“I can . . . I’ll be okay,” Simon insisted, lifting himself awkwardly onto the first step.

Mallory shook her head. “You’re going to fall.”

“Hold on tight,” Thimbletack called from Jared’s hood. “You’ll be all right.” Then Jared watched in amazement as each step swung closer and held steady for his siblings to climb onto it. With one working arm and Mallory’s help, Simon climbed up the stairs.

“It would behoove you to move,” said Thimbletack.

“Oh, right.” Jared worked his way up the steps. Even with the brownie’s help, his heart thundered as he went higher and higher. The cut on his hand burned where he gripped the chains. Glancing down into the darkness below made Jared momentarily dizzy.

At the top they found themselves in a hallway with three doors, all mismatched.

“Let’s try the middle one,” Simon said.

“We made so much noise just now,” said Mallory. “Where is everyone? It’s eerie.”

“We have to keep going,” Jared said, repeating his words from earlier.

Mallory sighed and opened the door. It opened onto a large room with a balcony made of mismatched stones and chains. Giant cathedral windows, filled with translucent mosaics made of glass shards, covered the other wall. Their mother was in one corner, bound, gagged, and unconscious. In the other corner, hanging from ropes and a pulley, was their dad.