Black Magic

Sleeping Auradon

When we reach Auradon Prep, we see everyone asleep.  Evie shakes her head, "They're asleep. Everyone."  Evie, Carlos, Mal, and I pull out our phones.

"I can't get Ben," Mal says.

"Or Dizzy or Doug," Evie adds.

"Or Allison," I sigh.

"Or Jane. The signal's out," Carlos concludes.

Celia points to the school, "Is that Auradon Prep?"  I nod, "Yeah.  When everybody wakes up, you're going to love it."  Celia pumps her fist, "Yes."

Gil looks around, "Everything is so..."  Jay says, "Freaky."  Gil shakes his head, "Green. You have leaves on your trees. And what are those colored things on the bushes?"  I blink, "Um..."  Jay looks at him like he's crazy, "Uh...flowers?"  Gil nods, "Flowers are pretty."  He eyes a bowl of fruit, "Cantaloupe!"

He stares eating them and Uma says, "We don't have fresh fruit on the Isle, remember?" Gil keeps devouring the fruit and Jay puts his hand on his shoulder, "They're grapes."  Gil blinks, "Grapes? I love grapes."

Harry circles a table with a sleeping boy, "I believe I deserve some compensation for my muscles, my wile, and my role in this endeavor."  He starts taking money from the boy's wallet and Jay takes the money, "You do. Me not squashing you like a bug."  Harry tosses the wallet and Jay puts the money in the boy's pocket.  Harry gets in Jay's face, "Think I'm scared of you, Jay?"

"Guys!"  Mal, Uma, and I warn.  I hold my fist up and blue smoke emanates from it, "You may not be scared of Jay...but you better be scared of me."  Harry looks down at my hand and I lower it, the smoke disappearing.

We hear someone eating and Carlos looks down, "Dude!"  Dude licks his lips, "Delicious."  He belches and Carlos rolls his eyes, "Dude, really?"  Dude cries, "What? It wasn't me, I swear. Okay. It was me."  I pick him up, "Hey, do you know what happened here?"

"Yup.  Audrey showed up. She put everybody to sleep.  And then she turned some of them to-"  Evie calls us over, "Guys. Hannah turned to stone."  We gape at the statue of one of the band members.

"All right. Everybody stay on their toes," Jay says.  "Look, since we're here, let's check the school," Uma says and she, Harry, Gil, and Celia head for the school.  Mal shakes her head, "No. Audrey went straight for the crown, so, I think it's safe to assume that she's gonna go for Ben and his castle next. That's where we'll go."

Uma walks towards her, "Says who?"  Mal steps closer, "Says me."  They are pratically nose to nose, "Says you. And that's supposed to mean something to me?"

"Guys," I sigh.  Mal looks at all of us, "To the castle."  We all head for Ben's castle.  Technically, it's ours, but since Ben is King, it's referred to as "Ben's castle."

Uma and I are walking side by side.  She looks down and sees my ring, "Nice rock.  Big too.  Who's the lucky guy?"  "I don't know if he's lucky- but it's Jay."  Uma raises her eyebrows at Jay and he shrugs.  Harry narrows his eyes at me, "So you're taken, lassie?"  I roll my eyes, "Yeah.  I'm taken."

"Ben!"  Mal and I call and our yells echo through the halls.  "This way," Dude says.  Mal sighs, frustrated, "Ben could be asleep anywhere."  Celia adds, "Or turned to stone."  "Okay," Evie covers her mouth.  Mal yells, "Ben!" Dude turns to us, "I got a scent. Very pungent cologne. Easy to track. Follow me, people."  We just stare at him for a minute.

"FYI, I give great cuddles, too."  Gil chuckles, "Really? I never had a pet growing up. Well, except for the elk head in Dad's man cave, but that wasn't..."

Uma stops us, "Hold up. What's this?"  A painting is slashed and there are claw marks on the wall.  Carlos gets a closer look, "Uh... Any chance this was already there?"  I shake my head and we continue through the castle.

Evie pushes open the two doors to the knight room.  10 knights line the walls.  Mal calls, "Ben?"  Evie tells Celia to stay in the doorway as we enter the room.  Harry touches a sword as Jay and I watch him intently.  "I can feel you lurking," Harry says.  Jay hisses in his ear, "Good."  Gil pets Dude, "So you can track, cuddle, and talk. Hey, do you think his puppies would be able to talk, too?"  Carlos pats Gil's back, "All right, man. He's taken. You want a dog, adopt a rescue."

Dude laughs, "Talking puppies. That's crazy."  Celia picks Dude up and hold him close.  "I bet you lost some sleep thinking about me on the loose?" Uma says to Mal.  Evie stands on a platform and Jay hasn't let me out of his sight since we saw Harry on the Isle so I go wherever he goes.  "No. Dragons don't really lose sleep."  Mal stops and bites her nail, pretending to ponder, "I wonder what fried octopus tastes like."

Uma chuckles and Evie says, "Okay. Why do we not do this?"  Uma throws her own words back at her, "We're celebrating our differences."

A knight suddenly moves and stares right at us.  Pink smoke appears around it and I know Audrey is controlling it.  "I believe we're being challenged," Harry says, trying to get their attention.  

"I believe for the first time in Harry's life, he's right," I say.

Uma ignores us, "Let's split up and look for Audrey."  Mal snaps, "That makes absolutely no sense. Unless you give me my ember, she's going to spell you." Harry and I yell, "Girls!"  He then turns back to the knight that moves again, "We have a situation here."

Audrey's voice fills the quiet room, "Do you like a prince, Mal? How about a knight in shining armor?"

Suddenly, all the knights start moving. 

"Or knights?"