Dark One's Daughter *Book Four*

Enter the Dragon {2}

Once we were all regrouped together, Mary Margaret, David, Emma, Killian and myself all made our way to the town library where Regina would be meeting us. If any of Maleficent and her group were to look out now they would know something was going on so the five of us were pretty much power walking to our location.

Though he had been curious about what Regina was going to tell us, Bae had stayed behind with Henry to make sure he didn't get involved with anything that could cause problems for him or endanger him unnecessarily.

"We're here," David announced quietly to the room when we arrived and a couple of seconds passed before Regina appeared around the corner.

"I said we needed to meet covertly," Regina said in disbelief. "Now I see you've brought the entire Charming softball team. And their pirate mascot."

"I tried but they were worried about you," I defended.

"Well, then, worry quickly. I can't be seen with all of you. Amie, yes. I need you but I'll explain that in a minute, Regina said, making me raise an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Regina, listen to me. This is a bad idea," Emma tried, yet again, to convince us to all change our minds. "This woman, this dragon, she's dangerous. And you don't know the first thing about going undercover."

"I'm a quick study. Ask Amie, she taught me," Regina said, to which I nodded. "And anyway, Maleficent already told me why they're here. Apparently, they're after the Author, too. I simply want to change my fate."

"What do they want?" Emma asked.

"World destruction," I muttered.

"Close. They want to shift the entire balance so that villains win and heroes lose," Regina told us. "They feel the only way to get their happy ending is to destroy yours."

"Do you think they can find the Author?" Emma said.

"They have a lead we don't. And tonight they want me to help steal it. Whatever it is," Regina explained. "But they don't want me to do it alone. Amie, they told me that I need to convince you to join them."

"Me?" I asked in surprise. "Why would they think I'd join them?"

"They said that without you we still may not win but with you ... well, they think they'd be unstoppable. True, of course. But they said that ..." Regina trailed off, making me tilt my head slightly.

"Said what? I'm a big girl, Regina. I can handle it," I reassured her.

"They said that ... that you would join them if you knew they could get your daughter back," Regina said, and silence filled the hall. "They said that they could bring her back to you and she would be happy with you."

"That's not possible," I muttered.

"The Author could change it—"

"No, not that. It's not possible that they would know about Rosie. How do they know about Rosie? Not even my father knew about her," I said, and beside me, Killian slipped his hand into mine and gave it a tight squeeze.

"I don't know. Somehow they knew. I was just as surprised when they mentioned her but maybe they crossed paths with her in the Enchanted Forest," Regina suggested. "Either way, they want you to join them and they thought I could convince you."

"Well, count me convinced. I want to know how the fuck they know about my daughter," I said in determination. "I'm in."

"Tash, please, think about this first. I'm telling you, these things never end well," Emma spoke quietly.

"I understand your concern. But we're in," I reminded her.

"Okay, well, then I'm in, too," Emma said.