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Or is it?

Fury glances at me, then trots on.

I look at Zayne, give a shrug of my own, and follow.

At least I can be sure there are no shadowguard nearby—I’d feel it in my head. So, I guess this is the best thing to do. We reach a stream and wade through, Stella drinks, and then we continue. The narrow valley leads us past the temple of Selene. I recognize the area now—we’re getting close.

Selene is a goddess. She and the god, Vortex, created the Astral Plane and then later the worlds of Valandria and Earth. Apparently, Selene was particularly fond of Valandria, and they worshipped her here.

I stumbled across the temple on my last visit. There’s a big statue of her with the image of an alicorn etched into the stone. Selene, the goddess, was the first alicorn shifter. In fact, she was the only alicorn shifter until now…until me.

I haven’t revealed that to anybody yet. It feels like a strange thing to say. Hey, I’m an alicorn. And really, I’m not surehow useful the information is. What can alicorns do? I need to ask Hecate because I could hardly fight like Zayne’s basilisk. I suppose I could kick people with my hooves and stab them with my pointy horn.

There’s another reason I’ve been reluctant to talk about the alicorn thing. My alicorn isn’t a lovely silver like Selene’s. No, mine is as black as the deepest reaches of Hell. I’m not sure what that says about me, but I can guess.

Anyway, I see the temple now through the dead trees. The walls are blackened, and as I pass, a shiver runs through me, almost as if something is nudging my mind, trying to tell me something. Then we’re past it, and it’s gone.

Finally, we’re walking along the narrow pathway that leads to the village, and a rising dread fills me.

And then I see it.

The whole village has been razed to the ground. Where Hecate’s house once stood, only a pile of rubble remains.

Chapter 14

All That’s Left is Hope

Istare at the place where Hecate’s house once stood.

It’s hard to believe that there was once a beautiful home here—rooms, a kitchen where she fed me, my bedroom. It’s all gone. All that remains is a pile of blackened rubble and the stench of old smoke.

It feels like my heart is cracking, and fear floods my mouth with saliva. I swallow. This was my first home, the only place I ever felt like I belonged. But it’s not the loss of the building that hurts the most, because one thing I have learned is that home is people, not places.

Where is Hecate? Is she dead?

It’s unbelievable, and Iwon’tbelieve it. Ican’t.Otherwise, I’ll just collapse into a pathetic bundle and sob. And I’m not going to let that happen.

I have to stay strong.

But it’s not only fear that eats at me; guilt fills me as well. It’s like barbed wire wrapped around my body, constricting my lungs so each breath is raw and painful. This is my fault.

Hecate lived here for thousands of years in safety—until I arrived. I’m like a harbinger of death.

“This is my fault,” I say.

“Shut up,” Zayne responds. “You’re just so fucking full of yourself. It’s all me, me, me. Ofcourseit’s not your fault. It’s Lucifer’s fault. It’s the shadowguard’s fault. You’re just incidental to the whole thing.”

“Thanks,” I reply.

I wish I could believe him. But I don’t. This was donebecauseof me. The shadowguard were hunting forme. They’ve been hunting me all my life. And all my life, the people around me have died to keep me alive. Because I’m so freakingspecial. I hate that word.

Beside me, Fury whines. He looks up at me, and I try to force a smile back, but somehow, I can’t get my lips to work. I can’t believe how much I was relying on finding Hecate.

Ineedher strength. I can’t do this alone.

I give myself one minute to wallow in self-pity, then I straighten my shoulders. I look around at Fury and Zayne, at Josh perched on top of the tall mare, his little fingers tangled in her mane. And I know I’m notphysicallyalone, but in some ways, that’s worse.

I’m responsible for all of them.