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Chapter 11: Red of Hearts
Chloe felt like she was going to faint. So many things were happening, and her inexperienced brain just could not keep up. Not only had she and her friends just encountered a living, moving human being, but said human being had also attacked them!
CJ was still groaning in pain, clutching her side as she lay face-down on the filthy ground. Carlos was muttering curses and slowly crawling his way towards his detached prosthetic leg. Chloe was all alone as she faced off against her opponent.
This person – a girl, Chloe could tell – was clad from head to toe in shades of red and black. Even her hair – long, wavy and reaching all the way down to her midsection – was bright red. Chloe could barely distinguish any details of her face, since most of it was hidden underneath her hood, but the girl's sparkling brown eyes shone brightly.
"S-Stay back!" Chloe stammered, her sword trembling as much as her voice as she pointed it at her attacker. "I-I'm warning you…"
"Warning me?" The red-haired girl let out a derisive scoff. Her voice carried an air of utter indifference, yet it sounded strangely warm and melodious. The girl then teasingly lunged forward, not even slashing at Chloe with her own blade yet.
Chloe let out a yelp and blindly swung her sword, hitting nothing but air. The red-haired girl didn't even need to dodge. Underneath all the panic, Chloe felt a deep sense of shame bubble up in her stomach. Had she really spent all those years in Swords and Shields practice only to freeze and fumble during the very first time her skills were actually being put to the test in the real world? What would Archer say?
Just when Chloe started to gather all the remnants of her courage, her attacker decided to, well, attack. The girl lunged at Chloe once more, only this time with her sword pointed right at her chest.
Chloe was able to parry the strike, but only narrowly. She was totally unprepared when the girl let loose a series of expert strikes in rapid succession. Chloe barely succeeded in not getting slashed to ribbons, but the girl's blade did graze her shoulder and cheek. The sight of her own blood nearly caused her to faint, allowing her opponent to slam Chloe's sword to the side with her own. Chloe fell to her knees as her blade clattered onto the ground.
"What the hell are you even supposed to be?" The red-haired girl scoffed as she held the tip of her blade barely an inch away from Chloe's face. Underneath her hood, her eyes still shone in amusement and curiosity.
Chloe felt like she was either going to puke, faint or a combination of the two. She could not think of anything to say or do, other than kneel on the dirty alley floor and shiver like she was caught in a snowstorm.
Whether she would have died at that moment or would simply have been severely injured, she never found out, because CJ Hook chose that moment to regain her bearings and rush at the red-haired girl from behind.
Completely opposed to Chloe's fighting style, which consisted of cowering and trembling, something appeared to have been ignited inside CJ that caused her to fight like a wildcat.
The red-haired girl quickly found out that CJ was not one to be messed with, though it appeared as though she already knew that. The second CJ jumped at her, her large brown eyes widened in fear and she hastily stepped back.
The two girls, both clad in red, started to duke it out. Sparks jumped off their blades and the alley walls as they clashed. Chloe ducked and crawled away, not wanting to run the risk of accidentally getting her head chopped off. She made her way towards Carlos, while the fierce battle kept raging behind her.
"My leg…" Carlos grunted in pain, pointing at his detached prosthetic.
Chloe got the hint and helped him to reattach it. "Who is that?" She asked, wide-eyed and shaking as she looked over her shoulder at their assailant, whose red hair whipped back and forth as she desperately dodged CJ's strikes.
"Trouble… She's trouble…" Carlos muttered, a bitter gleam in his eyes that Chloe had never noticed before.
"We gotta help CJ!" Chloe argued as soon as they managed to reattach Carlos's leg.
"No need to." Carlos replied as he scrambled back upright. His prosthetic leg made some ominous creaking sounds, but he was able to stand on it.
Chloe looked back, and indeed, CJ had already succeeded in forcing her red-haired opponent's back to the wall and disarming her with a few well-aimed strikes. "Stay down!" CJ barked at the girl. She was panting and grimacing in both anger and pain.
The red-haired girl let out a grunt of anger and annoyance before sliding down the wall and sitting down. She too was panting, and her leather jacket now sported a long gash across her abdomen.
CJ patted the girl down and secured a dagger from her belt, which she then carelessly tossed away. The red-haired girl did not seem happy about this in the slightest.
"W-Who is that?" Chloe asked once more as she and Carlos approached the two girls. Carlos had retrieved his own sword and was also pointing it at their assailant.
