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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.”

CHAPTER 13

“Why does this seem like a terrible, terrible idea?” Dewey muttered as he flew along next to Paige.

Paige swung the sword from side to side as they traversed the path. “I’m not certain we had a choice.”

“Of course we had a choice, Paige. Just say ’sorry, pal, can’t help ya.’”

“He has the bark we need.”