Chapter Nine: It's Going Down!
Mal was used to thrones and bended knees. She'd been raised to expect fear in every face that dared to meet her eyes.
She was not used to being tied to a very tall stone statue with a lantern up top, all flared and Asian influenced that poked uncomfortably into her back.
And she was especially not used to the gloating smiles of everyone around her.
"How does it feel to be queen now, huh?" one of them laughed. His sandy hair was covered by a squashed fedora and his glasses were very cracked. Mal glared, imagining cracking his nose just as badly.
"Give it a rest, Doug."
The leader walked over. Mal had figured she was in charge the moment she'd come to. The girl was calm and in control, ordering around the assorted teenagers to watch over the whole garden (though garden was a strong word, it was more like ruins with some dying plants).
"You said we were going to get started with our justice with her, Lonnie," Doug replied.
"I said at noon," Lonnie corrected. Her smile was easy and confident.
Doug looked at the thick watch on his wrist. "Twenty more minutes."
Mal glanced down. "That says 11:30."
Doug cast her one last glare then walked off, leaving Lonnie with Mal.
They were about the same height, and Lonnie easily met Mal's eyes. She wore a deep pink coat, lined with teal and tied tight around her waist. Her athletic legging were ripped at the knees but her sword strapped across her back had been tenderly polished.
Mal wasn't impressed.
"You better hope your boyfriend comes through," Lonnie remarked. She sounded like she was used to taunting. Surprising.
But Mal had heard far worse. "He's not my boyfriend anymore."
Lonnie's head tilted and she almost laughed. "Interesting."
"Do you enjoy this?" Mal asked, leaning as far forward as her bonds would allow. "Playing your little hero games here?"
"You can't bait me, dragon," Lonnie shot back. "I know who the real enemy is."
"Oh, yes, the girl tied to a rock is always to blame."
Lonnie's eyes sparked with anger. "This place is a prison thanks to your parents. You've made a mockery of our kingdoms and hurt countless people. You deserve this.
"And don't pretend you want me to be part of your little evil exchange program. I'm not interested."
"Because of your parents?" Lonnie scoffed in response. "That comb in your hair, with the flower. It's your mom's, isn't it?"
Her fingers drifted up to her raven ponytail, lingering over the jade comb with the white flower. She'd worn it for years. "My mom doesn't care what I do. Not unless she needs someone to cover the night shift."
"Ouch."
Lonnie's hand snapped back to her side. "I don't need your pity."
Mal just smirked. "I wasn't going to give it. You seem to be doing just fine on your own."
Lonnie just rolled her eyes. "So, Ben huh? He want you to put on tiara and be quiet? Or did he just grow bored?"
"Is that what he did to you?"
"Maybe I'll just toss you off the cliffs before they get here." Lonnie gripped the hilt of her sword.
Mal just shook her head. "Then you'll lose all your leverage. And I'm not done with my offer."
"Offer?" Lonnie laughed. "Oh, now you're paying attention to the rest of us. Wonder why?"
"Thought you weren't interested in my 'evil exchange program?'"
Lonnie leaned in, her arms shaking. "That invite to Auradon, that was Good's big chance. Everyone on this stupid island already loved Ben and Chad. No one saw them for what they were. Weak. If I had been selected, if people here saw me as a hero…well, you wouldn't be alive right now."
"I thought Good saved people. Not killed them."
Lonnie shrugged. "You're not good, though. You're rotten to the core."
Mal's smile was pure wickedness. "Definitely. And I think you may be too, Lonnie. If you come to Auradon, help with the new wave-"
"And help you corrupt even more kids?" Lonnie bit out. "In your dreams, villain."
"Hey guys!" Maxwell called from his high perch on top of a cherry red gazebo. "They're here!"
Lonnie ran over to the edge of garden, leaving Mal to the others.
And there they were, walking down the stone path from Lonnie's home to the garden on the cliffs of the Isle. Ben led the way, with Chad and Jane right behind him. Audrey brought up the rear with Gil.
Ben was solely focused on Lonnie. His nerves were already threating to snap, he had to remain focused. He couldn't afford to glance around, couldn't find…it didn't matter
"Finally!" Doug gasped, swinging around his bo staff, taking his place at Lonnie's right hand.
"Welcome," she greeted them, drawing her sword. It sang as it zipped through the air. "Let's get this party started, I swear I'm good hearted. There's no negotiating, I'm not here for debating.
"You need some motivation, just look at Mal's face, then ask yourself how long you think I'll remain patient."
