The Enchantress Returns (The Land of Stories, #2)

by Chris Colfer

Porridge rolled her eyes at Buckle. Buckle snorted at Porridge almost flirtatiously. It made the twins a little uncomfortable—obviously there was a history with the horses, a history they weren’t interested in learning.

“After giving you those beans my sales went through the roof! You gave me my career, old boy! You’ll always be like a son to me, Jack.” Conner cleared his throat. “The kind of son you rip off in a trade that sends him on a life-threatening adventure?” he asked. The Tradesman rethought his words. “More like a nephew, then,” he said.

The cat’s belly swung almost more dangerously than its claws and knocked the twins to the floor as it passed by them.

They hit the floor with perfect momentum and slid under the door. Conner tried copying them but only tripped himself and had to climb under the door the regular way with his sister and Froggy.

The cat chased after them like a fat and furry torpedo.

“PRETEND THE BEANSTALK IS GOLDILOCKS!” Conner shouted.

“Good turtle, stay!” Conner said to the Great Sea Turtle. The turtle squinted at him and then spat a stream of water in his face. “Sorry, didn’t mean to patronize.”

Conner laughed a little too hard. “We only appear as a frog and children because that’s how we’ve been cursed to spend eternity!” He pointed to his sister. “This girl used to be a six-foot man with the hairiest chest in all the kingdoms!”