“Well, that was a good first day,” Snow said, taking the bo-staffs. “I’ll see you back here at five.”
Sabrina groaned. “Five!”
But Snow walked away.
“We still need to find the book,” Daphne said.
“I need to be taken to a hospital,” Sabrina said, wincing at her bruises and strained muscles.
Suddenly, Puck stepped forward with three wooden swords in hand.
“What’s this about?” Daphne asked.
“I’m your next teacher. You can call me Mr. Puck,” he said, handing the sisters each a sword. “I’m going to teach you the art of swordsmanship—or in other words, how to totally kill someone with a sharp, pointy thing.”
Sabrina’s arms were so sore she could barely lift the weapon. Daphne was struggling as well.
“We’re too tired,” Sabrina said.
“And too beat up,” Daphne added.
Puck didn’t listen. He launched into an attack and the girls were forced to defend themselves. For ten minutes Sabrina managed to fight him off, but not before he used his wooden sword to smack her in her head, poke her in the belly, and crack her across the shins. It didn’t help that the sword, though wooden, felt as if it were cast from iron and attached to barbells. Snow’s workout had taken nearly all of her strength. She fell to her knees and surrendered.
“Get up,” Puck said as he stood over her.
“Puck, we’re tired,” Daphne cried.
“Get on your feet,” he demanded.
“What are you doing?” Sabrina said as she tried to fill her exhausted lungs. She was surprised by his attitude. She had never seen him so serious—so—so mean. Where was the dancing boy from the night before? Where was the Puck who she wanted to kiss?
“I’m teaching you to fight,” he said. “Pick up your sword!”
She stared up into his eyes, hoping he could see her hurt, but they were cold.
Sabrina looked to the crowd. They looked back at her like she was a turtle who had flipped over on its back and could not right itself. She could hardly blame them. She wouldn’t want her own life put in the hands of children, especially ones as abysmally normal as Daphne and her. She wanted to stomp over to them and shout that she had not chosen this path for herself. She wanted them to know that she wasn’t any happier about it than they were. She wanted to scream that it wasn’t fair.
“You have this camp’s attention,” Puck said. “They need to see that you can be pushed and fight back. They want to see that when things get hard you aren’t going to lie on the ground and whine. You failed them today.” Puck stormed off. “The party and the dancing are over, Grimms. It’s time to get serious.”
“Who is he to talk about getting serious?” Daphne grumbled as the girls watched him walk away.
Henry and Veronica approached. They helped Sabrina to her feet.
“Girls, this isn’t working.” Henry sighed. “We don’t have time to train you properly. We have to do something else.”
“Your father and I have an idea,” Veronica said.
• • •
Sabrina asked Red to spread the word that she and her sister wanted to speak to the army, and soon everyone returned to the yard. She stood before them all, painfully nervous. She had no idea how her parents’ idea would be received and she wasn’t sure she would do a good job convincing everyone to give it a try, but she was relieved that someone—anyone—was taking charge.
“I hope everyone had a good time last night,” she said to the crowd, “but now we have to get back to our plans of stopping Mirror. We’re a small group—too small to be much of a problem for him. I think I know how to change that. But before I explain, I asked the Widow to fly down to the town and report back on what she saw.”
The Widow flapped up onto Mr. Canis’s shoulder. “It’s a horror show. I can’t put it any prettier than that. If you owned a business down there, you might want to go ahead and fill out that insurance claim. The streets are a disaster, almost unrecognizable. And it’s overrun with the Hand, who are using it as their own personal playground. I saw two trolls tossing cars around like they were in a snowball fight. There are tons of Everafters looting and destroying things just for the fun of it. All of them have that creepy red hand painted on their chests. And then there’s Relda—I mean, Mirror. He . . . she . . . wow, this is confusing. Let’s just say the bad guy is camped out in the old police station, and she looks worse than I’ve ever seen her. He’s got members of the Hand running in and out of the place. He’s ordering everyone to cause as much chaos as possible. Plus, there’s this red-haired lunatic who seems to be Mirror’s right-hand man.”
