hers and gently pries her away.
“Give the girl a moment.” He slides a supportive arm around her. Attempting to comfort and keep her contained.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. Turning my attention to Chepi, I say, “I’m sorry but we didn’t quite find him. Not yet, anyway.” Forcing myself to hold her gaze, despite the accusation I read on her face.
She holds me responsible. Or at least partially. It’s all right there in the hardened glint in her stare. Her belief that her son was never in danger until I came to town and this whole mess began. And while it’s true that my arrival got the ball rolling, the truth is, with his connection to Cade, Dace has been in danger since the day he was born.
She steps closer, leaving only a breath of space spanning between us. “What do you mean when you say, not yet?”
“I know he’s in the Middleworld. In a dimension other than this one. I just don’t know where. But he’s alive. I know for a fact he’s alive.”
Her shoulders sink in relief, and I know what she’s thinking: Where there’s life, there’s hope. It’s the same thought I cling to.
“But you should also know that he’s soulless.” I rub my lips together, hating to be the one to tell her, but she deserves to know the truth. “I need to locate him quickly.” I turn my attention to Leftfoot, Cree, Paloma, and Chay, their faces displaying equal alarm at what I’ve revealed. “And then, once that’s done, I need to locate his soul.”
“He’ll die if you don’t get to him soon!” Chepi cries. “Look what happened to Paloma when her soul was lost! Why are you just standing here? Why aren’t you out there searching for him?”
“He won’t die,” I say, aware that it’s a promise one should never make to a grief-stricken mother. The delicate balance between life and death is always tricky at best. Still, it’s a promise I make to us both. “This is nothing like what happened to Paloma. From what I saw, he’s gravely wounded, which means he’ll be physically weakened, for sure. But the twins are connected, and as long as Cade lives, Dace lives. As long as Cade breathes, Dace breathes, no matter how labored.” I pause, allowing her to digest the words until they make sense. Until they become solid enough for her to hold on to. “But that also means, and you all need to hear this—” I make a point to glance at each of them before I continue. “The Cade Richter kill order is suspended until further notice. No one makes a move on him until I get this thing sorted.” My tone bears the burden of that horrible truth. “While I never thought I’d say this, we need to do whatever it takes to keep Cade alive. Controlled and contained, but alive. Once Dace is taken care of, and only then, I have every intention of eliminating Cade, not to worry. But no sooner.”
A low whistle escapes Chay’s lips, as Leftfoot says, “Any idea where to look?”
“Coyote dumped him somewhere deep in the Middleworld—somewhere dark, bleak, and ominous where there’s no risk of anyone finding him. No one but me, anyway.”
“And me!” Xotichl says. And not to be outdone, Lita chimes in as well.
I turn to my friends, tempted to say thanks but no thanks. Remind them that it’s not their battle to win. But the fact is, it’s everyone’s battle. Everyone here has something at stake. I may be the only Seeker, I may be the only one with the actual skills to see this thing through, but that doesn’t mean I can’t accept a little help now and then.
“You can start by hanging with me at the Rabbit Hole tonight,” I tell them, hoping to appease Chepi’s look of disdain when I add, “There’s an entrance that leads to a much deeper dimension of the Middleworld, and I’ll need someone to cover so I can get to it. But first, I need to go home, get some provisions, and come up with a plan. After all, you can’t hit a target you can’t even see, right?” I start to grin, until I realize I just quoted Axel and a shiver slips over my skin.
fourteen
Xotichl
I bounce my knee against the door of Lita’s car, debating how best to phrase what I’m about to ask. Deciding I may as well state it like it is, I say, “I know this may sound crazy—” Not getting very far before Lita cuts in.
“Doubtful,” she says. “After what I’ve seen, crazy just got a whole new definition. I had no idea there was all this insanity happening right under my nose. And to think of all that time I wasted on Cade…”