"An alliance?" Mal laughed as she couldn't believe what she had just heard, the darkness slipping back into the cages of her mind. "Are you crazy? We would kill each other. And why bring this up now, right before a drop?" she asked. "Do you honestly think we wouldn't tear each other to shreds over these supplies?"
"Really, Mal?" Uma growled as she rolled her eyes, "Im not stupid. What I'm proposing is an alliance whenever we need to call on each other. If the Huns destroy even one of us, the other will fall right after. If we group together, they don't stand a chance. We are stronger than them, together."
"A temporary alliance," Mal repeated as she mulled over what Uma was saying. It made sense; if they were attacked, they could send word to the Pirates for help, and then things would go right back to normal fighting. It could work, but she needed some time to think it over as well. "I'll think about it," she offered.
Uma took that and left. It wasn't exactly a no, but it wasn't a yes either.
"What did that sea rat want?" Dahlia asked as she rejoined her leader, watching the pirates join back with their crew.
"Nothing," she replied. She still needed to think it over, but later; because right now the Auradon ship was slipping through the barrier, approaching the docks.
The following events were chaos for everyone involved. It started off as a little hectic, but the VK's had it all planned out to a tee. When the ship docked, Auradon guards and ship workers unloaded the spoils, and stuck around as the villains pried open boxes and filled bags with things they wanted. If violence broke out, the Auradon guards were quick to stop it. Mal saw Jay, right next to his father going through boxes and pulling things out quickly before hiding them within their bags. Other villains and their children did the same. Like the label said, the adults got priority as they went through the goods. When they were done with one, they watched their VK's, the Secondaries, go through those next; and each rival gang was more or less being civil with one another. As point, Mal started to narrate the events she saw as her crew behind her whispered plans.
"Uma's rat in red just tagged Luna for those cans; so did the Huns," she relayed as her crew looked closer. The Dragons watched tiny hand signals coming from the VK's on the docks, telling their crews on the banks what they saw from up close as well as telling them who to hit and steal from once the ship was gone. They saw Luna as she seemed to flick something from her chest, right over her heart and point her elbow in the direction of a kid in green. "Luna marked the Jungle kid for medical supplies," and then added, "Oh, and looks like he found a weapon as well," when she hooked her thumb into her belt loop.
Tiny signals like these were going on all over the docks and would have fascinated outsiders to no end. Obviously, each gang had their own signals, but to be able to so easily identify what was going on took skill; and Mal's crew was great at it.
"They're here," Dahlia said ominously as her eyes zeroed in on a woman clad in purple and black robes, horns glistening in the last light of the day as she worked with the Evil Queen. Mal's eyes flicked over to them, but then ignored the two women as she sunk lower into the rocks. At least, that's what everyone thought. Only Dahlia could see that as Mal watched over the docks, her eyes would flick over to her mother every now and again with a slight anxiety directed at her. The two villain women in turn were flicking their eyes all over the place as if looking for someone, and it was no guess that it would be for Mal and Evie. Jay was getting the worst of the stares, knowing that he ran with them and went to Auradon with them as well.
"Roan got tagged by a Hun," Red hissed from Mal's other side. "It looks like food, and maybe even...baby items."
"Red, you're an extra escort for Roan and Carlos when they leave. We need those items," Mal ordered her, and then smirked in satisfaction, "Roan tagged him back for clothing; thermal wear it looked like. That should be interesting."
"Luna tagged another Jungle kid," Dahlia noticed along with Red. The girl on the docks had snapped her fingers at her right side, and they guessed it was a lighter. "Lighter," she confirmed, "and more food items."
This went back and forth until almost all of the boxes had been pried open and emptied of most of the belongings. Most of the things they saw leftover were useless nicknacks, decor, and food so rotten that not even the rodents sneaking around would touch.
"What the hell is that?" Mal asked as a flurry of signals from the other gangs all pointed towards Roan working on a box that had been missed. Signals of food, medicine, clothing, tarp, lighters, rope, tape, batteries, candles… you name it, told the crews that what he had was a combination of all of those things. Some pressed closer towards him as he fiddled with a blanket he had found earlier, trying his hardest to wrap it around the bulky item that had the Secondaries all riled up. It was an overlooked emergency kit; a fully stocked one at that and everyone wanted it. "Shit," she voiced. "Everyone has him tagged" His worried gaze shot up to Mal on the ledge and she could see his anxiousness even from this distance. And not only that, Maleficent followed his gaze until she finally found Mal, their eyes connecting.
The burning behind her eyes told her that her mother had seen her, and she dug her nails into the rock when their eyes connected; something had changed in her mothers abilities. If it wasn't for the distance, Mal was sure that she would have passed out from the pain her mother was inflicting. Dahlia dropped to her knees next to her and tried to get the purple haired girl to tear her gaze away from Maleficent, who stood down on the docks with glowing eyes and a malevolent smile. "Mal, Mal, fight it," she whispered as the Dragon leader fought to break the connection. Mal was shaking now, the pain and pressure in her head building to where she was almost blinded. She was fighting back, but as the blood ran from her nose and dripped into the dirt, she knew that she needed to try harder. Her mother had gotten much stronger somehow. Dahlia had grabbed her hand, and Mal was squeezing it now in desperation for some sort of distraction that would tear her gaze away, and Dahlia got the signal. "Ember!" she yelled. "Think of Ember, Mal," Dahlia begged, sighing when finally, Mal ripped her gaze from her mother and sank into the earth, panting and trying to clear her mind from the pain gripping it.
"Fuck," she breathed as she shook, using her sleeve to wipe the blood that was now dripping from her chin and onto her shirt. "That was a bitch to handle." She pushed Dahlia away and noticed that Red was still watching the docks for her, taking over while she was incapacitated. "Keep at it Red," she told the girl as she stepped back to recover. The headache built as she fought hard to keep from throwing up, and she wanted to scream in frustration when Dahlia let her know a few minutes later that the guards were loading up. It was time for the runners to do their jobs.
Mal always had her crew leave before the ship departed, and today was no different. She didn't want to risk looking back over that edge, and Dahlia hadn't told her that her mother was gone yet, so she had to still be there.
Red relayed the tags back to her while Dahlia informed her of the crew movements around the docks. "Roan is going to be screwed. He's got Huns, Pirates, Jungles, Demons, and Wonderlands watching him."
