“You don’t want to know yet, Hank,” Jake said.
Sabrina grabbed her father and her sister by the hands and they darted from their hiding place and raced for the drawbridge. Uncle Jake led the way, delivering punches to anyone that got too close. Bunny, Morgan, and Baba Yaga followed, unleashing spells that hit the charging army like a tidal wave. The Old Mother’s house brought up the rear, charging through the crowd and sending bodies flying in all directions.
They ran past the Cowardly Lion, who was mauling a troll.
“Time to go,” Sabrina said.
The lion leaped off his victim and followed them. Along the way, Boarman, Swineheart, and the Pied Piper joined them. Goldilocks and her bears were next, trailed by Rapunzel and the Scarecrow, shedding his straw.
And then Uncle Jake came to an abrupt stop. On the ground in front of him lay Mayor Heart, injured. He looked down at her, initially in disgust, but then reached down and helped her to her feet.
“I won’t—I won’t go quietly,” Heart stammered.
“You’re not a prisoner, but I suggest you come with us. We’re your only hope,” Jake said.
“Jacob, what are you up to?” Henry said. “She can’t be trusted!”
Jake ignored him and turned back to Heart. “It’s your last chance. Are you coming, Your Majesty?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Come with me or I will turn the lion on you.”
The Cowardly Lion roared and Heart shrieked. She nodded to Jake, and then joined those escaping into the woods. They charged through the iron gate and across the drawbridge.
Once outside, Daphne took a folded piece of yellowing paper from her pocket. “Wilhelm’s barrier spell,” Daphne said, marveling at the ancient paper.
“Let’s get this started,” Sabrina said.
Daphne signaled the coven, shoving Uncle Jake’s spell into Morgan’s hands. “OK, girls, as we discussed, Morgan does the reading, Bunny handles the stones, and Baba puts on the light show.”
More of Sabrina’s fighters darted across the bridge. Robin Hood and Little John helped Friar Tuck, who had a deep gash on his leg.
The Cheshire Cat was next across the drawbridge. “I think they got the Scarecrow. I can’t be sure but—”
The Scarecrow was the next out the door. The Frog Prince followed with his wife and daughter in tow.
“My husband won’t listen!” Beauty cried as she raced into the woods. Tears were streaming down her face. “I begged him.”
“I’m sorry!” Sabrina said.
More and more members of Sabrina’s army came through until nearly their whole group had escaped. When they saw Sabrina’s ragtag group retreat, the Hand roared from behind the castle walls. As Sabrina had hoped, their enemies wanted to demoralize her army by celebrating their conquest of the castle. Little did the Hand know the castle was a gift.
“Close the gates,” Henry shouted. “We’re all here!”
“Wait! Where’s Puck?” Sabrina asked. Panicked, she searched the crowd, desperate for a sight of his filthy green hoodie or his unruly mop of hair, but he wasn’t there. She searched the sky, but he wasn’t there, either. She ran for the gates.
“Sabrina, no!” Henry cried after her.
“I can’t leave him,” she shouted. “Daphne, don’t you stop that spell!”
“I’m going with you!” Beauty shouted, and chased behind the girl.
The two found themselves in the midst of a celebration, and so they were able to slip by unnoticed. They pushed through the rowdy crowd, weaving in and out of monsters, until they found Puck. He was still fighting and completely outmatched. His opponent, a disgusting-looking creature with a pig snout and huge tusks, had his foot on the boy and would not let go.
“Oh, hey ugly,” Puck said when he saw Sabrina. “Sorry, I’m a little busy.”
“Is this yours?” the creature snorted.
“Yes,” Sabrina said.
“Then fight me for him,” he grunted.
Sabrina looked up into his face. He stood several feet above her, but as she was trembling she noticed the creature’s leaky pale eyeball. He was going blind on his right side. What had her father said? Look for weaknesses?
“Fine, piggy, let’s fight!”
The creature swung at her, but she darted to his right, where he couldn’t see her. She noticed a nasty red wound on his rib cage, fresh and bleeding. She leaped and kicked the spot, and the monster bellowed in pain. None of the other villains noticed the fight, as they were too busy ransacking what was left of the castle. When the creature bent over, Sabrina noticed the green ooze coming from his furry ear. It was infected, and she did as she was trained. She punched it as hard as she could, and the monster fell over, shrieking and sobbing. As he did so, he set Puck loose.
“You saved my life,” Puck said, standing. “Well, that’s a change of pace.”