Collaboration with Xez2003
It snowed on the twentieth of October and Belle's cough turned into full-out pneumonia. For three days, Mal sat beside her bed as Belle coughed until she lost her voice, threw up until she couldn't breathe, and faded in and out of consciousness. Ben summoned a doctor who popped in and out from time to time but ultimately declared he couldn't do much for Belle.
Mal tried everything she could think. Using the snow outside, she chilled bags of rice and hung others by the fire so she could switch them out on Belle's chest, neck, and head, hoping the changes of temperature would help ease her pain. She switched Belle's blankets out for clean, not-sweaty ones every day and sometimes twice, and held strong teas under Belle's nose, hoping the spices and scents would help relieve the pressure. Still, Belle slowly became unresponsive and Mal wondered if their time together was drawing to a close.
Ben and Adam popped in and out in between meetings and meals to sit with her and rub her back. Ben brought books from the library to set beside her bed in some childish hope she'd soon feel well enough to read again. Mal would often use their visits to slip out for water or food. Every so often, she'd return to find Ben reading to his mom softly, like he was trying to keep the words captive between them. They didn't speak, but he'd smile and thank her before he left on his way.
Mal was sitting with Belle and pulling her hair back to put a warm pack down on her neck when the door tipped open and someone hummed. "You look like you've been hard at work," a familiar voice said. Mal spun with a gasp.
"Oh, Evie!" she exclaimed. "You're back!"
Evie was back and standing in the doorway, all dressed in blue. Her blue hair was mostly tucked underneath a hat, but a few loose tendrils poked out in perfect spirals. She skimmed the room and Belle before shutting the door with her foot. "You look like you could use some help."
"I could," Mal agreed and moved out of the way. Evie ran her hand down Belle's neck and then tugged the back of her dress down. Her mouth pinched into a frown.
"This is a lot worse than last time," Evie sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't come in sooner. We were snowed in and it was hard to get out."
"It's fine, it's fine," Mal whispered and tried not to flinch when the odd blue leaves sprouted out of Belle's back and there were far more white and grey berries than there were red.
Evie paused at the quantity. "It looks like she's suffocating."
"Probably, with all that stuff in her lungs," Mal agreed. Evie looked worried.
"I'll remove all of this," she said after a moment of contemplation. "But there's this potion we can make… it rubs on around her neck and is pretty easy to make. I can show you later if you can get the stuff for it."
"What does it do?"
"Really basic stuff. Soothe her throat, numb the pain, make her more alert. You might be able to pass it off as a lotion to anyone who asks, but I wouldn't test your luck on purpose." Evie crossed her arms and waited for Mal's approval. It wasn't rocket science for Mal - magic and help for Belle rolled into one was a good thing.
Mal hovered while Evie went to work. She'd been wondering if there was a certain movement Evie used, but couldn't see any as she began to work through the heavy clusters.
"Thank you for talking to Ben," Evie said when the room became too silent. "I appreciate it."
"It's no problem," Mal replied.
Someone knocked. "Mal?" Ben called from outside. "Can I come in?"
Evie looked up with wide eyes as Mal rushed to the door. "Ben? Sorry, no. Hold on a moment. Belle is throwing up."
A few moments of silence. "I see," Ben said. "And you are standing by the door instead of being by her because…"
Mal cursed silently. Too sharp. Ben was too sharp. "I just… heard you and-"
"So you dropped her and ran across the room to talk to me? That sounds like you."
Evie finished up and sent the leaves withering back into Belle's skin. Mal made a frantic gesture, as if to ask "should I open the door?" Evie was busy taking a white cloak off a hook though. She slung it over her shoulders, gave it a spin, and disappeared with the cloak fluttering to the ground. Mal didn't have much time to be surprised. She opened the door with a heavy breath.
Ben was alone, holding a book under his arm, and looking very suspicious. He glanced around the room. Mal tried her best not to reflexively block his view. "I was just finishing up." Ben stepped past Mal to go sit beside his mom. He smoothed her hair back and Mal realized Belle's dress was still buttoned down. As an excuse, she picked up a warm pad and brought it over to lay across Belle's shoulders. Ben skimmed Belle's mouth, apparently not impressed with his findings, and then picked up the cloak that was spread across the floor and rubbed it with his fingers. He murmured something under his breath.
"Yes?" Mal asked nervously.
Ben hung the cloak back up. "Evie," he said simply. Mal's shoulders slumped. She averted her eyes and waited for some sort of reprimand. Ben sat down without a word and put a hand on the back of Belle's neck. "Looks like she did the trick," he muttered, then flicked his gaze back to the cloak. "And it looks like she left you something."
