only way I can do that is by refusing to see you.”
His words leave me mute. Unable to do anything more than gape.
“I’m not completely in the dark here, you know.” He swipes a hand through his hair, scrunches his brow, as his gaze drifts from mine. “I’ve heard whispers through the years. Seen the way the elders, Leftfoot especially, looked at me when they thought I was too busy to notice. I was a quiet kid. A loner, a reader, a thinker—all of which made it easy to go unnoticed. I became very good at eavesdropping, collecting random bits and pieces through the years that never made any sense until now. I always knew I was different, I just didn’t know how different. I also had this profound understanding that I was headed for an unusual destiny, and while I still don’t know exactly what that is—it’s all starting to come together. The puzzle I’ve been sorting for years is now that much closer to completion.”
I look at him, so bereft I have no idea what to say.
“You’re the Seeker,” he says.
I close my eyes, wishing I could rewind my life. I never would’ve come here. I never would’ve let it get to this point. And because of it, I would’ve ended up just like my dad—dead before my time. So, in an effort to avoid that, I decided to claim my destiny, only to find myself nothing more than a cog in its wheel. Steered by circumstance, with no say of my own.
So lost in my thoughts I nearly miss it when Dace says, “And Cade is Coyote—a member of the El Coyote clan, which all Richters are.”
My shoulders sag. I wish I could disappear, vanish straight into the ether.
“And I’m the Echo of Coyote.”
I rub my lips together, growing increasingly uncomfortable, having no idea where he’s going with this but sensing it’s about to get worse.
He takes a deep breath, scratches hard at his chin. His voice a chilled whisper, he says, “This won’t end well.” His eyes light on mine. “Someone is destined to die. I’ve had dreams—dreams I now recognize as prophecy. We can’t all survive. And while I can’t stop loving you, Daire—while it’s far too late for that—I can stop…” He grinds his jaw, speaking the words with great effort. “I can stop feeding our love. Now that I know it strengthens him, I’m left with no choice. It’s like he said, he’s the beneficiary of every loving thought that I have for you. And there’s no denying that the more time I spend with you, the more my love for you grows. But now, knowing what we know, we can’t afford to continue—can’t afford to be together. We have to make the sacrifice. Put some distance between us. We’re left with no choice.”
“No,” I say, the word so shaky I repeat it with all the force I can muster. “ No! No way. I won’t have it. Your brother’s a creep—a freak! He’s a power-hungry, black-hearted beast, bent on world domination, and I refuse to roll over and let him win. I refuse to play by his rules. Besides, how can we be sure that it’s true? Maybe that’s not what the Echo is. Maybe it means something else entirely.” I cry, but the words ring desperate and untrue even to my ears.
“Did you not see him?” Dace cries, his voice as incredulous as his face. “That was no illusion—that was all too real!”
I sigh, reluctantly admitting, “It wasn’t the first time. I’ve seen it before.”
“Me too…” Dace’s voice fades as he stares at the peeling yellow paint, his mind traveling to a faraway place. “And that didn’t end well either, or at least not for us. Though he seemed quite pleased…” I shoot him a quizzical look, but he just shakes his head, and folds his keys in his palm. “Come on. It’s getting late. I’ll drive you home.”
I follow him outside to his old beater truck, climbing in beside him as he cranks up the heat to ward off the chill. But the hot air blowing from the vent bears no effect. My body’s as numb as my heart, and a rise in temperature is not
His words leave me mute. Unable to do anything more than gape.
“I’m not completely in the dark here, you know.” He swipes a hand through his hair, scrunches his brow, as his gaze drifts from mine. “I’ve heard whispers through the years. Seen the way the elders, Leftfoot especially, looked at me when they thought I was too busy to notice. I was a quiet kid. A loner, a reader, a thinker—all of which made it easy to go unnoticed. I became very good at eavesdropping, collecting random bits and pieces through the years that never made any sense until now. I always knew I was different, I just didn’t know how different. I also had this profound understanding that I was headed for an unusual destiny, and while I still don’t know exactly what that is—it’s all starting to come together. The puzzle I’ve been sorting for years is now that much closer to completion.”
I look at him, so bereft I have no idea what to say.
“You’re the Seeker,” he says.
I close my eyes, wishing I could rewind my life. I never would’ve come here. I never would’ve let it get to this point. And because of it, I would’ve ended up just like my dad—dead before my time. So, in an effort to avoid that, I decided to claim my destiny, only to find myself nothing more than a cog in its wheel. Steered by circumstance, with no say of my own.
So lost in my thoughts I nearly miss it when Dace says, “And Cade is Coyote—a member of the El Coyote clan, which all Richters are.”
My shoulders sag. I wish I could disappear, vanish straight into the ether.
“And I’m the Echo of Coyote.”
I rub my lips together, growing increasingly uncomfortable, having no idea where he’s going with this but sensing it’s about to get worse.
He takes a deep breath, scratches hard at his chin. His voice a chilled whisper, he says, “This won’t end well.” His eyes light on mine. “Someone is destined to die. I’ve had dreams—dreams I now recognize as prophecy. We can’t all survive. And while I can’t stop loving you, Daire—while it’s far too late for that—I can stop…” He grinds his jaw, speaking the words with great effort. “I can stop feeding our love. Now that I know it strengthens him, I’m left with no choice. It’s like he said, he’s the beneficiary of every loving thought that I have for you. And there’s no denying that the more time I spend with you, the more my love for you grows. But now, knowing what we know, we can’t afford to continue—can’t afford to be together. We have to make the sacrifice. Put some distance between us. We’re left with no choice.”
“No,” I say, the word so shaky I repeat it with all the force I can muster. “ No! No way. I won’t have it. Your brother’s a creep—a freak! He’s a power-hungry, black-hearted beast, bent on world domination, and I refuse to roll over and let him win. I refuse to play by his rules. Besides, how can we be sure that it’s true? Maybe that’s not what the Echo is. Maybe it means something else entirely.” I cry, but the words ring desperate and untrue even to my ears.
“Did you not see him?” Dace cries, his voice as incredulous as his face. “That was no illusion—that was all too real!”
I sigh, reluctantly admitting, “It wasn’t the first time. I’ve seen it before.”
“Me too…” Dace’s voice fades as he stares at the peeling yellow paint, his mind traveling to a faraway place. “And that didn’t end well either, or at least not for us. Though he seemed quite pleased…” I shoot him a quizzical look, but he just shakes his head, and folds his keys in his palm. “Come on. It’s getting late. I’ll drive you home.”
I follow him outside to his old beater truck, climbing in beside him as he cranks up the heat to ward off the chill. But the hot air blowing from the vent bears no effect. My body’s as numb as my heart, and a rise in temperature is not
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