IMPORTANT!

This is a sequel to my first story A Descendants Story: Part 1: Out of Smoke and Darkness. Read that story before starting on this one.

For the information on my OC's, check out my other story, Descendants Story: Character Templates.

Please leave a review if you feel like it, I appreciate all feedback.

Also, if anything is unclear, don't be afraid to ask any questions.

Enjoy!


Chapter 1: Schemes

The sky was clear, or as clear as it would ever get on the isle.

The water was calm, or at least the current was.

Everything was ready, this was the moment.

Solomon stood at the edge of the docks. His gaze was set at the Auradon shoreline. In front of him, he saw numerous boats belonging to Auradon officials patrolling Auradon Bay. These had always been there ever since Uma's little adventure during cotillion but had significantly risen in numbers recently.

The reason why was not hard to figure out. More boats had suddenly shown up about a week after his failed attempt at capturing Mal. This only confirmed the suspicion he and his associates had that their initially secret plans were now known to their rivals on the mainland.

Solomon had hoped, against his better judgement, that their plans would stay secret, a futile hope when taking everything he had told Freddie into account.

This new development put a slight dent into their plan. Only a slight dent though, as the cause was far from ruined.

Getting into Auradon would now naturally be a little more difficult, but it was still far from impossible.

A fear that had mostly been voiced by Harriet was that the Auradonians would maybe try to attack the isle. Both Uma and he had largely rejected that notion, citing the usually forgiving and unwilling nature of the Auradonians regarding violence and revenge.

Thus far, he and Uma appeared to have been right. All that the boats in the bay had done up to this point was keep the isle under surveillance, and nothing more. It did not appear as though they were preparing for any sort of invasion.

It had been just over a month since Mal had managed to escape his clutches, and all that time had been spent preparing for this moment.

While he was standing here on the edge of the docks, a few others were at the exact opposite side of the isle preparing a diversion.

The plan would involve the explosions of several colorful potions created by Zevon. They had gone through this process twice already, making it appear as though they had been practicing to escape.

Both times, the Auradonian fleet had largely shifted its focus to the disturbance, and Solomon expected that they would do so again.

In an effort to fully put their enemies on the wrong track, Uma and Harry would make themselves clearly visible. Hopefully this would call even more attention to the diversion and give Solomon all the possible freedom to get back to Auradon. Both he and the others held the notion that Uma and Harry would be the main targets for the Auradonian patrols, since they had been the ones who had tortured Mal.

Another part of their diversion, which had been a smart suggestion by Ginny, was that a person would join Uma and Harry wearing Solomon's skull-shaped mask. If the Auradonian patrols would see who they thought was him on the isle, they would never suspect that he had actually escaped.

Solomon was already wearing the improvised flippers that had been specifically made for this escape attempt. He and his associates had figured that the shorter amount of time he would spend in the water, the less likely it would be that he would get caught. Thus, the flippers had been made in order for him to quickly scale the bay.

He was also carrying a small backpack, filled mainly with food and other necessities like his spell book and daggers. Furthermore, he carried with him four potions made by Zevon.

One would erupt in a bright, blue smoke if he would throw it to the ground. He would use this potion to signal the others on the isle if he would be unable to deactivate the barrier. This would also signal that he would return to the isle the following day to construct a new plan.

The second potion would produce a thick cloud of red smoke, which meant that he would be able to fully bring down the barrier. In this case, everyone on the isle would immediately prepare for war before all heading for Auradon.

The third potion was supposed to generate green smoke and would announce that he would be able to temporarily deactivate the barrier. If that would be the case, the small team he had put together would prepare to make the journey to Auradon.

The following day Solomon would use his fourth potion, which was also green, to announce that he would bring down the barrier temporarily. The remaining people on the isle would create another distraction, after which his crew would use a simple rowboat to get to the other shore. They would naturally bring along the cauldron, but also more supplies like food, potions and weapons.

If he were to use one of these potions, he would do so at noon. This agreed upon time was to make sure that the lookouts from the isle would definitely see it.

The crew currently consisted of; Zevon, Maddy, CJ, Uma, Harry, Gil, Clay, Anthony and two other members of Harriet's gang whose names Solomon had not bothered to remember.

Solomon was actually quite content with the lineup. Taking Uma with him whilst leaving Harriet on the isle meant that they could no longer go behind his back. Uma and Maddy were naturally the magical sources Solomon needed beside him to activate the cauldron. Zevon was a nice addition since he was the best potion maker on the isle and fiercely loyal to Solomon. CJ, Harry, Gil and Anthony were all very proficient in hand-to-hand combat, whilst Clay was naturally better suited from range with his shotgun. He had not bothered to learn the skills of Harriet's other two goons as well.

Whether or not this particular plan would have to be put into action would only become apparent when Solomon would reach Auradon though.

For now, all Solomon had to do was wait for the diversion to commence. After that, he would wait for the Auradonian fleet to disperse and he would pass through the barrier and back onto the mainland.

Once he would arrive back in Auradon, he would first do some reconnaissance. Some investigation for information that would help them in completing their plan. He would do this before trying to bring down the barrier, since he would be able to move more easily and be less detectable when alone.

