Previously on "The Otherworlders": As Prince Julian toasts his engagement to a bashful Lady Agatha, the court reacts with mixed emotions, with harsh criticism coming from Sir Geoffrey and Lady Brigitte.
Meanwhile, Jake, Sebastian, and Cameron stumble upon a disturbing scene in a secluded chamber: a young woman being ritualistically bled as part of Prince Julian's engagement ceremony.
Coming as a shock to Jake and Cameron, they struggle with their instincts to intervene as they must face the harsh realities of Vampyric culture and refocus on their mission.
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Cameron's navigation crystal has led the boys to a dusty, secluded room on the opposite end of the palace. The door sitting before them is a solid mass of iron and looks as if it hasn't been opened in years.
As Cameron approaches it, his amethyst jumps and begins to swing wildly, back and forth, back and forth, confirming they're on the right track.
"All right," Cameron says, feeling fairly confident. "My best guess is, the tablet fragment's in here." He bends down to inspect the robust lock on the door. Then reaches out to probe it for weaknesses.
Sebastian observes Cameron's work with keen interest. While Jake suddenly becomes agitated.
Uneasily, he steps back and scans the hallway. "Uh, guys..." he says cautiously. "Did you see any guards anywhere in this part of the palace? I know I didn't. Don't you find that odd?"
Ignoring Jake's concern, Sebastian leans in and asks Cameron, "Do you think you can get the door open?"
Cameron sits back on his heels to contemplate his options.
After a minute, he raises his hand and holds it open before him. Leaning in, he murmurs an incantation, and as he does, an electric blue ball of energy forms inside of his cupped palm.
Gently, Cameron blows the swirling mass forward so it penetrates the keyhole, causing the internal mechanism of the lock to freeze over.
He straightens up, grabs the doorknob, and...
Crack!
The lock disintegrates easily, as if he'd just blasted it with a stream of liquid nitrogen.
Cameron grins triumphantly as he looks over his shoulder at Jake and Sebastian.
Sebastian nods and smiles. "Not bad," he concedes.
But the boys have little time to bask in Sebastian's rare and hard won praise, instead they quietly slip inside.
***
The air inside the windowless room is heavy and stale. And it contains nothing but a folding table, two folding chairs, a starkly bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, a ticking clock on the wall, and a giant safe, sitting at the back of the room.
The boys gather around the safe, and Sebastian turns to Cameron and says, "Okay, Cam. Go ahead. Do your ice trick again."
Cameron shoots Sebastian a sidelong glance.
Bossy much?
Blowing off Sebastian's attitude, Cameron squats before the door and analyzes the lock again.
After inspecting it from every angle, he stands and scowls. "This one is hardcore. I don't know if blasting it with ice is going to do the trick."
After a beat he adds, "But I can certainly give it a try."
Sebastian nods reassuringly, and with that, Cameron gets into position.
He cups his hands together — similar to how he'd done it before — closes his eyes, and recites the same incantation, but this time his voice is much louder and his concentration far more intense.
A slightly larger blue ball of energy forms inside his palms, and when it reaches the size of a grapefruit, Cameron blows it in an icy stream over the safe's lock.
He gives it a minute, then reaches out to open the safe.
But when he presses down on the handle, nothing happens.
Bewildered, he taps his cheek and thinks.
If ice didn't work, then maybe he should try fire?
The temperatures he can generate rarely work on metal, but it's worth a shot.
Cameron leans forward and cups his hands together, but this time reciting a different spell.
Soon a bright orange ball of energy forms inside his palms, and when he blows on it, flames shoot out, blasting the safe's lock so hard the metal begins to turn red.
He gives it a second, then reaches out to try and turn the handle. But he pulls his hand back immediately, his fingers stinging from the glowing hot alloy.
That's odd, he thinks as he sucks the tip of his fingers in order to soothe the burn.
Usually he can withstand the heat of whatever he lights up, but this time flame combined with metal is probably asking too much.
Cameron wraps his hand in the tail of his dress shirt, reaches out, and tries to open the safe again. But the handle still won't budge.
Frustrated, he sits back, crosses his arms, and quietly swears in Latin.
"Not looking so good, huh?" Sebastian inquires as he looms over Cameron's head. And while one could interpret his comment as antagonistic, it actually comes from a place of inquisitiveness rather than anxiety.
Regardless, Cameron hrumphs, annoyed.
Sebastian turns to Jake and, in all innocence, says, "I think we've hit the limit as far as elemental magic."
Cameron glares up at Sebastian, then he stands, leans forward, and pokes a finger in Sebastian's face. "You know what? If you think you can do better with your fangs, and your Vampyr speed, and your..." Mockingly, he wiggles his hands on the sides of his face. "...'heightened senses', then please! Go ahead!" He raises his arm with a flourish and takes a step back. "Be my guest!"
"Aww... C'mon, Cam," Sebastian implores. "All I'm saying is that—"
Jake cuts him off. Hands up, he inserts himself in between the two boys before their bickering turns to blows.
