Return to the Isle of the Lost (18 page)

“Ben is king now, by the way; maybe you should have written to him,” Mal chided. “What about the tremors—the earthquakes, the weird weather we’re having—are they related to this, then?”

The professor nodded. “When Maleficent broke open the dome when she escaped, I believe that the magic that was released sparked something underneath the Isle of the Lost, which caused a ripple effect in the weather that can be felt all the way to Auradon, and has caused unusual natural phenomena.”

“Sparked something?” said Mal. “Like what?”

The professor was about to answer when Carlos changed the subject back to his pressing worry. “Excuse me, Professor, but they must have found out about the secret tunnel. The escape route,” he said. “Cruella, Evil Queen, and Jafar, I mean.”

“So that’s why they packed light,” said Evie. “They thought they’d be in Auradon soon, where Cruella could buy new furs and my mother could get her hands on this season’s cosmetics, and Jafar probably thought he could fetch Iago back as soon as they took over Auradon.”

“But if they’re in Auradon, someone would have reported them by now,” said Jay. “I can’t exactly see them blending in with the locals.”

“No, I don’t believe they are in Auradon,” said Yen Sid. “They were headed there most likely, but no, they are not there yet.”

“But you said they’re not in the Isle of the Lost either,” said Carlos.

He startled when Evie suddenly straightened in her chair. “The Magic Mirror!” she cried. “That’s why the mirror couldn’t find them! Mal, remember how we were wondering if they were using some kind of powerful magic to hide themselves? And we were right—sort of—there was powerful magic, but not the way we thought.”

Yen Sid looked pleased. “Were you ever in my class?” he asked. “You have an extraordinary talent for logic.”

Evie flushed happily at the compliment. “Thanks, Professor.”

Jay looked around the table. “So where are they exactly? I don’t follow.”

“They’re lost in the Catacombs,” said Mal crisply. “They were trying to get to Auradon, but they got lost somewhere along the way.”

The old wizard nodded. “Almost. They are not lost. It is my belief they are down there searching for something.”

“Something other than the way out?” asked Jay. “What could be down there that they want?”

Yen Sid motioned to the group to close their books and put their maps away. He sighed heavily and looked each of them in the eye. “Where do you think evil comes from?” he asked.

“The Isle of the Lost?” offered Carlos.

“Close.” His voice thundered in the small room. “Evil is a real thing, it lives and breathes, it works its malice through living vessels eager to spread its vile wickedness, but villains cannot be villains without the source of their power.”

The younger members of the club began to whimper.

“Every villain has a talisman. These talismans hold the powers that were stripped from them upon their exile to the Isle of the Lost.”

“Like the Dragon’s Eye scepter,” said Mal. “That was my mother’s talisman. Are you saying there are other talismans in the Catacombs?”

“You would have been a good student in my class as well,” said Yen Sid proudly. “Yes, the Catacombs of Doom are only one part of the equation. Like I said earlier, when Maleficent escaped, she released so much energy into the surrounding area that it sparked a magical reaction underground and caused the recent earthquakes and unseasonal weather phenomena all over Auradon. I’m afraid she’s also awakened four evil talismans that have been growing in the Catacombs of Doom over the years. These talismans are growing in power, and causing havoc with our weather as they draw energy to themselves. Four of these talismans are the most dangerous right now: the Fruit of Venom, the Golden Cobra, the Ring of Envy, and a new Dragon’s Egg.”

An audible silence filled the room, and it was apparent that while the club knew about the Catacombs, learning of these talismans was new to the villains on the Isle of the Lost as well as the four visitors from Auradon.

“A
new
Dragon’s Egg?” asked Carlos. “What does that mean?”

“Hang on,” said Jay. “Does this have anything to do with the Dragon’s Eye staff back in Auradon? The original?”

“Yeah, that one broke when Mom turned into a lizard,” said Mal. “We found it and Ben put it away in the museum. It’s useless now, so I guess this would be its replacement.”

