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  The eel is moving so fast that I fear it will devour us whole, but Hayley zips us through the water, pulling us like a train. She’s only inches ahead of the eel. I want to scream, but no sound escapes me ’til Hayley hits the shoreline and we race onto the beach.

  Just like that, the eel vanishes. The lake returns to calm. The geese fly back to the water as if nothing’s happened. But something has.

  I hold up the key, still clutched firmly in my hand. Everyone cheers, and the rest of us collapse on the shore.

  “I’ll tell you one thing,” Ollie says as he takes gulps of air. “We are not swimming back out to that island. Next time, we fly.”

  CHAPTER 18

  The Final Quest

  Red kicks my wet boots. “Get up,” she says, standing at the ready with a bow and arrow.

  Geez. Why’s she being so bossy? She didn’t have to fight that thing. “I…just…need…five…minutes,” I say, taking deep breaths.

  “Me too.” Hayley sits up slowly and shakes out her legs. I watch her skin go from almost translucent white back to an almost bronze color. “I’ve been in the water half my life and never seen anything like it.”

  “Up! You passed two quests. The universe won’t like that. I bet you don’t have five minutes ’til the next one starts.” Red nocks an arrow into the bow.

  “Listen, Red, she just fought off an eel,” Jocelyn says as she tears through a spell book with Kayla. “I highly doubt something else is going to jump out at us while we’re sitting on the beach. We need time to figure out how to get back out to the island with the key. We obviously can’t swim, and I assume there are magical protection charms that keep us from flying, like back on the cliff.”

  Ollie sits up. “I am not going back in that water, and if something else is coming for us, I want to make it to that island first. Let’s give Blue a shot.” He whistles to the magic carpet. It races to his side and wiggles like a dog. “What’s the worst that can happen?” He slowly climbs onto the carpet.

  “I’ll go with you.” Kayla flies on and sits beside him. “If something goes wrong, hopefully I can carry you away since you’re small.”

  “Who are you calling small?” Ollie asks as Blue takes off like a shot. I watch in amazement as they easily zoom to the island and hover next to it. We all cheer.

  “Quiet,” Red hisses. She looks around the shoreline suspiciously. The water is calm. The geese are quiet. The only thing out of the ordinary seems to be us. What’s she so worried about? Red drops my bow and arrow on me. She doesn’t take her eye off the rocky cliff. “Up. Now. Load your weapon!”

  “What’s—” My words get caught in my throat when I hear the snarling. I look up and see a blur of brown fur race down the mountain. It’s moving faster than any carpet I’ve flown, quicker than any Pegasus or even that eel. Whatever it is, it’s headed straight toward us. Red begins firing arrows.

  I motion to Maxine. “Toss me one of your necklaces.”

  Maxine clutches her neck. “Why?”

  “I need it to hold the key. Quick!” Maxine tosses me a chain, and I slip the key onto it, then put it around my neck for safekeeping. The snarling intensifies as I fumble with my bow. My quiver of arrows falls on the ground as Red fires again and again.

  “Cobbler, help me!” Red yells.

  “I’m trying!” I scramble to pick up all my arrows. I look up. The blur is getting closer.

  “Don’t panic!” Ollie shouts. “We’ll send Blue back, and you can come over.” Kayla goes to dismount, and an electric shock sends her scrambling back onto the carpet. They try to bring Blue back to shore, but it won’t budge. “We’re stuck!”

  “Plan B! Everyone into the water,” Hayley shouts. She dips a toe into the water and gets thrown backward.

  “Great! New protection charms!” Jocelyn complains. “Something wants us stuck right here in this creature’s path.”

  I fire at the thing and miss.

  Jocelyn readies her fireballs. “I’ll stop it.” She conjures fireball after fireball, but each blast barely reaches the mountain before fizzling out. “For the love of Grimm, something is messing with my magic!”

  “Don’t you see?” Red keeps her eye on the moving target. “If your third quest is brains, magic won’t help you. You have to outsmart this thing!”

  The beast stops moving and lets out a menacing howl that I can feel in my bones.

  “It’s a wolf!” Maxine says. “Red, you know how to beat those!”