Jake looks at Cameron and asks, "What if you alternate your powers? You can, you know, blast the safe with fire first, then hit it with ice afterwards?"
It's actually a good suggestion; but unfortunately, neither Cameron nor Sebastian is listening.
"Look, Cameron," Sebastian continues, determined to say his piece. "All I'm saying is that your ice trick was great and all, and it got the door open, which is super. But clearly it's not gonna work on the safe."
"My ice trick!" Cameron's voice rises as he props his fists on his hips.
Sebastian holds his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Sorry! That was poor phrasing."
Jake clears his throat and repeats himself. "What if Cameron alternates, the fire and ice?" He says to both of them. "Maybe it will weaken the metal?"
"Screw this!" Cameron growls, ignoring Jake completely. "If you think my magic is so useless, Sebastian, then why don't you open the frickin' safe on your own! Clearly, you don't need me!"
And with that, Cameron turns and storms out of the room, muttering, "I need to get out of here! I'm taking a break!"
Jake's shoulders droop as he watches Cameron go. He slants an irritated glance at Sebastian, and says, "That was smooth, Sebastian. Real smooth."
"What?!" Sebastian counters, scrunching up his shoulders, confused. "Seriously! I mean you gotta admit, the guy's really sensitive."
"Ugh!" Jake grumbles and tilts his head back, staring up at the grey stone ceiling as if a handbook on how best to handle Sebastian might fall out of the sky.
After a long beat, he straightens, breathes in calmly, and says, "You realize you have, like, zero filters, right?"
"So everyone keeps telling me!" Sebastian throws his hands up in defeat.
Jake just grunts, then centers himself, mentally, and says, "Look, let's just focus on the task at hand, okay? We're running out of time, and we need to figure out what else we can do to get this thing open."
He looks over at Sebastian, who's sulking and wiggling his nose like an irritated mouse.
After a bit, Sebastian nods and says contritely, "Yeah, okay."
"Great!" Jake claps his hands in a show of well-intentioned, if not genuine, enthusiasm.
Looking back at the safe, he stares at it as if it's a puzzle they'll never be able to solve.
Then shaking his head he mutters, "I never thought I'd say this, but I really wish Aidan were here."
"Aidan?!" Sebastian utters. "Why? Because you think his magic would work better than Cameron's?"
"No," Jake replies thoughtfully. "Because as goofy and frustrating as Aidan is, that boy can pick a lock!"
"Seriously?" Sebastian asks, surprised.
"Yeah!" Jake admits with a chuckle. "And I tell ya, whether it's using tools or using magic, the kid's good!"
Just then, Cameron slides into the room, scrambling to grab hold of the door jamb so he doesn't crash into the table. "Guard!" He lets go and bends over, panting hard. "There's a..." Pointing frantically at the hallway, hand on his chest, he gasps, "There's a guard! And he's coming this way!"
Oh, crap!
The boys panic, and it quickly becomes apparent that there's no way out of the room other than the main door.
Simultaneously, they look at each other, and for once, all being on the same page, they rush forward in unison, trapping themselves in the doorway.
Like clowns exiting a Mini Cooper, they wriggle themselves free and spill out into the hall, managing to shut the door behind them and lean back against the wall in as casual a fashion as they can muster, just as the guard arrives.
"You three!" the guard yells at them, his voice booming throughout the hallway. "What are you doing in this part of the palace? Don't you know it's off limits!" he snarls. "This area is restricted to the military and the royal family!"
While Jake and Sebastion stutter incoherently, Cameron murmurs a Minor Magic spell underneath his breath. He shoves his hands into the pocket of his suit, and pulls out a pack of cigarettes.
He holds the pack up high so the guard can clearly see it. "Sorry about that!" he says cheerily. "We just slipped away for a smoke."
The guard scowls. "You can't smoke in the palace. What are you? Idiots! And you certainly can't smoke here!"
"Understood, sir." Sebastian nods and murmurs, "We didn't mean any offense."
"That's right," Cameron says as he slips the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket. "We're clearly out of line."
"Well..." The guard's eyes narrow. "I'll let it go this time." He folds his beefy arms across his chest. "But don't let me catch you in any other part of the palace, except those areas designated for guests!"
"Understood. Completely." Sebastian holds his hands up to reassure him.
"Okay, then," the guard replies. "You boys need to get going. It's time for tonight's entertainment." He lifts his chin officiously. "And Prince Julian wants everyone to make their way out to the tent in the back courtyard for the show. C'mon." He motions for the boys to follow him. "Let's go."
Quickly and quietly, they comply.
But as soon as the guard's back is turned and they're halfway down the hall, Jake leans over to Cameron and whispers, "Since when did you start smoking?"
"I didn't." Cameron admits as he cracks a slow smile.
He reaches into his suit pocket and pulls out his cellphone. "It was an optical illusion." He shrugs nonchalantly. "It's all done with Minor Magic." He winks. "One of the many perks of being an Enchanted."
**********
A/N - Oh, this one was so much fun to write! I hope you laughed as hard as I did! 😂
See you next week!
~ Paula ❤️