Mal followed his gaze and noticed a blue paper sticking out of the pocket. She snatched it out, skimmed it, and stuffed it up her sleeve. It was a list of stuff. She only recognized a few items, but figured she'd have to somehow get them for later. "How do you do that?" she asked Ben. "You had almost nothing to go on."
Ben shrugged. He didn't seem too inclined to answer as he brushed his mom's hair down. What he did say was: "My dad was heading up after me. I know you don't like being around him, so…"
"Right." Mal took the cloak back down and tied it around herself. She snatched her purse and made for the door before remembering the wastebasket and spinning back around. Ben was already sliding it behind the bed with his foot. Unbelievable.
Mal slipped out and passed Adam on the stairs. They didn't say a word to each other, but he didn't look happy to see her. It was after dinner and the sky was already dark. They'd probably want to sit in with her and talk until dark.
Outside, snow was blowing off the roof and all over the courtyard. Mal kept her head down as she hurried out. It wasn't snowing, per se, but every so often a snowflake would flit past her nose and trick her into thinking it was.
At the gates, she hesitated. Maybe she should take a guard? But this time she knew where she was going and so long as she stayed in the middle of the path, she should be fine. And if all else failed, maybe she'd be able to conjure up more accidental magic.
That idea was so thrilling that Mal immediately abandoned all thoughts of searching for someone else to help her.
The brisk wind snuck into the folds of her cloak no matter how hard she pulled it. Mal pulled the hood over her face as she hurried away. It occurred to her that her identifier, her turpe, was covered. If someone figured out what she was, it'd be a prison sentence. Then again, no one had to know.
It had been a long time since she'd felt this rebellious.
Mal came upon the cinder-block building she'd been arrested beside. Across the street, the herb shop was brightly lit and a blazing fire was burning in an exposed brick hearth. The shop had a large roof and two walls with the other two being supported by brick pillars. Inside, things hung from the ceiling and were piled in baskets on the floor. One woman with a covered head leaned against the counter, examining her reflection in a polished mirror. Above her head and thumping against the wall in the wind was a sign that read "EQ's apothecary." Mal took a moment to warm up beside the fire and then approached the counter.
The woman, who Mal assumed was EQ, looked down her nose at Mal. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm on an errand and I need to purchase these ingredients," Mal said. She put the list down on the table. EQ picked it up and pulled it towards her. She skimmed it and a smile pulled at her lips.
"We have everything here. Do you want everything in the normal quantities?"
"That… sounds lovely," Mal swallowed. "Yes, let's do that."
EQ ducked down underneath her countertop. Mal chewed her lip as she waited, then a rummaging behind her caught her attention. She turned - the woman had appeared behind her and was now sorting through what looked like a cluster of peppers hanging from the sky. Mal leaned back over the counter - no one there. She'd ducked under the counter and vanished.
As Mal leaned back up, she noticed that the peppers the woman had been picking had appeared in front of her, and they weren't peppers at all. They were flowers that grew inverted - their petals facing towards the stems. And as quickly as the flowers had appeared, more items appeared on the table. Chopped onions, thick hollow sticks, and… was that chopped liver?
"Okay!" EQ's loud voice made Mal snap back to the present. She had reappeared behind her desk and was now gathering up everything and packaging it. "Will that be all for you today?"
"It… yes," Mal stammered. "Yes, that's all."
She didn't know what else to say. "How'd you do that?" "Can you teach me?" So instead, she folded her hands and fidgeted while EQ finished gathering everything up into one very tall paper bag.
"Do you have a form of payment or would you like me to forward the bill to the palace?"
Mal's eyes strained. "I'll pay here," she said. How had she known that she was from the palace? "Do you mind not mentioning to anyone that I was-"
"What would I mention?" EQ interrupted. "That you were in a place that doesn't exist buying things that aren't real?"
Her mouth felt a bit dry but she still managed to ask: "How much?"
"This is all basic," EQ spread her hands. "But the quantity will bring it up to twenty-two."
Mal pushed a few bills onto the counter. There was thirty dollars there. "Is there any chance…" she faltered. "I was just wondering if you might be able to teach me a few tricks."
"Your magic is different from mine, honey," EQ said. Mal's skin grew icy. Why had she said "magic" out loud? Anyone could have heard. "And by the way, dearie," EQ continued as she handed over the bag. "You should know that boy is rotten - absolutely rotten. Down to the core, he's as wicked as they come. You ought to run for your life now."
Mal's hands shook as she took the bag. "Ben?" Her voice shook as she asked. "What's wrong with Ben?"
