"How did a chicken get in here?" asked one of the rebels. The brownish-red hen in the hallway, what Jasper had turned into, let out a squawk. She ran past them as fast as her little chicken legs would let her. The rebels, not worried about chickens that managed to sneak into the palace from somewhere, didn't bother to chase her.
Jasper panted as she hurried through the halls. A chicken, of all things? And a hen no less? She knew what hens did. They laid eggs. She shuddered at the thought and decided to focus on getting away.
The amulet had become a small charm attached to one of her legs, so she could in theory use it. But she wasn't sure whether clucking would trigger the amulet's spell or not. She reminded herself that she needed to focus on leaving. Once she was in a relatively safe location, then she could figure out using the amulet.
Finally, Jasper spotted the workers' entrance she had been searching for. The official entrances would be flooded, but this one should have fewer people. She was right. It was empty. And the door was open.
She found a reserve of energy and sped up even more, desperate to get out. But then...