The Everafter War (16 page)

“She nearly kills me every time she looks at me.” Puck snickered as he strolled into the cabin. He looked as if he had been playing in a toxic waste dump; he was dirtier than Sabrina had ever seen him and was grinning from ear to ear. “What’s going on here?”

Henry ignored him. “These are my children, Mom.”

“Hello?” Veronica interrupted.

Henry scowled. “They are not sidekicks. Not personal flying carpet chauffeurs. They are not junior detectives or monster-fighters in training. They are little girls.”

“Little girls?” the girls said at once.

Henry ignored them, too. “If anyone tries to involve them in another stupid scheme, any of you, I will personally wring your neck,” Henry shouted.

Just then, Uncle Jake entered the cabin. He looked at the group but said nothing as he sat in a chair by the window. He was followed by Mr. Canis, who, much to the shock of Sabrina and Daphne, was accompanied by Little Red Riding Hood.

Granny stepped into the center of the room. “I’m glad you are all here. We need to have a family meeting.”

“Since when do we have family meetings?” Sabrina said.

“Since now,” Granny said.

Red turned to leave.

“Where are you going,
liebling
?” Granny asked.

“I’m not a member of your family,” Red said.

“Yes, you are,” Granny replied.

Red smiled and rejoined the group. “What does
liebling
mean?” she asked Sabrina.

“It’s German for
sweetheart
,” she said.

Red’s smile was so big it looked as if her face might not contain it.

“Mr. Canis?” Granny said, gesturing to the old man.

“Thank you, Relda. We have been through a terrible tragedy, but there are other pressing matters that must be considered. First, as you all know, Red and I share some memory loss. Fueled by recent events, Red has found the courage to work with me in restoring some of those memories. I believe, with the proper meditation techniques, she may be able to lead us to the Master.”

Sabrina studied the little girl. She looked like a nervous wreck, but Sabrina was proud of her. She wasn’t sure she would have had the courage to trust a man that terrified her in order to help the rest of her community.

“That sounds like good news,” Granny said.

“Red will let you know if she uncovers anything useful. Unfortunately, there is bad news as well. Mr. Boarman and Mr. Swineheart have uncovered some acts of sabotage around the camp.”

“Sabotage!” Granny said.

“What does
sabotage
mean?” Daphne asked.

“It’s when someone intentionally tries to ruin a plan or destroy something that’s important.”

“Are you sure, Canis?” Uncle Jake said.

Canis nodded. “The pigs have found several important parts of the main gate stolen. The roof of the medical tent was tampered with and there was some sort of effort to destroy the camp’s well. Boarman and Swineheart assure me that these are not mere accidents or acts of poor workmanship. Someone in our community is intentionally trying to make things difficult.”

“Any suspects?” Veronica asked.

Everyone turned their eyes to Puck, who was making disgusting faces in the mirror leaning against the wall. He looked at them and grinned. “You guys just made my day, but it isn’t me.”

“Do you think it might be someone from this Scarlet Hand group?” Henry asked.

Canis nodded. “I suspect we have a spy in our midst. They must have entered with the refugees. Unfortunately, we don’t have any clues to their identity. Charming, the pigs, and I are the only ones who know about the sabotage and we ask that you keep it to yourselves. Knowledge of a spy in the community could hurt the morale of everyone and start a panic.” Canis paused and looked to Granny. “Lastly, I come to you with a request.”

“What kind of request?” Henry said suspiciously.

Granny interrupted. “I’ll take it from here, old friend. Henry, Jacob, Veronica, Sabrina, Daphne, Puck, Mr. Canis, and Red—you are my family. Whether you are of my blood or invited to my family, you are a Grimm.”

Elvis whined.

“And of course, you as well, Elvis,” Granny said, scratching the big dog behind the ears. “And being Grimms, we have certain responsibilities. Our role in this community has been to document what we see, investigate any unusual crimes, and act as peacekeepers when possible.”

“What’s this got to do with anything?” Uncle Jake said.

