The Fairy-Tale Detectives Page 14

  “We were told that there is war planning going on in here,” King Arthur said.

  “Not at all,” the Scarecrow said, but he was ignored.

  “We demand to participate!” Robin Hood shouted.

  Henry pushed his way into the crowded room. “What is this about?” Henry demanded.

  “You have placed the fate of this army in the hands of little girls!” Sir Lancelot roared. “Now we’re told they’re in this room plotting strategy.”

  “It’s madness!” Little John said.

  “What can children know about planning a battle?” Sir Kay asked.

  “Send them away and we’ll take over,” King Arthur said.

  The guardians of the mirrors appeared. Arden, the beauty with deer antlers, shook her head. “These little girls will save the world, gentlemen. It is prophecy.”

  King Arthur’s face turned beet red. “This is no game, witch! We know what the Master is capable of, and no mere child is going to lead the charge against him and his Hand.”

  “Arthur, you’re not needed in here,” Henry said.

  “Your family is filled with insolent whelps,” Arthur said. “You all believe you know better. You all think you’re so wise. Well, look around you, Henry. How are your big ideas working out for you now?”

  Henry stepped up to Arthur until they were nearly nose to nose. “I said go.”

  “Dad, let them stay,” Sabrina said. “Let them all stay. He’s right. We don’t know what we’re doing. If anyone in the camp has experience in combat, I need to know about it. I think Arthur and Robin and their men could be a big help.”

  “Then there is an ounce of sense in this family after all,” Arthur said, then turned to the mirrors. “I need to see maps of the town!”

  His request magically materialized.

  “Whatever you were planning on doing, forget it. It’s obvious what you should do. We need to attack in the very center of town with something big and shocking. When the rest of Hand’s goons hear about it, they will come running. When they do, we’ll be ready for them. We’ll surround the town, cram them all into a small space, and pick them off one by one. Henry, take your girls. Robin and our men will let you know when the details of the plan are ready to be announced.”

  Sabrina, Daphne, and Henry left the Scarecrow behind and stepped into the Hall of Wonders. Outside the door they found Pinocchio sitting with his back to the wall.

  “They’re crazy,” Pinocchio said. “Their plan is pure drivel. I’ve heard better plans for going to the bathroom.”

  “And you can do better?” Sabrina said.

  “Of course I can,” Pinocchio said. “Anyone who has ever read a book of military history can tell you it’s better to stay hidden and in small groups. You should surprise them and capture them one by one. It’s very similar to the strategy of General Marion during the American Revolutionary War. They called him the Swamp Fox because his soldiers attacked from within the swamps of South Carolina, then sank back—”

  “And we should trust that you have our best interests at heart because . . . ?” Sabrina said.

  Pinocchio’s face turned red, but instead of lashing out he got to his feet. “Well, I tried,” he said, then walked toward the portal.

  Sabrina felt a little guilty for her attitude, but at the same time, could she really trust Pinocchio? His past was a distraction she didn’t need. Besides, Arthur and Robin Hood were leaders. They knew better than a couple of little kids. Just having them in discussing the plan gave her a sense of security. No, she was right. The army needed the smartest people devising the best plans.

  She and her sister went back to their room in the castle to wait. The discussion went through the night and into the morning, but Sabrina was too anxious to sleep. Instead, she paced the room while Elvis watched from beneath a blanket on the bed he shared with Daphne. The Scarecrow came to them in the morning and led them back to the mirror room, where they were told that Robin Hood’s plan was considered the best of several approaches. She didn’t understand most of it, but she didn’t have to. She had no physical role in the actual battle. All she had to do was put her stamp of approval on it and the men would take care of the rest.

  After breakfast she gathered her army and announced that on that very night they would engage the Scarlet Hand in the middle of the town square. Then she turned over the conversation to King Arthur, who explained the plan in finer detail. Sabrina marveled at his command of the crowd. Like Charming, he had a natural charisma that made people want to follow him. She saw the same thing in Robin Hood and felt herself lucky to have two experienced people helping her with her destiny.

