Escape from the Isle of the Lost Read online

  ALSO BY MELISSA DE LA CRUZ

  DESCENDANTS

  The Isle of the Lost

  Return to the Isle of the Lost

  Rise of the Isle of the Lost

  THE BLUE BLOODS SERIES

  Blue Bloods

  Masquerade

  Revelations

  The Van Alen Legacy

  Keys to the Repository

  Misguided Angel

  Bloody Valentine

  Lost in Time

  Gates of Paradise

  The Ring and the Crown

  Copyright © 2019 by Disney Enterprises, Inc.

  Designed by Marci Senders

  Cover art by James Madsen

  Hand lettering by Russ Gray

  Cover design by Marci Senders

  All rights reserved. Published by Disney•Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney•Hyperion, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023.

  ISBN 978-1-368-02514-0

  Visit www.DisneyBooks.com

  and www.DisneyDescendants.com

  Contents

  Title page

  Copyright page

  Dedication

  Some Time Ago…

  Rude Awakening

  Heroes and Villains

  Chapter 1 – The Lady is a Villain Kid

  Chapter 2 – Arabian Knight

  Chapter 3 – Once, There Was a Princess

  Chapter 4 – Look Out for Carlos De Vil

  Chapter 5 – Everyone’s Favorite King

  Chapter 6 – They Weren’t Kidding When They Called Her, Well, a Witch

  Chapter 7 – Once Upon a Dance

  Chapter 8 – A Thrilling Chase

  Chapter 9 – With New Horizons to Pursue

  Chapter 10 – Hold Your Breath, It Gets Better

  Chapter 11 – An Endless Diamond Sky

  Chapter 12 – Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

  Chapter 13 – Pro Tip

  Chapter 14 – Trade Secrets

  Chapter 15 – Two of a Kind

  Some Time Ago…

  Hole in the Sky

  No Place Like Home

  Chapter 16 – Isle Alumni

  Chapter 17 – Big, Bad Voodoo Daddy

  Chapter 18 – This Little Light of Mine

  Chapter 19 – The Walls Have Ears

  Chapter 20 – Blasts from the Past

  Chapter 21 – Square Pegs in a Round Table

  Chapter 22 – Around the Island

  Chapter 23 – Pied Piper

  Chapter 24 – A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes?

  Chapter 25 – Once Upon a Dream

  Chapter 26 – Underground Secrets

  Chapter 27 – Search Party

  Chapter 28 – All Washed-up

  Chapter 29 – Under the Sea

  Chapter 30 – With a Little Help from Her Friends

  Chapter 31 – Open and Out

  Chapter 32 – Friendly Force

  Chapter 33 – Fortune-Teller

  Chapter 34 – Mermaids and Makeovers

  Chapter 35 – What Villains Want

  Chapter 36 – Trickster Sister

  Some Time Ago…

  Lord of the Underworld

  Caps & Gowns

  Chapter 37 – Auradon or Auradon’t

  Chapter 38 – Building a Brand

  Chapter 39 – The Future’s So Bright…

  Chapter 40 – Decisions, Decisions

  Chapter 41 – Ways to Be Wicked

  Chapter 42 – Pomp and Circumstance

  Chaper 43 – Auradon Alums

  Epilogue – Ocean Pollution

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  nce upon a time in ancient Greece, there lived extraordinary heroes and powerful gods, and the most powerful of them all was Hades. Yes, you read that right: H-A-D-E-S. Hades gazed over his divine kingdom from high above on Mount Olympus with a smug smile. Life was good. Nope, life was better than good. Life was great! No more working himself to death down in the Underworld. No more living near the smelly River Styx, no more listening to the obnoxious wails and cries of torment from the floating dead all around him. No more living in caves with demons. He had won! He was the greatest god who had ever breathed life into a flying horse! Okay, so he hadn’t actually done that yet. But he would soon!

  For now, he was more than content to eat plump, juicy grapes fed to him by beautiful nymphs, listen to tinkling music played on lyres and harps, and lounge on a puffy cloud, while his back pocket was full of lightning bolts he could use against anyone who dared oppose him.

