Chapter 5 - The Undercity
(A/N) For everyone wondering, yes, that was the librarian from Monsters University in the last chapter. Apparently, her name is Margaret Gesner. I know she's not a villain per say, but she was antagonistic to the heroes of the story and I'm not sure how liberal Belle and Beast were on what classified as evil. I'm guessing Belle might have it in for Margaret as she's so mean to readers.
The next day, Evie, Freddie, Zevon and Dizzy found themselves perched on the branches of a tree, near the entrance to The Undercity. Zevon and Dizzy had gone all out, dressing in camouflage gear and green face paint. Dizzy was playing the lyre and everyone waited with bated breath for Cerberus to appear at The Gates of Tarturus.
"Just to be clear, if you do die down there who becomes the next leader?" Zevon asked in a hushed whisper.
Freddie lowered her binoculars and smacked Zevon on the shoulder, causing him to yelp and rub his sore arm. The girl packed a mean punch. Zevon scowled at her, muttering that he was only asking.
"Don't think you're getting rid of me this easy, Zevon," Evie said with an amused smile. "And while I'm gone Freddie's in charge. Remember, if I'm not back by three o'clock, you have to lure Cerberus back to you."
In order to find her way back out of The Undercity, Evie had brought brightly coloured chalk that she would use to mark the walls. If anything complicated that and she wasn't back by three o'clock, the others would lure Cerberus back up top and she could track the dog's escape route and make it back to the surface. As a precaution, she had also brought smoke and sleep bombs - which she had made sure to pack herself.
They waited for a long time and just when they were about to give up, Cerberus finally appeared. Zevon, Frankie and Dizzy gulped when they saw six red eyes peeing out from the blackness of the entrance. When Cerberus raced down the stairs, daylight revealing her to being an adorable puppy, Dizzy and Frankie's worried expressions moped into bewilderment.
"That's Cerberus?" Freddie scoffed in disbelief. "Zevon, you made her out to be some giant, grizzly monster!"
"Looks can be deceiving," Zevon muttered, scowling at the creature like it was his archnemesis.
"She's so cute!" Dizzy gasped.
"She is not cute! She's a demon!" Zevon snapped. "Now hurry up and play the sleeping song before she finds us up here and gobbles us up!"
Dizzy complied and began playing the second tune, reading the notes from the book which Evie held open for her. This tune was dark and drawling, like an eerie lullaby for a twilight night. Instantly, Cerberus's movements became sluggish, her eyes drooping shut, ears bending down and tail ceasing its wagging. The puppy slouched to the ground, all four legs sprawling out under it.
It was only when they heard the soft snores that Evie swung herself down from the branches and crept over to the sleeping guardian, doing her best to resist the urge to pet her. Even with three-heads, glowing red eyes and a fearsome reputation, Cerberus was too cute for her own good. Evie clipped the tracking device - a small orb with a clip - onto the collar around the middle head. She then hurried up the staircase to the entrance of the tunnels and hid behind one of the pillars.
She signalled for Dizzy to stop playing.
When the pup awoke she looked dazzled, staring around confused, with its ears bend downwards. Eventually, she shook her heads and headed back into the tunnels.
Evie followed, tracking pad in hand.
Hayden was right, there was something pretty about The Undercity. In a ghoulish sort of way.
The city was hidden away in an enormous cavern and bathed in an eternal, blue light created by thousands of glowworms on the ceiling. From all the way down here, they almost looked like stars. The cities structures were all made of stone, some buildings even carved into the cavern walls. There was a clash of aesthetic in some of the architecture of the buildings. Some borrowed inspiration from medical castles, with turrets, towers and massive oak doors, while others were designed after Ancient Greece dwellings, with pillars and intricate designs etched into the stones, depicting all manners of historical events - mainly the demise of villains. The pavements and roads were all cobblestoned and instead of street lights, they had strings of lanterns crisscrossing over the streets.
Evie stared at the city in awe and took a step towards the rickety, rope bridge that stretched across a massive trench, separating the city from the entrance of the labyrinth of tunnels. There was a small, wooden sign in front of the bridge that read 'The Ferryman Bridge'. Evie figured The Undercity had probably been built in this location primarily because of the trench, as it acted as a natural moat to keep the monsters at bay should they find the city. The flimsy bridge meant that only human-sized beings could cross.
Evie clutched the rope railings and began to ease her way across. Down below her, a good few hundred feet, she was stunned to see an eerie, glowing river flowing through the trench - it was fed by a sparkling waterfall at the other end of the cavern. Evie was too high up to make it out, but there looked to be hundreds of shadows swiftly gliding through the waters. Fish, perhaps?
