Maleficent

Elizabeth Rudnick Maleficent

Copyright © 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, 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 Press, 1200 Grand Central Avenue, Glendale, California 91201.

ISBN 978-1-368-05754-7

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For my mother and Jameson, who have taught me the true meaning of unconditional love

Prologue

THE MOORS WERE QUIET. THE FAERIES WHO CALLED THE LUSH LAND HOME WERE SAFE AND PROTECTED. THEY SPENT THEIR DAYS PLAYING AND LIVING AMONG THE BEAUTIFUL TREES, FLOWERS, AND PLANTS THAT GREW IN ABUNDANCE. They gathered in harmony and danced under the moonlight. They no longer feared the world beyond the borders of the Moors — at least, not as much. They could sleep at night free from nightmares. They were free. They were happy.

Aurora had seen to that.

Five years had passed since Maleficent had bestowed the greatest gift of all on the beautiful young princess. Giving her the kiss of true love, Maleficent had awoken the sleeping beauty and brought her back to rule over the faeries, as had been Aurora’s wish. For five years, Aurora had ruled with grace and kindness. And under her rule, the Moors had thrived.

Maleficent, too, had found peace — as much as the winged fey ever could. She had been a steady presence in Aurora’s life and had spent her days happily flying in and around the Moors, watching with pride as Aurora transformed from a young girl to a young woman, from a hesitant princess to a strong queen. She also watched as Aurora and Prince Phillip grew closer, their bond deepening as their love became more real, more mature. Still unsure of humans, Maleficent kept Phillip at a distance. But bit by bit, even his presence had become a familiar — and almost welcome — one in the Moors. He spent more time there than in his own kingdom of Ulstead, which lay just across the river.

But where there is light, there is also darkness. And darkness was coming to the Moors. An unexpected evil that was only beginning to reveal itself…

Chapter One

NIGHT HAD FALLEN. INSIDE THE MOORS, FAERIES SLEPT, LULLED BY THE TRICKLING WATER OF THE STREAMS AND THE GENTLE RUSTLE OF THE WIND THROUGH THE TREES.

Suddenly, the stillness of the night was broken by a loud snap. Somewhere at the edge of the Moors, a twig broke.

Three human men, trespassers in the Moors, froze at the sound. Looking nervously at each other, they waited to see if the noise had woken anyone — or anything. When no faeries appeared, they collectively sighed with relief.

The youngest of the men sighed the loudest. Ben hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. He had heard the stories of the Moors. He had seen the huge winged fey who flew in the sky from time to time, and the sight always unnerved him. He thought the Moors were too close, even with the river separating them from Ulstead. “They can fly,” Ben told his family and friends when they teased him about his discomfort with the faeries, “which means they could fly over the river if they wanted.” It was hard to argue with that logic.

But his friend Colin had told him it would be a quick — and profitable — trip. So he had agreed. Only now he was beginning to regret his decision. From the moment they had entered the Moors, he had been covered in gooseflesh. He knew it was silly, but he felt as though the trees themselves were watching, the grass listening. Even at night, Ulstead was brighter, torches lining the streets and providing illumination in the darkest hour. Here the only light that shone was from the moon and stars hanging in the sky. And that night the sky was dotted with clouds obscuring the little light they had.

“Let’s turn back,” Ben whispered as Colin and the other man resumed walking.

“And lose good money?” the third man, Thomas, said, shaking his bald head. “Not a chance.”

Ben frowned. He didn’t know Thomas. They had just met that night. But Ben didn’t trust him. His eyes were calculating and cold. He was the one who had convinced Colin to embark on this expedition across the river, and Ben had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well.

“Stay close,” Colin said, looking over his shoulder at Ben. He didn’t say anything more, but he didn’t need to. Ben knew that look well enough. Colin was telling him to stay quiet and keep his head down. They both needed the money, no matter the danger.

Reluctantly, Ben followed the men farther into the woods. Deeper in, the sounds were more muffled, the night even darker. Coming to a stop in front of a tall tree, Colin nodded. “Here we are.” He pulled a small ax from his pack and began to hack at the trunk of the tree. The sound surprised Ben, and he flinched. Colin kept swinging until, finally, a huge chunk of bark came free. Behind it was a small woodland faerie. The creature was sleeping, slightly snoring, with its little eyes closed. Quickly, Colin reached out, wrapped his hand around the faerie, and stuffed the creature into a bag he had over his shoulder. Colin pulled more bark free and continued to plunder the tree of its faerie occupants. Next to him, Thomas was doing the same, his bald head bent as he focused on his mission.

Ben looked down and saw that the tree was covered in mushrooms. But soon the fungi began to move and squirm, and he realized the toadstools were actually faeries who looked like mushrooms. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and grabbed one.

“Ow!” Ben shouted as the mushroom faerie bit him on the finger. The creature was small, his teeth smaller still, so his bite wasn’t deadly. But it stung. “You’ll pay for that!” Ben said. The faerie bit down again, harder this time. Reflexively, Ben dropped the mushroom faerie, who immediately took off into the woods. Ben followed, exchanging insults with the faerie as they ran. In moments, they had left the thick, muffled stillness of the forest and raced into a clearing. Still shouting insults, Ben plodded into the wide-open space. Out there, he was no longer protected by the shadows of the trees. The other two men had disappeared from view, swallowed up by the forest. But Ben didn’t care. He was too focused on getting the faerie into the bag.

He slowed his steps and came to a stop. Like a predator on the hunt, Ben sank to the ground and quieted his breathing. Then he waited. Not hearing footsteps behind him, the mushroom faerie stopped, too. It was only for a moment, but it was just long enough. Shouting, Ben took a diving leap. He flew through the air and then landed on the ground, his hands wrapping tightly around the faerie. As the creature wiggled and squirmed, Ben laughed triumphantly. “I’ll get double for a mushroom,” he said. “In ya go.” Stuffing the faerie deep into the bag, Ben turned. Only then did he realize he was far from where he had started. He headed back toward the woods.

Meanwhile, Colin and Thomas continued to pluck faeries from the tree, oblivious to everything but the task at hand and the visions of money running through their heads. They didn’t hear the sound of wings flapping or the gentle rustling of leaves behind them. They didn’t realize anything was amiss until, suddenly, the sky went completely black — as if someone had turned off the moon.