Tricked

  “Or you’re about to walk the plank to your death,” Ollie says.

  “Or this is a test and Jocelyn is right,” I realize.

  Maxine perks up. “You’re right! Every quest has tests. Maybe this is our first one.”

  “If it is, and those wolves and giant are after us, they won’t be able to follow,” Jocelyn guesses. “I hope.” A chorus of howls answers us.

  “Guys,” Hayley says warily. “They’re almost here!”

  “ROAR!” The trees behind us begin to fall and crash to the ground as the giant makes his way into the clearing. In the light, he’s even taller and more fearsome looking than I imagined. His misshapen eyes glance down at us, and he takes a step forward.

  I’m shaking, but I aim an arrow at his arm that is outstretched toward us. Jocelyn appears at my side with a fireball.

  “Together!” she shouts. “Now!”

  Her fireball shoots into the air at the same time my arrow does. They make contact with the giant’s arm, and he stumbles back in pain.

  “That won’t hold him long,” I say as I hear the wolves approaching the clearing. “We need to try those steps.”

  “We might fall!” Maxine cries.

  The wolves burst through the trees. We’re out of time. “We don’t have a choice,” Jax says. “Go!”

  Jocelyn reaches the edge first and steps forward again. We all inhale sharply, and I shut my eyes. When I open them, Jocelyn is seemingly floating in midair. She takes another step, and we see her drop ever so slightly. Kayla gasps.

  “I’m fine!” Jocelyn shouts. “The steps are going down—Gilly!”

  I turn around. The wolves are charging toward us, along with the giant.

  “Everyone go!” I pull another arrow out of the quiver as the others rush by me. Jocelyn tries to aim a fireball, but now that she’s on the staircase, the magic disintegrates in the air. I shoot an arrow at a wolf and miss. The giant comes running my way, and the ground shakes so much that I fall to the ground.

  “Gilly!” Kayla cries.

  I turn around. Everyone has reached the steps but me. The wolves are almost at the edge. If Jocelyn is right and I leap onto a step, they won’t be able to follow. I just need a few more seconds to get back up. From the ground, I pull another arrow out of the quiver. As the giant’s hand brushes my arm, I aim at his thigh and fire. He howls in pain and stumbles backward, sending the wolves running in opposite directions.

  I have my chance and I take it. I quickly stand up and leap, trying not to think about what will happen if I miss.

  My feet hit the invisible ground. I’m suspended in midair, sky above and water far, far below me. The others are already walking down. I’m alive. I look back at the cliff. The giant and the wolves have vanished.

  I can’t help but smile. Take that, Stiltskin.

  We’re one step closer to finding your golden goose.

  CHAPTER 17

  A-Questing We Will Go

  When we finally reach the bottom of the phantom staircase, Red is somehow already there, standing on the rocky shoreline along the blue-green lake. The water is so bright that it almost looks magical. Maybe it is.

  “Took you long enough,” Red says as we all collapse on the sand.

  “How did you beat us down here?” I ask, out of breath. “We thought the giant got you.”

  “Me?” Red laughs. “Never. Besides, he wasn’t after me. He was after you. This is your quest, and many would like to see you fail.”

  Kayla tries to sit up—and fails. “How do you know about the quest?”

  “Wolfington told me, of, course,” Red says. “You’re trying to find the goose with the golden egg, right? That’s why I said to meet me at the Emerald Cove Cliffs. If that goose exists, she’d be near water, and this is the only large body I’ve ever found in the Hollow Woods.”

  “You’re seriously friends with a wolf who tried to eat you?” Ollie asks.

  Red examines an arrow in her quiver. “We may not be the best of friends, but we understand each other. I did get away, as you might remember.”

  “But you don’t want revenge for what he did to you and Granny?” Jocelyn asks.

  “Why would I want revenge?” Red asks. “Whatever demons Wolfington has to face every full moon are more than enough punishment. Besides, if he hadn’t tried to take me out, I never would have found out how fearless I can be.” She smiles. “I am one of the few hunters who dares to take on the Hollow Woods. Wolfington taught me that I will never allow myself to be someone’s prey again.”

