I know that it has taken a bit longer recently to write chapters, but stay tuned because I am still writing and fully intend on finishing the story.

A big thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with the story and those that have only recently found out.

A review would mean a lot, I appreciate all feedback.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions, I always try to reply.

Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Pursuit

"So, how does it work exactly? Do you, ehm, just feel it?" Jay asked from beside Mal as they hiked through the forest.

"The way Lance explained it to me was to pretend to check the temperature in a bath, that's how you locate the magic. Afterwards, it just pulls you forward somehow, at least that's how I'm experiencing it." Mal answered.

She and Jay had picked up the magic trail left after the attack on the orphanage and had been tracking it for almost two hours now. Mal had started at the same place she and Lance had originally discovered the trail, but it had now taken them deep into the Auradonian hills.

Both Mal and Jay had changed into their isle attire and were carrying swords on this journey.

"I still can't feel anything." Jordan muttered, her arm still stubbornly raised.

"Well, I'm not an expert, maybe you should have tried back at the start of the trail as well." Mal replied.

"I wish I could have at least tried." Freddie said in a sour tone. "Or do anything useful really."

"You do know how to use a sword, right?" Aden asked from a little further back.

"Of course, I was raised on the isle. I was never as good as Jay though, or Mal, or Uma, or…" Freddie told the others.

"Well, good to know you at least possess some confidence." Royce said in a sarcastic tone.

"Those villains won't take me down easily." Chad boasted as he playfully swung his richly decorated sword.

"Don't underestimate them, Chad." Alex warned in his deep voice. "They will not hold back, and neither should you."

Chad scoffed lightly, but did not respond.

Mal momentarily looked back at the small group that followed her, wondering how it had all come together.

Jay had told her that he knew other people who would want to join her in her fight against Solomon. Mal was skeptical at first, and doubtful as well. Despite being convinced that she was right about this particular situation, she still did not feel confident about going behind Ben's back again.

Her mind kept flashing back to when she visited the isle without Ben knowing. Back then, she could not stop thinking about maybe not coming back and maybe never seeing Ben or her friends again.

This time however, she felt more determination than fear. For one, she was now supported by a group of loyal friends. Second, she was now in Auradon instead of the isle, so she could rely on her magic and the opposing force would be significantly smaller. Third, she was here on her own accord. If everything would go according to plan, no one on their side would get hurt.

Mal was surprised when Jay mentioned the amount of people willing to go along on her actually illegal mission, and she was even more perplexed when she found out who they actually were.

To have Aden, Royce and Alex, members of Archer's troop and close friends to Ben, say that they want to disobey their orders came as quite a shock.

Right after Jay had told her that, they had arranged a meeting with the three members of the righteous sons. If they were actually serious about joining Mal in her quest, then it was an opportunity that she could not afford to let slip.

"How are you so sure that they want to join us?" Mal asked Jay.

"While you, Ben, Archer and Lance went to investigate the orphanage, Aden, Alex and I let off some steam on the tourney field. You should have heard them talking about it all, they were furious. When the news of your investigation eventually reached us, they became even more livid. To hear that you found a trail but were not gonna pursue it kind of shocked them." Jay explained.

"They also want to chase after Solomon?" Mal followed up.

Jay nodded. "Yeah. You have to understand, they have been living in Auradon their entire life and have spent years in the army protecting it. Now that there's finally a legitimate threat, they want to handle it."

"So badly that they would go against Archer and Ben's wishes?" Mal questioned.

Jay shrugged. "I can't speak for them on that account. You can ask them yourself."

Mal and Jay had agreed to meet the three warriors underneath the bleachers of the tourney field to discuss their plan. To say Mal was a nervous wreck would be an understatement.

"If they disagree with us and go to Ben, we'll be toast." Mal stated.

"Probably, so they better agree." Jay replied.

Mal fidgeted with her sleeve a bit.

"Are you actually okay with this?" Jay asked.

"Not in the slightest." Mal answered truthfully. "Ben and I promised never to lie to each other again, I feel horrible breaking that promise."

"But if we end up catching Solomon, or Uma, it will all be worth it, right?" Jay asked semi-awkwardly.

"I hope so, I really do." Mal answered.

Jay solemnly nodded, but the look in his eyes when he stared back at the school was far from determined.

"What about you?" Mal asked. "Does Lonnie know?"

Jay shook his head. "No, she would never let me leave if she knew."