Once on the other side, Evie made her way through the city.
The people down here were strange, something about them prickling at her senses. They all favoured darker colours, barely a splash of brightness anywhere to be found. They also looked very... grey.
Up top was a whirlwind of colours, everyone claiming a different one as their own. Yet here, very few people stood out among the bleakness. Evie quickly found herself feeling like she stood out for all the wrong reasons, and even with her head held down and minding her own business, she felt like everyone's eyes were on her, silently judging her. It was like they knew she wasn't from here, that she was an intruder in their mist.
What Evie couldn't see was that to everyone down in The Undercity, who were so used to darkness and gloom, Evie, with her sweet features, royal blue outfit and shining eyes, appeared too bright, too full of life for down here. Like a ray of sunshine that had impossibly reached the bottom of the darkest pits of Earth. To them, she was like a blooming bluebell that had sprung up in a withered garden of grey and dull flowers. She was not made for this place where sunlight could not touch her.
It took her a while but eventually, Evie found the library. It was hidden away inside an intimidating, converted mausoleum with grey walls and intricate pillars. Nailed to the giant gate in front of the building was a gleaming, silver plaque that read:
On your quest for answers, the spirits shall assist.
Knowledge is a power that only fools resist.
Evie pushed open the creaky, rusted iron gate and crept inside.
The inside of the library was much bigger than it looked on the outside. Books lined the walls all the way to the ceiling, and in the center of the circular room were dozens upon dozens of bookcases filled with more tomes, all looking a little dusty and weathered with age. Some of the shelves were adorned with various artefacts and skulls, cobwebs and creepy crawlies clinging to the corners.
Begrudgingly, Evie would admit that this library had more books but at least the library up top was somewhat inviting. Who builds a library inside a mausoleum? There were stone coffins dotted about the room, some even built into the walls between the books! One near the entrance read 'Here lyes ye body of William Butchersonye, 1st of May 1693, Lost Soul'. Etched upon the stone panel was also a depiction of a frightful woman's face.
Evie was a witch, and although her mother had once pried hearts from the corpses of her enemies, even Evie found studying among the dead a little too morbid.
Evie glanced around, looking for the librarian. Hopefully, whoever it was was not as scary as the one up top. As it turned out, the librarian here was nothing like her normal librarian, but he was no less terrifying.
The librarian was a ghoulish skeleton dripping with green goo. Soulless black sockets stared at Evie as she slowly approached it, feeling unnerved at the gruesome sight. As she drew closer, she noticed it was wearing tattered and battered armour parts.
I wonder if that's one of the Horned King's cauldron reborn? Evie pondered, remembering the tales her mother had told her of the infamous and forgotten King.
"Um. Hi there," Evie said, smiling nervously.
The skeleton stared at her blankly. Apparently, it wasn't much of a talker, though that may be due to its lack of voice box rather than its personality. Evie bit her lip, feeling very uncomfortable under its unblinking stare.
"Don't suppose you could point me in the direction of your Greek mythology section?"
For a moment the skeleton remained eerily quiet and unmoving before finally, it craned an arm up to point to one of the aisles.
"Thanks," Evie said cheerfully, feeling anything but.
She scurried down the aisle, thankful to get away from the skeleton, and began looking for any books that could prove useful in giving her more information about demigods.
It took her far longer than she would have liked to get through all the material on Greek mythology. Weird noises like dying wails and the occasional banging or rattling of chains kept distracting her and at the corner of her eyes, she kept seeing things move. It didn't take her long to come to the conclusion that the library was haunted.
Evie tried her best to ignore the strange anomalies, but nothing she did to calm herself could ease the tenseness in her shoulders, the fear knotted in her stomach or the way she jumped at the slightest sound.
After hours of searching - all the while being rife with paranoia - she was devasted to discover that the same thing had happened down here as it had up top. All the demigod information had been erased. There was nothing.
Evie slid down one of the bookcases and came to a rest on the floor with her legs outstretched and head held between her hands. Once again, she had been out-manoeuvred. She was never going to find out the information that she neede now! None of the adults knew anything helpful and the library's sources had all been tampered with.
