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Chapters (21)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Prologue
  5. Chapter I
  6. Chapter II
  7. Chapter III
  8. Chapter IV
  9. Chapter V
  10. Chapter VI
  11. Chapter VII
  12. Chapter VIII
  13. Chapter IX
  14. Chapter X
  15. Chapter XI
  16. Chapter XII
  17. Chapter XIII
  18. Chapter XIV
  19. Chapter XV
  20. Chapter XVI
  21. Epilogue

“No, sir, the sisters love their cake, and it’s best to make them happy,” said Mr. Butterpants. There was an unmistakable look of nervousness on both of their faces, and James had the sinking feeling he had thrown their day into chaos by the mere mention of the Odd Sisters. He wondered what he was getting himself into. It was all pretty laughable, the idea of bringing such a large cake, but he decided to just go along with it. If these witches loved cake so much, then why not bring the biggest, and made by the most renowned bakers in the Many Kingdoms? Surely that would impress them, and make them more agreeable to helping him find Never Land.

“Thank you for everything, this is truly a splendid cake. But please, let me give you something more. What I paid you doesn’t even cover the costs of ingredients,” James said, pulling out more gold coins from his pocket.

“No, it’s our pleasure, sir,” said Mr. Butterpants, but James insisted, putting the coins into his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Butterpants and Mrs. Tiddlebottom, wish me luck,” James said as he got into his carriage, waving as it pulled away, wondering what the rest of the day would bring.

Chapter IX

CHAPTER IX: THE LADIES OF THE DEAD WOODS

The Dead Woods was surrounded by a towering, dense thicket of deep-red rosebushes. It was so tall all James could see was the solarium at the highest point of the mansion, shining as if in sunlight even though it was now dark. He had heard the thicket was dead, dried, and thorny, but the roses were blooming with life, and the deepest, most beautiful shade of red he had ever beheld. It looked nothing like the dead place Skylights had described, and he didn’t understand why it was called the Dead Woods. “This can’t be right; there is no entrance,” said James.

“We’re in the right place, sir,” said the driver, looking frightened. His eyes darted around as if he expected something sinister to pop out of the bushes.

James had to wonder if he had made a mistake coming to this place. The hilarity of the cake aside, the tales he’d heard about these witches were starting to unnerve him. Just when he started to assure himself he was probably overreacting, a red swirling vortex appeared in the thicket right before them, creating an opening, and standing there in the center of swirling red flames was the most luminescent woman James had ever seen.