Someone snorted behind her. Mal almost shot straight out of her skin. "I believe EQ was talking about me," a boy with long, brown hair said. He was leaning against the pole and sniffing the pepper flowers. "Way to ruin my entrance, EQ."
EQ began to cackle. "Someone's got to keep your head down!" she called and tossed something through the air at him. He caught it with one hand, not even following the path it took through the air, and popped it in his mouth. When he saw Mal's dropped mouth, he pointed to his cheek.
"Cinnamon. We have a special understanding."
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Mal asked. She swung the bag up onto her arm and looked him up and down. He wore a jacket and pants of matching leather in shades of red, black, and yellow. His skin was dark and his hair was dark and his eyes were very, very dark. And he was strong. Muscles rippled underneath his sleeves as he adjusted his frame against the pole.
And when he smiled, his teeth were long and pure white. "Your worst nightmare," he teased.
EQ snorted. "Boredom. You got me." She rolled her eyes. "This is Jay. He lives across the street. Riff-raff, street rat."
"I don't buy it," Mal thought as she examined him. He seemed well-fed, well-slept, and well-dressed. She cleared her throat. "Is there a reason you're here?" she asked.
Jay stuck a thumb out over his shoulder. "We've figured something out, and I think you should come see it."
"See what?"
"Something."
"Is it a cult, a brothel, or an asylum? Because I'm not interested." She folded her arms in a dare to challenge her.
Jay's expression didn't falter. "It's something," he said, "that we think could be a danger to the king."
The room suddenly felt a lot colder. Mal dropped her defenses. EQ stuck out the eight dollars change, but Mal waved her off. "Keep it," she whispered. "I might be back for more later." She nodded toward the old woman. Jay began to slink out into the brisk wind. Mal didn't waste another moment wondering whether to follow him.
Jay headed down the street perpendicular to his and the apothecary and took a sharp right. Mal hurried along behind him. Another turn and the neat cobbling turned into dirt paths. Then Jay turned them towards the left and Mal found herself staring into the midst of dozens of towering trees. Here, she paused. "Are we at the edge of Auradon?"
"No, they just haven't built any houses here," Jay said. "They keep it clean though. For people to walk through." he waved her forward. "Come on. We're almost there."
He turned into the dark woods and Mal continued her pursuit. "So," she said to cover the sound of her huffing against the wind. "You like Ben?" A shiver shook her body. She clutched her hands closer together. This made Jay pause. He turned and grinned crookedly while Mal tried to pull the cloak closer to her body.
"Someone's not from around here," he teased. "Yeah. We like the King. He's a good man."
"I think so. Not very many people in the courts seem to agree." Another shiver almost knocked her over. Jay rubbed his hands together and began to approach her.
"Well," he said. "It's easy to like a person when they spend their career standing up for you."
From his hands, Mal watched a burning sandstorm appear. It grew until it was about the size of an apple and then he held it out to her. The warmth tickled her face. She held her hands out and felt them begin to thaw.
"You're magical. Like me." She skimmed his neck. "And you don't wear a turpe either."
Jay laughed. "Who's going to make me? The King?" He shook his head. "I don't know if he realizes it, but he treated the right people right. He's got a whole bunch of us who like him. We support him. By the lands, I'd even die for him."
Mal's mouth crooked up at the corner. "Me too," she agreed. "He deserves to live."
"He's certainly done more with his life than any other person in that palace. Except maybe Belle," Jay snorted. Mal nodded her agreement and then hid her warmed hands back inside her cloak. Jay let his sand spill through his hands and then kicked the golden silt away into the grass. "We're almost there. Let's hurry."
They continued marching over the frozen ground, trekking through the odd snow pile. The further they went, the more cautious Jay became. He began hiding behind tree trunks, peering out to check for any dangers before dashing to the next. He avoided sticks on the ground and tread as softly as possible. Mal followed his leave without knowing why.
A light appeared in the sky above the trees. At first, Mal thought it was the moon. Then, she realized it was too yellow to be the moon. No, not the moon, but a room in a tower with a blazing candle set on the windowsill and a rope ladder slung down the side. Jay led her up to a wide tree slowly, crouching low to the ground so they'd couldn't be spotted as easily, and then together they peered out from behind the thick, scratchy bark.
Mal squinted, trying to see inside the room. All she could see was books. Rows and rows of books.
A shadow moved out of the trees up ahead. It was a figure in black robes. Their entire body, including their head and face, was covered. Mal tensed. Friend or foe? They dashed towards the base of the tower, snatched the ladder and began to climb up. Foe, she decided. They were spying.
"What is this place?" she whispered to Jay.
