Chapter 12

When their frightened shrieks died down, Paige's lips still formed an unnerved grimace.

With wide eyes and a furrowed brow, she poked a shaky finger at Dewey. "Why do you look like that?"

Dewey flew backward, tugging his legs in front of him as though taken aback. "Me?" He jabbed a clawed finger toward Paige. "You don't look much better!"

Paige glanced down at her body, then held her hands out in front of her, turning them over. She slapped a palm against her forehead as she continued to stare at her trembling left hand. "Oh no."

She swallowed hard, her eyes stuck on what used to be her flesh. A porcelain-colored illustration now took its place. She peeled her eyes away from her animated hand and glanced at her clothes, kicking a foot out to study them.

She now resembled a fairy-tale illustration. Her body, flesh, clothes, everything appeared as though it had been drawn and colored.

She glanced at Dewey, now a teal cartoon, outlined in thick black lines. "Why do we look like this?"

Dewey glanced around at the illustrated surroundings. They stood in a thicket of trees. Bulbous green blobs formed the leaves overhead.

"I think we're inside the book."

"Inside the book? What?"

Dewey scratched his cartoon-like chin. "It makes sense, right?"

"How does any of this make sense?" Paige choked out, her lips still tugged into a frown.

Dewey fluttered around over the clumps of grass drawn in large patches. "The book asked what we wanted. I said it three times. That must have been the charm. Three times. And it sucked us inside."

"Why would it do that?" Paige wailed.

Dewey lifted his eyes to the flat blue sky. "Because the Witchlock tree is housed inside this story."

"What?"

Dewey nodded his illustrated head. "Yes. The Witchlock tree is in this book somewhere. We need to find it, and once we do, I bet we'll find an exit point, or the book will spit us back out."

"Are you kidding me? We are stuck inside a storybook?"

"Doesn't sound like a good one either," Dewey said, wrinkling his nose as he glanced around again.

"Seriously?" Paige asked.

"The book is called Torn Tales. You read the blurb on the back."

Paige pressed a pointy, featureless finger against her lips. "An upside-down take on traditional fairy tales."

"You got it," Dewey said, poking a blob of a finger in her direction.

"Well, that's just great. We're stuck inside a book. And we're cartoons."

"Illustrations."

Paige's features pinched, and she let her head fall to the side. "Same thing."

"Not really. Cartoons have a distinctive style that–"

"Shut it, Dewey. I don't care about the difference between cartoons and illustrations. We've got bigger problems. How do we get out of here?"

"I already told you. My best guess is we search for the Witchlock tree in one of these stories and then a way out."

"A way out? What way? We're two-dimensional images on a page!"

"Wait, maybe we just need to ask to leave three times like we asked to come in."

Paige nodded and sucked in a breath. "I'm going to try it."

"No!" Dewey argued, waving his monochromatic paws at her. "We haven't found what we came for."

"We can come back in if we need to. I'm not willing to run all over this book in search of something that may not be here or become stuck inside the pages."

"Fine, fine," Dewey said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Go ahead."

"Out," Paige shouted into the sky.

Dewey pressed his lips together into an unimpressed expression.

"Out, out, out."

Nothing happened.

Dewey arched an eyebrow at her.

"Home, home, home," Paige tried.

"Why don't you click your heels together, Dorothy?" Dewey snarked.

Paige wrinkled her nose at him and frowned. "Very funny. Well, it looks like we're stuck here until we find the Witchlock tree. Though if we find it and the book doesn't spit us out, I don't know what we'll do then."

"I guess we'll see."

"All right," Paige said with a sigh, glancing around at the blobs of trees surrounding them. "Is one of these a Witchlock?"

"No," Dewey answered. "These are all plain trees. Witchlock trees have blue trunks with purple foliage."

"Of course they do," Paige grumbled as she searched the grove for such a tree but did not find it.

"Come on. I guess we'll continue along the path here and see if we can find one."