  When Arthur finished, Sabrina asked everyone to get as much rest as they could, but that at dinnertime they should meet in the yard with whatever weapons they had. She watched the crowd disperse—some faces filled with eagerness, and others with dread. And then there was only Puck, who stood staring at her, arms crossed, with a face full of disgust.

  “What?”

  Puck rolled his eyes. “Would you let me know exactly when it’s my time to come and rescue you from this fight so that I can be ready?”

  Sabrina threw her hands up in the air. “What is it with you?”

  Puck’s wings popped out of his backs and fluttered like a hummingbird’s. “Never mind,” he said, lifting off the ground.

  Sabrina was tired of Puck’s attitude. She wanted an explanation. She jumped in the air just as he was about to fly away and snatched him by the pant leg.

  “Let me go, bubble head,” he demanded.

  “Not until you tell me why you’re so moody,” she said.

  Puck tried to shake her off, but he couldn’t. “Let me go!”

  “Not a chance, bug boy,” Sabrina said, and then she was rocketing into the sky, hanging on with all her might. “Puck! Put us down!”

  “You had your chance, loser,” the boy said as they sailed over the castle and out into the woods, skimming the tops of trees.

  “Puck! I was up all night. I’m too tired to hold on,” Sabrina cried. Her arms felt like rubber bands stretching to the point of snapping. She looked down. Too far. She would never survive the fall.

  “Wah! Wah! Wah!!!! Help me! Save me!” Puck mocked.

  “Puck, please put me down,” Sabrina said. Her lack of sleep and the surge of panic was causing black spots to appear in front of her eyes.

  “Poor Donkeyface can never do anything for herself,” Puck said.

  And then her aching fingers gave way and she fell. The air whipped through her hair and she saw the tops of trees pass her, and then a limb smashed into her leg. She opened her mouth to cry out, but the wind stole the sound. She was sure the next thing that slammed into her would be the ground, but then something had her—something warm and soft and strong. She looked up just as Puck set her on the ground. He looked angry.

  “Don’t you ever do that again!”

  “I told you I was too tired to hold on,” Sabrina said.

  “Well—then—stop being too tired to hold on,” Puck said.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I could ask you the very same question,” Puck said. “In fact, I will. What’s wrong with you?”

  Sabrina sighed. She didn’t have the energy to fight with Puck. She needed to get to bed. “Puck, just tell me. I’m exhausted.”

  “What’s wrong is how you just gave up,” Puck said.

  “Huh?”

  “Every time I think you’re going to stop being pathetic you just throw in the towel and surrender,” he said.

  “Sorry to be such a disappointment,” she replied as she dusted herself off. She looked around the woods, unsure of where she was or which direction to walk.

  “Ever since you came crawling into my life you have done nothing but complain about your lack of control! ‘No one listens to me. No one pays attention. Everyone treats me like a child. Boo-hoo-hoo!’ Well, of course they treat you like a kid, because every time you get a chance to grow u
p, you choke.”

  “Look who’s talking!”

  “I’m a trickster! I’m supposed to act like a child. It’s in my blood! You, on the other hand, don’t want to grow up because you enjoy having everyone look after you.”

  Sabrina wasn’t too tired to be angry. She picked a direction and stomped away from the boy fairy without a word. He followed close behind.

  “Look at what’s happened since you came to town. You’ve come face-to-face with every kind of monster there is and—”

  “And I’ve lived to tell the tale!” she shouted.

  “Because someone else had to save you, Sabrina. It’s been me, or Canis, or your grandmother, or your uncle. But now, when you’ve got the chance to actually take control, you hand it over to those nutters Arthur and Hood!”

  “I know you can’t possibly understand this with that tiny pea brain of yours, but we’re in the middle of a war and I need help from people who know what they’re doing. I can’t run around using your ‘fake it until you make it’ approach. People will die.”

  Puck leaped over her and landed in her path. “I’m sorry, but you were at the whole mirrors speaking prophecy thing, right? They said that you would lead this army. Not the king. Not the thief. You! Hey, I don’t like it any better than you do, but the mirrors see the future and they say you’re the star of this show.”

  “I don’t know what I’m doing!” Sabrina said.