Now she was truly in between a rock and a hard place. If she took on Hayden then she would have no way of knowing what she was dealing with when the barrier broke and it could very well spell the demise for her and the VKs. They could finally be free only to end up at the mercy of a powerful demigod. But if she didn't take action against Hayden then the VKs she was charged with leading and protecting would suffer. They may lose their turf and have no source of income which means they would struggle immensely to survive until the barrier was brought down - and since she wasn't being kept in the loop, Evie had no idea how long that would be.
Evie sighed, wishing that fate could be a little kinder to her. If Mal were here she would know what to do. She would have probably had this whole situation dealt with and had Hayden suited up with a lovely pair of cement boots and chucked into the ocean.
Something to her left caught Evie's attention, drawing her from her pity party. She was unnerved to see several books gliding through the air from one shelf to another. Evie's jaw dropped open and she let out a startled gasp.
That's enough spookiness for me, Evie thought with a shiver.
Just as she was about to push herself to her feet and get as far away from this dismal place as she could, something hard fell on top of her head with a loud thwack. Evie yelped and rubbed the now tender spot at the back of her head. There would definitely be a bruise there in the morning. With a bitter scowl, she glanced down to see what had hit her. She wasn't surprised to see that it was a book. It was magnificently decorated, though it looked ancient and decrepit, it's pages yellowed and tarnished. The title read 'Spells of Astoroth.'
Evie picked it up and rose to her feet, looking for the space where it fell from. She frowned when she found no blank space on the shelves to slot it into. Where had it come from then? With a shrug, she placed it randomly on a shelf. Evie turned around, intending to clean away the books on the desk that she had been using. What she saw caused her heart to constrict sharply and her eyes to widen. There was the book, 'Spells of Astoroth', sitting on the table, waiting for her.
"That's... a little weird," Evie mumbled.
Her fingers skinned the cover. Upon contact, it flipped open and the pages flickered wildly. It landed on a page near the middle. Cautiously, Evie leaned over to read it. The pages were intricate, one side having beautiful, black, cursive writing and the other containing detailed drawings relating to the writings.
Evie trailed her hands over the words as she read the page, a sly smile forming on her ruby lips. It was a spell, a potentially useful spell that could give her all the answers she sought. Under normal circumstances, spells would have been useless to her, the barrier preventing her from accessing her magic. But if what the details about the spell at the bottom of the page said were true, then it was possible, she would be able to use it. There was a loophole to the barrier's no magic policy.
Evie wasn't sure what mischief was going on or what trouble stirring phantom was aiding her, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She pulled out a small notebook and pen from her satchel and began scribbling down the spell and its details. Once she was finished she glanced up from her notes back to the book, only to find it had vanished.
Evie held up her notes.
It was a spell to summon The Fates.
With the spell tucked safely away in her pocket, Evie decided to make a bee-line out of the library and The Undercity. This underground world was too grim and grey for her likings. Evie thanked whatever spirits had helped her and swiftly made her way to the exit.
She navigated her way through the lantern-lit streets. The city was much busier in the afternoon than it had been in the morning, and Evie found herself having to squeeze her way through the crowds on the narrower streets, occasionally having someone bump into her. With more people out and about, Evie discovered an answer to a question she had never thought about before; where do all the undead villains of the world live on The Isle? Fittingly, it seemed all those villains - zombies, skeletons, ghosts and vampires - had chosen to live underground. It took Evie a great deal of willpower not to gawk or flinch at seeing skeletons walking among the crowds of people or the odd ghost gliding across the rooftops.
"Come back here, ye mangy mutt!" a gruff, masculine voice hollered.
Evie looked down the street to see a man dressed in chef whites running out of The Butchers Shop, waving a fist in the air. Further down the road, Evie saw the tail end of Cerberus dashing down the streets, each of her three heads clutching a string of linked sausages between their teeth. The dog looked utterly gleeful, its ears perked and tail wagging excitedly.
"I wonder where you're running off to?" Evie mused.
Curiously, she followed after the dog. When Evie lost sight of the puppy she pulled out her tracker and the little red blip lead her to the other end of the city. She found herself in the ruins of a temple, and so wondrous was the sight, that she forgot all about tracking Cerberus.
All around her where fragments of pillars and broken, marble monuments of powerful villains - though they were from stories long before Evie's time and their dilapidated state made it impossible to identify who they were. What was most striking about this place was the plants. Everywhere Evie looked there were clusters of different kinds of flowers, some growing on vines that twisted up and around the various ruins. They made up every colour of the rainbow and were all in full bloom, leaving a sweet smell in the air. They were such a shock of colour in this dark city that it gave the place an otherworldly feeling, like something out of a fantasy.