Mal had to think fast before the chaos erupted, but it was just so hard as her head throbbed. She risked a glance over the docks to the other side, avoiding her mother, and locked eyes with Uma before forming a plan. That emergency pack Roan had was the most valuable thing down there and everyone wanted it. She had just mocked Uma about the alliance, but maybe if she gave in then she would help her cover Roan and split the contents. It was worth a shot because even if she put all of her crew on Roan, he would still be ripped to shreds. So, she nodded to the rival pirate and then guided her eyes to Roan before connecting again. She held up two fingers and then pulled them apart, telling Uma that she would be willing to split the pack if she helped her. By this time, Roan had pulled the large pack onto his back, and even Luna moved next to him as they looked for Carlos and Elliot at the end of the docks. Mal got her answer when Uma leaned to Hook and whispered something in his ear that made him scowl towards the Dragons on the dock. Uma gave him a hardened glare, and he slinked away and towards their own Runners, whispering something that sent shocked looks towards Roan. Uma then gave Mal a nod, and Mal spat out the new orders.
"We're going to have some Pirates running with us; let them," she ordered as shock went around her own group. "It's all going to go as we planned in terms of protecting our Secondaries, but forget our tags and join the Runners; we need Roan's pack. He's going to hand it off to Rhett at the first point around the neutral zone, and he and Carlos will stay for defense along with the Pirates. I don't want Huns or other vermin slipping into our territory. Luna with Elliot will catch Maddox and Thea for their handoff before holding back anyone slipping past the first point. Everyone else will patrol the zone, and the rest of our crew in our territory will catch anyone who dares trespass. Dahlia, Red, and I will go where needed." After another glance at the departing ship, she broke up the group. "Let's move."
"Wait, Mal…" Red requested, stepping up with slight hesitation at confronting her leader. "That first Jungle kid Luna tagged found a good bit of food. If we weren't supplying the Tremaines, we could get by, but…"
"We need it," Mal sighed, finishing her sentence for her. She gave the red head a thankful and understanding nod, and the girl smiled back in relief. "Okay then, Red and Dahlia run the Jungle kid. I don't think you will meet many Runners defending them; everyone seems to have eyes on Roan. We've never seen a score this big and everyone wants it. Forget all the other tags we saw, Roan and Jungle kid are our targets. Watch your backs," she ordered one last time before slipping away to meet her crew from the docks. By this time, crews were surrounding the edges of the docks and leaking slowly into the neutral zones. As soon as the ship would pass through the barrier and they couldn't be seen anymore, chaos would erupt. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, and the Dragons filled with adrenaline as their side now swelled with rival crew Runners just waiting to catch the Secondaries. Five, four, three, two...one; the ship was gone.
Roan, Carlos, Luna, and Elliot didn't waste time in climbing back up the ledge earlier, which was now littered with Runners. They instead had shot across the dock and disappeared underneath the boards before the ship was even close to the barrier, grabbing the weapons not allowed on the docks, and popping back up further down the beach. They were already way ahead of everyone else, and Mal had to run hard to meet them there as the Pirates soon clashed with several gangs behind her. She ran with Roan, Luna, Carlos, and Elliot for a second, informing them of the Pirate assist, before peeling off and catching some of the Huns that had already broken through. It was a race against death as weapons flashed and VK's all ran. She was slowed down by some of them, but she held them off enough for her crew and some Pirates to blaze past them and further around the neutral zone after her Secondaries. She only hoped that the rival gangs hadn't sent Runners to station themselves around the zone as she had. As planned and thankful for the Pirate alliance, Luna and Elliot peeled off into the edges of Pirate territory to keep their pack safe, while Roan and Carlos booked it towards their territory. Mal knew they would be handing the pack off to their Runners, which would effectively throw off the ones who were targeting Roan.
At one point, Mal could move no further as too many Hun, Jungle, and Wonderland VK's surrounded her. As she fought for control, many more slipped past her and further down the neutral zone after Roan. At one point, Mal was startled to see Shunyuan there, hurling a knife towards her before Uma appeared and blocked the blade only inches from the Dragons chest. "I got you girl," the teal haired Pirate tossed over her shoulder before Mal became occupied by yet another knife sailing towards her. They fought back to back for several minutes until more Pirates joined them, as well as Red and Dahlia who had successfully stolen the Jungle kids pack and met back up with them. The four of them ran hard, eventually catching up with another blended group of kids who were all on a fallen Roan.
The pack was nowhere to be seen, but Mal caught Roan's eye as she pulled a Jungle kid off of him, and slammed her fist into a Hun kid's nose. The smirk he gave her told her that he had successfully handed it off to their Runner, but it slipped away when he went down once more.
Mal managed to slay one of the Hun kids, an unfortunate situation that they usually tended to avoid, but then cringed when Shunyuan had managed to slice his dagger across Uma's side. Every VK on this Isle tried to avoid killing each other when possible, but it did happen as a last resort. Without hesitation, Uma turned and ripped his own blade from his hand, slicing it across the back of a Jungle kid while a shuddering crack erupted under the hands of Roan as he snapped a Wonderland runner's arm in defense. The Dragons and Pirates now had the upper hand, and they retreated, especially when they noticed that the pack they were after was not there.
"Shit," Uma breathed as she clutched at her side. Mal looked at her in concern, but the fury that radiated from the girl told her to drop it. "Im fine," she growled, pushing her way past Mal and continuing the mission they had started.
They came across several more groups, and Mal felt mixed relief when she saw a bleeding Carlos up ahead helping Elliot limp along. They caught up, but Carlos hurriedly told Mal that the Jungle and Wonderland kids had backed off, but the Huns jumped into Dragon territory after that pack. Mal fumed; it really wasn't like the Huns needed that pack, they controlled the hospital. It was a play for power and Mal would not stand for it. "Maddox took Luna's pack," Carlos relayed, "and should have stashed it by now. I saw her heading towards the market with Thea trailing after him and picking off Hun Runners."
Mal left Roan and a pirate with Carlos, and sent Red alone with the pack they had snatched from the Jungle kid to run it to a stash spot. Uma, Dahlia, and the remaining two Pirates went with Mal into their territory after the Huns. They didn't come across too many of them until they reached the market. It was so odd to see it so bare at this time of night, but that was because the Isle was too dangerous during drop day, and the adults would be too busy going through their spoils. Mal knew they were screwed when they saw a large group of Hun's ransacking a pack, but at least it wasn't one they had tagged. For them to be this comfortable in the open space was what had her worried; they had walked right into a trap.
