Quirky Meets Kingdom of Change [Descendants Three]

Give Me Back That Ember

Mal's POV:

Harry and Gil managed to get through the barrier just before it closed. I looked around, but didn't see Thea.

Alek frowned. "Where's Thea?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. She stayed back, and-"

Another man smirked, holding an unconscious Thea over his shoulder.

Alek raised a fist and punched Hans, knocking him and Thea into the water.

"Thea!" Alek called, readying to jump into the water.

I stopped him. "Can you swim?"

Alek stared at me in disbelief. "Yes, I can swim. I'd like to rescue my girlfriend, please."

Harry turned to Gil. "We made it, bro!"

"We made it," Gil said.

Harry turned back to us and smirked. "Hey, guys. We're just coming for a wee visit."

Carlos pushed them and they pushed back. As I got pushed, the ember fell from my hand. "Come on. Hey. Hey!" The ember fell into the water and I cried, "No!"

Suddenly, a green tentacle lifted into the air, curled around something, as well as a person.

Uma appeared and asked, "Drop something and someone?"

My eyes widened. "It can't get wet. Give it back before it goes out."

Uma laughed and Harry and Gil's eyes widened. "Uma?"

She smirked. "That's my name."

"No!" I cried again, seeing the water spin around like a tornado.

We all looked out in the water feeling defeated. Uma's voice caught our attention. "Hi, boys."

She was standing on the bridge on the opposite side of us. Alek was holding a still unconscious Thea.

"Welcome back," Harry said.

Gil nodded. "Man, you swam off and forgot all about us."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah. Planning her revenge, no doubt."

Uma frowned at me. "It's not all about you, Mal. I was looking for a hole in the barrier to let everybody out. And you know what I found boys? It's way better out there than we thought. There's this thing that looks like a furry rock called a coconut. And fish so big you could dance on their backs. And they've been keeping it all for themselves." She glanced down at Thea. "What happened to her?"

I pursed my lips. "An old villain from her mother's past appeared. Uma, I need that to break a spell."

"Cast by Audrey, Sleeping Beauty's daughter," Carlos clarified.

Thea shifted slightly and let out a groan.

Alek stroked her hair gently and said softly, "It's all right, Thea. I'm here."

A blast suddenly hit Thea and she stumbled back, clutching the left side of her chest. At first, I thought it was magic, but Hans didn't have magic. Then again, he'd always been manipulative and almost always able to get what he wanted, so it was entirely possible he'd managed to get his hands on some sort of magic.

"Thea!" Alek cried.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

Thea nodded. "I'm fine."

Uma thought for a moment. "Mm. So the good guy is the bad guy? Well, I might not give it back. Let's see what happens."

I glared at her. "Um, it's not the time for games! People's lives are in danger!"

"Guarantee me that every single villain kid who wants to can get off the Isle."

I looked at the ground for a moment. "I can't do that."

"Can't do that?" Uma retorted, hovering the ember over the water. "Well, how about now?"

I mentally groaned. "Deal! Deal."

Uma pretended to drop the ember into the water and Evie said, "Uma! Her word is good."

Uma thought for a moment before pocketing the ember. "I'll still keep this, for the time being. Because if you think I trust you to save the world on your own, think again. This is a job for pirates." She turned to Harry and Gil and smiled.

The pirates cheered and high-fived each other.

Jay stood behind me and said quietly, "We can always go back to hating each other when this is over."

I pursed my lips and nodded. "Fine."

Jay then looked up at the pirates. "Where are our bikes?"

Gil grinned. "Oh, yeah. We crashed them." He and Harry started making crashing noises with their mouths.

Evie smiled. "Here's a thought. We could try to be friends. Put your history behind us and celebrate our differences. Yeah? Who wants gum?" She held out a packet of gum and no one accepted any. "No?" She put a piece in her mouth.

"Let's go," Uma said.

"Ah!" I called. "No. I'm in charge." I waited for anyone to challenge me, but they remained silent. "Let's go."

Alek took Thea's hand and supported her as they walked.

Something had hit Thea. I wasn't sure what, but whatever it was wasn't good.