Chester stared into the darkness and wondered how far Shadow would get. And then he pondered what would become of the spy once Hex caught him. With a shiver, he turned to Tiny.

"Do you know where we are?"

Tiny looked around and shrugged, slopping the glowing contents of his bucket onto the ground. Chester watched the slime seep between the cracked flagstones.

"What is that?" Chester scratched his bald spot.

"Magic... freedom... save Chester."

Chester leant closer and squinted at the slime... A spark pinged from the bucket, almost singeing his eyebrows before it flickered and vanished.

Jumping back from the bucket, Chester asked, "What type of magic?" He'd seen nothing like this during his time as chancellor.

"Whatever!" Tiny replied.

Chester frowned at the troll. It wasn't like Tiny to be so rude. "I was only asking!"

With a chuckle, Tiny shook his head. "Chester, not understand. Whatever magic."

"Oh, I see. Whatever you want it to be."

Tiny nodded enthusiastically.

"Interesting." Chester patted his pockets. Two stolen potions and a bucket of Whatever magic was worth... Before he could calculate the value, Hex sprinted past him. The sorcerer certainly ran fast. But why was he running?

It wasn't long before Chester realised. With an angry roar, a humongous snail tore through the tunnel towards him, gnashing its teeth.

"Help me!" Chester yelled, scrambling to hide behind the troll.

Tiny slid his bucket to one side and braced himself for impact.

Once at a safe distance, Hex stopped to catch his breath and felt for the star. An unfamiliar feeling swirled in his stomach, creeping into his chest and making his heart race. Somewhere between here and there the sack must have untied and fallen.

*

Jake tried to keep up, but Hex ran like the wind. Now he found himself completely lost. Every tunnel, every turn, every rock, bolder, and clump of moss looked the same. Shadow once said, that no one ever solves the maze, and no one ever escapes. That couldn't be true, could it?

Jake wandered on, following the torches that burned endlessly, casting eerie shadows. Maybe it was his imagination, but he swore the shadows turned to watch as he passed. Too afraid to look back, he hoped none would follow him.

The next turn Jake took didn't look like the others. It led him into a vast cave. In the centre lay the most beautiful statue Jake had ever seen. Her features were carved from white marble, her hair painted gold, and with her arms folded across her chest, she seemed at peace.

Jake crept closer...

"Boy, what are you doing here?"

Jake spun around to face Shadow. "I'm lost." Although he hated the selfish spy, at least he wasn't alone.

"Why didn't you stay with Chester?"

Jake shrugged.

"This is a problem." Shadow lifted the sack over his head and untied the rope.

"What are you doing with that?"

"I need this wish more than Hex." Shadow reached into the sack.

Jake studied the statue in the centre of the maze. She must be Rose, stolen by Prince Horace and trapped in an unending sleep. "Shadow, you mustn't."

Shadow raised his head and glared at him. "I have no choice."

*

Without a doubt, Chester was a coward. At this moment, his instincts told him to hide. He was of no use against a ferocious, angry, rampaging snail. Chester stared at the bucket of slime, perilously close to Tiny and the inevitable battle. To save the precious magic, Chester dived for the bucket and a small green bottle fell from his pocket.

"Chester, pass me that bottle!" Hex yelled, holding out his hand.

Chester dithered. He wanted to keep the potion. A spell to banish bad neighbours would fetch a small fortune...

"Chester!"

The snail roared even louder.

With no choice, Chester threw the glass bottle to Hex.

Hex squinted at the label. For once, he was glad the former Chancellor was a rotten thief. Of all the potions he could have swiped from his alchemy room, it was a stroke of luck Chester chose this one.

Hex's Remedy for Bad Neighbours

Perfect for noisy goblins, barking dogs, and annoying snails.

One drop and poof, no more problems.

Another roar made him spring into action.

Pulling the stopper from the bottle, Hex slid in front of Tiny. A sprinkle of potion was ample, but Hex tipped the entire contents across the maze floor.

"Back up!" Hex gestured for Tiny to move away.

In mere seconds, the snail was upon them. Its dark eyes bulged and rows of teeth flashed white and green from the moss. Chester and Hex clung to the back of Tiny's filthy legs for safety.

Unaware of the potion, the snail lunged at them. Suddenly, it froze, an odd expression on its face. At first, the snail twitched, then it itched. And soon it shrank. Smaller and smaller... its sharp teeth vanished; the beast's roar became a squeak, and at Tiny's feet, was a snail no bigger than it should be.

Hex raised his boot above the snail. How dare it chase him?

"Er... Hex... Must you?" Chester asked.

"I suppose not." Hex sighed and lowered his foot. A more pressing matter required his attention. "Tiny, can you lead me to the centre of the maze?"

The troll scratched his stubbly chin and then nodded. "This way!"

*

Hex sprinted into the cave and dropped to his knees. "Shadow! Please... don't."

Shadow held the star in his palm. "I must. It's my only hope." His eyes glistened with tears as he spoke his dearest wish. "I wish..."

"I'm begging you!"

"I wish... I wish for Rose to wake from Prince Horace's curse."

Hex gasped in disbelief. Had he misheard?

The star floated into the air; its glow becoming blindingly bright, until it exploded in a shower of sparks. No one spoke until the last light extinguished...

"Hex... Where am I?"

"Oh... Rose... you are in Prince Horace's maze." Hex gently brushed the hair from her face.

"Why am I here?"

"Because I wasn't there to protect you." A tear rolled down the sorcerer's cheek. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive." Rose smiled lovingly at her husband.

Shadow watched silently from the entrance to the cave. He had fulfilled his end of the bargain, and he was free. While Hex embraced his wife, the spy disappeared into the gloomy maze.