It was the middle of the day, which made it risky, but most students weren’t in the dorms. They were messing around elsewhere in Dolinska, enjoying the weekend.
Kiara was right. We had to investigate just what made Gabby so powerful, and we wouldn’t stop until we figured out what she was hiding. “All right,” I confirmed. “Let’s go.”
We hustled to the dorms. Thankfully, the halls were vacant once we got there. I lock picked Gabby’s dorm when we arrived, hoping to the gods she wasn’t here.
“How’d you learn to do that?” Theo asked. I shrugged casually, and the look Stefan gave me was burning.
Emma peeked inside. “It’s clear. She’s gone.”
I figured as much. People didn’t linger around the scene once they’d committed a crime. Gabby had probably headed into Dolinska once she’d poisoned Alexei, so she could play the innocent if she became a suspect. Stefan and Theo stood watch, while the rest of us ducked inside. The girls and I rummaged for Gabby’s things, searching for anything incriminatory she might be using.
“Find anything?” I asked the girls. I’d searched Gabby’s dresser and found nothing but clothes.
Emma and Delmare were both going through her closet. “Uh, besides the bitch’s vibrator, no,” Delmare spat. “The closet’s clean.”
Kiara pulled open drawers on Gabby’s desk. She grew more and more frantic, her fingers moving at a delirious pace as her eyes begged to find a clue. We looked under the rug, through the bed, and in the bathroom, but nothing incriminatory could be discovered. We turned her room upside down and didn’t find a single clue.
Kiara was still running around, tossing pillows which Delmare had to replace to their original spots. “There has to be something,” she said, her eyes frantic.
“Kiara, there’s nothing in here. Come on.” Emma forcibly hauled her away from Gabby’s bed. After putting everything back in place, we slipped out of there as quickly as we could and left the dormitories behind us.
Stefan and Theo followed us to the outer lawn of the university, where the gardens were. It was empty, save for a couple of girls gossiping around twenty feet away. We took a spot near one of the fountains and turned our backs to the school, keeping our voices low.
“I don’t get it,” Stefan said. “To find nothing doesn’t make any sense.”
“What if the object is on her?” I said.
“I don’t think so. The dark necklace nearly killed me to wear for a few hours. It was draining,” Emma said. “Even if Gabby has Unseelie blood, she’d have to be wearing a pretty powerful piece to wield the magic she’s been using, and I don’t see how she could twenty-four seven without killing herself.”
“Maybe she really is that powerful,” Delmare said glumly. “In which case, we’re screwed.”
“Not possible, not for her age. She has to be getting her power from somewhere,” I said. “If it’s not an object, it has to be something else.”
“A potion, maybe?” Delmare said.
Kiara’s face was like stone. “Potions don’t give you this kind of power. The only thing I know that can enable the magic she’s using comes from the gods.”
There was a ringing silence. “Do you think she’s performing some Unseelie ritual to Droga?” Delmare asked.
“Possibly,” Kiara said. “If she has Unseelie blood.”
Emma bit her lip. “During the tournament, Milonna came to me, and blessed me. I think the reason I’m so strong is that she gives me some of her power. What if it works the same way with Gabby and Droga, except he expects something in return?”
“How do you know about this stuff?” Stefan crossed his arms, looking suspicious.
“Kiara and I have been deciphering this grimoire that I bought from her sister’s shop. It’s Unseelie,” Emma explained. She reached into her bag and pulled out a black book, holding it up. “We just read a page yesterday where Unseelie spells are most powerful when used under the light of a full moon. Maybe Gabby is only performing the ritual once a month.”
“Are you thinking of something specific?” I asked.
Kiara and Emma shared a glance. “There was a ceremony we translated in the grimoire...” Emma said. “But, it’s brutal. It requires animal sacrifice. In return, Droga promises to give you some of his abilities. It would explain how Gabby’s able to pull off such incredible illusions. We barely considered it, because we didn’t think even Gabby would go that far. But after what happened with Alexei, it shows she’s willing to do anything.”