"You don't think that she would want to join?" Mal hesitantly questioned.

Jay frowned. "I'm not sure. To protect me she would definitely come along, but if it meant going against Ben… I'm not sure. But anyway, I wouldn't want her here. She's still wounded and I will not be the cause of anymore of her pain."

"You know you don't have to follow me." Mal tried to reassure him.

"Are you mad? I could never forgive myself if something happened to you out there. Don't forget that I want this as well. I will show that low-life scavenger that he should not have hurt Lonnie." Jay grunted.

Before Mal could reply, she and Jay saw the doors to the school open and several figures step out. To her astonishment, Mal did not see three, but four people head in her direction. If she hadn't been able to distinguish Alex's massive frame, she might have thought that it were other people. When the small group approached, Mal saw that Alex, Aden and Royce had been joined by Chad.

"Chad!?" Mal exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Royce spoke up before Chad could open his mouth.

"He was eavesdropping as usual and demanded to come along."

"What did you hear?" Jay asked.

Chad coughed slightly. "Ehm, well… That you are planning to go against our friend and king's orders and wish to pursue the lead at the orphanage."

"And you want to come along?" Mal questioned in a perplexed tone.

"Why so surprised?" Chad joked. "Have I not proved time and time again that I will never miss an opportunity to prove my bravery?"

The others stared at Chad with impassiveness written all over their faces.

"Okay…" Chad eventually admitted. "So, I have not been the so-called "poster boy" for bravery, that doesn't mean I'm not genuinely interested here. Believe me, I want those maniacs out of here just as much as you do."

"What about your injury?" Mal asked as she pointed at the bruise still present on Chad's head.

"I can manage, it's nothing life threatening." Chad shrugged.

Mal looked at Jay for support.

Jay shrugged. "Well, an extra sword wouldn't hurt and Chad does know how to use one to a certain extend."

Chad looked semi-offended but did not respond.

"Okay, but not a word of this to anyone!" Mal threatened.

"Hey, my lips are sealed." Chad assured her as he threw away an imaginary key.

"And you…" Mal started as she turned to the righteous sons, "Are you sure about this? You do know that you're going against Archer and Ben?"

"We know." Aden began, "but we have had a lengthy discussion on this and we agree with you. If there is a chance of catching them here and now, and thus avoiding more unnecessary casualties, we're in."

"It is time we put a stop to them." Alex said in his deep voice.

"Revenge is not something we usually dabble in." Royce stated, "But they have gone too far. What they did to the school, and… and to Ruby… I can't let it slide."

"We want justice." Aden jumped in. "For everything that has happened to our families, and those we love."

"And if anything, it's to protect you as well." Alex stated. "We pledged ourselves to you, Mal, your will is our command."

"Even if it goes against Ben?" Mal hesitantly asked.

"The rulebook on oaths is not very detailed in that aspect." Royce answered. "We kind of find ourselves in a unique situation."

"In any case, it will help us defend our case if either Ben or Archer confronts us afterwards." Aden added.

"You don't happen to have already discussed this with Archer?" Jay asked.

"This one instance, he does not take kindly to our council." Alex answered. "He is convinced that his is the correct way and Archer can be very stubborn when he is convinced of something."

"He is convinced it's a trap." Aden said, "But every time we try to think of plans to go around it he dismisses them."

"Something in him has changed." Alex added, "It's almost as if the prospect of renewed violence scares him now."

"It has something to do with that entire Ben and Harry Hook business, it must have." Royce joined in.

"It is only understandable that he does not want anymore blood on his hands." Alex retorted.

"Yes, but he has also not been against using violence to protect those you love." Royce said.

"Guys!" Mal spoke up when both Aden and Alex wanted to respond. "Sorry, but if you are actually serious about joining us here we do need to leave as soon as possible."

The others nodded solemnly.

"Everyone needs to grab their weapons and meet us at the garage in five, we take the limo to the orphanage from where I will pick up the trail again." Mal explained.

"Where did the trail lead to exactly?" Aden asked.

"Into the hills, I was not able to pinpoint anything directly yet." Mal answered.

"Do you intend our journey to span more than one day? If so, we may need to pack some food and other supplies." Alex proposed.

Mal was somewhat speechless as she stared at Jay for some support. The thought that the journey would maybe take more than a day had not yet even occurred to her.

"Only some necessary supplies." Jay answered for Mal, "We travel light and fast, we don't want to become sitting ducks."