"The old Baptist church," Jay whispered back. "When Belle was queen, she'd come down here and trade books with the chaplain, Pere Robert. But he died almost ten years ago. And a few months ago, we started noticing these cukes climbing up. They hide in the trees until the candle is put up. Then they all go in."
"How do you know all this?"
Jay shrugged and finally looked a little sheepish. "I… like to nick things here and there and the main street's just that way." He pointed behind the church. "Sometimes it makes a good hiding place, is all."
Mal laughed. "Stealing before you go to church, Jay? You must need God more than you think."
"Do you want the advice or not?" Jay grumbled.
"I do." Mal quickly solemnized her expression. "How does this affect Ben?"
"I'm sure you remember the guy who grabbed you a few weeks back?"
Mal glanced up sharply. Jay held up his hands. "Hey, woah, I'm trying to help here."
"How did you know?" Oh, what a stupid question! He lived right beside where she'd been arrested. "What do you know?" Better.
"I went back for the jerk." Jay said. "Wasn't hard. He was drunk out of his mind. I was going to take him down to the cops."
"You didn't think to help me out?"
"The guards had already got you and I knew that Ben wasn't going to do anything." Jay rolled his eyes. "But I went out to get the guy. And I found him - as he was rambling to someone else about a witch. I was going to wait until he was alone so I didn't have to deal with them both. But then they started moving - out here." Jay pointed up towards the window. "Those two guys headed all the way to the top. And then not even a week later, both of them in the palace. One shot dead and the other refuses to talk."
Mal was beginning to feel cold again. "Well then - you think they were meeting here? People who want Ben dead?"
"Well, I certainly don't think they were sneaking into the palace to throw him a party."
"How many?"
"A lot. Once I counted twenty. But there's more and it's impossible to tell with their robes on."
Mal swallowed. Twenty? How could twenty people want Ben dead? How could anyone want Ben dead? "Are you sure they weren't coming for me?" she whispered.
"They've been doing this for months. Plus, I only know who you are because I heard you tell the guards your story. The only way they'd know you is if-"
"I danced with Ben," Mal interrupted. "At Belle's welcome ball. He asked me to dance. And I'm the one who unveiled the plot against him."
Jay's eyebrows shot up. "You danced with him? Dang, I didn't realize it was that serious."
"Oh, it wasn't! It was just… Audrey was trying and-"
Jay stopped her with a hand. "Anyway, I doubt they were going after you. After all, there was already a plot in place. You just found them."
Up in the window, the candle was snuffed out. The rope ladder began to creak. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but Mal counted slowly as figures appeared at the top of the ladder and began to descend. There were eight in all. Some jumped off near the ground and others held on tightly all the way down. Their robes billowed out like pillowcases - Mal couldn't tell which if they were male or female. But all of them wore black and were covered as they dashed into the woods.
Mal wrapped a hand around Jay's wrist. "Let's follow them!" She whispered.
"No use." Jay shook his head. "I've been trying for the last few weeks - ever since they snuck into the palace. Some have carriages, others have horses… and it's near impossible to keep up with them without letting them know they're being followed. I don't want to scare them away."
Mal looked up at the building. There was someone still inside - she could tell because they were pulling the rope ladder up, bit by bit. She watched it disappear, and then the largest figure of them all appeared against the stones. He was tall, towering even from a distance and climbed down with nothing to hold onto whatsoever. He hit the ground and began to dash right towards him. Jay pulled Mal tight against the tree trunk. The figure ran past, spraying them with dry snow, and disappeared without a backward glance.
Mal peeked back out. "Is it empty now?" she whispered.
"Can't tell," Jay whispered. "I don't know if they have a hidden guard or anything."
"One way to find out," Mal decided. She rubbed her hands together. "Can you make another fire please? My hands are frozen."
Jay rubbed his hands together and another storm appeared. "Can't you make your own?" he asked while Mal hovered around the burning sands. "You lit your hands on fire."
"Accident," Mal whispered. "I don't know how to use my magic."
Jay blinked and extinguished his fire. Mal whined, but he only picked up one of her hands and rubbed his thumbs into her palm. Mal wrinkled her nose. The motion felt good, but she wasn't so sure about Jay holding her hand. Soon, he picked up the other one.
"What are you doing?"
"Warming up." Jay put both of his hands together and raised his eyebrows, waiting. She stared, then put her hands together as well, mirroring him. Jay began to rub his hands together and she mirrored him. "Now," he said. "Just imagine a spark catching on the heat."
Mal did, focusing on the warm friction, and pictured the fizzle of a spark. The shape, the shock, the smell - a pain pricked her palm and she drew back. "Ow!"