"This annoying piece of red-headed trash…" CJ began, her voice tinged with spite. "Is Red of Hearts… Daughter of the Queen of Hearts…"
Chloe did not say anything. No 'ooh' of surprise or fear. Looking the girl over once more, it came as no surprise she was the daughter of the Queen of Hearts. Her red leather coat, dark leather pants and every other accessory she carried on her person were decorated with tiny hearts, either in the form of patches or heart-shaped studs. Chloe had never heard of her. The other VK's had never mentioned her as a particularly scary or menacing figure during their respective youths, like they had done with the likes of Solomon or Uma. Also, of course her name was literally 'Red'… Perhaps the Queen of Hearts took that idea of naming your child after something you love a bit too far.
CJ reached down and yanked Red's hood off. She scoffed, but did not speak. A blush had appeared on her otherwise pale cheeks, causing her face to slightly match the red color of the rest of her appearance. She was younger than Chloe had anticipated. Red appeared to only be around 16, like Chloe. She was tall, slender and athletic, and very beautiful. Her eyes were indeed a rich reddish-brown and her lipstick was an equally bright red shade as her hair. Red glanced up at Chloe, who could not help but feel a blush creep up on her own cheeks.
"What in the name of my mother are you doing here, Red?" Carlos spoke up. He limped over until he stood beside CJ, still with his sword raised. He seemed agitated, but not as much as CJ. "Never mind that, how are you still moving around? I'm not sure if you noticed, but everyone on the Isle is frozen!"
Red looked over all three of them once more, her gaze lingering on Chloe for a second longer. "I don't know…" She answered, unhelpfully.
"You don't know?" CJ hissed. "Do you have any idea what's been going on in Auradon? Well, the same thing I guess that's been going on here on the Isle… How long have the people been frozen?"
"A couple of days…" Red begrudgingly replied, only after CJ thrusted her sword forward a little.
"Did it all start with a huge, weird thunderstorm?" Carlos inquired.
"Yes!" Red sat up a little straighter, obviously curious. "That wasn't an Auradon thingy? I thought you guys maybe decided to finally get rid of all the villains for good?"
"No, it wasn't an 'Auradon thingy'…" CJ spat. "A new villain emerged. He did this. All of Auradon, hell, all of the world is frozen. We thought that the Isle was maybe spared, with the barrier and all, but I guess we were wrong… I was hoping to find Harry… Instead we found you…"
"Well, actually I sorta jumped you… You never saw me coming…" Red snickered, eyes sparkling playfully.
"Don't test me, you pest!" CJ hissed. Chloe was under the impression that neither CJ or Carlos liked Red in the slightest. "My biggest question is, how the hell are you still moving around? That should be impossible… Even the strongest magic users back in Auradon were unable to escape the spell…"
"Red, you weren't coincidentally carrying a magical relic when the lightning struck?" Carlos suggested.
"A magical what?" Red pulled a face. "No…"
"Then explain to us what happened." CJ demanded. "Start at the point when the lightning struck and everything since then…"
Red did not seem happy to be forced to tell her story, but another threatening thrust from CJ's blade made her reconsider. Chloe just stood there as Red started talking. About how her ordinary day of hiding out on tall buildings had been abruptly shaken up by the, quote, creepy-ass thunderstorm. How Red had been struck, but was somehow able to move around afterwards. How she had searched the entire Isle, not found anyone else still moving around, and how she had thus begun her week of relaxation and turning Tremaine Manor into her one-girl-party house.
Chloe was captivated by her story, her eyes and mouth open wide from the suspense. She always felt thrilled whenever villain kids would tell stories. They all possessed an air of indifference and a crude manor of speaking that always made whatever they talked about sound more thrilling and adventurous. Red would occasionally glance at her as she talked, which in turn made Chloe lower her gaze and start blushing. She always got flustered whenever pretty girls she didn't know would talk to her. An annoying habit, given that she had spent most of her youth being forced to associate with Auradon princesses ranging from pretty to stunningly beautiful. Red definitely fell in the latter category.
Still, despite Red's story being undoubtedly fascinating, it did not answer any of their questions. Red had no idea how she was able to escape the freezing curse of the lightning. She did not possess any magic, as far as she knew, nor had she been coincidentally holding onto a magical relic that could have shielded her somehow.
"This is extremely strange." Carlos pondered, scratching his chin. He directly addressed Chloe and CJ. "Red is the only person other than our group and Levi's band that we have seen since the lightning struck. There has to be a reason for that, right? It's not like the spell only has a 99,99% success rate… There has to be something about Red that allowed her to escape…"
"I'm right here…" Red mumbled, still sitting against the alley wall.