"Do you think that they'll notice us? A group of six within a dense forest?" Royce questioned.

"The hills do provide natural shelter for any defending party, which we are sadly not. Furthermore, there are not many routes through those woods, man-made or otherwise, they should be able to cover those relatively easily." Alex told the others.

"Don't forget they can teleport with those potions of them." Aden jumped in. "Archer said himself that they are able to vanish at a moment's notice."

"We don't know if they still have any potions. They could have already run out of those." Mal retorted.

"But still, don't we also not know how many of them there actually are?" Chad questioned, making everyone look at him. "I mean, there could be tens of them without us knowing, right? We could walk into a slaughter." He added.

"If we plan things correctly, we'll be able to lock in a tight perimeter, even if there are only six of us." Alex explained.

"Maybe more." Royce suddenly said.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" Mal asked.

"There is someone on the bleachers right above us. They used an invisibility spell but still manage to breathe louder than a marathon dog." Royce replied as he looked up at the bleachers.

The others looked as well, but saw nothing.

"Reveal yourself!" Royce said with authority. "I know you're there and I would really hate to get antsy."

All of a sudden, two people appeared right above Mal with a small popping sound. Freddie and Jordan.

"Freddie! Jordan! What are you doing here?" Mal exclaimed.

Both girls blushed heavily, looked at each other and then climbed down the bleachers to join up with the rest of the group.

"We followed you." Freddie mumbled.

"Wha- What? How?" Mal asked indignantly.

"We were on our way to Alex's room when we saw him leave with Aden and Royce." Jordan began to explain. "We overheard some of what they said and then Chad joined up with them as well."

"Not because we so desperately wanted him to." Royce mumbled.

"We were able to hear even more, about what they were planning, and then we saw you and Jay stand here from a distance." Jordan finished.

"And you decided to eavesdrop?" Mal asked bluntly.

"Well, yeah." Freddie answered. "What you all said sounded really interesting."

"You even used an invisibility spell, really?" Mal whined.

"Well, we couldn't actually run up to you all just like that." Jordan shrugged. "So, yes I spelled Freddie and myself so we could listen."

"And what did you hear?" Jay asked.

"Everything." Freddie answered.

Mal felt a lump in her throat. What were they gonna do now?

"So, what now?" Jay asked in an aggressive tone. "Are you going to turn us in?"

"No." Freddie replied coldly as she crossed her arms. "I for one was actually planning on joining you."

"What?" Everyone, including Jordan, exclaimed.

"Y-you want to join us? Come along?" Mal asked.

"Yes." Freddie said determinedly. "You are going to hunt down Solomon and I want to do whatever I can to help you."

Mal stared at Freddie with wide eyes. "Freddie, are you sure?"

"That bastard took my magic." Freddie grunted with a steely expression. "I want him as far away from here as possible."

Everyone stared at her, not saying a word, before Alex was the first to turn to Jordan.

"What about you?" He asked.

Jordan looked like a dear caught in headlights, staring fearfully from one person to another. "I-I… I d-don't know…"

"Are you going to tell Ben?" Mal hesitantly asked.

Jordan stared at her. "Well… No! No, of course not! Mal, you are also my friend!"

"What we're doing here borders on high treason, you know that right?" Mal questioned.

"Well… Yeah… B-but you… You are doing this for a righteous cause, right? You don't want anymore people getting hurt." Jordan stuttered.

"Exactly." Mal answered.

"Well, in that case I will be coming along as well." Jordan resolutely said.

"You're joking." Alex exclaimed. "You are not a fighter, Jordan."

"I am perfectly capable of handling myself." Jordan snapped back. "And don't forget what I can do that none of you can." She added as she conjured up red sparks out of her hands.

Everyone was speechless for a short amount of time.

"She has a point." Royce eventually said. "And, well, a little more magic could not hurt, or a little isle spirit." He added with a look at Freddie.

"This mission will probably be highly dangerous, you have every reason to back out." Mal reassured the two girls.

"Mal, I can't let you go out against him and Uma again. If something happens, I will be by your side." Freddie stated.

"And, well, I care too. Auradon is my home and I want to defend it." Jordan said in a slightly higher tone than usual.

"Freddie, you are still hurt." Jay said.

"Physically, there's nothing wrong with me." Freddie retorted. "I can run, jump and kick as well as the next person."