  I’m speechless. Fighting Wolfington helped Red figure out who she was?

  “If you’re really the Red we’ve heard so much about, why aren’t you wearing a red cape?” Hayley asks and looks at the rest of us. “What if this is just another one of Stiltskin’s tricks? How do we know we can trust her?”

  I hadn’t even thought of that. We quickly sit up.

  Red flips the interior of her cape out so we can see; it’s deep red. “It’s an update. This way no one can ever see me coming,” she says. “The version I sell in the village is the classic bright red.” She looks at me. “At least it was the version I sold before your sister blew up my shop.”

  Fiddlesticks. “You know who I am?” I ask.

  “I know a lot about you, Gillian Cobbler,” she says, looking directly at me with her light-brown eyes. “Wolfington thinks you have what it takes to take on an impossible mission, but I’m not sure I trust someone who would foolishly make a deal with Rumpelstiltskin.”

  “It was a deal I couldn’t refuse,” I say. “If we find the goose and bring it back to him, he’ll give control of our school back to the Wicked Stepmother. He’ll free my friend Kayla’s family and some students who don’t belong in FTRS.” Like Anna. “Will you help us find it?”

  She sighs. “I got you this far, but I don’t know. Stiltskin doesn’t make deals people can keep. Others have tried and failed. Many older and wiser than you.” She eyes us all skeptically. “So why should I work with a bunch of kids, especially a young pickpocket?”

  I think for a second, choosing my words carefully so there is no mistaking them. When I look at Red again, my eyes feel like they’re on fire. “We may be kids, but we’re stronger than we look. We’ve fought Alva twice and handled the Evil Queen. Stiltskin needs that goose, and we don’t plan on going home ’til we get the job done.” The others nod.

  Red smiles. “Good answer. I’m in.” She leans against one of the rocks on the beach. “It still won’t be easy. Legend has it that you have to pass three tests to get near that goose: one to prove your strength, one to prove your courage, and one to prove intelligence. If she’s really down here, you’ve already handled courage—jumping off a cliff, not knowing what was below. But the other two—strength and brains—will be much tougher. Let’s rest here for a bit and regroup. We’re safe for now.”

  “No argument from me.” Ollie pulls out the pop-up castle. “Who wants goulash for lunch? I’ll cook.”

  Peaches quacks madly. Maxine hands her a biscuit and says, “Why don’t you swim around and see if you can get the other geese to tell you if the golden goose is near here and where we can find her?” Peaches quacks again, then waddles into the water.

  “I’ll check the golden goose stories for clues,” Kayla says.

  “Cobbler, you should stay here with me,” Red says. “You need to work on your shot. You’ve got terrible aim.”

  “Thanks.” My face feels hot.

  “You’re not a total lost cause,” Red adds. “You did track your way to the clearing, held off the giant—barely—escaped a pack of wolves, and bravely waited ’til you were the last one left to step onto the staircase. You’ve got guts.”

  “How did you see all that?” Jax asks.

  “I see everything,” Red says and looks at me again. “And I’m surprised
this one just wants to be a shoemaker.”

  My skin prickles. “Only because that’s the way it works in Enchantasia,” I snap. “You are what your parents are. He’s a royal, she’s the sister of the former evil queen, and I’m a shoemaker’s daughter.”

  Red pulls a bright-red apple out of her sack and begins to peel it with a pocketknife. She slices the apple and hands a piece to each of us. “Interesting. I didn’t peg you for the type that settles.”

  “I don’t have a choice!”

  Suddenly I hear myself: I sound like Anna. So this is how it feels to be trapped. Anna wants this life and thinks she can’t have it, and—I’m finally realizing—I don’t want it. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

  “There’s nothing wrong with being a shoemaker if that’s what your goal in life is,” Red says. “Royals and evil queens tend to be able to carve out their own destinies, and a shoemaker has a clear path. I guess you just need to ask yourself: Is that the path you want to be on?” I am quiet. “If it’s not, what do you want to change about yourself, Gilly Cobbler?” She pulls herself up on the rock and lies down in the sun. “At least, that’s the question I would ask myself if this were my quest. Quests are a perfect time to figure out who you are.”

