The Everafter War (25 page)

ir rushed past Sabrina’s ears and suddenly she felt her back tingling again. A moment later she was hanging upside down, inches from the ground. She looked up to find her savior, only to find that her hero wasn’t a person but a long, furry tail sticking out of the back of her pants. It was wrapped around a beam in the tower and kept her swinging there like a monkey.

Puck floated down to her, his wings flapping softly enough to allow him to hover.

“I bet you think this is hilarious. Look what you did to me with your stupid pranks. I have a tail!” she raged.

Puck’s face was trembling. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” Sabrina said blankly.

“I almost killed you. I’m sorry, Sabrina,” he said, rubbing his eyes on his filthy hoodie. He lifted her off the tower and set her on the ground.

“Since when do you care?” Sabrina said, still stunned by the boy’s apology.

Prince Charming and Snow White rushed to join them while doing their best to direct the troops. Charming looked around his fort bitterly. “We … we have to retreat.”

“Retreat? To where, Billy?” Snow asked. “We’re on the very edge of the town. We can’t retreat any farther than we already have.”

“Through the mirror,” Charming shouted. “Get everyone through my magic mirror.”

Snow White shouted to her troops to retreat. Her words brought Mr. Canis, Red Riding Hood, and Daphne to the growing group that soon included Elvis, Granny Relda, Henry, and Veronica.

“You heard the prince. Everyone into the mirror,” Henry said.

“But what about big and ugly?” Daphne said, pointing to the dragon that still blocked their path into the cabin. The crowd of knights still surrounded it, but their assault seemed more of an annoyance to the beast than an attack. It hissed at them and swatted back with its long spiky tail.

“There’s no way we’re getting past that,” Granny Relda said.

Puck’s wings appeared and soon he was hovering a few feet off the ground. “Does saving the day always have to fall on me?”

“I thought you weren’t the hero type,” Sabrina said.

“I’m not,” Puck groaned. “But the whole lot of you are constantly in jeopardy.”

“Which you tend to be the cause of,” Sabrina said.

“Beside the point!” Puck said.

“Puck, I forbid this,” Granny said.

Puck ignored her command. “Old lady, if I die I’d like you to do one small thing for me. I want you to build a one-hundred-acre museum dedicated to my memory. Bronze my clothing and possessions. Have at least three hundred marble statues erected of me in my most dashing poses. One of these statues should stand at least one hundred feet tall and greet ships as they float down the Hudson River. One of the fourteen wings of the museum should have an amusement park with the world’s fastest roller coaster inside. None of these rides should be equipped with safety devices. You can license some of the space to fast-food restaurants and ice-cream parlors but nothing should be healthy or nutritious. The gift shop should sell stuffed Puck dolls packed with broken glass and asbestos. There’s a more detailed list in my room.”

“Puck, no!” Sabrina cried. “You don’t have to do this!”

Puck rolled his eyes. “It appears I have to do a lot of things to keep you safe, ugly.” He flashed a quick smile.

Sabrina blushed and felt like everyone was suddenly watching. “What are you going to do against that monster?”

Puck took his little wooden sword from his waist. “I have this, Grimm. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed!” Daphne said angrily.

“Don’t disrespect the sword, marshmallow!” he said.

He darted toward the dragon and was soon jabbing at its ears with his weapon. The creature roared and he stuck it in the eye. It turned its massive body and exhaled a tiny blast of fire but Puck easily flew out of its path.

“Come and get me,” Puck taunted, and rocketed into the air. The angry dragon did just that, soaring upward after its tiny, annoying prey.

With the path clear the family rushed into the cabin. Once inside, they helped the elderly Everafters through the mirror and then the very young and the smaller animals. One by one the frightened people stepped through to safety. Geppetto broke away to approach the Grimms.

“Have you seen my boy?” Geppetto said.

“I think I saw him heading into the magic mirror,” Granny lied. “You should go look for him in the Hall of Wonders.”

Geppetto thanked her and disappeared through the reflection.

Granny sighed. “I couldn’t tell him the truth.”

“What is this t’ing that I hear outside?” Reggie said from his mirror. His dreadlocks shook nervously.

“Dragons have attacked the fort,” Sabrina explained.

“Dragons! You have to get me out of here, missy.”

Prince Charming rushed into the cabin with Snow at his side. “Ms. White! I won’t hear another word of this. Get through the portal, now.”

Snow stomped her foot. “Mr. Charming, as you may be aware, I am not seven years old. I can take care of myself.”

Charming threw up his hands in frustration. “Fine. This is a direct order from your commanding officer. Sergeant, you are to get through that portal at once. Prepare the Hall of Wonders for the refugees.”

“You won’t be housing them in your hotel?” Veronica asked.

“My hotel?! These mongrels would destroy the place. The sheets are five-hundred thread count,” he said.

Reggie looked bewildered and nervous. “Hey, my friend. The Princess Beauty lent me to you with the belief that you could keep me out of trouble. I’m fragile, you know.”

“Can I take a magic mirror into a magic mirror?” the prince asked.

Reggie shrugged.

Harry appeared in his mirror. He scratched his head. “The instructions that came with me say that to do so might tear a hole in the dimensional fabric of the universe. We could all implode into a million tiny pieces.”

“Has it ever been tried before?” Charming said impatiently.

“No, sir,” Harry said.

Charming took Reggie off the wall and shoved the mirror into Henry’s hands. “Hank, take Reggie inside when you go.”

