“I think it’s something in the air,” Goldi grumbled.
Finally, the group reached the edge of the downtown business district. The Widow’s description of the destruction of the town didn’t do it justice. Streetlamp poles had been uprooted and were leaning against trucks, broken electrical wires popped and snapped on the ground like striking cobras, huge slabs of concrete were completely missing from sidewalks and streets, and there was an overpowering smell of burning metal. Worse, as Mr. Canis had feared, the army was late for the meeting. A sea of the Scarlet Hand waited for them at the gazebo. Sabrina and the others had to walk through the hostile crowd to get to the stage. She fully expected a magical attack or the feeling of a blade in her back. Many of the attendees were notorious troublemakers. Beast was there with his daughter, Natalie; as was Mayor Heart, Sheriff Nottingham, Glinda, the Three Blind Mice; Ms. Muffet and her husband, the Spider, as well as their creepy spider-boy, Toby; the White Rabbit, and a large contingent of ogres, imps, trolls, goblins, orcs, leprechauns, and brownies. A beautiful but very pale woman in a long white dress stood out from the crowd. The ground beneath her was a sheet of ice. Worse still were the faces in the crowd that Granny Relda once called friends: Mowgli, Baloo, Jack Pumpkinhead, Tik-Tok, Ozma, Hansel and Gretel, Old King Cole, Little John, and Mother Hubbard, each with a bright red handprint painted on their chests. If there was a silver lining, it was that Mirror and Atticus were nowhere to be seen.
Mayor Heart and Sheriff Nottingham roughly shoved their way to the front of the crowd. Nottingham wore black leather pants and a matching overcoat. Heart was in a ball gown decorated with hearts and lace. Her face was as white as her powder wig, which stood in stark contrast to her bold, garish makeup. Whoever told her that swamp green and bright red would look good on her face was not the queen’s friend.
“Say what you’ve come to say!” Heart barked through her trusty electronic megaphone. “Your bird said it was important and it better be. If you waste our time, I can’t guarantee this crowd will not rise up and attack you.”
The crowd cheered and laughed. Many shook swords and knobby clubs in the air.
Henry gave Veronica the thumbs-up, and she stepped to the front of the stage, fully vulnerable to the crowd. Sabrina could feel the panic rising in her throat as she imagined the endless number of attacks that could strike her mother down. They had put themselves at the mercy of a group of villains that wanted to see them dead. What were they thinking?
“May I have your attention?” Veronica said.
The crowd ignored her, so she asked again, with similar results.
Finally, Heart blasted an angry “PIPE DOWN!” which quelled the crowd. “Let her talk! It’s the least we can do. She’ll be dead by nightfall.”
The crowd’s second roar of approval infuriated Canis. He clenched his fists and looked ready to attack anyone who might approach, but the mob was not intimidated as they once might have been. For once, Sabrina missed the Big Bad Wolf.
Unfazed, her mother looked out on the crowd. “Thank you for coming. I know that by standing here with us you are putting yourselves at risk, so I won’t waste your time. My name is Veronica Grimm. I am not known to many of you. My time in this town was short, but I developed a deep, personal relationship with the Everafters in Manhattan. I was considered an asset to the people of Faerie and to the late King Oberon, who turned to me for counsel. I can be of help to you, as well.”
“Can you bring down the barrier?” Chicken Little squawked from the front of the crowd.
Veronica shook her head.
The audience booed loudly. A few bottles were flung at the stage and shattered at Veronica’s feet. Pieces flew at Morgan, but Mr. Seven swatted them away. Mordred’s hands glowed green and several people in the front of the crowd cried out in fear, so Henry begged him to stop. Mordred reluctantly did what he was asked.
“Don’t worry, Grimm. When the crowd gets ugly. I’ll be here to save your butt,” Puck said to Sabrina. “Like always.”
“What’s the matter with you? You’ve been a crybaby for days,” Sabrina snapped.
“I’m just bored with saving your life. If you think I’m going to do this after we get married, you can forget it.”
“First, we are not getting married, ever. Second, if you’re so put out, feel free to stop. I don’t need your help.”
“Yes, you do!”
“No, I don’t!”
“Trust me, you do.”
“Trust me, I’m fine. Find something else to do with your precious time. That nose of yours isn’t going to pick itself.”