  “That’s no wolf,” Red says as we watch the thing pace on a ledge a few feet above us.

  I can see it clearly from here. It’s about fifteen feet up. It’s longer than a wolf and bigger with long legs; shaggy, brown fur; a long neck; and a black snout. It has sharp rows of teeth that make me feel like I might pass out. I hold my bow shakily.

  Jax appears at my side with a sword raised high. “That’s a bandersnatch.”

  “Can’t be! They’re a myth,” Jocelyn says. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her nervous.

  “Like the golden goose?” Jax asks.

  “Stop debating whether it’s real or not! It’s almost here!” Red shouts as the beast jumps from a low ledge and rushes down the beach. It’s only ten feet away now. We start to run in the opposite direction.

  My mind is in a total panic. How do you outsmart a mythical creature that could swallow you in one gulp?

  We reach the other end of the beach and find ourselves beside a rock wall leading up to the cliff we came down from. We’ve got nowhere to go. Jax tries to give me a foothold to climb up, but I keep slipping down. Ollie and Kayla are shouting something I can’t hear, and Peaches is quacking madly. I’m momentarily distracted. I watch the duck reach into Maxine’s bag and pull out a bright-red cape.

  “Aren’t your new capes supposed to protect the wearer from harm?” Maxine asks.

  “Those capes are just for show,” Red says as she fires arrow after arrow, but they do nothing to slow the beast down. At a loss for what else to do, I join Red and do the same.

  “I thought I was good at tricks,” Jocelyn says as she flings fireballs that fizzle out.

  Instead of trying to get away like the rest of us, Peaches waddles toward the bandersnatch. Suddenly, Wilson sticks his head out of my pocket, climbs down my arm, then jumps onto the sand and follows her.

  “Peaches!” Maxine cries. She tries to go after the duck, but we hold her back.

  “Wilson!” I yell. “What are you doing? You want to be its lunch?”

  The bandersnatch is closing in. I can see its dark, beady eyes and its mangy fur. Saliva drips out of its mouth as it snarls and gnashes its teeth. Peaches and Wilson head straight toward it. The bandersnatch stops right in front of them and sizes them up for its next meal.

  “How could you sell fake capes?” Maxine cries. “I thought this could help us!”

  “Sometimes it doesn’t matter if something is real. You just have to believe it is,” Red shouts.

  “That’s it,” I realize as the bandersnatch paces in front of Peaches and Wilson and does nothing. “We can’t show it we’re afraid. It hasn’t eaten those two yet because they’re not scared. If we can show we’re fearless, it will let us pass.”

  The bandersnatch bares its teeth again, but Peaches holds firm.

  I’m right. I have to be. Because if I’m wrong…

  I take a step forward and Maxine gasps. Then I take another. Jocelyn and Jax fall in line beside me, and finally Hayley and Maxine join too. I can feel everyone shaking as we approach the beast. The bandersnatch eyes us curiously as it continues to growls menacingly. I stop next to Peaches and Wilson and try to control my breathing. The beast circles me, sniffing. Its breath is rancid and its snout is dangerously close to my throat, but I use all my willpower to keep from freaking out. On either side of me, I feel my friends do the same.

&
nbsp; “Stay very still,” I whisper under my breath as the bandersnatch continues to growl. I wish I could close my eyes and will this moment to be over.

  Jocelyn takes my hand, I take Jax’s, and we all form a chain. Peaches and Wilson slip between our feet. The bandersnatch growls again, and I try not to flinch as it paces down the row. It howls one more time, then runs down the beach, leaving a trail of dust behind.

  I can’t believe it.

  “It worked,” Jax says. We jump up and down.

  Hayley hits me in the shoulder. “Look!”

  A bridge has formed from the shore to the island. I see Ollie and Kayla finally hop off Blue and set foot on the shoreline.

  Kayla motions to us. “Come on!”

  I look at the others.

  This is really happening. We’ve survived a bandersnatch, giants, sea creatures, and an impossible fall down a cliff face. That goose is ours.