  He sighed in satisfaction and took a bite from the nearest grape.

  Then he spat it out.

  “DEAR ZEUS, WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT?!” he said, choking and gasping for breath as he looked around for water. He took a huge gulp from a dirty mug he found next to him. That wasn’t a grape he’d eaten. It was a disgusting, withered raisin that was way past its expiration date! And he wasn’t lounging on a cloud at all, but lying on garbage bags! The horror! The humiliation! What was this?! Where was he?!

  Hades blinked his eyes. He looked all around. He was in the middle of a crowded bazaar, filled with ruffians of all kinds hawking their sordid wares. There was a tent filled with broken electronics, and another selling old furniture, the merchant sitting in a cracked bathtub. This was no Mount Olympus! Not even close!

  He groaned in despair, realizing he had once again dozed off and dreamed he was back where he belonged. He should be up in the sky with his fellow deities—hanging out with vain Apollo, snarky Hermes, and beautiful Aphrodite.…But in reality, he was still here. Trapped. Stuck on the Isle of the Lost—which certainly sounded like a region in the Underworld if he’d ever heard one—living among a bunch of filthy mortals. (Some of them might look like scruffy demons, but they were definitely human.)

  The island was surrounded by an invisible barrier that kept him and everyone else there barred from the mainland and unable to use their powers. How long had he been here? Too long! No matter, no matter. He would take care of that soon enough. He had found something among his meager possessions just that morning.

  He might not have a pocketful of lightning bolts like his annoying brother Zeus, but he still had his ember. His greatest weapon. An ember that, once sparked, could unleash the fires of doom. He reached into his back pocket, checking to make sure it was still there. Yep. There it was, just a plain lump of coal. He had a plan. He was going to escape, and he was going to escape today.

  He felt smug at the proposition. While these filthy losers had to stay here, he would be out among the gods once more! This neglected, remote island was certainly no place for someone who was practically a rock star! He was meant to be worshipped, feared, and admired! Not stepped over and pushed aside by ruffians trying to get to the market before it ran out of brown bananas.

  Hades left the crowded bazaar and walked all the way out of town, to the edge of the coastline. In the distance, he could catch a glimpse of Auradon’s gleaming skyline. Somewhere, over there, was his true home. Somewhere, over there, were magic and power and freedom.

  He held up his ember. “RELEASE ME!” he yelled to the skies.

  The skies did not thunder. Lightning did not strike. Nothing happened.

  A few residents of the Isle of the Lost walked by, but they gave him no notice. No one even cared to watch. But Hades would show them! He was just out of practice. He warmed the ember in his hands and then he
ld it up again.

  He could feel one of his raging tantrums building. His face began to turn red all the way to the roots of his hair. He needed to get out right now. It was time to blow this joint. He was the god of fire and rage, a ruler of souls, one who had brought the mighty Hercules to his knees! (Well, not really—but he almost brought Hercules down. Almost!)

  “RELEASE ME!” he commanded.

  Nothing.

  He tried again.…

  Nothing.

  His face turned an even darker shade of crimson and he screamed his anguish toward the sky, throwing curses and hexes every which way.

  But still nothing. Hades’s shoulders slumped. He was out of breath and out of energy. His blue Mohawk wilted.

  He looked down at the ember in his hands. It was dead. It was a piece of coal. It did not glow, nor did it burn with divine fire. It was useless.

  Try as he might, and as hard as he wished it otherwise, the reality was that there was no magic on the island. And while that barrier stood, there never would be. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Which meant he had to accept it. On the Isle of the Lost, Hades was no longer a god.

  He was just a blue-haired dude in a leather jacket.

  al made her way across the sparkling campus of Auradon Prep, taking in the sound of chirping birds, the warmth of the sun against her face, and the sight of the tall castle walls shining with early morning dew. Although Mal wasn’t about to burst into song at any moment like some of the princesses and princes who filled this place, she might as well have been singing in her heart. They’d made it! Mal, Evie, and Jay were seniors now—Carlos, who was a junior, still had one more year to rule the school—and in a few months, they would graduate. They would be free to make their own futures, forge their own paths—the world was their pearl-bearing oyster.

