Stolen Waters (Descendants Jay x OC)

Chapter 27

Outside of Mal's hideout, Syl was slumped against a wall with her head on Jay's shoulder. Every few minutes, Evie would glance worriedly at the staircase, but otherwise, all was still and quiet.

Soon, Evie, Carlos, Syl, and Jay stirred as they heard Ben head down the stairs.

The gate slid up, Ben walked out, and then the gate started closing behind him. "She's not coming back," he said, walking past them and down the abandoned alley.

Evie's mouth was agape. "What?" she exclaimed.

Carlos and Jay exchanged alarmed looks, and Syl slipped out from under Jay's arm and ran toward Ben.

"Ben!" she called out after him. "Ben!"

The alley was gloomy and dark, and by the time Syl had followed after him, Ben had disappeared from view.

Jay POV

Syl slipped form Jay's arm, and he saw her run in Ben's direction, calling out his name. He turned to see Evie walk over to the gate, but it slammed shut. She was too late. She walked to the call horn and spoke into it. "M? Mal? Just let us up. We just want to talk."

Jay could hear the click of the lock on the gate and Mal's voice sounded through the horn. "Go away!"

Evie, Jay, and Carlos looked at each other, at a loss.

Jay rested a hand on Evie's shoulder. "Let's just give her a couple hours to cool off, all right?"

Carlos looked down the alley, which fluttered with rags. "Guys..." he said.

"What?" Evie asked.

"Where's Ben?" asked Carlos.

Jay's stomach dropped as eh looked around, but couldn't find Syl anywhere. "Syl. She's gone too." His voice was frantic.

Evie peered down the dim alley. "Ben?" she called out.

A dark silhouette walked toward them.

"Ben?" Evie sighed, relieved. "Ben! Don't scare us like that! And where's Sylphrenia?"

The figure stepped closer, but it wasn't Ben.

"Don't scare you?" Harry Hook repeated sweetly. "You see, but that's my specialty."

"Harry," gasped Evie.

Jay took a step toward him. "What did you do with them?' he demanded.

"Hmmm? Oh! We nicked them. Yeah, and if you ever want to see the King or your girlfriend ever again, have Mal come to the chip shop tonight. Alone. Uma wants a little visit." Harry smiled and looked at them, landing his sights on Jay. "Aww. Seems you've lost your edge, Jay."

Jay lunged at him, but Carlos held him back.

Harry giggled, then began to whistle as he strolled off down the alley.

Evie, Jay, and Carlos looked on, horrified.

Syl POV

Syl followed the alley until she encountered another alley intersecting the one she was in. where could Ben have gone? As she stared at the passages, a thought popped into her head. It would take her friends hours to convince Mal to come back to Auradon. Ben knew how to get back to them, and this would be her best chance to find Morgan le Fay. Her stomach dropped thinking of Jay's face when he would realize that she wasn't with Ben.

Guilt settled into her stomach, but a ring of metal and a shout of alarm in the passage in front of her jolted her out of her stupor. She needed to move or get caught. Either by her friends, or someone else.

Taking one last look behind her, Syl darted to the alley on her left.

She headed down the dark passageway until she found a deserted area with a stack of wooden boxes thrown to the side. Crouching down behind the boxes, Syl wrinkled her nose at the smell before digging into a pocket on her vest and pulling out an aged piece of paper.

In January, she had snuck into the fairy council's library and had stolen a map of the Isle of the Lost. It had been created before many of the buildings had been built, but Syl had used a locator spell back in Auradon and had found the place on the map that Morgan frequented the most. It was a place next to the sea.

Now, all Syl needed was to find out where she was.

Standing back up and shoving the map into her pocket, Syl traveled down the alley, her nose still wrinkled at the smell until she came upon what looked like another marketplace.

Faded cloths hung from stalls and were sold from merchants. Half rotten fruit and vegetables were piled in buckets as customers dug through the piles of delicacies, trying to find the freshest items. A makeshift eatery had been set up, and a pack of children ran through, stealing the people's items while they were eating.

It was shabbier than the worst place in Auradon, however it was nicer than the pirate marketplace.

A man sidled up to Syl. "Hey pretty lady. Would you be interested in any goods?" He held up a flask. "I'm sure we could work out a deal." He grinned maliciously.

Syl looked at him dully for a second before smiling. "Yes, we can work out a deal."

Still smiling sweetly, Syl grabbed the man by the throat and shoved him into the alleyway. The man let out a sound of fear as his back hit the dirty wall, her fingers still around his neck.

"Where's the coast?" she asked, loosening her grip so he could speak.

The man grasped Syl's hands weakly. "Just... Just down the main street running... running through the market."

Syl let him go and smiled at him as he gasped, trying to get his breath back. "Nice doing business with you." She took out her purse and tossed a few coins at him before turning away.

She followed the main street down until she could smell the ocean in the air.

Once she found the sea, it was easy. She headed away from the tall masts of ships and followed the map through a series of dilapidated houses until she place that was on the map. The house was leaning slightly and the paint was peeling, but the smell of Valley Opal, a flower that could only be found in Camelot, hung in the air. It was Morgan's favorite perfume, and she always kept a vial with her wherever she went.

Syl sighed in anticipation, and headed up the splintered stairs before knocking on the door.