"You have to give it a home," Jay said. "It's the same as normal fire. It won't want to stay if it doesn't have a place to go. You have to make the spark comfortable. Help it feel accepted. You have to make a home for the fire."
Mal exhaled, nodded, and closed her eyes. Jay snorted. "Why are you doing that?"
"Hush."
She rubbed her hands together, feeling the warmth, and suddenly understood why Jay had done his thumb trick. The centers of her palms were warm. "A special place," she thought. "A place for fire." She imagined the flames, imagined the popping and cracking, and imagined a spark bursting forth out of the warmth in her hands. There was a fwoosh, and suddenly she was holding her first tendril of flame.
"Oh!" she breathed. "It's beautiful."
The flame was small, but hot. It melted the frost straight off her hands and face and cloak. She smiled and held it closer to her, treasuring the warmth.
Jay snorted. "You've got a giveaway," he told her and pointed towards her eyes. "Your eyes glow when you use magic. Maybe if you can learn to be discreet, you'll be as good as I am!" He puffed his chest out.
Mal flicked a piece of her flame at him and laughed when he yelped and jumped. A bit of hot sand stung her cheek in return, but it was more welcome than not.
Together, they both looked up at the tower. "Let's make this quick," Jay said. "In and out. We can't light the candle either. And if they find us, it's game over."
"We can fight them off," Mal protested. "I know I don't look it, but I'm quite skilled in a fistfight."
"I'm not talking about that." Jay gestured at the tower. "They'll leave. We'll have to start all over again."
Mal exhaled and nodded. Jay was right.
They stomped through the frozen snow to the base of the tower. Mal put her fire out and examined the outside. The place where the largest figure had climbed down held many jutting stones and bricks. Easy to climb. She took hold of one within her reach and began to haul herself up. Jay bent down and took her leg. She stared at him. "What do you think you're doing?"
His face went bright red. "I was, uh, going to help you up. I was helping you up." He stretched the back of his neck.
"Maybe look the other way?" Mal suggested.
"I - uh - right!" He spun back around and faced the woods, scanning for shrouded figures instead. Mal returned to the tower. She hauled herself up, found a footrest, and continued heading up to the window. It didn't take long. "I'm up!" she called down to Jay as softly as she could, and then kept watch at the window while he pulled himself up and swung into the room.
Mal conjured her fire again as Jay summoned a sandstorm and they both looked around. Like she'd seen from the ground, there were books everywhere. There were also chairs and benches and a table that was completely bare. Nothing else.
"At least no one's here," Jay whispered.
Mal went to the shelves and began pulling things down. Books, books. She fluttered through the pages, but nothing was tucked within. Empty books. She crouched down. More books. Nothing on top of the books.
"Maybe they take stuff with them?" Jay suggested. "Oh, here's an inkpot and - oh, Mal. Here."
Mal turned around. "What is it?" Jay was lying on the floor, holding his sandstorm to the bottom shelf. Mal quickly laid down beside him. He pointed at a symbol painted on the back of the bottom shelf. It looked like half of a box with a line off the top of it. To Mal, it meant nothing. "What?" she urged.
"Hobo sign." Jay interpreted. "It means 'this is the place'. What do you think that means?"
Hmm… Mal reached out and felt along the symbol. "Dry," she whispered. She pressed along the ink and felt the entire back of the shelf give way. Oh.
By pushing against one side, she and Jay were able to latch their fingers around the other and pull it out. Behind the shelf was a compartment with three small scrolls. Jay pulled them out and unrolled one. His expression was grim. "Not good," he whispered. "Really not good."
Mal took it and skimmed the contents. It was a list. A list of ways to kill Ben. Some of these were sneaky… cunning…
Poison by degrees.
Messing with the electricity running the lightbulb in his office so it'd shock him.
Leave bleach and vinegar in a bucket under his bed.
"What is wrong with people?" Mal whispered. "Who would do this?"
"I think your answer might be here," Jay murmured. He turned the longest scroll towards Mal, who squinted in the dark and held her flame up to the paper, careful not to scorch it. It was a mess of fonts, shaking penmanship, and ineligible marks. It was full of signatures.
"Parti - partibus - oh, this isn't in English. Can you read this?" Jay pointed to the top of the paper.
"Partibus ad mortem," Mal whispered. "It's Latin. It means parties to death."
"You know Latin."
"Expensive education." Mal put her finger against the paper and exhaled. "This isn't ink."
"There's an inkpot right there."