  “When it comes to saving the world, no one knows what they’re doing,” Puck said. “But they don’t pass it off onto someone else when it’s their responsibility. The old lady is out there in those woods, and you are going to place her life in the hands of people who don’t care about her? Sabrina, it is supposed to be you. If it wasn’t, the mirrors would have said so.”

  Sabrina pushed past him and kept on walking toward where she thought the castle must be. “Well, I know one thing I don’t need help doing. Telling you to go jump in the river.”

  “The old lady would expect more from you!” he shouted after her.

  ctober 20

  So the army leaves for the first attack tonight. The plan is fairly simple. The soldiers are going to encircle the town. When they’re in place, Robin Hood will command Baba Yaga’s chicken house to run toward town square. The noise and shock of seeing that house will get the attention of the Master’s thugs, who will run to it, and as they do, my army will surround and capture them. My father has demanded that no lives are taken. I’m just hoping that’s possible. Everyone who is taken prisoner will be tied up with the help of Mallobarb and Buzzflower and then brought back here to be locked in the Hall of Wonders.

  Mr. Canis was preparing to go until Robin Hood told him to stay behind. He’s not happy. I just don’t know what to tell him. I know he wants to help, but I don’t want him to get killed, either. Red and Wendell are sticking around as well.

  As I write this I’m sitting in the courtyard watching the preparations. I’m super-worried about this plan. Pinocchio’s words still ring in my ears, as do Puck’s. I don’t know what to do and because I don’t know, I think that putting the decision in more experienced hands is the right thing to do. My family and I are going to watch it unfold in the mirror room. I just hope that all these people—who have become my friends—return here when the battle is over.

  Baba Yaga’s house arrived in the town square as planned, and as predicted, word spread fast. The Hand raced to confront it, shelling it with rocks, sticks, clubs, and magic. Sabrina and her family cheered as they watched through the mirrors. They saw Baba Yaga and the Wicked Queen sweep away dozens with the magical assaults, they saw Robin Hood’s men rain arrows down from atop buildings, they saw the Pied Piper and Beauty lull beasties away from the fight and watched Goldi command her bears to stomp through approaching villains. Even Puck transformed into an African elephant and used his pearly tusks to swat aside anyone foolish enough to charge him. For a brief moment it appeared that Arthur and Robin’s plan was going to work, but then a flood of red-handprinted Everafters swept into Main Street like a deadly tsunami, destroying everything in its path. There were too many trolls and goblins and ghouls. There were too many knights and princes and witches. There must have been nearly three thousand members of Mirror’s army, and when her own feeble forces attacked, they were quickly overrun. Within minutes Sabrina’s entire army had scattered with members of the Hand chasing them down.

  And people died. Sir Kay was struck with a hammer wielded by an enormous piglike creature wearing studded armor. Mallobarb was brought down by an arrow. Tik-Tok was chased through the streets until his key unwound. He fell over and a mob stomped and smashed him until there was nothing left but springs and sprockets.

  Veronica took Daphne, Basil, Red, and Wendell out of the room. Mr. Canis stood trembling as he watched the nightmare unfold. He placed a reassuring hand on Sabrina’s shoulder as if to tell her it wasn’t her fault, but she shook it off. This was her fault.

  “I should prepare the infirmary for injuries,” Nurse Sprat said, then shuffled out of the room. Gepetto offered his help and followed her through the door. Henry gave Sabrina a hug and told her he should probably help as well. Even Mr. Canis drifted away. That left Sabrina alone with her uncle Jake and Pinocchio.

  “They intimidated you,” Pinocchio said. “They knew you were unsure of what to do, and they took advantage of you. You can’t let them steamroll you again.”

  “Again?” Sabrina said. “There won’t be an ‘again.’ You saw what happened. We can’t win this.”

  “Maybe not, but I’ll tell you one thing,” the little boy said on his way to the door. “You’re not going to do it marching into town.”

  Sabrina turned to her uncle. “Any advice?”

  “I wish I had some for you, ’Brina. This was a disaster, and I think we can forget about any more new recruits now. I have to find another way to get—” Uncle Jake stopped himself.

  “What are you trying to do?” Sabrina asked, suspicious of Jake’s sudden silence.

  Uncle Jake shook his head. “I’m just tired. I should go help prepare.”

