Soos trembled from the cold. He tightened the drawstrings of the hood on his raincoat and wiped away the water that had gathered on his face. He readjusted his grip on Gompers' horns and patted the goat's head.

"Hang in there, Gompers. We're getting closer."

The goat bleated before running even faster. It's hooves dove into a mud puddle, splashing Soos. He bounced up and down on Gompers' back. He had tied himself down using an old rope as a make-shift seatbelt, but it didn't seem to be enough to keep him steady.

They finally arrived to a clearing in the woods. The rain had subsided. The canopy formed by the trees blocked most of the drizzling.

Soos hopped off of Gompers and rearranged the rope into a leash. He tugged at the rope to guide the goat deeper into the forest.

The mossy forest floor gradually dipped down into a valley, covered in rich, green moss embedded with shining crystals. Soos continued walking until he reached the giant oak that rested in the very center of the valley.

He cleared his throat. "Uh. . . hello? Is anyone here?" he called. His voice echoed. "I've gotta talk to Jeff!"

A minute passed before a distant, muffled voice mumbled, "is he gone yet?"

"I can hear you!"

Another voice groaned. A large mushroom that rested a few feet from where Soos stood popped out of the ground like a cork in a bottle. The red, pointed hat of a gnome stuck out from the hole followed by Jeff's face.

"What do you want? I thought we settled on a truce."

"We did," Soos replied. "I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I just need some help."

"What for?"

"My friend is in trouble. She's inside of that giant, wooden wall. I need someone who can fight."

"You flatter me, kid," Jeff said. He nonchalantly leaned an arm against a rock. "But no can do."

"Why not?"

Jeff sighed and shook his head. "I'll give it to you straight. I'm not going to put all of that work into something that doesn't benefit me," he explained. "If you want my help, I'm going to need something in exchange."

"I'll see what I got."

Soos plunged a hand into his pocket and drew out an assortment of rocks, candy wrappers, and other various items.

"Let's see. . .  a couple of rocks, a paper clip, and something that looks like a cough drop. . ."

Jeff jumped when Gompers bleated. He hid behind a trunk for a moment or two before glancing at the goat again. His eyes grew wide and his cheeks flushed pink.

"My my. . . who is this?"

Soos looked up from his inventory to look at Gompers. He lifted an eyebrow and pointed at the goat.

"Gompers? He's my pet goat." Soos puffed out his chest with pride. "I got him for my birthday."

Jeff stepped towards Gompers. He tucked his hands behind his back, then politely held out a hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Gompers."
He smiled and tipped his hat with his other hand.

Gompers stared at Jeff with a vacant stare before biting down on his hand. Jeff showed no sign of pain. He sighed and continued to stare at the goat with a look of admiration.

"Sorry to interrupt. . . whatever this is, but it's getting weird," Soos interjected. He protectively stepped in front of Gompers.

"Sorry," Jeff said. He removed his hat and shifted his balance. "It's just so hard to look away from such a beauty." He looked at Soos and wove his hands together. He got on his knees.

"May I have your blessing?"

". . . blessing for what?"

"To marry this beautiful creature right here," Jeff said. "Gompers would make a lovely queen."

Soos gasped. "Queen? Gompers? No way!" He jumped to Gompers' side and wrapped his arms around the goat's neck.

"But I need a queen!" Jeff pleaded. He fell on the ground and crawled towards Soos. He grabbed onto his pant leg. "It's love at first sight! You wouldn't separate two lovers, would you?"

Soos looked down at Gompers, then back at Jeff.

"What would you do to earn my blessing?"

"Anything!" Jeff wailed.

Soos let out a remorseful sigh.

"If it means that you'll help me save Wendy, then yes. You can marry my goat."

"Oh, thank the Great Gnome Deities!"

"But you and your other friends have to help me first."

Jeff jumped to his feet. "It's a deal!"

"Get together your biggest army. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Sir, yes sir!" Jeff saluted. He turned to face the oak tree. He stepped onto a rock that worked as a platform. He clapped his hands twice.

Rocks, bushes and plants began rattling before variations of red, pointed hats emerged from the surrounding woods. The gnomes gathered together in clusters until Soos was staring back at a sea of tiny soldiers.

"Fellas, we got a rescue mission on our hands. It's our job to save this kid's Lucy-"

"-it's Wendy."

"Whatever. This time we mean business. Who's ready?"

The sea called back "yeah!"

"The gopher boy will lead the way!"

"Huh?"

"You, kid."

"Oh." Soos gulped. "Well. . . uh, you heard the guy! Let's go!"

• • •

The fire crackled in the center of the room. It's glow filled the room with a warm, orange light. Sounds of pages turning echoed along with the tapping of a pencil.

Gideon grunted and slammed a fist on the table, sending pens and pencils rolling off the surface and papers flying to the floor.

"This stupid book is useless!"

He shoved the journal across the table before burying his face in his arms. After a moment of heavy breathing, he looked up again. His eyebrows furrowed together.

"Three?" He snatched the book in his hands again and turned it over so that the cover faced upward. The number three stared back at him. "There's three?"

"Took you long enough," Wendy muttered under her breath.

Gideon turned in his chair. "What was that?"

"I'm just sayin'," Wendy huffed. "It couldn't have been more obvious. The three it was on the cover the whole time."