From behind, they were grabbed and shoved roughly to the center of the square. For some reason, there were more of them on Mal, and were close to herding her away from the rest of her group which struck her as off. Were they trying to take her? Before they knew it, and before the rest of the crew now behind her had their knees hit the stone in execution style, chaos erupted once again. This time, Mal glimpsed some of her crew, Mila and Ava, on the rooftops hurling Carlos's homemade bombs down towards the Huns. The Huns holding them hit the ground between them as the explosions sent chunks of stone and concrete flying, and then Cole and Aria popped up. The two shoved daggers deep into the enemy's spines, killing them instantly before looking at Mal in confusion as she planted herself in front of Uma and her Pirates. They got the message and then offered their hands to them to help them up.
Smoke filled their lungs as they pulled themselves up from the now red stained stone, choking as they used the cover to grab the new pack and high tail it out of there. When Uma started to fall back, Mal fell back too, already having seen the red staining her clothing even before getting drenched in Hun blood. She noted the shop her and Uma's crew up ahead broke into, and helped Uma along who was less than happy for the Dragons' help. The knife wound she took from Shunyuan was worse than she had thought. Both crews sheltered there for the next few hours, and Mal herself tended to Uma's knife wound the best the Pirate would allow until Hook found them.
"Stay here tonight," Mal said as she peeked out of the shop window. "I don't want you bleeding out all over my streets."
Uma let out a sarcastic breath, "No. I need to check in on my crew. Besides, we need to make plans to reinforce our own territory. If the Huns jumped into yours tonight, what's to stop them from coming into ours?"
Mal glared at her, but understood. "I'll send some of my crew over tomorrow with your half of the pack. I'll even throw in anything else we can spare since you used most of your crew to run with us instead of after your tags."
Uma and the other Pirates nodded to her in respect. They may be major rivals, but there was a respect between the two crews that was non-existent within the others. This was what set them apart from the other gangs on the Isle, and what also made them stronger.
"Take Cole and Aria with you to the border," she told Uma before turning to the two she had just named. "After they are safely back in their territory, find Mila and Ava; do a patrol past Jafars and then report back to me." Cole and Aria nodded to her, and then fell in behind the pirates already filing out of the shop. She was hoping that Jafar wouldn't go too hard on Jay, especially since he was close with Maleficent, Evil Queen, and Cruella. "Dahlia," she whispered next as the dark haired girl came to stand at her side, "we are doing a pass past the Tremaines." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught her small nod and sadness in her eyes. No doubt she was understanding the longing her leader had to see her daughter again, but tonight wasn't the night for reunions when the Isle was crawling with danger.
Things were mostly quiet as the two crept along the streets. They had just prowled around the Tremaine household and everything was quiet. Mal wanted nothing more than to run into the Curl up and Dye shop and burst through the door in the back that led to where her daughter was staying. She was so grateful for Anastasia for taking the babies in, and she was also grateful for Lady Tremaine to allow them shelter. Maybe some villains could be redeemed. Mals heart grew heavier with every step away from that building, but she didn't know what she would do if Maleficent found out where she was.
By the next morning, everything was quiet and the Isle went back to how it always did following a drop. Any bodies that had fallen had long since been pulled from the streets, and the carnage left behind would just be ignored like it always had been. More people littered the streets than usual, the ones not getting to stroll the docks hoping for a good deal on the goods that were brought in the day before. The business was perfect cover for her crew to slink around their territory and recover the stashed packs before filtering back to the safehouse. Mal had made it back to the safehouse shortly before dawn with Dahlia, relieved when she found the Tremaine's home to be quiet during her patrol. She hurried up the stairs to her top floor with the pack they had snatched unexpectedly from the Huns where the bombs were dropped, and waited for the reports of the night to come in. Evie had joined her, and Mal caught her up on the alliance she had agreed to with Uma. She was annoyed to see Evie happy about working with the Pirates. She had always poked around at the idea, but Mal shot her down every time to the point of her threatening the princess if she ever did so again. Desperately she wanted to wipe the smug expression off of the girl's face as she pulled a few clothes and supplies from the pack, but she was saved when they heard Red's quiet footsteps coming up the stairs.
Mal stood and opened the door before the girl could even knock. She took the pack that was handed to her, and offered Red a rewarding smile as the red head slipped into the room and visibly relaxed. "Not bad," Mal declared. It was as close to a compliment that she would ever offer, but it meant the world to whoever was on the other end of those words. This was Red's first big run with Mal, especially one where she was given scouting honors to where she could voice her own opinion.
Dahlia also nodded her head in approval as she took the pack from Mal and dumped its contents on the table that sat before Evie. "Good call in going after the Jungle kids pack," Dahlia said as she sorted through the cans and packaged goods. She pulled out canned fruits, which was as close to fresh fruit as they could usually get. Canned meats followed, as well as packaged sweets, powdered milk, a bottle of whiskey to which Mal promptly grabbed and took a swig of, as well as some other random items that the large crew most definitely needed. Evie grabbed the powdered milk and looked to Mal for a moment for direction. Once Mal jerked her head towards the stairs, Evie left to bring it to Nova, knowing that she would split it up to share when Kenzi was back with them.
When Evie returned, Mal sent Red and Dahlia back out on the streets to watch over everyone else who would be filtering in. About an hour later, Carlos and Roan joined them, leaving Elliot downstairs with Aria and Cole to patch themselves up. Carlos told her that Elliot just had a twisted ankle, but Cole and Aria ran into some more Hun's prowling the neutral zone right outside of Pirate territory. They ended up with a few battle wounds, but they along with the Pirates drove them up the middle of their territories, being joined by Mila and Ava. Mila and Ava stayed out, and continued watching over to which Mal took comfort in. Just as Mal was about to go down to assess the damage, Luna came in holding the pack that Maddox had stashed for her. This was the Dragon pack and she was interested in seeing what all Luna had grabbed from the drop boxes.
