An explosion shook the gazebo, nearly knocking everyone to the ground. The Wicked Queen’s battle with Atticus had escalated. Bunny blasted him repeatedly, and he slammed into the mob like he had been fired from a cannon. He flew past Sabrina and smashed into the gazebo behind her, tilting it off its foundation. But within moments he was on his feet, chuckling as if he were being attacked by a child.
“Bad news, Your Majesty. That book of fairy tales you tried to bury me in was full of magical weapons. I managed to acquire a few in the last four hundred years. Take this suit of armor I wear—enchanted by Merlin himself. As long as I wear it, no human can kill me. Now put away your card tricks. The Master has need of me, and I’d like to kill my traitorous brother while I have some free time.”
The Wicked Queen floated over the crowd. The whites of her eyes were swallowed by blackness and tiny bolts of lightning buzzed around her body. “Card tricks? You don’t get a name like the Wicked Queen doing card tricks.”
She blasted him with a green rocket that sent him slamming into the ground once more. Still, Atticus recovered quickly.
“Woman!” he said. “If you could kill, me you would have done it long ago, instead of locking me in that book.”
“Mother, what is he talking about?” Snow asked.
“Not now, honey, the grown-ups are talking,” Bunny said.
The queen stretched out her arms. She shouted “Gladius!” and a flaming sword appeared in her hands. She struck at Atticus. He smirked and then launched into a savage and unrestrained attack. He slashed with his blade, forcing the floating witch farther and farther back. Bunny retaliated, her sword clanging against Atticus’s blade. Each strike sent red-hot sparks flying in all directions.
“I need a sword!” Charming said. His own was lost in the fighting.
“Coming right up,” Daphne said, and slipped her hand into her pocket. She took out the fairy godmother wand once more, and with a flick of her wrist Charming was in a full suit of armor with a sword in hand.
“I don’t need the armor!” Charming groused, pulling off the helmet and tossing it aside.
“Sorry, it goes with the outfit,” Daphne said.
Charming charged into the fight, slashing at Atticus.
“So the baby brother dares to pick up his sword?” Atticus said. “How you can defend your actions is beyond belief. The arrogance!”
Swords flew.
One flashed past Sabrina’s head and she felt it slice off a chunk of her hair. A second later she and Daphne were whisked into the sky. Puck had saved their lives again.
“I rest my case!” Puck said.
“Fine. I sometimes need your help,” Sabrina said.
“Sometimes?”
“Don’t push it, bug face,” Sabrina said. “There’s my mom and dad. Put us down there.”
Once they were on the ground, Henry and Veronica pulled them into their arms. Veronica’s face was wet with tears and seeing her daughters sent a fresh flood down her cheeks. “Let’s get out of here now, kids.”
“But what about Charming and Ms. Lancaster?” Sabrina said, turning back to watch more of the brutal fighting.
“They can handle themselves,” Henry said.
Goldilocks rushed to the family. “Come quick. It’s Mr. Seven.”
Henry, Veronica, Sabrina, and Daphne followed the woman through the mob. A crowd was gathered in an alley near the old bicycle shop. Mr. Seven lay in the center, Nurse Sprat hovering over him. He looked pale and tired. A bandage was wrapped around his belly, but a red stain was spreading through it. Morgan le Fay sat on the ground next to him, holding his hand. Seven leaned up with some pain and kissed his wife. “I love you, Morgan.”
The witch held on to his hand and would not let go. “I love you too! But everything is going to be fine. We’ll just postpone the honeymoon.”
“Tell Mordred I want him to look after you,” he said.
“You’re going to look after me, darling. That’s your job,” she said.
Sabrina couldn’t stop staring at the blood. There was so much. “I tried everything I can,” Nurse Sprat said. “Nothing is helping.”
Snow White rounded the corner. The beautiful teacher knelt beside Seven. “Take care of Charming, Snow,” the little man said. “He needs you.”
“I will,” Snow said through tears.
The queen and Charming joined the group moments later, exhausted from their fight. Snow jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.
“We managed to fight him off,” Bunny said, “but he’ll be back. We should get our friend here back to your castle.”
Nurse Sprat shook her head.
Charming stepped forward and knelt down next to his companion. “Nonsense! If you think dying gives you an excuse to tell me what you really think of me, you can save it, Seven. You’re going to recover and it will be very awkward later.”
“William Charming, you are my friend,” the little man said.
Charming’s face turned red. He fought back tears with as much force as he must have used to fight back dragons.
“It has been my pleasure to look after you,” Seven continued.
“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Charming said with a chuckle.
Sabrina watched Seven lock eyes with the queen. “I’ve done everything I could to protect him from the truth, Your Majesty,” Mr. Seven said. “But it seems it has come nonetheless.”