“This doesn’t have to get ugly,” Mirror said. “Just hand me the paper.”
“Let them go, Mirror,” Sabrina said, her voice quaking from the tremors that rocked her from inside. She felt like she might explode—that her body might break in half and release a torrent of violence on Mirror and everyone around her. She turned to Daphne, who gave her a brave smile.
“Sabrina, do not give him the spell!” Henry shouted.
A moment later, Uncle Jake was jerked off the ground and floating helplessly with the others.
“Our lives are not worth the whole world!” Jake shouted.
“A simple snap of my fingers will end them,” Mirror said. “It’s that easy, Sabrina. But you can have them back for one little piece of paper.”
“Daphne, give it to him,” Sabrina said.
Daphne shook her head. “Sabrina—”
With a wave of her hand, Sabrina commanded the paper to leave her sister’s pocket. Before the little girl could stop it the spell floated into Mirror’s hand.
“NO!” Henry cried.
“I can’t let you die!” Sabrina said. “I lost you once. I can’t let it happen again!”
Mirror’s face twisted into a smile as he gazed down upon the paper. With a laugh, he recited the ancient words, each growing with sound and fury.
There was an odd tinkling sound, and its great, ancient magic evaporated into the sky. The barrier was gone. Such a simple act for such powerful magic.
Mirror turned to the Everafters and smiled. “You’re free. You are all finally free!”
The crowd shuffled uncomfortably, as if unsure of what to do.
The Frog Prince was the first to try. He gingerly searched the air for the wall, but it did not stop him. He stepped through, suddenly free.
“It works,” he cried, urging his daughter to join him. She went with her father out into the free world. The Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion were next, followed by Cinderella and her husband, as well as the Three Blind Mice.
Mirror reached his hand through where the barrier used to be, and he grinned and laughed. “Finally!” He giggled.
“Don’t get too excited, pal,” Daphne said. “As long as we’re alive, we’re going to be on you like bedbugs. We won’t stop until your back in your mirror and our granny is safe and sound!”
Mirror turned to the girls, his eyes aglow and his hands exploding with flames.
“Leave them alone!” Henry shouted.
“Sorry, Hank, but the little one is right. As long as there is a Grimm, you will always manage to find a way to ruin the party.” He pointed his flaming finger at the girls, and a powerful force sent them flying through the crowd.
Just before they slammed into the ground, Sabrina felt a bubbling explosion inside her, as if the top of a soda bottle shaken by a mischievous child was opened inside her belly. When they landed, instead of feeling the agony of tearing skin and broken bones, a metallic shell appeared, covering the girls and sending orange sparks zipping in all directions as they skidded down the road. When they came to a stop, they helped each other up as the hardened skin faded away.
“Neat trick,” Daphne said.
“Thank you,” Sabrina said.
“Any idea how you did that?” Daphne asked.
“Not a clue.”
The girls walked back through the crowd to where they started.
Mirror saw them coming and surprise spread across his face. He snarled and blasted the girls again. This time Sabrina’s hands reacted, and a shield of pink light pushed back against his attack. With another wave of her hand the earth broke open like an egg beneath Mirror’s feet and swallowed him whole. At once, her family also fell to the ground. It was a miracle that no one was hurt, though baby Basil started to cry.
Sabrina reeled from her power. On the one hand, it felt good to let some of it out. It made her feel strong and a hundred feet tall. But on the other hand, she felt the desire to hurt Mirror again. She wanted to stand over his broken body and laugh. That was when she knew how truly sick she was. She had to end this fast. She took Daphne’s hand and together they ran to the crevice and peered into the darkness.
“Mirror!” she cried.
“You can’t attack him,” Daphne said. “You’re attacking Granny.”
“I know,” Sabrina said. “I . . . this power isn’t good for me. There’s too much.”
Daphne nodded and gestured for Baba Yaga and the Wicked Queen. The crone’s horrible house lumbered behind them.
“Sabrina can’t attack,” Daphne said. “She can only defend, so it’s up to the coven.”
“But the coven is broken!” the Wicked Queen cried. “We’ll try, but without a third—”