"All of you!" Mal suddenly shouted, making everyone look at her in surprise. "What we're doing here will be highly dangerous. I am not asking any of you to join me! I will not hold any hard feeling against you, should you decide to leave. I just need to know that you know what you're signing up for."

"We follow you, Mal." Jay said. "We know the dangers, at least I do, we're with you."

"We're with you." Freddie reassured her.

"We'll follow you." Aden joined in.

And so, Mal and her seven compatriots had begun their journey through the Auradonian hills. All of them carried weapons, except for Jordan who simply relied on her magic, and a few other supplies including a little food and some others.

So far, they had not yet run into anything peculiar. The only way that Mal knew that they were still heading in the right direction was the trail of magic she was still following.

"I have not seen any sign that they've actually gone through here." Aden said from Mal's side as he studied the ground.

"No tracks, nothing." Royce confirmed. "These guys are like ghosts."

"Worse than ghosts really." Mal replied, her hand still raised.

"Hey, Mal?" Chad asked.

"Hmm?" Mal replied.

"How long do you think this will go on for? I mean, we've been walking for over two hours." Chad questioned.

"I'm just following a trail, I don't know where it ends." Mal answered.

"So we could technically be walking here until winter is what you're saying?" Chad complained.

"If that is what it takes, yes!" Mal grunted.

"Lovely." Chad mumbled.

"Let's hope those assholes show up soon." Freddie complained. "We don't have hills on the isle, there are more blisters than toes on my feet at this point."

"Are you not enjoying the beautiful nature?" Royce asked with a sarcastic smile.

"I can do that plenty from my window at Auradon prep, thank you very much." Freddie responded.

"Mal?" Aden asked as he started walking beside her.

"Yeah?" Mal replied.

"Ehm, say that we follow this trail to its end and we come up empty-handed, what do we do then?" He asked.

"We look around, see what else we can find." Mal answered apathetically.

"You do have to realize that there's a chance we won't find anything." Aden went on.

"If we don't find anything, we all live, go back to Auradon prep and forget this ever happened." Mal snapped back somewhat panicky.

Aden raised his eyebrows but did not respond, instead walking back over to Royce.

Mal had obviously already realized that there was a chance that they wouldn't find anything, which in some way was actually her most desired outcome of all this.

Right now, the thing she wanted most was for her friends to remain safe. The best way to accomplish that was to avoid any possibly violent confrontations.

Opposed to this, there was a small voice in the back of her head that kept feeding into her hatred for Solomon. This voice kept reminding her about everything that had happened; how she had been tortured on the isle, how the school had been blown up and multiple of her friends had been put in the hospital and how her beloved orphanage had been turned into rubble.

Solomon had caused all this pain and misery inside her, and she felt as if returning some of that pain would feel as good to her as an entire bucket of strawberries.

The magic trail Mal was following suddenly took a turn towards a much steeper part of the Auradonian hills.

"Guys? The trail is leading here." Mal announced to the others.

"Where? Down?" Jay asked.

"Yep." Mal answered, her arm still raised.

"There's a river over there, do you think they might have crossed it?" Alex asked.

"I don't know, we'd need to get down if we want to find out." Mal replied.

"It's a steep climb." Royce said as he inspected the hill. "I doubt we'd get back up easily."

"If the trail leads there we would not need to get back up, right?" Jordan questioned.

"That river is too broad, we can't cross it." Aden said as he looked further on.

"We can find a shallower part if that's what it takes. Come on guys, at least you know how to swim." Freddie joked.

"Mal? Would you mind if one of us went ahead, just to scope things out?" Aden asked.

"Why?" Mal retorted.

"Well, it's like Royce said, we can't get back up easily. Let one of us go down and search for a potential way to cross. That way we don't all have to climb back up should there not be a suitable route." Aden explained.

"Yeah, okay. That's probably a good idea." Mal admitted.

"I'll go. All of you just look around for more tracks, I'll be back in about ten." Royce stated before heading down the hill.

The rest of the group simply looked on as Royce scrambled down, sometimes even needing to slide on the steep terrain.

"You wouldn't happen to have noticed anything out of the ordinary yet?" Jay asked Alex and Aden.

"Nothing, it doesn't seem like there's been anyone here for months." Alex replied as he looked around the forest.

"I actually studied the map." Aden said as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his satchel. "And, well, there's a couple of small buildings reported to be in this relative vicinity."

"What buildings?" Mal questioned. "And why only tell us now?"