It was like a secret garden, hidden on the outskirts of the city.
How anything could grow all the way down here without sunlight was beyond Evie. Even up top, she had never seen such beautiful greenery and flowers. Everything was wilted and shrivelled. Someone with expert knowledge in gardening had to be taking diligent care of these plants, nothing like these could be grown naturally - not in the hostile landscapes that The Isle had to offer.
Evie was so lost in admiring all the beautiful blossoms that she almost didn't see the patch of black at the bottom of a small incline. It was Hayden, his dark clothes standing out starkly among the vibrant colours of the flowery meadow. Evie flung herself behind a large pillar, pressing herself up against it to stay out of sight.
Hayden was lying on the grass among the flowers, one hand behind his head while the other rested on his stomach, a white flower held loosely between his fingers. His eyes were closed and partially hidden behind his fringe of blue hair, his shallow breath musing it. Evie hated to admit it, but sound asleep Hayden looked as handsome as he did peaceful. She could imagine that wherever the boy went he left a trail of broken hearts behind him and it was easy to see why. He was attractive with a cold sort of beauty, and he was charming, charismatic, and chivalrous - to a degree.
In another life, Evie could see herself falling for him, smitten by his smile and sweet words. But not in this world. Here she knew what he was. Even a tiger looked peaceful in its slumber but the moment it awoke it would still lash out ferociously. Hayden's charms were nothing but the poisonous baits of a serpent.
"Who's there?" Hayden's voice called out, almost like a song.
Evie went rigid and held her breath, placing a hand over her mouth to quiet her breathing. Hayden languidly rose to his feet, looking around the garden for the intruder he had sensed. Evie peeked out from behind her pillar, hoping he had headed off in the opposite direction, giving her a chance to escape. There was no such luck, he seemed to be walking towards her!
Getting found by Hayden in The Undercity was the last thing Evie needed right now. Despite the nonchalant movements that made him seem at ease and calm, the look in his eyes told another story. They were narrowed and glowing brighter than Evie had ever seen, a dangerous glint shining within them. He radiated danger and Evie knew she did not want to be on the receiving end of that anger.
Just as he was about to reach her something tackled him to the ground, sending dozens of petals fluttering into the air.
"Cerberus!" Hayden yelled, letting out a joyous laugh.
The dog had him pinned and all three heads were attacking him with slobbery kisses and affectionate nuzzling. Hayden was grinning, trying futilely to bat the puppy away from him. Eventually, he managed to get up to his knees and he caught the middle head of the dog between his hands, bringing it to rest against his.
"Where have you been, girl? Huh?" Hayden asked. "It's not like you to run off."
Cerberus barked several times as though it were trying to share a story. Hayden shook his head and sighed. "I have no idea what you said. Come on, girl. It's almost time for dinner and we wouldn't want to keep dad waiting, you know what his temper's like."
Cerberus nodded her heads in agreement before following Hayden further down the slope and out of sight. Evie breathed a sigh of relief and slipped out from behind the pillar, quickly making her way back the way she had come.
That had been far too close for comfort.
Eventually, Evie found her way back to the Ferryman Bridge. Travelling through the dark tunnels wasn't something she was looking forward to doing, but she didn't have a choice. At least with the spell, the trip hadn't been a complete waste of time.
Once she was across the swaying bridge, Evie headed towards the gaping hole in the wall that would lead her back to the labyrinth of tunnels. She had barely made it a few steps away from the bridge when a voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Lose something, Evie?"
Hayden was sitting on a large boulder by the trench edge, arms resting over his knees. He was tossing something small into the air, and it was with a jolt that Evie realised it was the tracker she had placed on Cerberus.
Busted.
"Hayden," Evie breathed.
He wasn't smiling, not this time, his expression was infuriatingly blank.
"I warned you not to come down here," Hayden said, his voice low, threatening.
"And I warned you not to mess with the VKs. I guess neither of us is good at listening."
"I've told you before how dangerous it is down here, you've even seen it for yourself, and yet you still think it was a bright idea to come down here? Alone, at that." Hayden spoke quietly, eyes narrowed and glinting with fury. "I thought you were smarter than this."
Evie bristled, infuriated by his attitude. She sneered at him with an unpleasant smile and spread her arms out wide, gesturing around them. "And yet, I managed to get down here all my own."
Hayden gave her three slow, sarcastic claps.
"And how do you plan to get out?"
"That's none of your concern now, is it?"
"Wouldn't have anything to do with chalk, would it?" Hayden asked dryly.
