“Just . . . don’t say or do anything else,” I say.

Crowky’s eyes are fixed on the snowball. If we let it go now, he’ll just grab the Box, open his wings, and swoop out of the way.

His twig fingers rest on the lid. “Come on . . . ,” he snarls, eyes flicking to the side of the Box. He’s willing the message to appear. “Come on!”

There’s no point running. Crowky would just catch me and then I’ll never get to Rose. This giant snowball is my only hope. I just need Crowky to be distracted.

Suddenly a golden light gleams on the side of the Box. It’s happening. It knows I’m close. Crowky’s eyes widen and he grins. “I’ve got a feeling it’s your turn, Arthur Trout!” he says, staring intently at the light.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

“NOW!” I shout.

We let go of the snowball and it shoots down the sloping cart, along the path and straight toward Crowky. He looks up, and instinctively his wings open. He’s about to fly up in the air when he remembers the Box. He reaches for it, but he’s out of time. The snowball smacks into him and there is an explosion of straw and feathers. The Box flies to one side as Crowky is caught in the snowball and rolled around and around. He knocks into his scarecrows, scattering them in all directions, and keeps rolling down the hill until he hits a rock. The snowball collapses and for a moment Crowky just lies there, his wings sticking out at strange angles.

I look up in the air. What’s Mitch doing? We need that rainbow!

Shaking snow from his body, Crowky jumps to his feet and utters a scream of rage. His scarecrows pick themselves up and start running toward us, but Crowky goes for the Box. The light is still there, shining bright, pulsing, and now the letters have started to appear.

“Arthur!” shouts Win. “Snowballs!”

We grab the snowballs and throw them. Win focuses on the scarecrow army, while I aim for Crowky. I get him on the shoulder and he staggers to the side. My next snowball misses, but my third hits him in the face, knocking him to the ground. But it’s no good: immediately he’s up and on his feet, sprinting toward the Box.

And then colored light washes over us as the most magnificent rainbow I’ve ever seen bursts across the sky. The snowy plain turns into a patchwork of color. It falls over me, Crowky, and the Box.

Everyone stops to look, even Crowky.

I grab Win. “GO!” I yell, and we turn and run toward the waiting paddleboat.

Chapter 48

We’re nearly at the shore, steps away from Mitch and the paddleboat, when I feel the scrape of twig fingers on the back of my neck.

“Jump!” yells Mitch.