Return to the Isle of the Lost - Melissa de la Cruz Page 0,35

time Mal and the gang would have arrived on the island. He had to warn them that their presence had been noticed by their enemies. Ben sent texts and tried to call, then remembered that the island was cut off from the main servers. If Mal got into trouble, there was no way for him to find out until it was too late. He could send his royal troops after them right now, but since nothing had happened yet, he knew Mal would take it as an insult. Ben slammed down his laptop, frustrated.

He would just have to trust that she, Evie, Jay, and Carlos would be able to deal even if the situation got out of hand. He forced himself to stop worrying and focus on the current problem instead—the purple dragon of Camelot. Earlier, he had sent emergency e-mails to his council, alerting them to the danger he’d discovered. Grumpy and the dwarfs advised they were up for battle, axes at the ready, although perhaps the best thing to do would be to destroy Maleficent while she was in her tiny lizard form in her glass dome. Others were more cautious in their response, however.

An e-mail had arrived from the three good fairies. Merryweather, the youngest, and most capable with modern technology, had sent their reply.

Our dearest king,

It is with great concern that we received the distressing news about Camelot’s dragon. While it does seem as if none other than our old nemesis Maleficent is behind such mischief, we would like to advise caution in this arena before we jump to conclusions.

If the creature is indeed a shapeshifting evil fairy, it is best to obtain proof before we act accordingly. Perhaps it would be possible to retrieve an item linked to the dragon in question? A nail from its claw? A piece of its hide? A lock of its hair?

If you are able to recover such an item, it would be prudent to bring it to Neverland right away, the ancestral home of the fairies, so they can ascertain the identity of this dragon.

Without proof that it is indeed Maleficent, it seems imprudent to act with violence toward the lizard in the library, who might still be innocent.

Your godparents,

Flora, Fauna & Merryweather

He was glad they agreed that Maleficent should not be harmed, as he knew he could never face Mal if she returned on Monday to the news that her mother had been destroyed without a fair trial or even proof that she was the one rampaging through Camelot.

The royal technicians had set up several cameras all around Maleficent’s prison, and Ben called up the screens. All of them showed a tiny lizard under glass, and so far there was no indication it was anything other than that. He closed the windows showing the security screens with a sigh.

As he was typing a grateful reply to the good fairies, there was a knock on his door. “Enter,” he called.

“Forgive me, Sire, but Archimedes just dropped this off. From the way he was hooting, it seemed rather urgent,” said a sleepy Lumiere, handing him a letter that had beak marks around its edges.

Ben ripped open the letter, his heart pounding as he imagined what news Merlin had sent from Camelot. Had the dragon scorched the castle? Laid waste to the entire kingdom?

All well here. Purple dragon spotted off Charmington Cove, thought you should know. It appears the creature is on the move.

Not the greatest news, knowing the dragon was venturing into other areas of Auradon, but at least, not the worst news either.

Lumiere was standing at attention, awaiting orders. “It looks like we’ll have to pack up again,” Ben said. “But I’ll drive this time.”

“Very good, Sire,” said Lumiere.

“Oh, and find Chad Charming; tell him to be ready to leave with me in the morning.” It would be best to have someone who knew the lay of the land. No matter that his and Chad’s friendship had cooled slightly since the villain kids had enrolled at Auradon Prep.

Ben turned back to his computer, and reread the good fairies’ words. If the purple dragon was in Charmington, he would make sure to bring a piece of it to Neverland so they could solve the mystery of the creature’s identity once and for all.

If it could be said that the Isle of the Lost had a jewel in its crown, then Maleficent’s former home, the Bargain Castle, would be it. The old place didn’t look half as good these days, however,