He reached into his pocket, took something out and then threw it at Evie's feet. The pink chalk shattered against the ground. Evie's hand instinctively went to her pocket to pat it down and she was shocked to feel that her chalk was not there. When had he managed to get it?
"Chalk can be easily erased with a little water and the marks replaced. It would be a shame if someone... messed with them. "
Evie swallowed, taking an unconscious step back. It was becoming very clear to her that she had underestimated Hayden.
"You've changed my marks?"
"Maybe."
"This isn't funny, Hayden," Evie shouted, her voice pitching with anger and panic.
Hayden laughed darkly. "No, no it isn't funny. You risked your life and for what? What have you accomplished by coming here? Even if you found my base what then? To do anything you'd have to bring your team here, endangering their lives and your own in the process. Something I'm pretty sure you don't want to do."
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Evie snarled, fed up with this contrary creature before her. "Stop pretending that you care about the VKs!"
Despite her anger, his words made her feel a sense of relief. He didn't know the real reason she had come down here, to find out his weakness. And despite finding the chalk Hayden hadn't found the notebook with the spell on it - a discreet touch assured her that it was still in her satchel.
"I don't," Hayden said with a shrug. He dropped down from the high boulder and headed towards her. Evie backed away until her back hit another a large rock behind her. Hayden placed a hand at the side of her head and leaned close, his voice quiet. "I don't care about anybody up top. But I do care about you."
"I'm not falling for your Prince Charming act. Save it for someone else."
"I'd hardly call myself Prince Charming," Hayden rolled his eyes, irritated by the thought. "But it's not an act, Evie. Of that, I give you my word."
"Your word means nothing to me," Evie whispered venomously, eyes gleaming. "And I'm not going to stop. I'm the leader of the VKs, it's my job to protect my team and our turf. If you're so scared of me being hurt then back off and leave us be."
"Unfortunately, I can't. There are bigger things at play." Hayden said, and even sounded regretful that he couldn't comply to her demand.
Evie narrowed her eyes, not sure that she liked the sound of 'bigger things at play'. What did that mean? What exactly was Hayden planning? Whatever it was she didn't think it would be good for her or any of the other villain factions.
"Eventually, I'm going to take over all the territory up top, Evie. And no one, not even you and all your clever little schemes, will stop me. You know, I can't be beat."
"We'll see then, won't we?" Evie challenged.
Hayden sighed and shook his head, a grim smile on his face. "Tell me, Evie. Have you heard from Mal? How about Jay or Carlos?"
"That's none of your business," Evie replied sharply.
"I'll take that as a no. I heard you four were supposed to be as thick as thieves and yet they can't even send you any sign of how they're getting on? Do you want to know why?"Hayden lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's because they aren't coming back, Evie."
"Of course they are," Evie said hotly, fed up with people doubting her friends. "They wouldn't turn their backs on evil."
They wouldn't turn their backs on her.
"They will. And you know what will happen when they do? You and the rest of the VKs will become outcasts. You'll pay the price for your friend's betrayal. You won't be able to go anywhere on The Isle without meeting scorn and threats."
Evie thought back to Zevon's words, his concerns that the others had betrayed them. They also made her think of something else, a similar conversation, one she couldn't quite remember. She recalled someone else warning her that Mal, Jay and Carlos might abandon her, but for the life of her, she couldn't grasp the memory properly.
"You might believe I'm not being sincere about my affections for you, but I am. When it all goes down, you'll always have a place with me. If you choose it."
Evie felt her heart flutter and she wished she didn't have to stare into those amber eyes, so full of conviction and something else she couldn't name. He was a wonderful actor, she would give him that. Hayden leaned down and tilted his head, his eyes searching hers. It was when his gaze flickered to her lips that Evie realised that he was thinking about kissing her.
"I won't turn my back on you, Evie. Ever. Let me prove it to you." He spoke so softly that Evie couldn't tell if she had heard him mummer please at the end.
Just before Hayden kissed her Evie stopped them with two fingers placed gently upon his lips. Even his lips were warm and she had to ignore the tingly sensation it left on her fingertips. It reminded her of putting her fingers on a hot water bottle, getting warmer the longer she touched it to the point of burning. She couldn't help but wonder if it would burn her lips if she actually had let him kiss her.
Hayden pulled away, smiling softly despite the disappointment in his eyes.
"Not today, Romeo," Evie muttered.
She slipped out from under his arms and headed back towards the tunnel network. Hayden remained where he was, with one hand against the rock.
