Maleficent(49)

            Finding herself in the middle of the circle of light, Maleficent paused, uncertain. Something didn’t feel right. With a growing sense of dread, she looked up. And then she gulped. Hanging there, right above her head, was a giant iron net.

            Before she could move, the net fell toward her. Dropping her staff, Maleficent raised her hands above her head to try to block it. But it was no use. The moment the iron touched her exposed flesh, she felt a searing pain and heard the sizzle as her skin burned. Unable to handle the intense pain, Maleficent fell to her knees, the net covering her the way her wings used to. But while her wings had brought her comfort then, the net now just brought her misery.

            Her breath coming in gasps, Maleficent was barely aware of the footsteps of a dozen men as Stefan’s soldiers surrounded her. They prodded the net with long spears, causing the iron to move against Maleficent and find new pieces of skin to burn. She clenched her jaw, convinced it couldn’t get any worse. And then, through the fog of pain, she heard Aurora cry out.

            “Don’t kill her!” the princess shouted.

            Raising her head slightly, Maleficent saw that Stefan had arrived and was now holding Aurora out in front of him. It had been a long time since Maleficent had seen Stefan, and she was shocked by how drastically he had deteriorated. His sunken cheeks were red, and his shoulders stooped. The thick hair he had always worn long was thinning and gray. And the eyes that stared down at Maleficent were bloodshot and empty.

            An evil smile slowly spread across Stefan’s face as his fingers dug into the soft flesh of Aurora’s arm. Maleficent cringed. Stefan had completely lost it. He had been intent on destroying Maleficent for so long that he didn’t even realize he was hurting his own daughter. In fact, he seemed annoyed by her, and when she pleaded once more for him to stop hurting Maleficent, Stefan pushed her backward. The force of the shove threw Aurora to the ground. From where she lay, she looked up in horror, shocked by her father’s violence.

            Desperate to save Aurora from any more pain or disappointment, Maleficent tried to move under the net. But it was no use. The iron was doing its job, and with every passing moment she grew weaker. If only there was something else she could do. Some other way out of this horrific situation…

            And then she heard Diaval’s familiar caw.

            Despite the pain that continued to wash over her in waves, Maleficent smiled. Yes, she thought, that would work. That would work quite nicely. Softly, she began to mutter.

            There was a swoosh of magic and the curtains on the windows blew as wind filled the Great Hall. And then, as Stefan and his soldiers watched, Diaval began to transform. His wings grew longer, the black feathers replaced by dark scales, until they spanned nearly the entire length of the hall. His beak became a large snout with a mouth full of sharp teeth, and his neck extended so that the top of his head nearly grazed the ceiling. And his two feet turned into long, powerful, scale-covered legs. On the end of each foot, giant razor-sharp claws dug into the stone floor. Rearing back his head, Diaval let out a loud roar. Before the terrified soldiers stood something they had never seen before, something that even this magical land had thought to be a myth. Diaval had become a dragon.

            Maleficent raised her head and watched as a stunned Stefan took a step back. If the pain hadn’t been so overwhelming, she would have smiled to see him struck down with fear. Then she turned her head slightly and saw that Aurora had climbed to her feet and was running away. As she watched, the girl disappeared up the long staircase that led to the tower. And then Maleficent did allow herself a smile. Because no matter what happened next, no matter what pain Stefan inflicted on Maleficent, or Diaval inflicted on Stefan, Aurora wouldn’t be there to witness it. She would be saved from that horror. And after everything the girl had gone through, one less horror was a priceless gift.





                              AS AURORA MADE HER ESCAPE, DIAVAL CONTINUED TO WREAK HAVOC ON THE GREAT HALL. With a swish of his tail, he knocked down a line of soldiers. He let out a roar, raining fire down on another group. As he raised his head, the two large horns that dominated his forehead smashed into one of the large chandeliers, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The broken crystal fell on the soldiers still on their feet, causing them to scream in pain.