Webby and Gosalyn were missing and Lena felt guilty. It wasn't her fault; Scrooge had obtained the security footage and they realized it was Negaduck and Morgana. However, it was suspicious that Mrs. Beakley had let them go without a fight. Lena hoped that maybe Scrooge would figure it out and interrogate the "housekeeper", a.k.a. Magica in disguise. For herself, Lena would keep a low profile. She hadn't betrayed Magica's precious secret, but Magica wouldn't see it that way. She'd want to punish the girl for her failure.
She didn't know where the boys were and she wasn't sure she cared. Huey had helped release her because of Webby, but he hadn't wanted to. She felt no kinship with the boys. Then again, maybe she was too newly released for that. Perhaps, in time, she'd feel connected to them over Webby. Time, she sensed, was not something they had in spades.
Scrooge was reviewing the footage from last night too and Lena was standing behind him. She winced as she saw Mrs. Beakley/Magica grab her by the throat; the security camera had caught both picture and dialogue and he could hear Magica threatening her. Lena's gaze dropped to the floor. She was ashamed to be so frightened of Magica.
"Ye should've come to me, lassie," he scolded.
"No offense," she said, raising her head. "But you locked me in a time field for fifteen years. You freaked out when Webby brought me to you. You're not the first person I'd go running to for help."
"I put you in that stasis field for yer own good!" he retorted.
"Really?" She was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. "So letting Magica berate me and terrorize me for fifteen years was for my own good too? Thanks, Scroogie."
Scrooge grimaced. "I may have made a mistake in that. I didn't know she was attacking you."
"You could've asked. You could've let me out at some point and talked to me instead of keeping me prisoner. Or did you think I was just a magical construct without feelings? That you hadn't shoved me into hell by keeping me stuck to Magica for fifteen years?"
He spun about in his chair. "You were conscious for that entire time? I thought it would've slowed down your reactions…"
"I was conscious and aware. The. Entire. Time. Time passed slower for me than it did for you, but that didn't mean Magica couldn't prey on me. And without anything else to do, I was her only target."
"I'm sorry, lass. I truly am."
"Yeah, well, whatever. It's done. We need to get Webby and Gosalyn back and figure out how to stop Magica."
Scrooge was still studying her and she hated it. How dare he feel sorry fifteen years later. How dare he not have interfered earlier, when she was desperate for help? How dare he act like she was a sentient being with emotions now when he hadn't for so long? What right did he have to feel remorse when she'd been trapped in hell? A hell of his design, no less. His and Gyro's.
"I know it seems like too little, too late, but I'll find some way to make it up to you. I won't shove you back into that stasis field again, Lena. We'll defeat Magica and you'll have your freedom."
Her freedom. It was a foreign concept and it tightened her throat. Magica had sworn up and down that once they were separated, she'd never speak to Lena again because Lena had "failed" her. But that was different from being fully disconnected from each other. Even without the amulet, she had a vague sense of Magica about the manor, probably because Magica wasn't bothering to conceal herself. Why should she? What did it matter if Lena knew where she was? Lena was too weak to stop her.
"I promise," he added.
"You realize as soon as she finds out you're onto her, she'll try to inhabit another body? Maybe yours?" Lena said, changing the subject. Scrooge's promise made her uncomfortable. She doubted he'd keep it. In her limited experience, the only people who kept their promises were children like her. Or whatever she was. She might have the body of a teenager, but she wasn't real. Not like the others.
"Aye, the thought had occurred to me."
He stood up and she backed away, irrational fear tightening her chest. He was going to throw her back in stasis. He was going to imprison her again and there was nothing she could do about it. Before, he'd caught her by surprise. She'd never let that happen again. She'd die before she ended up in stasis again. (It sounded extreme, but she was surprised to find she meant it).
"I can handle her."
"You say that now," she scoffed. "You have no idea what it's like to share a mind with her."
"Lena," he said quietly. "I am sorry. Very sorry. I shouldnae have done that. I should have figured out another way that didn't trap you."