This investigation would mainly be targeted at learning about the Auradon military as well as their more direct enemies. Their main opponents in this battle would naturally be the other VK's and Auradon kids. Solomon would thus try to find out as much as possible about their weaknesses and ways of possible exploitation.

As eager as he was to try to activate the cauldron and burn Auradon to the ground, he was also quite passionate at seeing his enemies squirm a bit at first.

Uma shared his opinion on this. The main target for both of them in this matter was naturally Mal, and they obviously knew how to get to her.

Her friends and king baby beast were her biggest weaknesses, and Solomon was sure that they would be able to figure out a way to target them.

With some luck, he and his associates wouldn't even have to do much to get their opponents to surrender. Solomon knew that those weak-minded Auradonians would do everything to end the conflict as quickly as possible with the least amount of bloodshed.

The discussions about how to exploit this had been frequent and long. The main idea that kept popping up was taking hostages, but Solomon wasn't sure if even the Auradonians would accept that deal if it meant that the entire kingdom would be doomed.

As much as he liked to think that Mal and the other VK's had gone completely soft, he doubted that they would not try their absolute best to oppose him, even if that meant having to sacrifice at least some of their own.

"Everything is ready Solomon." He suddenly heard a voice say.

Solomon was awakened from his thoughts and looked back. Ginny Gothel was standing behind him, a timid expression on her face.

"Good. Tell them to proceed." Solomon replied.

"I will. Good luck out there." Ginny told him.

"I don't need luck, all I need is for all of you to finally prove to be somewhat useful." Solomon spat back.

"We won't disappoint you." Ginny replied confidently.

"I would hope not, for your sake. Just do as I commanded and be ready when you will be called upon. Now, tell them to commence." Solomon ordered.

Ginny briefly nodded before scurrying off.

Solomon once again concentrated on the distant Auradon shore. He looked beyond it, to the green fields and forests, the tall mountains and flowing rivers.

How much he wouldn't give to watch it all burn. To watch it all dissolve in front of him. To watch every single grain of happiness get sucked out until nothing would remain. Ever since he had started this enterprise, he hadn't put much thought into his exact reasoning behind doing this. All he knew was that, whenever he would think about what he would do once he would get back to Auradon, he would feel a sense of accomplishment and some sort of inner peace. For him, this was reason enough.

A sudden sound of an explosion alerted him that the diversion had been put in motion. When he looked back towards the other side of the isle, he saw a large cloud of differently colored smoke erupt into the air. At the same time, he heard the other isle inhabitants produce the large amount of ordered celebratory noises.

When he focused back on the water, Solomon saw many of the boats adjust their course for the far side of the isle.

He slowly breathed in and out, preparing himself for what was to come. If he would fail at his task, their entire operation would be jeopardized, and they would most likely have to wait another considerable amount of time before getting another opportunity like this.

He waited for as many of the ships as possible to have left the bay. He knew that not all of them would go investigate the disturbance on the other side, so he simply had to guess when the best time would be.

He carefully watched ships on both sides head to the other side of the isle. Behind him, he could still hear the faint sound of the diversion still taking place. On the water, the vague sound of soldiers shouting at each other was heard.

A small gap opened up between the boats near the middle of the bay. This gap only grew bigger as the perimeter around the isle was breached.

As the chaos behind him continued, and the boats were nice enough to create a clear path for him, Solomon decided it was now or never.

He dove off the docks, into the cold water. Since he knew that he'd be swimming, he had put his coat and most other heavy items in his backpack. With the help of his flippers, swimming was now a lot easier than the previous time he had made the cross.

After a short amount of time, he managed to reach the barrier. Once again, he felt a stinging and slightly burning sensation when he passed through the barrier, and again he managed reach the outside without getting flung back.

Without looking back, he headed for the shore. From the almost impenetrable line of boats that had still been on the sea earlier in the day, only a few remained. Even though Solomon was pretty sure that he would not be spotted, he tried to keep his swimming as calm as possible, hoping to not create any splashing that would maybe alert remaining guards.

The cross took a long time, but it was a lot easier than the first time. Besides having already done it before, Solomon now felt the enormous amount of pent-up magical energy he had obtained in his time on the isle.

The second he had moved past the barrier, he had felt it. It was as if he had gotten a sudden electrical shock or an abrupt burst of adrenaline. Anyway, it gave him more energy to try and reach the shore as fast as possible.

Like the first time, when Solomon reached the shore he immediately pulled off his flippers and rushed for the cover further inland.

He did not fear anyone that might spot him, but the entire operation he had planned out would naturally work best if his second arrival would remain secret for as long as possible. As long as it wouldn't be known that he had come back, the Auradonians would most likely keep their attention focused on the isle and try to prevent him from crossing. This would naturally give him an advantage when he would operate on the mainland, without anyone knowing he was even there.

This matter of secrecy would become significantly more troublesome to keep up when he would be joined by the rest of his crew. Not only did they have to cross the bay in a boat, instead of swimming, but they were also with ten!

