Maleficent(51)

            Using the distraction, Maleficent raced toward the stairs unnoticed. She needed to find Aurora…immediately.

                         As Maleficent reached the top of the stairs, she turned back. She watched as Diaval hissed and snapped at the men, trying to keep them at bay. But more and more soldiers came. They had sharp weapons and he was not used to his dragon body. She saw panic in his eyes as he whipped his tail, knocking a few more men down. Then Diaval turned toward the far wall. Racing forward, he smashed through it, sending the iron plates on the other side to the ground. Through the gaping hole, Maleficent could make out one of the castle’s many towers nearby. Its rounded sides offered no footholds, so the soldiers had no way of climbing it. But Diaval’s claws could easily dig into the stone. Seeing his chance to escape, Diaval began to climb up the tower wall and disappeared from view a moment later.

            Maleficent turned and frantically looked around. Where could Aurora have gone? There was a long hall to her right and another to her left. But straight ahead, slightly swaying, was a huge door. That had to be it. Racing through, Maleficent found herself in front of another set of stairs. They circled up, up, and up, leading high into the tower that at that very moment Diaval was scaling.

            Quickly, Maleficent began to climb the stairs, her heart pounding with the fear of what she might find. Aurora didn’t know the castle. She didn’t know the soldiers or the cruelty angry men were capable of expressing. She had lived her entire life protected from such things. And now she had been thrown right into the middle, witness to some of the worst acts of human nature. Maleficent ached at the thought of Aurora frightened and alone, wandering the castle halls. Her footsteps quickened, and finally, she reached the room at the top of the tower. It was empty. On the far side of the room, a door led out to a long bridge that connected the tower with the one next to it. And standing there, in the middle of the bridge, was Aurora. Sighing with relief, Maleficent ran out.

            But her relief was short-lived.

            From behind her, she heard a whish, and then she felt a familiar pain rack her body. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Stefan. He had a long iron whip in his hand and a crazed look in his eyes. He took a step forward, lashing the whip over and over in front of him. Raising her staff, Maleficent stood her ground. She was not going to let him defeat her, not now. Not when Aurora was so close. Narrowing her eyes in determination, Maleficent took a step forward, swinging her staff.

            The sound of iron against wood rang out on the bridge as Stefan lashed his whip repeatedly. And over and over again, Maleficent deflected the blows with her staff. They moved forward and backward, their motions a terrifying mockery of a romantic waltz. The fight took them from the bridge onto another, neither of them backing down, both of them determined to win. Maleficent forgot that Aurora was nearby. Forgot that she had come to save her. All she could think about was defeating Stefan once and for all. Making him pay for the pain he had caused her and his daughter. Her mind went blank with rage and she slammed her staff into Stefan.

            They were so engrossed in their fight that neither noticed the ground beneath their feet was shaking. Nor did they notice that Diaval was still clinging to the tower, scrambling toward the roof and sending debris and iron plummeting to the ground far below. And they definitely didn’t notice that standing on a smaller bridge right underneath them was Aurora. The princess stood helplessly as broken pieces of the tower slammed into her bridge, causing it to shake violently.

            And then Aurora’s bridge collapsed.

            Maleficent heard an ear-piercing scream, and her rage vanished, instantly replaced by fear. Turning, she saw Aurora falling. The girl’s arms flailed as she tried to slow her fall. But it was useless. The ground was quickly approaching. Maleficent frantically looked around for some way to help her beloved Aurora. But there was nothing she could do. Her magic wasn’t powerful enough and she didn’t have the wings to fly. And then she noticed Diaval and felt a surge of hope. The girl meant as much to him as she did to Maleficent. He was not going to let her die. As Diaval perched on the roof of the tower, his eyes were glued to Aurora. He judged the distance and then, with a mighty flap of his huge wings, launched himself from the roof and swooped down after Aurora.