At first, she was confused when she pulled out some small metal containers, but understood once Carlos laughed almost manically when he realized that he had some more containers to make his bombs out of. "I thought you might need those," Luna said as she laughed at the deVille boy. After taking the bulky containers out, she was able to dump its contents. Some packs of matches fell out, as well as more powdered milk, several canned goods, and a set of kids walkie talkies. Carlos grabbed the walkie talkies, and then grinned when he told them that he could rig it to have a mile radius. It may have been meant as a kids toy back in Auradon, but it was a big find for the Isle VK's. They also found batteries, a few packs of children medicines that were greatly appreciated, and a manual can opener. All of these items were essential in the survival of the VK's and Mal was satisfied with the finds. What she really wanted to know was what was in the pack Roan had found, but they were still waiting on Piper, who had taken it from Roan and stashed it.
She didn't have to wait long, because eventually she came in, dried blood crusting the side of her face after a run in with a Hun. Evie rushed to her side and looked for the source, relaxing when she found it to not be as bad as it looked. "Go see Nova," she directed, taking the large pack and hoisting it to Roan. Piper looked over to Mal as if looking for permission, and Mal provided it with a slight nod as well as wink towards the young girl. Piper may be young, but she was quick and agile which made her a perfect Runner.
Roan inspected the bag first after unwrapping it from the blanket, whistling in approval at its make. It was big and sturdy, useful in itself for using in future drops. They would have to blot out the big red cross on the front though; they didn't need anyone mistaking it for a medical survival bag in the future. There were so many pockets on this thing, each one holding something that they needed. In the end, the pile they amassed was larger than the bag itself. How it all had fit in there to begin with was a mystery. The most exciting part they found in there was the medical supplies. There were so many bandages and medicines, sutures, and antiseptics that were so desperately needed. Digging further, they found tourniquets, compress dressings, gauzes, a thermometer, skin glue, splints, and disinfectants. These items meant life and death to the crews of the Isle, and they were lucky enough to have made off with it.
Apart from the medical kit, they found other essential items. They found a compass, matches, several Mylar blankets, lighters, multipurpose tools, baby supplies, even more first aid supplies, first aid book, hygiene items, dehydrated foods, 2 flashlights, a radio, duct tape, rope, paracord, a few knives (how that slipped passed inspection they didn't know), flint, socks, sewing kit, a tarp, zip ties… the list could go on.
Mal tried to not let everyone get excited about the finds as she planned on keeping her word to give half of it to Uma. She was saved when Roan caught her eye, and then asked to speak to Mal alone. The crew filed out of the room, save for Roan and Mal, and Mal got to work sorting the spoils and shoving it into one of the packs.
"An alliance, really?" Roan asked, comfortable with the large amount of space between him and Mal. When she froze in her task, he tensed, waiting for the repercussions of challenging her yet again. He let out the air he didn't even realize he was holding when instead of maiming him, Mal rigidly continued on in her task. "All I'm saying is how is this going to play out once you go back to Auradon? How am I supposed to make the right call when…"
"I chose you for a reason, Roan!" Mal yelled as she snapped, whirling around and closing the space between them in less than a second. "You may make stupid decisions," she growled, reminding him about the young boy he let into the group while she was gone, "but you make them with the intention of doing whats best for the group. Would you rather I have Dahlia take over? She was right up there with you when I made my decision."
Roan was shocked, but also a bit pissed. "No, Mal, of course not…"
"Do you not realize how important it is for us to be in Auradon? Do you think I don't have what's best for this group in mind?" she yelled again as a small glint of green started to light up her eyes. "It rips my heart out every day to be away from the Dragons, and not to mention Ember. I'm counting on you to keep it together here so I can put my life on the line and take the fall after bringing the barrier down."
"Is that what you are planning on doing?" he asked, voice softening as he realized just how much she was willing to sacrifice for the good of the VK's.
"No...I don't know," she admitted, her voice softening as well as she put more space in between them and continued with throwing things back in the pack. "But whatever happens, I'm not letting you guys take the fall for it. Auradon can kill me for all I care. One life for a hundred others."
"Mal…" He started, but was then cut off by a dangerous glint in her eyes as she shot her gaze back over to him; he knew he was pushing it.
The conversation and back talk from Roan was threatening to make Mal snap. Auradon had made her soft. The old Mal would never have stood for that, and she was prepared to remind him of his bruised nose from the night before. Nevertheless, she needed him for the next task. Her mother knew she was back, and if Maleficent knew, then the Evil Queen knew as well. "Take Luna and bring Uma her half," she ordered as she tossed it to him, grabbing a second empty bag to stuff more things inside. "I need you to drop this off to Anastasia right after."
Roan arched his eyebrow in question, knowing that they usually bring supplies over to Anastasia the day after the drop anyways, but he thought that Mal would be going with them to bring them home. "You aren't going to pick up Ember and Kenzi today?"
"No," she glared, "my mother saw me out there at the docks. She forced her way into my mind and promised me things that I really don't care to repeat. She's looking for me and I would rather keep the girls as far away from me as possible right now." She finished stuffing food and baby things into the pack, and then tossed it to him in the same motion. "Grab some more of the usual supplies from downstairs and go. Don't tell Evie yet."
"Oh I won't," Roan said in slight sadness. "You get to be the bad guy and break it to her."
Mal sighed in regret. It was hurting her just as much as it was going to hurt Evie. Roan did as he was told and left without a hitch. Mal on the other hand collapsed back into the bed, exhausted but determined to stay awake until Jay returned. 10:33am reflected back at her from the clock on the bedside table, and she groaned in dismay. She was mentally and physically drained, but she had to admit it felt good to be back and make sure her crew were all safe. The chill in the room served to clear her mind, and she rolled back off of the bed and made her way downstairs to break the news to Evie.
She didn't even make it halfway down the stairs when Evie, Carlos… and Jay, came bounding around the corner and met her in surprise. "Jay," she breathed out in relief. Overall, he looked okay but she had learned firsthand to never trust first appearances. She let Evie and Carlos bound past her, and she went back up with Jay at her side. "You okay?" He offered her one of his signature smiles and she elbowed him for good measure. When he winced more than usual, she knew his smile was meant to throw her off. "Thought so," she sighed. Evie was already pulling out the med bag when they got back to the room, so Mal pushed him into one of the couches and began to clear off the table, making a pile on the floor. "Carlos, have someone come up here and work all this into the storage."
"It's really not that bad," Jay told them. "At first, he was pissed because I was the main source of supply for his shop and after I was gone, he had to hire a few street rats to bring in close to what I would." He peeled off his shirt and grimaced when Evie began feeling his discolored ribs. "I gave him what I lifted off some of the Auradon students, and that seemed to satisfy him until he got it in his mind that I should have had more."
