“Did you send me this?” she asked, holding up her phone with the mysterious text. “Are you M?”

No response.

“It’s only the two of us here, Mom, you can tell me if you’ve been changing back. In fact, it would be kind of nice to see you in your nonreptilian form,” she said. Mal still wasn’t above a white lie now and then.

There was no sign that the creature even understood a word she was saying.

Mal sighed. “I guess if you were planning something, you wouldn’t share it with me anyway, right? Seeing as I’m the reason you’re here in the first place.” She rubbed her eyes. “But one day I’ll find a way to get you out. You just have to promise me that you won’t try to destroy everything again.” Mal paused. “Okay, fine, you can cover Sleeping Beauty’s castle in thorny vines. Have a little fun.”

The lizard remained as still as the rock underneath it. The lights-out bell chimed and Mal reluctantly got ready to leave. “Fine, don’t tell me anything. I knew this was stupid. You can’t even talk.”

Just then, the floor buckled underneath her from yet another earthquake. Mal swayed and struggled to keep her balance, her heart lurching in her chest. When it was over, she stared at the lizard suspiciously. “I don’t know how you’re doing it, but why do I have a feeling you’re behind this too?”

Someone was skulking outside the door when Mal walked out, and she immediately tensed, prepared for an ambush. But there was no surprise attack, and the stranger had a familiar face.

“Hey, Freddie,” she said, relieved to see her old friend from the Isle, and slightly embarrassed by her reaction.

“Hey, Mal, what’s up?” said Freddie, graciously pretending not to notice how rattled she seemed.

“Nothing much,” said Mal, then a thought occurred to her. “Hey, Freddie, did you get any weird messages or e-mails today?”

“Weird how?” asked Freddie.

“Anonymous weird?” said Mal. “Like maybe from someone from the Isle of the Lost?”

Freddie shook her head. “No. I don’t think anyone even knows I’m at Auradon actually. Not our old gang back on the Isle, that’s for sure. They probably all just think I’m cutting classes again.”

“Right,” said Mal. She’d only been in Auradon for a short time, but she’d almost forgotten how lax the rules had been back at Dragon Hall. But what Freddie said was interesting. Unlike the four of them, Freddie hadn’t received a message to return to the island, which meant whoever had sent those notes only wanted the four original villain kids. But why?

“You got some kind of anonymous note?” asked Freddie.

Mal decided she could trust her. “Yeah, saying I should return to the Isle of the Lost, and Jay, Carlos, and Evie too. Isn’t that weird?”

“Totally weird. What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know yet,” said Mal. “We’re trying to decide.”

“Well, maybe you should….Go back to the island, I mean. See what’s going on back there. I mean, it can’t hurt, right?”

“You really think so?” asked Mal.

Freddie shrugged. “I know if I got one I’d want to see who sent it to me.” Then she changed the subject and motioned to the heavily bolted doors and the armed guards standing sentry in front of them. “Is that where they keep your…?”

“Yep, that’s lizard rock,” said Mal. “The one and only home of Maleficent these days.”

“Phew, if that ever happened to my dad, you can be sure I wouldn’t be sticking around just so he could yell at me when he turned back.” Freddie shook her head, her pigtails bouncing. “And you shouldn’t either. You know if she ever gets out of there, she’ll come after you first.”

Mal bit her lip. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”

Freddie suddenly brightened. “But she’ll probably never get out, so you’ll be fine. By the way, if you do go back to the Isle, say hi to my dad for me.” She clapped Mal on the back and went on her way, casting long shadows against the walls.

Camelot Heights was located in the northern part of the kingdom, and the city of Camelot was in its center, flanked by Sherwood Forest on one side and Eden on the other. Ben had made good on his promise and had been traveling all day with Merlin and Artie in the royal carriage, with a retinue of servants and footmen following behind in a regular coach. Ben decided not to use the usual king-size motorcade since Camelot’s roads were too rough for cars, as most of its residents traveled by horse-drawn vehicles.

As soon as they set off, the old wizard was already snoring in the backseat, but Artie was awake and excited, trying out all the features of the carriage interior and playing with the sunroof, sliding it open and closed on a whim. “Dad won’t let us update our carriage,” he explained as he put on road-canceling headphones (carriage travel was notoriously loud due to wheel rumble) and eagerly flipped through every channel offered on the television screen installed above the back bench.

Ben settled in, amused, and let Artie have his fun.

The journey from Auradon City was a long one, taking them up to Summerlands and past Snow White’s castle, where they would stop for the night before making their way into the Enchanted Wood, then across the river through acres of forest lands, and finally into Camelot. Ben tried to relax in his seat, and sent a few texts to Mal to let her know he was thinking of her. No luck, she wasn’t responding, and so he closed his eyes and tried to rest.

A few hours after Ben, Merlin, and Artie left Snow White’s palace the next morning, King Arthur’s Castle crested high on the hill, proud and tall, its red towers glowing in the sun.

“Home,” said Artie excitedly. “Looks like they knew we were coming.” The turrets were flying both the Pendragon banner and Ben’s beast-head sigil.

“I sent Archimedes ahead with the news so they could prepare,” said Merlin, meaning his pet owl. He put his rumpled wizard’s hat back on his head and scratched his beard. “What in Auradon is going on here?” he said as the castle gates opened for the royal entourage.

Ben yawned and took a look outside the window. The entire courtyard was filled with tents and crudely constructed shelters. “Is it always this crowded here?” he asked as they disembarked.