  As Mal greeted her friends who were milling about the lawns, she recalled their days on the Isle of the Lost. Not so long ago, Mal had spent her free time spraying graffiti on posters featuring King Beast’s face with her signature tag: EVIL LIVES. Not so long ago she had been proud of the many, many ways she was wicked. At Dragon Hall, she had been famous for her pranks, locking first-years in their Davy Jones lockers, starting epic spoiled-food fights in the cafeteria, and threatening everyone with Maleficent-style curses if they dared defy her. But it turned out that being evil meant feeling small and petty, while being good meant being brave. It meant facing your fears and standing up for the people who depended on you. Being good was so much harder and so much more satisfying than being bad. It felt good to be good. Who knew?

  Now Mal was Auradon’s hero and protector, ready to transform into her dragon self to defend the kingdom against any villain or monster that would threaten its shores. Life had been calm since Uma had disappeared during Cotillion. There had been no sign of that turquoise-haired sea witch so far. Mal’s childhood rival had dived deep into the waves, and had not been seen since. But Mal liked to keep watch anyway. You never knew where or when the enemy would strike.

  “Any sign of her?” she asked the guard, who had been stationed by the coastline to check.

  “Not today,” the guard replied.

  “Good,” said Mal.

  • • •

  When she arrived at the meeting for the Royal Council, she was the first one there. Today she was dressed simply in a matching black-and-purple shirt and skirt, her long purple hair tucked behind her ears. Gone were the days when Mal would stomp into class or any assignation at the last minute, snarling and annoyed. She was the future Lady Mal now—bad fairy heritage, irreverent attitude, battered thick-soled boots, and all. She wanted to make Ben proud of her, and, in turn, show the kingdom she was proud to wear his school ring.

  Still, Mal’s unexpectedly prompt appearance seemed to surprise Lumiere, who was still fluffing cushions and helping Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts set out the tea service.

  “Oh! Mal! You’re early!” said Lumiere with a bit of a frown. As the head of the king’s household, he didn’t like to be caught with his candelabras down, so to speak.

  “Don’t mind me,” said Mal. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “No, dear. Please, be our guest,” said Mrs. Potts, bustling over with two heaping plates of scones and pastries, almost dropping them in her haste.

  “Here,” said Mal, taking one of the plates away from the overburdened cook and placing it in the middle of the table.

  “Thank you, dear,” said Mrs. Potts with a relieved smile.

  “We don’t have much time!” fretted Cogsworth, who was opening drapes and letting light into the conference room. “The kings and queen will be here shortly! And Fairy Godmother runs a tight ship. She’ll turn us all into pumpkins—or worse, back into furniture—if things aren’t perfect!”

  “Oh, Cogsworth, you worry too much!” Mal laughed as she helped Chip pour tea into everyone’s cups. She knew Cogsworth was simply being his normal, nervous self—Fairy Godmother was far too kind to turn anyone into furniture. After they were done with the tea, she helped Chip fold the napkins the way Lumiere taught them, so they resembled ladies’ fans on the plates.

  At last, the room was ready, and at the appointed hour, Mal took her seat as Cogsworth held the door open for King Beast, Queen Belle, King Ben, and Fairy Godmother, who all filed in. They were already deep in discussion.

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Ben was saying. “She’ll be so thrilled.”

  “I thought she might,” said Fairy Godmother, who looked as polished as ever in her pink ruffled shirt and powder-blue suit.

  Ben grinned and took his seat next to Mal.

  “Oh, the tea looks lovely, Mrs. Potts,” Fairy Godmother said, as she picked up her cup. Cogsworth audibly sighed in relief.

  “One lump or two?” asked Chip, appearing at her elbow, as Mrs. Potts beamed behind him.

  “What’s going on?” whispered Mal to Ben.

  “You’ll see,” he promised, reaching for a scone.

