The Hybrid's Wife

Chapter 21: Down the Rabbit Hole

GILBERT RESIDENCE

[Caroline and Tyler walk into the house. Caroline has a laptop in her hands while Tyler has the sword wrapped in a blanket. Ash and Klaus are sitting on the coffee table.]

Klaus: Well, if it isn't little orphan Lockwood. Come to show how laughably impotent you are against me?

Tyler: I'm just trying to help my friends find the cure.

[Caroline sits on the couch, and Tyler reveals the sword from the blanket.]

Tyler: Found this in your attic.

Klaus: And you think finding the sword brings you closer to the cure?

Tyler: You tell me. I was playing around with the handle on the rideover, and I found this.

[Tyler unwraps the leather on the top of the sword, revealing some sort of turning device. Ash and Klaus get up and walk over to Tyler.]

Klaus: And what do you think 'this' is?

Caroline: [gets up] It's called a cryptex. [Tyler looks at her.] I've seen The da Vinci Code. You turn the different sides to the different symbols to get the translation on the other side. [turning to the table] And with the magic of the internet, Elena sent over these. [She holds up print-outs of Jeremy's tattoo.] So now all we have to do is cryptex away. [sits down again] If you happened to want to help, we wouldn't stop you.

Ash: Right. So we're meant to help you find the cure which you are going to use to kill us? Let's say we will for a minute, might I suggest using the magic of the internet to purchase an Aramaic-to-English dictionary from your nearest retailer? [Ash smirks.]

Tyler: [turning to Caroline] What's Aramaic?

Caroline: It's a dead language. It hasn't been used since, like, biblical times.

Klaus: Qetsiyah's native tongue, I'm guessing. You know, even if you had the best dictionary in the world, it could take days to translate. [sits down] Perhaps weeks. "In bas so-teen-too ara-ma-eet."

Caroline: What does that mean?

Ash: [grinning] "If only you spoke Aramaic."

Ash: [speaks Aramaic, then the English translation] "Requires a powerful witch and a hunter in full bloom."

Tyler: What are you doing?

Ash: We don't need to tell you our reasons.

[Caroline has brought the sword close enough for Ash and Klaus to read the cryptex.]

Klaus: "Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand." [He glances at the pictures of Jeremy's tattoo on the computer screen.] Turn the cryptex to the right. [Caroline obliges] Stop. The top of the hilt reveals a key to a nautical map. Turn it to the left. [she turns it] Now turn the other piece. [she does] There's something else. [Klaus speaks Aramaic. Ash gasps]

Caroline: What does it mean? [Klaus smiles at her] Ash, what does it mean? [Ash leans over to Klaus and whispers in his ear]

Ash: Rebekah. [Klaus nods]

ISLAND

[Rebekah is on the beach when her phone rings.]

Rebekah: Hello?

Caroline: [over the phone] Hey, it's Caroline. We have the translation of the tattoo. [cut to the Gilbert house] We're emailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now.

[cut back to the beach; Rebekah checks her phone and receives the email.]

Rebekah: Got it. Thanks.

Klaus: [over the phone] Actually, it was me.