Charming, Canis, Sabrina, Daphne, Puck, and even Elvis seemed shocked by Granny's plan. They gazed at one another in disbelief.
"What in heaven for?" Uncle Jake asked.
"We're going to need her as a distraction," the old woman explained. "If she can cause enough of a ruckus, Nottingham won't hear Mr. Canis knocking down the back wall so we can break Wilhelm out of his cell."
Puck clapped his hands. "A jailbreak. I love it!"
Uncle Jake, however, stood shaking his head. "Mom, mutual trust is the only thing keeping Baba Yaga from adding all of us to her bone fence. If you lie to her, things will get ugly."
"Things are ugly," Mr. Canis said. "Desperate times, son."
"I know the consequences," the old woman said, "but the alternative is much worse."
"Personally, I think your job sounds a lot more fun than mine," Puck complained to Uncle Jake.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Puck," Granny said. "But your task is the most important."
"What about us?" Daphne said as she rubbed Elvis's chin. The big dog watched Granny Relda attentively as if waiting to find out what his role in the plan would be.
"You girls are going to stay with me. I may need your help getting Wilhelm to safety," Granny said.
"But there's a hole in your plan, general," Charming said.
"'General'?" Granny Relda said.
The girls and Charming shared a look.
"I mean... what are you going to do with Wilhelm when you get him? You won't be able to hide him here. Nottingham is going to know who was responsible."
Granny shook her head. "I don't know. All I do know is that if we don't rescue him, the queen is going to kill him and then my family is going to cease to exist. Now, I suspect it will take Jacob a couple of hours to find Baba Yaga and lure her into town. I suggest you all have something to eat and get some rest. This is probably going to be a long night."
After everyone had eaten what they could, Granny retired to her bedroom and Puck went to his. Uncle Jake went off in search of Baba Yaga, and Charming retreated into his mirror, leaving Mr. Canis and the girls alone.
The old man sat quietly, studying the girls. His face looked as if he were wrestling with a question. Sabrina knew what it would be and dreaded having to answer it. How do you tell someone he is going to be taken over by a monster and lose his soul?
"Can I do anything to stop it?" Mr. Canis asked finally, looking down at the sharp black talons on his hand.
"Yes!" Daphne said.
Sabrina, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. Canis had been creeping toward a complete metamorphosis since his fight with Rumpelstiltskin in the tunnels beneath the town several months ago. Nothing he had done since had slowed his change. Still, she knew it was best to keep her doubts to herself. "Our future selves believed we could change things, and we already have, a little."
"Do you know when it happens to me?" the old man asked.
The girls shook their heads. They should have asked when they had the chance, but there were so many other questions that had gone unanswered too.
"Perhaps if I altered course I could stop it," Canis said. "That's what you're trying to do, correct?"
"We know we've changed a few things," Sabrina said. "Though we have no idea if it has made a difference in the future."
Canis got up from his chair. He repeated Granny Relda's advice about getting some rest and then slowly climbed the steps to his room.
"Are we going to lose him?" Daphne whispered. "I don't know," Sabrina said.
After a few moments of silence, the girls went up to their room. Elvis padded along beside them and hopped up onto their bed.
"I guess we better get some rest," Daphne said, shutting off the light.
"I've got a bad feeling," Sabrina said. "About tonight?"
"No, about the future, about this case. We still haven't found the missing items and it seems like things keep popping up to get in the way. What if we can't figure out who the thief is? What if we don't solve this mystery? What if there are things we can't change?"
The girls slipped their hands together and lay quietly. The darkness was like a heavy weight on their chests.
*
Sabrina awoke to an incredible shaking. Her head felt like it was going to bounce off her shoulders. The bed seemed to be moving around the room on its own. She looked over at her sister. Daphne had her eyes closed, concentrating hard. She also had the magic detector in her hand, and it was vibrating.
"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick," Daphne said, squirming around the bed like someone had tossed a handful of worms down her pants.
"What's going on?" Sabrina asked, doing her best to keep the bed from careening into her father's desk.
"I feel like one of those time tears is about to open up again. Ohhh, my legs feel like pudding."
"Where is it going to happen? Can you tell?"
"There's going to be one in the river. It's going to be a big one too.
"Big enough for Wilhelm's ship?"
"Mucho big-o!"
The shimmering and shaking stopped, and Daphne shook her arms out as if they had fallen asleep. "We have to go now!"