  King Beast and Queen Belle, who had recently returned from another all-kingdom cruise—they had become very fond of those—looked deeply tanned and relaxed. Ever since handing over the reins of government to their son, the retired king and queen were only brought in to consult with the Royal Council. Ben had the final word on every decision.

  Ben let the assembled group eat and chat for a moment before calling the meeting to order. “Mal, I’m sorry we started this discussion without you, but it’s come to my attention that some members of the Royal Council would like for you to do some diplomatic visits around all the kingdoms of Auradon,” he explained. “I think you would do an amazing job. What do you think?”

  “Oh!” said Mal, sitting up straighter. “That sounds…exciting!”

  “I thought you would say that!” Ben smiled at her, but then his brow creased. “Although it does mean a lot of travel,” said Ben. “And frankly, I’ll miss you.”

  In the back, Mrs. Potts swooned while Chip giggled.

  “Ben,” said Mal, taking his hand at the table. “I’ll always come back to you.”

  Ben smiled back and squeezed her hand. He had grown up so much since the crown was first placed on his head. He was their leader, fair and firm, and so handsome that she still blushed when he looked her way. “I’ll be waiting,” he promised.

  Fairy Godmother cleared her throat. “It’s important that our future Lady Mal see as much of the kingdom as she can. She didn’t grow up in Auradon, and it would be good for her to observe the customs of the country.”

  “I agree,” said Queen Belle. “The people are curious about Mal and excited to show her how much they appreciate all she’s done for Auradon. I know in Northern Wei, they’re planning a dragon dance parade in her honor. And in Corona, a festival of sky lanterns.”

  King Beast beamed. “What wonderful news! Dear, do you think our next cruise could take us to Northern Wei as well? I’ve never even seen a dragon dance myself!”

  “I’ll make sure of it,” said Queen Belle.

&n
bsp; “Then it’s settled,” said Fairy Godmother. “I hope it’s not too distracting from your studies, my dear. But here is a list of kingdoms for your itinerary.” She pushed a piece of paper across the table in Mal’s direction.

  Mal felt her heartbeat speed up in excitement. It was true—she hadn’t seen very much of Auradon at all, and the chance to travel the world sounded thrilling after a childhood spent trapped on a remote island. So many things to see! So many people to meet!

  She glanced at the list.

  Agrabah, Camelot, Northern Wei, Olympus, East Riding, Corona…and everywhere else, from Tiger’s Head to Triton’s Bay. So many wonderful places to visit! She couldn’t wait to eat beignets with Princess Tiana’s family and sip nectar and honey with the gods and goddesses in their palace in the sky. Every kingdom and region in Auradon was represented on her itinerary.

  Every region, that is, except one.

  Mal looked up from the paper. “Did we forget to add the Isle of the Lost to this list?” she asked.

  “The Isle of the Lost?” echoed Fairy Godmother, as if she couldn’t quite believe her ears.

  King Beast and Queen Belle shifted uncomfortably. King Beast coughed, and Queen Belle added two more lumps of sugar to her tea. When she brought the cup to her lips, it rattled against the saucer she held underneath it.

  “The Isle of the Lost is Mal’s home,” Ben reminded everyone.

  “Yes, it is,” said Mal. It was her duty to represent the island as much as she could, to remind everyone that there were noble hearts everywhere, and that even villain kids could grow up to be good. “And the Isle is part of Auradon, right?”

  “Technically,” Fairy Godmother admitted.

  “Unfortunately,” groused King Beast.

  “Now, now, dear,” said Queen Belle.

  “Then shouldn’t I visit the Isle as well?” she said. “Shouldn’t I go there as part of my official itinerary? I don’t want them to think they’ve been forgotten.” It was already so easy to dismiss the kids who were imprisoned on the island, punished for their parents’ evil deeds. If Ben hadn’t felt sympathy for them in the beginning, when he made his first proclamation as king, who knew where she would be now? Certainly not in a plush room in the palace eating warm scones on a porcelain plate. Most likely scrounging for leftovers in back alleys like every other Isle kid.