“As you know, the Everafters are building an army. They plan on confronting the Master and the Scarlet Hand, despite my pleas for them to reconsider. It appears that peace is not a possibility.”

Mr. Canis nodded in agreement.

“So, Mr. Canis and Prince Charming have asked us to join their efforts.”

Sabrina looked over at her father. She could already tell he was angry, but he stayed silent.

“Join their efforts?” Veronica asked. “They want us to join their army?”

“No,” Mr. Canis said. “As much as we need recruits, you’re human, and far too fragile.”

“Then how can we help?” Daphne asked.

“By opening up some of the rooms in the Hall of Wonders to Charming’s army,” Granny explained.

Henry nearly exploded. “You want to open up the Hall of Wonders to Prince Charming—our family’s bitterest enemy?”

“The prince is not the man you remember,” Mr. Canis said.

“Am I really hearing you say this? You and Charming—best buddies!” Henry scoffed.

“I would not count him as a friend, but he has earned my respect and my trust. He is not being deceitful when he says the Scarlet Hand is on the march. They won’t be stopped until this town is ash and I won’t sit idly by. I may not have the senses of the Wolf any longer, but I still smell war in the air. We come to your family because we are outnumbered. The Hand counts amongst its number the most ferocious of us, the most powerful, and the most bloodthirsty. If you won’t help us we have little chance of defending Ferryport Landing, let alone saving our lives.”

“They only require a few items from select rooms,” Granny said.

“Give it to them,” Uncle Jake said.

“Now, Jacob, don’t you want to know what they want?” Granny asked.

“No. Give it to them,” he said. “Whatever they want.”

“We’ve taken the liberty of making a list,” Mr. Canis said in the awkward silence. The old man pulled out a sheet of paper. Sabrina’s father snatched it.

“Thirty trained unicorns!”

“We have unicorns?” Daphne asked, amazed. “No one told me we had unicorns. You do know that I’m seven years old, right? Unicorns are everything to me.”

Henry ignored her. “Two dozen Pegasus horses, the shoes of swiftness, Excalibur, the Wicked Witch’s flying broom, and Aladdin’s flying carpet.”

“Plus as many fairy godmother wands as you can spare,” Mr. Canis said. “As well as the horn of the North Wind.”

“Absolutely not!” Henry said. “The only reason this town doesn’t destroy itself is because this stuff is not in the hands of Everafters. Who’s to say that once we turn this over to Charming he won’t use it to kill us all?”

“I’m to say,” Mr. Canis said, tapping his cane on the floor angrily. “Do you believe I would allow harm to come to your family?”

Henry shook his head feebly.

“This request is an enormous departure from our family’s traditional role,” Granny Relda said. “So I present it to you for a vote. I believe Jacob has cast his vote, so I turn to Daphne.”

Daphne held her hand out to her grandmother. Granny seemed to understand what she wanted and reached into her handbag. She removed a small velvet bag with the words “The North Wind” embroidered on it and handed it to the little girl. Daphne opened it and took out a small silver kazoo. Though it looked like a toy, Sabrina knew its destructive nature. The Big Bad Wolf had used it to huff and puff his way into mayhem. Sabrina herself had accidentally destroyed a bank with one simple note. She wished that the army hadn’t asked for it—it was the most powerful magical item she had ever come across and if it fell into the wrong hands it could be a catastrophe. Daphne, however, readily handed it to Canis, who tucked it into his suit jacket and thanked the little girl. “You have my vote,” she said.

Granny turned to Red. “And you?”

Red seemed overwhelmed. A happy tear appeared in the corner of her eye and then streaked down her face. She nodded, another vote for the cause.

“Puck?”

The fairy boy flashed Sabrina a nasty look, then shrugged. “Whatever. Why should I care? Do what you want.”

Granny frowned at his bad attitude but moved along. “Which brings us to Veronica.”

Veronica looked at Henry then back at the rest of the group. “I say empty the whole hall out. The Master kidnapped Henry and me. He’s responsible for my daughters living in an orphanage. He stole two years of my life. Open every door, Relda.”

