"FOOL! Idiot! I should have known better than to have sent you!"
"B-but Maleficent, I did everyt'ing you said-."
"SILENCE! Yes, you acquired the journal but you couldn't manage to get in and out of the castle without getting caught! They would never have known anything! Let alone try to stop you!"
It goes without saying where Maleficent's rage sat on a one-to-ten scale. Her aggressive steps made a clear path on the forest floor as she paced. Every time her staff hit the ground electric-green lightning shot out randomly from the orb across the clearing. She was furious at both Pete and herself; even Diablo. She hated losing the chance to find out the truth of the journal. She hated that cat and loathsome insect had found a weakness to exploit. She hated herself for even having the weakness of attachment. She wanted to be angry at Diablo for that reason. But of all her associates and minions he was the only one who had never failed at a given task; great or small. It was easiest to be angry at Pete. If he had succeeded in entering and leaving the castle without notice none of the other events would have transpired at all.
Pete and Diablo cowered behind a large tree, staying clear until some of the aggression had worn out. Even the raven could sense his mistress's mixed feelings about him at the moment and stayed out of her way in case she did something unpleasant out of anger. Pete hid for obvious reasons. No doubt those lightning strikes would hurt.
A twig snapped.
How exactly Pete heard it over the pops and crackles of dark magic he couldn't tell you. But he turned all the same when he heard it. About thirty feet away stood a young blond girl. Startling and surprising. Still, in a moment of good conscience Pete gestured for her to make herself scarce and fast. The forest with an angry witch was not a safe place to be.
But she giggled.
A giggle loud enough to be heard by Maleficent. The dark fairy turned sharply.
"Who are you!" She demanded. "Leave now or the consequences will be severe!"
"I'd listen to her if I was you," Pete warned.
But the girl only giggled again and actually skipped forward.
"Now, now," She said overly sweetly. "Is that any way to talk to someone who wants to help you?"
"You clearly do not know to whom you are speaking, girl. I do not need the help of anyone. Especially from the likes of a foolish lost child."
"Oh, my poor feelings. Actually, we could use your help as well."
"Dis isn't a good time, kid." Pete tried to warn again.
"But I'm just here to make it all better. You want power, right? Dominion over all you survey? So do we. Obviously we'll have to share but everything will be divided up evenly."
Maleficent looked her over more closely.
"Who are you?" She asked with an air of wariness and impatience.
"You mean you don't recognize me?" The girl asked with false hurtness, tossing one of her short French braids over her shoulder. "That's okay. I do look a little different than she does."
"She?" Pete asked, completely lost.
Maleficent hadn't stopped studying the girl. Searching for familiarity? Or looking for a lie?
"Power and dominion, you say? And why should I believe you can be trusted? Let alone if you can even deliver what you say?"
"I have very powerful friends with a lot of dedication," She said, sounding like a child with a secret. "And I'm pretty sure the cruelty the ringleader is capable of is a trait you will be able to appreciate. Besides, at some point he wants to thank you personally."
"What are you babbling about now? Who is this 'he'? And why should he wish to thank me?" Maleficent demanded.
"He's the chief cheese of our little group of course!" The girl giggled again. "If it weren't for you the seven of us wouldn't even exist. What better to say thanks than offer you a seat at the right hand?" She unclipped a large pocket watch from her belt and snapped it open. "Oh! Goodness me! Is that the time? Well, no time like the present, *giggle* so to speak. Shall we be off?"
The girl turned with a half-bow with one arm behind her back and the other stretched out with an ushering gesture.
From behind their hiding tree Pete and Diablo looked between Maleficent, the girl then each other. Who was this kid? It did seem to be a crazy claim that was too good to be true. Suspiciously so. Yet Maleficent looked to be pondering with great consideration.
"You have intrigued me," Maleficent finally said. "I will go with you, if only to test the validity of your claim. I trust some of your more…perplexing comments will be made clear?"
"Of course. That won't take long at all."
"Very well. But consider yourself warned now. You say you know of me. So no doubt you know what to expect if this is a trick or a trap. The consequences of taking me for a fool will be severe."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
The girl swung the pocket watch on its long chain. As it spun faster, gold and brown sparkles and streams of light radiated from it. She caught the watch and stepped back but the spinning light remained, slowly getting bigger.
"This is a portal to our home base. The inner sanctum. The fortress of solitude. I think you're going to like working with so many like-minded individuals."
And again, she giggled.