“Red-haired lunatic?” Charming asked. “Is this someone new?”
“I’ve never seen him before, but he’s got a sword as big as a boat oar.”
Sabrina cringed. The red-haired man had to be Atticus. She looked to the Wicked Queen, who was cringing as well. Apparently, the witch had not yet told her daughter or her daughter’s boyfriend anything about their past, or the wicked man who haunted it. Bunny exchanged a knowing look with Sabrina, then cast her eyes to the ground. Sabrina turned to Morgan and then Baba Yaga, who hovered at the back of the crowd. Neither one of them were going to say anything, either. The bonds of the coven were deep.
“How many members of the Hand do you think you saw, Widow?” Sabrina asked.
“Probably close to two thousand.”
“Two thousand!” the Pied Piper cried.
“We’ll be slaughtered!” Beauty said.
The crowd broke into panicked chatter. Sabrina was sure she had lost them, but she continued, urged on by her parents’ confident smiles. “It does sound like a lot. That’s why they’re going to be super-surprised when we beat them. And that’s where my parents’ . . . where my idea comes into play. It couldn’t hurt to have a few more people on our side.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Buzzflower demanded.
“We’re going to ask them to join us,” Sabrina said.
“That’s insane! The Hand is full of murderous lunatics,” Nurse Sprat said.
Henry waved the argument away like a pesky fly and then stepped over to his daughter. “Yes, that’s true, but it’s also full of people who are afraid, desperate, and manipulated. I believe that many of the Hand are just people who turned to the Master for the sake of survival. They don’t see an alternative. We can provide them a way out. We can take them in, protect them, and in turn, they’ll join our fight. I believe most will jump at the chance.”
“That’s a very big risk,” Goldi said.
Henry nudged his daughter and she continued her speech. “We’re going to give them a big dose of the truth. The Master lied to them. He told them they would take over the world together, but once he got his chance he turned his back on them and tried to escape the town alone. I’m betting they don’t know that, and I think the news will make them pretty angry.”
“I don’t think you can get them to listen to reason,” Swineheart said.
“That’s where my mother comes in. My mom can make anyone listen,” Sabrina said. “She managed to win the peace with King Oberon and Queen Titania back in the city, and those two were impossible. If there is anyone who can convince members of the Hand that they should join us, it’s her.”
“Except one thing!” Beauty said. “There are Everafters in the Hand that despise your family; more than a few would like to see you dead. Most won’t even consider what your mother says just because she’s a Grimm.”
“We won’t win them all,” Veronica said. “But we could win enough to make a difference. And maybe, once they see the rest of their crowd turning away from evil, the real diehards will realize their cause is hopeless.”
“It’s worth a try,” Gepetto said. “It might save a few lives.”
“And it might get us a proper army,” Mr. Canis said.
Beauty stepped forward. “I’m in. I got wrapped up in the Hand’s plans myself, once. I di
dn’t see another choice, but if someone had given me some hope—well, I’m sure I would have seized it. Besides, my husband and daughter are amongst those people, and I’m not ready to give up on them.”
Morgan le Fay nodded. “Glinda of Oz was one of my best friends when we worked for the mayor’s office. I know she doesn’t want this fight.”
“Then it’s settled,” Henry said. “I think it’s wise if we call for a meeting in the town square.”
The crowd gasped.
“Didn’t you just say the town square is a war zone?” Pinocchio said. “Are you intentionally trying to get us killed? Are you going to suggest we paint targets on our backs too?”
“Hush up, boy,” Gepetto demanded.
“We aren’t going in unprepared,” Henry said. “The Pied Piper will be on crowd control. Baba Yaga, Bunny, Mordred, and Morgan can handle magical attacks, and Buzzflower and Mallobarb can create diversions if we need to escape.”