Sabrina’s father tried to argue, but Charming had already bolted out of the cabin and back into the fray.

Sabrina could hear the popping and snapping of burning timber. From the irritated sensation in her nose and eyes it was clear the fort was burning. A steady stream of refugees flooded into the cabin and through the portal. Sabrina’s father and mother did their best to hurry them through as a bottleneck of panicked Everafters clogged the door to the cabin. One after another disappeared through the reflection until the only people left behind were King Arthur’s knights, a few brave princes, and most of the Merry Men.

“Where’s Jake?” Henry cried.

Ms. White stepped forward. “I saw him at Briar’s grave. He refuses to leave.”

Henry looked at his mother. Granny Relda was near tears. Then he dashed out of the cabin. Before anyone could stop her, Sabrina raced after him.

Amid firebombs exploding everywhere, they zigzagged across the courtyard. One explosion was so close it knocked Sabrina off her feet and rattled her brain. She staggered upright and resumed the chase. She found her father standing with her uncle over the grave.

“You have to come, Jake,” Henry said.

“I won’t leave her,” Uncle Jake cried.

“You have to. Do you want to join her?”

“Maybe I do, Hank. Maybe it’s time to stop running. That’s what we’re all good at, anyway. We all run away. The girls do it. You did it. I did it. Maybe it’s time to stay put.”

“Jake, this isn’t what she would want,” Henry said.

“What would you know about what she would want?” Jake asked. “You didn’t love her. You didn’t hold her in your arms and feel like you just got your happily ever after. You don’t know anything about her.”

“I knew her,” Sabrina shouted over the noise. “She would not want you to stay here and die. She was a fighter. She would want you to fight, too.”

Uncle Jake looked at Sabrina. His face was thin and tired. Tears escaped his eyes. “I can’t go. I can’t run away anymore.”

“We’re not running anymore, Jake,” Henry said. “I’m here. Mom’s here. The girls are here! We’re all here. We’re not going to run. We’re going to fight, but right now we have to go.”

Uncle Jake looked down at the grave. He leaned down and snatched a rosebud from the magical bush that grew there and put it into one of his many pockets, right over his heart.

The three of them raced back to Charming’s cabin, counting the lucky stars that kept them alive during all the chaos. They arrived just in time to see Mr. Canis and Red Riding Hood stepping into Charming’s mirror. Henry picked up Reggie and hoisted him onto his back and together the rest of the family stepped through. It was clear that the universe wasn’t in jeopardy when they reached the other side.

“Are we tru, man?” Reggie said as he looked around the lobby of the Hotel of Wonders. “Hey, nice digs.”

“Thanks!” Harry said. He was busy placing fresh Hawaiian leis around everyone’s necks as they milled around the massive lobby. “Have you seen the boss?”

As if on cue, Charming tumbled through the portal. He was followed by a dozen fully armored knights. Many fell to the floor with a clang and begged for help righting themselves.

“Get into the Hall of Wonders, now!” Charming shouted as he pointed to the elevator door that acted as its portal.

“Why? What’s the matter, William? We’re safe in here, aren’t we?” Granny asked.

“Not at all,” Charming shouted, nudging Granny toward the portal.

They heard a massive crash. Sabrina turned to the portal and saw Sheriff Nottingham with a heavy sledgehammer in hand. He swung it as hard as he could, and it slammed into the reflective surface on the other side.

“He’s trying to break this mirror,” Charming said.

“Uh-oh!” Daphne said.

“Didn’t you say that when a mirror is broken everything inside it is cut to ribbons?” Sabrina asked.

“You have a good memory, kid,” the prince said. “By the way, your tail is showing.”

Sabrina blushed and shoved her long tail into the back of her pants.

“Boss, what can I do?” Harry asked.

“There’s a box in room nineteen. It’s in the bureau and very important. Can you fetch it for me?”

“In a jiffy.” Harry took off for the elevators. Meanwhile, Charming was literally shoving people through the portal into the hall.

“This is a little rude, pal,” Daphne said as he pushed her toward the magical doorway.

“Pardon me if I try to save your life.”

Soon, Sabrina found herself sprawled out on the floor of the Room of Reflections, where the rest of her family was waiting. Elvis flew through and skidded across the floor, then turned and barked angrily at the portal. Henry grabbed him by the collar and ushered everyone out of the portal’s path so that others could enter as well. As they moved Ms. White came through, nearly falling to her knees.

“He shoved me!” she cried, angrily.

“Who else is left?” Robin Hood asked. He had a terrible burn on his right arm. His wife was by his side, looking distraught.

Sabrina poked her head into the portal and saw Charming, standing alone by the elevators. “What are you waiting for?”

“It’s none of your concern,” the prince said. “Go help the others get settled.”

She saw Nottingham charge through the other portal with his serpentine dagger in hand. He was met with a haymaker punch from the prince that sent the villain sprawling backward the way he came. A massive Cyclops took his place at the mirror, pounding on the reflection with a concrete hammer. His blow caused a tiny crack in the reflection.

“It’s happening!” she cried to the prince.

Charming scowled and ran toward Sabrina. She ducked inside as he took a flying leap, knocking her to the floor. Without offering to help he scampered to his feet and turned back to the magical hole.

“Harry!” he shouted as he wrung his hands. “C’mon, Harry!”

It was then that Harry appeared. Charming slipped his hand through the portal and took from Harry a small black box just large enough to hold a ring or perhaps a small necklace. “Here you go, boss.”

“Hurry, Harry,” Daphne said. “You need to step through now.”