Hell Bent

After apologizing to the Lethe board and Scroll and Key alums, Alex and Dawes head to Black Elm in Darlington’s Mercedes. They spot a light in a window, which leads them to the ballroom, where they had previously tried to reach Darlington. Inside, they find a glowing circle with a horned, naked figure resembling Darlington. Dawes accidentally touches the circle and gets burned. They retreat, discussing the possibility that it might be Darlington in a transformed state. Dawes wants to free him, but Alex is cautious and hesitant about further risks. A growl from the ballroom adds to their uncertainty.

Leaving Black Elm, Alex gets a call from Detective Turner, who asks for her help in investigating a body at the medical school, despite her anger over his past silence. She agrees to assist.

After helping Dawes with her burns, Alex heads to the medical school. Turner identifies the deceased woman as Marjorie Stephens, a psychology professor. Marjorie’s body is at her desk and she is holding a Bible bookmarked at the Book of Judges. Turner suggests she could have been seeking comfort, or it was staged. Marjorie also appears much older than her 55 years. The strange circumstances lead Turner to suspect the involvement of the secret societies, and Alex agrees to investigate further. As they part ways, Turner comments on a change in Alex, suggesting that the trouble following her has finally caught up.

Chapter 9 jumps back to the previous summer and covers Alex’s return to Los Angeles. On the flight, Alex dreams about her ex-boyfriend, Len, who warns her that some doors do not stay locked. In LA, she secretly checks on her mother, observing her happiness at the farmers’ market, stirring Alex’s mixed feelings of resentment and love.

Later, she meets Eitan, and they discuss his cousin Ariel’s unsolved murder. He shows Alex surveillance footage of a girl near the crime scene, but Alex claims she was high and does not remember. Eitan’s bodyguard, Tzvi, attacks her, but she summons a Gray for strength and overpowers him. She realizes it was all a test; Eitan never intended to kill her.

Chapter 10 returns to the school year. Alex returns to her dormitory after leaving the crime scene. She dreams of being at Black Elm with Darlington inside the magical circle. She wakes up outside Black Elm with no memory of how she got there. She contacts Dawes via security camera and finds a hidden key to re-enter. In the ballroom, Darlington is alert and talks to her. He tells Alex he is trapped inside the circle and requests she bring him some books. He also makes cryptic comments, such as, “Would that I might make thee love books more than thy mother” (92) and “I am just a man, heir to nothing” (94). He mentions that he cannot exist between two worlds for long and pleads with Alex to find the Gauntlet and make the descent.

Dawes arrives to pick up Alex, and she explains what happened. After she hears the quote about books, Dawes notes that it is written on the outside of Sterling Library. They connect the library to the “sacred ground” clue due to its design resembling a church and they pinpoint the library as the location of the Gauntlet.