Ben finally looked at the back of the gardens where two warriors had moved Mal, holding her at the edge of the cliffs. Her heels dangled off the edge, sending rocks scattering to the angry sea below.
Her green gaze was steely when it met his. Suddenly Ben felt a lot less nervous, and he looked back at Lonnie.
"I'll give her what she truly deserves, we'll watch her fall to the rocks down below." Lonnie was flanked by Maxell and his long knife now. "You either hand over the wand or we'll see just how strong are your nerves."
"Now let's all just be smart, although for you that must be hard," Ben replied. His anger was cooling into something like strength right below his sternum. Mal was in danger because of him. Lonnie was one step closer to Auradon because of him.
He wouldn't mess up again.
"You'll get your wand, no one has to come to any harm. Don't try to intimidate, your bark is much worse than your bit. Who the fairest of them all, guess we're finding out tonight!"
"Let's go, bring it on, better give us what we want!" Maxwell taunted, grinning much too widely for it to be comfortable. "It's the wand, for the crown, if you don't it's going down!
"Let's go, make your move, peace or war it's up to you," Audrey challenged. Her grip on her own sword wasn't the best but she was standing tall. "Give her up and do it now, if you don't it's going down!"
"We want the wand," Doug shouted as the other warriors banged their bo staffs on the ground. The two holding Mal nudged her back a bit further. "Or else the queen is gone! Your time is running out, you should really watch your mouth!"
"Let's go, pound for pound, we're prepared to stand our ground," Chad called. He was itching for a fight, to put these wannabes in their place. "Put your swords up, put 'em up! It's going down!"
Ben stepped forward to meet Lonnie just before the crumbling circular gates of gardens. On the edge of her territory.
"Make the trade! Or fall off the rocks!" Maxell and Doug chanted. The other warriors leered at him.
"Look, this is not a conversation," Ben told Lonnie, but his eyes were flicking to Mal. She seemed oddly at ease with half her feet dangling off the cliffs. "It is a do or die situation. If you don't give me back the queen, I'll have no hesitation. I'll serve you right here, and I don't need a reservation. That way your whole, 'warrior crew' can have a demonstration.
He leaned in, his eyes flashing yellow. Lonnie didn't flinch. "Release him now and we can go our separate ways. Unless you want to deal with me and the rest of HK's."
Lonnie just laughed as Doug and Maxwell strolled forward, staff and knife at the ready. "So that's your big speech, huh? An empty ultimate?"
"All it takes is one wrong step, and we'll humiliate her," Doug gloated, grinning widely. "Matter of fact, make one wrong move, and we'll debilitate her. And if she even starts to slip, we'll eliminate her."
"Let's go, bring it on! Better give us what we want!" the warriors chanted.
Ben walked back to his friends and pulled Merryweather's wand out of Jane's hands. She nodded once before he turned back.
"Bring it on, bring it on!"
The gravel cut into his shoes and his vest felt tight against his panicked heart.
"Put your swords up, put 'em up!"
Ben held the wand out and Lonnie's eyes lit up. Maxwell lost his breath at the sight of his inheritance. Doug restrained the urge to jump for joy.
"Hey!"
The garden seemed to freeze as everyone turned to look back at Mal. She winked at Ben and, grinning madly like her mother, let herself fall backwards off the cliffs.
The two who had been holding her jumped back to stop themselves from going down with her.
Lonnie shouted and Ben felt his heart freeze.
A heartbeat passed.
Then another.
And another…
"Come on, Mal," he muttered.
And just then, as the panic reached its pitch, a great purple dragon soared up. It jetted overhead, its scales glinting in the dim sunlight, smoke pouring from its nostrils. For a moment, the great beast hovered over the crowd while teens everywhere over the garden aimed their weapons at it or trembled with fear. But its green eyes simply found Ben.
Then, with a mighty flap of its leathery wings, the dragon drifted toward him and lowered to the ground. In a great puff of purple smoke, the beast transformed back to Mal, standing right at Ben's side, her green eyes still aflame, her straight purple hair smoking.
"New trick?" he laughed. She was okay. She was okay.
Mal just smirked. "You didn't think I was going to let you have all the fun, did you?"
Ben turned back to Lonnie who, despite her lack of wings and scales, looked like she could also breathe smoke. Triumphant, Ben raised the fake wand and snapped it in half.
As he tossed them in the ocean, Lonnie screamed. "NO! You do not get to win every time!"
