“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