Echo Soul Seekers

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 passed 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 space 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 space, 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.
    A plan that made loads of sense—up until now, anyway.
    Despite my late start, I never once considered a scenario where I’d be greeted by a bouncer doling out single-sided job applications.
    Still, I decide to go with it and see where it leads. Carrying my form to one of the tall round tables surrounding the dance floor, I take in the mob of job seekers, most of them middle-aged, all of them wearing the same tired, glazed look. Other than dragging themselves here, no one appears all that motivated to do anything more than wander around in a daze.
    “Numbers one through twenty—come this way!” I turn toward the voice shouting from behind me. My gaze landing on a man I’ve never seen, but who definitely bears the dark swarthy look of a Richter, scrutinizing the group he just summoned as they slowly file past.
    I stare down at my slip, the hand-scrawled 27 in the upper right corner placing me in the next group to be called.
    Should I go?
    Should I fill this thing out and see where it leads?
    Will I live to regret it?
    Will I live?
    I bury my face in my hands, unsure what to do. Comforting myself with the thought that at least I don’t have to worry about Dace and Xotichl. Even though they probably ignored my protest and came here the second I left, I’m sure they turned back the instant they saw