Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 91: I See Fire, Inside the Mountain.

Chapter 91: I See Fire, Inside the Mountain.

"Maleficent."

Jim and Wendy froze for a thunderstruck second.

Peter did not. Neither did Elsa.

"No!" Elsa stumbled into Jack as Peter flew for Arthur. "Arthur – "

Crack. Maleficent landed, splitting the floor. The castle shattered like a broken spine. Columns collapsed and the floor caved as Maleficent blasted the remains with green fire.

Wendy felt the floor drop. The ground disappeared beneath her feet. With a grotesque twist, she swiped for the marble ledge. Her hand slapped stone but immediately released – the tiles were white hot! Maleficent's fire  scalded the castle floor. Palm blood-red Wendy fell through the rift, flailing admits a thousand screams – hers among them.

"Shadow!" Wendy yelled. Her ears rang. Debris sliced her cheeks. She fell faster, and faster, heart pounding -- body tensing for the inevitable impact, "Shadow, Shadow – ! "

Someone grabbed her arm. Wendy knew it was Shadow from the unhappy memories that followed, but the images were forgotten as her entire body snapped. Wendy shouted. The whiplash almost decapitated her, and the subsequent collision (Shadow couldn't control the fall) tore her breath away.

Wendy heaved upright. She blinked through dust and smoke. Then she saw the causalities. 

And she screamed.

It was a massacre – a horror movie come to life. People were sobbing – holding eyeballs in their sockets, crawling over snapped limbs. Maleficent's fire illuminated each injury, displaying the slaughter like a perverted lightshow.

Wendy seized the nearest person – Mrs. Potts. The maid's white bonnet was soaked red. Rocks rained over Wendy's shoulders as she dragged the unconscious lady, searching for an exit. There was none. The ground floors were buckling, overwhelmed by the weight of crumbling floors above. Debris shot through the stonework as the earthquake accelerated, blinding the victims trapped inside.

Panicked, Wendy looked furiously for an escape. She combed her memory, searching for a solution, trying to remember who had been at King Arthur's wedding that could possibly help –

"Shadow!" Wendy groped through the flickering light. She found him between flashes of Maleficent's fire. "Skyworld! Underworld! They were at the wedding! Find the dwarves! Find Molière! And Vinny! Tell them to dig under the castle! Find the pixies so we can fly people under – "

Maleficent roared above, flooding the Throne Room with fire. Wendy threw and arm, shielding Mrs. Potts as green flames spiraled into the rift. The fire did not touch them but the heat was tremendous. Dread hit Wendy – they were going to be burned alive. 

"Everyone down!" Wendy shouted, lowering Mrs. Potts as she called. Helplessly engaging an elementary school mantra (stop – drop – and roll), she started shoving people to the ground, pushing them under the smoke and forcing them to protect their faces. Her stomach lurched at every blood stain and black burn, but Wendy continued until she found Doc and Grumpy – two of her seven dwarves.

"Can you dig --?" Wendy mimed, trying be understood over the chaos. "—under the castle?! These people – we have to get out!"

Wendy's urgency – if not her exact message – was understood. Rolling their sleeves, Doc and Grumpy did what dwarves do best – they dug. Even without shovels they cleared rubble like bulldozers.