The warriors surged forward. And Ben and Mal, together, ran forward to meet them.
"Ben is mine!" Lonnie screeched, and her sword clashed against his. They were slashing and stabbing, playing a lethal game of chess as they pushed each other to the edge of the cliffs.
Mal laughed with madness as she tore through the crowd. She bobbed and weaved, tying together shoelaces and belts until masses of the warriors were too tangled together to move.
Audrey started tossing smoke bombs and colorful explosions rocked the gardens. Jane covered her, her wand pulling up great waves from the sea and blasting back others with powerful gusts of wind.
Gil followed Chad through the fight, watching the former Isle boy with awe. He struck down everyone who dared challenge him, leaving many with broken noses or just flat-out unconscious. But there was one he did not notice, Doug sneaking up on him with his staff raised.
Gil didn't hesitate. He lunged and blocked the strike. Doug was soon disarmed, and Gil thrust the butt of his sword into his face. His glass lenses finally shattered completely, falling out of the frames. Doug teetered away, his world going dark, and he fell into a bush of brambles.
Chad was staring at Gil with his jaw hanging open. "How in Auradon…?"
Suddenly, across the gardens, Jane was knocked to the ground. She looked up and saw Maxwell standing above her, his knife raised, his feet dug deep to stand against her storm. She snarled at him, the gravel stinging into her skin.
"You really want to do this?" she growled, getting to her feet (her tights were ruined).
"You have no idea how much I want to," Maxwell laughed.
Jane aimed her wand at the ground. It rolled under Maxwell's feet, shaking him so bad he had to dance around to a safer spot.
"Your mother must be so ashamed. Her own wand, used for evil dark magic!"
Wind knocked Maxwell back, but he ducked behind a crumbling statue of a samurai.
"Who ever heard of a fairy turning evil? Who ever heard of a fairy godmother controlling nature for selfish gain?"
The statue was blasted to pieces, but Maxwell had already moved.
"Just admit Jane!"
A wave roared up over the cliffs, looming over his head. But he just laughed.
"You can't run from what you are!"
The wave crashed down, bringing Maxwell to his knees. Ropes shot out from the wand, wrapping, binding his limbs and immobilizing him.
Jane looked down at him, her wand aimed at his heart.
"I'm me. I'm not my mother and I'm certainly not some fairy godmother," she bit out. "I will be great and you…you will rot here your whole life without ever getting to even taste how much power I have."
Silver exploded and Maxwell slumped to the ground, unconscious. And Jane smiled.
Lonnie did not notice her allies falling. She did not see Audrey pull Chad and Gil back to the tunnel through the cliffs, yelling at them to go start the car. She did not notice another smoke bomb go off or Jane toppling stone columns as the last of the warriors charged her. She was only focused on Ben and his blade.
She'd beat him once. She was determined to beat him again, once and for all.
Mal smirked as she tripped the last warrior who dared to face her. Audrey caught her eyes and gestured her toward the tunnel where she and Jane were waiting. But Ben was still in the center of the garden.
Fighting Lonnie.
Alone.
Mal ran as fast as she could, picking up a sword from a fallen warrior.
Lonnie struck again and Ben barely dodged. He was tired, he'd been awake for so long, worried for so long. She'd beaten him once. Would she beat him again?
Her sword swung toward his neck when it was suddenly blocked. Ben felt his eyes bug out of his head, looking at Mal standing there, sword raised to protect him.
"What are you…?"
"I'm sorry." Mal pushed against the blade and Lonnie stumbled back. "I'm sorry that I didn't understand and I'm sorry you felt like you had to take yourself out of the picture. I know you don't want the life I have, the life you would have if…but that doesn't matter. I'm still sorry."
"How cute," Lonnie sneered. She lunged again.
Ben found he couldn't move due to his enormous shock, so Mal cut in, their blades ringing across the cliffs.
His thoughts were racing as he watched them fight. Mal had apologized. Mal had apologized. His feelings, his logic…everything within him, every desire, seemed to be at war.
Audrey ran up and tossed the last smoke bomb. Neon pink exploded between Lonnie and Mal, and they jumped back, eyes stinging.
"As touching as this all is," Audrey grumbled, grabbing Mal and Ben's hands. She ran them back to the tunnel and shoved them inside.
"No!" Lonnie was running toward them, sword raised.
"Now Jane!" Audrey shouted.
And Ben watched one of his old childhood rivals disappear behind falling rubble as Jane blew up the end of the tunnel.