Gideon took a pencil and threw it at the cage like a dart. It's point jammed into the wood. The vines trembled before winding themselves tighter around Wendy's bound wrists. She clenched her teeth to bite back a cry.

"Make another comment like that and I'll-" Gideon stopped and lowered his hand. "Wait. . . you knew about the third journal. . ."

Wendy didn't respond. She tightened her jaw, now realizing where the conversation was going.

He stood and approached the cage. He bent down. His pale blue eyes pierced through her. The fire burning behind him emphasized his bony silhouette. He suddenly appeared even more fragile than before.

"Where is it?"

Wendy clenched her fists. Her fingernails bit into her palms. "I don't know."

"Then why were you trying to take number three?"

"Because it isn't yours."

Gideon leaned in closer. His eyes hardened."It isn't Dipper's either."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Gideon shook his head and laughed. "There's so much that you don't know. For starters, whoever wrote those books is long gone. The journals were written to hide a secret bigger than anything you could imagine. Dipper obviously has done nothing to pursue it, so it's far past time that I took it into my own hands."

"Then what is it that you're planning to do with this big secret?"

Gideon snorted. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret." He paused. "I'm getting off track."

He stood up and returned to the table. "You obviously have no further use for me."

"Great, then you can let me go."

Gideon chuckled. "So you can tell everyone in town about me? Of course not."

His attention was taken by the sound of the door squeaking open. Pacifica's face appeared.

"Gideon, we have intruders outside."

"Well don't just stand here! Send out some of the bakru."

Pacifica crossed her arms. "They don't listen to me. All they do is growl."

Gideon's face reddened with frustration. "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself," he said under his breath as he shoved past Pacifica.

Pacifica craned her neck to the side to stare after Gideon. Once he was gone, she darted towards Wendy and crouched down on her knees.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Peachy," Wendy said sarcastically. "What's going on? Who's outside?"

"No one's really out there. I just needed to distract Gideon."

Pacifica began to reach forward to pull at a vine but Wendy shook her head.

"Touching it only makes it worse."

Pacifica's hand dropped back to her side.
"Then what should I do?"

Wendy moved her torso to show Pacifica her axe that was still tucked away in her back pocket. It's rusty, metallic head glinted in the light of the fire.

Pacifica slowly inched her hand through the cage. She moved carefully to avoid brushing against the wood. Once her fingers had wrapped tightly around the handle, she began to pull the axe across the floor. Just before it had left the cage, the blade brushed against a leaf. Pacifica quickly pulled the axe away.

The cage shook for a moment, then the vines began to tighten. The walls shrunk slightly. The top of the cage pressed down on top of Wendy's head and leaves multiplied until neither of the girls could see each other.

Pacifica gasped and looked over the cage for an opening. She crawled to the other side and stopped when she discovered a small window. Wendy's widened, emerald eyes stared back at her.

"Are you okay?" Pacifica repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Wendy's breathing became shallow. She felt a sickening pain in her stomach. She blinked to try to stop her head from spinning.

"Deep breaths," Pacifica said. She held up her hands in the air and made circling motions to sooth her.

"Just do it," Wendy said after a pause. "I can't stand being in here much longer."

Pacifica glanced down at the axe and lifted it over her shoulder. She swung and pierced the skin of the largest vine. The blade stuck instantly when it came in contact with the cage. Pacifica pulled at it with all of her strength. Her upper arms trembled from exhaustion.

The cage began vibrating again. This time, several vines began winding together to form the shape of an arm. Pacifica lurched backward to dodge it, but it's hand grabbed her by the ankles, then dragged her towards the cage.

"Wendy! What do I do?!" she exclaimed. She clawed at the floor, but it was useless. The vines snaked up her arms and legs until she was wrapped in a cocoon of leaves.

Wendy stared through the greenery in shock. Her mouth hung agape.

Footsteps echoed across the walls. Gideon's shadow washed over the floor.

"What kind of an idiot do you take me for, NorthWest?" he snarled while glaring down at the writhing bundle of vines on the floor.

"I knew something was off. . . and now you're going to pay for betraying me."

Pacifica let out barely audible, muffled cries that were impossible to decipher.

Gideon glared into the fire. A smirk formed on his face. He took a piece of paper from the table and dipped it into the flames. He held it up to his face, illuminating his sunken cheeks before letting it slip through his fingers.

Wendy watched as the burning paper slowly drifted to the floor. It fell near a leaf that was attached to a vine that connected Pacifica to Wendy's cage. The leaf shriveled up, then the center of the vine began to glow a deep red like a fuse.

Gideon turned on his heel, snatched the journal from the table and walked out of the room. Once he got to the door, he nodded at one of the bakru. The creature blinked and responded with a stiff nod. It motioned towards the other bakru.

Once the door was shut, the creatures pressed themselves against it and began to spread themselves across the wall until the cracks of the door were no longer visible. Now the only light source came from the fireplace.

The overwhelming scent of smoke filled Wendy's nostrils, then filled her lungs. She coughed until she felt her throat burn. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She let her head drop in defeat.

Her heartbeat began to slow down to a steady pace when her ears picked up on sounds coming from outside. The sound of marching and yelling.

A small, yet mighty voice stood out from the rest. A voice that called, "don't worry, Wendy! We're going to get you out of here!"