Paige's features settled into an unimpressed expression as she crossed her arms and meandered forward next to her sketched companion. "Why wouldn't the book put us at the Witchlock tree like we asked?"

Dewey shrugged. "Who knows? But we should–"

"Halt!" a deep voice called from behind them.

Paige froze, her muscles going stiff and her shoulders rising toward her ears. Slowly, she spun to face the speaker. Dewey twirled in a circle, too, searching the area behind him.

A knight stood in shiny, silver armor, his sword raised and pointed toward them. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Paige demanded.

"My name is Prince Henry. This is my father's kingdom. You are not of it. Now, who are you?"

"Listen, buddy," Paige started, "we're just passing through in search of a Witchlock tree. We'll be out of your kingdom as soon as we can, okay?"

The prince kept his sword trained on them and slid up the visor on his helmet. A handsome face peered from within, though oddly colored green lips marred it.

Paige wrinkled her nose at the strange feature. Did someone color him incorrectly when they drew him?

"I think not," he spat at them.

"Really, we don't mean you any harm. We got stuck here while searching for the Witchlock tree. And we'll be on our way as soon as–"

"I said no," Prince Henry shouted. He turned his attention to Dewey. "I will not tolerate a dragon, even a tiny one such as this, in my father's kingdom. I shall slay you, you foul beast, and take your head back to my father. Then they shall throw a ball in my honor."

"Crap," Dewey muttered, flitting behind Paige and landing on her shoulder.

"I don't think so, mister," Paige said, patting Dewey's paw. "This is my dragon, and no one is going to slay him."

"Stand aside, fair maiden, and I shall slay the vicious beast!"

"Hey!" Dewey growled.

"He's not vicious!" Paige added. "And he's not a dragon. He's a lizard…a winged lizard."

"You cannot fool me, woman! Winged lizards are, by their very definition, dragons. Now, stand aside so that I might slay him."

"No one is slaying anyone," Paige said.

The knight arched a thick eyebrow, puckering his green lips. "Then I shall slay you, too, if you will not yield!"

"Are you kidding me?" Paige mumbled. "This is ridiculous."

"Paige," Dewey whispered, "I think we should get out of here. Quick."

"Seriously?" Paige asked as the prince swung his sword in circles on either side of him.

"Yeah. He's planning to kill us."

"He's a cartoon."

"Illustration. And we're also illustrated. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not die on page three, thanks."

"Wait, if he stabs us, we die. Like in real life, too?"

"Probably? Maybe? I don't want to find out, so maybe let's make a run for it."

Paige swallowed hard, her heart speeding up as she stared at the sword-wielding man in front of them. She darted her gaze around in search of a place to hide or the best place to run.

Would he chase them? Could he catch them? In the armor, maybe not.

"Okay," she whispered to Dewey, her eyes still trained on the prince, "on the count of three, you fly into the trees, and I'll run in the opposite direction. He can't chase both of us."

"Paige…"

"Just do it. He'll probably chase me since you can fly. I'll be fine."

"We shouldn't split–"

"We have no choice!" Paige hissed. "Now, on three. One, two, THREE!"

Dewey lifted from her shoulders, disappearing into the cover of the trees. Paige darted the other way, skirting around a thick tree trunk and continuing to run deeper into the woods.

A curse escaped the prince's lips, but Paige did not glance back as she hurried to put distance between them.

"Come back here, wench!"

Footsteps pounded behind her as she dodged around trees in a desperate attempt to escape.

"You cannot outrun me!"

Paige's features pinched as the voice sounded closer. She reached an opening and skidded to a stop, searching for a place to hide. Leaves rustled behind her, and she spun to stare at her attacker.

He emerged from the trees.

Paige stumbled back a few steps. "Look, Prince Whatever-your-name-is, we're not here to cause any trouble. We accidentally got sucked into your world and got stuck here. We just want to go home, and we will, the minute we find the Witchlock tree."

"I have never heard of such a tree! Are you a witch?"

