“What are you talking about?” asked Jay, the very picture of innocence even as his eyes twinkled with amusement.

“My watch. You took it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did!”

“I didn’t take it, I swear. Maybe you just misplaced it,” said Jay with a shrug. “You should be more careful with your things.”

“It’s a wristwatch! Where else would it be but on my wrist?” Anthony glowered and stomped off, muttering darkly to himself about how Auradon should keep its trash for itself.

Jay whistled as he closed up the shop again and waved goodbye to Iago, promising to send a goblin to feed him crackers. Anthony was right, Jay had stolen his watch, but instead of keeping it, he’d hidden it in Anthony’s jacket pocket. He knew Anthony would go crazy looking for it, and would be especially annoyed when he discovered Jay “hadn’t stolen it” after all.

Sometimes, even reformed villains needed to have a little fun.

While it had been hard saying goodbye to Mal and letting the four villain kids return to the Isle of the Lost, Ben knew that if anyone could get to the bottom of what was happening back there, she was the one to do it. He was glad she had her friends by her side as well. There was no point in wasting time biting his fingernails and watching the clock. He didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud until Cogsworth interrupted his thoughts.

“Did you say clock, Sire?” his loyal servant asked. While Cogsworth was no longer a grandfather clock, he was still understandably sensitive when he heard anything pertaining to timepieces. “It is close to midnight, should you need the time.” The stalwart Englishman was overseeing the footmen as they set down Ben’s trunks from the journey in the royal bedroom.

“Thank you. I didn’t realize how late it was. You can leave the rest for tomorrow,” Ben said, dismissing them. He was incredibly tired, and the extra-plush mattress in his large wrought-iron four-poster bed was especially inviting after the lumpy one in Camelot. He was happy to be back in his room, with the familiar Auradon banners and exercise equipment, the huge yacht model he’d made still sitting on his desk.

“If I may…” said Cogsworth, pausing at the doorway. He waited for Ben to nod before continuing. “Lumiere mentioned you had encountered a rather purple dragon in the woods. Being that my old friend is prone to flights of fancy, I thought I would ask you myself. Is it true, Sire, about the dragon?”

“I’m afraid it is,” said Ben. “May I ask that you and the rest of the palace staff please keep this news to yourselves for now? At the right time, I shall alert the general population of the danger.”

“Of course, Sire,” said Cogsworth, who had turned gray. “Do you think it is…her?” he asked, visibly shivering at the thought.

“Unfortunately, I can’t think who or what else it could be but Maleficent,” said Ben. “But don’t worry, my friend, we’ll keep Auradon safe.”

Cogsworth bowed, and when he left the room, Ben noticed that everything had been unpacked and put away in pristine order even though he’d told him to wait until tomorrow. Ben had to smile. That Cogsworth: his loyal efficiency was regular as clockwork.

Even though he was exhausted, the events of the night meant Ben found it hard to fall asleep. Deciding it was useless to keep tossing and turning, he got up to do some work instead. When he turned on his computer, he found that as promised, Carlos had sent him the link to the Dark Net. Ben clicked around till he found the photos Mal had told him about on the Anti-Heroes thread. He was taken aback to find one of himself with a red X over his face too. He clucked his tongue and continued to read on, steeling himself for further assault and more invectives.

The Anti-Heroes forum was lit up that night, with many of its members posting their excitement about tonight’s meeting. Then Ben saw a new post that caught his eye. The message read, Looks like four former castoffs have washed ashore on the Isle of the Lost. Prepare Operation Welcome Home!

Hang on.

Four former castoffs?

That could only mean his four friends, right? Ben checked the time stamp. The message was sent an hour ago, about the same time Mal and the gang would have arrived on the island. He had to warn them that their presence had been noticed by their enemies. Ben sent texts and tried to call, then remembered that the island was cut off from the main servers. If Mal got into trouble, there was no way for him to find out until it was too late. He could send his royal troops after them right now, but since nothing had happened yet, he knew Mal would take it as an insult. Ben slammed down his laptop, frustrated.

He would just have to trust that she, Evie, Jay, and Carlos would be able to deal even if the situation got out of hand. He forced himself to stop worrying and focus on the current problem instead—the purple dragon of Camelot. Earlier, he had sent emergency e-mails to his council, alerting them to the danger he’d discovered. Grumpy and the dwarfs advised they were up for battle, axes at the ready, although perhaps the best thing to do would be to destroy Maleficent while she was in her tiny lizard form in her glass dome. Others were more cautious in their response, however.

An e-mail had arrived from the three good fairies. Merryweather, the youngest, and most capable with modern technology, had sent their reply.

Our dearest king,

It is with great concern that we received the distressing news about Camelot’s dragon. While it does seem as if none other than our old nemesis Maleficent is behind such mischief, we would like to advise caution in this arena before we jump to conclusions.

If the creature is indeed a shapeshifting evil fairy, it is best to obtain proof before we act accordingly. Perhaps it would be possible to retrieve an item linked to the dragon in question? A nail from its claw? A piece of its hide? A lock of its hair?

If you are able to recover such an item, it would be prudent to bring it to Neverland right away, the ancestral home of the fairies, so they can ascertain the identity of this dragon.

Without proof that it is indeed Maleficent, it seems imprudent to act with violence toward the lizard in the library, who might still be innocent.

Your godparents,

Flora, Fauna & Merryweather

He was glad they agreed that Maleficent should not be harmed, as he knew he could never face Mal if she returned on Monday to the news that her mother had been destroyed without a fair trial or even proof that she was the one rampaging through Camelot.