"Jay!" Evie yelled in surprise, "exactly what did you steal from over there?"
"Not much, really," he admitted. "Although Chad hardly even realized he was missing some things," he laughed with a sly smile. None of them liked Chad and his shallow behavior, and it wasn't like he couldn't get his items replaced. "A few rings here and there, some other jewelry and miscellaneous items."
"Jay, cut it out," Mal ordered when he began moving around too much and dodging the subject; especially when she caught a glimpse of his back he was trying to hide in the couch. "Show us your back."
With a sigh, he let them do their thing while he tried to get the inside scoop on the Secondaries and Runners from the drop the day before. They got his new whip lashes covered, pleased this time that they didn't need stitches. He was pissed though that he wasn't able to get in on the action this time. Having Hun's in their territory was exciting, and he was itching for a good fight since he had left the Isle. Overall, Jay was fine. His father was too relieved to have him back to do any further damage to his son. He had scored from him some candles, luxuriously fresh fruit and bread, and even some more fabrics so that they could patch the holes in their worn out clothes, or make some new ones. Jay was more daring in what he would steal from his father as he did not mind paying the repercussions for it.
Just as the core four were settling in to rest, a knock at the door brought out their annoyance. "Come in," Mal groaned from the couch, rising to see who it was that needed her. When Red slid into the room after she was supposed to be on the streets, Mal's anger started to bubble over. "I thought I told you to patrol with Dahlia," she said dangerously.
"We were, but there's something you might want to hear," she said as she made her way across the now cluttered room and peeked through the slats of the window. "There are Huns crawling through the market today, more than usual. They're looking for something. Dahlia is keeping an eye on them with Mia and Ava." True, the market was a neutral zone, but the Huns had their own over on the other side of the Isle. It wasn't uncommon to see a few over on this side, but too many was a cause for concern.
This news disturbed Mal as well as the rest of them. "What the hell could they be looking for? They have everything they could ever need over on their side."
"I don't know," Red said, "but should I take some more of us and comb through the rest of the territory?"
Mal nodded, "Do it. Leave someone by the Tremaines as well. Roan and Luna were on their way to Uma and then to the Tremaines to deliver drop supplies, so grab them and keep watch when they arrive."
"Wait," Evie said in disappointment when she realized what Mal meant, "why did Roan go and not us? I thought we would be bringing…"
"Evie, not now," Mal said in irritation before changing the subject. News of a large group of Huns still wasn't sitting with her right, especially when they grabbed her last night. "I want an inventory of our weapons; I've got a bad feeling…"
"Mal," Evie interrupted again, shattering the last nerve Mal was trying to cling to. Her body tensed up and Evie stiffened in response, knowing the signs that told them that Mal was about to snap. Ever so slightly, Jay turned so that Mal would have to push him out of the way first if she was going to go for Evie. Instead of putting Evie in her place like she would have been before Auradon, Mal flashed her green eyes at her and the blue haired princess winced as the intrusive burning behind her eyes made her submit once more.
"Maleficent saw Mal out there yesterday," Red told her, feeling like she owed the girl an explanation as to why Mal thought it better not to bring the babies out of hiding just yet. "She's looking for Mal, which means the Evil Queen is going to be looking for you…" she trailed, realizing the exact same thing Mal did as their eyes connected in a suspicious alarm. "You don't think…"
"She would be the one to do it," Mal finished with a fire. "Maleficent controls this Isle, but never in a million years would I have seen her using the Hun's to do her dirty work; she's got her own minions for that."
Jay scoffed, not believing it for one second. "Haven't the Huns been pressing into our territory for some time now? No, I don't believe it. We have two separate problems on our hands."
"We can't count it out," Carlos said from across the room as weapons were appearing from hidden places as he took inventory. "Hope for the best, plan for the worst."
"Worst motto ever," Jay sulked, watching as Mal nodded for Red to leave and join up with the rest of the crew. If Maleficent was controlling the Huns, he needed to be at his best, which meant he couldn't go back to his fathers tonight like he had sworn. And now probably wouldn't be the best time to inform Mal that Jafar had become close to Maleficent as business partners. And not to mention the impressive haul of items great for crafting weapons that he saw in his fathers private chambers.
All day, reports were fed back to Mal of the Huns just milling about the market. There were over a dozen of them, but they never made a move and none of them were spotted outside of the neutral zone. The Dragons were almost ready to give up, thinking that they were all there just to piss them off. No one had slept well since before the drop, and the only rest they got was when Mal ordered a shift change so that they could sleep and not run themselves into the ground. She was getting restless herself when night began to fall, but she did allow herself a quick nap to keep her strength up. Her body was sore, not having used it so roughly when in Auradon. Yesterday's drop had exhausted her, but she welcomed the soreness like an old friend, having missed the adrenaline rush it gave her.
"You are going to be so pissed!" Mal heard in a sing-song voice as she was startled out of her thoughts when Jay and Roan had barged into the loft later that night. Jay was grinning ear to ear and had a rough hand on a young boy as Roan elbowed him off of the kid.
"Jay back the fuck off!" Roan growled as he panted, out of breath as if he had been running. The kid was in the same state, both of them sweating despite the bitter cold in the air.
Mal was on her feet in an instant when she recognized the kid from yesterday, Jax, and she snapped for Evie to back Jay. She had thought she made it clear that this kid was not allowed back into the Dragon's lair. Venom dripped from her words when she demanded to know why Roan was back here with the boy.
Roan looked for the kid to tell her something, but the boy was shaking in fear as the purple haired leader now stood menacingly before him. He wasn't dead yet, and he took that as a sign that she was at least interested in him explaining himself; but he couldn't get his voice to work right in the Dragon's presence.
"Jax!" Roan hissed, knowing that time was of the essence.
"I-Im sorry!" the boy pleaded as he looked into furious green eyes. "I came to warn you!" As soon as that was out, he flinched as Evie's nails dug into the back of his neck.
That warning was all that Mal needed to realize that what she and Red had hypothesized before...was true. "Explain," she ordered, but dropped her intimidating demeanor so that this kid could relax. For him to come back here after she had threatened his and Roan's life the other day, he must really care for this crew.
Instead of the kid talking, Roan butted in. "I found him running from Hun territory; he…"
"I wasn't talking to you," Mal growled at him, never taking her eyes off of Jax. She then spoke calmly to the kid, which was just as unnerving. "What were you doing in Hun territory?"
