The Soul Seekers: Horizon (23 page)

“Auden?” He makes a face of distaste. “No, flower. As it turns out, Auden’s offered all that he can. Gotta admire his level of ambition though. If you must know, it was
Leandro who called.”

My gut roils, practically screaming
I told you so!
“How do you know Leandro? I don’t understand.” Though the second it’s out, I realize I do. In fact, I’m
beginning to understand more than I ever wanted to.

“Oh, but you’re beginning to understand now, aren’t you, flower? Clever girl that you are. The record company I work for is owned by the Richters. Leandro’s my cousin.
Thought for sure you would’ve figured that out. But I guess you can’t really
see
nearly as well as you used to. You can’t really see much of anything, can you? Or at
least nothing of any real importance or depth. So sad to watch someone with so much power, and so much unlimited potential, become as dumbed down as everyone else in this town.”

“You did this! You’re behind this!”

“While I’d love to claim all the credit, turns out it was all you. Think, flower, what was always the one thing that kept us from altering your perception until now?”

My stomach clenches, a stream of bile rises high in my throat.

My blindness
.

As Paloma once told me,
The Richters need your sight to alter your perception. If you can learn to look upon your blindness as a blessing, I can teach you how to see that which remains
hidden to most . . .

“Oh, and it goes even deeper.” He grasps my hand in his, and before I can stop him, he sends a stream of images into my head. Images so awful, so horrific, my knees buckle and
give.

No.

My hands find the floor.

The rest of me follows.

No, it can’t be!

I look up, my gaze pleading with his. “You have to undo it! You have to—”

He looms over me. Shoots me a malevolent grin. “A signed contract is binding. A contract sealed with blood is binding for eternity. And, speaking of blood—” He reaches toward
me, swipes a thick finger across my cheek. Tracing over the exact same place where Auden accidentally bled on me. “Looks like someone’s been marked.” His sardonic laughter bleats
in my head. “Turns out, this was one of my best, and surprisingly easiest gets. A twofer—who would’ve guessed?” He ducks his head. “Now, if you don’t mind, I
hear there are worlds to breach, not to mention a Seeker to kill. Can’t think of a better way to celebrate the end of your world!”

He races toward the vortex, vanishing as quickly as he appeared. As I struggle to my feet, struggle to digest this hideous turn of events. Vaguely aware of a hand shooting out from behind me, as
a hurried voice says, “There you are, flower. I’ve been looking all over for you!”

And before I can respond, Auden is pulling me through the glimmering veil.

I glance over my shoulder, searching for Xotichl and Auden. Catching only a fleeting glimpse of them, before a surge of people intervene and they seem to vanish from sight.

Where are all these people going? This wasn’t part of the plan!

I look at Axel, wondering if he’s thinking the same thing as I am. But he just tightens his grip and pulls me past the shimmering veil where we pause long enough to get our bearings and
confirm this is nothing at all like it was the last time I visited.

Whenever there’s a party at the Rabbit Hole, the Richters like to host their own private party within the party. It’s considered a big deal to get an invite, mostly because
it’s all very cloak and dagger and shrouded in mystery. Involving things like blindfolds and cigarettes which, I later learned, were used to appease the demons guarding the entrance.

But now it’s nothing like that.

Not only are there no demons, but what was once a bizarre luxury cave with gilded antique furniture and priceless pieces of art is now just a burned-out shell leading to a wasteland of mile
after mile of dull yellow sand that, according to Daire—who gave specific instructions to get through the tin walkway, the luxury cave, and then the second vortex beyond that leads to the
valley of sand—isn’t supposed to come until later.

“The landscape’s all wrong.” I cling tightly to Axel, afraid of losing him in the throngs of people rushing around us, seemingly with no real direction in mind. Their eyes
glazed, their movements jerky, almost robotic, as though they’re not quite acting of their own accord.

“That’s the least of what’s wrong.” Axel’s features sharpen, his eyes crease with worry. “Check out the tourmaline pendants those girls are
wearing.”

I follow his gaze to see the gems glowing, blinking, as though a magickal switch was turned on.

“Jacy and Crickett are wearing those pendants—and Daire has the ring—we have to help them!” I’m filled with adrenaline, motivated by my need to rescue them all,
until I take a good look at my surroundings, watching as the world descends into chaos, and realize I’m way out of my league. This goes far beyond any abilities a couple of feathers
might’ve bestowed upon me. “This is a disaster!” My shoulders sink, my eyes burn, I’m falling apart, succumbing to the pressure, along with the growing certainty that
it’s about to get worse. “How could this happen, when it was all going as planned?”