“It’s a bold idea. I like it,” Charming said. “There are a few people in their crowd we can count on too. Robin Hood and his men as well as King Arthur and his knights have infiltrated the Hand and sent me information about their movements. When the time is right, they will fight for us, but my hopes are it will go well. I’d hate for them to be exposed as spies.”
“All those in favor?” Snow asked.
Sabrina glanced at the crowd. Every hand was raised except Pinocchio’s and, much to her surprise, Puck’s. He was standing in the back of the crowd, arms crossed, and looking at her disapprovingly. Was he still angry about the sword fighting?
“Then it’s settled,” Canis said. “We should send word immediately that—”
“I’ll have no part in your truce,” a voice said from the back of the crowd. Sabrina craned her neck and spotted her uncle.
“You cannot trust one of them. Not one,” he barked. “You will reach for their hands in friendship and they will stab you dead. This plan is a perfect opportunity for them to find this castle and overrun it. I will not help you.”
“Jake, they aren’t all like Heart and Nottingham,” Veronica said.
“Yes, they are!” he shouted angrily. “Charming, this is your castle, but it’s also Briar’s grave, and I will kill any member of the Hand that lays one toe in this camp.”
“Jake!” Henry said.
“I mean it. Not one step through those gates!” He stormed away.
Sabrina was worried how Jake’s outburst would affect the crowd, but it didn’t seem to change their minds. The crow was sent out to deliver the message. Tomorrow at noon the Scarlet Hand would be getting a visit from Sabrina Grimm’s army.
• • •
Much to the girls’ surprise, when they returned to their cabin for the night, Daphne found the Book of Everafter under the bed.
“You had me stressed out about nothing!” Sabrina said.
“I swear it wasn’t under there this morning,” Daphne said, hoisting the book up and eyeing it as if it were responsible for its own disappearance.
Sabrina crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her head. She was too tired for mysteries, especially mysteries that weren’t mysteries at all. “I think the only thing missing is a pair of glasses on your nose.”
She fell asleep without hearing Daphne’s reply. It had been a long day.
Sabrina woke up late at night to the sound of arguing. She sat up in bed and strained her ears. She recognized the voices ringing through the yard. Her father and her uncle were in the midst of a terrible fight.
Sabrina’s curiosity got the best of her. She crept to the site of Briar’s grave, where she knew they’d be. She hid behind a stack of chopped wood so she could listen without being seen.
“Jake, this is as good a plan as any,” her father said. “You can’t stand in the way. The girls’ lives are in jeopardy.”
“And whose fault is that?” Jake said. “Sending them into that hornet’s nest tomorrow is as good as aiming the arrows right at them.”
“Not everyone in the Scarlet Hand is bad,” Henry said. “It’s not fair to paint them all with the same brush. I know you’re hurting and I know you’re angry. I would be too, but you are slipping off the deep end, Jake. This is not what Briar would want for you.”
“Don’t tell me what Briar would have wanted for me!” Jake shouted.
“You have to find a way to get ahold of this anger.”
“Oh, trust me. I have a plan to deal with my anger.”
There was a long silence.
“What you’re planning could blow up in your face,” Henry said. “It could make things worse.”
“How could things get worse?”
“If you kill Nottingham and Heart right now, you will destroy any chance of the Hand turning against the Master. They already can’t trust us, and now you’re going to be a murderer. It will be like throwing a match on a stack of dynamite. People will get hurt. Jake, my wife and kids will be in the line of fire,” Henry said.
“Consider yourself warned,” Uncle Jake said dismissively.
And that’s when Henry punched his brother. Jake fell to the ground and lay there in the dust. Sabrina gasped, and hoped neither of them could hear. She had never seen her father so fierce and confrontational. So many people had told her that her dad was an impulsive and emotional kid, but she had never witnessed it. Here before her eyes was the Henry Grimm of so many stories.
“Since when do you talk with your fists, Henry?” Uncle Jake said.