If they would actually manage to cross unnoticed, it would verge on a miracle. Their plans on trying to ensure safe passage for the crew was mainly to create more diversions. Solomon would create some disturbance on the mainland, whilst the other isle inhabitants would do the same on the far side of the isle. This would probably give the others the largest chance to escape unnoticed, but it was still extremely risky.

Strength in numbers was good for executing operations or potential scrummages, but it would be extensively more difficult to remain hidden.

The first order of business for Solomon would thus be to find a suitable place to be used both for hiding and as a main base of operations.

The place had to be big enough for eleven people, allow them to stay hidden from any nosy Auradonians, be both a good place to fall back on and emerge out of, and be on a respectable distance from both the isle and Auradon City.

Since no one on the isle was an expert on the best hiding places in Auradon, the plan was for Solomon to go on a small expedition to find one.

Uma naturally suggested a cave near the coast, but Solomon had quickly turned that particular plan down. If they would even manage to find a cave suitable for eleven people, it would most likely not be an appropriate place for either a quick attack or getaway. The cave in which Uma had hidden during her time in Auradon was far from easily accessible by everyone except for Uma.

So, Solomon was forced to once again scour the continent for a suitable place to hide. His primary thought was still some sort of cave, not necessarily near the coast. Auradon had no shortage of mountains, hills and forests, all of which contained numerous places for someone to remain unseen if they would want to. It was Solomon's job to find the best one.


One week he had now been tracking through Auradon, but it was vastly different from the other two times he had been on a search there.

For one, he did not know his destination, making it different from when he searched for the cauldron. Back then, he'd had his map which directed him to the precise point near the mountain where he would be able to find the cauldron.

It was also different from when he'd set out to find Uma, in the sense that he wasn't even sure what he was looking for now. Sure, he was looking for a place to lay low with his crew, but there were no precise characteristics.

Thus far, he had found a few locations that were somewhat acceptable.

There had been three caves that all looked promising. One eventually turned out to be too small however and the other two were not very easily accessible.

At one point, he had found an abandoned barn on the edge of a secluded field. While it was both big enough and easily accessible, it was a bit too out in the open. He kept it in mind as a potential safe house though.

There was also a small trail between cliffs that led to an isolated open spot. The spot was completely out of sight due to the surrounding mountains, was big enough and relatively easily accessible. The major disadvantage was that it provided no protection from the elements.

In between searching for a good hiding spot, Solomon had done some quick investigating during the times he was in any inhabited area, when he was stealing food for example.

He had mainly kept to the outskirts of Auradon City and had not seen anything that could have resembled panic. The news about his attempt to capture the king's girlfriend had obviously not been made public, as well as the news that he possessed the black cauldron.

Solomon suspected that this information was kept from the public to prevent any widespread panic, but it would only work to his advantage.

If he would manage to quickly deal with any Auradon forces near the coast, the way to Auradon City would not only be open, but he would also find a completely unsuspecting and unprepared city.

He had not yet dared to go anywhere near Auradon prep, seeing it as an unnecessary risk. The time to further study their enemies would come, but to risk being captured for any such information at the moment was just plain foolish.

When he would be joined by the others, they would send out more expeditions to gather information. Since they would then be with more, it would not be a complete disaster if one of them would get caught.

At the moment however, he would still have to make due with tracking through Auradon alone in search of a quality hiding place.

The search was not particularly exhausting, but Solomon was nevertheless ready to call it quits simply because nothing of actual note was happening.

Walking around aimlessly through the Auradon nature was infuriating when considering that the element of surprise was of such importance to the plan. Having him walk around doing nothing this entire time was quite the nuisance when he could have done something to actually aid in the attack as well.

Suddenly, there was something that grabbed his attention.

A large structure, which was so abundantly covered in ivy that it pretty much resembled a hill. Beneath the plants, Solomon was barely able to distinguish the shape of what appeared to be an old watch tower.

Solomon approached it and studied it from up close. It was big, certainly big enough for eleven people to stay hidden. When he examined it a bit more, he found what used to be the entrance, now also hidden from sight by a layer of ivy. It was easily accessible yet hidden from sight. The watch tower was situated near the edge of a cliff, so it was not easy to attack. The ivy made it tough to spot from a distance and it was also located at an acceptable distance from both the isle and Auradon City.

When he eventually entered the structure through its entrance, he saw that the insides were still fairly intact, even though they had fallen into disrepair. A part of the roof had collapsed, but most interior walls still stood as well as the winding stair case which led to the top. The floor and walls were covered with plants as well, but as far as Solomon could see, there was no immediate danger here if they would choose to inhabit it.

The more he examined the building, the more he realized how perfect it actually was as a base of operations. From the top of the tower, they would be able to easily spot any incoming threats. They were surrounded by sturdy and camouflaged walls. It was big enough for everyone to stay in. It was at a large enough distance from civilization to make sure that they would not be disturbed by any passers-by, yet it was still easily accessible if you knew where to look.

"This will be it." Solomon knew. "This will be the place. From here I will let the entire kingdom know that I, Solomon, have brought them into fire and chaos."