Previously on "The Otherworlders": While Jake transforms into a wolf to lead Prince Julian's circus animals to safety, Sebastian and Cameron head to the tower roof. Sebastian calls Headmaster Pierce to report their mission failure. He also reveals that they encountered a magical creature, similar to an Ancient Vampyr.

After the call, Headmaster Pierce immediately wakes up Master Achebe to let him know the boys found a Necromancer in Prince Julian's palace basement. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Master Achebe agrees to wake up Master Liu so they can all have an urgent meeting in Pierce's office ASAP.

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Inside of Headmaster Pierce's dimly lit office, he sits behind his massive mahogany desk. Master Achebe leans against a low-slung filing cabinet, and Master Liu sits in the chair across from Pierce, her foot tapping restlessly, her posture rigid with unease.

"A Necromancer?" Master Liu whispers, shuddering at the thought. "Ugh! I can still remember that encounter so vividly, like it was yesterday. The darkness, the uncertainty, the evil surrounding that despicable creature..." her voice trails off as she pulls her wool cardigan tighter around her and shudders again.

"Well," Headmaster Pierce adds, "we always knew there was a chance there might be more of them... that we hadn't kill the last one."

"Yes," Master Achebe begins to pace restlessly. "But if there is a Necromancer still alive in the Otherworlder realm, then where did it come from? And why is it imprisoned in Prince Julian's basement? I thought for sure Prince Julian was on our side."

"He is, he is!" Headmaster Pierce asserts. "I'm absolutely certain of it!"

"Then what the heck is going on?!" Master Liu asks helplessly, her fingers drumming frenetically on the arm of her chair. A thought suddenly strikes her. "You know, my family has a few connections at Court. And because of that, we used to go to the palace for parties and festivals at least once a year. The last time I went, I remember hearing something about the prince's cousin, Emilie — I think her name is — stirring up a lot of trouble."

"What sort of trouble?" Headmaster Pierce asks, leaning forward on his desk.

"She's unhappy with the very idea of integration. And so, behind the scenes, she's attempting to sway several members of the Council to vote against any larger initiatives that might come up, should our program succeed." Master Liu tilts her head. "And I also heard these crazy rumors about her having ties to a Dark Mage. Apparently, she was looking for someone to help her..." Master Liu gasps as the puzzle pieces fall into place. "Oh, gods..!" She whispers underneath her breath. "The, the rumors must be true!"

"What rumors?" Master Achebe asks.

"That she might be working with a Dark Mage to turn an Ancient into a Necromancer."

"Oh, please!" Master Achebe scoffs. "Why would an Ancient Vampyr agree to be turned into a Necromancer?"

"Maybe it wasn't a matter of being convinced. Perhaps they were threatened or coerced." Master Liu says. "Everyone says the woman is ruthless. But that's how it would have to happen. Only Dark Magic can turn a Vampyr into a Necromancer."

Skepticism flickers in Headmaster Pierce's eyes as he shakes his head. "I simply don't get it. What on earth would this Emilie person want with a Necromancer?"

Realization dawns and Master Achebe stops pacing, mid-step. "And what would Minuk want with a Skinwalker?"

Master Liu pales, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Oh, gods!" She gasps. "They're trying to raise an Army of the Dead!"

With a slow, solemn nod, Headmaster Pierce comes to the same conclusion. "Yes. That has to be it. Which means that..." He frowns. "They're both preparing for war."

***

Jake — having just returned from the wildlife refuge — joins Sebastian and Cameron on the roof of Prince Julian's palace.

They're tucked into the various nooks and crannies at the top of the tower, post-mission, just kicking back and staring up at the clear night sky. "You know, this may sound kinda crazy," he murmurs as he tucks his hands behind his head and leans back against the cold stone of the tower. "I'm really looking forward to getting back to the Academy." He stretches out his legs. "As fancy as these guest suites are, I just really want to sleep in my own bed again."

"Me too!" Cameron agrees. "But honestly, I'm not so thrilled about going back there having failed our mission."

"Wait a minute!" Sebastian bolts upright, and his sudden movement startles the others. "We didn't fail!" he protests.

Both Jake and Cameron slide him sideway glances.

"Well not 100%! I mean, sure, we didn't get photos of the artifact and that kinda sucks. But when I spoke to Headmaster Pierce on the phone, he assured me the academy will have another shot at the safe. Obviously, he won't re-assign us to the mission, but at least one of the teams will get a crack at it. So, all in all..." He shrugs. "The night wasn't an epic fail. I really think we did some good tonight." He nods with conviction. "Someone once said..." He raises a finger for emphasis. "It is only through inaction that one can truly fail."