CJ ignored her. "Well, whatever the case… She doesn't know anything, so she can't help us… We got what we came for. We have the ember. We've stayed here for too long as is. We should head back to the others."
Carlos nodded. "Alright. Just give me a sec to get these creaks out of my leg." He glared at Red, who blushed even more, before leaning down to start fidgeting with some bolts and wires on his prosthetic.
CJ also scoffed at Red before picking Chloe's previously discarded sword up off the ground. "Chloe, what was that?" She asked in both a compassionate and accusatory tone as she handed her sword back to her.
"What?" Chloe's eyes widened.
"When you fought Red… Well, when you cowered and trembled like a rabbit… What happened?" CJ asked.
Chloe felt like sinking into the ground. She had disappointed CJ – her idol. The person she had most wanted to impress with her sword-fighting skills now probably saw her as nothing more than a helpless little princess who would falter and faint at the earliest sign of danger. Chloe decided to be honest. "I-I was just overwhelmed… It happened so quickly…"
CJ appeared to struggle internally. The Isle part of her obviously wanted to berate Chloe, while the recently-formed Auradon part of her wanted to be more understanding and patient. Her eventual reply was a mix of the two. "I really expected better from you, Chloe. What you just showed here, it was not what I saw back in the S.A.S. arena. I picked you to come along because I thought I could rely on you. I thought you'd be able to have me and Carlos's backs, not to mention protect yourself. I get that this is scary, but you need to grow up. Just breathe and stay calm. The next time someone comes at you, they will definitely be a lot more intimidating and deadly than Red."
"Hey!" Red protested, but she made no move to stand up.
CJ ignored her again. "Chloe, I want to trust you. I really do. But if you don't start showing me that you can perform under pressure and when it matters, then you will either have to stay on the sidelines or out of our way completely. Do you understand?"
Chloe meekly nodded. She felt horrible. There wasn't an ounce of her that wanted to protest. CJ was right, after all. Celia and Chloe herself had talked up her skills with a sword, but she had just proven to everyone that, when push came to shove, she was as helpless as a newborn kitten.
CJ looked up at the sky. It was getting late. "We should head back if we want to make it to Auradon before sundown." She suggested.
"I'm with you. I've had enough of the Isle." Carlos sneered. His prosthetic leg was no longer creaking.
"Alright then. Let's head out." CJ nudged her head.
"W-Wait… What about me?" Red spoke up, still sitting down.
"What about you? You were having fun turning the Isle into your personal playground, right? Feel free to keep going… I couldn't care less about you or what you do to this place." CJ responded in an unsettlingly unkind tone.
Red lowered her head, and Chloe couldn't help but feel bad for her. She had sort of expected, in the back of her mind, that Red would now tag along with their little group. After all, there were only about a dozen people still able to freely move around on the entire planet, so to her it felt as though they could not just leave someone behind.
"B-But…" Chloe began. She did not really know what to say. She also felt like she was not really entitled to make any sort of demands from CJ after her pathetic showing just now, but persisted nonetheless. "CJ, we can't just leave her here, right?"
CJ raised her eyebrows. "And why not? She isn't in any danger here. What else are we gonna do? Take her with us?"
"I mean…" Chloe hesitantly glanced at Red once more. "Yes? Can we really afford to not bring another survivor along?"
"Chloe. You have no idea who she is…" CJ continued speaking as if Red wasn't sitting only a foot or so away from them. "She is a pest. An annoying, cruel and dangerous pest. There's a reason she's still here. There's a reason she wasn't brought along with Celia and Dizzy and the others. She'll only be trouble…"
"You don't know that." Chloe argued. Her eyes met Red's, and she started blushing again. "Red, like, if we do bring you along, will you help us?"
Red looked astonished, as if no one had ever asked her a polite question. Chloe could practically see the gears turning in her head. "Sure…"
"See?" Chloe started smiling brightly.
CJ scoffed. "No offense, Chloe, but I'm not really willing to take the word of a red-haired sociopath. She's not coming with us, and that's final."
"But she's not frozen!" Chloe kept arguing. "Like Carlos said, that has to mean something, right? M-Maybe she's somehow immune to the magic of Maleficent's scepter? Or maybe she has some other amazing powers? Maybe she is the key to defeating the villains!"
Chloe didn't know herself why she was so hellbent on standing up for Red, who had tried to slash her to ribbons only a few minutes ago. She just knew – she was one hundred percent sure – that this was the right thing to do. Red, similarly, appeared to be totally astonished that Chloe, someone she did not know, was arguing in her favor.
CJ bit her lip, appearing to weigh the pros and cons of Chloe's admittedly insane plan. "Carlos, what do you think?"
