The Camera Locomotus
Celia, Juliet, and Sebastian lay on three plush sofas, swaddled in lusciously warm air that swirled around them. Their clothes and hair were dry and as they sat up, they saw a beautifully furnished room, as elegant as anything upstairs in the Mortimer mansion. Candles on every surface lit the room and a fire danced in the fireplace.
“What happened?” said Sebastian, wrapping his arms around himself and luxuriating in the warmth. “Are we alive?”
“You look pretty alive to me,” said Juliet.
“Are we all here?” said Celia, standing to stretch her legs.
“Yeah,” said Sebastian, “one, two, three …” he looked across the room at a fourth sofa with its back to them. “Hey, Angus, wake up and tell us how you did it. How did you pass the test?”
They waited for Angus’s tousled hair to pop up from the sofa, but nothing happened.
“Angus?” said Celia, her voice taut with concern. “Angus wake up! Are you there?”
But Angus wasn’t there. The fourth sofa was empty.
“Where is he?” cried Celia. “Where did he go?”
“Calm down,” said Juliet. “He must be around here somewhere.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down,” snapped Celia. “He’s my brother. And there is no around here. In case you hadn’t notice, we’re trapped ourselves.”
“No doors, no windows,” said Sebastian, looking around the room.
“At least it’s warm,” said Celia, edging toward hysteria. “If Angus is still in that other room, he could be …” She dropped down on a sofa and broke into tears.
“Hey,” said Sebastian, “he’ll be OK. Juliet just has to pass her test and then I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“What test?” said Juliet.
“I don’t know,” said Sebastian, “but it has to be yours because you’re the only one left, so you’d better figure it out fast.”
While Sebastian tried to comfort Celia on the sofa, Juliet began to examine the room for anything that might be a test. She looked at carved figures on tables, turned over sofa cushions, and even got on her hands and knees to look under the furniture, desperate to find something that might be a trial of her worthiness. Finally, she looked at the picture hanging over the mantelpiece. Only it wasn’t a picture.
It looked like a handwritten page from some ancient manuscript, but there were no words on the page, only musical notes. Could her test be that simple? She read music pretty well; singing the notes on the page wouldn’t be a problem. If that’s all it took to get Angus back, then problem solved. She leaned over the mantel, squinting at some of the fainter marks on the document, then began to hum softly.
“What are you doing?” said Celia, who had regained her composure, but still ached with worry about Angus.
“Shh,” said Sebastian, looking at Juliet. “She’s taking a test.”
Juliet hummed the tune a little more loudly the second time through and suddenly she recognized it. The whole town had sung this song last spring at the celebration of the one-hundredth birthday of the Hedley Helm Public Library. It was called the founder’s song and it was sort of like the Hedley Helm national anthem. She supposed, if it was truly a founder’s song, that it had been written by Moriarty Mortimer. As Celia and Sebastian watched, Juliet began to sing.
Under woods and over sea
Stands our Hedley Helm
To her children she will be
Fairest in the realm
Full of courage, loyal, and true
We serve thee evermore.
Hedley Helm we sing to you
Town that we adore.
She sang the song twice through, but nothing happened.
“It’s not working,” cried Celia, leaping to her feet. “My little brother is freezing to death and you’re just singing some stupid song that nobody cares about. You have to do something. Do something!” Celia seemed about to rush at Juliet and Sebastian held her back. But Juliet took no notice of the commotion. She was as focused on her task as Celia, Sebastian, and Angus had been on theirs. She was thinking about the founder’s song.
Juliet was the most talented piano player in her music class, and she often stayed after class to talk to Mrs. Phillips. After that day when the whole town sang together, she had asked her teacher about the song and Mrs. Phillips had showed her the words in an old music book. She read the first verse that she had sung with the town. But then she read the second verse—words that made no sense at the time, but which now carried a powerful and frightening message. As those words came back to her, Juliet sang so quietly that Celia and Sebastian could not hear her over the sound of the crackling fire.
When one of ours is left behind
Another has a choice
To forge ahead despite the loss
Or call out with her voice
That she will take the lonely place
Of him who’s on his own,
But never know when she will be
Forgotten and alone.
Juliet knew what the words meant. To bring Angus back, she must agree to be left behind herself, at some moment when she might least expect it. Two days ago she would never have dreamed of sacrificing her future safety for someone like Angus McNeil, but now she didn’t even have to think. She turned her back to the fireplace, looked at Celia’s tear-streaked face, and said in a loud voice, “I will take the lonely place of him who’s on his own.”