"Like I said," she retorted, finding herself on the defensive, "It's over now. No point in crying over spilled milk and all that. I'll come with you to confront Magica if you want, but I'm telling you-she's got tricks you haven't seen before."
"I know what she's capable of, lassie. We've been enemies for a long time, Clan McDuck and Clan de Spell."
Lena scoffed again. He might claim he knew how to handle her, but she knew better. He was underestimating just how much Magica loathed him after being trapped with Lena. He was also underestimating how cruel she could be. Lena knew Magica all too well. It was an experience she'd give anything to forget, no matter that it comprised her formative years. She shuddered, rubbing her arms. No wonder she was so concerned about Webby and Gosalyn. They'd offered her the first glimpse she'd had of a world beyond sheer misery.
"I'll protect you from her."
Yeah, right. Sure he would. Lena was disinclined to believe anything Scrooge McDuck said. While she didn't hate him, not like Magica did, she didn't trust him, either. She wished she knew where Negaduck and Morgana had taken the girls. She also wished she had her amulet, even if it was technically Magica's staff. More than anything, she wished she didn't feel like a useless, washed up kid.
They found Mrs. Beakley in the library and pretending to dust books, all the while scanning the shelves. Scrooge halted, Lena behind him, and her heart thudded in her chest. It felt like every feather in her body stood on end. She wanted to run away but stood her ground. Her teeth chattered.
"Ye won't find any books about magic in there," Scrooge said and Mrs. Beakley whirled, feather duster in one hand. She was standing on a ladder and 'dusting' near the windows. To Lena's informed eye, it looked like Magica's golden gaze had overtaken Mrs. Beakley, which Lena found worrying. Mrs. Beakley probably didn't have much, if any experience, with magical possession. That Magica was winning so quickly was both unsurprising and troubling. She didn't know what Magica would do to her host once she was finished with her, but she doubted it'd be anything pleasant.
"Why would you think I'm looking for that?" Mrs. Beakley/Magica replied and descended the ladder.
Scrooge closed and locked the door behind Lena. "I'm onto you, Magica de Spell."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mrs. Beakley/Magica said primly.
"We have security cameras for a reason, Magica," he said quietly. "You forgot to erase them. I found the footage after you failed to keep Negaduck and Morgana from kidnapping the girls."
"You don't have any proof."
Scrooge glanced at Lena and Mrs. Beakley/Magica sneered.
"The word of a child? You'd trust her? She's not even a child. She's a monster. A magical thing. A construct with irrelevant thoughts and feelings."
Lena flinched and Scrooge glanced from Magica to Lena and back.
"I see what you meant, lassie," Scrooge said quietly. To Magica, he said, "And how would you know that? You've barely spent any time with Lena at all unless you count threatening her. I saw that too. Shame on you, Magica. She's just a wee bairn. She's never done anything to you."
Mrs. Beakley/Magica shed her innocent look and stormed up to Scrooge. Her eyes flashed with rage and she trembled.
"She's failed me," Magica snapped. "She allowed herself to get caught by you and then imprisoned for fifteen years. If I could have killed her and gotten control that way, I would have. The only thing I have to be grateful for is that she looks like a teenager. If she hadn't, those idiots would never have freed us."
Lena trembled too, not certain if she was angry or miserable. She had known Magica thought so little of her, but she hadn't thought she'd say it so baldly to Scrooge. It stung, as it always did.
"Then it's a good thing she was released because she's nothing like you, de Spell. She's barely been out for a day and I know she's got a better heart than you'll ever have."
"Oh, spare me the melodramatics," Magica scoffed. "I have a new host and I have no desire to leave her. What are you going to do, Scroogie? Chase me out? You can't."
"What are you doing to Beakley in there?" he demanded.
Magica shrugged. "Whatever's necessary. If she dies, it's her own fault. Besides, you're the reason I don't have a body anymore. Or can't reach it. Maybe if you let me have my body back, we wouldn't have this problem."