"I think it's a crazy idea." Carlos sighed. "But… Chloe is right to a certain extend… Red not being frozen has to mean something… The fact that we managed to find each other has to mean something… If we truly are the only unfrozen people on the planet, then the chances of us running into one another would have been astronomically small… Aside from all of that, having an extra pair of hands in the fight against the villains wouldn't hurt…"
Chloe was beaming, but CJ looked furious. "Carlos, a word. Chloe, keep your sword pointed at her."
CJ and Carlos made their way to the other end of the alley, leaving Chloe and Red by themselves, with the former shakingly pointing her sword at the latter.
"Who the hell are you, anyway?" Red asked, looking Chloe over from head to toe. "You're an Auradonian, that's obvious… What the hell are you doing here?"
Chloe swallowed somewhat heavily before answering. "I-I'm Chloe… Chloe Charming… Daughter of Cinderella… N-Nice to meet you…"
Red made a face as if Chloe had just emptied a bucket of shrimp over her head. "What is your deal?"
"M-My deal?" Chloe questioned. She genuinely didn't know what Red meant.
"Why are you trying to bring me along? You don't know me…"
"I-I just… I'm just trying to do good… I can't leave you here by yourself… I would never be able to forgive myself…"
"Why not? I'm doing fine here…" Red argued, though Chloe noticed a slight strain in her voice. "I don't want to go to Auradon, with all your fancy rules and such… It sounds boring and prissy…"
Chloe bit her lip. "Well, it can be, but at the moment we are all in the fight of our lives. I wasn't lying just now, Red. I believe we ran into one another for a reason. We are facing a huge threat at the moment, and, frankly, I have no idea how we're gonna end up on top. We need all the help we can get, and you are literally the only person we've run into who doesn't want to kill us…"
"I did try to kill you." Red argued.
Chloe rolled her eyes. Even with her months conversing with the likes of Celia and Dizzy, she still wasn't really used to the way villain kids spoke with such a lack of nuance. "Still, I am willing to forgive you for that and invite you to come with us. You're good with a sword, right? And you'd be an asset that the villains won't see coming…"
Chloe thought that she'd said a nice thing, but the way Red's expression quickly turned to one of pure disgust made her realize she had made an error. "You're 'willing' to forgive me? I am an asset? Wow, how high and mighty of you… Typical Auradonian princesses… Always thinking they're so much better than us…"
Despite the renewed blush creeping up her cheeks, and the way her sword started trembling once more, Chloe felt the need to defend herself. "That's not fair… I'm trying to do something nice here… A-And I don't think I'm any better than the villain kids… Some of my best friends are villain kids…"
Red snorted. "Aww, poor little princess. What? You want me to tell you how good and great and kind you are for being nice to us poor, helpless villains? Pathetic…"
All of the lessons Chloe had ever been taught about staying level-headed and calm were being pushed back by pure annoyance. Who was this ungrateful brat to simply rebuke and insult her without even trying to get to know her or see things from her point of view? "D-Don't talk to me that way…"
"Or what?" Red smirked. "You're gonna cower and stutter like you did before? A fragile little princess who thinks she's bad… That's the saddest thing I've ever seen…"
Despite her growing anger, Chloe could not help but be slightly impressed by how well-spoken Red seemed. Some of the villain kids who had been brought over to Auradon barely knew any words with more than two syllables, but Red possessed a rather impressive and demeaning vocabulary. "I-I'm not trying to… I-I just want to make everything better… For everyone…"
"How noble of you." Red still seemed unimpressed.
"You have no idea about the danger you are in. The danger we're all in!" Chloe snapped. "There's people back in Auradon who hate the villains and are planning on eradicating the entire Isle! We have to stop them in order to save this place! To save you! To save all of Auradon!"
This got Red's attention. "The people who froze everyone want to destroy the Isle?"
"Yes! A-And they don't care about any villains who're still living here!"
Red didn't reply. She appeared to be considering things. Chloe hoped that, despite all their arguing, she had managed to convince Red to join up with them and take up arms against the villains.
Before either of them could speak another word, CJ and Carlos joined them once more. "Red. Get up. You're coming with us."
"What?" Both Chloe and Red exclaimed.
"I talked it over with Carlos, and you both made some good points. Well, not good… But okay… Anyway, Red, you're coming with us, whether you like it or not." CJ explained, though she seemed far from happy about the whole ordeal.
"I, ehm… B-Back to Auradon?" Red inquired.
"Yes."
"Well… What if I don't want to?"
