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?

Evie lagged behind, trying to put some space between them, when Maddy stopped suddenly and looked around. Mal ducked behind a tree and Evie quickly hid in the shadows as well. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was glad she hadn’t let her friend go off alone like this.

The two girls kept walking farther and farther away. Evie followed behind.

When Maddy left the meeting, Mal’s first thought was that her friend wanted to get a head start on walking to Troll Town, where her group was going to search. Mal wanted to take a break too, before the four of them had to embark on this journey even deeper underground. The aqua-haired girl ascended the stone steps, and Mal was about to call out to her when Maddy checked her watch, picked up the speed, and disappeared into the maze of streets.

Mal also couldn’t help but notice that Maddy kept looking over her shoulder nervously as she made her way through the dark alleyways. When she took off through the back way, cutting across Hell Hall’s garden, going right instead of heading left for Troll Town, it became clear that she wasn’t going where she’d been assigned after all. Mal watched as she ducked behind a corner, and overheard bits of a whispered conversation between Maddy and an unknown stranger. Something about “Catacombs” and “Doom Cove.”

What was going on? Why wasn’t Maddy going with her group? And who had she been talking to?

Mal’s curiosity was piqued and she decided to keep following her. The group could figure out the plan with Yen Sid, but she wanted to find out what her old friend was up to.

She followed Maddy through the maze of streets, down Pain Lane and past Goblin Wharf, which was desolate and abandoned instead of the usual hive of goblin activity. Mal wished she could send her friends a text explaining where she was. She just hoped they wouldn’t worry; she’d be back as soon as she found out what Maddy was doing.

Maddy led her back on the main road, and Mal had to lag behind farther so she wouldn’t be caught. They passed the Bargain Castle and Maddy kept going, headed down Bitter Boulevard and right to the end of the island by the Rickety Bridge.

Maddy stepped onto the bridge and whirled around. “Mal, you can come out now, I know you’re following me.”

“You got me,” said Mal, stepping into the light and walking toward Maddy. She knew when the game was up. “Why’d you leave the meeting so fast? Is something going on?”

Maddy peered around in the dark. As far as Mal could see, there was nothing. The waters were black, and there was no one else on the bridge. Just the sound of the waves and the light from the Shattered Lighthouse. “Yes,” said Maddy hesitantly, as if unsure whether to trust Mal.

“What?” asked Mal.

“Before the meeting, I got an anonymous letter saying that Evil Queen, Cruella, and Jafar would be returning from the Catacombs after midnight. They would be at Doom Cove.”

“But why didn’t you say anything at the meeting? Why go alone, then?” asked Mal, not sure if she believed her. She’d always had fun with Mad Maddy, but Evie was right, there was something off about her. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Maybe because she was having too much fun indulging in old, bad habits?

Maddy’s green eyes blazed. “Don’t you see? The Anti-Heroes are the only ones who even know about the Catacombs of Doom! Yen Sid warned us that there might be double operatives in the club. I couldn’t take the risk of letting them know that I knew.”

“But who could it be? Everyone seemed so sincere,” said Mal, wondering who had betrayed them.

“It could be anyone. They’re a bunch of villains, Mal, come on. Do you really believe all of them would give up just like that? The professor thinks everyone is redeemable, but that can’t be true,” sniffed Maddy. “Of course there’s a bad egg in the bunch. I can always smell one.”

“Who do you think it is?” asked Mal.

“My money’s on Harry or Jace—their fathers are still Cruella’s loyal minions.”

Mal considered this. It was hard to believe that anyone back at the meeting could be so two-faced, and Harry and Jace seemed more bumbling than malicious. “Maybe someone else on the Isle knows that Cruella, Jafar, and Evil Queen went down into the Catacombs to look for the talismans. It doesn’t have to be someone in our group. If the three of them knew about it, they might have told someone before they left.”