Scrooge glanced to Lena and Magica huffed.
"Don't look at her. She has no idea about anything. She's useless."
"Enough," he snapped. "Leave her out of this."
"You barely know her and you already have a soft spot for her," Magica scoffed. "You're so predictable. Give me the dime, Scroogie, and I promise I won't keep tormenting Beakley. I'll leave you and your precious family alone once I have what I want."
"You're not getting my number one dime!" he snapped.
Magica sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."
And Mrs. Beakley/Magica threw herself at Scrooge.
Morgana was in charge of watching Webby and Gosalyn while Negaduck set out on the next part of his plan. After he'd left, she'd allowed them to speak, although Gosalyn was ornery and Webby wasn't far behind her. Gosalyn might've treated her with affection or at least tolerance before. There was none of that evinced now.
"So, you turned traitor on my father, is that right?" Gosalyn snapped. "Probably thought you could trade up, huh? I've got your number, pal."
"That's not it at all," Morgana protested. They were currently sequestered in the Negaverse's version of Drake Mallard's house, which was ill-kempt and looked like a tornado had struck it. It smelled of rotten and dying things and Morgana shuddered. She wanted to go home. More than anything, she wanted to make this up to Dark and help him defeat Negaduck together. That wasn't going to happen, not under her geas.
"Really? Because it looks like it from where I'm standing," Gosalyn snapped. "What's the matter? My dad's not good enough for you? You think you can do better? I've got news for you. My dad is the best. You could come crawling back on your hands and knees and he wouldn't take you back, because you don't deserve him."
Webby sat beside her sister and stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her down. It didn't work. Although Webby didn't speak, she shot daggers at Morgana with her eyes.
"I should've known from the start that you were a bad egg," Gosalyn continued, warming to her topic. "You were all lovey-dovey with him. You were hiding something. What did Negaduck promise you, huh? A share in the loot? Or is it worse than that? Are you plotting with Negaduck to kill my dad?"
Gosalyn snarled, leaping up and grabbing Morgana by the collar. "Because I promise you, I won't let anything happen to Darkwing without a fight. You'll have to kill me to get to him."
"I wish I could explain," Morgana said. Gosalyn was beginning to give her a headache and she almost regretted restoring their powers of speech. Almost, but not quite. She didn't need to make them feel more of a prisoner than they already were.
"Explain what? How your villainous ways ensnared my father? How you seduced him into falling for Negaduck's plans? I bet you sucker-punched him in the heart, too. You foul, evil witch," Gosalyn snapped.
Morgana trembled and slammed her palms down on the table. "That's enough! That's not what's going on! I can't tell you what's going on because-because…"
Her throat constricted and she growled, frustrated. Gosalyn snorted.
"A likely story," she said.
"Gos, maybe she really can't," Webby said, studying Morgana closely. Unlike her sister, she wasn't letting her emotions get the better of her. Her forehead crinkled and she frowned. Morgana hoped she figured it out, though she didn't know she possibly could. If Gosalyn barely knew her, Webby certainly didn't.
"What can you tell me about Darkwing Duck?" Webby asked.
"That he's a wimp? That he's a weakling?" Gosalyn supplied. "Is that what you're thinking? I'll have you know that my dad is the strongest, bravest man I know."
"Gosalyn," Webby said, sounding exasperated. "Please."
"I don't feel that way about Dark at all," Morgana said. She banged the table again and sighed, as frustrated as Webby. "If I could tell you what was happening, I would. Negaduck-"
Her throat closed again.
"Did Negaduck do something to you?" Webby asked, cocking her head at her.
"Don't be ridiculous," Gosalyn scoffed. "She was a villain before Dad met her and she's returning to her old, evil ways. How could he possibly have done something to her? She's the sorceress, not him."
Morgana didn't know how much the compulsion would let her say. She attempted to nod at Webby's question and her head arrested halfway through. A half-nod was the best she could do. Really? How was she ever going to get help?
"Was it magic?" Webby asked, ignoring her sister.
