"What do you mean 'what now'?" Uncle Jake said. "That should have taken care of her."
And then something happened that surprised even Baba Yaga--a thick black storm cloud appeared overhead. The wind swirled viciously, whipping across the street and ripping the awning off the front of Sacred Grounds. There was a flash of lightning and a loud explosion and then, as if they had stepped out of nowhere, a dozen men in loincloths and painted faces appeared. They were bare-chested and shoeless, and their skin was dark and tanned. A few held tomahawks in their hands, some had long spears, and others had bows and arrows. To Sabrina, they looked as if they had stepped out of the Native American exhibit at the Museum of Natural History.
The men scanned the area and seemed to understand that the house was a threat. They trained their weapons on Baba Yaga and shouted to one another in an odd, guttural language Sabrina couldn't understand.
One of the men bellowed and charged the house. The others followed, attacking with ferocious might. Their spears stabbed at the house's legs, causing it to hop up and down. Sabrina watched as Baba Yaga tried to cast a spell, most likely against the men, but with the house rocking back and forth so much, she couldn't keep her balance. Some of the men launched their arrows at the windows, and the witch had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit. A few of the arrows stuck into the sides of the house, and Sabrina sensed that the odd shack was in pain. Other men climbed the legs of the house, taking advantage of its confusion, and smashed their tomahawks into the walls. Pieces of wood splintered and fell to the ground.
"Nice work," Daphne said to their uncle.
"Uh, I didn't do this," Uncle Jake said, completely flabbergasted as he looked down at the little amulet. "At least, I don't think so."
Nottingham raced down the street with his dagger in hand. He came to a screeching halt when he spotted the strange scene in the middle of the road.
"Your little butter scraper isn't going to do much," Uncle Jake said to Nottingham as he pointed to the rows of burning buildings. "We've got a bigger problem now anyway. We need the Fire Department."
Nottingham's face turned red. "That's not possible."
"What? Why?" Sabrina demanded.
"The Fire Department was disbanded. The mayor had to make cuts and there wasn't room for them in the budget. Charming left us with quite a debt, you know."
"What are we going to do?" Sabrina yelled as the strange men fired another volley of arrows at Baba Yaga's shack.
"I'll handle it." Uncle Jake fumbled around in his pockets. He took out a golden ring, placed it on his hand, then rubbed it against his coat sleeve to shine the brilliant emerald at its center. He whispered something into it and it lit up like a brilliant firecracker. A moment later the sky emptied buckets of water down on everything. There was so much rain that Sabrina could barely see her sister to grab her hand. The rain swallowed up the flames, saving the town from imminent destruction.
When the rain slowed, Sabrina realized that the bizarre storm had vanished, along with the men and their weapons. All that was left was a bewildered Baba Yaga and her damaged home.
"I am not finished!" Baba Yaga cried as she craned her head out of one of her broken windows. "I'll be back!"
The house turned and stomped back down the street the way it came.
*
"Native Americans?" Granny Relda asked.
Uncle Jake nodded. "That's what they looked like to me."
Mr. Canis groaned. "And where are they now?"
"They vanished the way they came--into thin air," Uncle Jake said, examining his amulet.
"I wonder how Mayor Heart will clean up that mess without a coven of witches on her side. The Three used to take care of those kinds of things when Charming was in charge," Granny said.
"That's her problem now. We still have to deal with Baba Yaga," Mr. Canis replied. "The truth is, someone has to keep an eye on her. I should track her and make sure she doesn't get too close to the town."
"No," Granny Relda said. "Jacob will take care of that."
"Me?" Uncle Jake cried. "She threatened to eat me once."
"I'll go with you," Puck said. "I'm learning a lot from the old witch."
"Fine. Mr. Canis, I was hoping you would look after the girls," Granny suggested. "What about the case?" Daphne said.
Granny shook her head.
"Liebling,
I'm afraid we're going to have to put detective work on hold. There are too many emergencies to deal with, and we can't be everywhere at the same time."
"But--" Sabrina started, but her grandmother threw up her hands.
"We just can't. Now, I have to get ready. Ms. White has agreed to take me to the bank. I'm applying for a loan to pay our taxes."
Everyone darted off in his or her own direction, leaving Sabrina and Daphne alone with Mr. Canis, who didn't look at all happy to be stuck with the girls.
"So... ," Sabrina said as she eyed the old man. His upper fangs had started to creep down his lips.
"So," he huffed.