For the first time in his life, the pup felt enormous. He was full of rumble and spark, just like a proper Spellhound.

Best of all, he wasn’t scared anymore.

Well … only a little bit.

He was still scared of the witch. And of the emptiness of the trees whose magic she had stolen. And of what might happen if Flax couldn’t find an army. Or if the Uncle Edwin dragon didn’t come back in time.

Actually, he was still really scared.

But he wasn’t going to whimper and put his paws over his eyes. He was going to do something.

Just as soon as he figured out what.

In the clearing, Rose was wailing, ‘HELP ME, AUNT! PLEASE!’

The witch glared at her. ‘I told you to eat the cake. A queen is not supposed to be a dragon.’

‘I’M SORRY, AUNT DELILAH. CAN’T YOU MAKE IT GO AWAY?’

‘I am busy. I will deal with you later.’ And the witch faced the tree again and raised both her hands.

Rose stomped in front of her. ‘BUT WHAT IF I’M STUCK LIKE THIS FOREVER? I WON’T BE ABLE TO SIGN LETTERS. I WON’T BE ABLE TO EAT TRIPE IN WHITE SAUCE WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF STONEHUFF.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ the witch said coldly. ‘Of course you will not be stuck like that. Now get out of my way.’

‘BUT WHAT IF I AM STUCK?’ cried Rose, not moving.

The witch gave a sigh of irritation. She raised one hand.

‘Reverse!’ she cried.

Nothing happened. Rose was still a dragon.

‘Reverse!’ cried the witch.

Still nothing. The pup suspected that Rose was fighting the witch’s spell as hard as she could.

‘OH OH OH, I KNEW IT,’ wailed Rose. ‘I’M STUCK!’

‘Nonsense,’ snapped the witch. ‘I just need a little more power.’ And without looking around, she reached for the Spellhounds.

The pup stuck his nose out from the shelter of the trees. The witch didn’t see him. But his mother and father did.

They still wore the collars, so they couldn’t attack the witch, or escape. But now they knew their son was free, they could back away so she could not draw on their power.

She looked around and saw them. She shrieked at them. She demanded that they come closer.

They refused, though it hurt them dreadfully.

‘You think I cannot work without you?’ snarled the witch. ‘I have power aplenty from the trees I have drained.’

Her eyes flashed.

‘Reverse!’ she shrieked at Rose.

And suddenly the dragon was gone, and Rose was a human girl again, with a ragged coat around her shoulders, and torn pyjama pants.

The witch sniffed. She turned to the oldest tree in Minchfold. She raised her hand—

‘Thank you!’ cried Rose, throwing herself at the witch and wrapping her arms around her. ‘Thank you, Aunt; that was so awful!’

‘Control yourself, Felicia,’ snarled the witch. ‘Queens do not hug people.’

She pushed Rose away.

She raised her hand to the tree again—

That’s when Flax’s army arrived.