Shadow had insisted they extinguish the magic candle before the guards did their final cell checks of the night. So, Cathy sat cross-legged, holding Jake's hand in the dark.

Too afraid to move, they huddled together for comfort. Opposite, Shadow blended into the wall.

In silence, they waited for the guards to change shifts—Until Cathy screamed loud enough to wake the dead.

"Oh no, oh no... What is it? Get it away." She shot to her feet and shook the hem of her dress.

"What?" Jake said, staring into the dark.

"Something crawled up my leg." She shivered at the thought.

Jake jumped to his feet. "Small or big?"

"Small."

"Soft or slimy?"

"Soft."

Jake dropped on all fours and began rummaging through the straw.

Shadow stepped out from the wall.

"Boy, are you mad?"

"It's Chicken Nugget. He's escaped from my pocket."

Shadow scratched his head. "What is this Chicken Nugget you speak of?" Boy was a strange one.

"He's a mouse. My mouse. Cathy, help me find him."

"Do you mean to tell me you keep vermin?" Shadow wouldn't help Jake look for a rodent. It was unhygienic. So, he watched... from a distance.

Reluctantly, Cathy searched the damp straw and mossy flagstones.

Shadow was not the least bit amused.

Suddenly, Cathy's hand brushed over something furry. Gently she cupped her hands around Chicken Nugget and whispered, "Jake, I've found him."

"There you are. I thought I'd lost you for good." Jake took Chicken Nugget from Cathy and carefully placed him in his pocket, making sure he zipped it.

The tunnel outside the cell lit up as footsteps approached.

The same Fairy Guard from earlier peered into the cell, squinting to see in the darkness. Shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Satisfied, all was as it should be, he hissed, "Sleep well, traitors." And plodded back along the tunnel.

Once Shadow was sure the coast was clear, he stepped out from the wall and fished three small capsules from his coat pocket.

"You must each take one of these."

Cathy studied the bright yellow capsules in Shadow's palm.

"What are they?"

"An antidote to the sleeping spell I'm about to unleash on those guards."

Shadow passed one capsule to each of the children and swallowed the third. When the children had taken the antidote, Shadow took the vial from his pocket and slid between the bars of the cell.

"Shadow," Cathy whispered into the dark.

"Yes."

"Be careful."

He paused, then said, "Don't worry about me. Worry about yourselves."

With Jake beside her, Cathy stared into the darkness, unable to see beyond the bars of her cell. She listened to the sound of glass breaking and the spluttering of each Fairy Guard as they succumbed to the witch's spell—A sleeping spell they may never wake from.

Cathy rested her forehead against the cold bars. This wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to be responsible for more anguish.

Cathy reached for Jake's hand. His palm was sweaty against hers.

Dark magic billowed along the tunnels, swirling towards her cell, drifting past the bars.

Cathy held her breath as it swallowed her, filling her nose and stinging her eyes.

With no air left, Cathy gasped, inhaling the spell.

She'd expected oblivion. An unending sleep. But apart from the metallic taste in her mouth, she remained unharmed.

"Jake, are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but Chicken Nugget... he's... Oh, Cathy, he's asleep."

A key clinked against the cell's lock, and the door swung open.

"Let's go," Shadow said, leading them out of the dungeons.

Hidden behind a wooden barrel in the corner of the cell, sat a large, fluffy, black-and-white cat. With feline stealth, Lilybeth followed as Shadow led the children through the castle and out into the night.