"I don't have a crew," the kid said as he found his voice. "That means I can sneak around between borders without many consequences; unless I get caught. I was in the market today and saw all the Huns, and that you guys were watching them. I got curious and went to their territory and overheard some of them a little while ago." He flinched again and shrank under the grip that was on the back of his neck.
"Evie, go get Red and Dahlia," Mal ordered to let the kid relax for a moment. Evie sighed and dropped her grip on the boy, and he immediately relaxed as the princess did as she was told. "Jay, wipe that smile off your face and tell the crew to get battle ready." Jay glared at her in disappointment, enjoying the power he had over Roan and Jax, but nevertheless, he listened to Mal and made sure she could hear his annoyed sigh. When it was just Mal, Roan, Carlos, and Jax left in the room, she jerked her head for them to follow. She made the kid sit on the couch while she began hiding weapons in her pockets from around the room, and tossed a few to Roan as he understood that they were about to go into battle. When Jay and Evie returned with Red and Dahlia, she nodded for Jax to continue with what he had discovered, although she already knew.
"I heard one of them say that Shunyuan was upset at having to follow someone else's orders, and that was what caught my attention. I had to piece together most of the conversation, but do you guys have people in hiding at the Tremaines?"
In a matter of moments, the blood drained from every face in the room. Mal thought that she knew what was going on, but now it was worse than she had thought. "Explain," she growled as terror began crawling its way up her throat. Just as she cut her eyes over to Carlos to hold on to Evie to keep her from doing something stupid, the girl bolted towards the door. Dahlia managed to tackle her to the floor as she screamed for the dark haired girl to let her go. Jay was unsure what to do, but he moved closer to Mal although he knew she would be more grounded, no matter how much her mind screamed at her to do just what Evie had. "Get to the point," she warned the kid, legs already itching to be on the move. "And someone please shut Evie up."
"Apparently they had some of their crew following you guys in secret since you're so good at shaking tails from finding the safehouse. The group at the market was there just as a distraction. One followed Roan and Luna to the Tremaines, and they brought the news back to Shunyuan that he dropped off a pack there. They didn't know what it was, but they told the one controlling the crew, and an order went out to attack there tonight to locate whoever you have in hiding."
"Who?" Mal almost screamed. "Who is controlling the Huns?"
"I don't know!" Jax almost cried. "They just kept saying 'she.'"
It was then that Mal's knees chose to buckle and they hit the floorboards with a hopeless thump. "Maleficent."
Everyone waited for Mal to start barking orders, but she couldn't. Her mind was clouded with fear and worry so Jay took back over. "Red, get to Pirate territory and tell them that the Huns are on the attack. Tell them the Tremaines, but I bet they will be crawling all over. If Maleficent is in on it, we have to expect that the Evil Queen will be as well. Tell only Uma why they are here. Go! Meet back with us out there," he yelled, and she ran from the room on a mission. "Dahlia, fill in the crew before we get down there, and station Nova, Piper, Brooks, and Ivy here in case the Huns infiltrate. Shit, send Brooks after Red to tell her to send a few Pirates here as well. The rest of us, let's move."
"What about me?" Jax said as the excitement started to get to him with everyone rushing around.
"You stay," Roan ordered protectively as he headed for the door.
"No," Mal growled as Roan turned back towards her, ready for another fight as she picked herself up off the floor. "No," she repeated, "he is going to be our eyes out there. If he is as stealthy as you say, he's going to be our Raven."
The tension dropped from Roan's shoulders and a nervousness filled him instead. The Raven was always one of the crew who ran between the skirmishes to relay information. He was one of the most important aspects of battles, and Mal was now trusting this kid to be just that. He looked over to the kid and expected panic, but the boy was now grinning in excitement. "Fine, let's move."
The group filed down the stairs, and Evie slipped her trembling hand into Mal's to try and find some comfort. Her body itched to be running across the Isle to her daughter. Mal looked at the worried girl and offered her an apologetic yet concerned look. "Is your head clear?" she asked.
"Nope," Evie answered truthfully as they made it to the middle level, "is yours?"
Mal didn't answer; she was feeling just like Evie was. The other half of their hearts were vulnerable on the other side of their territory, and they had the most dangerous of villains searching for them. "Well okay then," she said to her as they collected on the second story landing. They were a step higher than the rest of the crew, and she was standing shoulder to shoulder with Jay as the Dragons had quieted down and waited to be further addressed. Wanting nothing more than to be rushing straight towards Ember, she took in the faces of her crew and realized that she didn't have a clear head, even if she pretended she did. So, she took a step back, indicating that Jay was in the lead...at least for now.
A collective chorus of whispers sounded around the room when the crew watched as their fearless leader gave control to her second. Even Jay looked shocked when he realized that the space next to him had emptied. Looking back at Mal, she gave him a respectful nod, and he knew that he would be calling the shots tonight. That same rush of fear and adrenaline filled him the last time she did that, when she left him in charge of the Dragons the same month she had Ember and Ash, after she had lost the latter of the twins. She trusted him and he was determined to lead just as she did.
As Jay barked orders, everyone realized exactly why Mal had handed over control to him. All of her thoughts and actions would be centered on getting to Ember, and Mal's emotional direction could lead to rash decisions. He did include both Mal and Evie on the mission because if he had them stay, he just knew they would eventually sneak out and do their own thing. It was that thought exactly why he had placed Dahlia, Luna, and himself to be with them, along with Roan and Carlos as well. Everyone else would be scouting and fighting to drive back the Huns.
It was dark and cold as Mal and her crew rushed through the vacating streets. There was a vibe about the Isle that had sent its inhabitants scurrying back into their homes. Mal fought with herself to stay in control as her boots pounded across the crumbling pavement. She knew Evie was already losing it; she couldn't lose herself as well. Barely catching the warning from Roan, she skidded to a stop at the edge of the highwall. They would have to jump down a few body lengths to reach the next level, but it was the quickest route to the Tremaines. She landed at the bottom with a grimace after not having done this sort of thing in a while. She shook off the discomfort and within moments, the sounds of a tussle up ahead pulled the fragments of her mind back together once more. They breezed by a few of their crew in arms with a few of the Huns; Jax was right. Her crew had it under control, but they jumped in nevertheless to fight these intruders away from their territory.