"Am I a… No. I'm not a witch."

He raised his sword at her. "What other form of creature has a dragon as a familiar?"

"Familiar? He's my friend. And I'm a librarian."

"Friends with a dragon? Then you cannot be trusted! I shall slay you and him too!"

Paige's shoulders slumped as she lunged from side to side in an attempt to get away. "Will you please stop with the slaying stuff?"

Paige danced around him and grabbed a stick from the ground. She thrust it at him, attempting to drive him back. She poked at his armor.

With a grimace, he stumbled backward. "Stop! Stop it!"

"No," Paige shouted, continuing to drive him back with her thrusts. "I'll slay you! How about that?"

He stepped backward, his foot landing on a rock. He swayed for a moment before he lost his balance and toppled backward.

Paige held the stick out toward him, a threatening expression on her face. "Throw down your sword and surrender."

The man's features pinched, and he tossed the sword away, holding his hands up in front of him. "Please don't hurt me."

"Seriously?" Paige asked as she scrambled to collect the sword.

She tossed the stick away and raised the heavy metal item toward him.

The prince's armor rattled as he trembled. "Please, I throw myself upon your mercy."

Paige screwed up her face. "Are you… Are you crying?"

"Yes, of course I am crying. You are threatening me with a sword!"

"You threatened me and my friend with a sword, and neither of us cried."

He firmed his jaw and raised his chin. "You are made of tougher stuff than I, madam."

"You got that right." She lowered the weapon and motioned for him to stand. "Get up. I'm not going to kill you. But you can't go around threatening to slay people, okay?"

The prince scrambled to his feet, sniffing and wiping at his cheeks. "But I must!"

An apple careened from within the leaves of a nearby tree, striking the prince on the shoulder.

He recoiled, whining an "ow," as he stumbled back a step.

Another apple sailed past Paige and struck his hip. She glanced behind her, searching for the source as another apple flew by and smacked the prince in the head.

"Ow! Stop it!" he groused.

"Who's there?" Paige called.

"Me," Dewey shouted as he flew from within the confines of a tree.

He tossed another apple at the prince, and it struck him square in the chest.

The wimpy man fell over onto his back, clutching at his heart. Dewey revved up for another toss.

Paige flung her arm out, holding him back and preventing him from throwing the apple. "Stop."

"Why? He should pay for what he did. He tried to kill me!"

The man writhed on the ground, a sob escaping him. "Because I must!"

"Yeah, you still haven't explained that," Paige said, turning her attention back to him. "Is this some kind of macho prince thing or what?"

The prince let his head smack onto the ground and stared up at the azure sky with fluffy white clouds dotting it in strategic locations. A moan escaped his lips, and he flicked his gaze at Paige and Dewey.

"I suppose you've noticed my green lips." He puckered them, giving them a more pronounced appearance.

"I did," Paige admitted.

"Of course you did. Everyone does," he whined.

He shook his head as he pulled himself up to sit, draping his elbows over his knees.

Paige shot a glance at Dewey. "What does this have to do with slaying dragons?"

"I'm cursed," the man moaned. "If I do not slay a dragon once per year, I turn into a frog."

"What?" Paige asked, her features pinching in confusion.

The prince flicked his gaze up at her. "You heard me." He jabbed a finger at his lips. "Look, it's already starting. If I don't slay a dragon soon, I'll turn into a frog."

Paige searched the sky as she tried to recall fairy tales involving frog princes. Her eyes went wide, and she poked her index finger in the air. "Wait a second. You're the frog prince. All you have to do is find a princess to kiss you, and you'll be cured."

"Unfortunately not. I've tried it. I've tried it with as many princesses as I could find. Multiple times, actually. It does nothing."

"Maybe you haven't found the right one," Paige said with a shrug. "You know, true love or whatever the fable is."

He shook his head. "No. The witch who cursed me told me how to fix it."

"Right, slay a dragon. But you can't keep killing things. What happens if you run out of dragons to kill?"

