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s was intent on learning as much as he could about the talismans before setting off underground. “So can we touch them? The talismans, I mean?” he asked the professor. “Or are they cursed? Like the Dragon’s Eye?”
“Yeah, I don’t look forward to falling asleep for a thousand years,” said Jay.
“I’m not certain. My hunch is that each of you should be immune to your particular talisman, as Mal was unaffected by the curse of the Dragon’s Eye.”
“Anything else you can tell me about this Golden Cobra?” asked Jay.
“It should be an exact replica of your father’s cobra staff. It’s said that the Golden Cobras give up their freedom when they succumb to their master’s power, but they are very much alive. It is a living weapon.”
“Great,” said Jay. Under his breath, he told Carlos, “I’m sure it’ll just lie down and roll over for me.”
“It’s a snake, Jay, not a dog,” said Carlos. “You should know the difference.” He turned to Yen Sid, who was erasing lines on the blackboard. “About this Ring of Envy, what exactly does it do?”
“Your mother made everyone believe their lives were nothing compared to hers. That huge green ring that she wore was a testament to her glamour, and its size and great worth always made others feel small and useless.”
Carlos swallowed a gulp, especially since his mother had always made him feel small and useless even without the aid of a talisman. “What about the Fruit of Venom; is it filled with poison?”
“Poisonous thoughts,” said Yen Sid. “Taking a bite of it will fill one’s mind with your deepest fears and insecurities, every kind of dark, malevolent emotion and idea, and the power to use them against other people.”
“Yikes,” Carlos said. Evie was one of the sweetest girls he knew, and he hoped she wouldn’t be swayed by such a toxic influence. “And the Dragon’s Egg?”
“The most powerful talisman of all, of course, with the ability to command all the forces of evil to do its mistress’s bidding. Power is its own most powerful enticement. Moreover, Mal has wielded the Dragon’s Eye staff, so she has already experienced the depth of its capability for universal dominance. She must be particularly wary of succumbing to its siren song.”
“You hear that, Mal?” Carlos said, turning around, expecting to see Mal and Evie at their seats. But there was no one there. “Hey, where’d they go?” he asked Jay. “Mal and Evie—they’re gone.”
“That’s weird, they were just here,” Jay said.
“Yeah, well, they’re not here now,” said Carlos, annoyed. Most of the members had already headed out on their assignments, but Carlos ran around the room asking the remaining few if they had seen Mal and Evie.
“Yo, they bounced out with Mad Maddy,” said Yzla. “But I don’t know where they went.”
“Mad Maddy? Why would they leave with her?”
Yzla shook her head. “Aren’t Maddy and Mal friends?”
“Yes, but…” said Carlos, seriously agitated by now. Why had the girls taken off without telling him and Jay? It wasn’t like Mal or Evie to just disappear like that. He was about to freak out when Evie burst back into the room.
“Guys!” she called.
“Where have you been!” Carlos demanded. “And where’s Mal?”
Evie caught her breath. She’d been running and her cheeks were flushed. “If you stop yelling at me, I can tell you.”
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “We were just worried.”
“Carlos was worried,” said Jay. “I knew you guys would be back.”
“Mal went off with Maddy. I think they’re headed toward Doom Cove. I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a bad feeling about this,” said Evie. “I heard Maddy say something about the Catacombs, so I thought I’d come back and grab you guys in case something happens.”
“Let’s go,” said Carlos. “Doom Cove is a hike.”
Jay knew all the shortcuts through town, or at least he thought he did. Thinking it was faster to stay off the little alleyways, he led them up to Mean Street instead, but soon realized his mistake. They were farther from Doom Cove than if they had just taken Pain Lane down to Goblin Wharf as Evie had suggested. “Sorry, I thought this would be faster,” he huffed, removing his beanie and wiping his forehead with it.
“It’s okay, let’s just get there,” said Evie as they ran down the cobblestone streets, their heels kicking up dust as they garnered curious looks from a few townspeople. “Hurry!”
At last they made it past the Bargain Castle and had a clear shot all the way to Rickety Bridge. “Wait!” said Evie. “We don’t want to give ourselves away.”
“But where are they?” asked Carlos, scanning the bridge. “I don’t see them.”
