Wicked Dawn | 'Till The Night Falls Book 1 (Disney Descendants)

Chapter 8: Down a Rabbit Hole

"Remind me again why you thought it was a good idea to steal from the Band of Merry Men?" Lonnie shrieked as they sprinted through the trees, a shower of arrows raining down all around them.

"They had a huge collection of lamps!" Jay yelled back, vaulting over a fallen tree. He reached back and held out his hand to Lonnie who didn't take it, preferring to leap over the obstacle on her own. She almost seemed to be flying. her swords clattered loudly on her back. "And they were really smug about it!"

"But did you have to steal one?" Lonnie screamed back as they kept moving. Behind them, their hunters got closer.

"Of course!"

"I hate you!"

"I love you too!"

                                                                                      ***

"Mal!"

The world was dark all around her. She could hear Carlos and Jane calling out to her but she could see nothing. And Ben. Where was Ben? Mal struggled, trying to turn over, feeling every nerve in her body explode into blistery pain. She groaned, feeling the change rush over her. A moment later, she was back in human form, lying on her back, facing up towards the heavens. The sky was too blue. There wasn't even a cloud. And her dress was itchy.

Mal frowned, blinking. Why did everything seem so cheerful? Why did the world keep spinning, even when everything could be spiraling towards disaster? Disaster. Dragonfires. Magic. Ben. "BEN!" she yelled suddenly, sitting up as though she had been struck by lightning. In an instant, Carlos and Jane were at her side, helping her up and bombarding her with questions.

"Bibbity! Mal! Are you all right?" Jane questioned, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Mal, what happened?" Carlos held out his hand to help her up and she took it gratefully. But her attention was not on him.

"Ben?" she called, searching the forest frantically. "Ben! Where are you? BEN!" She stumbled forwards, tripping slightly over her dress. Immediately, Jane and Carlos broke away from her and began searching through the trees for the king.

"Ben!" Carlos called, disappearing into a thick patch of thorns and briers.

Across the way, Jane was delicately trying to maneuver the weeds without ripping her dress. Fairy Godmother would be furious if anything happened to it. She was funny like that. "Ben? Ben, where are you?"

Meanwhile, back in the clearing, Mal took a deep breath and closed her eyes, honing once more into her surroundings. Whoever had been out there, they were gone now. She could sense only two heartbeats. They were all alone. She opened her eyes, and looked around, aware of her friends searching through the trees. But, somehow, she knew they would never find her fiance that way.

"MAL! JANE! CARLOS!"

The yell was high-pitched and a bit shaky. But there was no doubt that it was Ben's.

Mal looked up immediately, scanning the clearing in surprise. "Ben?" she gasped. "BEN! Where are you?" At her shout, both Jane and Carlos hurried back to her and the three of them looked around, confused.

"Look up."

They did.

There, hanging from a long branch by his jacket, looking very uncomfortable, was Ben. Mal internally breathed a sigh of relief. And then she smiled. The tree had saved his life. He was all right! He was alive!

But how were they supposed to get him down?

Carlos seemed to read her mind. He sized the tree up. "I've got this," he told her.