"You already know too much. We can't risk you falling into the villains' hands and blabbering about our plans. So, if you don't want to come along, then we'll have to restrain you and drag you kicking and screaming. Or you can not be a complete burden and just agree to come with us." CJ threateningly placed a hand on the hilt of her sword.
Red blushed. "So, I'm not really being given a chance… Lovely…"
"Chloe just explained what's at stake, right? You know that, if we fail, the entire Isle will get destroyed and you will most definitely die. Let that be some motivation for you." CJ gave a sarcastic smile.
"And, if I do join you, and help you defeat the villains… The bad guys… Whatever, those lightning-wielding pricks… Then what? Do you just send me back here? 'Thank you for helping us, now scram!' That sort of deal?" Red asked, her rebellious tone returning.
Chloe looked over at CJ, who was biting her lip. Chloe could imagine the things that were swirling through her companion's head. CJ herself had once been in a similar sort of situation as Red's. She had started out fighting on the side of Solomon during the second great war, only for Archer to persuade her into joining the side of good. As a reward for her service and bravery, CJ had been allowed into Auradon. Could they offer Red a similar deal?
"Maybe we can work something out?" Chloe suggested, before either Red or Carlos could speak up. "A lot of villain kids have been allowed into Auradon with promises to better themselves. Red, if you would help us save Auradon, your could do so much more with your life…"
Both CJ and Carlos looked a little unsure, but Red's expression turned back to annoyance. "You don't know anything about my life!" She spat.
"And I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Chloe…" Carlos added. "And we are not the ones who can say who does and does not get allowed into Auradon… This promise is not one we can make…"
"And Red here is a freaking psychopath, so there's that to consider…" CJ snapped.
"I thought we were trying to get her to come along voluntarily!" Chloe argued, starting to feel a little heated.
"Yes, but not by making promises we can't keep!" CJ retorted. "So, Red, here's the deal, you either come with us or we take you with us. Whether you'll be conscious for the latter will be debatable."
Red looked as though she was prepared to jump at CJ and start clawing at her eyes. "If I do come with you… 'Voluntarily'… Can I swing by my place to grab some of my things?"
"Back at Tremaine Manor? It's on the way-ish… So, yeah… That'd be fine…" CJ replied.
"Then I'll come with you… Happily…" Red conjured up a sarcastic smile.
Everyone present breathed a slight sigh of relief, though no one seemed to really be happy with the deal that had just been made.
"Let's get going. We're losing daylight." CJ muttered.
Red reached for her sword, which was still lying on the ground, when CJ abruptly stomped down on it. "What the hell!?" Red cried.
"You're daft if you think we're actually gonna let you walk around with a sword." CJ snickered. She picked up Red's sword and looked it over. "I'll be holding on to this, and- Wait a second… Is this Uma's sword?"
"Yes." Red answered without a hint of embarrassment. "I stole it."
That answer seemed to please CJ in a strange way, but she nonetheless kept a hold of the sword, as well as Red's dagger.
"Come on." Chloe extended a helpful hand to Red, who scoffed and slapped it aside before scrambling back upright by herself. Chloe just about managed to keep her expression neutral. It had always been so easy for her to make friends, even with villain kids, but Red was doing everything in her power to make the process as difficult as possible.
"Chloe, you keep an eye on her, okay?" CJ told her as they walked towards the other end of the alleyway. "I'm giving you another chance to prove yourself to me. Stay close to Red and make sure she doesn't cause any trouble."
Chloe just nodded. On the one hand, she did not like spending time with people who so obviously did not want to be anywhere near her. On the other hand, this was both a chance for her to earn back some of CJ's respect and to actually get Red on their side.
And so, with a hesitant new sort-of ally in tow, the group started heading back to Auradon. Despite her home kingdom not being any sort of fun at the moment, Chloe could not wait to get back. The Isle was not a fun place, like Celia and CJ had said.
Tremaine Manor was one of the nicer buildings on the Isle, but it was overrun with rats at the moment. Red, who had apparently been living here on her own for the past few days, had not bothered at all to clean up after herself. CJ made Chloe go along with Red as she grabbed whatever stuff she wanted to take with her. To say it was awkward was an understatement. Chloe and Red did not say a word to one another, but did exchange some less than flattering glances. Chloe permanently buried her face in her elbow to shield herself from the horrible stench. She could barely imagine living in these conditions, let alone the rats scurrying past her ankles every darn second.
Chloe breathed a huge sigh of relief when she finally stepped out into the open air again. Red now carried a small red satchel with her. Chloe had made sure that their new co-traveler did not pack any weapons, but also wasn't sure what the satchel now actually did contain.
