The Alpha's Bride

Chapter 953: Searching for clues (3)

"Problems?" James asked.     

"I don't know," Talia responded. "Axel was supposed to call by now."     

James didn't think it was a big deal. "Considering the difference in time passing, Axel needs to make preparations for at least one week. He needs time to discuss things with Kai, Meg, Tyler, and Sandy. Yasmin will be left behind with the kids without the protection of an Alpha, and he is probably taking extra caution. Also, if Axel is coming on his own, he might call after passing through the portal to ask about coordinates, and the portal could cause distortion of a few hours."     

Talia thought about how it made sense.     

Talia gave her phone to Liam, who was set to stay in the living room with Amelia. "If Axel calls, give him our coordinates. If he needs Amelia to pick him up, let me know before you head out."     

"I have a request," James asked and turned to Cornelia. "I want you to stay upstairs and rest."     

Cornelia was not willing. She wanted to be with James. "You could use a witch. I can sense if something is off with the energies."     

"I can sense it also," Amelia said from the side. "I will go. You are with a child. When Axel calls, you can handle it, or call me, and I will do it. In the meantime, this chance to rest and eat something. Sit with your legs up, so they don't get swollen."     

Cornelia looked down to examine her legs. They looked fine. Why did Amelia mention swelling?     

Amelia gave a smacking kiss to Liam before instructing, "Mind link Dawn and Zina and ask them to prepare a nutritious snack for Cornelia..." Amelia was excited about Cornelia's baby, and she hoped that she would have a child of her own soon.     

…     

Talia, James, Keith, Arya, and Amelia went into the basement and then to the secret passage that was winding downwards.     

They stood in front of the first door and took turns inspecting it carefully.     

It was a heavy door made of a single piece of wood. It had a simple doorknob, and the rough curved scratches on the stone floor were a giveaway that the door could swing open.      

James inspected it visually, and then Amelia stood in front of the door. She released energies in small pulses while chanting under her breath. She was sensing how energies flowed through the wood and reflected from it to discover a hidden mechanism within the door itself.     

Amelia pointed at the grooves and knots in the heavy wooden door. "These need to be pressed in a specific order, so the door opens."     

"What will happen if we press it in the wrong order?" Keith asked.     

Amelia shrugged. She was not sure.     

"Wait," James said. "This was my father we are talking about. If it were anything complex that blows up if you make a mistake, he would blow himself up a long time ago."     

James put his hand on the doorknob and tried opening it, but the thing wouldn't budge.     

'Lis?' Talia called. 'There must be some way to figure out how to open this without endangering people.'     

'You can.'     

'I can?'     

'Close your eyes and sense the internal structure.'     

Talia followed Liseli's instructions, and she could see the outline of levers, springs, and gears that were hiding inside the door.         

'Now what?' Talia asked. It looked complex and confusing.     

'In the end, the doorknob should click open. Start from there and work your way backward.'     

Talia could see a rod that ended with a hook on the doorknob, and then there was a spring, and Talia followed what looked like a maze.     

A few minutes later, she had a good understanding of what was going on there.     

"Six points. This is the first one…" Talia extended her hand to push the groove when Keith grabbed her wrist.     

"Alpha said to keep you safe," Keith said sternly. "If anyone needs to push things, I will do it."     

James rolled his eyes, but he still agreed with Keith. "Talia, step back and tell me where to press."     

"Why you?" Keith asked.      

James straightened his back. "You are Talia's guard, but I am the Gamma. I outrank you." Before Talia could protest, James looked at her. "And you should stand back because if you are wrong, and this thing explodes, even if we survive, Damon will kill us."     

"What if it doesn't explode, but it teleports you to a different continent?" Amelia asked. It was a possibility.     

"Then, use my cell phone signal to locate me and get me back," James responded.     

"What if you end up in the middle of a jungle without a signal?" Arya asked from the side.     

"I will do my best to find a human settlement with a signal before wild beasts eat me. Any more questions?" James spoke impatiently.     

"We are just worried," Talia said. "If anything happens to you, what will I tell Cornelia?"     

James froze at this. He just got his freedom to live a life without the shackles Alpha Edward put on him, and now… now what?     

James shook his head. "If anything happens to me, tell Cora that every minute with her was worth more than a year without and that she should wait for me until I return. I survived sixteen years as James Redmayne; trust me, I am not easy to kill."     

Talia nodded in approval. She liked James' confidence.     

"Alright!" Talia exclaimed while waving at others. "Give James some space. We are doing this, and if things blow up and the ceiling collapses, someone will need to dig us out."     

Keith and Arya exchanged nervous glances. If anything happened to Talia, Damon would skin them alive.     

Keith grabbed Talia's right shoulder, and Arya grabbed Talia's left one, and they started dragging her backward.     

"Wait! Wait!" Talia protested.     

"You have superb eyesight," Keith grumbled. "You can tell him where to press from a distance."     

Talia guided James, and he followed her instructions cautiously. He was talking bravely, but he didn't want to explode or be teleported. What if he gets teleported inside a volcano? It wouldn't be fair for him to perish now that he had found happiness. Who would take care of Cornelia?     

The hidden mechanism clicked and twirled, and James jolted when the door creaked open. They did it.     

James, Talia, Keith, and Arya entered the room one by one. Amelia stayed outside, just in case, but she was peering in from the door.         

Talia scrunched her nose at the stale air that was heavy with dust and moisture, and there was something metallic in it that made her stomach churn.     

"What a mess…" Keith said in a low voice while looking around. There were papers everywhere like a tornado passed through.     

With the light coming from the hallway, they could see well.     

File cabinets lined two walls, no windows, no other doors. Under the papers, there was a long desk and four chairs around it.     

'CLICK!'     

Everyone squinted when James flipped the switch, and the light blinded them.     

"There is someone!" Arya exclaimed and squatted to push the papers away from the body lying on the floor, completely covered in papers.     

Keith joined her, and his brows came together when he realized that some of the papers were brown, and he recognized it as dried blood. The metallic scent was blood, but because it dried, he didn't identify it right away.     

James and Talia also got down to help move the papers from the unmoving body, and Talia's eyes widened when she recognized the man. "Beta Raymond…"