  CHAPTER 19

  Decision Time

  Once we’ve safely crossed the bridge over the lake to the small island, I finally remove the key from around my neck. Red is waiting back on the shore just in case something goes wrong and we need an escape plan. Everyone starts examining the rocks to find a keyhole. Up close, the rocks’ jagged edges really do make it look like a small castle, just like the one in the picture book.

  “Keyhole spotted!” Ollie points to a small opening etched in the rocky stone. “We pirates can spot buried treasure from a mile away.” We push moss away from the keyhole, and I place the key in the lock. Miraculously, it clicks and unlocks without any monsters showing up. Whew.

  Maxine puts a hand on my arm as I go to push the rock door open. “What if the golden goose is in there and it won’t come back with us?”

  “Then we kidnap it,” Jocelyn says simply, and everyone looks at her. “This is our goal—get the goose, turn it over to Stiltskin, and get our lives and family back. We come first.”

  Maxine bites her large lip. “But the golden goose is one of a kind, which is why it’s so protected. Do we really want to hand it over to the evilest man we know?”

  Peaches quacks in earnest. Maybe she knows something we don’t. Like this bridge is going to evaporate in five minutes and we’ll be stranded here.

  “We’re doing it for the greater good,” I say, trying to sound sure of myself. “Kayla will get her family back, we get Flora again, and FTRS is free of Stiltskin. Stealing one goose is a small price to pay.” Everyone else nods, but Maxine doesn’t answer me.

  “Let’s see if we’ve found our goose.” I take a deep breath, and Jax and I push on the heavy door.

  “Whoa,” Ollie says breathlessly. “I was not expecting this.”

  My thoughts exactly. While the outside of this rocky castle looks incredibly small, the inside is magically one hundred times that size! Waterfalls, caverns, and even a blazing sun shine down on a mammoth lake where geese swim by in flocks. Peaches waddles away happily, and even Wilson jumps down from my pocket to give a sniff.

  Most importantly, in the center of it all, on a large nest, sits the golden goose of our dreams. Jocelyn actually pinches me she’s so excited, and so am I. She’s real. The golden goose is real! She’s not a myth! She looks just like a regular goose but is gold in coloring. Her feathers are so bright that they look like they’re on fire. I greedily eye the golden eggs sitting around her. One of those eggs would set up my family for life if sold on the black market in Enchantasia.

  “I’ve been expecting you,” says the goose in a melodious voice.

  “It talks!” Ollie exclaims. “This is goblin-tastic.”

  “Who? Me?” I ask, stepping closer.

  The goose’s beak moves to my right. “No, her.”

  “Me?” Kayla says in surprise.

  “Your mother sent word,” says the goose. “She told me of your journey, and I told her not to worry. With this set of companions, I knew you’d be well suited to complete your quest.”

  “Her mother is a tree,” Jocelyn points out. “How would she send word?”

  “Magical beings have a connection,” says the goose. “We have a way of knowing when things are coming, both good and bad. This is how I know you’ve come to turn me over to him.”

  I feel guilty already. “I’m sorry.” I pull the burlap sack we plan on carrying her in out of my uniform pocket. “We don’t have a choice.”

  The goose doesn’t move. “I will go without a fight, but I must insist that you do not touch the eggs I’ve already laid. A golden egg is sacred and belongs to this castle, even if I’m no longer in it. Understood?”

  Her warning sounds ominous. “We understand.” I should walk over and get the goose, but my feet won’t budge. Maxine is already sniffling. Looking around the ancient shrine, I can’t help feeling sad too. This goose has probably been here since before the beginning of time, and now we’re going to give it to the person we despise the most. Who knows what he has planned for her? This feels so wrong, and yet it’s the right thing to do, isn’t it? “I’m sorry it has to be this way,” I add. “If we don’t bring you back, our lives will never be the same.”

  “And if you do bring me back, your lives will never be the same either,” the goose says sadly. “I hope you realize doing someone else’s bidding never ends well. The balance between good and evil is always a tricky one—and in your case, it’s particularly murky—but I have no doubt that the man you want to give me to is evil. Sadly, when you give someone evil exactly what they want, they only crave more. This group wants all the power they can get their hands on.”

