Stained Glass Breaks and So Do Hearts

Daughter of the Sea

Once they were through the barrier, Mal and the group heard something crash behind them. Turning around, Harry and Gil had dove through the closing barrier and escaped. Carlos gave Harry a murderous look, only getting a flirty wink in return, the pup growl in disapproval.

"Hey, guys. We're just coming for a wee visit." They said trying to follow ahead but ultimately stopped by Jay and Carlos pushing them back, accidentally knocking into Mal, sending the bright sapphire ember skittering towards to edge of the bridge. Mal and Harry both scrambled for it, Harry flinging it out of Mal's hand sending it flying toward the oceans. Mal screamed, her father's words in her head, "If it gets wet, it's game over."

From the ocean, a teal tentacle snatched the ember out of the air as a very much large and half-octopus Uma rose from the sea. She shook off the water clinging to her.

"UMA!" Gil and Harry cheered looking at each other than her.

"That's my name." She replied playfully, enjoying the dread on the VK's faces. She coiled into the water and as the tides swirled in the water, erupting in mist, seeming to disappear. Behind them, Uma called, "Hi, boys."

"Uma, you swam off and forgot all about us," Gil said naively, looking a little wounded.

"Yeah. Planning her revenge, no doubt." Mal spat, drilling glares into the sea witch's daughter.

"It's not all about you, Mal." She swiveled on her hip with a self-righteous attitude. "I was looking for a hole in the barrier to let everybody out. And you know what I found, boys? It's way better out there than we thought. There's this thing that looks like a furry rock called a coconut. And fish so big you could dance on their backs. And they've been keeping it all for themselves." Swiveling onto her other hip with nothing but irritation and accusation.

"Whatever. Uma, I need that to break a spell." Mal looked far more frustrated about the situation than perhaps she should have been, but she was not doing the best job of concealing this.

"Cast by Audrey, Sleeping Beauty's daughter." Added Carlos, who simply wanted to explain the reason, however, Mal shot him a less than pleased look.

"Mm. So the good guy is the bad guy? Well, I might not give it back. Let's see what happens." Uma toyed with them, something about the way she looked at Carlos made him feel unnerved. It was pure spite in her eyes.

"Uma, it's not the time for games! People's lives are in danger!" Mal's irritation was hitting its peak with Uma. Mal didn't like games, she liked simple. This would not, however, be simple.

"Guarantee me that every single villain kid who wants to can get off the isle." Uma proposed holding the ember up as her bargaining chip.

"I can't do that." Mal glanced at Carlos who shared a tense look with her.

"Can't do that? Well, how about now?" The mighty ember of hades hung between Uma's forefinger and thumb over the vast sea below. A less than an idle threat, as Auradon's problems were never really her problems.

"Deal. Deal." Mal cried as Uma teased with the idea of dropping it.

"Uma! Her word is good." Evie said wishfully. Both Mal and Carlos exchanged a conversation with their eyes. Carlos realizing Mal had not told Evie and Mal realizing Carlos now knows Evie isn't aware that Mal suggested closing the Barrier for good. The whole moment was tense until Uma spoke.

"I'll still keep this, for the time being. Because if you think I trust you to save the world on your own, think again." She turned to Harry and Gil excitedly. "This is a job for pirates."

"We can always go back to hating each other when this is over." Evie almost spoke as a promise to Mal.

"Fine" She puffed

"Where are our bikes?" Carlos frowned looking at Harry with less than optimism.

"Oh, yeah. We crashed them." Gil and Harry said making a playful falling sound before for an explosion sound. Carlos and Jay both groaned at the same time.

"Here's a thought. We could try to be friends. Put our history behind us and celebrate our differences. Yeah? Who wants gum?" Evie meant well, she always did, but there was a little too much bad blood between the groups for that to be so simple. Beyond their more petty rivalries, Carlos being the King's fiancé and Mal trying to turn her into calamari last time, Uma wasn't really prepared to forgive and forget. It didn't mean that she didn't hear Evie and understand what she meant, it simply meant she had things she wanted to accomplish before she was willing to let it go.

"Let's go." Uma said ignoring Evie.

"No, no. no. I'm in charge... Let's go." Mal growled, attempting to reestablish dominance over the groups. Uma only shot her one of her venomous looks and they set off back for Auradon.

It is anything but comforting, to arrive home only to find everyone under a sleeping spell. The group had made their way towards the school and everyone was passed out in the middle of what they were doing. It was worrying to say the least. Carlos saw one of the Golf carts for campus staff crashed into the statue and ran over to help situate them carefully and make sure they were not hurt. Thankfully no one seemed to be hurt, but some had been turned to stone. Upon closer inspections, the ones who were turned to stone were predominately magic users able to resist or avoid the sleeping spell. It's why Hannah, one of their classmates was turned to stone instead of simply put to sleep.

Carlos couldn't help but wonder what that sleep was like, everyone seemed peacefully asleep for the most part, no real nightmares to speak of. All he could think about for the briefest of moments were the kinds of dreams he had been having up to this point, most of them being Ben or Auradon related. He did occasionally have triggering dreams of his mother or Maleficent attacking Auradon, but usually, a cuddle from Ben solved those. Now, he had no idea where Ben was, and this nightmare felt unending.

"If it was Audrey and she already went after the crown and scepter than it stands to reason she would go after Ben next." Mal's words were like ice to Carlos' veins. Despite minor arguments, they headed to the castle to find Ben. Carlos only hoped they weren't too late.