Lonnie's Warrior Sword

by Jessica Brody

  Lonnie did the only appropriate thing she could think of. She flashed Chen a wide grin and bowed.

  I did it! I qualified for the Auradon Warrior Challenge! This. Is. Awesome.

  “That rat! That cheat! That low-life, no-good, rotten hoodlum!”

  It had been over an hour since the end of the elimination round, and Jay hadn’t stopped ranting. Lonnie, Jordan, and Jay were all gathered in the plush living room of the royal suite that Lonnie had been assigned as one of the finalists.

  “Wow, those are some choice words coming from a VK,” Jordan joked.

  But Jay ignored her and continued his rant against Chen. It was probably the first time since they’d left Auradon Prep that he hadn’t had some flirty comeback for her. Even Jordan looked surprised.

  “We need to turn him in,” Jay said resolutely. He was pacing the length of the living room while Jordan and Lonnie were lounging on the big, comfy white couch, eating pieces of fruit from the giant gift basket the producers of the show had sent.

  “This royal treatment is pretty fantastic,” Jordan said to Lonnie.

  “Right?” Lonnie agreed. “I mean, this suite is amazing.”

  “Don’t you mean it’s sweet?” Jordan mocked, clearly trying to tease Jay about his joke earlier.

  But Jay was barely listening. “We need to tell the producers,” Jay said, mostly to himself. “But first we need proof that he was behind the sabotage. Otherwise, they’ll never believe us.”

  “Did you see the fabulous earrings I found when I was out shopping today?” Jordan asked Lonnie, turning her head this way and that so Lonnie could see the large gold hoops dangling from her ears.

  “Those are beautiful!” Lonnie gushed, and then turned to Jay, trying to distract him from his rant. “Jay, aren’t Jordan’s earrings beautiful?”

  “Completely unacceptable,” Jay went on, ignoring her. “He should be disqualified.”

  Jordan laughed. “We should order room service and watch movies.” She plucked a red leather menu from the coffee table and flipped it open. “Oooh. They have chocolate-chip waffles!”

  “I will find him and make him confess to the producers,” Jay said, his fists balled at his sides.

  “Oooh, chocolate-chip waffles are my favorite!” Lonnie enthused. “Do they have cream puffs?”

  “They have a cream puff variety platter!” Jordan said, gawking at the menu.

  “Done,” Lonnie said, picking up the phone on the side table. “I’ll order. Jay, do you want anything?”

  But Jay was still lost in his vengeful world. “No one messes with me and my trainee and gets away with it. He cannot be allowed to continue with this competition!”

  “Nothing? Okay!” Lonnie said, dialing the number for room service.

  “Jay, will you relax?” Jordan urged.

  Jay paused long enough to rub his hand against his forehead, where little beads of perspiration had formed. “I can’t relax!” he called back. “This guy tried to sabotage Lonnie on the course!”

  “Tried,” Lonnie emphasized. “But didn’t succeed.” Then, into the phone, she said, “Oh, yes, hi. An order of chocolate-chip waffles and the cream puff variety platter, please. Thirty minutes? Great! Thanks so much!” She hung up and turned her attention back to Jay. “I still made it. I’m in the finals. So what does it matter?”

  “It matters,” Jay said through gritted teeth. “He can’t get away with this. And what if he tries again?”

  Lonnie shook her head. “He won’t.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” Jay warned. “If he didn’t succeed in knocking you out of the competition the first time, he’s not going to just give up and let you win this whole thing.”

  Lonnie leaned back on the couch with a yawn. “I can’t worry about that right now. I need to get my rest. And eat a platter full of yummy cream puffs.”

  “Well, I won’t be able to sleep until I catch this guy,” Jay said, stalking toward the door.

  “Do what you gotta do,” Jordan said with a roll of her eyes.

  Jay stopped in the doorway and glanced back at Lonnie. “I will not let you down. Your knight in shining armor is on the job.”

  “She doesn’t need a knight in shining armor!” Jordan called back, but it was too late. Jay had already disappeared out the door. Jordan let out a groan. “Why is he so annoying?”