"Got everything? Good. We need to get back before we get spotted." CJ urged the others.
"There's no one here, right? There's no way they can see us. Unless Nera decided to fly overhead, right?" Chloe offered.
"Red, you wouldn't happen to have seen someone fly overhead and leave a trail of green smoke during the past few days?" CJ asked.
Red looked supremely confused. "Fly? Green smoke? No… I haven't seen anyone here, in the streets or in the air… My only company has been the rats and the alley cats…"
That answer seemed to calm CJ, who trudged ahead.
"And those weird footsteps from time to time, but I just ignore those now…" Red went on in a casual tone.
CJ halted so abruptly that Red walked straight into her. "Footsteps? Footsteps!? You didn't think to mention this before!?"
Red looked at both Chloe and Carlos in surprise. "You never asked… What's the big deal? Yes, I've heard weird footsteps from time to time, but whenever I looked out the window I couldn't see anything…"
CJ exchanged a panicked look with Carlos. "Do those stone men work within the barrier?"
"Stone men?" Red exclaimed, as if this was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard of.
Carlos looked around, now also slightly panicked. "I'm not sure. Maybe not if they are entities inside the barrier that have to be activated from outside… But if they are made autonomous from outside, then theoretically they can cross over without the technical need for any magical interference…"
"Speak English!" CJ snapped.
Carlos gave her a bewildered look. "I say we get out of here quickly."
And so, they started running. Red, who knew nothing about what the stone men were or how they worked, kept asking loud questions, no matter how many times CJ shushed her. Chloe herself was nearly overwhelmed with panic.
The sound of their boots on the cobbled roads echoed loudly through the streets and alleyways. To Chloe, it felt like her heavy breathing could probably be heard all the way back in Auradon. If one of those creepy stone men really was here, on the Isle, then they would only be getting out undetected if it had no ears to speak of whatsoever.
Every other noise Chloe managed to pick up on – the wind causing shutters to bang or alley cats causing garbage cans to rattle – nearly gave her a heart attack. Her mind was probably playing tricks on her, because she also started seeing dark and menacing shapes around every corner.
'Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine.' She kept saying to herself as she chased after her companions. She also kept an eye on Red, suspecting that their hesitant ally might try to take advantage of the chaos to try and slip away.
They passed Bargain Castle, meaning that they were getting close to the base of the magical bridge – and Auradon itself.
CJ rounded a corner, her high-heeled boots slipping slightly over the uneven cobbled stones. Immediately, her eyes widened, but she was not fast enough to tell everyone else to stay back. Carlos bumped into her, and Red and Chloe skidded to a halt right behind them.
There, further down the street and right between them and the way home, stood a dark figure. It had its back turned, and appeared to be on the verge of turning into the nearest alleyway. However, Chloe and her companions had made too much noise. The figure turned 180 degrees.
The figure was around 10 feet tall. Its skin was grey-ish and smooth, like clay. Its legs were short and stunted, but its arms were lanky and strangely flabby, like a stick figure's. Where its head should have been, there was only a round, crystal-like orb. It shone brightly, even though the sky was still clouded.
One harrowing second passed where the creature just stood there, and Chloe and her companions similarly did not move a muscle. Just when Chloe started wondering if, perhaps, the creature's vision was based on movement, it suddenly unleashed a terrifying, high-pitched shriek. The stone man had no mouth as far as Chloe could see, so this came as a total shock to her. It took her a second to figure out that the sound came from the orb itself.
"Shit!" CJ called out as she drew her sword.
"Do we try to take it down or just run?" Carlos asked. "Maybe it will simply alert the villains but not try to attack us?"
It was as if the creature had been waiting for Carlos to ask that question, because it started running in their direction. Its enormous, flat feet made the ground tremble, and its elongated arms flopped around like one of those wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men. It kept on shrieking like a banshee as well.
"Duck!" CJ yelled before rolling to one side, with Carlos doing the same.
Chloe looked to her side, where Red stood open-mouthed and unmoving. She made a split-second decision and tackled Red, and not a moment too soon. The stone man rushed past them, missing Red and Chloe by a hair, before crashing into the house behind them.
Splinters and dust rained down on Chloe, who tried to shield her head. She found herself lying on top of Red, their noses practically touching. For a brief second, Chloe just stared into her eyes.
"Ugh! Get off of me!" Red snapped, pushing Chloe away.
Chloe wanted to remind Red that you would normally thank the person who just saved your life, but wasn't given the chance. The stone man emerged out of the wreckage he had created, totally unfazed. Its shrieking was really starting to hurt Chloe's ears.
