"This has nothing to do with you," Sabrina lied.
"You don't have to be a genius to know that I get hurt in the future trying to get this magic detector," the little girl said. "But we have to do this. Solving this case might make a huge difference. I'd rather have a scar than let the world turn out the way it does, or did, or whatever."
"Daphne, I--"
"It's my choice," the little girl interrupted.
"Sabrina, it will make a difference," Charming said, "which is the basis for my plan. I'm going to do everything I can to alter the future by making as many changes as I can now." The prince turned his attention back to his diminutive driver. "What do you know about security?"
"She's got guards at all the doors and windows," Seven said. "Then a few roaming around the house."
"That's not good."
"It gets worse. Nottingham is living in the house. The mayor's a little on the paranoid side and is convinced someone is going to come in and kill her in the night."
"The mayor is smarter than she looks," Charming said. "Good work, Seven. I'm sure the general will give you a medal for this."
"I'm sorry, sir?"
Charming smiled sheepishly, then flipped the switch that raised the divider between the front and backseat.
The limousine snaked its way through the farmlands of the town until it reached the street in front of the mayor's mansion. Seven stopped the car and helped everyone out, then strolled around to the trunk and opened it. Charming scooped up a pile of rope and some flashlights, then closed the trunk.
"This could get dangerous," Charming said to his former assistant.
"Danger is my middle name," Mr. Seven replied as he got back into the car. "I thought your middle name was Albert," Charming said. "It is, sir. I was making a joke."
"Oh," Charming said. "Could you stop that?" Seven nodded.
"Maybe Charming could get a sense of humor," Sabrina whispered to her sister. "That would totally change the future."
Seven started up the limo and pulled into the mansion's driveway. While he drove, Charming led the girls onto the property. They darted from tree to tree, waiting in the shadows as they got closer and closer to the house. It wasn't long before they spotted some of the mayor's guards: men with arms, heads, and legs like people but torsos that were nothing more than extra-large playing cards. Sabrina fought back the dizzy feeling she often got when faced with something that should have been impossible.
Seven parked the limousine by the front door, next to a fountain that had once featured a statue of Charming at its center. Now it contained a marble sculpture of the Queen of Hearts, though substantially thinner and more attractive than the real person. The moment the little man opened the limo door, an obnoxious dance song blasted through the car's brutally loud speakers.
"What's he doing?" Sabrina said.
"Just wait," Charming snapped, as if irritated that she would question the details of his plan.
"Here they come," Daphne said, pointing at a half a dozen of the playing-card guards as they raced to the limo. Shouting over the music, they quickly leveled their swords at Mr. Seven's head. Sabrina couldn't make out what they said, or what he said back, but they seemed to be arguing. A moment later, the front door flew open and Nottingham stormed out, dressed in a robe and slippers, his crooked dagger in his hand.
"Let's go," the prince whispered. He led the girls around the back of the house, where they found a door. Charming tried the handle, but it was locked tight.
"I was hoping this was going to be easy," he said, pulling the rope off his shoulder. One end had a grappling hook attached to it. He tossed it onto the roof and it caught on something. He yanked it hard to test it and gestured to Sabrina.
"You want me to climb this?" Sabrina said.
"Looking at it is not going to get you onto the roof." Charming sneered.
Sabrina shrugged, grabbed onto the rope, and pulled with all her might. She had learned to climb ropes in gym class. The trick wasn't in the shoulders or the arms, it was in the feet. Wrapping the rope around her heels kept her from sliding down and made the whole effort much easier. Soon she was on the roof, looking down at her sister and the prince. Charming had Daphne leap onto his back, and a few anxious moments later, they joined Sabrina.
Charming darted over to the chimney. He peered down into it and felt the bricks. "Good, she hasn't built a fire."
Meanwhile, Sabrina was quickly pulling up the rope. Her heart nearly stopped when one of the guards rushed around the house below her. He ran right by the rope, and though he didn't seem to see it in the darkness, it flicked against the back of his neck. He threw up his hand as if he were shooing a mosquito, and he would have certainly discovered the rope by his ear if Sabrina hadn't been pulling as quickly as she possibly could.