Hey Descendants!
Sorry we're so late getting this chapter out today. I might have been slightly dying on the couch for a couple of hours… ugh.
Don't worry, I got better :)
And speaking of better, Twisted and I have an announcement! We will be resuming our three updates a week schedule, starting this week. Isn't that exciting? More torment ;)
Last week you guys got a little bit of a break as we watched Deez completely accept her place with Uma, making the Sea Three the Sea Four. So many of you let us know how much you appreciated getting to see that moment even in the face of what T is going through. Thank you so much for that support. We were afraid we'd messed with the flow of the story too much, but hearing you guys praise us was not only a relief, but inspiring as well.
We're back at writing today, getting the last few chapters of this book wrapped up. ;)
But back to the story. Are you prepared to follow Harry's renewed search for T? Deez definitely pointed out something they already suspected, wherever Frollo is…
Are you ready for Harry's Personal Hell?
Lots of love Reader!
-Dark-
P.S.
If you haven't voted on our poll for Book 4, please don't forget to stop by our profile page. We're going to be putting a new one out soon, and we'd really like to get as many opinions as we can.
Where the fuck was Frollo?
Harry frowns as he walks up the stairs that led to the bookshelf Uma had described to him.
The man was notoriously resolute on not stepping foot onto the 'sinful soil' of the isle. To the point, he got his items from the commissary delivered.
It took him all of ten minutes to get those answers. Such easy, obvious answers now that he thought about it. And yet no one could answer his big one.
"Where be the big man with the salvation learnin'?" Harry asks no one in particular, which was about as helpful as his hundred other attempts with an audience. Willing or not.
He glares down at the hook in his hand. Such a small, intimidating thing. He couldn't wait to see the look on the old prick's face when he demonstrated how easy it would be to gut him with it. How little he would care if he followed through. He shakes his head, he just wanted T back.
Sea Gods help the bastard if he'd laid a hand on his family. On his T.
Finally, he sighs as he walks over to the suspiciously placed bookshelves, scanning the book titles until he finds the faded one with the fancy flowing script, Purity.
He gags but tips the book back until he hears a latch pop open.
This was it. He slides behind the hinged bookshelf into the dark hallway beyond it.
"No wonder T be so good with the dark." He grumbles as he rolls his eyes. He pulls out a flashlight and flicks it on, making his way down the hall until he comes to the open door.
He takes a deep breath before he slips into the room, telling himself he was ready for whatever oppressive shit this place could throw at him. He shifts the beam of the flashlight around, holding his breath.
But the room looked exactly like Uma had described it.
White and red feathers covered one corner of the room, looking like a snowdrift after a round of fisticuffs.
There was a pile of clothes on the floor near a dresser with every drawer pulled out.
In any other circumstance, any other, he would've been amused by his Captain's obvious disapproval.
His eyes sweep over T's personal mad science lab, narrowing at the odd bottles and metal wires. This had to be how T made medicine. No wonder the pup got on with T so well. Pearls in a clam, those two.
He sighs as he starts walking around, snooping into every nook and cranny that he could find.
Senior knew T was a girl.
Deez had suspected it all along from the sounds of it.
He wasn't sure why that frustrated him. He'd known a lot of things about T and never said anything. But maybe that had been the problem. They were all so fucking busy 'protecting' T they failed to actually protect T.
Damn it.
He had no room to be angry at anyone else who kept one of T's damn-
His eyes linger on the cross above the weird science table. The cross looked exactly like the one on Jay's dagger. The dagger he'd thrown in disgust when they'd pieced together what T could be facing at their last meeting.
Part of him could acknowledge the wrenching pain at the reminder he wasn't going to be getting any more of those meetings. Another part of him though, realized why Jay seemed far more disturbed than he had at the idea. It also explained all the times Jay had paled when they'd been talking about girls and T had shown up.
Jay had fucking known T was a damned girl. Ooooh… If he ever saw that kid again…
He sighs at his own empty threat. Upset or not, he'd be fucking lucky to ever see Jay again.
Still, how long had Jay known? And what about the rest of his gang?
Mal didn't know. He was pretty fucking sure about that.
Carlos though, that pup was really fucking smart. But not really all that good in social situations. That was iffy.
He couldn't imagine Evie having a crush on the boy if she knew he was a she. That would mess with her perfect image far too much.
It also explained why Jay had snapped about T's accidents so abruptly.
He knew he could be mighty protective of Uma, but that wasn't solely because she was a girl. That was more because he knew he owed her everything and then some.
And then it was because she was a girl. He could admit that. In the darkness of this room he'd like to forget once they'd found T. Alone, with no Uma. He could admit he was a little protective of her because she was a girl. Silently and to himself so even the most mischievous of gods wouldn't be able to inform her.
