Prologue

"A beautiful meal, wouldn't you say?" Rothbart sneered as he bit into a morsel of meat, the juices running down his chin, chewing on it as though it was the most delicious meal he had ever tasted.

"An acquired taste, I would have to say," replied Maleficent, setting down her knife and fork. Raising a wine-glass to her lips, she drank deeply, her eyes fixed on the wizard sitting across from her. She didn't trust him, not in the slightest, but she had come to this mausoleum that had once been a castle.

It was a common courtesy, nothing more.

"Perhaps," replied Rothbart. "It's swan, you see, roasted with honey and garlic. Odile prepared it herself."

Maleficent's lip curled in disgust as she stared down at her empty plate, and then at the large platter upon which rested the remains of the roast. A sickening sensation washed through her as she realized the origin of her meal, and she glanced at the cadaver sitting beside the two of them, clad in a blood-stained white suit. The king of Oloria, she knew, and she had wondered what Rothbart had did to the queen.

Sickening and depraved, but Rothbart had always been a pig. Now, she noted, he was a mad pig, for what he had done would no doubt invite the council's wrath. She twitched. It had been a mistake to come here.

Taking a deep breath, she decided it was past time to confront the elephant in the room before taking her leave of this place. Surely, even Rothbart would not be so mad so as to think he could get away with this? To take revenge in such a manner… they had to be more careful these days, more cunning, more methodical if they were to preserve what little freedom they still had.

She, for one, did not want to go the same way as Gothel and Jaffar, not now that she had so much more to lose.

"Why have you called for me, Rothbart?" she asked, setting down her empty glass. "Even you are not so foolish to believe I will assist you in this… endeavour."

"Come now, Maleficent, it may be a decade or two since you last dusted off your wings, but I'm certain you're up to the task of wreaking some havoc if called upon." Rothbart leaned across the table, helping himself to another serving of swan. "Besides, surely you want to get even with the dear Queen Aurora."

"Had you come to me seven years ago, I would be more accommodating, Rothbart," she replied. Beneath the table, she clenched her fists. The mention of her nemesis grated on her nerves, but she could not get involved. Should she get involved, the consequences of her actions would not be felt by her alone, but by Morgan as well.

"All I ask is that you stand with me, Maleficent, one last time. You overestimate our foes, especially now that I am so close to releasing them. Think of it, an army that none can stand against, who will fight for us. We can rally the others; they will flock to us once we win our first victory, and with the Faceless filling our ranks, not even the council can stand against us."

He laughed, and she shook her head. He was raving... a delusional old fool who had lost what was left of his mind since she'd last seen him.

Rising to her feet, she swept out an arm. Green light flashed from her fingers, and the table was cleared in an instant. Plates crashed into the walls, and what was left of the swan hit Rothbart in the face. With a snap of her fingers, a map appeared across the table, and tiny specks of light began to move across them.

"The armies of Corona and Arendelle will descend upon this place within the fortnight," she said, ignoring his hiss of outrage as he plucked bits of swan from his hair. "To say nothing of the forces that will be here sooner. King Eric has launched his fleet and Queen Belle has committed her knights to the fight. You cannot win this, Rothbart, not with the entire council baying for your blood, and I will not be dragged into it."

A vein pulsed in Rothbart's temple, and he lashed out so quickly that, had she not been on her guard, she would have crumpled against his spell. Instead, she deflected his blast with a flick of her wrist before relatiating. Narrowing her eyes, she sent him flying into the wall, and with a nod, the tapestries came to life, pinning him in place.

"I came here as a courtesy, my old friend," she said, walking to him, tapping her staff upon the ground. "We have been allies in the past, and we have aided each other in numerous plots over the years. Had I known that this is what I would walk into, I may have simply thrown your missive into the fireplace."

Pacing, she glanced at what remained of King Siegfried. The corpse had been knocked off his chair, his lips curled back in a ghastly grin, and there were maggots crawling from his eyes. Sickened, she turned back to Rothbart, shaking her head in disdain.

He spat in her face.

"You've grown soft, Maleficent," he exclaimed, his eyes wild and furious. "Soft and weak, and it's all because of your snivelling brat." He laughed, a bitter sound to her own ears. "You were a queen, once. What are you now? A dragon with her fangs pulled, her claws decomposing?"

She pressed the head of her staff against his throat, cutting him off, and pursed her lips. Soft, was she? Perhaps she should transform and let him see how a furious a dragon she was, how her flames still burned hotter than the seven circles of hell.

"Do not doubt my darkness, old friend," she warned, wagging a single finger in his direction. The nearest tapestry leapt for his throat, curling around his thin skin before tightening, and she drew back her staff. "But, this time, I have more than my own life to lose."

Turning, she swept out of the room, feeling the transformation take her as she emerged onto the balcony. Growing in size, her skin grew dark and scaled, and her nails curled into long, razor-sharp claws. Wings burst from her back as her horns twisted into the air, and she leapt into the sky with a loud roar.

Below her, the city of Oloria stank of death. Corpses littered the streets, and the Hollow Ones, Rothbart's new playthings, stalked the roadways. Maleficent snorted, a gust of flame blooming from her nostrils as she rose above the clouds, glad to put this evening behind her.