  I storm off and head to the water.

  “You okay?” Jax asks after he follows me there.

  “Who does Red think she is?” I grumble. “She has no idea what I’m capable of.”

  “She doesn’t,” Jax agrees. “But do you?” I look at him strangely. “I’m just asking because you don’t seem happy with trade school. Every time you talk about it, you get a look. I know that look because it’s the same way I feel about Royal Academy.” He stares at the water, and a school of geese floats by. None of them are golden. “I don’t mind being on a Royally Yours poster if there is more to my story than just my face and title. I have to figure out what that story is.” He knocks my shoulder. “Maybe you do too. Red can’t decide it for you.”

  I smile a little. Red is a huntress and a fighter. Not a girl who cried wolf. Anna wants to be more than a shoemaker’s apprentice. Maybe I can be more than I think I am too. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “Guys!” Ollie pops out of the castle carrying a green leather book that has a picture of the mythical goose on the cover. “‘Listen to what we just read in this book! It says, ‘What treasures are buried in your imagination? Search below for the key and unlock the castle. Then the golden answers you seek will be yours.’” He taps a picture inside the book with his dirty fingernails.

  “See this? The goose is sitting on an island in the middle of the lake. On the island is a small castle, but it sort of looks like a rock, just like that rock out there.” He points to the middle of the lake, and I blink hard in the bright light. It’s small, but there is definitely an island out there. The more I look at its ragged edges, the more it begins to look like a miniature castle too. Could our goose be hiding inside?

  “You think this nursery rhyme is the real deal?” Jax asks.

  “It’s the only lead we have,” Jocelyn says. “But I’m not sure what to do about the key. It could be anywhere.”

  I hear honking and look up. Peaches, the lone ugly duckling in a sea of white swans, is honking her head off. Maxine comes out of the castle when she hears her.

  “Peaches? Come back here!” Maxine calls as the duck starts pecking at the geese. One dips its head under the water and comes back up with a fish. Peaches swipes it from him and swims quickly back to shore. “Peaches! That’s not nice!” Maxine scolds as the duck waddles up to us and swallows the fish. Two seconds later, the fish comes back up as a piece of blue coral. Peaches quacks again.

  “I think Peaches is trying to tell us the key is underwater,” Hayley says. “If it is, I can swim down and find it.”

  “This is easy!” Kayla claps. “Mother?” she yells to the sky. “We’ll be back soon!”

  “Red, what do you think?” I ask worriedly.

  “Don’t look at me,” Red says. “I can get you places, but this is your quest. You have to make the hard choices. If you think she can find the key, then let her.”

  I don’t like that answer. I feel even more worrisome when Hayley removes her shoes and wades into the water. Her body begins to shimmer to a pearl color, then she disappears below the surface. When she comes back up a minute later, her legs have been replaced with a shiny tail.

  “Wait!” I yell, and everyone looks at me. Red watches closely. “Something isn’t right. The strength quest can’t be that simple.”

  “It’s only easy because we have a mermaid with us,” Jocelyn says.

  “Having a mermaid on our quest is a happy accident, not a sign of strength,” I say. “I think if that key is down there, it will take more than just Hayley to get it. What if we only get one shot to grab the key? We don’t want to blow it.” Red grins. “I think the strongest have to go down and help her.”

  “How are we going to last underwater?” Jocelyn asks.

  “Same as before.” I pick up the coral that Peaches gave us. “Didn’t you place something like this over our noses and mouths so we could swim in Cleo’s tank?”

  “Yes,” Hayley says. “They’re coral hearts. You can breathe underwater for at least fifteen minutes with them, maybe more, but you can only use one each. I’ll grab some.” Hayley is back in less than a minute with the bright-blue coral.