  When he was gone, Sabrina watched the chaos for a while longer. In the crowd she saw Chicken Little talking with a troll. She could have spit. He was a traitor. He must have warned the Hand about the attack.

  The images of town in the mirrors dissolved and the guardians within reappeared. They watched her with pitying eyes, even the more unfriendly ones.

  “Why?”

  The mirrors lifted their eyes to her. “Excuse me?” the fish-faced guardian gurgled. His name was Namoren, and the inside of his mirror was an undersea kingdom.

  “Why am I the only one who can lead this army?” she asked.

  “It’s impossible to explain,” Namoren said.

  “There are so many variables,” Donovan said.

  “Did you know this would happen?” Sabrina said. “Did you know people would die?”

  “Child, you are trying to save the world. Of course some will die,” Titan said.

  Sabrina fell to her knees and sobbed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Oh, Sabrina, we’re sorry, but that is forbidden,” Harry said from within his Hotel of Wonders. “We can only tell you the future, not how you get there.”

  Sabrina leaped up and lunged at Harry. “You have to tell me what to do!” The guardian disappeared.

  She ran to Namoren and shook his frame. “You have to give me something to work with!”

  She pounded on Arden’s frame. “People are dying. What do I do?”

  “What you have always done,” Reggie said.

  And then the faces faded and she saw something she did not expect: herself. Each of the twenty-four mirrors showed different moments in her life. In one mirror, she was helping Daphne out of the second-floor bedroom window of Granny’s house and leaping to the ground. In another, she was locking Mrs. Robinson in the closet so that they could escape her foster home. She saw herself racing through subterranean tunnels hu
nting for her family with nothing but a shovel and a broken arm. She saw herself accidentally kill a giant. She saw herself snatching on to Oz’s hot-air balloon as it dragged her off the observation deck of the Empire State Building. She saw herself helping everyone break Mr. Canis out of the town jail, destroying the bank with the Horn of the North Wind, fooling the Headless Horseman with his own head, sneaking past Ichabod Crane as they tried to free Jack the Giant Killer, kicking Mr. Hamstead in the shins, then escaping into a cornfield, and shoving Puck into a swimming pool. She even saw herself tiptoeing past Ms. Smirt’s office at the orphanage.

  “Why are you showing me this?” Sabrina demanded.

  “THIS IS THE GIRL THAT SAVES THE WORLD,” the mirrors answered as one. “SABRINA GRIMM, QUEEN OF THE—”

  “Sneaks,” she said, finishing their sentence. “You’re saying this is what makes me special? Being sneaky is what will help me save my grandmother and stop Mirror?”

  The faces returned and Sabrina locked eyes with Reggie, who was smiling from ear to ear. “We’re not allowed to say, but if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on ‘yes.’”

  “In your life you’ve mastered the great art of deception—the ability to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes,” Titan added. “Yours is the ability to make a person regret taking you for granted: the ability to do the unexpected—to take your opponents by surprise. You’ve used it a million times to keep your sister safe. That is the gift that sets you apart from others.”

  Sabrina wiped hot tears on her shirt and blinked at the mirrors.

  “And your heart,” Fanny said. “You don’t let a lot of people visit it, but once they are inside, you love them with all that you are. Those two things are what will win this war and rescue your grandmother.”

  “It’s time to get your mojo back, sister,” Donovan said.

  • • •

  When the wounded were taken care of, Sabrina brought shovels to Robin Hood and King Arthur. They attempted to bury the fallen near Seven’s and Briar’s graves, but she told them it was better to bury them outside the castle walls. They argued, but she promised them it would make sense in time. When they continued, she turned her back and walked away. She wasn’t going to let them bully her any longer. So as the sun’s orange glow lit the horizon, Sabrina’s army said good-bye to the brave and fallen: Mallobarb, Tik-Tok, Sir Kay, Sir Gawain, the Silver Pigeon, and Will Scarlet. When they left the grave sites and assembled in the castle yard, Sabrina called for their attention. She had spent hours planning what she would say, but when she saw their exhausted faces, she hesitated. What Sabrina was about to tell them might push them over the edge. But she knew she was right.