"I first wanted to see where the trail would lead us." Aden shrugged. "And, well, there are a few buildings, all long abandoned. There are some old hunting shacks, a small mine, an abandoned farm and a fishing hut."

"Are those all around here?" Mal asked.

"Yep, in walking distance at least." Aden answered.

"Alright, if we come up empty-handed here we'll check those out as well. If there are any leads we'll find them." Mal stated.

"Fun, more walking." Freddie murmured.

"Call out for the bad guys if you want, maybe they'll take away some of the boredom." Chad joked.

Before Freddie could reply, a loud whistle was heard from below. Everyone looked down and they saw Royce standing near the edge of the large river.

"There's a shallow part further down south, we can easily cross there if we want." He shouted to the people at the top.

Aden simply raised his thumb before turning to the others.

"Do you want to head down, Mal?" He asked.

Mal nodded. "We follow the trail first."

And so, the rest of the group began the climb down. Even after seeing the ridge herself and seeing Royce make the journey, Mal was surprised at how difficult it was.

The ground of the hillside was either covered in slippery patches of grass or treacherous rocks, of which you could not be certain if it was solid or not. Still, Mal was agile enough to be able to keep her balance and occasionally make a small jump or slide down a bit.

She was eventually the third person to reach the bottom, after Jay and Aden, and had to wait for the rest to finish the climb down.

After Jordan set foot on the ground as the last person, Mal raised her arm again to find the magic trail. It took barely three seconds before she once again felt the now familiar feel of magic flowing through her, and she set out again.

The trail appeared to lead right into the river. Mal kept on following it, expecting the trail to unexpectedly divert either left or right, but that didn't happen. Just when Mal started to have the perplexed thought that the magic trail might lead straight into the river, something else happened.

The trail stopped.

It just stopped.

To say Mal was surprised was an understatement. She had tracked this magic trail for hours and over numerous tree-covered hills, only to come to a standstill by a river. Mal tried to find the trail again, convinced that it still had to be present somewhere. When she found nothing, she started to furiously shake her arm in a desperate attempt to somehow force the magic to appear.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked.

"I-I can't feel the trail anymore." Mal replied, still shaking her arm.

"What do you mean?" Aden asked as he walked up beside her.

"The trail… It's gone." Mal grunted.

"Gone? Like… Disappeared?" Aden questioned.

"No. It… Just… Stopped." Mal answered, still waving her arm.

"It stopped? Here?" Freddie asked as she looked around. "Not much of a hangout."

"Maybe they erased the rest of it." Royce proposed.

"Then why is there still any of the trail left?" Aden retorted.

"Why should I know what goes around in villain's minds?" Royce snapped.

"Guys!" Jay shouted. "Come on, just… look around a bit. Let's see if we can find something."

"Jay, have you looked around? There's nothing here. It's just a river and some hills." Royce said.

"They have to be around here!" Mal grunted, still failing to conjure up any sort of magic trail.

"We can take a look at those buildings, Mal." Aden proposed. "This seems like a dead end. There's no point in crossing the river if there is no trail to follow."

"Yeah, come on Mal. The villains aren't here." Jay added.

"Are you sure about that?" A cold, heartless voice said from behind Mal.

Mal instantaneously turned around, almost snapping her neck in her effort to look back as fast as possible.

Solomon stood at the base of the hill they just climbed down, his hands folded behind his back and his black eyes gleaming in amusement.

All the members of Mal's group reacted simultaneously, with everyone unsheathing their swords, Royce placing an arrow on his bow, and taking an apprehensive stance around Mal, who only vaguely realized that they all acted protectively around her.

Mal could not answer, she was only able to breathe heavily. Now that the moment was here, the moment where she stood eye to eye with her most hated enemy, most thoughts had been erased from her mind.

She remembered all too well how he had looked when they were both still on the isle, now, almost two years since she had last seen him, he had slightly changed. His face was paler, with deep bags under his dark eyes and the scar his father had given him arguably more visible than it used to be.

"Nice little group you organized here, Mal." Solomon sarcastically complemented as he took one step forward.

Royce pulled his bow even more steady and Mal saw Aden slowly reach for a knife attached to his belt.

"So, this was a trap?" Jay suddenly asked, startling Mal a little.

"Oh, most definitely." Solomon answered. "Very perceptive of you, Jay."

"And you expect to take us on alone?" Aden provoked, also taking one step forward.

"Who said I was alone?" Solomon said with a grin.