One of them almost had Dahlia as he ran towards her with a sword pointed towards her back. Evie beat Mal to him, dropping onto the loose rock and skidding past the guy, slicing the backs of his ankles with her own knife she pulled from her waistline. He hit the ground in anguish but before he could even cry out in pain, Evie had already run that same knife across his throat as she rolled over him, leaving him to drown in his own blood. She picked herself up in an instant and then ran after Dahlia, jumping straight into a whole pack of Huns who were on Roan and Carlos. Not many people realized just how ruthless the Isle princess could be. One of the most important rules of the Isle was to never make the mistake of assuming the person of peace is unskilled at war. Mal smiled to herself, itching to be doing the same thing to release some of the tension built up inside her. In a matter of minutes, the area was clear and their group pressed on. Mal took stock of their injuries, but they were non life threatening so she didn't dwell on it too much.
As they passed even more skirmishes as they neared the Tremaines, Mal couldn't help but notice how Evie began slipping back into panic. When it became dead silent though, everyone began to worry. They hurried the rest of the way and skidded to a halt a few blocks away from their target. Without a word, Jay shimmied up a pipe and onto the roof to get a better vantage while Roan, Dahlia, Luna, Evie, Carlos, and then Mal slithered around the crumbling wall to the other side.
The large house connected to the Isle's signature Curl up and Dye hair salon stood eerily quiet. Soft light flooded through the cracks of heavy curtains, but the usual melodies they heard coming from the dwelling were missing. Evie and Carlos jumped in alarm when Jay seemed to materialize behind them minutes later, consequently setting Evie over the edge into the panic attack that had been coming and going for the past hour. Carlos grabbed her and pulled her to the ground, slapping his hand over her mouth and attempting to calm her as Jay quietly gave his report.
"They're everywhere," he whispered next to Dahlia as he pointed to seemingly vacant points around the house. "At least two behind the stairwell, three hiding in the shadows in the building over there," he gestured to their left, "and I don't know, six or seven prowling around the structures. They are waiting for something."
"Or someone…" she said, filling them all with dread. "There's bound to be more," Mal continued as her eyes raked over Evie in Carlos' arms, struggling to get a breath in. "We need to get in there; it's too quiet and we need eyes on the girls." She fretted over what to do and then felt Jay's wary eyes on her. She realized that she was starting to overstep, but her instincts were fighting her for control. Her breath was starting to come quicker and she knew that she was moments away from being on the ground right next to Evie if she didnt calm the fuck down.
"You're right," Roan agreed, "but no one is moving so whatever is going on in there, the situation is in limbo. We have a few minutes at least to wait for Uma's crew, and then we can go in and release all hell if need be."
Dahlia's hand found Mal's shoulder, and it served to ground her as she saw the sense in what Roan was saying. He was right, and that was why he was in charge while they were in Auradon. It didn't mean that she didn't have any say though. "Carlos, take Evie and fall back to the highwall to wait for Uma and her crew."
"Mal, no," Evie protested as tears still raked down her flushed cheeks. "I'm staying; I'm not going to abandon…"
"Evie that's an order," she growled at the princess. "Take that time and pull yourself together. You are no use to this mission if you are going to be falling apart. Come back with Uma, and then we go in. Got it?"
Carlos helped Evie to her feet as the girl shot daggers of hurt and betrayal at Mal. She could be mad at her all she wanted, but Mal knew that having to worry about Evie on top of everything else would put the crew in a spot she didn't want to be in. She needed the girl to be at her best. When Evie saw that Mal wasn't going to budge, she tried looking past her to Jay, but all he did was nod in agreement with the Dragon leader.
As Carlos dragged Evie back the way they came, the rest of them huddled even closer in their hiding to discuss some sort of plan. Mal had to bite her tongue in order to not take control and let Jay do what she entrusted him to do.
"Okay," he started. "It's quiet in there, so I think we should literally just walk in."
"What?" Roan huffed, "No, that's stupid. You know it's a trap, right?"
"Oh I know it is," he grinned mischievously. "We send Mal first..."
"Me?" she asked in shock as he paused mid sentence. "What…"
"...And we chase after you." he finished.
Mal grinned when she saw what he was getting at. "So I'm so pissed at having 'our people in hiding' discovered, that I broke away from you all, blind to the dangers hiding in the shadows as you guys all try to stop me. It's perfect," she agreed.
"Exactly," Jay continued. "The Huns on the outside won't touch us because we aren't fighting to get in. They wont know that we see them, and they will think they have us trapped inside. The rest of our crew can take them once we are in."
Everything was pretty much settled until more worry was hurled at them when Uma and Red finally joined them. They were accompanied by some of their crew with Carlos, a much more in control Evie, Hook, a half dozen pirates...and Jax.
"Jax," Mal acknowledged even before Uma. "Why are you here?"
"I'm just popping in with a report," he said in excitement and unease. "There's a bunch of Jungle kids buddying up with the Huns out there; they've joined forces. They are out of control and getting close to the safehouse. I think they have narrowed down the location and are spreading out and picking fights to keep us busy."
If Mal could get any more pale than she already was, she would have. "Damn," she managed, all other words becoming jumbled in her mind.
"Take some more of mine," Uma offered as she looked back at Hook.
"Jax," Jay commanded, "fall back towards the safehouse and report to Red if something changes. Red, stay right here with Luna and keep your eyes on both situations; can you do that?"
"Got it," she said as a gleam lit up her eyes.
"Hook, go with the kid and take Gil, Noah, and Cannon," Uma added. "Grab a few more of us along the way and defend their safehouse." She then looked to Mal, knowing that it wasn't just supplies she was worried about. "Scarlett's boy is there, isn't he?" Mal nodded, and Uma told Hook to hurry.
"Not to worry," Hook said with a grin, "we will keep the idiots busy." He left with a dramatic bow, and it took everything she had in her not to roll her eyes.
"Uma…" Mal began, not knowing how in the world she would be able to repay the Pirate leader for her generosity.
"Save it, Dragon," she said with a sly smile as she nodded to the Tremaine house, "this was technically my idea. Besides, I'm guessing that Ember is in there."
At the mention of her daughter's name, the fear and anxiety swelled once more. "Yeah," she confirmed shakily, "Kenzi too." When Uma looked at her in question for a moment, Mal nodded her head over to a nervous Evie, confirming the rumors that she knew Uma had heard about the princess. "Jay, tell them the plan."