He and Gil were usually eye to eye when it came to their captain's safety. And on a level, Uma knew her captain card only got her so far.
He sighs. He really didn't want to face this. He shakes his head as if to clear it before he continues his slow walk around the room. Uma had mentioned possibly wanting to save as much from here as they could, and now he could see why. As much as T probably wanted to forget about this room as much as he did. T was very skilled at mixing his little brews. Getting a set together like this one would probably take a while, even with Deez helping to make the containers.
Not that he could just waltz out of the church with a box full of stolen shit. Someone was sure to see him. The bastard had a 'flock' or whatever it was he'd called them.
No, he was going to have to be crafty to get all these goods out of here without tipping Frollo off too soon.
He sighs as he pries up floorboards and pulls out the books. If he could only save one thing for T, it would be the books. Kid loved books, even if he'd never pegged him as the book-loving type.
Huh. Was T actually a reader? Or was it the other one? The girl. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen T actually reading. He shakes his head. Not important. He moves on to the next creaky floorboard only to find a stash of herbs.
His eyes narrow as he pulls his hand back from gathering them. As much as he wanted to save them, he was only too aware of their burning capabilities.
He pries up another floorboard to find the camera and a whole slew of pictures. His eyes soften at the pile of shells, small pebbles, pieces of colored glass, a small glass well, a carved wooden cat, a sketch of T and Deez bent over a table. But it was a small silver button that caught his attention and held it.
He picks it up, smiling. He'd given this to T as a joke when he'd been a little to slow on his dodge. Gave it to T as a trophy of his first hit landed. But T kept it, hidden away with other precious treasures in the floor, hoping that his-her-their father never found it.
He looks around until he finds a small sack and fills it with every single item from this hiding place. He wasn't sure why this was important, but he felt like it was.
He blinks as he picks up the next board, finding dozens of drawings of all of them, through various ages. Mal's gang. Freddy. Their family.
Several of them, the older looking ones, were all like she'd drawn a picture taken with a camera. The people were far away, and at a weird angle for drawing. He lifts his brow as he notices one of a tiny Mal handing an apple to a goblin as her mother sneered behind her.
He can't help his smile when he looks at the next one. A little Uma carrying around an even littler Deez protectively.
Then there was a closer vantage drawing of a very young-looking Gil.
The rest were them doing odd things to draw pictures of. When he finds one of him, he blinks. It was of him standing protectively in front of Gil as he held a seething Uma to his chest. His hook and sword were brandished as he faced several shadowed figures with a wicked smirk on his lips.
Neptune's briny balls. He remembered this. It was back when all the gangs were still officially forming. When the three of them were clawing their way through posers, offers, and threats from all sides.
It was another one drawn like someone had taken a photo from high up and far away. Which was astounding considering how much detail there was.
But why? He looks up to the windows. To the locks on them. Was it because she was always looking out the windows? Looking down on life as it passed her by?
All thoughts are ripped from his head the moment his eyes land on the chains beneath the windows. He bites his lower lip as he stares at them, hardly daring to breathe. The cold metal conjured horrific images, filled with red and the taste of iron, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Where the fuck was T? He growls, pulling out one of the books to keep the drawings safe in. They were clearly important to at least one of them. Maybe both. He snaps the book closed with a sharp snap.
He wasn't going to find any more clues here. He piles as many vials as he can fit into the bag before he leaves, carefully shutting everything up behind him. Like he could somehow contain the evil of the room.
He was about to call it, take the treasures T- Or he was starting to think the girl kept close back to the ship before returning to search for the bastard priest. But, hadn't Uma described another room nearby? One that had to be Frollo's. If T wasn't here, maybe he was there.
He tries every door as he walks down the stairs until he finds a simple looking bedroom.
He slides in, carefully setting aside the treasures before he starts poking around the room.
Nothing on the desk was noteworthy, and some of it wasn't even written in a language he knew. He frowns.
That could be a problem, not knowing if he had something or not because he couldn't read it.
He sighs but continues to search the room. Eventually, he makes it to the bed where he finds a worn leather-bound book tucked under the mattress. He opens it eagerly, only to find more of the strange writing he couldn't read. This was important enough to hide though, so he tucks it into his jacket.
If they were really going to take Yensid up on his offer, maybe the old man could read it.
It was worth a shot.
He looks around the room one more time before he grabs the treasure bag and leaves. Quickly descending the stairs before he sneaks past the stage area and out the large front doors.
Frollo obviously wasn't here right now, and having a sack on his back made him stick out like a fat mark. He needed to lose the extra weight and come back to finish this.
