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Mal’s curiosity was piqued and she decided to keep following her. The group could figure out the plan with Yen Sid, but she wanted to find out what her old friend was up to.
She followed Maddy through the maze of streets, down Pain Lane and past Goblin Wharf, which was desolate and abandoned instead of the usual hive of goblin activity. Mal wished she could send her friends a text explaining where she was. She just hoped they wouldn’t worry; she’d be back as soon as she found out what Maddy was doing.
Maddy led her back on the main road, and Mal had to lag behind farther so she wouldn’t be caught. They passed the Bargain Castle and Maddy kept going, headed down Bitter Boulevard and right to the end of the island by the Rickety Bridge.
Maddy stepped onto the bridge and whirled around. “Mal, you can come out now, I know you’re following me.”
“You got me,” said Mal, stepping into the light and walking toward Maddy. She knew when the game was up. “Why’d you leave the meeting so fast? Is something going on?”
Maddy peered around in the dark. As far as Mal could see, there was nothing. The waters were black, and there was no one else on the bridge. Just the sound of the waves and the light from the Shattered Lighthouse. “Yes,” said Maddy hesitantly, as if unsure whether to trust Mal.
“What?” asked Mal.
“Before the meeting, I got an anonymous letter saying that Evil Queen, Cruella, and Jafar would be returning from the Catacombs after midnight. They would be at Doom Cove.”
“But why didn’t you say anything at the meeting? Why go alone, then?” asked Mal, not sure if she believed her. She’d always had fun with Mad Maddy, but Evie was right, there was something off about her. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Maybe because she was having too much fun indulging in old, bad habits?
Maddy’s green eyes blazed. “Don’t you see? The Anti-Heroes are the only ones who even know about the Catacombs of Doom! Yen Sid warned us that there might be double operatives in the club. I couldn’t take the risk of letting them know that I knew.”
“But who could it be? Everyone seemed so sincere,” said Mal, wondering who had betrayed them.
“It could be anyone. They’re a bunch of villains, Mal, come on. Do you really believe all of them would give up just like that? The professor thinks everyone is redeemable, but that can’t be true,” sniffed Maddy. “Of course there’s a bad egg in the bunch. I can always smell one.”
“Who do you think it is?” asked Mal.
“My money’s on Harry or Jace—their fathers are still Cruella’s loyal minions.”
Mal considered this. It was hard to believe that anyone back at the meeting could be so two-faced, and Harry and Jace seemed more bumbling than malicious. “Maybe someone else on the Isle knows that Cruella, Jafar, and Evil Queen went down into the Catacombs to look for the talismans. It doesn’t have to be someone in our group. If the three of them knew about it, they might have told someone before they left.”
“Maybe,” said Maddy. “But I doubt it.”
“Who were you talking to back there?” asked Mal.
“Oh, just some goblin. I told them to find me if they catch sight of Jafar, Cruella de Vil, or Evil Queen.”
“Show me the message,” said Mal.
Maddy handed her the note, written in green ink. Doom Cove. Prepare for our return to the Isle of the Lost. Talismans acquired. Alert the troops.
“That’s Doom Cove right there,” said Maddy, pointing to the dark, sandy stretch of beach below.
“Who are the troops?” wondered Mal. “You don’t think they mean a goblin army, do you?” There weren’t enough villains on the Isle to put together a real battalion, and “troops” signified that whoever had sent the message was readying for a large-scale operation.
“Of course it means a goblin army, how else would they take down Auradon?” said Maddy.
“Are you sure you didn’t tell anyone about it?” Mal asked, thinking of the conversation she’d overhead earlier.
“Duh, like I told you, of course not. No one can know!” said Maddy.
“We need to get help. I’ll go back,” said Mal, turning away. Maddy was obviously lying about telling someone, and Mal figured the easiest way to handle it was to get backup.
“No! We need to stay here, in case they do arrive. What if we miss it and they slip away?” said Maddy. “We should follow them and call for help later so we don’t lose them. Don’t you trust me?”
Mal understood that Maddy was testing her, and while she had a feeling that she shouldn’t stay, she realized it wasn’t safe to leave Maddy on her own at this point. She had to figure out what the girl was up to.
Carlos and Jay were so absorbed in their conversation with Yen Sid that they didn’t notice that half of their team had absconded. The professor handed them the maps to the underground land. “These contain all we know about the Catacombs as well as the talismans. I hope you find them useful on your journey once we find the entrance,” he said.
They thanked him, but Carlo
