Return to the Isle of the Lost - Melissa de la Cruz Page 0,34

Jay counted the seconds for the snobby boy to return. One, two, three, four…

Anthony reappeared at the doorway, and he sure wasn’t laughing now. “Give it back, Jay,” he said fiercely. “Now!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Jay, the very picture of innocence even as his eyes twinkled with amusement.

“My watch. You took it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did!”

“I didn’t take it, I swear. Maybe you just misplaced it,” said Jay with a shrug. “You should be more careful with your things.”

“It’s a wristwatch! Where else would it be but on my wrist?” Anthony glowered and stomped off, muttering darkly to himself about how Auradon should keep its trash for itself.

Jay whistled as he closed up the shop again and waved goodbye to Iago, promising to send a goblin to feed him crackers. Anthony was right, Jay had stolen his watch, but instead of keeping it, he’d hidden it in Anthony’s jacket pocket. He knew Anthony would go crazy looking for it, and would be especially annoyed when he discovered Jay “hadn’t stolen it” after all.

Sometimes, even reformed villains needed to have a little fun.

While it had been hard saying goodbye to Mal and letting the four villain kids return to the Isle of the Lost, Ben knew that if anyone could get to the bottom of what was happening back there, she was the one to do it. He was glad she had her friends by her side as well. There was no point in wasting time biting his fingernails and watching the clock. He didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud until Cogsworth interrupted his thoughts.

“Did you say clock, Sire?” his loyal servant asked. While Cogsworth was no longer a grandfather clock, he was still understandably sensitive when he heard anything pertaining to timepieces. “It is close to midnight, should you need the time.” The stalwart Englishman was overseeing the footmen as they set down Ben’s trunks from the journey in the royal bedroom.

“Thank you. I didn’t realize how late it was. You can leave the rest for tomorrow,” Ben said, dismissing them. He was incredibly tired, and the extra-plush mattress in his large wrought-iron four-poster bed was especially inviting after the lumpy one in Camelot. He was happy to be back in his room, with the familiar Auradon banners and exercise equipment, the huge yacht model he’d made still sitting on his desk.

“If I may…” said Cogsworth, pausing at the doorway. He waited for Ben to nod before continuing. “Lumiere mentioned you had encountered a rather purple dragon in the woods. Being that my old friend is prone to flights of fancy, I thought I would ask you myself. Is it true, Sire, about the dragon?”

“I’m afraid it is,” said Ben. “May I ask that you and the rest of the palace staff please keep this news to yourselves for now? At the right time, I shall alert the general population of the danger.”

“Of course, Sire,” said Cogsworth, who had turned gray. “Do you think it is…her?” he asked, visibly shivering at the thought.

“Unfortunately, I can’t think who or what else it could be but Maleficent,” said Ben. “But don’t worry, my friend, we’ll keep Auradon safe.”

Cogsworth bowed, and when he left the room, Ben noticed that everything had been unpacked and put away in pristine order even though he’d told him to wait until tomorrow. Ben had to smile. That Cogsworth: his loyal efficiency was regular as clockwork.

Even though he was exhausted, the events of the night meant Ben found it hard to fall asleep. Deciding it was useless to keep tossing and turning, he got up to do some work instead. When he turned on his computer, he found that as promised, Carlos had sent him the link to the Dark Net. Ben clicked around till he found the photos Mal had told him about on the Anti-Heroes thread. He was taken aback to find one of himself with a red X over his face too. He clucked his tongue and continued to read on, steeling himself for further assault and more invectives.

The Anti-Heroes forum was lit up that night, with many of its members posting their excitement about tonight’s meeting. Then Ben saw a new post that caught his eye. The message read, Looks like four former castoffs have washed ashore on the Isle of the Lost. Prepare Operation Welcome Home!

Hang on.

Four former castoffs?

That could only mean his four friends, right? Ben checked the time stamp. The message was sent an hour ago, about the same