"I wasn't joking about the marks," Hayden called out. "They have been erased."
Evie frowned, resisting the urge to growl in frustration. She had hoped that he had been bluffing about that, considering all his talks of caring about her.
Hayden whistled and a moment later Cerberus came bounding across the bridge. Hayden knelt beside the puppy, scratching behind one of his ears. "Hey there, girl. I need you to do me a big favour and take our lovely Evie here back up top and make sure she gets home safely. Alright?"
Cerberus nodded all three of her heads, her tail wagging eagerly. She raced over to Evie, happily bouncing around her feet and looking up at her with her glowing red eyes, her pink tongue hanging from her mouth. Evie glanced over to Hayden, who was still kneeling on the ground, and reluctantly nodded to him - as close as a thank you as she could give. Before she turned to leave Hayden called out to her.
"I meant what I said, Evie. Think about it and be careful."
Be careful, Evie, the words in a dream whispered in her head.
Evie turned her back to him and followed the barking Cerberus towards the tunnel system. She did not look back at the demigod watching her, no doubt looking smug at his petty little victory over her. He had made it very clear that he was not to be underestimated and that, had he wanted to, he could have prevented her from leaving. He had ruined her marks and taken the tracker from Cerberus. She would have been stuck down here if not for his help. He was just lording his power over her.
Evie bit the inside her cheek, scowling bitterly.
She told herself that ultimately that this didn't matter. Let Hayden have his silly little victory. Everyone falls for their foes wits and traps, it was a begrudging truth her mother had taught her. With every loss she suffered she gained something from it, a lesson never to make the same mistake twice. Hayden may have won the battle, but she was not going to let him win the war.
Evie left The Undercity, and had she turned back to look at Hayden just before she left, instead of seeing a look of victory on his face, she would have seen pure longing.
(A/N) Sorry for any mistakes, my spellcheckers acting weird :/
References:
'Spells of Astoroth' is a book from the movie Bedknocks and Broomsticks.
'Here lyes ye body of William Butchersonye 1st of May 1693, Lost Soul' - is a reference to Hocus Pocus. It's the inscription on Billy the Zombie's gravestone.
"You know I can't be beat" is a line from Chris Villain's music video ' 'Descendants 3 unofficial First Look - Make it Hot (Chris Villain).'
I've not explained how Hayden found out Evie was in The Undercity and about her chalk plan because the chapter's been told from Evie's view and she doesn't know how he did it. But the explanation is one of the people who bumped into her when she was travelling through the narrow city streets was a Ghoul. They spotted her and pickpocketed the chalk and told Hayden.
How does everyone think Evie's plan to summon The Fates will work out?
Reviews:
xWriter15x: I'm so happy to hear that! Evie really does need to slap some sense into him lol. Hopefully, we'll see that in a few chapters ^_- (though Hayden maaaay pull some worse stunts before that.) Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for the review!
Guest: I think there would, especially as there were quite a few Gods and Goddess villains from the Hercules Series, such as Gaia. I know there's more in other Disney series but I can't think of them at the top of my head. Plus, since Marvel is now Disney villains like Loki could technically be on The Isle. So there could be a few demigods running about on The Isle. And yes! That was Margret from Monster's University! :D
Thunderfiredragon: Hayden reeeeally wasn't impressed with her plan, and I doubt he'll be happy when/if he finds out she's going to try and contact The Fates. Whether or not they'll let anything slip remains to been seen, though they do like to gossip. And Cerberus was back! :D Sorry you'll have to fight me for the puppy! She is too cute not to fight for lol. Oh stars, I never expected to ship them either yet here I am writing stories for them lol. I am forever annoyed that Hayden won't be in the actual movies ;A;
winsConspiracy: It was indeed the librarian from Monsters University :D I love her soooo much! Couldn't resist adding her. That's something that totally could happen in future chapters ^_- Although she's not managed to get much of an upper hand on Hayden, the tides slowly going to turn in Evie's favour in their next round. Though in this chapter she has managed to score a point against him with the spell, though he hasn't found out about it yet. Can't have Hayden winning all the time lol. It may be a little while yet but we'll be getting an update on what's happened with Mal and the others soon, there's a bit of a mystery with that which still hasn't come to light yet.
Baddest . of . them. all: Thank you so much for the lovley review! In future chapters we will find out what's happening with Mal and the others, there's a bit of mystery going to be revealed with that (can't say too much as it's quite spoilery). Hope you enjoyed this chapter!