“Abandoned,” said Jay, picking up one of the shiny rocks.

“Wonder why?” said Carlos. “Looks like they left in a hurry.”

“Who knows,” said Mal. “Let’s keep going.”

They kept walking, until Mal suddenly stopped.

“What?” asked Carlos.

“I heard something…like footsteps. Can you hear it?” she asked.

Jay listened, absentmindedly pocketing one of the gems on the floor. “Yeah.”

“There’s someone else here,” said Mal.

Evie looked over her shoulder. “Following us?”

“Maybe,” said Mal. “Be ready.”

“You don’t think it’s them…?” said Carlos, who really had no desire to see his mother right now.

“Who else?” said Mal. “Yen Sid said they’re lost down here. Maybe they saw us and now they want to get their talismans back.”

“Dad!” Jay called into the darkness behind them. “Are you there?” His voice echoed around the cavern. Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad.

No answer, so they kept walking, but the feeling that someone or a group of someones was in the tunnel with them remained. And their hearts dropped when they noticed a few things in the mine—a tube of red lipstick, a fluff of black-and-white fur, and a discarded velvet money pouch. The villains were somewhere close by, and Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos were ready to hear Cruella de Vil’s sneer or smell Evil Queen’s perfume or feel Jafar tap them on the shoulder at any moment. They tried to pretend it didn’t bother them a bit, trying to act tough, even as they inadvertently huddled closer together.

“Aieee!” Carlos cried as he bumped into Jay, who yelped as he collided with Evie, who screamed as she fell on Mal.

“It’s just us!” said Mal. “Everyone calm down!”

They kept moving, until they heard the footsteps again, louder this time, along with voices. But they must have been coming from the other way—ahead of them rather than behind.

“Who’s there!” called Mal while the three others huddled behind her.

“The mine starts down here,” they heard someone grumble. “Are we sure this is necessary?”

“Let’s just see how deep it goes, and where it leads. It couldn’t hurt,” said another.

A sudden beam of light flooded the mine shaft, and they blinked, blinded. But even without seeing who it was, Mal knew that voice immediately.

“Ben!” she cried, running toward the group heading down the mine shaft.

“Mal? Is that you?” asked Ben, shining his flashlight her way.

“It is! It’s all of us!” she said, appearing out of the darkness.

“You’re all right!” he said, beaming as he scooped her up in his arms.

Mal closed her eyes and hugged him back tightly. There was nothing like almost rescuing an entire kingdom—and almost plunging to your death along the way—to make a person appreciate a good hug.

“What are you doing down here? Where did you come from?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you everything,” he said, at the same time as she said, “I have so much to tell you!”

They laughed as Carlos, Jay, and Evie joined them, a little dirty and smudged, but whole. Ben didn’t let go of Mal as he shook the boys’ hands and slapped them on the back before giving Evie a quick hug. The five of them grinned at each other.

The old man behind Ben cleared his throat. “Uh, right,” Ben said, blushing as he backed away from Mal. “This is Merlin, and you know Grumpy.”

The wizard nodded in greeting and the dwarf grunted. “Do you know my son, Gordon? He’s at Auradon Prep with you all,” said Grumpy.

“We know Doug,” said Evie, smiling.

Grumpy huffed. “Everyone knows Doug. Just like his father, too popular.”

Evie had to giggle at that.

Ben explained how the Neverland fairies had helped them track purple dragon scales to this deserted diamond mine. Mal’s group told them about their journey to recover the talismans.

“So Yen Sid was right, the Catacombs go all the way to Auradon,” said Carlos.

“We were just at Maleficent Mountain,” said Mal. “There was a dragon’s nest on the top of Doom Crag, but we didn’t see a dragon back there.”

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been, then,” said Ben. “The creature must live here, and it’s been getting to Auradon through this tunnel.”

Just as he spoke, a fine purple mist covered the cavern, and everyone froze.

“It’s here,” said Merlin. “The creature is here. Show yourself!” The wizard held his wand high.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” said Mal.

“I am King Ben of Auradon and I command you to reveal yourself to us!” said Ben.

The purple mist began to take shape…but instead of a fire-breathing dragon or a giant snake, there was only an old witch with purple hair standing in front of them when the mist cleared.

“Madam Mim!” exclaimed Mal, completely shocked to see Mad Maddy’s grandmother, and yet something else about her was oddly familiar.

“Hello, dearie!” said Madam Mim with a cheerful wave.

“You know her?” asked Ben.

“From the Isle of the Lost,” said Mal.

“Well, I certainly know her. Hello, old friend,” said Merlin grimly. “I thought I might see you here, Mim. Up to your old tricks, are you? I’m sorry to say that your mischief ends now.”

Madam Mim only laughed, and her cackle echoed throughout the dark cavern. “Oh, I don’t think so, you geezer, I’m having way too much fun!”

As she laughed, Madam Mim turned into a large purple dragon. But unlike Maleficent’s fierce dragon form, Madam Mim’s looked almost comical. Her messy purple hair was still perched on top of her head, and her wings looked the size of a bird’s. How on earth did Ben ever mistake this dragon for Maleficent?

“You thought this was my mother?” Mal asked him, rolling her eyes.

Ben laughed nervously. “She was up in the sky, it was hard to see. I don’t know, blame magic?”

Still, the group scrambled away as Merlin rolled up his blue wizard sleeves. He zapped his wand at her, launching sparks, but Mim was too fast. She turned into a fox and scuttled into the darkness. Merlin sent another spell from his wand, but he was too late. Mim turned once more, this time into a raging rhinoceros.