A Descendant Unlike The Others

Chapter 9 - Thick as Thieves

They all shared a chuckle.

"Good - I was hoping to start searching as soon as possible." Mal said.

Jay was about to agree when he turned around, his reflexes swift and suspicious. "What's that noise?" He asked, just as the door to the back room broke open an Jafar tumbled through, lago sitting on his stomach.

"I told you that you were too fat to lean on the door!" Lago scolded.

Mal had to grab Lilith wrist to restrain the Lokidottir from firing bolt of green fire.

Jafar made a valiant attempt to take back his dignity, pulling himself up to stand and brushed the debris and detritus from his hair. "Oh, we were just about to ask which of the three of you wanted dinner, weren't we, Lago? But we couldn't help but overhear ... forgive me if we are wrong, but did you say that Maleficent's Dragon's Eye an Loki's Sceptre of Chaos are lost somewhere on this island?" He asked, dark eyes gleaming.

Mal and Lilith narrowed their eyes as Jay, mentally berating him for not finding a suitably secret place to talk.

Jafar looked solemnly at the three teens in front of me. "Follow me. It's time we had a real talk."

He let them to his private sitting room in the bag of the store, a cozy den full of jewel - toned curtains and Oriental rugs, tufted satin pillows and brass lamps and sconces that gave it a mournful, exotic, desert air. Jafar took a seat on one of the long, low couched and motioned for them to make themselves comfortable on the ottomans. "When I was whizzing through the air, I saw what seemed to be a forrest, but upon closer observation, was actually a castle covered in thorns."

"Another castle?" Mal said.

"What did it look like?" Lilith asked eagerly. "Dark and medieval, made of darks stone? Or like an island, built into a mountain?"

"Hmm, black and medieval." Jafar said. Lilith gronned at Mal. Maleficent's Forbidden Fortress."

Jafar pulled on his raggedy beard. "Yes. But I'm afraid I can't be exactly sure of where it is through. This island is larger than you think. You could search forever and never find it, especially if it is located in the Forbidden Zone."

"Never!" Repeated Lago with a ruffle of his feathers.

"That's what I said." Jay said with a nod.

"I had completely forgotten about seeing the fortress until now, when you mentioned Diablo's return and his testimony that he saw the Dragon's Eye and Sceptre of Chaos himself."

"But why would it be there." Jay said, "Not only the Dragon's Eye, but the Sceptre of Chaos - why would it be in the Forbidden Fortress instead of... where did you and Loki live, Lilith?"

"The Citadel of Cerevan." Lilith said, "Also known as the Castle of Chaos. Cerevan was the first Chaos master. His brother, Ymir, was the father of the Frost Giant race. But Jay's right, why did they put the Dragon's Eye and Sceptre of Chaos on the isle?"

Jafar explained, "These things were too dangerous to keep in Aurodon, and they didn't want to just leave the Sceptre of Chaos in the Citadel, where any sorcerer powerful enough could stumble across it. And they couldn't move the Citadel to the Isle either, because it exists in its own tiny pocket dimension of utter chaos. And with magic made impossible by the dome these things are harmless now."

"Diablo swears that the Dragon's Eye and Sceptre of Chaos have sparked back to life." Mal said. "Which means the shield isn't as impenetrable as we thought."

Lilith thought back to the party, when Carlos's device had burned a hole in the dome; it had let in a signal for TV channels, why not a few sparks of magic?

"But we're still stuck not knowing exactly where it is." Mal continued. " There's not exactly a map to Nowhere."

"We can try Athenaeum of Evil." Jay prompted.

"The Anthe - what of Evil?"

"The Library of Forbidden Secret," Lilith explained presently, "In Dragon Hall. You know, that door that's always locked, with Jessica guarding it." Jessica was Lilith's name for the giant spider that guarded the door, and only Lilith was allowed to call the spider Jessica, because if anyone else did, the spider would bite them. Jessica was a partial, affectionate creature. As strange as it sounded.

Mal frowned. "You really think that's anything? I just thought it was a way to keep first - years out of Dr.Facilier's office."

"Well, we have to start somewhere." Jay said.

"And Dr.F mentioned in class that the library contains secrets on the history of the island." Lilith said.

Mal sighed in defeat. "Alright."

"We'll go tomorrow, bright and early." Jay decided. "We'll meet at the bazaar to pick up supplies first, as soon as the market opens."

Mal nodded. "Thanks for your help, Jafar."

Jafar smiled. "My pleasure."

As they left the shop, Lilith paused and looked around. The aura of Chaos in the air was stronger now. Much, much stronger. She just prayed it didn't get too strong and tear the island apart before Lilith found the Sceptre of Chaos.