Yen Sid nodded to show she was correct. “Merlin wrote me about Camelot’s problem, and along with the strange weather patterns worsening in Auradon, I realized I had to get you kids back to the island right away. There isn’t much time, we must act, and quickly,” said the professor. “The talismans desire to be found; they have already seduced their masters into looking for them and soon they will call others to their side. They seek to escape the darkness of the underground so they can once again bring chaos and catastrophe to our world above. You must find and disarm them before they fall into the wrong hands, then bring them back to Auradon, where they can be destroyed forever.”

“We’ll go as soon as we can,” promised Mal.

“Remember how the four of you were able to defeat Maleficent?” Yen Sid asked.

They nodded.

“But what if it wasn’t just Maleficent and the Dragon’s Eye you were facing? What if you were facing all four villains holding their talismans? Imagine facing not just Maleficent and her scepter, but Jafar and his Golden Cobra, Evil Queen and her poisoned apple, and Cruella de Vil and her Ring of Envy?”

“Oh,” said Carlos. “That does not sound good.”

“Used together, these four talismans for evil can overcome the power of good once and for all.”

T
his was so much worse than she thought. Evie knew that this trip to the Isle of the Lost would mean they would discover that the villains were plotting yet another scheme, but she hadn’t been prepared to hear about this. To think that there were four evil talismans out there, and that if their parents got ahold of them, they would be unstoppable was too frightening to contemplate. Since Mal had defeated Maleficent, Evie felt assured that they could handle whatever happened next, and that the power of good would always prevail. But now it sounded as if they were truly in peril once more.

Thankfully Mal still appeared calm as ever. “At least now we know that’s where they are, underground, in the Catacombs, looking for the power that they lost.”

“Yes,” said Yen Sid. “The four of you must find these talismans and destroy them before your parents can use them against Auradon. I’m afraid you’re the only ones who will be able to outsmart them. After all, no one knows them better than you. Mal, even if Maleficent is in no shape to retrieve the Dragon’s Egg, it’s still imperative that you recover it before anyone else does.”

“Great, let’s go,” said Jay, already up from his seat.

“First we must show you what we are working on.” Yen Sid nodded to the assembled group, who sat at attention now, pulling out detailed maps and charts. “We think we are close to getting an accurate map of the underground tunnels.”

“You’ve been in the tunnels, then?” asked Carlos.

“No. None of us have.”

“But then how can you draw maps of somewhere you’ve never been?” said Carlos, confused.

“With the help of a little research,” Yen Sid told them. He nodded to the class and they raised the books they were reading. “We stole them from the Athenaeum of Evil, of course.”
A Brief History of Evil Talismans
.
The Legend of the Golden Cobra
.
Poison Fruit from the Toxic Tree
.
The Dragon’s Eye Scepter: Lore and Myth
. “According to the books, each talisman is grown by magic in its ideal habitat, and so we have been sketching their possible landscapes,” he said, as if it were as simple as learning how to plot an evil scheme, or how to trick a mark out of its money, when it was probably as difficult as teaching a jolly crew of pirates table manners.

“Great, you guys have maps to share. All right, then; just point us to the Catacombs, and we’ll be on our way,” said Jay.

“Well, that’s where I’ll need everyone’s help tonight. We haven’t been able to discover the exact location of the entrance to the Catacombs,” said the professor. “We don’t have much time left, so you and the rest of the Anti-Heroes will need to scour the island until you find it.”

He began to give the members their assignments, sending them to every part of the island, from Henchman’s Knob to the Blown Bridge.

“Shall we go with them?” asked Jay as the Anti-Heroes started to trickle out to search.

“Yes, but please remain where you are for now. Before I send you four off on this journey, I have a few words of advice to give each one of you. Acquiring these talismans will be very dangerous. Evil is seductive; you will have to remain strong and not fall prey to its temptations.”

