Rose had known for as long as she could remember that there were witches in Hallow.

No one had actually told her so. But she had heard the whispers.

‘They say Lord Buff’s grandmother was a witch. Don’t trust him. Don’t trust any of his family.’

And, ‘One of the servants found a feather in Lady Verit’s bed. Lady Verit swears it fell out of her pillow. But she would say that, wouldn’t she?’

And, ‘Have you heard the rumours about Lady Span? They say she goes out on moonless nights, and won’t tell anyone where she’s been. You have to wonder, don’t you?’

Sometimes, as Rose sat on her throne, listening to the gossip ebbing and flowing around her, it sounded as if half the nobles in the country were witches.

At other times, it sounded like a big fuss about nothing.

But this was different. This was real.

‘Why—’ It felt dangerous to even say the words. But she had to know. ‘Why would the Lady want you, pup?’

The pup’s ears were flat against his head, and his tail was tucked between his legs. ‘Because—’

‘It’s a secret,’ Flax said quickly. ‘A huge secret.’

‘It seems to me,’ said Rose, ‘that we can’t afford secrets. Not anymore. Not with a dragon somewhere ahead of us, and the Lady coming along behind. It seems to me that secrets are just going to get us into more trouble.’

(She didn’t mean her secret, about being Queen. That was different.)

Flax and the pup looked at each other. ‘Rose helped save me,’ said the pup.

‘I know,’ said Flax. ‘But she’s human.’

‘Nice human,’ said the pup.

‘But still human,’ said Flax.

‘Look,’ said Rose, ‘I already know he’s a Spellhound. And I know about the thunder and lightning.’

This was not entirely true. Rose only knew that Spellhounds had something to do with thunder and lightning.

But being a queen is excellent practice for lying. Rose had been gracious to the ambassador from Quill, and never once shown how much she disliked him. She had pretended to enjoy state dinners, even when the main course was tripe in white sauce and the dessert was lumpy rice pudding (the Stonehuff prime minister’s two favourite dishes).

She had pretended to be fond of Aunt Delilah.

If you ever need to tell a really big lie, I suggest you first get in some training as a queen.

‘Who told you about the thunder and lightning?’ demanded Flax.

The pup looked guilty. So Rose said, ‘I worked it out. By myself. Now, what is it that makes a witch want a Spellhound pup?’

‘Well—’ Flax hunched her shoulders.

‘Shall I go to sleep for another couple of decades while you make up your mind?’ snapped the cake tin. ‘Just tell her.’

Flax looked around, as if to make sure there wasn’t anyone nearby with feathers on their elbows and no heartbeat.

‘So you know Spellhounds eat thunder and swallow lightning?’ she whispered.

‘Of course,’ said Rose, though she hadn’t known it.

She turned to the pup. ‘Have you eaten thunder? Have you swallowed lighting?’

‘Not yet,’ said the pup, staring at the ground. ‘But I’ve seen my parents do it.’

‘That’s how they fill themselves with power,’ said Flax. ‘And once they’re filled up, they can make other people’s magic stronger. That’s why Spellhounds are such a secret. No one wants the witches to find out about them. If a witch has a Spellhound by her side, she’s almost unstoppable.’

Rose felt herself go pale. An unstoppable witch? In Hallow?

Now she looked around before she spoke. ‘Do you think the Lady knows the pup is a Spellhound?’

‘Of course she does,’ snapped the cake tin. ‘Why else would a witch try to capture such a clumsy great creature? I say we go into hiding for a few years until she forgets about him. We’ll find a nice village somewhere, and go to ground. The pup can pretend to be a very large dog, and I’ll get a job in a bakery.’

Rose did not think of herself as brave. Queens didn’t need to be brave; they had plenty of other people to do it on their behalf.

But she couldn’t go into hiding. At some point she’d have to go back to being Queen, and what if the Lady found the pup after that? What if Rose was stuck in the palace in High Kinnick, signing letters and balancing books on her head, while an unstoppable witch rampaged through Hallow?

She shivered. ‘I don’t think hiding will solve anything. Not for long.’

‘If we find my parents,’ said the pup, ‘they’ll protect me from the witch.’

For the briefest of moments, Rose imagined finding her own parents. Still alive after all these years, and waiting for her to rescue them from the dragon.

She imagined them smiling at her. Throwing their arms around her. Loving her as no one had loved her for as long as she could remember.

She didn’t let herself think about it for long. But it lingered in the corner of her mind. And it was definitely one of the reasons why she gathered her courage and said, ‘I think – I think we have to keep going. We must rescue the pup’s parents.’

Flax shook her head. ‘A witch behind us and a dragon in front? And no magic? We can’t possibly beat them. We can’t… ’

She hugged her little satchel. She nibbled the leather strap, and her voice dropped to a whisper, as if she was talking to herself. ‘But if we don’t, I can’t go home. Not ever. And what about everyone else? What about Auntie Grub and Uncle Beech and Bean and Violet … They must be so scared.’

At last she swallowed and looked up. ‘We have to do it. We have to get the Floating Forest back.’

‘You’re all mad,’ the cake tin said bitterly. ‘But I suppose you’re going to take me with you whether I like it or not. Sheathe me, minch-wiggin, so I can pretend I don’t know you.’

And with a grunt of effort, it turned back into a sword.