The Isle was no longer as quiet as it was on their way over to the Tremaines. Sounds of fighting had now broken out all over, and the darkness of the night was split as fire erupted around them. All of this disappeared as soon as Mal barged into the eerily quiet salon that stood below the Tremaine household. The bright neon paint seemed so out of place without the usual bright lights that flooded the space. She dropped her angry act as she rushed across the room and pulled the door open that led to the stairs leading up to where her daughter had been staying for the past two months. The footsteps of Jay, Evie, Carlos, Roan, Dahlia, Uma, and several pirates soon followed her up to the next level. The door opened up into a large living space and everyone tensed themselves for a fight as soon as they entered. Instead, only one woman was occupying the room. Lady Tremaine was sitting rigidly on one of the loveseats and jumped up in surprise when such a large group of VK's barged into her private home.
"Why I never!" she shouted, effectively causing several of them to flinch in the way that all adults generally did. "What are you hooligans doing in my home? And what is going on out there?"
A snap from both Uma and Jay sent their crews filing through the entirety of the space, checking out the kitchen, living room, and storage rooms. Lady Tremaine was now standing before the door that would lead up to the rest of the house, so they elected to regroup behind Jay, Mal and Uma for further orders after giving the all clear. The all clear was not given, because the door handle behind the woman turned, and Mal's heart dropped.
"Mal," the emerging figure said with such a coolness that everyone froze instantly. Maleficent joined Lady Tremaine, and the two of them raked their eyes over the once rival groups. Did Tremaine sell them out?
No one moved a muscle. There was so much danger in the room right now that it felt as if one wrong move would set off the explosion that was just waiting to happen.
"You didn't tell me that you were back," the purple and black cloaked woman said as Mal fought to keep her head clear. "I had to find out for myself when I saw your wretched excuse of existence crawling around the docks like a rat."
"What are you doing here, mother," Mal asked before she even realized.
"Me? I'm just here visiting an old friend. What are you doing here?" she spat, already guessing as to why her daughter might be at the Tremaine household with a large group of VK's.
"I would like to know the same thing," Lady Tremaine butted in before Mal could say a word. "I thought I arranged for you kids to protect my home from Shan Yu's runt and his wretched excuse of a gang, but our deal did not include Ursula's sea wench daughter."
Mal kept her face straight as her mind was thrown into a world of confusion. Arrangement? Was Lady Tremaine covering for her? If she was, she was doing a great job because Maleficent was showing signs of doubt and confusion as to what the woman had just said. She only hoped that the crew behind her would go along with it. "Shunyuan pulled in the Jungle kids. Our crew wasn't big enough on our own and Uma proposed an alliance for a situation such as this." Then she changed the subject, not wanting to add too much detail that Maleficent could find fault in. "We're just going to finish our sweep and then we will be out of your hair."
Maleficent was not happy and she was determined to stir up trouble. Sure, she could torture the truth out of Mal's crew, but it wasnt her crew that she wanted to see suffer. It wouldn't hurt to toy with them though. "Oh hello Evie dear," she called.
Mal could hear the tiny sounds of her crew pressing around the blue haired girl as Mal herself put her body infront of the princess.
"Your mother is looking for you. She so desperately wants to punish you for running away from home and whoring yourself out," she mocked, enjoying the terrified expression of the girl behind her daughter.
"Mother, stop," Mal requested as her eyes slipped to the floor.
"Mali, you are just so disrespectful. Tremaine, I'm sorry for her behavior. I think me and my daughter need to have a little talk about manners. Mal," she demanded, "come with me." Maleficent turned back towards the door and waited for Mal to follow.
Mal hesitated. She knew she had to in order to keep her crew safe, but she also didn't want to reveal Ember and Kenzi to be in hiding with the Tremaines if Maleficent coerced it out of her. She never expected Lady Tremaine to defend her, but when it came to innocent babies, she must have realized exactly how evil Maleficent was. As she stepped past the Lady of the house, her hand brushed against her arm and a whisper of "safe" immediately relaxed her entire being.
"Mal don't go with her," Jay begged. "Let's go now."
"Jay, take them and go. I'll meet up when I can after I do one last sweep."
"No," Jay argued. "Dahlia and I will go with you…" he said just as an explosion went off from the streets below.
"I think not," Lady Tremaine interrupted. "I want you all out now. You kids had better hold up your end of our deal and keep those cretins out of my home. Maleficent my dear," she said as she turned calmly towards the horned woman across the room, "I think our visit is over for tonight. Perhaps you could come back at a later time."
Maleficent narrowed her eyes at the woman in suspicion before switching gears. "Fine. I do still want a word with my daughter first though."
Mal stiffened at the request, but turned towards her crew behind her who looked back at her in hesitation. "Go," she ordered as yet another explosion went off, causing them all to flinch in unison. "Get out there and join the others; see if Red has any updates. I'll join you in a minute."
"Mal…" Jay breathed hesitantly as he eyed Maleficent getting agitated on the other side of the room.
Gritting her teeth and flicking her eyes at him in warning, she repeated her order. "Go."
Her crew did as they were told, and then Mal was left with her mother when Lady Tremaine excused herself to go upstairs. She was nice enough to throw Maleficent off the trail and provide an out for Mal's crew, but she wasnt stupid. It was up to Mal now to get herself out of this mess.
Mal said nothing as the evil villain approached her daughter and circled her like trapped prey. As tough as Mal was, she couldn't help but shudder when her mother stopped behind her and rested her hand on her shoulder. "Where is she," the evil fairy whispered into her ear, causing her to jump in alarm.
Mal managed to swallow back her fear and purposely put a sharpness to her tongue. "Safe from you."
"I see," Maleficent responded, backing away and filling the dead space with even more unease. "You know I have ways of making you talk, Mal. And those ways will not result in another repeat of the last time we came face to face. Come home with me child, and I'll spare your little brat."
More than anything, that was what she had wanted. In her heart though she knew her mother was lying; she was always lying. "No you won't, mother," she said as she began backing away from the displeased woman. "Come near her and I'll kill you," she threatened, cringing as her mothers eyes blazed in a raging fury. Mal squeezed her eyes shut and whirled towards the door, flinging it open and taking the stairs down two at a time in an effort to put as much space between her and her mother as possible. She didn't hear her pursuing her as she busted back into the salon, but she also didn't hear her mothers goon spring from hiding until too late. The blow to the back of her head sent her into the darkness before she even hit the floor.