Chapter 36

Debris crashes through Black Elm as a larger, horned Darlington emerges. Alex shields Anselm, looses her salt snakes, and struggles to restrain Darlington. Anselm urges Alex to kill the “abomination,” but Alex recognizes inconsistencies and realizes the true demon stands beside her, not before her.

When Alex turns the snakes on Anselm, he counters with conjured fire, revealing himself as the entity feeding on shame and misery. Alex deduces he is the demon that rode back during the failed Scroll and Key ritual, murdered Darlington’s parents, killed and assumed Michael Anselm’s form, and staged the campus “Judge” murders as a diversion.

Anselm strikes Darlington with fire. Alex attacks, snapping his neck to no effect, then holds him with salt as she rushes to Darlington. With Darlington failing, he tells Alex: the circle is a doorway—and she is one. Alex leaps through the damaged circle into hell, but Golgarot follows in a monstrous rabbit guise and shatters the Arlington box. Cornered, Alex claims a living soul for the first time—Darlington’s—and ignites with white flame, driving the demon back.

Alex returns to Black Elm empowered, lands lightly, and finds Cosmo barring Anselm from Darlington. She releases Darlington’s soul into his body as Anselm engulfs him in fire. Yet Darlington’s markings blaze; Alex’s hellfire spreads into the mortal realm. Darlington rises, altered but himself, names the demon “Golgarot,” and seizes him.

With overwhelming force, Darlington tears Golgarot in two; the body dissolves into maggots. Darlington’s features settle back toward human, and, bloodied but alive, he calmly heads upstairs for clothes—signaling the gentleman of Lethe’s return.