"There is another way. Water from the Pool of Yearning. One sip will cure me."

Paige grinned at him. "Oh! Super simple! Just go get some water, then."

"You don't understand. The Pool of Yearning is beyond the troll bridge which is nearly impossible to cross. Even if you cross that, you must go through the Forest of Isolation, a desolate place that causes most men to go mad. And finally, if you manage to make it to the other side, you must face the Fairy of Fright. She guards the pool and will kill anyone who attempts to drink or take the water."

He picked up a twig and tore it in two before throwing it down on the ground in disgust.

"Paige," Dewey whispered, "wrap it up. We need to find that tree."

Paige pressed her lips together into a thin line, lowering her eyes to the ground for a moment and heaving a sigh. "Well, I'm really sorry to hear all of this, but we can't help you. We've–"

"But you must," the prince shouted, scrambling to his knees and kneeling in front of her.

He grasped her hands and squeezed them.

"Uhhhh," Paige murmured. "The thing is, we really need to find this Witchlock tree and–"

"I know where it is. I can take you there if you'll only help me."

Paige crinkled her forehead. "You said you didn't know where it was."

"I lied," he cried. "I do know where it is."

"We don't believe you, Bub," Dewey said, crossing his arms over his chest as he hovered above the man.

"It's true. I know where it is!"

"Oh, really? Prove it. What's it look like?"

"Blue bark with purple foliage. There is but one in the kingdom. And I shall take you straight there if you help me."

Paige and Dewey exchanged a glance. Paige lifted her shoulders in a silent question. Dewey gave a slight shake of his head.

"Here's the thing, Prince Whatever-your-name-is," Paige said, adjusting her glasses.

"No dice," Dewey interrupted, swinging his arm out in a slashing motion. "You tried to kill us. We owe you nothing. On top of that, we'd probably find the tree faster without you. And we wouldn't have to risk our lives with this Fear Fairy to find it."

The frown on the prince's face grew. "I doubt that."

"Oh?" Paige inquired.

"The tree is in the royal courtyard. Only members of the royal family and their guests may view it. So, unless you plan to risk your lives sneaking into the palace, retrieving bark from the tree, and making it out alive, you need me."

Paige puckered her lips, wrinkling her nose as she cut her gaze at Dewey.

Dewey rolled his eyes. "I still say we go for it ourselves and leave this joker to turn into a frog."

Paige lowered her eyes to the man groveling at her feet. "We can't let him turn into a frog."

"Paige," Dewey shouted, flying in front of her with a pleading expression on his teal features. "This is ridiculous and dangerous. We don't have time for side quests! Especially ones that require us to go past a dwarf bridge–"

"Troll," the prince corrected.

Dewey grimaced, but continued, "And through the Forest of Despair."

"Isolation," the prince interjected.

"And face the Fear Fairy!"

"Fairy of Fright."

"Whatever, buddy. You get the point. It's dangerous. And we don't have room for more danger."

"Is it really that dangerous?" Paige asked. "And it's probably the fastest way to get the bark."

"Ahhhh, according to dude over here, it's pretty dangerous, yeah," Dewey answered, jabbing a thumb at the prince.

"Dude is also a super big wimp, so maybe it's not so bad." Paige leaned around Dewey to glance at the still-kneeling prince. "We'll do it."

"Hurrah," he exclaimed, leaping to his feet, a grin on his green lips. "We shall host a banquet in your honor tonight and outfit you for battle. You leave in the morning."

"Uh, pass on the banquet. We're really busy. Just point us in the right direction," Paige said, shoving her glasses higher on her nose.

"No, fair maiden, you must–"

Paige cocked a hip and waved her hands at him. "No. Point out this troll bridge."

"But–" he tried again.

Paige raised the sword and thrust it at him. "The bridge."

"Right. That way," he said, poking a finger toward a mountain rising in the distance.

Paige lowered the sword and nodded.

She shot a glance at Dewey. "Here we go."