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“Of course. We do not kidnap man, woman, or child. They are here of their own free will and accord,” the Oaken King said.

“We’ll be right here waiting for you when you get back,” Oliver said.

“We’re not leaving you behind,” Carol added.

Tears welled in Alice’s eyes. She moved toward her Newbury Grove coven. She said goodbye to each of them, starting with Max.

“Max, you be a good girl. Do everything the Raskins tell you, okay?”

Max nudged her face with her nose and gave her a kiss.

Alice rose and hugged Oliver. “Oliver, I want to say thank you. Thank you for making a dream come true.”

Oliver struggled to hold back tears. “You come back, and I’ll make sure all the shelves are stocked withThe Neighborhood Witchwine.”

Alice moved to Carol. “Carol, I’m sorry for what happened to Hugo. We should have told you sooner. He didn’t want to worry you. And because of me, we’re in this situation.”

Carol pursed her lips and paused. A nervous unease came over Alice while waiting for a response. She held her breath. After a moment, Carol wrapped her arms around Alice. She returned the favor, exhaling and burying her head into Carol’s shoulder.

“You bring our Hugo back,” Carol said. “You bring him back.”

“I will,” Alice said.

They let go of their embrace and smiled at each other. Carol wiped away a tear. Alice gave her a nod and moved on to her mentor.

Esmerelda Honeydew stood straight, ready for her turn. Her blonde beehive hairdo glistened in the light of the clearing. She carried herself with grace and poise and a sense of fashion. If there was anyone who appeared to belong in the realm of the Oaken King, it was Ez. Her blue eyeliner with a matching dress and yellow scarf contrasted with Alice’s black and purple appearance.

“Ez—” Alice started.

“Save it, kiddo,” Ez interrupted. “Go do your thing, and bring him back.”

They embraced, holding for a moment. Not as mentor and apprentice, but a sisterhood. As a coven of witches. As family.

Alice let go and moved to her final companion. A sacred connection born from the power of her own arcane abilities. The connection between a witch and her riding broom.

Alice lowered her head, placing her forehead on the end of the ash broom handle. The broomstick floated as the two communicated in their own unspoken language. After a moment, Alice tapped the side of the ash handle. She turned and walked toward the sickly tree.

Something bumped into her shoulder. Alice turned back. Guinevere floated right behind her, ready to follow Alice on her journey. Alice gave a half smile, holding back tears.

“I’m sorry, girl. You can’t follow me this time. I wish you could, but I promise I’ll return.” Alice petted the broomstick handle with two fingers, stroking down the ash handle.

Guinevere backed away from Alice, floating in the air. Hovering in silence. Waiting.

Alice turned back to face the sickly tree. She strode toward the tree, her head held high. She placed her hand on the gnarled bark. “I give thanks to this tree and seek passage to the ferryman.”

Mushrooms sprung from the ground to form a circle in front of the tree. A hole opened in the middle of the mushrooms. Alice peeked over the side to see a deep hole with stairs spiraling down into an unknown location.

“At the end of the staircase, at the bottom of the hole, you’ll find the one you seek,” the Oaken King said.

Alice’s heart raced and thrummed against her chest. An uneasy energy coursed through her body. This was it. This was how she would rescue Hugo. She gave one last glance to her family and friends, smiled, and stepped down the hole.

Down and down she went. A spiral stone staircase led into the darkness below. As the light from above faded, she summoned a purple arcane ball of energy to light her way. Bathed in the purple glow of the arcane, an uneasiness came over her.

There was no light from below. She had no idea how she was traveling down the stone staircase. She peeked over the side of the stairs. Only a black void greeted her as she traversed downward. Any light from above was gone. Alice was surrounded by darkness.

She paused for a moment. She threw her arcane ball of energy down the hole into the void. It traveled, illuminating the stone steps, but disappeared. It made no contact. It didn’t dissipate. It was swallowed up by the darkness.

“Maybe I should have brought Gwennie with me. At least to get down,” Alice muttered to herself. “How far does it go?”