  Lonnie had started to get a pretty good idea of why Jay had been acting so ridiculous around Jordan during this whole trip, but she didn’t want to get involved. Especially when she had a final round of competition to worry about tomorrow. So she just shrugged and said, “Who knows? He’s a mysterious creature.”

  “He’s a creature, all right.” Jordan hopped up and started to explore the suite, walking from room to room and opening up all the closets and drawers. “OMG. They have silk robes in here!” she called from the bathroom. “I simply have to take a bath and put one of these on.”

  Lonnie giggled. “Knock yourself out.”

  “I’m going to put the genie lamp in the bedside table for safekeeping,” Jordan said. “Don’t let me forget it when we leave tomorrow.”

  “Okay!”

  Then Lonnie heard the bathroom door close, followed by water running in the tub. Lonnie burrowed down farther into the plush white couch. It had to be the comfiest couch she’d ever sat on. She was so exhausted she could literally stay here all night and never move.

  She reached for the remote, turned on the TV, and started flipping through the channels until she found one that was showing coverage from the day’s event. On the screen, Snow White was interviewing Ari, the host of the Auradon Warrior Challenge.

  “How did it go today in the elimination round?” Snow White asked. “Some of the footage I’ve seen was quite exciting!”

  “Yes,” Ari replied. “This is definitely shaping up to be our most thrilling challenge yet. We have some really strong competitors this year. A few familiar faces from previous years and a few surprises.”

  Just then, a clip of Lonnie gliding across the slick metal pole played on-screen with the name “Li” written underneath. Lonnie was grateful not only for her blond wig, heavily made-up face, and fake name, but also for the oversized helmet, which seemed to disguise her even more. There was no way anyone back at school would recognize her as Lonnie. Or that anyone in the Imperial City would recognize her as the daughter of Mulan. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  Her secret was safe.

  She continued to watch the interview, listening to Ari’s and Snow White’s commentary on each of the ten finalists. But a few minutes later, her viewing was interrupted by a faint buzzing noise. Lonnie glanced down at the coffee table to see her phone lighting up with a text message. She reached for it and saw Mal’s name on the screen. For a moment, Lonnie panicked, thinking someone back at school had recognized her on TV and Mal was texting to warn her of all the trouble she was already in.

  But instead, the message said:

  Had a wicked time filming the documentary last week. When do I get to see the edit you’ve been working on?

  Lonnie stared at the screen in confusion. What was Mal talking about? What documentary? What edit? Lonnie wasn’t working on a…

  Then, suddenly, she glanced down at the fuchsia phone case in her hand and realized what had happened. This was Jordan’s phone! They had the same case. Mal must be talking about the documentary Jordan had promised to produce for King Ben about the VKs.

  But hadn’t Jordan said she was going to wish to be free of that promise? That she didn’t have time to do it? Isn’t that why she had agreed to let Lonnie use the lamp in the first place—so she could get out of the commitment she’d made to Ben?

  Lonnie thought back to the conversation she’d had with Jordan in the study room the night before.

  “I just promised him I would produce a documentary about Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos so he could use it to bring more VKs to Auradon Prep.”

  “That sounds awesome!” Lonnie said. “That�
�ll definitely help him convince the rest of the royal council.”

  Jordan shot her an uneasy look. “Yeah, well, I don’t have the time. So I need to get out of it.”

  Lonnie was confused. She glanced down at the text message from Mal and read it again.

  Jordan had already filmed the documentary? And she’d been editing it? Why, then, would she tell Lonnie that she didn’t have time to work on it?

  Lonnie remembered sensing that something was off when she’d talked to Jordan about it that night. She’d gotten the feeling that Jordan had been keeping some kind of secret from her.

  And now Lonnie was more certain than ever that her feeling was right.

  Lonnie looked to the closed bathroom door, her curiosity growing. She had to know what was going on. What was Jordan hiding? Lonnie knew she had to confront her and find out the truth. She decided to wait until Jordan was out of the bathtub and their stomachs were full of waffles and cream puffs. Then Lonnie would get to the bottom of this.

  Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to wait much longer, because just then there was a knock at the door.

  I’m going to ask Jordan what’s going on…as soon as I get the chance.

  Lonnie was surprised to find not room service on the other side of the door, but an official Auradon Warrior Challenge staff member. He was dressed in the standard red jumpsuit with matching red cap. He handed Lonnie a gold envelope with the name “Li” printed on the front in black calligraphy, then bowed and turned to leave.

  Lonnie closed the door and immediately opened the letter. She pulled out a crisp cream-colored card and read it.

  Congratulations on becoming a finalist in the Auradon Warrior Challenge! To celebrate your impressive accomplishment, I’m personally hosting a celebratory gala for all finalists tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Silk Nightclub. Your attendance would be greatly appreciated.

  Yours truly,

  Ari

  Official AWC Host

  Wow, Lonnie thought giddily. A celebration gala at a nightclub? Hosted by Ari? That sounds so glamorous!

  “Was that the food?” Jordan asked, stepping out of the bathroom. She was now swathed in a gorgeous red and gold silk robe, and her hair was twisted up in a towel.

  “No, it was an invitation!” Lonnie said, handing Jordan the card. “To a party!”

  “Stellar,” Jordan said, grabbing the card and reading it. “I am so glad I went shopping today.” She glanced up at Lonnie and frowned at her face.

  “What?” Lonnie said, self-consciously touching her cheeks.

  “I’ll have to redo your makeup.”

  Lonnie walked over to the mirror in the living room and suddenly realized what Jordan was scowling at. After all her exertions in the arena today, her makeup looked pretty horrific. And she had to maintain appearances if she was going keep her true identity a secret.

  The room service was delivered a few minutes later, and the girls spent the next hour trying on outfits, touching up makeup, and eating waffles and cream puffs. It was the best girls’ night Lonnie could remember.

  She hadn’t forgotten her decision to ask Jordan about her wish, but she had yet to find the right moment to bring it up. Jordan seemed so excited about going to this party, and Lonnie didn’t want to spoil her good mood. As hard as she tried, Lonnie still couldn’t figure out why Jordan was so desperate to get out of producing the documentary. Had something happened during the filming to upset her? Was she mad at King Ben for some reason?

  Lonnie was determined to find out…after this amazing gala, obviously.

  When eight o’clock rolled around, Jordan and Lonnie were ready to rock. Lonnie’s disguise had been completely renewed. Her wig had been brushed out and shined up with hair gloss, her vibrant makeup had been completely reapplied, and for clothes, she had decided to just stick to her black warrior uniform, which Jordan agreed was a nice touch.

  “Should we wait for Jay to get back?” Lonnie asked as they opened the door to the suite.

  “No way!” Jordan said, wrinkling her nose. “He’ll just try to hit on all the female competitors.”

  Lonnie chuckled. “Yeah, but he is my trainer.”

  “Fine,” Jordan said. “We’ll text him from the party and tell him where we are.”

  “Perfect.”

  Jordan ordered a car from the Majestic Rides app and the two met their driver out front a few minutes later.

  “The Silk Nightclub, please,” Lonnie said, reciting the venue name from the invitation.

  “Silk Nightclub?” the driver repeated with a twinge of confusion. “Didn’t that club close last year?”

  Lonnie shrugged. “Well, it’s for a private party. So maybe they rented out the space.”

  The driver, seemingly satisfied with this answer, put the car in gear and pulled away from the Imperial Palace.

  The Silk Nightclub was all the way on the other side of the city. Lonnie kept her face glued to the window as she took in the familiar sights of her hometown. Restaurants she used to eat at with her parents. The playground with the giant dragon-shaped jungle gym she used to climb on as a child. Even the shop where her mom had bought Lonnie her very first suit of armor. It was all still there.

  When the car dropped them in front of the large warehouse-style concrete building on the outskirts of the city, Lonnie and Jordan could hear the music thumping from the inside. It had been a long time since Lonnie had let loose with her hip-hop moves, and she was eager to get on that dance floor.