Axel responds with a grave face, as he pulls me alongside him through the valley of sand. “Looks like the Richters were in control all along.”

When the drum sounds, when the vortex illuminates, Leandro lifts his drink high and clinks his glass against mine. “Just like clockwork.” He grins, takes a final
sip, and abandons his scotch on the bar. “Would you like to do the honors?”

I shake my head, causing him to doubt me again.

“You go first,” I say, in an effort to appease him. “But go easy on her. Don’t be too rough. I have a big finale planned for the end. And I want the Seeker lucid enough
to enjoy it.”

Leandro’s grin grows wider. I’m finally speaking his language. “Just so you know, Gabe will want a shot at her. Heck, Marliz too. She’s always hated her.”

“Then they better get in line. And you better get moving before she gets too much of a head start.”

With a face filled with fatherly pride, he takes a moment to pat me on the back then he’s gone in a flash. Leaving me to study my brother from across the room. Still lying prone in the
hall where Daire punched him.

Get up, fool.

His head swings. His eyes veer toward mine.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think that he heard.

“Leandro’s right.” I move toward him, closing the distance in a handful of steps. “You’re an embarrassment to all of us.”

He glares, curses under his breath, and struggles to his feet. His jaw marked by Daire’s fist. His mind a torment of heartbreak and rage.

Killing him is going to be ridiculously easy.

I brush past him on my way to the vortex. Knocking his shoulder so hard he stumbles, loses his balance, nearly ends up right back on the floor. “Get a grip,” I tell him.
“Leandro’s going after the Seeker, and you’re in enough trouble already. If you’re smart, you’ll get moving and get to her first.”

The sand comes too soon. And what’s worse is there’s even more of it than the last time I was here.

Still, I try to stay positive. Try to assure myself that while it’s not quite what I was expecting, it might prove better this way. If nothing else, it ensures there’s no place for
the Richters to hide.

I close my eyes, lift my arms to my sides, and indulge a moment of quiet, contented solitude. Knowing the elders are out there, working their magick and closing the exits, while my friends are
on their way to provide backup in case I should need it.

Though I don’t plan to need it.

Aside from the sand, the whole thing is going according to plan.

Soon, very soon, I will avenge every last Seeker who was ever felled by a Richter.

El Coyote will be begging for mercy.

As the head of the clan, Leandro is first on my list, with Cade following closely behind.

The roar of feet pounding in the distance tells me they’re well on their way. The moment I’ve been waiting for about to come to fruition.

My heart thrums with anticipation.

I center my focus, and ready my blade.

Having waited so long for this moment, I can hardly believe that it’s here.

I wave my athame high over my head, signaling to my friends that all is well. It may not look like we planned but there is nothing to fear.

“Keep running!” I shout. “Make for the hill and wait for me there.”

On the lookout for Lita, Axel, Xotichl, and Auden, only to discover my friends aren’t there—it’s the crowd from the party instead.

A tsunami of masked people in formal attire cresting straight for me. Their tourmaline pendants and bracelets flashing and blinking as they plod through the sand as though driven by an outside
force.

With only a few feet left spanning between us, the ground gives way, the sand collapses, and we’re sucked deep into the earth. Careening toward the Lowerworld where we crash in a heap of
disjointed bodies.

I free myself from a tangle of limbs and scramble for my knife that came loose in the fall.

My fingertips are barely grazing the hilt when Leandro captures it with the heel of his boot, looms up before me, and says, “Thanks, Seeker. That went exactly as planned.”

Leandro glowers before me.

Kicks my athame well out of reach.

That one simple move signaling my plan is a fail—and yet, there’s no denying I’ve got him right where I want him. Now all I need is my knife.

I flatten my palm, splay my fingers to the side, and try to summon my athame. The familiar tingling sensation crawling over my flesh a sure sign it’s working, until Leandro hooks a mean
right that lands squarely on my jaw.

My head snaps back, my feet fly up from under me, as my body spirals toward the dirt, and my mind reels with the absurdity of what I’m now facing: My boyfriend is a demon and his father
just clocked me.

I roll onto my side, blinking past the constellation of stars swirling past, to see Leandro leading an army of demons, Richters, and anesthetized partygoers on a rampage through the very land I
vowed to protect.