FORTY-FIVE
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 se
cure for herself. It’s like I owe it to both of us.”
“And how does Raven fit in?”
“By realizing the underlying truth of the story. The light Raven brings forth isn’t just out there, it’s in here.” Daire grasps my hand, presses it tightly to her chest. “Paloma always told me to use my light—claiming it’s the one thing that would lead the way. At the time, I chalked it up to more woo-woo, abuela, Seeker-speak. I didn’t really give it a whole lot of credence. But there’s no denying it was my light that brought you back. And I’m hoping to use that light to illuminate the three worlds again. It’s time I use my connection to the elements for something more than an outlet for grief.”
She lets go of my hand, gets to her feet, and stands tall beside me. Humming the first few lines of a song under her breath, when she’s interrupted by the distant clamor of footfalls.
More Richters.