The Soul Seeker: Echo Part 18

And by the time I'm finished, Cade will be dead.

thirty.

Daire When I get to Paloma's, I'm not sure what to expect after staying out all night without telling anyone.

At the very least, I expect they'll be worried.

At the very worst, they'll be really, really angry.

Though maybe not Paloma. As a fellow Seeker, her expectations of me and my comings and goings differ from that of the average grandmother's.

But Jennika? She'll be in a frenzy for sure. My absence will hit all of her triggers. She'll put two and two together and come up with three: Me + Dace = an unplanned pregnancy. Never stopping to think that I've got my own story to live-one that reads nothing like hers. Besides, Dace and I were careful, it's not a baby we were making.

Though the scene I'm confronted with when I push through the door is not the one I expected.

Jennika is curled up on the couch, staring into the fire with a blanket wrapped snugly around her, while Paloma sits in an adjacent chair, sipping from a mug of fragrant herbal tea. The two of them sitting quietly, as though they weren't even thinking, much less worried, about me.

I mumble a quiet greeting. Shooting a tentative, questioning look at Paloma, who merely smiles and nods in return.

"Did you have a good night?" Jennika asks, her eyes dark and sooty from the makeup she must've slept in. Breaking her own cardinal rule of: Thou shalt go to bed fresh of face. Leading me to believe she spent the night here.

I fill the s.p.a.ce beside her and fold my knees underneath me. "The party was good."

"And the after-party?"

We exchange a look. That's not a question I intend to answer.

"At least tell me you were careful?" she prods.

I take a deep breath, unable to believe I'm having this conversation in front of my grandmother. "Of course." I bite down on my lip, fingering the shiny gold key at my chest as I stare hard at her. She looks different. Vulnerable and soft in an almost malleable way. Like a long occupied s.p.a.ce has suddenly vacated inside her. My voice softening, I add, "For the record, I really was listening during all of those awkward s.e.x talks you forced on me."

A ghost of a smile crosses her face as she wraps an arm around me and pulls me tightly to her. Burying her nose in my hair and inhaling deeply, she says, "Guess this means you're back together?"

She pulls away and looks at me, and I nod in reply.

"You're all grown up now." She trails the pad of her thumb down my cheek. "I've got nothing left to teach you."

"That's not true," I say, surprised to realize I mean it.

But she just shakes her head. "As it turns out, it appears I'm now learning from you."

I squint, unsure of her meaning.

"I went through the box."

I look to Paloma, seeing her smiling faintly as she nods toward my mom.

"And then Paloma and I had a long talk."

I clamp my lips shut, not sure what that means.

How much of a talk?

About Django?

About me?

About me choosing to accept the biological inheritance he fought to deny?

Does this mean she knows I'm a Seeker?

She pushes a lock of hair from her face and levels her gaze on mine. "I think I'm beginning to realize just how much I don't know about the world. Not to mention how much I've denied what I couldn't bear to face. And while I won't claim to like it-while I don't like it one single bit-while I can barely wrap my head around the kind of future you face-I'm also left with no choice but to accept it. If I could do something, anything, to change it, I would. If I could volunteer on your behalf and take your place, I'd do that too. But Paloma tells me I can't. Says I've done all that I could the last sixteen years, and now I need to leave you in the care of a force far greater than me." She swallows hard, plants a kiss on the side of my head. Her voice a mere whisper, she says, "You know, I think Django would be proud of you-to know that you're trying to complete the very thing he tried hard to flee ... I think he'd be amazed by your courage and strength. I know I am."

"I met him," I say, seeing the way her gaze widens at the words. "During my vision quest. He came to me. Helped me. I couldn't have survived it without him. He was so handsome too. I can see why you fell for him as hard as you did."

Jennika's gaze travels to a distant place-smiling faintly at his memory.

"He's everywhere, you know. Paloma taught me that. You can talk to him wherever and whenever you want. But, honestly, I think he'd prefer you move on."

She nods, pulls me back to her. "Don't let that boy hurt you again." The words are a fierce whisper.

"Still calling him that boy?"

Her shoulders lift, as she flips open the blanket, inviting me in.

"He didn't mean to hurt me the first time. It was a misguided attempt to protect me, that's all." I inch closer, allowing her to envelop me in a cozy layer of wool.

"And don't forget that you're not just a Santos-a Seeker-you're a Lyons as well. I'm part of that equation too, you know."

"How could I forget?" I snuggle against her. "Besides, I wouldn't have it any other way, would you?"

She shakes her head slightly, tightening her blanket around us, as we gaze into the flames. Watching as they crackle and spit, devouring the vertically stacked logs in Paloma's kiva fireplace.

Our reverie broken when Paloma says, "Look-it's raining!"

I look toward the window and, sure enough, the panes are streaming and wet.

"Not quite the snow I tried to manifest, but it's a start, right?" I glance between my mother and grandmother.

Smiling with contentment when they say, "It is indeed."

We remain like that for the better part of the morning. Three generations of females, staring into the rain-contemplating a future that yawns wide before us.

"I can't believe you're leaving." I glance around the tiny hotel room while Jennika packs up the few things she brought. "I mean, I can see why you wouldn't want to stay-this place is pretty dismal. Still, I'm going to miss you. It's nice having you around. Especially now."

"Why especially now?" She starts to fold a T-shirt into thirds, then gives up and squashes it instead.