He stood in front of Carlos first and placed a hand on his head. “Carlos de Vil, you possess a keen intellect; however, do not let your head rule your heart. Learn to see what is truly in front of you.”

Evie was next, and Yen Sid did the same, resting a hand above her dark blue locks. “Evie, remember that when you believe you are alone in the world, you are far from friendless.”

Jay bowed down and removed his beanie so the good professor could lay his hand on his head too. “Jay of Agrabah, a boy of many talents, open your eyes and discover that the riches of the world are all around you.”

At last he came to Mal. Yen Sid delicately touched her purple head. “Mal, daughter of Maleficent, you are from the blood of the dragon and carry its strength and fire. However, this burden is not yours to bear alone. Rely on your friends, and let their strength carry yours as well.”

Yen Sid surveyed the young villains in front of him. “What you are about to do is very dangerous.”

Carlos perked up. “That’s fine, my middle name is—”

“Oscar,” said Evie. “We know.”

The group of Anti-Heroes burst into applause as Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos shook hands with the professor and thanked him for his wisdom and guidance.

“We will collect the maps that we do have,” said Yen Sid. “Give us a few moments.” The group began to disperse to begin their respective assignments, talking excitedly among themselves.

Carlos said goodbye to Harry and Jace, who had been tasked with searching near the Bargain Castle. Jay promised the pirates he would send them postcards from Auradon.

Evie was glad they had figured out where their parents were, but going after them wasn’t going to be easy. If Evil Queen was set on getting back her talisman of power, there was no stopping her. The woman elbowed people out of the way for a tube of concealer.

“Heading out to search?” asked Harry.

“Uh-huh,” said Evie.

“Glad you guys are the ones going after them and not me and Jace. We’d be too scared, all right. Crikey, you’re all so brave.”

“I’m not, really,” said Evie. “But sometimes you have to do the things you have to do. Thanks, though.” Before setting off, however, she had to make sure she could move properly. She inspected her broken heel. She couldn’t keep going this way; the Endless Catacombs of Doom sure sounded like they would entail a lot of walking as well, and she was still wearing the wrong shoes.

“Professor,” she said, holding up her broken heel. “Do you think you can fix this with a little magic of science or something?”

He examined her shoe. “No, I’m afraid there is no way this can be salvaged through the magic of science.”

Evie’s face fell as she resigned herself to stumbling her way through the underground, her feet blistered and callused.

“But I do have something that might help you,” said Yen Sid.

“What?”

“Tape,” he said as he deftly taped the broken heel back to its original shape.

It wasn’t a pair of sneakers, but at least she wouldn’t be limping anymore.

While Yen Sid went back to going over the possible locations for the entrance to the Catacombs with Jay and Carlos, and the rest of the club members waited patiently for their assignments, Evie looked around the crowded room and didn’t see Mal anywhere. Where had she gone? Evie took another look and caught a glimpse of bright aqua-colored hair swishing in the dark hallway, with Mal’s purple head following behind.

At first she thought that maybe Maddy just wanted to talk to Mal privately, but when the two of them didn’t return after a few minutes, she had a darker feeling about it. She peeked into the corridor and saw Maddy heading out of the basement and up the cellar stairs, with Mal following behind. Where were they going?

Already wary of Maddy’s friendship with Mal, Evie decided to follow them to see what they were up to. She looked behind her to make sure the boys were still talking to Yen Sid. She wasn’t spying on Mal; she was just being careful, she told herself. Mal had to have a good reason for going off with Maddy, didn’t she?

Maddy was out of the basement now and heading down the path away from the castle. Mal was following behind at some distance. They weren’t walking together, Evie realized now. Mal was following Maddy, for some reason. But why? Who cared about Maddy?

They had to go find the entrance to the Catacombs; there was no time for this. Cruella de Vil, Evil Queen, and Jafar had a head start on them. If any one of them was able to lay their hands on their talisman, no one in Auradon would be safe. The foursome had to get going. What was Mal doing?