“What you have always done,” Reggie said.
And then the faces faded and she saw something she did not expect: herself. Each of the twenty-four mirrors showed different moments in her life. In one mirror, she was helping Daphne out of the second-floor bedroom window of Granny’s house and leaping to the ground. In another, she was locking Mrs. Robinson in the closet so that they could escape her foster home. She saw herself racing through subterranean tunnels hunting for her family with nothing but a shovel and a broken arm. She saw herself accidentally kill a giant. She saw herself snatching on to Oz’s hot-air balloon as it dragged her off the observation deck of the Empire State Building. She saw herself helping everyone break Mr. Canis out of the town jail, destroying the bank with the Horn of the North Wind, fooling the Headless Horseman with his own head, sneaking past Ichabod Crane as they tried to free Jack the Giant Killer, kicking Mr. Hamstead in the shins, then escaping into a cornfield, and shoving Puck into a swimming pool. She even saw herself tiptoeing past Ms. Smirt’s office at the orphanage.
“Why are you showing me this?” Sabrina demanded.
“THIS IS THE GIRL THAT SAVES THE WORLD,” the mirrors answered as one. “SABRINA GRIMM, QUEEN OF THE—”
“Sneaks,” she said, finishing their sentence. “You’re saying this is what makes me special? Being sneaky is what will help me save my grandmother and stop Mirror?”
The faces returned and Sabrina locked eyes with Reggie, who was smiling from ear to ear. “We’re not allowed to say, but if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on ‘yes.’”
“In your life you’ve mastered the great art of deception—the ability to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes,” Titan added. “Yours is the ability to make a person regret taking you for granted: the ability to do the unexpected—to take your opponents by surprise. You’ve used it a million times to keep your sister safe. That is the gift that sets you apart from others.”
Sabrina wiped hot tears on her shirt and blinked at the mirrors.
“And your heart,” Fanny said. “You don’t let a lot of people visit it, but once they are inside, you love them with all that you are. Those two things are what will win this war and rescue your grandmother.”
“It’s time to get your mojo back, sister,” Donovan said.
? ? ?
When the wounded were taken care of, Sabrina brought shovels to Robin Hood and King Arthur. They attempted to bury the fallen near Seven’s and Briar’s graves, but she told them it was better to bury them outside the castle walls. They argued, but she promised them it would make sense in time. When they continued, she turned her back and walked away. She wasn’t going to let them bully her any longer. So as the sun’s orange glow lit the horizon, Sabrina’s army said good-bye to the brave and fallen: Mallobarb, Tik-Tok, Sir Kay, Sir Gawain, the Silver Pigeon, and Will Scarlet. When they left the grave sites and assembled in the castle yard, Sabrina called for their attention. She had spent hours planning what she would say, but when she saw their exhausted faces, she hesitated. What Sabrina was about to tell them might push them over the edge. But she knew she was right.
“When the mirrors told us that I would lead you, I admit I was afraid. I haven’t fought in any wars, so I put my faith in the hands of a few well-meaning people. They wanted me to throw a party to cheer you up, then reach out to the Scarlet Hand for help, then train for battle in front of you, then attack at the heart of our enemies. Those people were wrong. But I don’t blame them. They were doing what they thought was right. Unfortunately, the prophecy is not about them. It’s about my sister and me. I shouldn’t have tried to put that responsibility on others. Last night happened because of me—my doubts and fears. It’s ironic, because ever since my sister and I showed up in this town, I’ve complained that no one takes me seriously.”
“I can vouch for that,” Daphne said.
“Now that you are listening, it’s scary. I mean, I’m still just a kid. So I had to ask myself, what’s so special about me and Daphne? What do we do that is so different from the brains, muscles, and magic that you all have?
“Well, once upon a time, before any of you met the sisters Grimm, we had a reputation as very successful juvenile delinquents. We were good at moving quietly, good at running and hiding, and good with keys and locks. We were good at getting each other out of tough situations and very good at tricking people into doing things we wanted them to do.”
“What my sister is saying is, it’s time for shenanigans,” Daphne said.
The Cowardly Lion growled. “What do you have in mind?”
“Pack your things. Pack everything you can carry. We’re abandoning the castle,” Sabrina said.