"Okay, Yoda." Jake chuckles. "You've made a good case."

"All right, then!" Sebastian proclaims proudly. "And you know what else? I think Master Achebe, Master Liu, and Headmaster Pierce would be very proud of what we did tonight."

Cameron jack-knives up between the turrets. "You're not planning on telling them about the animals?!"

Sebastian screws his face up. "Off course not! I'm not an idiot!" He rolls his eyes.

With a sigh of relief, Cameron leans back against the palace wall. "Okay, that's good."

"You know, you're right, Sebastian," Jake says. "We did do a really good thing tonight and, honestly, it was all your idea, so..." he looks over at him and says earnestly, "Thank you, man. I mean it." Jake holds his fist up for a fist bump.

Taken aback, Sebastian pauses before awkwardly returning the gesture. "Sure, it was my pleasure," he murmurs self-consciously, and he can't help but smile. It was the warmest Jake had ever been to him since they'd first met.

The boys sit quietly, staring up at the night sky, enjoying this blissfully peaceful moment, when after a bit, Sebastian breaks the silence. "I have to say, it's kinda weird, but I finally feel like I have a purpose now."

"What do you mean a purpose?" Jake asks. "You mean you didn't before?"

"No, not really." Sebastian shifts to find a more comfortable position. "I knew my father used his connections to get me into the Academy. And I knew the Council never saw anything particularly special in me. You guys heard my father and Lord Henley at Prince Julian's engagement party. It's Farid they wanted all along. I was just a bargaining chip."

Sebastian runs his fingers along the rough stone of the turret wall, and stares out into the distanceas Jake and Cameron both find themselves nodding in sympathy, their expressions softening.

Having witnessed, first-hand, the McFadden family dynamics, and having gained a much better understanding of what makes Sebastian tick, they can finally, truly empathize with him.

"But now that I'm here," Sebastian concedes, "and a part of all of this, I get it. I get how important the work we're doing really is. And even though we sort of cocked it up tonight, we still managed to make a difference, right? And that feels good. Really good."

Jake looks over at Sebastian with a newfound sense of respect, and this throws Sebastian for a loop. He's not used to making friends outside of the confines of his privileged little world where his name, and his brother, do most of the heavy lifting.

"What about you guys?" he asks, suddenly feeling shy.

Cameron laughs, a bitter edge to his voice. "I have no clue what I'm doing here. I mean, the Council and the Masters seem to think I have some great potential as an Elemental Mage. But..." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Clearly, as evidenced by tonight, they've got me confused with someone else."

Jake waves him off, his gesture seeming dismissive, but it's actually reassuring. "Nah, man. Don't sell yourself short. Honestly, I don't think the Masters expect every mission to be a success, especially when they send us out earlier than they'd planned. So..." He shrugs. "All we can do is the best we can."

"True, true," Sebastian agrees. "And what about you, Jake?" he asks. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Me?" Jake replies. "Oh, yeah..." he says resolutely. "I know exactly why I'm here."

"Really?" Sebastian inquires.

"Yeah. I mean, part of it is to look after Ava—"

"Look after Ava?" Cameron asks. "What do you mean?"

Jake throws him a glance. "Patrick and I are sort of like her... um... protectors. Ava's very important to our tribe."

"So important she needs bodyguards?" Sebastian scoffs.

"Not exactly bodyguards..." Jake laughs knowingly. "Ava's quite capable of taking care of herself on that front. It's more like keeping her out of trouble and keeping trouble away from her. At least originally, that was the role. And then it sort of... uh... expanded."

"Ooh, now this sounds intriguing. Expanded how?" Sebastian asks, keen to know more.

Not wanting to get into the complicated dynamics of his and Patrick's new role of not only protecting Ava physically, but having to protect her virtue as well, Jake simply murmurs, "Let's just say Patrick and I have to look out for her well-being, in all its many forms, at all times."

Cameron rolls his eyes. "Oh, Ava must loooove that!"

"Yeah," Jake laughs. "Patrick and I end up on her shit list a lot these days." He shrugs. "Needless to say, this year has been... um..." He considers his words carefully. "...challenging, to say the least."

"But you said your role as a protector was part of the reason you're here," Sebastian states. "What's the other part?"

"Unfinished business," Jake replies evenly.