"Because I hated lying to you. It feels so much better to have it all out in the open. It's good to know you're on board."

"Did I have a choice?"

We exchange a look.

"At least you know for sure I'm not crazy. The visions-the crows-the glowing people-it's all real."

She sighs in a way that tells me that just because she accepts it, doesn't mean that she likes it-doesn't mean she wants to delve into the details. Then she motions for me to sit on top of her suitcase so she can zip it shut.

"So, where do you go from here?" She grits her teeth and tugs hard on the zipper.

"The Rabbit Hole. You?" I push down with both hands in an effort to help her.

"First home and then Harlan's." She secures the shiny black lock with a satisfying click.

"Yeah?" I look at her, my smile growing bigger when she swats at me, pushes me to my feet.

Doing her best to nix my hopes, she says, "I'm committing to meeting him for a drink. And if that goes well, I'll let him buy me dinner. We'll see where it leads. Baby steps, right?" She heaves her bag off the bed and yanks hard on the handle, pulling the bag upright. "Need a ride?"

I shake my head and follow her to the door. "It's not far. Besides, I could use the walk."

"It's still raining," she warns.

"Yeah, and I'm still trying for snow."

She hugs me to her. Crushing me so tightly, I'm left gasping and laughing, as I croak, "I can't breathe!"

"You be careful out there." She slowly draws away. Fussing with my hair, rearranging the tumble of curls that survived the night surprisingly well.

"You be careful too." I follow her to the car. Waiting until she drives away before I cross the street, ready to make good on my destiny.

thirty-one.

Dace "You know I can't let you go any farther," I say, seeing Xotichl standing beside me so tiny and frail she looks like she's about to be swallowed by the heavy blue parka she wears.

We were lucky to have made it this far without being seen. Managing to slip past a horde of undead Richters too absorbed in the task of setting up some so-called job fair to take notice of us. Though that doesn't mean our luck won't run out. And I'd never forgive myself if Xotichl got hurt on my watch.

"Honestly, I can't say that I want to," she says. "Something strange is going on around here." She tips her chin, sniffs at the air. "Stranger than normal, that is. Those people we pa.s.sed earlier, the ones setting up the tables and hanging the signs?"

"Yeah?" I slant my brow and lean toward her.

"They're undead."

I exhale, amused to find I'm relieved by her words. Shows how much my life has changed in just a handful of weeks. "I know." I tell her. "It's Cade's pet project. He reanimated a bunch of long-deceased Richters on the Day of the Dead, fueling them on bits of souls-both animal and human. Just one more reason he has to be stopped. The last thing we need is more Richters lumbering around."

Xotichl squeezes her cane, shoulders cringing inward, as she says, "I think the job fair is bogus. I think it's a front for something far more sinister." She pauses, allowing me time to respond, but I have nothing to add. I don't disagree. "Maybe I should go with you," she offers. "You know, like a bodyguard." She grins at her joke, but the effect is short-lived when the weight of the situation settles upon us.

"I hate leaving you here. Are you sure you can find your way back?" I glance between her and the wall that's not really a wall. Musing at how long I remained oblivious to its presence, despite having pa.s.sed it hundreds of times. How I needed a blind girl to point me toward the truth that was always right there before me.

We see what we want to see. And when we can no longer afford that luxury, we see what we must.

Now that I'm faced with the truth, I'm torn between my desire to charge it head-on, and worried about leaving her behind. Afraid she'll get lost in this dark and cavernous s.p.a.ce that practically reeks of evil and malevolence.

"Never make the mistake of underestimating me. I'll be fine." She quirks a brow in a way that leaves no room for doubt. "If anyone catches me, I'll say I was so excited about the job opening, I got here early so I could be among the first to fill out an application. And if they deny me that right, I'll threaten to sue them on grounds of discrimination." She taps her cane hard against the carpeted floor for emphasis. "You have the cigarettes?"

I pat my pocket, confirm that I do. "I always thought that was a myth. You know, the whole tobacco offering for the demons thing."

"And where do you think myths originated?" she asks. "They began as truths. They only turned to myths when we decided it was easier to live in denial of the things we don't understand."

"Okay, Little Wise One." I clasp a hand to each shoulder and turn her 'til she's facing the opposite way. "It's time for us to part ways. You find the exit while I go explore."

But no sooner have I started to leave than she turns back and says, "Dace-" Her face creases with worry. "What do I tell Daire? You know, if I run into her?"

I study Xotichl's face. She looks so tiny and vulnerable in this hollow s.p.a.ce, I have to remind myself that she's right-underestimating her would be a mistake. Then I palm the cigarettes, squeezing my fingers around them, as I make for the greasy, pulsing veil, saying, "Not to worry. Thanks to you, I've got a solid head start. While Daire probably just walked in the door only to be faced with a full interrogation about how and where she spent her night. By the time she escapes, Cade will be dead. If nothing else, I'll make sure of that."

thirty-two.

Daire By the time I get to the Rabbit Hole, the stairwell is crowded with a large group of people forming a somewhat orderly line under a banner that advertises a job fair.

A job fair?

Here-in Enchantment-where there are no jobs to be had?

This is not what I expected.

I was hoping to get here early. Blend with the cleaning crew so I could do a little investigating while hopefully going unnoticed.

I'd planned to enter the Lowerworld directly through the Rabbit Hole vortex. Thinking their point of access would lead me directly to Cade.

And then, once I'd found him, I'd kill him.