"Chloe! Come on!" CJ shouted from further back.
As she got back to her feet, Chloe also unsheathed her sword, though she had no idea if her weapon would actually be effective against a literal figure made of stone. Red joined her in stumbling backwards until they stood beside CJ and Carlos once more.
"Give me a weapon!" Red urged CJ, balling her fists.
"Not a chance!" CJ snapped.
The stone man again ran at them, but they were prepared. Carlos dodged left and CJ ducked low, both lashing out with their swords. Carlos's blade only left a shallow gash in the creature's shoulder, but CJ's cut straight through his wrist like a hot knife through butter. The stone man's hand fell to the ground with a surprisingly wet splat, like a piece of meat, before it dissolved into a puddle of grey-ish goo.
Everyone just stared for a second, including the stone man, who seemed both surprised and totally unaffected.
"Attack!" CJ then yelled, before rushing in again.
Carlos and Chloe followed, while Red, still weaponless, happily stayed back.
Chloe and her two allies hacked and slashed at the stone man, who unsuccessfully tried to keep them at bay by swinging its remaining arm around. CJ quickly managed to cut through one of its legs, causing it to keel over. Carlos and Chloe together succeeded in cutting off its remaining arm. The creature made some strange, convulsing movements and kept on shrieking, right up until CJ jumped in and drove her sword straight through the orb between its shoulders.
The orb shattered into a million pieces upon contact, and the creature's entire body instantly dissolved into an enormous pool of foul-smelling grey ooze.
"Eww!" CJ gagged as she stepped back, having to trudge through the tar-like substance. "Well, at least we now know that these things are not 'that' difficult to kill… Just aim for the orbs…"
"Yes, but they sure make you regret taking them out." Carlos complained, wiping some of the goo off his leather jacket.
Red was still standing off to the side – the only one of the group without so much as a splatter of goo on her. Chloe couldn't help but feel a stab of annoyance at the way Red continued to act. She was starting to regret having promised CJ to stay close to her.
"Well… Now we can finally get going… And quickly… The bridge is right there… We need to go before the villains show up…" Carlos panted as he urged the others to follow along.
Once again, it appeared as though the universe had been waiting for him to make such a stupidly optimistic remark. Above them, a loud booming sound made the ground shake. Not a second later, a figure fell from the sky and landed on the cobbled street right in front of them in a cloud of green smoke.
Nera had arrived.
She looked the exact same as she had done back in the Swords and Shields arena – tall and slim, with long, dark-green hair hanging like a curtain in front of her face. The only notable difference was that she now wielded Maleficent's scepter and that faint whisps of green smoke emanated from her.
"The vermin reveal themselves at last…" Nera spoke in her drawling voice.
Chloe, CJ and Carlos all raised their swords once more. Red almost unnoticeably shuffled a few steps backwards.
"Oh, and who is this?" Nera's green eyes targeted Red. "Picked up a stray, have you? She was not with you back in the arena…"
"Who the hell is that?" Red hissed, still staying back.
"Just stay back, Red!" CJ urged.
"Red? I hope that's a nickname…" Nera chuckled. "It doesn't matter… You're obviously a villain, meaning you deserve everything that is coming…"
Red scoffed. "I don't like you…"
"And I don't care. The real prize is you." Nera pointed at CJ. "Levi has been fantasizing about killing you right in front of your beloved Archer for months now…"
"How nice of him to think about me." CJ sarcastically remarked. "But I don't see him here… What? Are you planning on taking all of us on by yourself?"
"I wouldn't be difficult." Nera snarled, raising Maleficent's scepter and pointing it straight at CJ. "But first… You tell me where the rest of your group is, and I'll freeze the others without torturing them first…"
Chloe again felt her hands start to shake. Nera was so casually cruel and vindictive that it made her skin crawl. Similarly, the thought of getting frozen and/or tortured did nothing to make her confidence soar.
The only way out was over the bridge, but Nera was blocking said exit, lazily pacing back and forth. Their only options at the moment appeared to be trying to fight Nera and undoubtedly get frozen, or surrender to Nera and get frozen. Both very unappealing prospects.
CJ shot their adversary an uneasy glance, the thought of surrendering obviously entering her mind if it would mean saving her allies from a cruel fate.
"Don't think about it, CJ!" Carlos hissed. "We'll be fine…"
"Oh, will you?" Nera cackled, now pointing the scepter at him. "How cute… You also spoke up, which to me sounds like volunteering to get frozen…"
"No!" CJ shouted.
