Maggie drags Polly until they arrive at a clump of tightly packed bushes. She pushes some branches to one side and Polly and Buster gasp to see what a clever hide-out the monsters have created.

In a large clearing, four small huts stand in a circle. They are made from twisted tree branches tied together with rope, and each one has a red flag at the top with a gold ‘M’ sewn onto it. In the middle of the circle is a fire pit with logs stationed around it. Two monsters in red vests like Maggie’s look up from their place by the fire. They grin as Maggie approaches with her captive.

‘Well, look what this old minnie has brought us!’ the larger of the two calls out. He is broad and muscly, with rough ginger fur speckled with white spots. One of his horns has snapped off at the base, leaving only a grey stump. The other horn pokes out awkwardly from the other side of his head. When he smiles, Polly sees that his teeth are broken and yellow.

‘That minnie might be a scrawny old thing but she makes a good witch hunter, dunt she?’ the monster jokes.

He puts down his cracked tin mug and swaggers over towards them. Buster shifts a little closer to Polly’s side and she feels the backs of her knees begin to prickle. This monster doesn’t look quite as friendly as she had hoped.

‘And who else is this you got with you then, Min?’ the monster says. ‘You here to join our gang, my friend?’ he asks Buster, looking him up and down. ‘You’re a biggun, aren’t you? You’ll make a good fighter.’

‘Actually, her name isn’t Min. It’s Maggie,’ Buster says politely. ‘She lives at our house sometimes when her family can’t look after her. I’m Buster and this is Polly.’ He holds out his paw for the other monster to shake. ‘And no, I’m not here to join your gang. I actually don’t like fighting. My ma always tells me: paws before claws.’

The monster sniggers as he looks at Buster’s outstretched paw. ‘Well, you’re a well-brought-up young monster now, aren’t you? But there’s no need for all those witch manners out here. All those pleases and thank yous and crossing the road when a witch is heading towards you and sitting at the back of the bus. Nope, my frenkin, no more. We’re monsters out here and we do whatever we like.’

He stretches out his big hairy arms proudly and spins around in a circle to show off their full monster hide-out. Along with the handmade huts, Polly now notices there are ropes and swings and tyres on chains hanging from some of the biggest branches, and lookouts and cabins built right into the trees. To Polly, it almost looks like a playground and, not for the first time, she wishes she had been born a monster. Witches would never think to build a hide-out like this!

The big monster smirks when he sees how impressed Polly and Buster are. Then he snarls and grabs hold of Polly’s arm. Maggie scurries off into the forest again. ‘So, you are most welcome to join us, my friend,’ he says to Buster, ‘but any ol’ witch that comes our way, we lock up in the cage until our leader gets back.’ And with that he snatches up Polly and carries her away with him.

‘Hey, wait!’ Buster yells, loping after him. ‘Where are you taking her? Wait! Put her down!’

As she’s carried through the trees, Polly sees the other monster leave his place by the fire to follow them. He is smaller, and wiry, with scaly skin and a long, blue tongue like a lizard’s.

‘I’m OK, Buster,’ she calls out. She manages to give him a trembling smile, but she can see he doesn’t like this turn of events at all. Not one bit!

Even though she is trying not to show it, Polly can’t help feeling a little nervous around these two mean-looking monsters. None of the monsters she has ever met before look as wild and fierce as this. But Polly figures she and Buster are probably as safe here as anywhere else. And at least this will give her the time she needs to figure out how they can get to the mines.

Soon, they arrive at a tall metal cage under a tree. In the cage is a wooden stool next to a little rickety table. On the table is a wooden bowl, a tin cup and an earthenware jug. The smaller monster draws a long key from a leather pouch around his waist and wriggles it around in the hole of the rusty padlock. It snaps open and the cage door swings wide. The big monster shoves Polly in. He is just about to swing the door shut when Buster slips in behind her. The big monster roars with laughter.

‘Not you!’ he guffaws. ‘You don’t have to be locked up. You’re one of us!’

Buster stands next to Polly in the cage and puts his arm around her. ‘I stay with Polly!’ he declares. ‘She’s my friend.’

‘Ha!’ snorts the big monster. ‘Whoever heard of a witch being friends with a monster? You hear that, Zeke? This monster says this witch is his friend! You ever heard anything so ridiculous?’ He roars with laughter.

‘Oh, shut up, Domsley, you make my head hurt with all your carrying on!’ the small monster says. ‘Suit yourself!’ he snaps at Buster through the bars. ‘But you’re making the wrong choice. It’s Monsters Against Witches now, buddy. Don’t you know? And you’re choosing the wrong side.’