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

Chapter 25: A Wicked Heart

"Tell me..."

Morgana's voice was colder than death itself. Queenie shuddered as she pulled her cloak tighter around her body, feeling the chilling draft entering the room behind her. And it wasn't from the temperature either.

"How they managed to escape." The sorceress ran a hand across a row of dusty, untouched books, daintily plucking one from the shelves and flipping through its contents. Queenie found this particularly aggravating. The VKs and their king got away! This is no time to be...reading! Still, she cringed as Morgana turned her petrifying glare upon her. "How did they break my spell? And that girl...you killed her! But yet, she survived!"

"It wasn't my fault," Queenie protested as the woman glided to the window and gazed out at the darkened city, a fiery vengeance in her eyes. "It was that boy! The dwarf! He undid your spell and saved Evie. He's more powerful than we could ever have imagined!"

"The NeoMerlin," Morgana hissed, not looking up from the book. "And, tell me, what is the delay in finding him and his pathetic friends?"

"Evil Queen is out with my army searching for them as we speak," Queenie answered coldly as she took a seat on the King's throne and struck a thoughtful pose. "You seem focused on finding this boy. Why? He's barely an adult, surely he can't be that much of a threat to you." She noticed a flicker of something...else...in Morgana's eyes. Pain...hatred...despair? What was she thinking? What did she know about the dwarf that no one else did? Queenie was beyond curious now.

"That...boy..." Morgana hissed. "Is the most powerful human being to ever walk the face of this planet! And, if he learns of his true power, he could destroy us all." She closed the book with a snap and, with a wave of her hand, it vanished into thin air. "So, until he's found, none of our plans are safe and we are at risk. The threat is inevitable. He must be eliminated, or Auradon will survive even a full-scale attack."

"So how do you plan to find him?" Queenie questioned, fiddling with something or another in her pocket. "He's got Maleficent's daughter and Evil Queen's daughter there with him. They're powerful as well. If we want the NeoMerlin, we're going to have to get through them first. And, I'll tell you, I know Evie and Mal, they won't give him up without a fight."

Morgana growled. "The fools think they have a chance now that he's with them. But I still hold all the cards in this war." She conjured up a cloud of smoke, sparking with electricity, and showed it to Queenie. It acted like a crystal ball, honing in on a large mansion deep within the forest just outside the city. And there, Queenie could clearly see the dwarf standing with Mal near a lake, talking. And the glowing ring of fire...The Merlin Circle. Mal's already begun to train him. She certainly doesn't waste any time.

"So what's your plan?" the Princess of Hearts questioned.

Morgana scoffed. "There's only one way to defeat an enemy more powerful than yourself. And that is to strike them where it hurts the most. Their heart. The dwarf thinks he knows everything, does he? Well," she chuckled. "I think it's time they got a taste of reality. Does he think he has a perfect little life? Ha! Well, what happens when I take away the one thing keeping him from going over the deep end? What if I turn his group, his protection, against each other? Who will he trust then? No one. And then, he'll come to me and this war will be over before it even begins."

"You talk like you know him personally," Queenie pointed out. "Like you've met before all of this."

"I have felt the presence of the NeoMerlin for many years now," Morgana answered. "For nine years, I have lived on the run from Beast and his decree for all villains to be captured on that dreaded Isle. For nine years, I have searched for the chosen one that I might kill him before he could ever grow strong enough to defeat me. And he was right under my nose this entire time..." The last part was said in a whisper. Morgana's gaze drifted for a moment before she seemed to realize that she'd quit speaking. "But, no matter, he's still a pathetic weakling. Not at all like Merlin. Disposing of him should be light work. And then our plan can commence. In fact, everything is going right to plan. He is right where we want him. My spy will take care of the rest. A traitor within their group. She will bring the boy to me. And then I will finish him myself and right a wrong from long ago. And then, there will be no one left to stop us and villains will once again rule Auradon." With that, she turned away and dissolved into a cloud of black smoke, exiting out the open window with an atrocious cackle.