"Ink doesn't dry in that shade." Mal tapped a smear that was almost clear through the center. "It's blood. They've signed it with blood." She put out her fire and took the paper before moving so Jay's sands illuminated the parchment. "On this, the ninth of May, in the year of our Lord Fifteen-Thirty-Six, we the-"
"This isn't 1536," Jay exclaimed with wide eyes. "Holy crap, did we stumble on a historical-"
"It's just symbolism," Mal shook her head. "The blood would have faded if it was that old. The ink too. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the then King killed his queen on that date." She took a steadying breath. "We the partisans of law do declare our purpose, in the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects to the magnificent country, by the grace of God, of Auradon the magnificent and bright, defender of the faith, etc. Having undertaken, for the glory and advancement of the royal regime, and honour of our law and country, a witness that we will expunge the continent of those with the dangerous power to subdue others to their will by means of supernatural force, and execute or persuade any who would allow them to do so. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names in God's church upon the 11. of November, in the fourtieth year of the raigne of our sovereigne lord, King Adam."
There was a long cloud of silence. Finally, Jay slumped against the bookcase. "Geesh, these people don't know how to spell," he huffed.
"It's just written historically. Many people feel it's more binding that way." Mal traced the words "supernatural force" and "execute or persuade."
"Any idea what that means?" Jay whispered, leaning over her shoulder.
Her chest felt tight and she was seeing sideways even though her head was on straight. Mal swallowed. "I think it's a coup de grace. The final straw. They've all made a contract with each other to kill anyone magical and anyone who supports magic. Even Ben." She pointed to the last line. "Look. In the fourtieth year of the raigne of King Adam. But Belle isn't even sixty and Adam has to be around the same age as her. And his parents died young. They're counting Ben's reign as Adam's. They're rejecting him as king."
"Treason," Jay whispered.
Mal skimmed the paper. They had done everything to make it official - even put the beast crest into a wax seal on the bottom of the page. And while she couldn't read every name, a couple made her breath catch. "Jay, look." She pulled on his sleeve. "Aziz. He's the one who was arrested for conspiracy."
"Queen Jasmine," Jay breathed. "King Phillip. This is… everyone in the courts."
"It can't be everyone!" Mal hissed. "Some people like Ben and-"
A scratching came from outside. They both looked up at the same time. A hand appeared over the windowsill. Mal caught a flash of gold. A wedding ring? It was on the wrong finger. Then a head came up and two brown eyes peered into the room. Their head was shrouded in black. Their eyes were hardened with hate.
"Watch out!" Jay snapped. He whipped his hand out to the side and a rope of sand materialized from his palm. It snapped against the person's skin and they released the windowsill with a yelp.
Mal rolled up the paper and stuffed all the scrolls into the bag hanging off her elbow. "Let's get out of here!" she exclaimed. She turned to Jay. He was pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and tying it around his face. In one fluid motion, he'd pulled his hair underneath his jacket and smeared something black on his forehead. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Well, if they realize I have magic and I'm not registered and that I've been sneaking around out here, I'll be a target. So I'd rather not. Now come on!" They leapt to the window. The shadowed person was climbing up again. A knife was in their hand. Jay threw out his arm and a square of sand appeared in front of him. He shoved Mal onto it. Mal yelped, but the sand held firm, swirling under her hands.
"What is this?" she shrieked.
"Magic carpet. I've only tried it twice so you'd better cross your heart and wish us a happy landing if we-"
"Go!"
Jay began to direct the carpet forward. The person climbing up threw the knife, but missed by a mile. With a gargled yell, they leapt off the building, snatching for air, and managed to snag the back of the sand carpet.
Jay began to lose control.
"We're going to go down!" He shouted. Mal tried to shove the other person off, but they snatched hold of her bag, dug through it, and yanked out the scroll.
"No!" Mal snapped. She snatched the top of the scroll and it unraveled, billowing out in the wind. The other person drew back their arm. With a mighty yank, they severed the bottom part of the scroll with about half of the names and the beast seal from the top.
"Incoming!" Jay shouted. The carpet skimmed the top of a tree and the shadowed person was caught in the branches. They ripped part of the sand carpet as they tumbled off the edge and towards the ground. Jay and Mal flew for about twenty more yards and then slammed into a pine tree. The sand fell like snow as they rolled off the needles and onto the ground below.
"Are there - are there any more?"
"No," Mal gasped. She lifted the remaining portion of the scroll. "We - we have to find them. They got part of the scroll."
"Give me a minute." Jay held up a finger. His eyes were lit up all golden as he tried to catch his breath. Mal brushed subconsciously at her own eyes. Did hers look that same way?
It only took a minute for them to catch their breaths again. They helped each other up and began the trek back through the woods. They found the place where the person had fallen - a crater in the snow surrounded by sticks - but they were gone.
