A terrifying sound filled the chamber. Red could see all the magical creatures shivering and shuddering as the magic reached them. The dragon tried to flex its wings, desperate for escape, but the chains and enchantments holding it were too strong.

The more Red looked at the dragon, the harder it became to see. It was as if there were two dragons, somehow overlapping each other. With a ghastly ripping sound, the ‘new’ dragon peeled itself away and stood shimmering in the dim light. It was almost completely see-through, as though it wasn’t really there at all.

The witch raised her hand and the newly born dragon strode out of the cell towards her. ‘Look!’ she screeched at the huntsman. ‘It’s working!’

The huntsman looked at the ghostly creatures filling up the dungeon and tried his best to look pleased.

‘Er, yeah! With all them magical beasts you’ll be able to be right nasty to loads of people.’ He paused for a moment, before slowly adding, ‘Huh-huh-huh-haaar . . .’

‘That was a pathetic attempt at being evil,’ replied the witch. ‘But I appreciate the effort.’

Red put her head in her hands. This was all her fault! Anansi had got it right back in Tale Town - she was too trusting!

‘Never,’ she sobbed bitterly, ‘never again . . .’

‘What?’ shouted Ella from the cell next to her.

‘This is all my fault!’ spat Red. ‘It’s because I trusted that huntsman – I told him we were meeting a troll. I’ll never trust anyone again!’

Ella’s face fell. ‘Come on, Red, this isn’t your fault,’ she said. ‘If it wasn’t Anansi’s mum, then Wilf would have found a different troll and the witch would still be trying to make a magical army. And sure, maybe some people just aren’t trustworthy, but what are you going to do? Never trust anyone ever again? If I’d done that when the witch first captured me, I’d never have met Cole – and you and I would never have become friends! Wouldn’t that be awful?’

Red smiled weakly at her friend.

‘Thanks, Ella, it’s just . . .’ She swallowed a sob. ‘I’m just so sorry to have got you all trapped down here.’

Ella shrugged. ‘ “Sorry” isn’t going to save Cole. “Sorry” isn’t going to save any of us! So, forget about feeling sorry, and let’s start thinking of a way out of here! OK?’

Red nodded. Ella was right. There had to be a way out of this - there was always something . . .

‘And one more thing,’ added Ella. ‘You know Wilf, the huntsman? He’s not all bad, so go easy on him, OK?’

Red nodded. Then it hit her. The huntsman! He was their ticket out of there. It was clear that he wasn’t really on the witch’s side. If she could just convince him to help them, then maybe they’d have a chance?

‘Wilf!’ Red shouted through the walls of her thorny prison, ‘Wilf! Over here!’

The huntsman peered over. He glanced at the witch, who was too busy with her new magical beasts to pay him any attention, then crept over cautiously.

‘You all right in there, missy?’ he whispered.

‘Well, that’s kind of the thing,’ Red replied. ‘Not really . . . You see, everything would be loads better if I wasn’t trapped in this cage of thorns. You know, like if me and my friends could somehow escape?’

‘But the mistress . . .’ said Wilf, chewing his lip. ‘She wouldn’t like that one bit!’

‘I guess not,’ said Red. ‘But you know, Wilf . . . I can call you Wilf, can’t I?’

The big man nodded and smiled a gappy smile.

‘So, Wilf, how about this . . . how about you stop working for her? I know that you hate it! You’re not a huntsman – not really – you’re a woodsman! You could come and work for my dad. You should see the axes he’s got – hundreds of them!’

Wilf’s eyes lit up. ‘Hundreds?’ he asked disbelievingly.

‘Oh yeah!’ Red nodded. ‘They’re super-sharp. All different sorts too!’

Wilf looked torn. He glanced nervously around the room. More and more of the ghostly creatures were filling the dungeon, and Cole was looking paler and paler, his glow slowly going out.

‘Yeah,’ he said slowly. ‘This don’t look great, does it? OK. All right then – I’ll help. What do you need?’

‘Have you got an axe?’ Red asked.

Wilf grinned. ‘What do you think?’ He reached one hand behind his back and pulled out a huge, gleaming axe.

‘Stand back!’ he said, grinning as he heaved the axe back, then swung it round, chopping through the thorny branches as though they were matchsticks.

Seconds later Red was out of her prison and darting for cover. All she had to do now was lure the witch out of her magic circle.