After he did that, he wasn't leaving until he was following Frollo.
Hours. He'd been watching the place for hours.
What sun could make it through the barrier had long since set, leaving him in the dark, bitter cold. He squints as he looks up. The dark clouds swirling above threatened snow, or worse rain.
He really should have been more prepared.
He smacks his face before he runs his hands over his jacket, rubbing his hands quickly up and down his arms before he throws a couple of punches. Anything to keep warm.
He was starting to think he should have grabbed another layer. Maybe he could run to their secret meeting-
There he was! The disgusting creep, walking down the street towards the church like he wasn't concerned about anything. Not ah fucking care in the damn world.
Finally!
He walks out of the dark corner, intent on this upcoming conversation.
He was going to figure out where T was! He was so close!
He takes the stairs two, three at a time.
His steps slow, though he doesn't stop. Didn't he hate leaving the sanctuary of this building? If he wouldn't even leave to go to commissary-
Before he makes it past the doors he suddenly realizes he's not the only person climbing the steps.
What the fuck were people doing coming to the church this late at night?
"Evenin'." A stocky man greets as he walks past Harry.
Evenin'? The moon was full risen, he could just make it out through the clouds and barrier.
"Welcome. Welcome. Please find a seat so we can get the mass started."
Harry huffs before takes a deep breath and goes to sit on one of the broken seats. He could play innocently curious. He'd done that before. Bide his time until there were less people around.
He couldn't help but marvel at the number of people willing to listen to this bastard talk. The church quickly filled, leaving hardly an empty seat.
After some singing of songs that didn't even rhyme, Frollo began to speak to those gathered about their cruel reality.
About five minutes into the spiel, he wanted to cut his ears off.
Frollo loved the sound of his own damned voice. And loved making the whole group answer him in unison.
It was unsettling.
Had T been forced to listen to this bull about a god that was both loving and wrathful? Not that he couldn't see it. Uma could be both loving and wrathful. So could Deez, and both of them were part god.
But the god Frollo spoke of just sounded like a dick. Like who would tell a follower to kill their own child? He shakes his head, he couldn't even picture his dad trying to force Smee to hurt
Squirmy and Squeaky. What was the point?
And then he flooded the whole world? While he could only imagine how awesome the sailing was, dick move killing everyone off.
And what kind of person let a killer walk free while the nice guy died? That was counterintuitive to everything the damn isle had been created for.
This was confusing. Everything about this building, this sick fuck, his words, the people following him. Confusing.
He frowns. There was no way T hadn't grown up listening to these stories. Frollo looked like he enjoyed speaking to an audience too much.
At least the sea gods he knew of only wanted the occasional offering and acknowledgment.
Fuck, Senior didn't even want that. He just wanted to be entertained. And free.
Apparently, not all gods were created equal. And that only confused him more, because Frollo was swearing up and down his god was the true god.
And. He. Just. Kept. Talking.
He glances around the room, surprised to find so many of his followers sleeping- It hadn't even slowed him down.
Crazy fucker really did just like the sound of his own voice. That much was clear. Why else continue?
Though now that he thought about it he was feeling much warmer now, and unfortunately tired. It was a nearly hypnotic feeling with the man droning on. He bends forward just enough to roughly tap his face. He couldn't afford to fall asleep now.
This was the last time he played curious, that was for damn sure. Or walked into a situation without a plan. A good plan. A plan that was more than get answers.
Next time, he'd just wait outside in the fucking cold.
Sea Gods he hoped there was never a next time.
He contemplated standing to leave, but felt pretty confident that while the priest didn't seem to mind sleeping followers, a follower walking away would draw his attention.
He takes a deep breath before he sits back up, pinching his leg roughly.
He just had to tough it out for like, what was the worst that could happen? A couple more hours?
He groans to himself. He hoped not. The droning was quickly turning into his own personal hell.
This was taking for fucking ever. Was time stretching out? Or was this really something he did for hours? How long had he been here? He was pretty sure at this rate it would be sunrise before the man stopped.
He drags his hands down his face. He was going to die here. He was going to fall asleep and end up being sold on the under market. For scraps or… He shivers.
Nevermind, other thoughts, any other thoughts.
Deez was back. Wonderfully back and brimming with ideas for him to latch on to. And it was looking like Gil was going to force her to join them this time, before she slipped from their fingers again. Not that he blamed the lad. He was totally on board with that. He also didn't think he'd be able to live through another separation like that.
Oh, thank the Sea Gods! He breathes out as everyone, who was awake anyway, stands.
Why was everyone shaking hands? Harry's eyes widen in horror. That was a thing?
