I shot up. “What? Really? What did you see?”
“I gleaned that the wolves were killed with magic. Not just because there were no other marks on them, not even signs of struggle, but also because the enucleation was too clean. No tool marks. No fingermarks.” She raised her head. “Enucleation is—”
“I know what it is,” I sliced in. “It means to remove someone’s eyeballs.”
“Well, how am I to know what you do and do not recall from your studies? Memory diseases are common among the elderly.”
“Seriously, Sabrina, quit it with that already,” I snapped—more than a little testily. “How old are you, O queen of youth!”
“Me? I am four yearsss old.”
Goodness, four years old? No wonder she kept calling me old. Anyone more than five times older than you is going to seem ancient.
“Anyway, why does that matter?” I asked, veering back on track. “I already assumed they were killed by magic. What difference does it make to confirm it?”
Sabrina waited me out. “Think it through, human.”
I frowned at her, mind turning over what she said.What is it? I don’t get it. Of course they were killed by magic. Especially the super speedy vampires who could outrun a stake any day. They—
“Ooooh,” I breathed, falling back on my bed. “Of course. If they were killed my magic, then the vampires and werewolves are automatically excluded. They don’t have magic.”
“Precisely.”
I nodded to myself, then frowned again. “But still, that’s not enough. There are a lot of demons and fae in this school. That’s still dozens upon dozens of suspects.”
“Keep working that single brain cell,” she drawled. “It’ll come up with the right conclusion eventually.”
I blew out a hard breath, seriously considering how hard it would be to strangle someone who was basically just one long scaly rope. “We talked about this,” I gritted. “If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out.”
“Your instructor did spit it out. Yesterday. When he told you exactly what you are refusing to see.”
“Yesterday? What instructor? When—?”
“Demonic magic is dark magic. And dark magic is so named because it demands a price. A price that must be paid by you, a sacrifice, or your victim.”
“Of course,” I whispered, eyes squeezing shut. “Demon blood. Vampire hearts. Werewolf eyes. They’re the price that has to be paid. And if there’s a price, it’s—”
“Demonic magic,” Sabrina finished. “I couldn’t be sure before, but now I am absolutely. The one behind this is a demon. Not a fae, and most certainly not a witch.”
I lurched forward. “Can we figure out who the demon is by the horrible things they’ve been doing? Is there a certain demon known for these sick rituals?”
“No, but I can tell you that whatever it is they’re trying to do with these sacrifices, it can only be attempted by a powerful demon,” she said. “True sacrificial magic, as in the exchanging of a life—undead or otherwise—for power is advanced demonic magic. This subject isn’t even touched until your fourth year at Abaddon.”
“Do we know all the powerful demons at Abaddon?” I burst out, snatching up my notebook. “Can we make a list?”
“There are three names you know without my input. Instructor Erlik, Professor Somnus—”
“Seriously? That drunk?”
She bobbed her head. “He once fought off a swarm of griffins single-handedly. All without spilling a drop.”
“’Course he did,” I mumbled, writing his name down. “What’s the third name?”
“You know this, girl.” Her slitted eye beheld me. “Ronin Belphe.”
I hesitated a second, then wrote it down. “But these can’t be the only three, can they?”
“No, they aren’t, and it’s fortunate for you, human, that you’ve finally made a request of me that isn’t impossible. I have explored the vampire and werewolf wings for you, and now, I will explore the demon wing—finding all the demons powerful enough to make it on your list.”
