Jack, Anansi and Rapunzel sat on the floor in a completely bare room with one heavily barred window high above and a securely locked door. Betsy had scrambled up to the windowsill and was peering sadly out.

When the dragon had first dumped them on the floor of the courtyard, Jack had been so relieved to still be alive. He had felt a renewed passion for life and promised that he would make the most of every single moment from then on.

That was before the guards had collected them and marched them up to this completely empty cell at the top of the tower. Now Jack was worried that he might die of boredom instead.

‘What do you think Red’s doing?’ he asked. ‘I hope she’s OK.’

‘That must be the bazillionth time you’ve asked that!’ said Rapunzel. ‘As I’ve said every other time, I’ve got no idea, and Yes, me too.’

‘Oh,’ said Jack. ‘Sorry. I’m just a bit bored. Hey! Shall we play a game? Yeah! Come on, guys! Hmmm, how about . . . I-spy?’

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and Anansi seemed to be grinding his teeth. Even Betsy was scowling.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and Anansi seemed to be grinding his teeth. Even Betsy was scowling.

‘I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with . . .’ Jack looked around the empty room. ‘W!’

‘Walls,’ said Rapunzel without even looking up. Jack sighed and they all fell silent again. Moments later there was a quiet hiss behind the door.

‘Probably just those guards again,’ said Jack.

But he was wrong.

Coils of foul-smelling smoke drifted under the door and gathered in the middle of the room. They danced in a dizzying whirl until they had taken the shape of a person. Then the smoke vanished, leaving in its place a very wicked-looking witch.

Rapunzel stood up furiously. ‘You can’t keep us here! I’m a princess! When my father hears about—’

The witch clicked her fingers and Rapunzel’s voice vanished – she opened and shut her mouth furiously, but no sound came out at all.

‘Nobody will hear anything from you for a while,’ the witch said. ‘Now, what on EARTH would possess you to think that you, a group of children –’ she spat the last word as if it were poisonous – ‘could break into my castle?’

‘You’ve got my mum,’ said Anansi. ‘You kidnapped her!’

‘And what would I want with your mum?’ sneered the witch. ‘Does she have powerful magic? Is she extremely rare or precious?’

‘Yes!’ replied Anansi glaring at her.

The witch’s eyes lit up. ‘Really?’ she asked. ‘How?’

‘She’s my mum,’ replied Anansi.

The witch sighed. ‘Well, this is all terribly sentimental, but I can assure you, your mother isn’t here.’

‘You’re lying!’ shouted Anansi. ‘We followed the huntsman’s trail, right to this castle!’

‘Ahh!’ said the witch, a smile creasing her face unpleasantly. ‘I see!’ She began to laugh. ‘The troll? Am I right? Oh, well that’s just splendid!’

‘So . . . will you let her go?’ asked Anansi.

‘Of course not!’ snorted the witch. ‘But it’s good to have that mystery cleared up.’ She was about to say something else when a buzzing noise came out of her pocket, getting louder by the second. The witch reached into her gown and pulled out a glowing crystal ball, which she inspected closely. At first her mouth curled angrily, then it lifted at the corners and stretched into a cruel smile.

‘Well, that’ll save me a job!’ she said with an evil cackle.

‘What will?’ asked Anansi.

‘Now that is none of your business!’ replied the witch. She laughed one more horrible laugh, turned back into smoke and drifted away through the cracks around the door.

‘Whaaat!’ said Betsy after a moment’s silence.

‘I know,’ agreed Jack. ‘She wasn’t very nice at all. Even so, there’s no need to use bad language!’