Cameron and Sebastian both sit up at this, intrigued.

"That sounds ominous," Sebastian says.

"No, not really," Jake counters. "I just want to make sure the demons are not just stopped, but completely destroyed."

"What?" Cameron responds. "You got a personal grudge or something?"

"Something like that," Jake murmurs.

"Seriously?" Sebastian's eyebrow arch.

And then off of Cameron and Sebastian's confounded looks, Jake realizes he can't just leave it at that, so with a weary sigh, he explains. "About a month ago, my cousin took off for No Man's Land and never came back."

"What's No Man's Land?" Cameron asks.

"It's that area, at the base of Mount Diablo," Jake explains. "You know the one where the Vampyrs have set up a sort of mini red-light district in the abandoned mining towns?"

"Oh, yeah," Sebastian says, not letting on that he knows exactly where No Man's Land is, since it's where he used to party hard when he was on a bender and where Farid had to come and save him, right before they were both shipped off to the Academy. "It's the only place where Shifters and Vampyrs ever interact," he says softly.

"Right," Jake confirms. "So anyway, he went there to buy drugs, or whatever..." He rolls his eyes. "...and never managed to make it home. It was right around the time all of those demon sightings started, you know, when Otherworlders were disappearing right and left. Since his body was never found, my aunt was convinced that a demon got him. I sort of have my doubts, but it is the most logical explanation."

With a growing sense of discomfort, Sebastian's gaze drifts out to the grounds of the palace, now swallowed up by the darkness except for the main walkways, lit by a series of metal torches. His belly tightens with an impending sense of doom.

"But if the demons are behind his disappearance," Jake adds, "then I want to be a part of what stops them, for good... for my aunt's sake." He shakes his head. "She was so crushed by my cousin's disappearance, she just sort of fell apart. She stopped eating, she started drinking, and she could barely take care of her three remaining children, all girls under the age of fourteen."

Sebastian sucks in a shaky breath, then blows it out slowly, to ask, "Do you know exactly where in the Red-Light District your cousin was headed to?"

"Not really." Jake shakes his head and shrugs. "But he used to hang out at a place called the Tin Pan Club or the Tin Alley Club? Something like that."

At this, Sebastian swallows hard, his voice cracking. "And this was a month ago, you say?"

"Yeah," Jake confirms, then looks at Sebastian curiously. "Why?"

"Oh, no real reason," Sebastian mutters as a sense of dread overwhelms him, making him feel nauseous.

He subtly leans forward and scrutinizes Jake's face more closely, taking in his features and for the first time, even in the dark, begins to notice the similarities.

Oh, gods!!

His stomach roils as he swallows back the bile, then he stands on shaky legs. "Umm... I've got to go!" Sebastian announces abruptly. "I've got to... uh... make a quick call."

"At this time of night?" Cameron queries.

"Yeah," Sebastian's head is spinning. "I have to go... I have to... um... I've got to leave an important message for Farid before I forget."

Jake and Cameron exchange curious glances.

"And you can't just text him?" Jake asks.

"No, no I can't," Sebastian asserts as he begins to look for a means of escape.

After a beat, Jake and Cameron both shrug casually, each of them having become more familiar, and more comfortable, with Sebastian's oddities.

Leaping down from his seat between the turrets, Sebastian rests his hand on the stone wall and follows it until he comes across a window into one of the old servants bedrooms. He manages to pry the window open, climbs in, and then slams it shut.

Rushing over to the other side of the empty room to ensure he can't be overheard, Sebastian whips out his phone and quick-dials Farid. When his brother picks up, he says, "It's me..." a beat passes and then, "...yes, yes we're all fine. No one's been hurt." Another beat passes, and then, "Yes! Of course I know what time it is!" Sebastian snaps. "But you've got to listen to me... No, seriously Farid, please, listen to me!" The ache and regret in his voice is crystal clear.

"You know that body? That Shifter body that we buried in the woods outside of No Man's Land?" His voice cracks as tears well up in his eyes. He violently brushes them away with the back of his hand.

Leaning against the wall, Sebastian's knees give out and he slides down to the floor, roughly scrubbing his hand over his face in disbelied. "It was..." A long, sad beat passes before he can say the words out loud. "Farid, it was Jake's cousin." 

***~~END OF SEASON 2~~***

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A/N - Hello, Friends! This is the end of Season 2. Season 3 will start up again in July. In the meantime, check out the new character art in the next chapter!

~ Paula ❤️