“My girls adore you and you would put their lives in danger for your stupid revenge? Well, I won’t let it happen, Jake. I will not let them be hurt just because you are heartbroken. I’m sorry she’s gone, Jake. We’re all sorry, and you have a right to want revenge. But you don’t have a right to have it, and if you try I will hit you again. Stand up and find out if I don’t mean it,” Henry threatened.
“I’m fine where I am,” Jake said.
“What’s going on?” Goldi said as she rushed forward. Somehow she had not seen Sabrina.
“We’re fine,” Henry said as he calmed himself. He extended a hand, but Jake refused the offer.
“You weren’t there, Hank! They sent a dragon after her and it swatted her away like she was nothing. You didn’t hear the sound! You didn’t see her eyes!”
Henry sighed and kneeled next to his brother.
“I had a ring, Hank!” Jake continued.
Goldi knelt down beside them, but Sabrina’s father shook her off. “Goldi, this is family business. You should go.”
Goldi looked surprised. “But—”
“The three of us were a long time ago,” he barked.
Goldi fought her tears and rushed toward her cabin.
When she was gone, Henry turned back to his brother. “Jake, I have a lot on my plate. My son doesn’t know me. My girls are on the front line. Our mother is in big trouble. Our family needs to stick together. When all this is over, we can talk about Nottingham and Heart. We’ll get justice for Briar.”
Jake got to his feet. “There is no justice until those two are in the ground!”
“Grimms don’t murder people.”
Jake frowned.
“Grimms don’t murder people!” Henry repeated.
Henry tried to hug his brother, but Jake shook him off. He sank back into his chair and looked out over Briar’s grave. Henry watched him for a long moment until finally heading back toward his own cabin. Sabrina kept watching her uncle. He leaped from his chair, furious and raging, and punched the castle wall, splitting his knuckles so that blood dripped down his arm. He stared at the wound for a long time, as if it might hold some answers, but then he slumped against the wall and slid down to the ground. He buried his head in his hands and wept with abandon. Sabrina wanted to reach out to him—to find a way to take his heartbreak away—but she also knew that her uncle needed to cry. She slinked back to her cabin, where her sister and Elvis were sound asleep. She sat on the edge of the bed and cried for Jake.
 
; October 18
Uncle Jake is gone again. Red said she saw him walk across the drawbridge and into the woods. He had his bow and a quill full of arrows strapped to his back, and his pockets were full of daggers. Apparently, his argument with Dad did not change his mind. He’s determined to have his revenge.
Dad and Canis want to go after him, but Charming convinced them to give it up. He says Uncle Jake is on his own path now and we would only be delaying the inevitable.
It’s a problem we didn’t need today. There are a million things to worry about. We’re walking into an angry mob that wants everyone in my family dead. Even though it would ruin the plan, I’m kinda hoping that no one bothers to show up for the meeting. I would breathe a big sigh of relief if we found ourselves alone in the middle of the town square.
On a side note, Puck, who was bordering on being sweet just two days ago, has turned into a sour sack of socks. He’s not speaking to me or Daphne. If I wasn’t so tired I’d sit on his chest and demand an explanation. Boys are moody and stupid.
If someone were to ask Sabrina to list her virtues, patience would not be one of them. Waiting made her grouchy. She remembered one Christmas in particular. While waiting to sit on Santa’s lap she took a gander at the long line of kids in front of her. She was sure their lists were filled with silly wastes of time, but hers was something St. Nick would want to get started on right away. So she had to act. When her father’s grip on her hand loosened for a moment, she darted to the front of the line, stiff-armed an elf, and hopped into Santa’s lap. She shoved her wish list into his white-gloved hand just before security guards yanked her away. Her parents were horrified and dragged her from the store, but Sabrina didn’t care. Such an important list couldn’t wait.
So waiting for the Widow to return was painful. What made it worse was that there was no one to talk to. Her mother and father were too busy writing Veronica’s speech for the Scarlet Hand, and her sister was giving Elvis a much-needed bath, though it looked more like Elvis was giving the little girl a bath.