  “Did you say group?” I ask. “You mean Rumpelstiltskin, right?”

  The goose almost looks like it’s smiling. “You don’t think he’s the only one that wants me, do you? His master plan always involves more chess pieces than you’re aware of.” She appears to glance at Kayla.

  “What if we just took one of your golden eggs instead?” Maxine suggests. “Maybe that would be enough to please him.”

  “One is never enough,” says the goose. “Greed makes everyone want more. Once he has me, what will he want next, and what will he do with all the gold he acquires? What does he need it for? These are questions that you don’t want the answers to. If he gets hold of me, I fear there are dark days ahead for Enchantasia.”

  I glance at Jax. He looks worried. So does Ollie. Hayley looks pained.

  Jocelyn nudges me. “This is not a game,” she whispers. “We need that goose. Go get her.”

  I step forward hesitantly. The goose doesn’t try to flee. When I finally reach her nest, I place the burlap sack by her webbed feet. I can’t bear to place her inside the bag. She has to walk in on her own. “I’m sorry,” I say again. I’ve never been more torn. “Ouch!” I turn around. Peaches is pecking at me like crazy. She starts to quack, and Maxine rushes in between us.

  “I can’t let you do this,” she says shakily. “Peaches is right! This golden goose shouldn’t be enslaved to Rumpelstiltskin because we can’t think of a way to beat him on our own!”

  “Don’t you think I wish I knew another way?” I argue. “You can’t out-trick a trickster. We have to give him what we want if we want our lives back.”

  “Then we’re not as clever as we think we are,” Maxine says. “We’re former thieves! We must know another way.” She looks at the others. “Stealing the golden goose makes us as awful as he is, and you all know it.”

  “Maxine, please move,” I say.

  She shakes her head. “No. I’ll protect this goose for the rest of my life if I have to, but I’m not moving.”

  “Push her aside,” Jocelyn says. Ollie hits her. “What? We need that goose.”

  I step back, then forward again. I’m doing a dance with myself. “I don’t know what to do!” I shout to the ceiling that looks like the real sky. Then I look to the one person I know will have the answer. “Jax?” br />
  He shakes his head. “This is tough, but if we know what we’re doing is wrong, how can it be the right thing to do?”

  Maxine’s left eye starts to wind up and spin. “Gilly, you’ve been my friend for a while now. You always defend me. Now I’m defending you. You won’t be able to live with yourself if you do this. You might think you’ve won at first, but in the end, we’ll all lose and you know it.”

  The golden goose listens to our conversation calmly. She seems to accept her fate either way, which is impressive, because I’m not sure what I’m doing is right. It would be so easy to nab that goose, but I’m not sure it will still get me what I want—freedom and Anna.

  “I think Maxine is right,” I say with a deep sigh. I glance at Kayla, who looks just as upset as I am. “The easy way isn’t always the right way. The golden goose needs to stay exactly where she is.”

  Maxine cheers so loudly at the same time Jocelyn protests that none of us notice Peaches waddle up to the nest and begin sniffing the golden eggs. I watch in horror as the duck swallows one of the golden goose’s eggs whole!

  “Peaches!” I cry. The goose told us her eggs were not to be touched. Fiddlesticks. We’re done for.

  “Peaches, what have you done?” Maxine scolds as the duck lets out a loud burp.

  We all watch and wait for Peaches to start choking like she usually does before she coughs something back up as an entirely new object. But this time she gives a small hack, then rolls out a golden egg. Maxine picks it up.

  “How is the egg still an egg?” Maxine asks. “Whenever Peaches eats something, it always comes back up as something else we seem to need more.”

  “Maybe what you need is a decoy,” says the goose, and we watch as Peaches starts to honk madly and shake. “I can help with that.”

  “What’s wrong with her?” Maxine cries as Peaches spins around. When she’s done spinning, she’s transformed into the most beautiful goose I’ve ever seen. Her feathers are as white as snow. Her beak as shiny and orange as a beak should be. Her eyes are small and black and look much kinder than Peaches’s menacing ones. The duck sneezes, and her appearance waffles. For a split second, she looks like Peaches again.