Daphne yanked her out of her seat. “No, this is a huge mess. Sorry, Dad. Sabrina’s a slob and I’m sick of it.”
The little girl dragged her halfway across the yard before Sabrina could get her to stop.
“What is this about?” she said.
Daphne frowned. “Someone got into our room again. They threw everything everywhere. The bed is broken and our stuff is everywhere. But that’s not the worst part. Whoever did it took the Book of Everafter again!”
“This is the strangest crime spree I’ve ever seen. Whoever is taking the book brings it back, then steals it again. Who would do that?”
“Maybe they aren’t stealing it. Maybe they are borrowing it,” Daphne mused.
“But why?”
? ? ?
In the morning, Sabrina took a bath knowing it might be the last one she would get for a long time. She washed her hair and face, brushed her teeth, and flossed. She dressed in a set of clean clothes and pulled on her sneakers.
When she stepped out of the castle, she found the rest of her family helping the Everafters load the last of the carts. As their belongings rolled through the gate of the fortress, Buzzflower hovered overhead, zapping them with a purple dust from her wand. It would cloak them in the same magic that hid the castle, allowing them to travel through the woods undetected.
“There’s too much stuff,” Robin Hood complained. “We need to travel light.”
“We aren’t bringing this with us,” Sabrina said. “We’re hiding it. When the birds did their flyover, they found a cave near the base of the mountain. It’s well hidden and deep enough to keep everyone’s things safe. We’re sending all the young children and elderly there until this is over. We’re going to keep our magic mirror there too.”
Daphne approached. “There’s no sign of the book,” she whispered.
“Keep looking.”
Daphne raced away.
Snow White approached. “I just don’t understand the plan.”
“It’s better that you don’t,” Sabrina replied. “Just keep your bo-staff ready.”
“Are you going to blow this place up?” Mr. Boarman asked. “Seems like a waste.”
“Just remind everyone that when they hear the signal, it’s time to go. They will only have five minutes to exit, and if they don’t, they’re in for a world of trouble.”
Red and Canis rushed forward. “What can we do?”
“Go with the kids,” Sabrina said, though before she finished she could already feel Canis’s disappointment. “Listen, I know you’re used to being in the action, but I need someone I can trust to keep things calm. I will never ask you to babysit again. I promise.”
Canis sighed, and his backpack fell from his shoulder. A glass jar rolled out onto the ground. Inside it a terrible black shape snapped and scratched. Sabrina felt sweat form on her brow as she eyed it. The Big Bad Wolf was in that jar. Canis scooped it up and put it back in his bag. Then he turned to Red. “Gather the little ones, child, and any animals that are slow-moving.”
Red smiled and ran off to complete her task.
“You’re good for her,” Sabrina said. “You’re like the father she never had. It would be sad for her to lose you.”
The old man lowered his eyes and hobbled off after Red, picking his way carefully with his cane.
By mid-afternoon, the birds reported that the supplies and children were safe in the woods. The army was checking the castle one last time for any useful weapons or supplies. Most of the cabins had been torn down for firewood, so it was easy work. Sabrina poked her head into the blacksmith tent and found a hammer that might be helpful, so she shoved it into her belt loop. The kitchen was empty, as was the medical tent. Her people had done an excellent job. She took a quick peek at the cemetery and found her uncle and Morgan standing over the graves of the ones they loved.
Morgan noticed Sabrina standing behind her. “I see the necessity of this and I support your plan, but . . . it’s more than I can . . . It’s just so wrong,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” Sabrina said. “I knew you two would suffer the most from what we’re going to do.”
“I feel like I’m abandoning her,” Jake whispered as if he were afraid Briar Rose might hear.
He leaned down and took a rose off of his love’s grave and slid it into one of his shirt pockets. He closed his eyes tight, as if preparing to jump out of a plane. “OK, I’m ready. Let’s do this before I change my mind.”
Sabrina took his hand. “I couldn’t do this without you. I think she would be proud.”