“What are you shouting about?” said a voice from across the room. Angus sat up on the sofa, brushed his hair out of his face, and looked at the shocked faces of the other three. “I guess it worked,” he said. “I got us out of the deep freeze. But I didn’t think I’d be here, too.”
“Angus,” cried Celia, rushing to enfold her brother in an embrace, “Are you OK?”
“OK as the rest of you,” said Angus. “I mean the same thing happened to all of us, right?”
“Yeah, but you were in there so much longer than the rest of us,” said Sebastian. “We were afraid you might …”
“What do you mean I was in there longer?” said Angus. “I solved the puzzle and then I …” Angus thought about what he had done. He had sacrificed himself for the others, but the sacrifice hadn’t really taken place. Had the house been bluffing? “Then I showed up here with all of you. We all disappeared from the freezer room at the same time.”
“Angus, we’ve been in here for like twenty minutes,” said Sebastian. “You only came here because Juliet … well she …”
“She passed her test,” said Celia quietly, giving Juliet a look of deep thanks.
“If we’ve all passed our tests, where is the vault?” said Angus.
“Good question,” said Celia. “I mean this room is warm and dry, but it’s still sort of a … well, a prison.”
“And there aren’t any books in here,” said Juliet. “I searched pretty thoroughly. The only thing vaguely resembling a book is the music manuscript over the fireplace.”
Angus crossed to examine the framed manuscript page. “This isn’t music,” he said.
“It is too,” said Juliet. “You just don’t know …” but she stopped speaking as she looked at the frame. Where the notes had been a minute before were now the words that Angus read:
“Worthy visitors. You have passed the tests of character and are now in the vault of Moriarty Mortimer.”
“This is the vault?” said Juliet. “Then where is the Book of the Seven Spells? Because I didn’t find it.”
“There’s more,” said Angus. “Guard well what you discover here protected in my camera locomotus.”
“What’s a camera locomotus?” said Sebastian. “I don’t see any camera here.”
“Camera is the Latin word for room,” said Angus, excitedly. “I read about the camera locomotus spell in this book on magic I found in the basement of the public library.”
“In your favorite room,” said Celia.
“Yeah,” said Angus. “Camera locomotus is a magical term for a room that moves.”
“What do you mean it moves?” said Juliet. “Like a train car?”
“Not exactly,” said Angus. “It’s a room that can appear in different places as it’s needed. Usually it just has two locations. Who knows, the vault might be here sometimes, and sometimes in the …”
At that moment the candles and the fire went out with a snap and the children stood in darkness. Wind seemed to howl around them for a few seconds, and then everything was silent. A moment later, a light gradually rose.
They stood in a small square room entirely lined with plain bookcases. The shelves were crammed with ancient-looking books and a single bare light bulb hung from the ceiling.
“The vault,” whispered Celia.
“The camera locomotus,” said Angus. “And I know where it’s come from.”
“Where?” said Sebastian.
“This is the room from the basement of the public library,” said Angus.
“You mean these are just the same old books you go rummaging through all the time,” said Celia, sounding disappointed.
“No,” said Angus. “There are like twice as many books here as I’ve ever seen. They must be from the library of Theosophus. They’ve only been here since Thursday and I haven’t been in this room since last week. But this is definitely the room. Look—.” He pointed to a corner of the large wooden door. Scratched in crude letters were the words Angus was here. “I put that there last summer. And check it out—the door’s unlocked. We’re not trapped anymore.” He pushed the door slightly ajar.
“This explains why Otto Bodkin added a steel door to the room in the library,” said Celia. “He must know that it’s the other location of Mortimer’s moving room.”
“And,” said Angus, “he figures if he tears down the mansion and breaks all the protective spells, the camera locomotus will be forced to retreat to the public library and he can just waltz in and take the Book of the Seven Spells.”
“Not if we claim it before he does,” said Sebastian.
“How do we do that?” said Juliet.
“No idea,” said Angus. “We have to find it first. There are not as many books here as upstairs, but it could still take a long time to get through them all.”
“Or we could just start with that book giving off the blue glow,” said Juliet. She pointed to a lower shelf where, pressed between two other volumes, stood a slim book bound in green leather beautifully decorated in gold and pulsing with a weird blue light.
“OK, that’s different,” said Angus.
“Pick it up,” said Celia.
“I don’t want to touch it,” said Juliet. She had never been scared of a book before, but this volume seemed distinctly threatening.
“I’m not gonna touch it,” said Angus. “What if it’s … dangerous?”
