Ellie's Flames BOOK 2

8: Knights Fall

(yes I am aware the song is "N"ights fall. But I like twisting the titles of songs.)

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"Ben!" Mal calls for what feels like the 500th time as we wander around Ben's castle. Uma and her group lag behind, almost radiating boredom. Dude trots in front happily.

"This way!" he proclaims yet again, making a turn.

Mal throws her hands in the air. "Ben could be asleep anywhere." She moans.

"Or turned to stone." Celia reminds her. Evie quickly covers her mouth with one hand while Mal sends her a look.

"BEN!" Mal calls again.

"I got a scent!" Dude exclaims. "Very pungent cologne. Easy to track. Follow me, people!"

"That's great, Dude." Jay tells him, all of us crowded into one hallway.

"FYI, I give great cuddles too." Dude says smugly.

Uma points to him thoughtfully. "Weren't you the dog Mal 'spelled' to talk?"

"I recall bacon." Harry adds. "And asking about your weight."

"So... if that wand was fake, why can he talk?" Uma asks.

"Oh, because Carlos wanted to ask Ellie out but was too scared so Mal made a truth potion and I ate it!" Dude yells, wagging his tail.

Uma snorts. "You needed a truth gummy to ask a girl out?" she asks Carlos, who sighs through his nose.

"Let's just keep going." He says, and moves forward. I take his hand, and he squeezes it reassuringly. Dude scampers along, all of us following.

Harry is still laughing at Carlos when Uma stops dead. "Hold up." She says, touching the wall. I hadn't even noticed that the map there is sliced in half, claw marks on the wall. "What's this?"

Carlos doubles back to examine it. "Uh... any chance this was already there?" he asks Mal.

"Aaaaand follow me!" Dude says, running off. We trail behind, Mal calling for Ben... again. Dude leads us along nonchalantly, and as we walk, we see more and more mysterious claw marks with destructive remains. A torn curtain, an overturned table, a shattered vase. Each one makes us all move a little faster. Something about it all tingles in the back of my brain, like I should remember something but I don't.

Dude finally leads us to a set of huge double-doors I don't recognize. Of course, the last time I was in Ben's castle, I was like six, for his birthday party. That was before my powers started going haywire and I became an outcast, and I was still the future Queen of Arendelle, so I was invited everywhere.

We enter a wide room filled with stained glass windows not unlike the one Ben had done for Mal at Cotillion, suits of armor lining all the walls inside little niches. We all slowly move forward, Celia hanging back. Because hey, when you enter a freaky room you don't recognize, you need to leave one person in the doorway so it can't close behind you. Typical freaky movie.

Gil stays back with Celia and Dude, reaching down to scratch Dude on the chin. "I wonder if you'll have talking puppies?" He asks, standing to follow the rest of us.

"Talking puppies." Dude chuckles, shaking his head. Celia starts petting him after that, and his tail wags happily.

"I bet you lost some sleep thinkin' about me on the Isle, huh?" Uma asks Mal, examining her nails as if the topic bores her.

"No." Mal says. "Dragons don't really lose sleep." She stops, thoughtfully biting one nail. "I wonder what fried octopus tastes like?"

"Okay, why do we not do this?" Evie asks, her hands on her hips.