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“In effect, it was a punishment, as they were kept here mostly to ensure the safety of the kingdom,” said Yen Sid. “But what we didn’t realize then was that keeping magic off the surface of the island created tremendous pressure in the atmosphere, and the magic that was kept out had to go somewhere else.”
“Energy transference,” said Evie knowingly, even as the rest of the club was falling asleep on their stools. It was obvious they’d all heard this before.
“Yes,” said Yen Sid, impressed. “I warned Fairy Godmother about the risks of the establishing the magical barrier, but at the time, we deemed it a better gamble than letting the villains run amok in the country with their magical powers intact.”
“Magic was pushed underground,” said Mal slowly.
“Exactly. Over the course of the twenty years since the dome was created, magic grew wild and flourished underground, where it created a system of tunnels, the Endless Catacombs of Doom, which compose a series of magical lands underneath ours,” said the professor. He looked at them somberly. “Some say these tunnels also include an escape route out of the Isle of the Lost and straight into Auradon itself.”
“Auradon!” cried Carlos.
“Yes, and this passage must be closed before anyone discovers it. I fear we might already be too late,” the professor said.
“A magical underground land right beneath ours that leads to Auradon,” mused Jay. “Wild.”
The professor frowned. “I sent a letter to King Beast explaining my conclusions, but I suspect Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil intercepted it. Maleficent’s goons used to go through my mail, and I’m certain that Evil Queen did the same thing when Maleficent was gone.”
“Ben is king now, by the way; maybe you should have written to him,” Mal chided. “What about the tremors—the earthquakes, the weird weather we’re having—are they related to this, then?”
The professor nodded. “When Maleficent broke open the dome when she escaped, I believe that the magic that was released sparked something underneath the Isle of the Lost, which caused a ripple effect in the weather that can be felt all the way to Auradon, and has caused unusual natural phenomena.”
“Sparked something?” said Mal. “Like what?”
The professor was about to answer when Carlos changed the subject back to his pressing worry. “Excuse me, Professor, but they must have found out about the secret tunnel. The escape route,” he said. “Cruella, Evil Queen, and Jafar, I mean.”
“So that’s why they packed light,” said Evie. “They thought they’d be in Auradon soon, where Cruella could buy new furs and my mother could get her hands on this season’s cosmetics, and Jafar probably thought he could fetch Iago back as soon as they took over Auradon.”
“But if they’re in Auradon, someone would have reported them by now,” said Jay. “I can’t exactly see them blending in with the locals.”
“No, I don’t believe they are in Auradon,” said Yen Sid. “They were headed there most likely, but no, they are not there yet.”
“But you said they’re not in the Isle of the Lost either,” said Carlos.
He startled when Evie suddenly straightened in her chair. “The Magic Mirror!” she cried. “That’s why the mirror couldn’t find them! Mal, remember how we were wondering if they were using some kind of powerful magic to hide themselves? And we were right—sort of—there was powerful magic, but not the wa
y we thought.”
Yen Sid looked pleased. “Were you ever in my class?” he asked. “You have an extraordinary talent for logic.”
Evie flushed happily at the compliment. “Thanks, Professor.”
Jay looked around the table. “So where are they exactly? I don’t follow.”
“They’re lost in the Catacombs,” said Mal crisply. “They were trying to get to Auradon, but they got lost somewhere along the way.”
The old wizard nodded. “Almost. They are not lost. It is my belief they are down there searching for something.”
“Something other than the way out?” asked Jay. “What could be down there that they want?”
Yen Sid motioned to the group to close their books and put their maps away. He sighed heavily and looked each of them in the eye. “Where do you think evil comes from?” he asked.
“The Isle of the Lost?” offered Carlos.
“Close.” His voice thundered in the small room. “Evil is a real thing, it lives and breathes, it works its malice through living vessels eager to spread its vile wickedness, but villains cannot be villains without the source of their power.”
The younger members of the club began to whimper.
“Every villain has a talisman. These talismans hold the powers that were stripped from them upon their exile to the Isle of the Lost.”