Chloe covered her head with her arms and turned away in an admittedly hopeless attempt to shield herself. She expected another blinding lightning strike and a loud crash, but neither happened. After a second of cowering, Chloe slowly lowered her arms and looked back.
Nera was still standing there, the scepter outstretched and pointed at Carlos, but nothing was happening. Nera frowned and shook the scepter like one would do with a faulty remote. Still, nothing was happening.
"Oh? Did someone forget about a certain barrier that prohibits people from using magic?" Carlos cockily remarked.
Panic immediately appeared in Nera's eyes as she looked back and forth between the base of the not-yet-conjured-up bridge to Auradon and Chloe and her allies, who now decided to start closing in on her.
"What? Is she really that stupid that she forgot about the barrier?" Red chortled. It obviously didn't matter to her that she still had no weapons, because her eyes were shining maliciously as she looked at Nera. The thought of getting to vent her frustrations by beating on a now helpless Auradonian obviously improved her mood.
"Now you get to make a choice." CJ told Nera as she raised her sword and took some careful steps forward. "Surrender the scepter, and we'll not hurt you too badly…"
Nera trembled from head to toe. Without the strength of Maleficent's magic at her side, she suddenly did not seem all that impressive anymore. Before anyone could utter another word, Nera ran off.
"Get her!" CJ shouted, chasing after their enemy.
In the back of her mind, Chloe doubted if they could afford to waste any time running after a villain who was not trying to fight them. After all, Nera's allies, most notably Levi, were probably on their way over here right now. This was their chance to get out.
"CJ! Wait!" Chloe panted, trying to keep up with her.
"Not now, Chloe! We almost got her!" CJ snapped.
"But we need to go! The other villains might be on their way! We need to get off the Isle and get back to the others!" Chloe argued.
CJ halted, suddenly conflicted. Up ahead, a clearly very panicked Nera stumbled as she rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. "B-But we got her on the run…"
"Yeah, and that's a good thing, because now we can get back to Auradon with no one standing in our way…" Chloe tried her best to explain all the thoughts whirling around in her head, but wasn't sure if she was successful. "CJ, please! The others are waiting for us! What if the villains show up? Think of Celia!"
That finally got CJ's attention, though she still seemed hesitant. "But she has the scepter… We need it… We can free everyone…"
Lightning flashed far away in the distance.
"Chloe is right, CJ." Carlos then stated. "We have been given a chance to get away. I still have the remote. We can get off the Isle. If we waste time going after Nera, we'll only be giving the other villains more time to locate us. We have the ember. Let's stick to the original plan and free Mal. I like our odds a whole lot better with her on our side…"
Chloe waited with bated breath as CJ considered their arguments. Not jumping head-first into a fight obviously was not something she had a lot of experience with.
"Fine…" CJ eventually muttered, though she did not seem entirely happy with the decision.
Chloe breathed a huge sigh of relief, but did not get a second to rest or reflect, because CJ then immediately ordered the others to follow her to the bridge.
"Wait. So, we're not beating anyone up?" Red asked, but no one paid her any mind.
The journey back to Auradon actually went pretty smooth. Carlos had no trouble opening the barrier and summoning the bridge. Driven by their adrenaline, Chloe and her three companions ran all the way across without a single break.
When they finally neared the coast, a group of people obstructed their path.
"Where were you!?" Celia shrieked as she rushed forward and nearly slammed Chloe off her feet with a hug.
"You were gone for hours. Nera flew over! She landed on the Isle!" Royce spoke up. He had gone pale and his eyes were wide.
"We noticed." CJ somewhat rudely replied. "But no worries. Maleficent's scepter did not work under the barrier, so she's on the run. The other villains are probably on their way here, though, so we should head out."
"Did you get it? Hades's ember?" Royce inquired.
"Naturally. I'll happily show it to you once we find some shelter!" CJ snapped, urging everyone to move further inland.
"Who is that!?" Chad then pointed at Red after also having given Chloe a hug.
"Everyone. Meet Red. She's an annoying pest." CJ gestured at Red with an obvious air of exasperation. "Red, meet everyone. You'll be running and hiding with them. Now go!"
No one got a chance to say anything just yet as they all ran for the cover of Belle's Harbor. Chloe had already spent the entire day walking and running across the bridge and the Isle itself, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to rest for quite a while. Nevertheless, her fear and renewed sense of purpose gave her the drive she needed to keep going. Beside her, Celia was still staring open-mouthed at Red. Chloe realized she'd have some explaining to do, but none of that mattered at the moment.
Running first. Talking later.