I nodded, feeling a little icky about that tidbit of knowledge. “I can feel him,” I said, as Jared took my hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. “I can’t explain it, but I’m sure. The doorisn’t open for him. He’s still trapped, but he’s calling to his minions in this realm to come. To bring sacrifices to make the cracks bigger so the portal will open for him.” I shrugged. “Blood. He needs more. And we have a supply of sacrifices right upstairs.” I looked between the two of them. “We have to figure out how to seal this thing back up. And,” I added, “we need to do it fast.”
“We do,” Daddy said. “And we need to know how Trevor was lured down here, especially if it was someone upstairs.”
“No way,” I said. “We know them all.” Which, of course, was just a reflex. Because we didn’t. No one ever truly knows anyone but themselves. And most people aren’t even that aware. But. I didn’t think it was anyone on the staff or any student from last year. And I didn’t want to think it could be Zane or Sophie. I’d seen them fight at my party, and both kicked demon ass.
It had to be an outsider. Because if it wasn’t, then Trevor’s killer was someone we trusted. Someone who walked these halls, ate at our table, trained beside us.
Someone who was probably still up there right now, pretending to be scared about what would come next.
My tears fell to the ground, and the portal pulsed a deep ruby red. Brighter. Hungrier. Like it was feeding on my grief too. Taking everything it could get.
I wiped my face angrily. I wasn’t going to give it anything else.
“We need to get him out of here,” Mom said, her voice cracking just slightly before she steadied it. “For that matter, we need to all get away from this portal.”
But I couldn’t move. Not yet. I stood watching it pulse like a perverted heartbeat, almost mesmerized by the way the door seemed to shrink inside the glowing frame, letting an eerie red light leak out around the sides to cast unnatural geometric splashes of light on the dingy walls.
“It’s not fully open,” I whispered. “But it wants to be.”
Mom nodded, looking a little ill. “How long do you think?”
“Depends on how long it takes to lure another sacrifice,” Daddy said. “Never if I have any say in it.”
“I like the sound of never,” I said.
Daddy grimaced. “Chances are it will be sooner than that. Unless we close it, those pulses are like a demon magnet, luring all sorts of demons our way. They’ll kill whoever stands in their way and drag whoever they can to the portal so they can kill them there. We need to tell the kids to be prepared to fight whatever’s coming. And we need to figure out how to close the portal.”
“How long?” Jared asked.
Daddy shook his head. “No idea. But if I had to guess, I’d say San Diablo will be overrun within an hour of that portal fully opening.”
“Maybe I can close it,” I said. “I’ve done it before.” It didn’t feel the same. Before, I felt the power flowing through me. Now, I just felt hope.
Maybe that would be enough.
With that thought bolstering me, I took my knife from my pocket, slit my palm, and pressed it to the pulsing rectangle, my mind and body braced for torment as the portal fought back.
Except nothing happened.
The portal continued to pulse, wanting and craving. My blood just sat there on the surface, doing absolutely nothing.
I met Daddy’s eyes. “You try it.”
I could tell from his expression he didn’t think he’d do any better, but he did have the connection to Samarek, so I crossed my fingers as he bled on the portal.
Nothing.
“There has to be a way,” I said.
Jared took my hand. “We’ll find it.”
“And we need to find it fast,” Mom said. “But no pressure.”
I actually laughed, a tiny bit, anyway. And it felt good.
“Let’s get back up,” Mom said. “We need to brief everyone. And I want to know they’re all safe.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Jared said as he wrapped a handkerchief around my hand. And we’ll stop it.”