Henry scowled. When the old woman turned to him he was furious. “You know my vote. Dad would say we were crazy for even talking about this. Releasing magic into this town is why he’s dead.”

Uncle Jake stared out the window.

“But it doesn’t matter what my vote is,” Henry said. “The majority has already spoken.”

“Hank, your concerns are noted,” Canis said. “But your involvement in our training would help to ensure your fears never come true. You have considerable talents. You were, after all, trained by Basil Grimm. You could—”

“This is not my war, Canis,” Henry snapped.

Granny nodded. “Sabrina?”

Sabrina wanted to say no. She had seen the kind of havoc magic could produce. She had gotten so caught up in the powers of enchanted objects that she now had what amounted to an addiction to it. What if the same thing happened to one of the soldiers, or worse, the entire regiment? But there was a flicker of hope in Daphne’s eyes that Sabrina believed meant that the little girl’s forgiveness might be attainable if she voted in favor of the proposal. And if she was to say no, would she be betraying her uncle or would saying yes be betraying her father?

“Sabrina, what do you say?” Granny asked again.

“Open the doors,” Sabrina said.

Daphne looked at Sabrina as if she had never seen her before in her life. It wasn’t total forgiveness, but it wasn’t the glare she’d been sporting for days.

Henry, however, scowled and stormed out of the cabin.

Granny frowned but did not chase after him. “Then it’s decided, Mr. Canis. Tell Charming he can have what’s on the list. I hope it helps.”

“I pray so as well,” Canis said.

“OK, let’s get to work.”

“Did you say ‘army’?” Mirror asked as he studied the list.

Granny nodded. A team of thirty or so soldiers along with Veronica, Sabrina, and Daphne stood behind her. The soldiers were a mixed lot—mostly Arthurian knights and Merry Men. Morgan le Fay was there, as was Puss in Boots and the Scarecrow. There were a few fairies that Sabrina had never met, each more obnoxious than the last, and a rather smelly banshee. All of the visitors were completely bewildered when they stepped through the back door in the Hotel of Wonders into the Hall of Wonders. Even Charming, whose own magic mirror was nothing short of incredible, was struck speechless.

“I had no idea,” Mr. Seven said as he marveled at the enormous hall.

“Yes, you never really get used to this place,” Snow said, though she had spent many evenings in the hall training the girls in martial arts.

“The Wicked Queen described this mirror as a botched first attempt,” Charming said, referring to the woman who created all the magic mirrors and their guardians.

“A
botched first attempt
?” Mirror cried.

Charming ignored Mirror. “I was expecting something much less grand.” He marched around the Hall of Wonders directing the recruits as they set up tents and unrolled sleeping bags. “We’ll be able to train them right here. We could store the entire infantry in here, as well as the weapons.”

“Relda, am I missing something?” Mirror asked.

Granny handed Mirror her massive key ring. “My family and I have agreed to aid Prince Charming’s army with supplies and training. The list will tell you what they need.”

Mirror looked incredulous. “I’m not a young mirror, Relda, but my memory is fine. No Grimm has ever gotten directly involved in the Everafter community in this manner. I must protest.”

“Tut-tut,” Charming said, stepping up to Mirror. The prince towered over Mirror. “No one cares about your opinion. You are a servant. Hurry along and get those doors opened.”

“Mr. Charming!” Daphne cried.

“He’s not a servant. He’s our friend,” Sabrina said.

“Child, this ‘friend’ of yours is not even real. He’s nothing more than a security system designed to look after this hall and to obey your every command. He only has a personality to make dealing with him pleasant. His stubbornness, however, is obviously a malfunction, one we should have his manufacturer take a look at right away. He’s wasting valuable time. My troops need to train.”

“Billy Charming, you’re forgetting your manners,” Snow White said as she stepped between the two men. “Mirror is a big part of this family and he is well respected. I know firsthand that he’s a sweetheart.” She turned to face Mirror. “Now, I can explain more in detail what our plans are but for now let’s just say we’re outnumbered and don’t have the magical firepower to put up a good fight against the Master and the Scarlet Hand. You can help us balance the scales.”