Contents
CHAPTER 77: JAMESON
Overview
At the Opera House, Jameson joins Grayson and Xander as Lyra activates a hidden planetarium in Hawthorne House using Alice’s ring. Tobias Hawthorne’s final message reveals he knew Alice’s past and the Crucible’s location. A cycling set of constellations yields an acrostic: VANTAGE, pointing the team to their next clue.
Summary
Jameson arrives at the closed Opera House, joining Grayson and Xander as they speak with Lyra on speakerphone. Lyra explains that four keys from Tobias Hawthorne’s collection led to a deck of cards; a heavier card revealed a hidden passage in Hawthorne House.
The passage opens into a small, black spherical room with a central spherical projector. Upon entry, a prerecorded message from Tobias plays, addressing Alice and Lyra directly. Tobias confesses he anticipated the end of his life, deduced where the Gilded Blade took Alice both times, and declares his love for Alice while asserting his own legacy, asking her to judge only when his work is complete.
Jameson, Grayson, and Xander reflect on Tobias’s recurring “works in progress” ethos. Lyra identifies an oddly shaped keyhole; Alice’s ring, delivered earlier by Nash, fits and powers the projector.
As the device activates, constellations cycle across the planetarium. With help, Lyra lists them: Vela, Andromeda, Norma, Triangulum, Ara, Gemini, and Equuleus. Jameson and Grayson recognize the familiar puzzle mechanism—an acrostic from the first letters.
The letters spell VANTAGE, indicating a deliberate clue from Tobias tied to Alice’s past and the Crucible’s location. The team gains a focused direction for their next move.
Who Appears
- Jameson HawthorneArrives at the Opera House, analyzes Lyra’s findings, recognizes the acrostic, and reflects on Tobias’s legacy and Avery.
- Grayson HawthorneCoordinates the call with Lyra, requests replay of Tobias’s message, and helps deduce the constellation acrostic.
- LyraFinds hidden sphere room in Hawthorne House, uses Alice’s ring to activate a projector, reports constellations.
- Xander HawthorneAssists on-site, reflects on being a work in progress, supports the puzzle-solving.
- RohanOn the call with Lyra and the Hawthornes; prompts which constellations are cycling.
- Tobias HawthorneAppears via final recorded message; reveals he deduced Alice’s disappearances and knew the Crucible’s location.