Again, she managed a half-nod. Then her throat tightened painfully and she groaned, clutching it. Tears sprang to her eyes and Webby frowned, thoughtful.
"How could he have practiced magic? Only someone with magical ability could've done that," Gosalyn scoffed.
"Not necessarily," Webby said. "I can do magic."
This prompted a strange look from the other two females and Morgana's throat loosened enough to breathe and possibly speak. She massaged it and gazed at Webby just as thoughtfully as Webby was scrutinizing her. Here might be the key to her salvation. If she could figure out how to enlist Webby's help without being able to describe what had happened, perhaps Webby could reverse it. Or knew someone that could.
"You're just a child," Morgana protested.
"I never met my parents," Webby replied. "Who knows who or what they were?"
She shrugged and Morgana had the sudden urge to throw her arms about the child and hug her. Of course, the compulsion wouldn't let her do that either. Instead, she rested back in her chair and her heart hammered. She could almost taste her heartbeat, it was that intense.
"Wait a minute," Gosalyn said. "You have no proof that she's not doing this of her own volition. You can't say that she's under a compulsion. You don't know. Maybe she really has it in for my father."
Morgana managed a slight shake of her head and groaned. The corresponding pain waves that went through her made her grit her teeth.
"Think about it," Webby implored. "What's more likely? That Morgana had a sudden and complete change of heart, a 180 spin when she already had feelings for your dad and decided to ignore them? Or that she's under an enchantment?"
"She could've been luring my dad into a false sense of security before pouncing," Gosalyn said, seeming determined to malign Morgana. Morgana understood. She wouldn't trust herself either right now.
"She's already betrayed him."
"Right, but you don't know if she had a choice in the matter," Webby said.
"You're so quick to believe the best in people," Gosalyn scoffed. "Can't you admit that maybe some people are evil and can't change?"
"Can't you admit that if she loves your dad that much, she's not doing this because she wants to?" she retorted.
"Do you love my dad?" Gosalyn said to Morgana, implacable.
Morgana couldn't say yes. She managed a hiss and a slight nod before it was transformed into a headshake. Groaning, she buried her face in her hands and sighed. This was driving her insane. The dichotomy would split her in half.
"I think that's a yes, Gos."
Morgana was trembling and Webby put a hand on her shoulder. She knew it was Webby without looking because she could still feel Gosalyn's hostility radiating in waves from the redhead.
"I believe you," Webby said softly.
"You believe her over me?!" Gosalyn objected, outraged.
"You're not thinking straight. You're defensive over Darkwing because you love him and you don't want to see him hurt."
"Of course I don't," Gosalyn shot back. "Would you want to see your grandmother hurt? Or the triplets?"
"Of course not. Something strange is going on with Granny anyway…" Webby said, temporarily distracted by that thought.
"Magica," Morgana said.
"You said you didn't know!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
"I lied," Morgana said. "It's hard, but I can."
"Negaduck is compelling you to do things?" Webby asked.
Morgana made a slight noise. It was easier to disobey him when he wasn't present, but it wasn't completely facile. She shuddered again and hugged herself.
"Wait, Magica possessed my granny?" Webby said.
"Yes," Morgana managed.
Gosalyn cursed. Webby didn't, but her expression was a combination of thoughtful and dismayed. It was odd to see such a serious expression on one so young.
"We have to go save her!" Webby said.
"I can't let you leave," Morgana sighed. "Negaduck ordered me to keep you here."
"Of course he did," Gosalyn grumbled. "What if we went anyway?"
"I'd have to stop you," Morgana replied and shrugged. "It's nothing personal, Gosalyn."
"It sure seems that way to me," Gosalyn grumbled.
To Morgana, she could see Gosalyn's point. Grimacing, she rubbed her temples. It didn't seem like they were going to reach a consensus here. Moreover, it might be impossible to do so.
"Then…" Gosalyn said and grinned wickedly. "We'll have to improvise."
Morgana had a sinking suspicion she wasn't going to like where this was going.