Page 110
“Cut the chit chat. How fucked are we?” Cassandra asked with her usual lack of tact. She was clad in jeans, beat up Converse, and a Spider-man shirt. In contrast, Aimee was wearing a long green maxi-dress adorned with Celtic designs in gold.
Jeff rested his hands on the book in front of him, dreading what he was about to tell those gathered in front of him. “I’m not sure. ”
“The Summoner is not going to give up,” Amaliya said. The dour look on her face was one that he was not used to seeing. It was hard for all of them to see the pain etched into her face, but she had lost two loved ones to The Summoner. She had Jeff’s complete sympathy and support. He didn’t take the sharpness in her voice personal.
“We're not sure what he's planning yet, either,” Rachon pointed out. “Or do we?” She looked significantly at Jeff.
“Tell us what you found out,” Cian said, trying not to sound like he was ordering Jeff about. “Tell us why you called us here. ”
Jeff felt the intense scrutiny of those gathered and squirmed around in his chair. The usual jovialness that accompanied these gatherings was gone. There was no joking, no playfulness. Everyone looked somber and a bit frightened. Benchley was staring at his bitten-down nails and Jeff hadn’t seen him smile once since that terrible night. When Benchley wasn’t cracking a bad joke, the world felt a lot gloomier.
Jeff took a deep breath. “Okay, where to start. I…uh…took that photo that Cass and Aimee took of the ring they stole and did a lot of research. I had to call on several overseas resources and really dug deep into my dad's works. ” He paused for effect, but saw that everyone was looking annoyed that he wasn't just getting to the gist of it.
“What's he not saying?” Benchley asked Samantha.
“I have no clue. He hasn't told me yet either. ” She glowered at Jeff. “He's being all mysterious. ”
Jeff sighed. “I'm trying to lay a foundation here for my discovery. ”
“We just want to know what it is!” Amaliya snapped.
“Okay, first off, how did The Summoner get into Bianca? I figured that out with Samantha's help. When The Summoner died, there were a ton of ghosts around the motel and graveyard according to Roberto. ”
Cian arched his eyebrows. “Roberto?”
Jeff nodded. “Samantha saw his ghost the night it all went really bad. Roberto told Samantha that he tried to escape the town, but couldn't. When he was slingshotted back to the motel, the ghosts were gone. Rachon, meanwhile, told me she found Bianca, the night The Summoner died, resurrected and already fully in control of her powers in the graveyard where she was buried. ”
Rachon gave a curt nod, agreeing. “I should have known something was wrong. ”
Jeff quirked an eyebrow. “Well, hindsight is always 20/20. I firmly believe that The Summoner consumed all the ghosts in the surrounding area after his death. He used their ectoplasm to travel to Bianca's body and claim it. Just like Amaliya, Bianca is one of his necro-vamp offspring. ” Jeff let his words sink in. “I don't know if Bianca was a mad fledgling, or rebirthed brain dead, but The Summoner implanted himself inside of her. He then waited until Rachon set her plan in motion to begin implementation of his own. ”
“To get his ring back?” Cassandra asked.
“I think to get his ring back and Amaliya under his control. ” Jeff glanced at Amaliya, who shrugged. “He wants you. That was very apparent that night in the cemetery. And I think it might have to do with the rings. ”
“Is this the fucking Lord of the Rings now?” Benchley grumbled.
“One ring to rule them all!” Alexia said, pounding the table.
“Actually, thirteen rings to tear down the veil between our world and the abyss,” Jeff corrected.
“Thirteen?” Aimee's eyes widened, looking at Cassandra with concern. “What the hell?”
“We hid the one we stole. The Summoner has one. Etzli has one,” Cassandra said. “Who has the other ten?”
“I don't know, but I do know where they came from. ” Jeff flipped open the book in front of him and displayed a photo of a painting. It was a dramatic rendition of Lucifer falling from the heavens. “So, long ago, there was a war in heaven and Lucifer was cast out. When he fell, he hit the earth. More precisely, he landed in the Yucatán Peninsula. ”
“Huh?” Benchley gawked at Jeff. “Lucifer? Hitting Mexico? How do you know that?”
“I think he means Chicxulub, the meteor that hit like sixty-five million years ago,” Sergio said incredulously. When he noticed everyone looking at him curiously, he said defensively, “We keep National Geographic in the bathroom. You know. . . toilet reading?”
“That’s what tabloids are for,” Alexia grumbled.
“Sergio, you’re absolutely right. But Chicxulub wasn't a meteor, it was Lucifer,” Jeff said excitedly.
“Wait!” Samantha glared at him. “Since when do you believe in Lucifer? You were all against me saying the devil is real. ”
“Well, since I found out about the rings, I have to say I now believe, okay?” Jeff felt annoyed by the interruptions
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110 (Reading here)
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114