"Peace be with you." A boney woman with a faded blue shawl and orange dress smiles at him as she holds her hand out.
"Uhh-" Harry quickly stands and shakes her hand, "Uh, peace with ya and all that."
The woman chuckles before she turns away to shake someone else's hand.
The murmurs of the phrase echoed in the large chamber eerily. Weird.
By his fourth handshake, he'd figured out what he was supposed to say, and was even managing a smile, albeit a strained one.
How long did they keep this up?
Eh. It was better than listening to the bastard speak. And got him standing, maybe he could slip out now?
He slowly edges away, ducking into the first shadow he reaches by a pillar.
Oh thank Uma and Deez. He could see the exit.
Now the next shadow.
The next pillar.
Another shadow.
Bend at the waist to hide behind the table with all the candles.
The door was like five empty feet away. No more shadows, no convenient tables. Just five feet of nothing.
He slowly peeks above the table to see what everyone was doing. Still shaking hands.
Great. Ready…
He turns to the door.
Set.
Five feet and then he could jump out of sight. Nothing more than a flicker of a candle.
Go!
He bolts.
Fuck that. Fuck listening to that man talk. Fuck actual religion on the isle. Fuck invisible gods. Fuck. All. Of. It.
He knew where Frollo was. And knew that Frollo had come from the seedier side of the red lantern district.
He'd rather face all the places he avoided than ever listen to the man again. He'd rather degrade himself to find T than wait for that bastard to lead him to the right place.
Quota met for his entire life.
Even trades never left him feeling that dirty.
And trades were only necessary if he got caught.
Harry stumbles out of yet another club. No T anywhere, just lots of freaks and fetishes he'd rather not think about.
He shakes his head before he looks up and down the street. T was here somewhere. He knew it. Where else would a fucking bastard like Frollo go to get his jollies? And why else would the priest walk to the church from down here?
After these businesses, things got much rougher. At least for the clients walking in. He couldn't picture Frollo fitting in at places like that, but he was willing to check if he didn't find a clue about T soon.
Harry shivers, though the motion has nothing to do with the cold. He desperately wanted to find T.
He walks to the edge of the street, blending in under the shadows cast by the gaudy red paper lanterns lining both sides of the street. One lantern for each business where pleasures were sold.
His eyes dance from each lantern to the business it represented, but there were so many it was hard to keep straight.
He falls back against the brick wall as he drags his hands through his hair. He knew T had to be here somewhere.
He was just too stupid to figure it out.
He slams a fist to his forehead. Thinking like that was only going to make him miss something important. He takes another deep breath and starts counting the lanterns on the opposite side of the street again.
When he catches familiar black robes from the corner of his eye he stiffens. Fuck. Frollo was actually going back out tonight? He narrows his eyes as he carefully watches the prick of a priest walk purposefully past him.
He waits for a heartbeat.
Two.
One more, just in case, before he rounds the building to follow the old man out past his bedtime.
Finally. Fucking finally!
Just hold on T.
Just hold on a little bit longer.
If this prick has you, I'll get you back.
He grins, happy to have a lead.
His chest burns as he lets himself picture his eventual kiss. T would kiss him for this right?
Kiss him or punch him. It was definitely going to be one of the two.
Hell, he'd take a full beating just to know he and she were safe.
He rounds another building Frollo had disappeared behind moments ago.
It had only been a few seconds. The three heartbeats.
But still, he has to stop.
It was dark over here. No lanterns. No lights in the windows.
No sign of the frail old fuck.
Harry's breath hitches in his throat as he bites his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood while he fists his hands in his hair and lets out a low growl.
Where the fuck was T?
We really aren't trying to knock religion we swear. It's just the only one on the isle happens to be preached by Frollo, so, ya know- What else are these kids supposed to think?
I mean he's a villain. And was fucked in the head before he got brought back to life- So if anything, blame Disney for turning this into a kid's movie.
You can blame us for having Harry lose track of him though. That's totes on us. :)
That being said,
What did you guys think about Harry's impression of the room?
Any thoughts on the drawings he found?
On his opinion of the sermon? (Which was only two hours for those of you who are curious.)
Are you guys sitting on the edge of your seats, biting bits to know what the fuck is going on with T? To know what's going to happen next?
Will Harry be able to find T? Rescue T from his bleak-looking fate? Or is it going to be too late?
Things are looking pretty grim for the isle's Shadowed Vigilante...
So make sure you stay on the lookout for the next chapter, and don't forget to let us know your thoughts. (Even if it's threats of pain or cursing us for putting you through this and pulling this shit in the first place…)
Much love and appreciation
-Twisted