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He felt the rush of power from the talisman shoot through him.
Cruella cackled with glee. “Go ahead, then, use it on me. Destroy me. With that ring you can obliterate me forever. Tell me to throw myself off this roof and I’ll do it. Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that what you have always wanted?”
Carlos felt the ring throb in his hands. He could destroy his mother, rid the world of another villain, and stop having nightmares once and for all.
“Do it!” Cruella cackled. “Do it, boy!”
He raised his hand, pointing the ring right at her. Then he dropped his arm down with a sigh. “No, I can’t. I’m better than that,” Carlos said, turning on his heel and heading for the elevator. I’m better than you, Mother. No matter what you’ve always told me.
Suddenly he was standing outside the House of Horrors, and Jay, Mal, and Evie were looking at him, concerned.
“What happened?” he asked.
“You came out of the building in a trance,” said Mal.
“The ring…” Carlos muttered. He opened his fist. The jewel had turned a dull green, its power abated for now. “It wanted me to destroy her,” he said. “But she wasn’t actually there. It was just a vision, just the ring trying to scare me, to make me mad.”
“Yep, sounds about right,” said Jay. “These talismans must get more power that way.”
Carlos nodded and put the ring away in his pocket. Three down. One Dragon’s Egg to go.
They looked around for a hidden doorway, but found none. “We could try this,” said Carlos, motioning to the revolving door that led back to the House of Horrors. “It’s the only door around here that’s open. It might be the only way out of here. And from the looks of it, the city is melting!” He yelped as the sidewalk beneath them began to crack.
“Let’s go!” yelled Mal. She rushed through the revolving door, and the rest of them hurriedly did the same.
When she pushed through the door, Mal wasn’t in the House of Horrors. She wasn’t even in a city anymore. Instead, a dark, foreboding mountain loomed in the distance. Lightning crackled in the sky and vultures circled above.
“Maleficent Mountain,” she said, when the rest of the team arrived. “Over there.” According to the map, Doom Crag lay at the very top of the mountain, where a dragon had made its nest.
“Ouch, that looks like a climb,” said Jay.
“You guys know the drill. Only I have to go,” said Mal. “Don’t worry.”
“No,” said Carlos. “We’ll all go. Remember what the professor said? You don’t have to do this alone.”
“But this is my talisman,” said Mal. “And all of you had to get yours alone.”
“We’re going with you,” said Evie. “At least until the talisman stops us. No arguments.”
“You’re not getting rid of us,” said Jay. “That’s how this whole ‘having friends’ thing works, remember?”
“Fine,” said Mal. “Let’s go, then.”
They trudged through the dead land, air thick with smoke. Sizzling green slime bubbled through cracks in the dirt, and they helped each other over the acrid puddles. Mal soldiered on as Evie groaned and complained that her head still hurt from the poison, and Jay was subdued, probably thinking of the riches he’d rejected. Carlos was definitely still shell-shocked from seeing his mother; real or not, that woman was terrifying.
They were united in their silence. The Dragon’s Egg was the greatest of all the talismans and its mistress would have the forces of hell at her command.
“You know, the Dragon’s Eye in the scepter isn’t an actual eye. It just looks like one. It’s really a dragon’s egg,” said Mal.
“Why isn’t it called the Dragon’s Egg scepter, then?” asked Carlos.
“Duh, because Dragon’s Eye sounds way cooler,” said Jay.
“Yeah, I guess so,” said Carlos.
“So is there a dragon here?” asked Evie, looking around fearfully.
“Let’s hope not,” Carlos said.