"Hey listen," Jay huffed. He took Mal by the shoulders. "I know you want to keep looking, but let's go to the King. There might be more in that library - maybe we could catch someone. But let's not lose what we have. Come on."
With Jay's knowledge of the kingdom layout, they soon found themselves hiking up the front entrance of the palace. Jay looked almost frightened, but he held his composure well as Mal led him into the front hall and immediately found a servant taking down sheets from the far left staircase. "Excuse me," she said. "Has his majesty turned in yet? Is he up there?"
"He's up there," the servant agreed. "Just barely shut the door. You might want to wait until morning."
"That won't be necessary," Jay said. "We have urgent news for him. He'll want to look at it right away. And this is the girl from the ball - the one King Ben danced with."
She resisted the urge to cover her face. How many people knew about that? Then, before Jay could say anything else, she grabbed his sleeve and began pulling him up the stairs.
"Just so you know, there's nothing going on between the King and I."
"Really? I thought you went on a carriage ride a while back."
Mal pursed her lips. How much did he know? "That was… a meeting. He asked me to accompany him to a meeting."
"You qualified for meetings?" Jay asked. "I mean, you do speak Latin, but-"
Mal counted the doors down to Ben's bedroom and knocked on it. Jay glanced between her and this door. "Where are we?" he asked.
"This is Ben's room."
"You know his-"
"I'm a servant here for his mother. If something happens, I know where to summon him. I don't - and haven't - slept here."
"I'm just saying it's kinda suspicious that-"
The door opened. Jay straightened up with a squeak. Ben appeared in his blue flannel pajamas and a white robe over his shoulders. He rubbed his eyes against the light and then noticed Mal in the hallway. His lips drew into a thin line. He held up a finger. "Could you give me just one moment?" he asked.
The door shut again. Mal saw the lights turn on under the door and heard rummaging on the other side. She and Jay exchanged a glance. "What's going on?" he mouthed. She shrugged.
Ben opened the door again, this time with the robe gone, some shoes on, and his hair relatively tidier. "Sorry about that," he apologized as he leaned against the doorframe, trying to act cool even with lines from his pillows on one cheek. "How can I help you, Mal?" Then, he noticed Jay. "And… Mal's friend?"
For a moment, Jay seemed too afraid to say anything. Then he swallowed and some of the suave attitude he'd had when he'd first appeared came back. He put his hands on Mal's shoulders. "We're just coming to save the day as usual."
Ben looked wide awake now. Wide awake and very focused on where Jay's hands were. Mal cleared her throat and brushed them off. She held up the scroll, whose torn edge had been wrapped as neatly as was possible around the shaft. "Jay took me to this hideout in the forest where we found this and you need to know about it."
"Jay took you to a hideout in the forest?" Ben repeated. His neck began to turn a little red. "Alone? That's why you left? I thought you were going out shopping!"
"I was!" Mal exclaimed. "He lives across the street and when he saw me over there, he recognized me and said he wanted me to follow him because he was afraid you might be in danger."
"He lives across the street? Was that on purpose or coincidence?"
"Are you not hearing me?" Mal deadpanned.
Jay cleared his throat. "I, uh, your majesty I was just borrowing her so I could-"
"Borrowing her?"
Mal stuck a finger in Jay's face. "You're not helping!"
"I thought you said you two weren't seeing each other?"
"We're not seeing each other!" Mal and Ben snapped at the same time. Both paused, considering everything. Ben turned to Mal. Mal prepared her speech, about how she'd never met Jay and how Ben really needed to focus, but then Ben's first question completely threw her for a loop.
"You told him we weren't seeing each other?"
Mal gaped. What was he trying to imply? Jay crossed his arms, looking between the two like he was watching some play or something. "We aren't!" she sputtered.
"Well, of course not, but I'm just wondering how the subject came up, and-"
Mal shoved the scroll into his face. "Shut up and read," she demanded.
Jay whistled while Ben fumbled and then took the scroll and began to unroll it. "You know that's the King of Auradon you just yelled at, right?"
Mal groaned internally. Neither Belle nor Jay would ever let her hear the end of this.
"Mal," Ben interrupted her mental pity party. His expression had hardened over and all traces of anger were gone. Now it was stone-cold acceptance. "What am I looking at here?"
Mal swallowed. "It's the top part of a coup de grace document. We found it in the library. It was behind a shelf. Do you know Pere Robert's library? Jay said he's been noticing them going up for months and on the night I was attacked, he followed the guy back to the place. A week later they broke into the palace. That's why he came to me tonight. He wanted me to tell you, but I wanted more information."