  “This is gonna be great!” she said to Jordan as they headed for the door. They pulled open the heavy metal door and stepped into the large, open space. But the girls both stopped in their tracks when they saw that the entire building was empty. And almost pitch-dark. The only light was coming from the open door that they’d just walked through.

  “Are we the first to arrive?” Lonnie asked, glancing around. She’d expected to see spinning disco balls, long tables full of fancy foods, and cocktail servers walking around with gold trays.

  “Maybe,” Jordan said. “That’s weird. The invitation said eight o’clock, didn’t it?”

  Lonnie reached into her pocket to find the invitation, but then realized she must have left it back in the room. She couldn’t even remember where she’d last seen it. “I think so. But where is everyone?”

  They took a few more steps inside, and that’s when Lonnie noticed the small speaker in the corner blasting the music they’d heard from the outside.

  That’s strange, she thought. She had expected there to be a DJ, with equipment at least as high-tech as her own DJ equipment.

  So far, this party was not turning out to be as glamorous as she thought. No food. No DJ. And no people.

  “Maybe we should leave,” Jordan suggested.

  Lonnie had to agree with Jordan. She was starting to think maybe the driver had taken them to the wrong place. Plus, this building was kind of giving her the creeps. “Yeah,” Lonnie said. “Let’s go. We’ll call another Majestic Ride.”

  The two girls turned around just in time to see the door to the outside slam shut, thrusting them into darkness.

  Uh-oh, Lonnie thought.

  She heard Jordan jiggling the door handle. “It’s locked.”

  “It can’t be,” Lonnie said, stumbling up through the blackness and pushing Jordan aside. She tried the handle for herself, twisting it with all her might. She even tried kicking the door a few times and pushing it with all her strength, but nothing worked. They were definitely locked in here.

  Then, through the darkness, they heard a cackle of laughter, followed by a chillingly familiar voice. “That was almost too easy.”

  Lonnie’s heart began to race. It was Chen. She knew it.

  She ran her fingers across the wall near the door until she came across an air vent no bigger than a textbook. She flipped it open, letting in a sliver of light, and peered through the slats.

  Sure enough, just as she expected, outside the empty club stood Chen. He leaned down towar
d the vent, flashing his obnoxious smirk at Lonnie.

  “Chen,” Lonnie said sternly. “Open this door right now. You don’t want to do this.”

  “Oh, but I do,” Chen said snidely. “I can’t let you take my title from me. The Auradon Warrior Challenge is my competition. It has been for the past four years, and it will be mine again. I’m about to make history, and you’re not going to stand in my way.”

  “You’ll get caught,” Lonnie warned him.

  Through the narrow slats, Lonnie could see Chen twisting his mouth to the side as though contemplating her statement. “I don’t think so. Besides, it won’t matter. The final competition starts in twelve hours, and no one is coming way out here to this abandoned club to look for you. I’m afraid to say you won’t be competing tomorrow.”

  “Listen to me, you little rat!” Jordan said, pushing her way to the air vent. “You let us out of here right now, or I’ll…I’ll…”

  Chen laughed. “You’ll what? What are either of you going to do about it?”

  Both Lonnie and Jordan remained silent.

  “That’s exactly what I thought,” Chen said. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure someone comes to find you tomorrow after the competition is over.”

  Lonnie heard footsteps fading into the distance. “Nighty night!” Chen called out, followed by a dark, chilling silence.

  Well, now I know the truth. Jay was totally right. Chen fights dirty.

  “Hello! Somebody! Anybody! We’re in here!” Lonnie and Jordan screamed at the top of their lungs through the air vent, but it was no use. No one had any idea they were down here. Jay didn’t even know they’d left. There was no way he’d be able to find them. They were definitely trapped.

  They both seemed to realize this at the same time and stopped shouting.

  “Wait, what about your phone?” Jordan asked. “You can call Jay. Or text him!”

  Lonnie quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket only to find that there were no service bars on her screen.