  “Who’s up for a swim?” Ollie asks. “I may be small, but I’m an excellent swimmer because of all my time on the high seas.”

  “I’ll go too,” says Jax and shows his biceps. “Royally Yours says I have the best biceps in the kingdom.” We all groan.

  I look at the others. Maxine will sink like a rock. Fairies are not the best swimmers either. “I’ll go,” I say.

  Jocelyn immediately gets fired up. “Why not me?”

  I hug her, which I know looks odd, and whisper in her ear, “Because if I don’t make it back, you’re the strongest shot we’ve got at making it out of here with that goose.” We look at one another.

  “Fine, but don’t die on me,” Jocelyn says. “I don’t want the headache of going the rest of the way alone.” I don’t let her see me smile. “Gilly can go!” she calls to the others.

  Hayley hands Jax, Ollie, and me each a coral heart. We wade into warm water up to our shoulders. I look back at the others on the shoreline, then place the blue coral over my lips and nose and plunge underwater. The coral heart knows exactly what to do. I can feel the oxygen filling my lungs, and I can breathe normally.

  Amazing! I look around. Last time I was under the sea, I was too panicked to enjoy the view, but now… Wow. The Little Mermaid is one lucky, uh, mermaid.

  Hayley beckons for us to follow so we swim farther into the lake, looking at the reeds all around us. After a little while, Hayley stops at a large rock, and I realize it’s the island. The four of us swim around it looking for clues.

  The rock feels like ice and is smooth to the touch, but I don’t see any markings or keys dangling anywhere. I feel Ollie tap me and point to the reeds below our feet. When the reeds sway, I notice something further down—a gold table at the bottom of the sea with a top as clear as glass. We all look at each other. Why would a table be down here?

  The key has to be on it.

  Hayley moves to swim closer, but I notice her struggling against the current. The closer we get to the table, the harder the sea grass is to swim through. Jax and Ollie try to cut it with their small knives, but they can barely break off a tiny reed. We slowly fight our way through, wasting air, but we eventually make it to the benches on either side of the table. I’m sure we’re running out of time. Quickly, we run our hands along the glass and down the legs of the table but find nothing. It has to be here! I know it. Next, I run my hands along the clear underside of the table, and that’s when I feel something hard. It doesn’t look
like anything is there, but when I duck below the table, I spot the clear box. I pull on it, but it won’t open so I motion to Jax for his knife. I pound away, trying to crack the box.

  Suddenly, the reeds around the table stop moving. The small fish that were just floating by my hands zip away and vanish. Something’s wrong. Hayley’s eyes widen and she motions for us to leave, but I know the key is in that box. Ignoring Hayley’s frantic arm movements, I hit the box again and this time a gold key drops into my hands. I hold it up excitedly, but Hayley doesn’t look happy. She’s practically frantic, her tail swinging back and forth madly. That’s when I hear a high-pitched squeal and a crackling sound, and my smile vanishes as I see what’s coming for us.

  A massive red electric eel is rocketing through the water toward us, his skin flashing like lightning. His tail brushes a tall reed, and it disintegrates. His eyes lock on the key.

  Hayley doesn’t need words to tell me what I already know: swim for your life!

  She grabs me and Jax, who grabs Ollie as the eel comes crashing into the table and the whole thing evaporates into dust. We make for the reeds but can barely break through them to hide. The grass seems to be pushing us backward into the eel’s path! Lightning flashes dangerously close as Jax tries to knife his way through the reeds. Ollie and Hayley use their teeth. I clutch the key tightly, fearing it will fall into the dark reeds below. We’re goners.

  Then from above I see a flash of purple light. Orbs begin rocketing into the water, and the reeds suddenly part and curl away from the flame. An orb hits the eel, and it screeches angrily. Hayley doesn’t hesitate. She grabs our hands and shoots toward the surface at such speed that I feel my coral heart get sucked from my lips. When we hit the surface, I realize we’re still a way from shore.

  “Move!” Jocelyn screams. She continues to shoot fireball after fireball at the moving, red target that has produced the lake’s sudden waves.