Blamed

Chapter 6 - Wolves

Fast.

Until it all stopped.

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I cautiously tip-toed towards my friends through the crowds of wolves, their lips frozen in a snarl.

I have no idea what caused this, but they suddenly just stopped moving.
They're not dead, though. I can hear the ragged breathing, the air whistling in between their teeth.

Personally, I was all for running.
So were Jay and Carlos.
But it was too late for that.

"Good evening, Children," a sickly-sweet voice drawled.
A hauntingly familiar sweet voice.

We turned to face her, and in her shadow, my friend looked like the scared little runt he was when we first found him.

"I would say I've missed you, but... That would be lying," she laughed.
My fist clenched on the hilt of my sword, and I raised it so the point was resting a couple centermeters away from her chest.

But instead of intimidating her, like I had hoped to do, she batted it aside like a particularly annoying fly, with another sickening laugh. Then, she snapped her fingers, and a single wolf burst to life from the field of statues.

I prepared to face the creature head-on, bringing my fists up to my chest in the defensive position.
But the beast sprinted straight past me.

And latched it's canines around Evie's neck. She was out like a light.

I stared in horror at the wolf, now removing it's jaws from around my friend's neck. I could see the bloody welts on her neck, slowly swelling, and dripping a vile substance similar to that of the wolves' drool.

"What are those things!" I screamed at the evil woman, but she just laughed that infuriating laugh, throwing her head back maniacally.

"Those my dear, are the product of Dalmatian puppies, and a random potion stolen from Facilier's desk."

Of course, they're not natural. Natural things are just too easy to beat.

The world must just hate me.

"Baby has just loved the new company, haven't you Baby?" Cackles Cruella Deville.

Then the wolf came for me.

I felt the impact, the intense pain beyond anything else.

Then I blacked out.

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When the light flooded my features again, something was different.
My body felt light as air and was a painless mass. Then I looked down and realised I didn't have one.

What is going on?

I glanced to my left, then to my right, but saw nothing other than pure air. But then, my dragon senses picked up on a life force, a few meters away from me.
It was a compact cloud of mist. Like the kind you might get see around the enchanted lake near Auradon prep.
Yet... Something within told me it was Evie.

I tried to call out to her - key word, tried, but as expected when you're a cloud of mist (which I am assuming I am, judging from my friend's current state), nothing came out.
Except more mist.

I looked down, and noticed a horrific scene unfolding below me.
Carlos, shivering in his shorts, up against one of his worst fears.

His mother.

Suddenly, I saw the scared boy that I met when we were 14. The boy that slaved away to please the creature below us, yet was punished anyway. Despite his best efforts.
Carlos had come so far since then.
And I won't let this... This beast of a woman take him back.
Both to the Isle, and in time.

I noticed Jay off to the side, leaning against a tree, clutching his ribs while blood trickled from his lip. Slowly shuffling away from the nearest threat - a large mutt, slowly bearing down on him. Playing with its prey before taking its life.
Or sending it up here, if you prefer.

The beast caught his neck, and Jay shimmered out of existence like we had too.

"No!" Screamed Carlos. "Jay!"

His head whipped back to his mother, his fear and sadness shimmered in the form of tears in his chocolate eyes.

"What did you do to them?"

"Oh, you know... Just sent them away," replied Cruella vaguely. "They're in the Fade now."

Well, that's not good.

The Fade is like a mirror dimension, and works like a dream. The contents are controlled by those who have the power to manipulate it - meaning those descended from the Ancients.

I knew Maleficent and the Evil Queen were, meaning Evie and I are, but Cruella? That's new.

A Jay cloud floated out of his still body, and floated up to where Evie and I were, and a ripple ran through the air, as if it were paper.

He hovered next to us, and we watched the continued feud between mother and son.

Until Cruella froze.
Just like her horrible dogs.

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Like stone. Her lips pulled back in a vicious snarl, she almost reflected the expression of her dogs, arms lifted and fingers curled like claws. It reminded me of that creepy statue in the Auradon museum.

Carlos looked to her carefully, edging forward. He kicked her in the shin, and she wobbled, like the statue, before falling backwards onto a bed of grass.

I wondered what was going on. Freeze is a powerful spell. And this is clearly the work of a spell.

That's when we fell from the sky.

As I plummet, I felt my senses heighten again, my body materialise and my arms nearly snap at the weight of my landing.

Jay groaned, and rolled onto his back, while Carlos rushed over.

"Guys! Are you okay?" He squeaked, and although this was a severely un-funny moment, I just had to laugh.

"Mal! This is not funny!" Lecturer Evie, but even she was fighting to hide her smile.
Eventually, the four of us were sprawled out on the grass, ignoring the body of Cruella Deville, still frozen.
A sudden flash of light, and her wolves disintegrated into piles of salt-and-pepper ash.

We were all okay. Evie told us of how she managed to manipulate the dimension long enough to release us from it.
However, none of us could explain Carlos' mum's current state.

Yet, it didn't seem to matter.

All was well.

For now.

End of chapter.

Question : what do you think might've frozen Cruella?

Okay. So I have no excuse for why it took me a month to do this chapter. I ran out of ideas and spent ages trying to think of some good ones I like. I have allocated myself a schedule for writing though, so hopefully the next one will come quicker.