"Where's the bottom half?" Ben asked.
"We were attacked." Mal said. "I think the light must have attracted them. Someone chased us and they took the bottom half of the paper. They were covered in black - I saw a ring and some brown eyes. That's it. We went back to look for them, but they got away."
"I should clarify, sir," Jay began, clearing his throat. "Mal and I hadn't met. But I overheard her arrest and knew who she was from that. Plus, uh, one of my pals saw you two together a few weeks ago."
"I still have questions about that," Mal interjected.
"We just like to make sure that his majesty stays safe and so when he's out-"
"You protect me?" Ben asked. He looked as shocked by this revelation as he had been by anything else tonight. "Sorry, who are you?"
"Uh, I am… I'm Jay, your majesty. I, uh, live in town, and - I'm normal and you're, uh, you're a great guy who's done a lot, so…"
"You can stop now," Mal advised. Ben might have still been tired, but she could see the wheels turning, fitting everything together. Examining the black smudged on Jay's face and the handkerchief around his neck… everything. All at once.
She tapped the paper. "What are we going to do, Ben? I can't remember every name, but they had even stamped it with the beast crest. Just… what do you want us to do? Should we get the guards and-"
"I can't arrest all these people," Ben interrupted. "Not without appointing people in their steads to keep these kingdoms from ceasing to function. Without the other half, I could just be putting people who are more dangerous in and then they'd be mad. This is… a lot of people in the courts. I don't see Doug, I don't see Aladdin, I don't see Chad, or Audrey or my dad. There might be more, but I can't remove every single royalty in one night without anyone I can replace them with. Plus, those kingdoms would be furious with me. Especially Auroria… King Phillip is still a hero for executing Maleficent all those years ago."
Mal shivered. Neither Ben nor Jay seemed to notice. They were both too busy reading the manifesto."
Finally, Ben came to a decision. "Where did you say this was?" he asked.
"The Baptist Church," Jay said. "Where Queen Belle used to trade books at."
"I'll send guards down and lock the place down. Search everywhere. For now, no one says anything to these people, and I'll just have to watch my step."
"You're just going to wait?" Mal demanded.
"Of course. I'm the bait. That's what bait does. It waits." Ben ran a hand through his hair, making it all messy again even after he'd tried to calm it down. "If only I knew what they might do-"
"There was a list," Mal interrupted. She fished in her bag for the two remaining scrolls and handed them to Ben. He offered the torn one to Jay as he tucked one under his arm and unrolled the other. A heavy breath.
"Well," he choked. "That's certainly creative." He put the list into his pocket and unrolled the second. His face turned ashen. Mal chewed her lip.
"I didn't read that one," she admitted. "What does it say?"
At her admittance, Ben rolled the scroll up and hid it away too. He cupped her cheek and gave her a shaky smile. "Just a list," he said. "I'd rather you not see, actually." He inhaled, took the scroll from Jay, and began down the hall. "Guards?" he called into the main entrance. Mal made to follow him, but Jay stopped her. In his hand was the second scroll. He'd stolen it from Ben without Ben having a single suspicion. Mal took it and began to softly unwind it. Then she skimmed. It was a list. A long list of names. One was crossed out every so often. Most Mal didn't recognize. Others she did. "Godmother," "Chad Charming," "King Benjamin."
Mal almost choked. Jane's name had been crossed off in red. This was a hit list.
"What do you mean?" Ben said from the end of the hall. "These two, down here, they were just barely over there!"
"What's wrong?" Mal called. He turned around, waved at her to go back, and then continued arguing with the guards. Mal and Jay moved forward.
"We just got the reports," one guard was explaining. "Flames everywhere. It just blew up. Like a gas explosion."
"There were no gas lines in that church," Ben replied bitterly. "Okay. That's fine. Secure the ruins. Arrest anyone trespassing."
"The church is gone?" Mal asked.
Ben turned around. For a moment, she mistook the frustration and stress for anger. "I told you to-" he paused, staring at the scroll partially unrolled in her hands, and then felt his pocket. Jay crossed his arms and whistled behind her.
"Mal," Ben whispered. "Did you read that?"
"It's a hit list," Mal whispered. "Your name is on here."
Ben moved forward slowly, like he was afraid she'd flee if he went too fast. "Just… give it back here," he said softly.
There was something else.
Mal looked down at the roll and Ben froze. Despite the palpable disappointment, he made no effort to snatch it back as Mal reached the end of the list.
Every name was written in black and crossed out in red. Every one. Except this one. This one was purple and circled and underlined. One word, three letters. Mal.
Collaboration with Xez2003