“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” said Celia, striding across the room and pulling the book off the shelf. As soon as she did so there was a deafening crack that shook the room, throwing dozens of books onto the floor. Celia’s body lifted off the ground and flew backwards across the room, but she clung to the book. She slammed into the bookcase on the other side of the room and slid to the floor.
“See,” she said, gasping for air. “Nothing … to be … afraid of.”
“Are you OK?” said Juliet, rushing to Celia’s side.
“That was awesome,” said Angus.
“That must be some book,” said Sebastian. “What was that crack, anyway?”
“Don’t look now,” said Angus. “But the door slammed shut, and now it is locked.”
“I am really tired of being locked up,” said Juliet.
“Don’t worry,” said Angus. “If we’re stuck in here forever, we promise to eat you last.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” said Juliet.
“If this is the Book of the Seven Spells,” panted Celia, struggling to catch her breath, “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about being stuck in a room.”
“Open it,” said Angus, sitting next to his sister on the floor.
“Just a second,” said Celia. “Let me catch my breath.”
The children crowded around Celia, and she laid the book in front of her, not taking her hand off it. “Ready?” she said.
“Ready,” replied the others in whispered unison.
The glow of the book had dimmed somewhat, but it returned as Celia gently opened the cover. The first few pages were blank, but each gave off a different color light. Celia turned page after page, then stopped when she reached a page with writing on it. At least they supposed it was writing—it didn’t look like any language any of them had ever seen. It didn’t even look like a language. All any of them could say about it afterwards was that the page was not blank. This page gave off the same blue glow they had seen when the book was nestled on its shelf. Celia reached out and stroked the center of the page with two fingers. Nothing happened.
“Can you read what it says?” whispered Juliet.
“No,” said Celia, “but feel it. It’s warm and sort of … pulsing. Almost like it has a heartbeat.”
Juliet reached out and touched a corner of the page, and the other children did the same. As soon as all four were touching the book, the glow of the page dimmed slightly, then returned brighter than ever and the book began to hum.
“It’s like it’s … I don’t know, like it’s getting to know us,” said Sebastian.
“Hello, book,” said Angus. “Nice to meet you.”
They sat for a long time, fingers pressed against the page, feeling a gentle warmth flow out of the book, up their arms, and into their bodies. Finally, the blue light flickered rapidly and the humming became louder.
“Something’s happening,” whispered Sebastian.
“Shh,” said Celia, but no one moved their eyes from the page. The ink now seemed to be swimming, and for a moment the page looked like a pond seething with eels. Then the moving lines gradually came to a rest in the shape of words that Celia read aloud.
“Herein is recorded the Book of the Seven Spells. Take heed you that enter. Use this book wisely or risk the consequences.”
“This is it,” said Angus.
“Wow,” said Juliet.
“I mean, the Book of the Seven Spells,” said Angus, in awe. “I’m not sure I really believed it existed.”
“Then it was awfully nice of you to drag us down here looking for it,” said Juliet. But she felt amazed by the obvious power of the book.
Celia slowly turned the page. The next page glowed red, and on it was written these words.
The Rules
Each Spell May be Used Only Once Each Time the Book Appears.
To Cast the Spell, the Magician Must Speak the Words While Holding the Book.
Use Wisely or Risk the Consequences.
“It’s very big on being used wisely,” said Sebastian.
“And on warning you about consequences,” said Juliet. “But I notice it doesn’t say what the consequences are.”
“Or what sort of use would not be wise,” said Angus.
“What do we do now?” said Juliet.
“What do you mean what do we do?” said Angus. “We’ve found it!”
“Yes, but what happens next?” replied Juliet. “True, we have the Book of the Seven Spells for now, but as soon as someone becomes guardian of the Library of Theosophus the book will belong to them. We have no idea how to become guardians, we’re locked in a basement room of a magical mansion, it’s probably getting close to dawn, and as soon as the rest of Moriarty Mortimer’s house is destroyed, Otto Bodkin might become the guardian and then all our work will be for nothing.”
“Plus, we could get buried under a pile a rubble,” said Sebastian. “Don’t forget that.”
“You guys are such downers,” said Angus.
“Yeah, but Juliet has a point,” said Sebastian. “Several actually.”
Celia had turned to the next page of the spell book as the others talked. It took just a second for the words to arrange themselves on the page—words that seemed to offer a solution to their problem.
“Hey guys,” she said. “Who was the last guardian of the library of Theosophus?”
“Moriarty Mortimer,” said Angus, “so far as we know.”
“That means that if anyone knew how to become guardian it was Moriarty Mortimer.”
“Yes, but … ” said Juliet.
“If we want to know how to make ourselves guardians,” said Celia, “why don’t we just ask him?”